http://www.alisonbing.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-12-02 http://www.alisonbing.com/blog-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-02 http://www.alisonbing.com/trusted-brands daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599266688606-Z59H4P6TRHB0G78MSDAO/0.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455504821933-MTLSX5A24ZMDI8M2MGIN/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+6.42.55+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455488129144-I85UGHHV7T1H4H35UXYD/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1454983537936-5KNR9T4YELLQKQI0Q3E3/Screen+Shot+2016-02-08+at+5.26.51+PM.png Trusted brands http://www.alisonbing.com/autodesk-design-academy-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1454984796599-MWDWUE2B812FCOR6F024/image-asset.png Autodesk Design Academy http://www.alisonbing.com/global-reach daily 0.75 2025-12-02 http://www.alisonbing.com/home daily 1.0 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599267301109-ND99PQZMNER18A4YI9HL/image-asset.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1764637384687-4VTAMJIT5WW32CS9KEUW/0.webp https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599266688606-Z59H4P6TRHB0G78MSDAO/0.png http://www.alisonbing.com/true-stories-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455486806822-Q5ZITKN23OX8PE28242J/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+1.53.05+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599267301109-ND99PQZMNER18A4YI9HL/image-asset.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455515846231-KEXNO0RCORF027P0C6VJ/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+1.54.56+PM.png http://www.alisonbing.com/original-content daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599675017843-V5ZXES1DIG2FS9Z59D1Y/static1.squarespace.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1764637384687-4VTAMJIT5WW32CS9KEUW/0.webp https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455490276009-4EGIPCHECEN1NIU94U84/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+2.50.53+PM.png http://www.alisonbing.com/stories daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599267042997-L76Z4LK3RT8XPIUMDGK0/image-asset.jpg Stories. - Fail Like a Punk (Copy) Fail Like a Punk This story I originally wrote for a friend who'd just been laid off from her first startup, and was embarrassed about it. I assured her that surviving a startup shakeup is a badge of honor in Silicon Valley. "So why doesn't anybody talk about it?" she asked. Point taken - and challenge accepted. I published this story on LinkedIn, for all of Silicon Valley to see. Adobe picked up my story for publication in Create magazine, adding retina-twitching punk graphics by Robert Blatherwick. Best of all: my friend came out of hiding, and found a new job she loves. Because when you speak your truth, there is no shame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455486806822-Q5ZITKN23OX8PE28242J/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+1.53.05+PM.png Stories. - The Joy of the Crowd (Copy) The Joy of the Crowd In the first Venice guidebook I wrote, I included a sidebar on how to avoid crowds at St. Mark's cathedral. Those are the only words I wish I hadn't published. Almost a thousand years ago, St Mark's was purpose-built to awe crowds with the glory of Venice. Only with a crowd do you realize: those medieval stonemasons totally nailed it. To make amends, I wrote "The Joy of the Crowd." The story was adopted as the manifesto for Fest300, a festival travel startup. Within a month of launch, Fest300 generated high-profile coverage; its first year, the site won a Lowell Thomas Award for travel journalism. Then came Covid-19, and for the first time in centuries, the doors of St. Marks closed to visitors. Overnight, all the most trafficked online features I wrote about travel in Italy suddenly became irrelevant - except for this one. The joy of the crowd stays with us, even after the crowds are gone - and its magnetism is undeniable. We’ll be together again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455515846231-KEXNO0RCORF027P0C6VJ/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+1.54.56+PM.png Stories. - The Patch (Copy) The Patch Trendspotting isn’t that hard: follow history, and wait. History can take awhile to repeat. But urban farming was one trend I clocked right on time, when editors wanted front-line coverage from the wilds of San Francisco. But I recognized this was no cutting-edge trend: just across the bay in Sonoma, urban farming was already 140 years old. So instead of trend spotting, I did some trend archaeology. Turns out urban farming in downtown Sonoma has survived revolutions, wild hogs, and real estate developers - forces that urban gardeners still contend with today. When the New York Times ran my feature, a Sonoma old-timer said: “Finally, they get one California story right.” High praise, 140 years in the making. http://www.alisonbing.com/create-content-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599263613159-N2KU8IBI0LJE8OEIDKCH/0.png Create content. - PayPal (Copy) PayPal Money is interaction, a wordless language. So what do people mean by it? This question isn’t philosophical but physical at PayPal - recognized globally as that blue button you hit to complete a transaction. But what kind? Even small exchanges can represent much bigger goals: backing causes, sending birthday gifts, supporting small businesses, starting your own business. Started as an alternative to traditional banking, PayPal is now used worldwide to achieve big goals with small exchanges. But on its website, PayPal looked and sounded like a bank, not a financial ally. So I joined the AKQA/PayPal task force as lead content strategist, analyzing user data and SEO trends to identify what people really mean by their transactions - and how they talk about money. Together we mapped the PayPal site to people’s intentions, using familiar terms to put people at ease with the touchy subject of money. Now the PayPal site reflects what money means: it makes our choices real and our voices heard across the global economy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455490276009-4EGIPCHECEN1NIU94U84/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+2.50.53+PM.png Create content. - BBC Worldwide/Lonely Planet (Copy) BBC Worldwide/Lonely Planet Minds don't change all that often. That much I learned from rigorous graduate study of politics. But minds can be totally blown by new experiences. I learned that the fun way, from travel. So when Lonely Planet asked me if I'd like to write their very first travel guidebook to Marrakesh, of course I said yes. Here was a chance to show visitors around