Archive for category new projects
The Dude Abides: A Bit of Boutique Branding
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on March 16th, 2010
One could argue (as my friend VonSchtiffler is so fond of saying) that Gladiator is one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring Russell Crow, with the late Richard Harris, directed by Ridley Scott, featuring men with nets and tridents trying to kill men with swords, exotic locations, wild animals, a chariot scene, a vexed bi-polar antagonist and a forbidden love interest. I mean, really, what more could you ask for? Gandhi? Chil’ please.
One of my favorite lines from the film, besides “Hello, my name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, you killed my family, prepare to die” is when Cicero (Maximus’ valet) says: ”Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to do.” It’s a great line and I often use it on my children when explaining why my idea of time management may differ from theirs. It also turns out to be a useful way to categorize incoming client requests. Let me explain.
Most of the time, our clients call because they need our help with something they have to do. Sometimes, they call because of something they want to do. Once in a great while they call with something they both have and want to do. That’s when we get excited because usually that means something cool.
Case in point is a project we recently did for Blink Eye Care. It’s worthy of attention for the finished product alone but I bring it up because it all started with somebody seeing something they thought was cool. The something was something they both wanted and had to do and the somebody was Dr. Charlene Henderson.
Dr. Henderson was in the process of starting an eye care practice here in Charlotte with her long time friend and fellow optometrist Dr. Tracy MacIntyre. While surfing the web, she somehow came across what we have come to call the “dude.” The dude is a three dimensional sculpture designed by Skills Division for a retail application in Belgrade, Serbia. She thought it would be a perfect icon for the new practice. We loved the dude, and since Bojan (the Held in Hand Held) is a Serb, we knew we would get on with the design firm like a goat with a glass of red wine. (That’s actually a Serbian idiomatic expression that loses a little something in the translation.)
We did a big dude for the entry way, it’s acrylic in an aluminum frame and has sections inside and outside the practice, so it looks like its coming through the window. We also did a bunch of little dudes for a cityscape in a window in the rear of the space, some more little dudes scattered throughout, and a dimensional logo for behind the reception desk. The pieces are unique, fun, and really help to the brand the practice, setting it apart from your run of the mill Eyeglasses To Go.
If you are in need of new glasses, contacts or anything else eyeball related, we highly recommend you check them out. If you need a design group , with mad skills, check these guys out. If you want some help with your wants to do’s, your have to do’s, or both, check us out.
Are you not entertained?
(In the interest of full disclosure, the thing about the goats was not a true Serbian idiomatic expression. I was writing this when it was late and couldn’t get a hold of Bojanius for a real one.)
Buffing Up Some Buff Seasoned Babes.
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on January 18th, 2010
Managing client’s artwork files is consistently one of our biggest challenges. The proliferation of different types of files contribute to said challenges. When it comes to understanding file types, we cheekily divide most people into three categories. Those who understand the difference between vector and raster files, those who don’t and those we call The Digitized. They think that anything that has been digitized can be blown up and printed at any size they want. (“Don’t worry, it’s DIGITIZED!”) Throw ad agencies into the mix and things get even more interesting. Multiple parties, from multiple camps, all participating in the process, all insisting they know what can be done and all sure their expectations are reasonable. Phew!
Recently one of our clients came in requesting a 20′ display backdrop from a single image. Expecting the worst we were pleasantly surprised when the original file actually seemed scalable to the size we needed. The display is a fabric backwall, and fabric tends to be a little more forgiving when it comes to resolution, so we were feeling pretty good. “One more thing,” the client added (here it comes, wait for it, wait for it…) “we want you to remove the text on the banner and replace it with different text. “No problem, I’m pretty sure we have a magic eraser around here somewhere…
Buff seasoned babes aside (Shades is my personal favorite), we set to work and the results were, dare I say… Impressive. Following are the images before, during and after the alteration.
Here is the original image with the original text:
The client requested we remove the the text from the banner and insert new text. A bit of a challenge considering the wrinkles and the shading (on the banner, sheesh). It’s one thing to do a little photoshop work on a small image that is going to only be viewed on a screen. Making it look good at 10′ X 20′ is another.
This is what it looked like once we removed the text:
And finally, the finished product with the new text:
Here are some close ups of the before, during and after stages:
We have yet to receive the show shots of the finished display in all its glory. When we do we will follow up with a post to show what the finished product looked like. It turned out really cool and the client was pleased.
If you have a project requiring digital manipulation of artwork and large format printing, please consider giving us a call.
HHS in the Catbird Seat.
