Showcase: Scholarship Worksheet Keeps it Simple

Walla Walla University’s new scholarship program gives students instant feedback on what they’re eligible for—and has proven to be an important part of their marketing successes.

When they asked us to develop a simple piece to communicate this complicated message—we recommended an interactive visual piece that is available in print and on-line (click here to view the online version).

Very often, a visual is the best way to convey complex information quickly.

Color Counsel: A Monochromatic Scheme Can Be Chic

A monochromatic color scheme uses shades (created by adding black to a color) and tints (created by adding white) of a single color resulting in a clean and elegant look. This color palette is soothing to the eyes and works especially well with green or blue hues. It is easy to get right and has a sense of authority to it. The primary color can also be used with neutral colors like black, white or gray.

The only downfall to a monochromatic color scheme is that it lacks the contrast of a complementary color scheme and is not as vibrant. But don't be afraid to try this when you're wanting a sophisticated but cost-effective look.

Sweat the Details and Get a Proof

Your creative project is finished, and now it's time to send it to the vendor for printing or production. But never assume that once it is out the door it doesn't need your attention anymore.

On the contrary, mistakes often occur in production. Here's an example of a recent problem we navigated.

The project below was for a mall display (featured last week on our blog).  As always, we include a printed proof along with the design files, so the production team can see how it should render—and this can often save mistakes in the final stages of a project.

Even then, it isn't uncommon for something to go wrong—which is why we insist on seeing proofs.  In this case, we went through three proofs before getting it right.

In the first, the outside vendor producing the actual display introduced those odd shadows around and across the bottom of the icon where there should have been a drop shadow instead. In the second, they corrected this problem but introduced a new one—the registration was off causing the type to appear blurred. We sent it back with instructions and finally got it resolved in the third round.

Sweating the details at every stage of the project is the only way to ensure that you receive the quality of work your firm aspires to.

Attempt 1: Drop shadow didn't print correctly

Attempt 2: Registration was slightly off resulting in blurred type

Client’s Annual Report Makes Top 50 List and Garners Platinum Award

Key Technology’s 2010 annual report has been listed in the top 50 winners gallery in the 2009-2010 international LACP Visions Awards Annual Report Competition.

Other winners included companies like Cisco Systems, Munich Airport, Monsanto India, Office Depot Foundation, Direct TV, Xerox and Whirlpool.

The report also garnered the Platinum Award—the highest of four awards offered in each category—for annual reports in its industry. A panel of professional judges scored the project on eight aspects ranging from first impressions to message clarity.

The photo of the executive team, above, appears inside the report and mirrors the cover theme that evokes freshness, purity and quality—all outcomes that Key's product line helps achieve.

We have worked with Key Technology on their annual reports for more than a decade, and must say that they know how to inspire good work. We love helping to tell the story of this innovative, forward-thinking international company.

More than 4,400 entries representing 25 countries were received. LACP is the League of American Communications Professionals that helps promote best-in-class practices in communications.

Client Showcase—Key Technology Annual Report

 

For a decade we've had the privilege of working with this innovative manufacturing company on their annual report. This year's starring photos were staged at a historic landmark overlooking the beautiful valley in eastern Washington where their international headquarters are located. This beautiful setting, paired with an abundance of fresh produce, helped convey their brand promise to deliver fresher, safer and purer products through new technologies that sort, process and remove defects.

The piece was printed on a suede-like paper that provides a richly tactile experience with the piece, and lends an organic air to it—reinforcing the message of quality and freshness.

Client Showcase—Hospitalist Brochure

The concept of hospitalists—hospital-based physicians whose exclusive role is to manage the care of patients who are hospitalized—is still new to many consumers, and many don't understand how a hospitalist might benefit them. To explain this, we developed this piece for the hospitalist program at Avista Adventist Hospital. We paired text that addresses likely consumer concerns with images from both our private stock collection and the hospital to create a custom piece that helps set a patient's expectations about working with a hospitalist—and allay their fears about this new way of delivering inpatient care.

Client Showcase—PSMMC Spine Brochure

This spine brochure was part of a spine campaign for one of our clients, and served as a flexible tool that not only promoted the program but its numerous physicians. To make the piece easily customizable for each physician office, we created a folder in the back to hold a card on each physician. As physicians came and went, these cards could easily be updated without outdating the brochure.

But creating a brochure is just the first step. Give thought to how it will be distributed. We recommended to this client that they mail it to referring physicians with a cover letter, distribute it through the participating physicians' offices, and distribute it to hospital staff, since they serve as sales people.

Client Showcase—Emergency Department Brochure

We refreshed the look of these brochures for the emergency department at Avista Adventist Hospital. On a budget, we used existing copy and redesigned the piece to conform with their newer corporate graphic standars.

Client Showcase—A Direct Mail Piece That Won't Be Ignored

For their 100 year anniversary, the law firm of Gresham Savage wanted a direct mail piece for community leaders, clients and prospective clients that would make an unforgettable statement about their firm’s legacy. For this, we worked with them to create a handsome gift box that paired a brochure with a Gresham Savage pen and five custom-developed note cards that featured historical images of their community.

This allowed us to not only tell their story but to acknowledge the role their community has played in reaching this milestone. The vintage note cards showcase local sites and leave the recipient with a handsome collection of cards and envelopes to use as they see fit. It isn’t often that a direct mail piece delivers something of value to the recipient, but when it does, you can guarantee a higher level of impact.

