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Evolution in graphic design is a norm, and especially so in annual report design. The opportunity to explore new creative avenues presents itself each year. With the launch of its 2012 Report To The Community, Thompson Health’s annual publication took another step in its evolution.

The 2012 edition, entitled “Pursuing Perfection: People. Technology. Partnerships.” is the sixth report we’ve delivered for Thompson Health. “Pursuing Perfection” was chosen as a theme, as Thompson Health President/CEO Michael F. Stapleton, Jr. believes, “when pursuing perfection, you will find excellence along the way.” The journey was made all the more interesting with Thompson Health’s affiliation with the University of Rochester Medical Center being made official on June 21, 2012.

The theme of "Pursuing Perfection" is played out with three supporting topics: People, Technology and Partnerships.

People

The focus has always been on people at Thompson Health, even before the partnership with University of Rochester Medical Center was made official. We wanted to emphasize this as one way of showing that nothing has changed in this arena.

Technology

Although known as a community health system in a smaller market, there’s nothing “small” about the technology utilized within Thompson Health’s facilities. We wanted to make sure this was emphasized, as photography of Thompson’s technology was produced using interesting angles and perspectives with the equipment in use.

Partnerships

With the University of Rochester affiliation made official on June 21, it was important to feature the combined senior leadership in a signature portrait.

Along with coordinating with the schedules of five busy executives, environmental photography had to be carefully planned around the scheduling realities of a bustling health care facility. Kudos to the Thompson Health marketing group for its hard work in making everything run smoothly.

The approach to photography, design and layout blended the best aspects of the traditional community health facility and the contemporary metro-area system. The 2012 report included the new Thompson Health logo, which the health system had updated to synchronize with University of Rochester Medical Center brand standards.

Five Star Bank recently rolled out its TotalValue Checking product. As agency of record, we promoted the launch by creating an integrated promotional campaign, leveraging both traditional and digital media.

One of the hallmarks of TotalValue is the level of choice it offers, with a range of checking account types and features that serve myriad customer needs and preferences. Along with the TotalValue Checking, our client is launching its AirTeller Mobile App, which brings to customers the advantages and flexibilities of banking from their smartphones.

While a series of print ads and billboard advertisements work to promote awareness, pay-per-click advertising and in-branch posters with QR codes deliver prospects to web landing pages and promotional videos to drive consideration. In-branch brochures help drive preference as prospects engage with Five Star Bank associates. The Bob Wright team was hands-on with all aspects of the campaign: advertising design and media buying; collateral design and print supervision; web design/programming and video production.

Mike Gastin shared his excitement about the launch. "We're very happy for Five Star Bank, and thankful for the opportunity to partner with our client in delivering this cross-media program. TotalValue Checking and AirTeller both provide examples of Five Star's commitment to personalized banking, which is focussed on customer preferences and relationships. We're looking forward to following the growth of Five Star's new offerings."

Recognizing Five Star's history, Creative Director Phil Daggar is equally enthusiastic about the rollout. "In addition to the launch of these new initiatives, It's gratifying to see Five Star Bank promoting its brand to our region. With a heritage of over 150 years in local community banking, Five Star offers banking that truly is made for our area."

Congratulations to Five Star Bank on the launch of TotalValue Checking and AirTeller!

Naming, branding and identity creation are all rewarding aspects of communications design. And yes, most times fun. In this line of work we’re exposed to all manner of specialty products and services that provide solutions to very specific needs. Indeed, there’s a niche for everything.

Enter Lava Shield. A new product offering from client Dyna-Purge (a division of Shuman Plastics), Lava Shield answers an important need of plastics workers. Lava Shield addresses the safety and environmental risks of cleaning (purging) molten excess plastic material from molding machinery by providing a catch surface that is safe and efficient to utilize, and has properties that allow recycling of the purged plastic material after it's captured.

Defining the Audience
We were asked by Dyna-Purge to help brand the product by developing its name and visual identity. The naming process began by working with our client to understand the buyer persona of the product. As it turned out, we needed to consider two personae: the-end user of the product, and the person with buying authority for the product.

