Blogs

With its appearance in the Apple iTunes Store, we mark the launch of our podcast, Marcom Talk. OK, I know an iTunes Store account does not a podcast make, but gosh, it sure feels important.

Marcom Talk is a business podcast focused on marketing, design and communications. We’ll explore the practice of communications design as it relates to the needs of branding and marketing professionals. Topics will include graphic design, marketing communications strategy, web design and development, illustration, content marketing, and more. You’ll get to know that cast of characters at Bob Wright Creative, and hopefully some special guests as well. We promise to keep Marcom Talk fun and full of practical insight.

We have two episodes in the can, with more on the way. Our first episode gets at the “why” behind what we do at Bob Wright Creative. The second episode investigates the importance of having a marketing plan.

There are plenty of ways to listen to Marcom Talk; you can subscribe to the podcast through the Apple iTunes Store and listen on your desktop or mobile device; you can download the MP3s directly from our blog; for the RSS-inclined, you can subscribe to our podcast feed.

What’s been on your marketing mind lately? What burning questions from your corner of the marcom universe are in need of answers? Let us know! We’d love to help by offering some of our thoughts in future episodes of Marcom Talk. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment below.

Soccer Art
A truly enjoyable collection of soccer legend posters, each with its own unique style. For fans of beautiful design and the beautiful game alike (yes, I'm biased).

Woodford Racing Posters
A series of artistic posters to promote investing in thoroughbred racing partnerships. For me, the minimalist watercolor style invokes a dream-like feel that's in harmony with the aspirational messaging.

Paper Apps
Printed Electronics is an emerging technology. Its manifestation in "Paper App" form is a mashup of electronics, print and digital content. This particular project is centered on music, but I'm interested in seeing applications that also leverage other forms of digital content. What do you think... revolutionary or gimmicky?
(Via Creative Times UK)

Virtual Letterpress
A fun app that turns your iPad into a digital letterpress. Kudos to LetterMpress for helping keep this production form on our increasingly-digital radar screen.

For Print Only
FPO (For Print Only) celebrates "the reality that print is not dead by showcasing the most compelling printed projects." Not only does this site contain plenty of inspiration from the world of print design, its well thought-out taxonomy and browse-ability makes for extended and enjoyable visits.

Old-School Sources of Inspiration
Long before design annuals and showcase websites there was Ad-Art. Straight outa Columbus, OH.

When the organizers of Jazz for Food came to Bob Wright Creative in need of website design and programming for this year’s event, the results were positive yet unexpected.

Based in Rochester, New York, Jazz for Food’s purpose is three-fold as it raises money to: provide financial assistance and appropriate resources to the needy affected by the struggling economy; help elderly individuals in need of community support; provide scholarship money to inner city youth for music lessons.

Historically, Jazz for Food has been synonymous with a concert to raise charitable funds for its beneficiaries, which include Foodlink, Lifespan and the South West Area Neighborhood Association (S.W.A.N.).

As successful as this concert-based approach has been, we recognized the strength in Jazz for Food as an organization. We therefore advocated for a new, unexpected approach that promotes not just a singular Jazz concert, but that communicates the strength and longevity of Jazz for Food as an established entity. So, by embracing their group strength in the new website, Jazz for Food now clearly presents itself as a charitable organization that delivers tangible benefits to beneficiaries and sponsors through the curation of distinctive live music experiences.

By introducing expanded content about Jazz for Food, its events, and benefits of sponsorship, website visitors gain a view to an organization that is established and committed to delivering on its mission. Because their new website is built on the Drupal content management system, Jazz for Food has the ability to easily add more events and keep things fresh with timely information.

Even though the site launched just a few days ago, JazzForFood.com has already received considerable positive feedback. This feedback affirms that Jazz for Food has indeed revitalized itself and is a noteworthy player (no pun intended), not only to its beneficiaries, but also to sponsors who diligently research, consider and activate charitable partnerships.

We wish our friends at Jazz for Food all the best as they continue to help those in need by building their organization and portfolio of events.

Click here to visit the Jazz for Food website.

