Presidential

Went to Dallas recently for a client shoot at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. I took the GoPro Hero along to try and get some fun personal shots. It’s always a toss-up shooting stills with this little camera, mainly because the model I have doesn’t have a viewfinder or view screen. I have to wait to upload to the computer to see what I got. As usual, most of the shots were crap, but I was able to salvage a few from the batch.

Our client, Continental Cut Stone, provided much of the limestone used on and in the building. If you go, do it early to beat the tour buses!

 

Click on the pics for bigger view.

Strategically placed “fountain” for your party pic pleasure.

Entry courtyard, pre-tour bus cattle call.

Sleepy west side of the building.

These are leaves (and flowers).

Looking up.

The Decider, and his dad.

Guest Blogger, Liz Elam of Link Coworking: Top Ten Indicators it’s time to try out Coworking

As the founder of Link Coworking and Link Too, Liz Elam knows a thing or ten about work spaces. Here, she shares with The MAD House her

Top Ten Indicators it’s time to try out Coworking:

10. You’ve asked your dog/cat for feedback
9.    You don’t put on pants until you have to go out in the evenings to meet friends for dinner
8.   Your children know if you have the phone to your ear and you give them “that” look, and they know they have to be quiet because you’re working
7.   You know your UPS man on a first name basis and actively try to engage him in a conversation
6.  You spend over $250 a month at your coffee shop
5.   Your significant other isn’t happy to see you at the end of the day because you never left
4.   You’ve waited 30 minutes too long to ask a stranger to watch your stuff so you can go pee
3.   You’ve opened your fridge 20 times before noon
2.   You don’t have to laundry on the weekends because you did it during the work week
1.  Your office is in you home (which should be your haven not your workplace)

What is Coworking?

Austin has a vibrant Coworking community.  There are lots of flavors of Coworking, I suggest you try out  a few and see what suits your pallet -  because working alone sucks.

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Liz Elam

Liz Elam

Liz Elam has built a career – and a thriving business – on the tenet that working one’s way up from the bottom instills tenacity, resilience and overall excellence. That belief, blended with an innovative spirit and a competitive but collaborative drive, has landed her at the forefront of the coworking movement.
After working for Dell for almost 15 years, managing multi-million dollar accounts and emerging as one of its top sales executives, Liz forayed into entrepreneurialism and founded Link Coworking in Austin, Texas.  It’s more than doubled in size since 2010, and Liz has become a prominent voice in the coworking movement, hosting more than 250 international attendees at the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) – the largest coworking conference in the Americas.  She’s garnered press in the Sunday New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Investors Daily and Inc. and proudly serves as President of the League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces. She’ll speak at the European Coworking Conference this fall and the Australian Coworking Conference in 2014.  When she’s not promoting coworking, Liz is eternally planning her next far-flung excursion.

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The MAD House accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the The MAD House, its staff or its owners. The label examples used in this article were not produced by The MAD House.

Capable? Yes. Willing? …

Whether it’s making fried chicken, making beer, making loans or making building materials, as a business owner, you probably are pretty good at what ever it is you do for your business.

Likewise, as creative folks go, The MAD House Freaks are a hyper-capable bunch. Scary imaginative and talented, they are advertising, branding and graphic design professionals who know what they are doing.

But, there are some things we, as an agency, try very hard not to do:

• We’ll not use the phrase, “[client] has just the [product] to fit your needs” or “[client] is the company to call for all of your [product] needs” or something similar. Seriously? Use of these phrases means the person writing the copy went from Copywriter to lazybones.

• Unless you are a well known professional actor (or are a super hot supermodel) and happen to own the business, we probably will not put you in your own commercial. Let’s face it, personalities like Dave Thomas (Wendy’s) and Col. Sanders are few and far between. Notice I did not say “never”, but it is a rare occasion when we run across that awesome combination of believability, likability and trust that translates well over to audio and video. Plus, sometimes, it’s a difficult thing fitting all of that owner ego into a good :30 spot.

• If you “know exactly what you want”, exactly what it should look like and just what the words should be – we’re probably not a good match. Why hire us if you already have all of the answers? You pay us to listen to your business issues and create unique solutions, let us do what we do.

• We will not “make the logo bigger” just to make it bigger. We’ve used it at the size that it is for a very good reason. Trust us, we’re trained professionals.

Working with The MAD House is more like a collaborative partnership. We listen to your issues and ideas, go off and do our own research, retire to our creative caves for some in-depth conceptification, and then come back with some truly hashed out solutions.

Now for a laundry list of some of the things we can do, CLICK HERE. You know, for all your advertising and design needs. Doh!

Yee haw!

Professionally Speaking: Ross Van Burkleo on Beverage Label Paper

Today’s guest writer, Ross Van Burkleo, discusses the importance of picking the right paper for beverage labels. A compelling label design gets even better when proper attention is given (by designer and bottler/vintner/brewer) to the look, touch and feel of the label paper. Paper is another one of the many elements that contribute to (or take away from) the overall brand experience.   Enjoy. – LM

 First Impressions….7 Seconds??!!!

