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With Corporate identity, it is critical to stay on task and keep all your marketing collateral and outreach on theme. Everything a customer or prospect sees need to be consistent. It needs to project the same values and messaging. The viewer should subconsciously know that is comes from you. That’s what branding is all about.

When Mantas connected with us, they needed an image overhaul that included messaging, an updated look and feel and overall–consistency. So often, we are called in to work on one particular project, but to be consistent, the designers and wordsmiths need to be on the same page. What began as a need for print design quickly overflowed to internet, presentation and trade show materials.

Creating a new identity for your organization is never taken lightly. When Jeanette Soucy of the Star Center came to us, we knew that an NPO that does so much for kids with Autism (and other learning disabilities) deserved a brand that helped them shine.

Not for profits–and especially a school for special needs–often make important decisions by consensus. And designing a logo, an identity, a brand, requires an inclusive process that allows a group of decision makers to take part in the creation. Longbow’s Eric Needle, has been doing this work since 1990; It’s their forte. Rather than have someone dictate or limit your options, we work with you to refine your image. Our inclusive process makes it easy to build a logo that everyone can be happy with.

Sell sheets are quick, focused collateral that you can hand to a prospect at a trade show or after a sales pitch. Often product identity and marketing is the last thing we think about as we prepare for that big event. Here a little strategy goes along way.

Many of our clients need illustration and more often and not, it’s in a rushed scenario. Though photoshop and raster image editors are great in a pinch, the power of vector drawing is worth the extra energy.

Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand and Corel Draw have long been valuable tools in the artist’s quiver. The value and reason for making vector art, though, is in the application.

So often, brochures and printed materials are made at great expense, but do not work towards your overall goals. Each document that comes from your organization are opportunities to reinforce your brand, your message and the vision of who you are.

With any new client, our job is to discover who you are and where you want to go. Defining your positioning is critical. Position describes your market, the segment you live in, and identifies not just you, but everyone else who occupies that space; Yes, the competition. Often we have preconceptions or misconceptions about our competition. Knowing your competition allows us to build upon your strengths and differentiate them. While some of this goes beyond the scope of a print project, it’s all relevant.

Messaging quickly communicates, grabs and keeps your attention, and is a critical factor is the way to speak to your audiences. Headline news is the de-facto standard in our over-communicated society. To be seen, message needs to be concise, to the point, and simply worth reading.

Who is ATD? We began work with Automated Trading Desk, (ATD) with illustration that distilled down the technical process upon which their business is founded. How can you compress the intellectual property, genius, and thousands of man hours into one picture? It’s a daunting task, but one that proves the adage, a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s what ATD needed–a way to quickly communicate why they were so innovative. In addition, we helped wordsmith their content throughout the process, culminating in their tag line, “ATD is technology for smarter trading”.

How does an organization reach its base, project’s its message, build support and fulfill its mission? You do all this and more with communications. Communications means all the media we use. Using the Internet, communications can create, build and nurture community.

Not for profits face a different set of issues than business clients. A volunteer-based group has to continually keep it’s information flowing. Program info has to be accurate, timely and then sell the idea to staff, supporters and newcomers. NPOs require more communication management than corporate clients, often with little or no budget and strained staff. Events range from public affairs and fundraisers to seminars and workshops. Bingo night, the annual 5k walk, training session and small group classes all require communications to make them work.

The printing industry flys under the radar when you think about big business. Where do you think they rank?

Who is the bigger employer in the United States, the printing or the automotive industry? If you guessed printing, take a bow—an $83+ billion bow. Yes, believe it or not, in the US, printing isn’t just big business, it’s the biggest. Printers employ nearly 1 million people across the country, placing the meager 780,000 in the auto industry a distant second. Sounds pretty outrageous until you stop to think about it. In a society that’s constantly in search of access to information and literally obsessed with record-keeping, it stands to reason that printing is ubiquitous.