White Open Spaces

November 29, 2011

Although some see it as “wasted” space, white space is necessary for good design. White space may not necessarily be white—it could be black, a texture or any other color; it’s simply the area of the design where there’s intentionally nothing going on. Here are a few benefits of white space:

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By betsy

Filed Under Design

Northern Exposure

July 26, 2011

In Canada, the attitude on outdoor advertising is different than ours in the U.S. On a recent trip to Toronto, Canada, Graphic Designer Tanya Christensen was intrigued that companies use bushes and rocks as part of their advertising campaigns.

Road sign
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By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Design, HenkinSchultz

Color Me Happy

July 12, 2011

JazzFest posterDo you know what your business’s colors say about you? Many people don’t give it a second thought, but color is a crucial element of design. Color evokes emotion, sets a scene and grabs the audience’s attention.

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By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, Design, HenkinSchultz, The Process

A Crowning Achievement

April 19, 2011

State Theatre Crown
When HenkinSchultz Graphic Designer Tanya Christensen began designing a logo for the State Theatre’s Capital Campaign, she aimed to create an image as iconic and glamorous as the theatre itself.

Here’s what Tanya has to say about her design:

“The tag line for the campaign had already been chosen when I began working on the logo: The Last Jewel in the Crown of Historic Downtown. Obviously a crown was a natural fit for the logo, but it had to look like a real treasure—just like the State Theatre is a treasure for our city.

“My goal was to create a modern image that still reflects the history of the State Theatre. Since the theatre was built in 1926, I researched Art Deco jewelry and Beaux-Arts architecture for inspiration. The design I came up with perfectly balances the vintage feel of the theatre with modern design.

“The crown logo needed to be versatile. While it works perfectly as the ‘W’ in the word crown, it also needs to stand alone—without the State Theatre logo or the campaign’s tag line. This design lends itself well to print brochures, logo wear, pins, stickers and much more, giving our client many ways to use the logo.

“The last consideration I had was to create an image that appeals to donors of all ages. I think a 25-year-old donor would be as attracted to the glamour of this crown as a 70-year-old donor.”

By amie

Filed Under Design, HenkinSchultz

A Mix of Tradition and Technology

March 22, 2011

Dakota Provisions is a world-class meat processing facility located in South Dakota, but they were concerned that their technological innovation was being overlooked due to their strong ties to tradition and their humble corporate culture.

We worked with Dakota Provisions to strike a balance between technology and tradition. Dakota Provisions revised its look to focus more on technological innovation and sustainability efforts while staying true to its traditional values.

With a new company video, eye-catching sales and marketing materials, and an improved marketing plan, Dakota Provisions looks anything but old-fashioned.

By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, Design, HenkinSchultz, The Process

Moths to a Flame

February 22, 2011

HenkinSchultz helped Rosenbauer America polish the look of its marketing materials to reflect the company’s technological edge over its competitors. After taking a comprehensive look at the materials, Rosenbauer’s marketing staff and HenkinSchultz wanted to project even more that Rosenbauer America is a consistent, progressive and innovative company with locally owned values.

Smart CabRosenbauer America makes fire trucks. Really, really incredible state-of-the-art fire trucks and other firefighting equipment that lead the industry. We updated the marketing materials to have a clean and contemporary feel that matches the vibe of the company’s high-tech, innovative equipment.

Rosenbauer America didn’t need an overhaul of its materials; instead, it just needed to elevate them. Working with HenkinSchultz, Rosenbauer America examined and refreshed all its materials to make them consistent and relevant for customers’ needs. The result? A new look that has created excitement within the company and brought customers to the products like moths to a flame.

By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, Design, HenkinSchultz

Generation Gap

October 5, 2010

The Center for Active Generations isn’t just for the elderly. But the organization’s leaders were concerned its current advertising and marketing materials weren’t reflecting the breadth of services offered to people of all ages. The organization turned to HenkinSchultz for help in revamping and revising its look. The result was not only a fresh new advertising campaign, but also a new name and tagline.

Active Generations posterAt its headquarters on 46th Street, for example, the organization houses a fitness center that anyone can join. A variety of community programs, social activities and education classes are available at the center. Additionally, the Center for Active Generations supports families with resources on housing, employment, volunteering and more.

As HenkinSchultz began to look at revising the organization’s logo and other materials, it became clear that its mission and goals have evolved over time. The name without a tagline worked well when the organization began, but a tagline was now needed to accurately describe the organization.

First, the organization shortened its name Active Generations. But perhaps the most important element was the addition of the tagline “Opportunities for a Lifetime.” And that perfectly reflects the organization’s goals of supporting people of all ages.

By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, Design, HenkinSchultz

Eat Your Brussels Sprouts

July 15, 2010

We’ll admit it: we don’t know much about Brussels, Belgium. What we do know is that if we ever go there, we want to stay at The Pantone Hotel.