Client showcase: Hospital Launches Regional Spine Center

Providence St. Mary Medical Center asked CMBell Company to partner with them on the launch of their new regional spine center—the first of its kind in their community. The message had to:
· Catch the reader’s attention.
· Connect the words “spine center” to back or neck pain. We couldn’t assume that people would make that connection since this is a new product category in this community.
· Be distinctive.
· Be reduced to just seven words on an outdoor board.

In this campaign, the "blue man" image communicates back pain. Its distinctive, dominant nature makes it a strong anchoring visual for the campaign in lighted airport displays, outdoor, print ads, collateral and direct mail. The text uses alliteration and strong consonants and plays on the double words of this unique community name to create a memorable message.

Client Showcase—Academic Bulletin Covers

Showing real faces is always compelling, especially when they're faces that exude vibrancy and promise. By using existing imagery, we partnered with Walla Walla University to create professional, yet affordable, bulletin covers that invite the reader inside.

Client Showcase—A New Look for an Old Firm

Gresham Savage is the widely recognized leader for business, litigation, real estate, environmental and land use law in Inland Southern California—but their visual image was dated and tired, and failed to reflect the level of excellence seen in their work. We conducted a corporate makeover for this 100-year-old firm and developed a new visual brand identity that gave them a fresh, sophisticated look.

Their new branding package includes not only a new logo and business suite, but supporting pieces like a presentation folder, note cards, mailing labels, templates for news alerts, e-mail signatures, and PowerPoint templates. We also consulted with their web development team to help design the visual appearance of their new website, which now coordinates with the rest of the brand elements. The new look sets the stage for their centennial celebration that occurs this year—ushering in the new decade with dignity.

Client Showcase—Hospice Direct Mail

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital is raising money for an innovative, home-like facility for hospice patients who are unable to live out their final days at home. This direct mail piece launched their fund-raising campaign for Cottage in the Meadow and revitalized conversations about living every stage of life fully.

The imagery of the piece reflects the idyllic setting of Cottage in the Meadow, inspiring the reader to become a part of something destined to matter deeply to those who need this kind of care.

Client Showcase—Using Testimonials to Promote Your Service

Littleton Adventist Hospital (LAH) wanted a piece to follow up on the successful “Littleton Loves Little Ones” campaign, reminding women why they should have their babies at LAH. To do this, we showcased real moms who chose Littleton. We then listed physicians who delivered at the hospital, and we encouraged recipients to “ask your doctor to take you to Littleton.”

The campaign garnered a Gold Award in the Aster Awards, a Silver Award in the 23rd Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards and a Bronze Leaf Award in the Colorado Healthcare Communicators Gold Leaf Awards. The direct mail piece itself won a Gold Award in the 4th Annual Service Industry Advertising Awards.

Client Showcase—Pacific EP Business Suite

The Los Angeles-based Pacific Rim Electrophysiology Research Institute, under the direction of internationally renown Koonlawee Nademanee, MD, worked with us to developed a new visual brand identity that gave a fresh, sophisticated look to the institute.

This business suite won a 2010 Award of Merit in the 7th Annual Service Industry Advertising Awards.

Client Showcase—Launching a Pain Center That Offers Hope

We've recently worked with Avista Adventist Hospital to launch a pain management program. In developing their new logo, business package and Web site, we used bold, vital colors to promote a fresh look for their brand that suggests hope and optimism—a much-needed message for those suffering from chronic and acute pain. Using the letter D from their name, the icon creates a flower image that evokes vitality and life.

Client Showcase—Port of Walla Walla Brochure

The Port of Walla Walla turned to CMBell Company to develop their primary promotional brochure used to attract new businesses to the region. This easy-to-browse, colorful piece featured beautiful images of the area and colorful language—all of which made a compelling case for businesses to relocate in eastern Washington's Walla Walla Valley.

Client Showcase—I Will Brochure

Los Angeles-based White Memorial Medical Center asked CMBell Company to develop a series of communication tools that show how their team lives the hospital’s mission and values. The piece, which accompanies a companion video, features real employees, physicians and board members talking about how the mission and values affect their work at White Memorial. Anyone who has ever been there will know that this topic isn't just talk at this hospital--it permeates the organization. I credit their leadership team for being able to walk the talk, and inspiring their colleagues to do likewise.

Client Showcase—LLU Identity

Branding an organization that includes a university, a corporate entity and several hospitals required a flexible system that made clear the relationship between many entities. CMBell Company was asked to help Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center create a clear visual brand that brought together both its past legacy and its future dreams—and linked many individual entities to a strong master brand.

At their request, we updated their seal—which had undergone numerous changes throughout its history—and made it the anchor of their new visual identity. The regal red and grey color palette creates presence and suggests innovation, intensity of purpose and confidence; when combined with a modern layout, the overall look creates an impression of sophistication and strength.

Client Showcase—Hospital Brochure

Flip through the pages of Avista Adventist Hospital's general brochure, and you'll see saturated, vivid photos of people living life to its fullest. Through color, language and images, the piece conveys health—the ultimate promise of healthcare.

So often, healthcare communications are permeated with images of intimidating equipment and patients in situations most of us hope to avoid. By conveying hope, vitality and health, Avista's brochure moves readers to see the powerful possibilities for their own life by making this hospital--with its goal of helping patients thrive--their healthcare provider.