Interests in motorsports, American motorcycles and “rough” outdoor activities characterize the end-user persona. The persona that has buying authority is typically in management and will have additional corporate responsibilities.

A Name is Born
Initial naming ideas spoke mainly to the functionality of the product, but the team realized that more personality needed to be brought to the name – it needed to be evocative and contain a certain amount of symbolism. After all, the end-user is dealing with hot, dangerous molten plastic that needs to be controlled and directed as it comes out of the machine so it doesn’t do any damage to equipment or operator. The product name needed to capture the imagination. As part of naming the product, we ended up naming the danger to be addressed: “lava”. Lava was then married up to the solution: “shield” – the surface that protects against the danger. Lava Shield was born as the product name.

Conveying the Name in Visual Form
With the name approved, we developed a visual identity that captured the essence of the name and that would appeal to both the end-user and purchaser of the product. The identity’s visual treatment strikes that balance, while maintaining a clear visual unity and hierarchy between Shuman Plastics, Dyna-Purge and Lava Shield.

We’re currently in the process of designing product graphics. We’ll then move on to website design and programming.

Contributing to Safety
A rewarding aspect of branding a new offering is the learning opportunity that exists. It was a pleasure learning more about the safety and environmental needs of the plastics processing business, and to contribute to the launch of an important product to address those needs.

For 2012, the Sharps Compliance Corporation’s annual report design reflects the Texas-based company’s mission that is rooted in preservation of the environment.

Headquartered in Houston, Sharps Compliance provides environmentally-sensitive solutions for the proper management of medical waste and used healthcare products. Sharps Compliance also develops solutions that deal with unused and expired patient-dispensed pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications.

Previous years’ annual report designs focused on the product development side of the business. For this year, Sharps Compliance chose an option featuring graphic design, illustration and print production elements that reinforce its commitment to the environment. This can be seen in such attributes as color palette, minimalist style for illustration and infographics, and the utilization of eco-friendly printing stock.

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.

When the time came for CGR to produce web-based Community Indicator Projects, the long-established research organization partnered with Bob Wright Creative to help develop and continuously enhance these powerful web-based tools.

Some Background on CGR

The Center for Governmental Research (CGR) is a municipal research organization founded by George Eastman in 1915 to serve as an independent, non-partisan agency for keeping citizens informed. CGR serves government, nonprofits and business leaders by providing data-driven research and analysis that affects the quality of life in communities both inside and outside New York State.

What is a Community Profile?

A Community Indicator Project, or Community Profile, assesses a range of community issues over time. Comparative performance data is generated on a number of topics, such as economics, education, and health. This data empowers leaders and residents to assess indicators in comparison to other communities, as well as the state and the nation.

Web-based community profiles (link takes you to CGR website) have become essential tools for starting strategic discussion about strengths, challenges and opportunities that affect an entire population. CGR has been in partnership with Bob Wright Creative since 2009 to help develop web-based Community Profiles, and to also help enhance the product at each iteration.

A Web-Based Community Profile for Cayuga and Seneca Counties

To produce the second-generation Cayuga and Seneca Counties Community Profile (click link to open site in new window), CGR specified a website to provide analysis, data and interactive charting capabilities for 70 indicators of community vitality. Comparative data for 4 similar counties, along with the state and the nation, cover topics such as demographics, economy and education.

The website, along with its lead sponsors the United Ways of Cayuga and Seneca Counties, provides leaders with a powerful means for assessing and understanding their communities.

A Solution that Benefits Users of Information and Providers of Information Alike

Bob Wright Creative was again brought in to support the creation of this resource. User interface design and website programming enhancements were provided  to maintain alignment with the evolving nature of the data, as well as the evolving needs of the user.

The website’s user interface design delivers improvements to usability and searchability based on user feedback. As for the back-end, developing a Drupal-based content management system delivered a number of benefits to CGR and its sponsors. These benefits include:

• Enhanced content management capability, administrative control and site security
• Greater flexibility of data presentation through the design and development of dynamic charting capabilities
• Easier inclusion of social media functionality
• Modular code resulting in cost-effective same-site scalability, as well as cost-effective replication for future Community Profile websites
• More efficient and cost-effective enhancements of product features and functionality going forward

With essential information that is always up to date and easily accessed from one central location, service organizations can more easily decide which areas need the most attention. These decisions become actionable by developing approaches to solving issues in a data-driven, quantitative way.