Posted by Craig in case studies, new projects on September 23rd, 2009
One of the greatest things about our jobs is the fact that we have no target market. Not saying everybody needs what we sell but in just about every industry, there is somebody who needs portable visual branding of one sort or another. This can also be a major headache when we are trying to figure out who to contact next, but the cool part about it is that we get to work with people who do and make all sorts of interesting things.
Case in point is a project we wrapped up today for a company called VS America. VS America is a US subsidiary of a German company that makes, among other things, chairs for educational institutions. You can learn more about what they do here. I do not know all the technical reasons why their chairs are the bomb, but I like their design and they are actually really comfortable to sit in. Their office, in the South End area of Charlotte, has a very Teutonic aesthetic to it and staffed by interesting people with German accents. It’s like working in an Audi. Very cool.
Portable display and banner stand for VS America
The displays we provided fall into the portable category with two 10′ units that can be used separately for two 10′ spaces or together for a 20′ space. In the picture above you can see one of the displays set up with the second display, collapsed down, on the left. On the right is one of the banner stands behind one of VS’s chairs.
The displays are incredibly lightweight and can be set up in seconds. They have interchangeable graphics which can be swapped out depending on the requirements for the particular show. In this case they were designed primarily as a backdrop for showcasing the furniture. The banner stands, are also lightweight and are retractable for easy assembly, storage and shipping.
Portable display and banner stand for VS America from a slightly different angle.
If you want to spend more time at your next show selling and less time setting up (and crush the competition with your sharp looking display) then call us and we will hook you up. If you need some really cool furniture for your office or school, call VS and they will hook you up.
(For those of you still with me and interested in the etymology of the term catbird seat, click here.)
Rocking it With Bioboard!
Posted by Craig in new projects on August 25th, 2009
We just finished another job for our friends at A3. This one is kind of unique so I am breaking with my tradition of taking forever to get a post up and rushing this one to the presses.
The job was a quick turn, about two days, and consisted of several direct prints on bioboard and some custom sintra brackets to mount them on top of retail merchandising displays. Bioboard is a really cool, new, green substrate that we like, and want to get the word out about. It’s basically a replacement for foamcore, but much much stronger. You can drive a car over three 1″ sheets of the stuff stacked on top of each other! It is made of something like 63% post consumer paper and is 100% recyclable. You can print on both sides.
The only knock on the product, I personally kind of like it, is the edge. It looks pretty raw, but at the same time screams green. Most of the people we have showed it to really like it becuase it is a conversation starter and allows them to wax fantastic on how environmentally conscious they are.
The brackets were router cut out of sintra, assembled and velcroed to the back of the sign. The velcro allows the brackets to be repositioned so that they can sit higher or lower on the display.
It was a tight turn, but we got it done and the client was pleased. If you think you may be interested in doing something with the bioboard, give us a call. As always, we will hook you up.
Getting Our Vinyl Groove On
Posted by Craig in new projects on August 24th, 2009
Woefully behind on posting. I will try to make it up this week. I know I need to get on some sort of regular schedule but the nature of our work makes it oh so difficult.
We recently completed a really cool direct applied vinyl and dimensional lettering project. The project for Bagby, a purveyor of “innovative ideas for lighting” was designed by our friends at A3 Design. The firm is top notch and Alan and Amanda are a pleasure to work with. We enjoyed partnering with them on this project and look forward to doing so again.
The design they came up with used solid colors of direct applied vinyl and painted sintra letters to add some interesting graphical elements to the interior and exterior of the new office/design center. The overall effect is similar to custom paint but at a fraction of the price. It’s durable, low maintenance and can be removed/changed/updated/added to down the road. The use of dark vinyl on light walls and viceversa really makes the graphics pop.
We really like the overall look of the finished project and would love to do some more. If this catches your eye, let us know and we will hook you up.
Notes on Attending the Charlotte Business Professionals’ July Meeting
Posted by Craig in general interest, new projects on July 23rd, 2009
Bojan and I had the pleasure of attending the Charlotte Business Professional’s July Meeting last night at Andrew Blair’s over on Monford Drive. The speaker for the meeting was Democratic Mayoral Candidate Anthony Foxx. The event was well attended, and consisted of an hour or so of meet and greet followed by the candidate’s speech and some Q&A. Hats off to Jason Mckinstry and friends for their hard work in making it all happen. For those of you who don’t know anything about Charlotte Business Professionals, I encourage you to take a look at their website and consider joining up. In these tough economic times, the more people you know, the better, and these are some great people.
At the risk of mixing business and politics, I have a few thoughts to share regarding Mr. Foxx, but before I get to those I want to make a shameless plug for one of our products.
