Here in the Omaha Metro Area, we recently had a surprise hail storm that struck parts of town. Realizing that homeowners effected by the storm would have a serious need for the construction and remodeling services that his company offers, Ryan Chappelear, owner of RC Remodeling contacted me for help with a project. Shortly after the storm, Ryan planned to canvas the areas of Omaha most effected by the storm with a simple marketing piece that communicated to homeowners on a personal level, informed them about the services he has to offer and urged them to contact the company for repairs to their home.
The project needed to be completed quickly, so copy was written and the flyer was designed, printed and delivered to Ryan within a few days. At the end of the following week, I learned that this simple marketing piece has been a huge success for RC Remodeling. By the end of the week following the storm, Ryan had 10 new roofing jobs as well as some deck repairs resulting directly from using the flyer. Just goes to show you that while timing definitely plays a role in your marketing decisions, marketing using print design components can still be extremely effective in meeting – or exceeding – your goals.
Do you have your own print marketing success story or advice/feedback to share? Leave a comment below!
The Worldwide Logo Design Annual (WOLDA) recently announced its 2009 winners. Since 2008, this high-profile graphic design award scheme has been bringing recognition to what it regards as the best of the world’s logos and trademarks. Out of nearly 2,000 international submissions in 2009, 192 logos were selected to receive awards. In addition to recognized award winners receiving a place in print, WOLDA also archives each year’s winners online, adding to a growing visual record of emerging and evolving tastes, styles and trends in the industry.
WOLDA’s award scheme includes a number of different categories identifying winners on an international scale, including ‘Best of the World’, and ‘Best Student Work’. The winner of 2009’s ‘Best of the World’ title is a logo designed by Olivier Courbet for Circus of Magazines. 2009’s ‘Best Student Work’ was awarded to Keo Pierron for the Ponzu Sushi House. Both winners come from the United States.
WOLDA is endorsed by more than one hundred design associations, schools and media partners the world over, including Design 360, Dexigner and Identity. Design professionals and students alike are invited to enter their annual competition. For more information on WOLDA, visit their website.
If there was ever a year categorized by information overload, 2009 has been it. The media continually bombarded us with H1N1 outbreak numbers, statistics on the growing federal deficit and increases in unemployment – sometimes all day, everyday.
Thankfully, over the last year, David McCandless has been exploring the possibilities of story-telling through charts to make all this information a little more interesting. The fruit of his efforts, along with contributions by many additional designers can now be found in The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World’s Most Consequential Trivia. The book is a collection of graphs, charts and illustrations that creatively visualize relationships and data. It covers a broad range of statistical data: including global media scare stories, differences between political beliefs, our guilty pleasures and even includes a maps of different internet search terms based on geographic location.
According to Amazon.com, the book is a “unique, groundbreaking look at the modern information age, helping readers make sense of the countless statistics and random facts that constantly bombard us.” If you didn’t get your information overload fix this past year, it’s not too late: check out some pages out of McCandless’ book here.
A chart from McCandless' book focusing on some of the largest media scares over the last few years.
Blaustein and his in-house staff made initial steps towards the full redesign of the logo in 2008. The process began with creating a multitude of sketches and taking dozens of photographs of the statues from various angles and vantage points to capture the lions’ different forms. These sketches and photographs were then translated into dozens of concepts, ranging in style from realistic to conceptual, drawing additional cues and inspiration from 16th century printers marks, Japanese woodcuts and a variety of other sources.
Though simple, this new mark is extremely refined and embodies a wonderful sense of history. It’s simplicity also makes it very versatile, it can be used at a wide range of sizes and in both different forms and colors. What makes this logo and their process even more unique is the fact that you can see the progression of its realization on YouTube. The video gives us a wonderful opportunity to see firsthand just how much time and thought goes into the design process, and how rewarding this process can be.
Tim Brown's new book, "Change By Design"
Good headline, right? Unfortunately, I can’t take the credit: it’s the title of a new book by Tim Brown, President & CEO of IDEO. I’m particularly excited about this book because of everything I’ve heard about it. It’s not only an exploration into the design thinking process, but a guide to start thinking on an innovative scale.
We all know that true innovations aren’t typically the results of a few minutes of deep thought. Rather, they’re the result of an intensive thought processes with the underlying purpose of bringing about progressive change. These innovations exist across multiple areas of design and they are known for making our lives better: in the cars we drive, the buildings we work or live in, the clothes we wear, and the different brands and messages we encounter day to day. In his new book Change by Design, Brown introduces the method and needs behind every design, and provides real world examples.
If you’re a leader seeking to innovate through your business, product or service, I encourage you to look more into this book and see how you stand to benefit – I’m getting started today.