Seven seconds to make a good first impression?!  I know I needed a lot more time to impress my wife.  If it is was truly 7 seconds, then I don’t think I would be married to her.  At least in the Professional Bull Riders Association you get 8 seconds to consider it a success.  Wait, maybe those cowboys would like a shorter duration!

We all know that, when meeting someone for the first time, first impressions are important. First impressions are also important to consider when producing a label for a wine or beer bottle.  The label itself plays a primary role in the purchasing decisions of customers.  Making a creative and compelling label connects the bottle with its buyer.  I hate to say it but I have bought a bottle or two just by looking at the label.  A provocative, interesting or compelling label design will lock in that consumer to reach again and again for that special beverage.

Another factor is the type of label paper that you choose to use.  The bottle can be stored in a freezer, a refrigerator or stocked on a bar shelf.  The label paper on a bottle must be able to withstand different temperatures and usually multiple handling.  You need to have a label that has “wet strength” additives to increase resistance to tearing or shriveling in moist environments.  Label paper needs to perform extremely well on high speed presses and labeling lines and easily accept die-cutting, embossing and foil stamping as well as printing.   After all of that, you still want a paper that looks good when you put the bottle in your hand and makes you want to run you thumb over the paper to feel it.

Here are just two of the companies who have chosen to make an important decision to stand out with the labels they choose to represent their brand.  Next time you see either of these brands, take the bottle in your hand and run your hand over the label.  Another such brewer wanted a natural look and feel to their labels.   Lagunitas,  out of Petaluma, California, not only has a great beer, but decided to have a unique texture to their labels.  The labels are a laid pattern that you can actually feel.  The design not only separates it from other brands, but the feel gives you a connection that other beers do not.

Label paper is just one of the many elements you can use to make that first impression last a lot longer than just seven seconds.

If you want to look at all the choices of paper that you can use for labels and how to add this to your creative process, be sure to go to neenahpaper.com/FinePaper/LabelPapers.  Or you can contact me @ Ross.VanBurkleo@Neenah.com   or on twitter @NeenahFlash.

Interested in discussing label and package design? The MAD design freaks would love to chat with you. CLICK HERE to get in touch.

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Ross Van Burkleo has been striving to be a paper expert for the past 20 years.  He has been with Neenah Paper for a majority of those years and hopes to achieve that distinction while living in the Austin area.  Ross has been known to dress up (see @NeenahFlash on twitter) to get his point across to the dismay of his wife and his young son.  He enjoys talking loud and long about his passions for paper, sports and his church’s mission work.

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The MAD House accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the The MAD House, its staff or its owners. The label examples used in this article were not produced by The MAD House.

Farming Business Growth (Having a Plan)

From the phone files

Had a call in November from a young man, let’s call him Abel. He’s a farmer in the Southeast. He grew up on the farm his father owned and then handed down to him and his sister. Now, Abel and his sister and his wife make a pretty decent living growing and selling specialty grains and vegetables. They bag the specialty grains in plain bags and staple labels to them. The veggies are either bunched and tagged, placed in plastic bags, or “put up” in jars. The bags, tags and jars have hand written labels. The stuff is just unique enough that it sells like crazy at the local grocery and area farmers markets. They even have a small group of delivery customers.

Seems that Abel and the family are thinking about kicking things up a notch and they are wondering how much things like a logo and custom product package art would cost. They had been talking with a regional “fresh” food chain and the buyer (who had already heard about and sampled the products) suggested they might want to invest in the look and feel of their packaging. Up to this point, their marketing efforts consisted of handing out free samples of their grains, produce and canned veggies and then relying on word of mouth and social media postings to get the word out. People would go to their booth at the farmers markets knowing what to ask for, and then maybe try something else while they were there. The locally owned grocery in their town picked up on the gaining popularity of the grains and produce and made room for them in his produce section. There’s a small display shelf at one end of the produce case where the “put up” items are merchandised. No signs, no POS, just jars with hand written labels on a shelf.

And it all sells out.

While it’s a good thing the family is thinking about its brand and how it looks and feels, the question that came to my mind was, “How big do you want to grow this thing?” Are we talking the surrounding counties? The entire state? Surrounding states? The Southeast states? The Eastern seaboard? Nationwide?

How much larger could they get before their land was producing all it could, and then, was there a plan to accumulate more farmable land? Was the additional land close by? What was it going to cost, and then, did they have the additional hands to work it properly? What processes did they have in place, or were they planning to have in place to clean and package and can the products as the company grew.

Unlike a number of small businesses I speak with, Abel and his family had a plan. The growth plan did include more land and they had already worked a deal for it. Additional equipment had already been purchased and, once up and running, they figured they would be able to quadruple their production at a minimum. Therefore, they were looking at statewide distribution to specialty grocers. Another part of that plan was the brand’s visual development. The plan called for packaging that would allow the products to ship and keep properly, display neatly and visibly on shelves, with a look that is unique, easy to find and recognize, and imparts the feeling of hand picked goodness.