the Middle East, to glimpse life beyond politics. Turns out that behind the scenes, mind-blowing travel takes rigorous research and writing - in July, in the desert. There were sandstorms. My laptop flamed out with a grinding roar. But we got that guide published, and 60 other top-selling guides besides. I've also piloted seven successful series launches for BBC Worldwide/Lonely Planet, and created apps and web content that won Webbys and Lowell Thomas travel writing awards. But the best is when I meet a traveler freshly returned from Marrakesh with shining eyes, alive to new possibilities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455516366418-A392B4KA4PWV1D86FV2L/image-asset.jpeg Create content. - Autodesk Design Academy (Copy) Autodesk Design Academy I come from a family of dedicated teachers that never had enough room in the garage for a car - it was crammed with classroom supplies. Every teacher knows the scene: finding the right materials to teach Shakespeare or geometry to a range of learners is a constant challenge. By working with forward-thinking clients like Autodesk, I make it my business to keep teachers supplied with inspiring educational materials. Autodesk Design Academy brings STEAM learning to life with hands-on design projects - from Shakespeare-inspired video games to refugee shelters that fold like origami. But with hundreds of projects to choose from across skill sets, the right materials weren’t always easy to find or follow. My job was to make projects accessible and fun, with step-by-step modules that could scale quickly across learning levels. Good thing we planned for growth. Since relaunch, Autodesk Design Academy membership has grown from 2492 to 30,010 teachers and peer educators, producing thousands of original student designs. Then came Covid-19, and the abrupt closure of schools worldwide. How would teachers and parents keep up with new distance learning demands, and a sudden influx of technical questions? The Academy rose to the challenge, forming the Ambassador Hub to provide project support and encouragement from start to finish. And all without taking up any garage space. http://www.alisonbing.com/conversations daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455488129144-I85UGHHV7T1H4H35UXYD/image-asset.jpeg Brands - AIRBNB (Copy) AIRBNB Adventurous travelers made house-sharing platform Airbnb into an overnight success - but not everyone saw the upside in opening their homes to strangers. I was one of those people. What finally convinced me to host was the same thing that inspired me as a guest. Airbnb isn't about private beaches or gilded guestrooms, but about feeling at home in unlikely places: Italian caves, Brazilian treehouses, Mongolian yurts. For their brand re-launch, Airbnb challenged me to capture this idea. Instead of a grand mission statement, I wrote an ode to small kindnesses exchanged over kitchen tables, ending with these words: “We believe in a world where you can belong anywhere.” This idea evolved into Airbnb Citizen, opening homes worldwide to disaster evacuees, refugees, and essential health workers. But the story didn’t stop there. We also launched a storytelling platform where Airbnb hosts and guests could exchange stories, building trust and community. Within one month, 37,000 stories had been shared - and new host acquisition rates shot up 82%. Public data shows total available rooms grew from 1 million to 1.5 million within eight months of re-launch, raising total Airbnb revenues 55% over the previous year. There’s also a qualitative difference: we're not strangers anymore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599266688606-Z59H4P6TRHB0G78MSDAO/0.png Brands - Google (Copy) Google This brand needs no introduction, because most people online use some Google product daily. So the challenge we faced at Google wasn’t building a brand from scratch - it was reconciling 4000+ pages of existing standards compiled over a decade. I began with a content audit, assessing existing guidance for currency, consistency, and accessibility. Next step: editing. Could we do it all within 6 weeks? Working with a scrum of UX designers and domain specialists, we did. Celebrations ensued. Then came the request: can you do all Google brand standards? Which standards? Logo specs or diversity & inclusion guidelines or illustration briefs or …? Not or. And. Our Brand Standards team was suddenly much bigger, and so was our goal: to align the company’s beliefs and creative practices across all divisions, globally. But we had a proven model, and a road-tested team. Together we designed a Google Brand Standards internal site to meet evolving needs, and launched it on schedule. Though the guidance is internal, Google’s interactive best practices are now reflected externally on its Material Design site - and in Brand Studio’s award-winning creative output. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1455504821933-MTLSX5A24ZMDI8M2MGIN/Screen+Shot+2016-02-14+at+6.42.55+PM.png Brands - Fair Trade USA (Copy) Fair Trade USA Early on when I was working on marketing knowledge software for Procter & Gamble, I had an epiphany: marketing can either make an impact, or make noise. I decided to go for impact. But first, I needed some decent coffee - hot, strong, sustainable, responsible. That craving was hard to satisfy, until Fair Trade USA changed everything. When I met founder Paul Rice and heard his plans for fair trade coffee, I jumped on board. What started as a consumer education campaign quickly became a movement. The Fair Trade brand promise of quality, better lives and a healthy planet resonated across product launches of fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, fruit and textiles, with $1.5 billion in sales directly benefiting family farmers worldwide. Together we made meaningful impact with thoughtful marketing - and many excellent cups of coffee. http://www.alisonbing.com/home-1 daily 0.75 2025-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599266566064-EBCJQCZRYSC8V3AN7QHQ/0.png home Google Material Design Color Tool interface for creating and sharing color palettes, showing material and custom palettes, with a pink, red, and black triangle graphic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1599267301109-ND99PQZMNER18A4YI9HL/image-asset.jpg home Book cover titled 'Fail Like a Punk' by Alison Bing with a bright yellow background and bold pink and black text. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b93cae859fd0abedea9f34/1764637384687-4VTAMJIT5WW32CS9KEUW/0.webp home Advertisement for PayPal and Spotify Premium promoting playlists and payments on repeat, featuring a cartoon character with headphones. http://www.alisonbing.com/work daily 0.75 2025-12-02