A Platform for Growth

CGR and its sponsors provide community profiles to the benefit of the organizations and populations they serve. Bob Wright Creative’s ongoing role involves user experience enhancement and provision of technology platforms that deliver efficient scalability, ongoing improvement and cost-effective replication. We’re happy to be part of an ongoing website initiative that is helping many, and that is a viable platform for future growth.

Click here to visit Cayuga and Seneca Counties Community Profile.

Sometimes the full essence of a particular story can’t be fully conveyed through one media type alone, or even a collection of certain media types. When rebranding The Maplewood and building a new website for the long-term and rehabilitation care facility, we uncovered a challenge: Not everything that makes The Maplewood special can be conveyed via text and photos. The intangible qualities of staff – personalities, life experiences, values, passions – are all crucial elements in understanding the full Maplewood story. Observation of these qualities is important to prospective residents and families as they navigate what can be uncertain waters. Communicating these qualities requires a creative approach. The result was a series of “Getting to Know” videos, each highlighting a different member of the Maplewood family. With video, we were able to bring a range of human characteristics to the full Maplewood story. Here’s an example:Peace of mind is critical for those making long-term and rehabilitation care decisions. Through the help of video, the Maplewood’s audience can be confident that the right choice of care is being made. In your world, what messages pose a challenge for traditional media? How do you leverage video and other forms of new media?

With your first step inside The Maplewood in Webster, New York, one thing becomes abundantly clear - the nature of long-term and rehabilitation care has changed. The Maplewood's foundation of innovative clinical care is housed within a model that is focused on hospitality, not institutional confines. The Maplewood feels more like a resort, and less like a nursing home. With this in mind, we set out to deliver a new website that captures the unique nature of the Maplewood brand. "Distinctly Different" is a key pillar of The Maplewood - one that informs every aspect of the website. As the central hub for Maplewood information, family members, residents, professional community, and staff all benefit from a rich presentation of valuable content. Highlights include photo slideshows, in-depth information, "Get to Know" videos, and a growing blog presence. Soon to be launched will be an audio podcast series to help listeners make informed decisions around long-term and rehabilitation care. Many thanks go to Maplewood's owner/administrator, Greg Chambery, for having the vision and commitment to developing a site of this nature. We invite you to visit www.MaplewoodNursingHome.com, and lend us your feedback.

We're adding to our design team and are on the look-out for a graphic designer.

The following is some info on the position and the kind of person we're looking for. Also, take a look at our guiding principle to make sure you resonate with why we get out of bed every day.

Bob Wright Creative is in search of a talented designer for an entry-to-mid-level position within our close-knit team. Our collaborative environment offers an excellent atmosphere in which to create and grow.

The ideal candidate is a talented problem solver that is well organized, highly motivated and detail-oriented. Some work experience in the design field is preferred. Talent, drive and work ethic are crucial.

Responsibilities

- Concept development and design
- Client interaction
- InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator work for a variety of projects.

Qualifications

- Both thrive in a collaborative environment and work effectively independently
- Can handle multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
- Proficiency with InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop is required.
- Flash, Powerpoint and web development skills a plus.
- Knowledge and experience in both print and web design is required.
- Ability to conduct research, analyze and problem solve.
- Organized, self-starter
- Illustration skills a plus

Design Aesthetic

- Corporate, clean, cool
- Communication Design
- Strategic, smart
- Concept driven
- Strong composition skills
- Strong typography skills

If you're interested email us your résumé and your digital portfolio as a link or a pdf to: info@bobwrightcreative.com

I've just been invited to address visual arts students from Finger Lakes Community College in October. How cool is that?

I've been asked to talk about what our firm looks for in freshly minted designers in order to help them think about what skills to develop and how to put together a winning portfolio. It's such an honor because it ties into our guiding principle and I love the chance to give back and to help young people find their way.

Special thanks to Liz Brownell, Assistant Professor of Art, for the invitation—You made my day!