Great Guitar Photography
Phil Daggar brought in a recent issue of the "Wood & Steel" news quarterly published by Taylor Guitars. Taylors are considered by many to be works of art, and the guitar maker certainly recognizes this with the production quality of their publication.

Even the End of the World Needs Good Branding
Makes sense, what with all this talk of Hunger Games and Mayan calendars. Prepare yourself.

An Immersive Online Sports Experience
OK, we're Eurosport geeks here at Bob Wright Creative. Football (sorry... soccer) and Formula 1 racing are common topics of conversation. The McLaren Formula 1 team website does a great job of immersing fans of the sport with rich content that pulls you into the action. The timeline-based navigation, extensive use of video, and Pitwall feature are all especially "boss" (heh, a little lingo there for you).

Making Book-Making Easy
Mike Gastin is always impressed to see how publishing continues to become more and more accessible to all, and offers up Blurb.com as a great recent example.

The Digital↔Physical.
Excellent piece by @craigmod on turning the digital into physical based on his work on the Flipboard for iPhone team. (Via Mike Gastin)

24 Hours in Pictures.
The Guardian's ongoing series, reliving the previous 24 hour's events via breathtaking photography

Web Scrolling is OK Again. Fun, Actually.
Ran across this inspirational web page via CommArts. I was impressed how effectively a long-form message can be presented on the web, even when scrolling is necessary.

Of course, I was curious how this multi-plane effect was created. According to Jonathan Daggar, our resident web scripting guru: "Looks like it's using this script, layered a few times. The basic idea is that the script reads how much the page has scrolled, and moves certain page elements by (pagescroll x somenumber)." Nothing gets past our Jon.

Ive on Innovation
Apple's Jonathan Ive keeps a low profile. But when he opens up, people listen. Here's what the Head Designer has to say about innovation.

Good News for Web Content Creators
Google's next algorithm update continues to favor great content that keeps the reader in mind first, and search engines second.

Technology Advances for Event Marketers
Live events are a form of content. And just like with other forms of content, live event promotion has gone high-tech. But more importantly, it's also highly measurable.

Brand and Customer Service
Always nice to see the Wegmans brand mentioned in the same context as Apple, Four Seasons, et al.

Newsweek's 'Mad Men' Issue
Newsweek's throwback design marks the return of 'Mad Men'. My favorite ads: Mercedes and Triumph.

Graphic. Realistic. Painterly. Cartoon-like. These are examples of stylistic characteristics that play a crucial role in the effectiveness of point-of-purchase (POP) displays. In many instances, it’s the use of illustration that delivers these attributes in the most powerful way.

For many years, Bob Wright Creative has delivered illustration for myriad POP projects in such diverse markets as toys, wine & spirits, banking, and more. To Ken Townsend, Senior Illustrator, “The initial creative challenge is always fun. Knowing what needs to be produced, along with the requirements of the physical product, creates a unique creative challenge that’s enjoyable to solve.” Ken continues, “It’s a valuable process to collaborate with our clients from the concepting stage through delivery of final production files. We enjoy sharing our ideas from the earliest stages, and then seeing the project through to production.”

As product marketers apply an ever-increasing degree of focus to their messaging, the requirements placed on POP creation have evolved. Ken offers an example: “The trend is to get the product out there. For example, with Fisher-Price Toys, the POPs are many times functional, interactive environments where the product can be touched, moved and tried out. Our illustration directly supports the product by providing the environment in which the toy lives. And more often than not, the retailer will have specific requirements for the POP. So there again, it’s that creative challenge of figuring out what’s going to be the most effective, both in terms of style and mechanics.”

POP illustration is executed in a number of styles, which are of course dependent on the product and the main message. “For example, certain wine brands will want to evoke a hand-crafted feel,” reveals Ken. “So, the look of the POP needs to follow suit with perhaps an engraved or hand-cut look, with a high degree of realism in many cases. With toys it’s more graphical with bright vibrant colors, with a more stylized or re-imagined look. There’s plenty of flexibility in illustration to convey a very focused message.”

