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Blog » lettering
I'm Glad that I Market to Advertising People
Posted by Heather Elder on 06/05/2012 — Filed under: Features, Headline, Marketing Intelligence, lettering
By Heather Elder
In March of 2011, I hosted a group meeting for our photographers to get them to start thinking about how they were going to participate in the new media market that had emerged. I challenged them with the question, “Have you picked out your new glasses yet?” The conversation encouraged the photographers in our group to reframe how they think about their business, decipher what is valuable to a client now and figure out how they can best participate as things evolve yet again.
It was no surprise that one of the biggest part of the conversation revolved around social media. It was an area that some in the group at the time were resisting and others just did not yet understand what role it played. Many wondered if it worked at all and others were worried that their “true voice” would get lost in marketing message.
A few months later, I co-hosted an event with the APA in San Francisco and realized that my group was not alone. There were so many photographers out there wondering how to use social media in their business and if their target market really paid attention to it. What we discussed resulted in one of our most highly viewed posts, 20 Important Things to Know About Social Media and the Photography Industry.
Fast forward a year from our meeting and all of our photographers have embraced social media. They have found their own way to utilize it as a marketing tool that works for them and all would report back that it has made a difference in their recognition and connection to both current and potential clients.
So, when an advertising agency in San Francisco, Heat, published the results of their social media study on how advertising professionals used social media, I thought it was a good time to revisit the conversation. While Heat used it as a cautionary tale on having the right perspective when using social media when targeting a mass audience, I saw it as proof that the people in our industry do use social media, and much more than most. (Of course, it is still up to you to use it effectively in order to see results.)
Even though The Huffington Post’s spin is that Advertisers are More Socially Obsessed than the Rest of Us, I think Will Burns, President of Ideasicle and contributor to Forbes.com says it best, “Advertising People are the New Medium.” Be sure to read the article in full, the success story examples he shares are worth the read alone.
So, if you are still doubting the power of social media in our industry, it's ok. As Hunter Freeman said, “it is ok if you are not out there. That just means there is more room for the rest of us!”
In March of 2011, I hosted a group meeting for our photographers to get them to start thinking about how they were going to participate in the new media market that had emerged. I challenged them with the question, “Have you picked out your new glasses yet?” The conversation encouraged the photographers in our group to reframe how they think about their business, decipher what is valuable to a client now and figure out how they can best participate as things evolve yet again.
It was no surprise that one of the biggest part of the conversation revolved around social media. It was an area that some in the group at the time were resisting and others just did not yet understand what role it played. Many wondered if it worked at all and others were worried that their “true voice” would get lost in marketing message.
A few months later, I co-hosted an event with the APA in San Francisco and realized that my group was not alone. There were so many photographers out there wondering how to use social media in their business and if their target market really paid attention to it. What we discussed resulted in one of our most highly viewed posts, 20 Important Things to Know About Social Media and the Photography Industry.
Fast forward a year from our meeting and all of our photographers have embraced social media. They have found their own way to utilize it as a marketing tool that works for them and all would report back that it has made a difference in their recognition and connection to both current and potential clients.
So, when an advertising agency in San Francisco, Heat, published the results of their social media study on how advertising professionals used social media, I thought it was a good time to revisit the conversation. While Heat used it as a cautionary tale on having the right perspective when using social media when targeting a mass audience, I saw it as proof that the people in our industry do use social media, and much more than most. (Of course, it is still up to you to use it effectively in order to see results.)
Even though The Huffington Post’s spin is that Advertisers are More Socially Obsessed than the Rest of Us, I think Will Burns, President of Ideasicle and contributor to Forbes.com says it best, “Advertising People are the New Medium.” Be sure to read the article in full, the success story examples he shares are worth the read alone.
So, if you are still doubting the power of social media in our industry, it's ok. As Hunter Freeman said, “it is ok if you are not out there. That just means there is more room for the rest of us!”
The Inception Plot Explained Visually
Find the plot of "Inception" a little confusing? You're not the only one, but London-based designer Matt Dempsey developed an alternative format to simplify the complex story. He created an interactive site, Inception-Explained, entirely devoted to explaining the film from start to finish. Through the use of parallax scrolling, the site animates and tells the story simply by having the user scroll down the page. The combination of text, circles and colors is used to represent the different characters and reveal the different levels of "Inception", creating an original alternative to checking the Wikipedia plot breakdown. To view the site, click HERE
A Valentine from Iskra Design: The New UnFacebook "Like" Stickers
By Iskra Johnson
To download the UnFacebook personalized "Like" stickers go to the pdf portfolio section at Iskra Design.
Data Visualization for Social Change: Malaria Taxes & Tariffs Advocacy Project w/ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Posted by Workbook on 02/08/2012 — Filed under: Features, Headline, Illustration, Pro Bono, lettering
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Ogilvy PR commissioned Funnel Incorporated to bring clarity and a sense of urgency to complex data findings on anti-malarial commodities. Data visualizations were featured in presentations at World Health Meetings in Africa and Geneva that gathered key influencers of tariff and trade policy at the global and country levels, including donor governments, aid agencies, UN agencies, international NGOs, Ministers of Finance, Ministers of Health and policy advocates.
(Read more)
Penelope Dullaghan + Teamotions
A while back, Motto asked Penelope Dullaghan to collaborate on a new brand identity for their client Teamotions. Teamotions was established in 2008 after Rachel Crawford tragically lost her twin daughters, and her few moments of peace were found in her tea ritual. Her sister Crystal said, “I wish there was something I could put in your tea to make you feel better.” And knowing nothing like that existed, the two of them decided to create it themselves. The company they formed now offers teas blended with herbs that help the body handle stress, boost immunity and support emotional well-being, transforming a simple cup into a healing experience.