I was impressed with the amount of work they put into their plan. It seems that companies like ours often get calls to fix things clients thought they could just wing it on – without a plan. And, where it probably would have cost them less to make and work a branding and marketing plan from the beginning, fixing things always costs more. Either work on your own plan, or pay someone to help you, but have a plan. And, if at all possible, start that plan when your are planning your business – before start-up. Use it like a road map and refer to it regularly . Make tweaks along the way. It’s easier to gently steer a ship than it is to stop it, turn, start it again, stop it, turn, start it again … you get the picture.

Abel and I discussed how The MAD House works with clients like them and we worked up some estimates and timelines. Turns out we were competing with a company in the Denver area specializing in organic consumer package goods, a small design shop in North Carolina, and a “full-service” ad agency out of Atlanta. The Denver area bunch was a bit out of touch on pricing (or maybe they really didn’t want the business?). The Atlanta agency, “Didn’t hear what we were saying and tried to sell us all sorts of crap we would never use” – Abel’s words.

Turns out the North Carolina group and The MAD House were comparable in price, talent and approach. In the end, North Carolina won out because of their proximity to the farm, and they had done some similar work with a local honey operation.

Abel has a plan and he’s working it. I’m excited for Abel and his family and have a good feeling about the future of their venture.

Cheers!
LM

Some folks know exactly what they want, others need a little help figuring it out. And that’s why we’re here.

Uncharted Waters – The Personal History of Wayne Lynch

I saw this trailer today and had to share. It’s the story of a surfing pioneer and a unique individual. Plus, my first surfboard was a Wayne Lynch design. Enjoy.

 

Uncharted Waters – The Personal History of Wayne Lynch from Patagonia on Vimeo.

Taking One for the Team

Simple is OK

Got a call from a buddy last week. He was not a happy camper. Seems he’d been recruited to maintain his son’s baseball team’s web site. He’s not a web or design guy, but the site is one of those subscription-based programs where the user is limited to a small pallet of backgrounds, modules, fonts and such. When the team first started using the site about three years ago, it looked pretty good. The parent in charge at the time had a design background and quickly realized the site’s limitations and he decided to keep it simple.

This kind of site is best used to keep up on team and league stats, schedules and maybe some brief game recaps and a few photos. It all worked nicely that first year.

Over the course of the next two years things changed. Two years and two more parents in charge of site maintenance and suddenly what had been a simple, easy to read and navigate site had become a a clusterf&%k of fonts and colors.

My friend’s description, “Dude, it looks like someone on acid puked their bad hallucinations onto the page”. Scary.

Besides the team colors (red and black), and the team logo (Cardinals), and the original serifed font (Times) that were used the first year, subsequent web maintainers had added various new colors like navy, yellow and orange (and various new shades of red). There were at least five new and different fonts and type size would vary from one article to the next. And who knew there were so many variations of cardinal logos. Besides the original team logo, there were now at least 3 other versions, with a couple of different ones appearing in the page header through some very bad Flash animation. And, holy crap, someone had added a somewhat risque hip-hop song that comes on at high volume when the site loads. Really? After listening to the song we both wondered what it had to do with 9 year-olds playing youth baseball. Nothing.

He needed some help and he needed it fast. This isn’t a corporate site, it’s not an entertainment site, it’s not an art blog; it should be a simple team site. Coaches, parents and relatives go there to see schedules, stats, and pictures. Those things should be easy to find and easy to look at. Now, I’m not a web designer, but I work with a number a very talented design folks. I think most would agree with these simple clean-up tasks. So I gave him a little clean-up task list. Clean up the crap, organize the flow, and get back to basics.

1. Lose all of the crazy colors. Stick with the team’s two colors and use them sparingly

2. Try to keep fonts down to one style for headlines and one style for body copy and maybe one additional for photo captions. Be consistent with font sizes.

3.  Punt all of the logos from the site (and delete them from the image gallery) except the original team logo. Try to only use it in the page header, rather than in every single posting on every page

4.  Organize the information logically. Put the game schedule, team record, and links to the practice calendar on the front page above the fold where folks can easily find them. Use the main body for important announcements and game recaps and photos

5. Lose the crazy diamond plate background. Compliment the content, don’t overpower it

6. Kill the music module completely. Think about the mom or dad in the office who just wanted to check the kid’s practice schedule for the week and suddenly – insert inappropriate hip-hop song here – is blasting from the office computer. Classy.

Last weekend he took the task list and went to town on the site. He’s still fidgeting with how to best use the team colors on the site (based on the site’s limited features), but it already looks 110% better. Hmmm, I wonder if there is a way to lock in formatting to keep next year’s volunteer webmaster from getting overly “creative” …

What drives you crazy when it come to web design? We’d like to hear from you in our comments section below, or you can contact us directly HERE.

Cheers!