We were fortunate to be able to work with Charlotte Business Professionals to provide a backdrop for the speech which, I believe, really added something to the production. The display used was one of our Xpressions displays, used partially as a media backdrop and partially as a way to display sponsor advertising. These displays set up in seconds, are very light weight because of the tension fabric, and are a great way to frame any sort of public event.
Our sponsor panel, was simple but cool and we received quite a few compliments on the display overall. BTW, the display was designed in such a way as to be able to add sponsor logos in the future so if you are interested in being a sponsor please contact Jason for more information. (My apologies for the quality of the photo, the lighting was terrible.)
On to my comments about Mr. Foxx. Leaning Libertarian as I do, I generally am in favor of candidates who represent the potential for as little government intrusion into my life as possible. Traditionally, fewer Democrats, rather than more, fall into this category. This was essentially my first introduction to Mr. Foxx and where he stands on issues that are important to me, I do not know. I am, however, rather pleased with several things he had to say but most importantly I am impressed by how he said them.
I did not take notes and I do not have an audio recording of the speech so I cannot quote him directly. I can say that one of the things that I found most refreshing was that he actually answered the questions that people asked him rather than deflecting them and tangentially addressing another subject. I found him to be determined, sincere, informed, frank, honest and dare I say, real. Again, it was my first introduction to him and I do not know what his positions are on most issues, but he struck me as somebody I would be willing to listen to and could work with. Given my political cynicism, that is a great start.
Of course my response could just be the effect of being in his physical presence. If he did not have the capacity to convey trust, he wouldn’t be in the running. At any rate, I was pleased to meet him and grateful for the opportunity to hear something about his life, where he has come from, and where he wants to take the city. I look forward to learning more.
The Charlotte Business Professionals’ meeting for August will feature the Republican Mayoral Candidate and I look forward to attending and meeting him as well. Hope to see you there.
Suspending Sweet Sintra Signs Southpark Style.
Posted by Craig in new projects on June 15th, 2009
Today we installed another set of signs for our favorite care care, travel and insurance providor.
This is a new location in Sharon Corners, near the intersection of Sharon Rd. and Fairview Rd. The store is located right underneath Jesse Browns. This location is the new location for the office that used to be located on East Blvd. near the intersection of East Blvd. and Scott. If you are in the area and looking for some AAA love, we highly recommend you stop by and check it out. Remember, no one can get you to Disney cheaper than AAA!
The signs are direct print on sintra and should last as long as the store does, if not longer. Direct printing on Sintra is a visually appealing and cost effective way to get large format prints on the wall and not have to worry about them getting dented or dinged. When hung with our super secret mounting system, they are straight, level and can easily be removed or replaced with newer images. Cheaper alternatives exist (the dreaded foamcore) but we refuse to use them because they are fragile and the edges usually come out looking like crap.
Sintra is also a great choice for interior signage because it can be contour cut on a router. This adds some design flexibility and can really spice things up for relatively little in additional cost. We often use Sintra for low cost dimensional lettering, whether plain, painted to match a pms color or laminated with one of the approximately one billion plastic laminates available from companies like Wilsonart or Nevamar.
Stay tuned for future posts on Sintra where we will try to imbue this most boring of all sign substrates with the street cred it deserves for being a great component of any large format signage production.
(Yes, I used the term street cred and no, we were not sucking up to our client in paragraph two. I have it on good authority that the word combination “street cred Sintra” is one of the most heavily searched terms in search engine history and we happen to really like our client. Really.)
Lustrous New Logo for the Lobby.
Posted by Craig in new projects on June 12th, 2009
Just installed a new dimensional logo for the lobby we share with the 1060 boys.
The sign is 1/2″ acrylic on brushed aluminum stand-offs with 1/4″ lasercut acrylic letters, custom painted to match our pms colors. Our tag line is in direct applied black vinyl because it was just a little too small to cut on the laser.
I think the overall look is really clean and the drop shadows on the wall will look really cool once we get the lighting package installed. It’s a fine example of our custom logo work and we’d love to put something like it in your lobby. Contact us today if you want to talk about it.
Have a great weekend!
Practical information center display.
Posted by Craig in new projects on June 8th, 2009
We recently delivered a set of information displays to the Department of Social Services division of the City of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Government.
The displays, used to provide free information to the public in several DSS locations, feature pockets that can be configured to hold eighteen different 8.5″ X 11″ pieces, thirty-six different 4″ X 9″ pieces, or a combination of both. They are made from sintra and acrylic and feature a dimensional header that can be customized. They are rugged, easy to clean, germ resistant and guaranteed to make it easier for your target audience to find the information they are looking for. (Besides that vintage 1983 lit stand with the dark oak trim you are currently using needs to go!)
If you, or someone you know, needs a set, or sets, contact me today and I will hook you up.
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