With so many years of producing illustration for myriad POPs there are certainly standouts. Ken reflects, “Well, the 10-foot dragon that we just finished for Fisher-Price is pretty memorable. There were lots of mechanical aspects to figure out, and of course the scale of it made for a fun and memorable project. I can’t wait to see it on the retail floor.”

Illustration can be applied to any number of applications in the realm of communications design. POP illustration requires stylistic depth and breadth, and brings with it the opportunity for innovation. Visit our illustration portfolio for more POP application samples.

Cloud computing, metrics, the evolution of print, and more popped up as items of interest this week.

The Cloud's not Just for Docs, Pics and Tunes
Imagine running a full version of your favorite application like Photoshop or Modern Warfare 3 (during your lunch break of course) without having to install any software. This innovative company makes it possible.

Track Your Take Rate Too
Tracking your offer's "take" rate is just as important as tracking its conversion rate. If not, you won't know what’s working and what needs to be fixed.

A World of Digital Marketing Info, in One Place
CMO.com is Adobe's clearing house of marketing-related content. Lots of useful content for marketing leaders here. In fact, a few of this week's Inspiration items got on my radar screen via CMO.com.

Personalized Print Continues to Evolve
Long after the advent of digital printing presses, brands continue to leverage personalized printing technology. As one might expect, this is fueled by expectations set through consumption of personalized online content. But perhaps more interesting is that changes in postal regulations have driven this evolution as well.

The Happiness Advantage
"Happiness inspires productivity." This statement from Good Think Inc.'s CEO Shawn Achor is not specific to the world of communications design. But, his TED Talk offers plenty for us to think (and laugh) about, regardless of company role or place in life.

Mike Gastin, Jim Mattiucci and I just returned from Best of the Web 2012, presented by Rochester Business Journal. As blogged about recently, our client The Maplewood was selected as a finalist in the Healthcare category.

Well, turns out we didn’t win the prize this year. But it was enjoyable to view many other award-level websites that are aesthetically beautiful and, more importantly,  clearly operating as valuable business assets.

During each category’s build-up, it was interesting to hear about the enhancements the finalists have planned for their websites in 2012. The three things I noticed most are:

• Introduction of video (or creation of more video)
• Addition of a mobile version
• Lead management, order processing and other forms of user input

The first two speak to how audiences are using the web. The third speaks to what website owners want to achieve with their web properties. This is exciting to me because it’s a reminder that we’re truly in a new era of web publishing where user needs and organizational expectations for tangible business-relevant return are both paramount.

What are some of the enhancements you have planned for your web presence in 2012 and beyond? Is it a focus on your content strategy and ongoing content creation? Perhaps it's the establishment or formalization of web lead management? Some combination? Something completely different? I’d love read your thoughts.

Well done, Best of the Web finalists in and around Rochester. We have every reason to be proud of the websites, applications and content that represent our corner of the online universe.

Howdy folks!  Extra-busy at HQ lately, so it's been a few weeks since our last Inspirations post. Let's get caught up.

Pinterest
The "virtual pinboard where you can curate and share things you love", has gotten a lot of play over the past week or so. Including this Inc. article. What does Pinterest mean to your content marketing strategy?

More Exciting Opportunities for Digital Publishers
It seems the future of publishing is revealing itself with every technology blog post. This week, Adobe has unveiled Primetime Highlights as part of its Digital Publishing Suite. Interesting stats at the end of the article. We'll continue to follow the story. (Hat tip to @ThomasJArmitage)

Related posts from Mike Gastin's blog:
Chris Anderson: Defining Magazines & Why the Tablet is the Future of Wired
An Interview With Dave Mammano, Founder of NextStepU

Adobe and Apple's Mobile Devices
With the release of a slimmed-down version of Photoshop for the iPad, Adobe continues its push for increased compatibility with Apple's mobile offerings.

Re-Interpreting the Classics
As you can tell from a previous Inspirations post, I'm a fan of minimalist re-interpretation. Here are some more examples, in the form of beautiful poster illustration inspired by classic children's books.