The collaboration began with a mood board Penelope created to establish a visual starting ground (love mood boards!). Then she came up with an abstract icon that represented a person wrapped around a cup of tea and also evokes an image of a mother holding her baby. Penelope must have drawn a hundred of those little guys until one was deemed “perfect”. Next came hand-lettering which was just as exhaustive, none of which made it to the final, unfortunately. But the exercise in typography and variation couldn’t be beat! The final logo was then applied to packaging and collateral, with each flavor being differentiated by color.
The collaboration began with a mood board Penelope created to establish a visual starting ground (love mood boards!). Then she came up with an abstract icon that represented a person wrapped around a cup of tea and also evokes an image of a mother holding her baby. Penelope must have drawn a hundred of those little guys until one was deemed “perfect”. Next came hand-lettering which was just as exhaustive, none of which made it to the final, unfortunately. But the exercise in typography and variation couldn’t be beat! The final logo was then applied to packaging and collateral, with each flavor being differentiated by color.
mood board
Lucozade Black Edition Cola
Myles Talbot was delighted to be commissioned by the lovely folks at Bloom to create the new Lucozade bubbles to accompany the new brand identity for Lucozade Black Cola. As the bubbles are so iconic across the whole brand, it was certainly a challenge to update the existing bubbles and create a new look that worked well. The new Energy Cola Drink, in a limited edition black bottle, is aimed at the energy drinks market of which Lucozade is one of the leading brands.
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Zen Brushwork in Lettering Design: Tools of the Trade
Posted by Workbook on 06/03/2011 — Filed under: Features, Headline, Illustration, Musing On, lettering
By Iskra Johnson
When the art director at Penguin USA called to ask me to write the word "Zen" for a book called Zen and the Art of Making a Living, it couldn't have come at a better time. I was at that very moment sitting on my meditation cushion in a corner of my office contemplating The Emptiness after finishing several advertising campaigns, and I had nothing on my calendar. Although I felt cold terror at the prospect of this little three letter word, a word that conjured centuries of calligraphy masters in their robes and sandals, not to mention the three sensei I had studied with, I said "Sure." And then I said to myself, as I gathered up a dozen brushes and pens and stacks of paper, "It can't be any harder than that other three-letter word: new."
Stones and metal weight used to keep fragile rice paper from lifting
At that time, I was still grinding my own ink, using a traditional inkstone. Now, for most brushwork I use Moon Palace Ink which I get from John Neal Books, although I sometimes grind ink from a stick and mix it with liquid ink for certain very absorbent papers.
Inkstone and traditional sumi ink.
The ink must be tested out many times to see how black it is, blotted and tried on different papers, with different brushes, as each one gives a different effect. I also use pens, which give a different character entirely.
Automatic pen, oldstyle ruling pen, edged pen, new ruling pen, steel brush
As I work, I am designing in the moment with the gesture of the brush. I try to remain intuitive and kinesthetic, feeling the drag of the ink and the paper and experimenting with the invisible element of calligraphy: time. How fast or slow you move the brush completely transforms the stroke. Design, however, includes inconvenient facts like the resemblance of a "Z" to a "2" and psychological factors: should the word feel elegant and disciplined? Artful? Playful? Ordinary? I keep all this into account as well as the history of western calligraphic forms and the basic styles of shodo. The final style that was chosen for the title is based on a hybrid of "bone" and "clerical" styles of Chinese calligraphy. The book is now in its fifth printing, but has kept the same title throughout.
Iskra Johnson's Workbook Portfolio
When the art director at Penguin USA called to ask me to write the word "Zen" for a book called Zen and the Art of Making a Living, it couldn't have come at a better time. I was at that very moment sitting on my meditation cushion in a corner of my office contemplating The Emptiness after finishing several advertising campaigns, and I had nothing on my calendar. Although I felt cold terror at the prospect of this little three letter word, a word that conjured centuries of calligraphy masters in their robes and sandals, not to mention the three sensei I had studied with, I said "Sure." And then I said to myself, as I gathered up a dozen brushes and pens and stacks of paper, "It can't be any harder than that other three-letter word: new."
Stones and metal weight used to keep fragile rice paper from lifting
At that time, I was still grinding my own ink, using a traditional inkstone. Now, for most brushwork I use Moon Palace Ink which I get from John Neal Books, although I sometimes grind ink from a stick and mix it with liquid ink for certain very absorbent papers.
Inkstone and traditional sumi ink.
The ink must be tested out many times to see how black it is, blotted and tried on different papers, with different brushes, as each one gives a different effect. I also use pens, which give a different character entirely.
Automatic pen, oldstyle ruling pen, edged pen, new ruling pen, steel brush
As I work, I am designing in the moment with the gesture of the brush. I try to remain intuitive and kinesthetic, feeling the drag of the ink and the paper and experimenting with the invisible element of calligraphy: time. How fast or slow you move the brush completely transforms the stroke. Design, however, includes inconvenient facts like the resemblance of a "Z" to a "2" and psychological factors: should the word feel elegant and disciplined? Artful? Playful? Ordinary? I keep all this into account as well as the history of western calligraphic forms and the basic styles of shodo. The final style that was chosen for the title is based on a hybrid of "bone" and "clerical" styles of Chinese calligraphy. The book is now in its fifth printing, but has kept the same title throughout.
Iskra Johnson's Workbook Portfolio
