How I Judge A Book

Jim and I were just at the VCU Brandcenter portfolio review. As usually, there was some very impressive work on display. By my count, I looked at 22 art directors, 22 copywriters, and 10 creative technologists. Some were good. A few were great. All made me feel I'm glad I graduated when I did, because this generation is a lot more competitive than mine was.
Let me explain why.
When I look at a student book, I typically look for two things:
1. Craft. Can the writer write? Is the art director a real art director, or just an ad director who knows Photoshop. Craft shows passion, and it's easy to see who has it.
2. Thinking. Is the strategy smart? Or self-indulgent?
But now there's a third thing I look for:
3. Jealousy.
Let me explain.
When I left school, I had double-page magazine spreads spray-mounted to black boards. That was it. And we all got jobs based on how good those spray-mounted ideas were.
But this is the Maker Generation. If you have an idea for an app, a website, a product, some kind of technology, chances are, you can go out and physically make it. Or at least have it made. And I'm pretty jealous of that.
So if you're putting your book together and you have an idea for an app, don't just mock up what the program would look like on your iPad, go make it. That's what a lot of the students at the VCU Brandcenter were doing. And it was pretty inspiring.