The Pantone Hotel is the stuff of a graphic designer’s dreams. Each room has a different color scheme based on the Pantone color chart, The Pantone Hotelwhich is the graphic designers’ tool chest when it comes to matching colors. Each room uses Pantone color swatches as art work that set the tone and feeling of the room. The hotel’s overall look embodies clean, European design with lots and lots of beautiful white space. The attention to detail is pretty impressive, too; the bicycles, coffee mugs and even signature cocktails are marked with their Pantone colors.

And, hey, we can even afford to stay at the hotel on a graphic designer’s salary! The only downside of the Pantone Hotel? When we stay there, we probably won’t see much of Brussels.

By amie

Filed Under Off Topic, Design

To Inform and Delight

April 28, 2010

Last night the South Dakota chapter of AIGA (the professional association for design) provided a free showing of Milton Glaser’s To Inform and Delight at Southeast Technical Institute.

From Arthouse Films’ blurb:

For many, Milton Glaser is the personification of American graphic design. Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and the enduring I ♥ NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser’s remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait, Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. From newspapers and magazine designs, to interior spaces, logos, and brand identities, to his celebrated prints, drawings, posters and paintings, the documentary offers audiences a much richer appreciation for one of the great modern renaissance men.

Artfully directed by first time filmmaker Wendy Keys, the film glances into everyday moments of Glaser’s personal life and capture his immense warmth, humanity and the boundless depth of his intelligence and creativity.

To Inform and Delight is a wonderful movie chronicling the famed New York designer Milton Glaser and his warm connection with humanity. If you’re in Sioux Falls or the surrounding area and want to catch the movie on your own, make sure to get registered for Adobe Days on May 6th, where AIGA SD will be giving away a copy to one lucky member!

By Erik

Filed Under Design

Where Is the Line? (On Advertorials and Front Page Ads)

March 9, 2010

No one would claim that the garden variety advertorial is a journalistic endeavor. Situated alongside a publication’s content, however, it can often be mistaken as real – especially if designers have taken great pains to replicate font, layout and details.

Advertorials happen. They happen all the time. Whether you think they’re effective or misleading, you probably rarely give them a second thought.

That is, until they begin appearing on your front page.

Alice In Wonderland

Historically, newspapers and magazines have held the front page as an Advertising Free Zone. It only makes sense. No one buys a publication because of the ads on the front; they look to the cover as a de facto table of contents. That’s where the impulse to purchase is created.

But with the decline in advertising revenues, publications have begun allowing more and more leeway. Small banner ads appear near the bottom of the front page. Plastic covers promote wireless services. Post-it notes offer coupons. Ads are creeping into that valuable space, precisely because it’s valuable. Precisely because magazines and newspapers can’t sell the insides as much as they once could.

So, you can imagine, if you offer a newspaper $700,000 to print a full front-page wrap, there’s a good chance they’re going to take it.

Alice in WonderlandThat’s what Disney did with the Los Angeles Times. The ad – a four-page wrap that mimicked the Times’ front page – was designed to “create buzz, and to extend the film’s already brilliant marketing campaign,” said John Conroy, spokesman for the Times. It also pushed the day’s headlines to a second page.

It’s not the first time the Times has slipped advertising in under the radar. Last April, an ad for NBC’s Southland gave only minimal indication that it was, indeed, an advertisement – and that was long after the “article” would have been read.

Newspapers: a Vehicle for Journalism or Advertising?

Which begs the question: where is the line? When does journalism begin and advertising end?

According to the American Society of Magazine Editors, ads and editorial content require a clear separation, and front-page ads not allowed. But when faced with the decision between selling a lucrative front cover ad and the ASME’s minimal repercussions (a letter or reprimand and exclusion from the National Magazine Awards), there’s often no more than the approval of a publisher standing in the way.

More than anything, newspaper and magazine readers place their trust in the publications they’re consuming. When ads are placed in a way that blurs the line between editorial and advertising – when advertisers seek to gain attention through deception by designing an ad that looks like real content - that trust is taken advantage of.

In other words, the content of the ads should be considered – not the location.

The Times ad reaches the news outlets because it’s on the front page. But it’s clearly an ad. It steers clear of deception simply because it’s too big to be believable. No one read that and thought, “this is a Los Angeles Times article about the movie.”

However, an advertorial clearly wants to be seen as content. Its entire premise is dependent upon a reader seeing it as an article. Posing as something it’s not, the advertorial plays upon the trust of the reader.

In other words, outrage seems to be misguided because the definition is so hazy. The line is smudged. Possibly irreparably. And it’s up to us – as advertisers and publishers – to, once and for all, redraw the line. Clean it up. Set some standards.

The balance, really, stands between editorial honor and the need to keep the lights on. We can take sides, fighting against either the stuffiness of journalistic integrity or the demons of advertising greed. But both sides have their arguments. Because without determining where that line is – the line between honorable content and the advertising that helps pay for it – we may lose the trust of our readership.

By Corey

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, Design, Criticism, The Process

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