Industry Portfolio: Corporate & Business Related
I’m in the business of building your business...
I’m in the business of building your business...
Large or small, like it or not, business is what makes the world go ’round. With that in mind I’m always excited to meet a new client, and love learning what makes them tick. Over the years I’ve learned that every one is different, and they each have a story to tell. Some of my favorite chapters in my “corporate” book are below...
SLOCOMB NATIONAL BANK - Corporate Identity & Branding Materials. In 2005, Slocomb National Bank was one of only three community banks in the state of Alabama that could say they were 100 years old. SNB had weathered the Great Depression, two World Wars and countless ups and downs in the financial industry but one thing remained constant -- their commitment to their customers. It was a given the look and feel for their materials matched their philosophy. Earthy colors, a new logo design based on the dollar bill and salt of the earth language all mixed together, becoming fertile ground for great ideas to grow.
SLOCOMB NATIONAL BANK - Publications. In addition to the usual suspects, SNB chose to create a newsletter to reach out to their customers. Not only would the newsletter give them an opportunity to connect with them on a personal level, it would also serve as an educational platform to teach them about managing their finances better. As a bonus, I learned SNB would celebrate their 100th anniversary the very next year. I felt the public should get to know the bank and how it came to be, as well as learn about the founding family’s dedication to helping their community. Te result was designed as a cross between a scrapbook and a timeline, showing how SNB has grown over the years, helping their neighbors for over a century.
PARSONSGROUP - Branding & Identity. ParsonsGroup is a full service accounting and financial consulting firm, specializing in small to medium-sized corporate and industrial clients. In every project, there comes a moment when everything becomes clear. For ParsonsGroup, that moment came when I was researching, of all things, the history of counting. As I was scanning the material, I remembered the founder having an abacus on display in his office. The image of sliding discs became the central idea behind the logo and along with specific architectural details and color schemes from the new corporate office, these elements were carried throughout the project.
PARKMAN ADAMS & WHITE - Brand Identity. After his participation in a very notable trial case, Jim Parkman realized from then on, he would probably be handing out a lot of business cards. The problem was, he didn’t even have a logo. Never did. We convinced him that to go with his new-found fame, he would need to have a logo and corporate identity system that was every bit as smart and sophisticated as he was. The logo (for those who were squinting and wondering) was developed around the historic and very European image of a griffin. According to the experts, the griffin symbolizes duality, and is known for being a protector, a guardian of treasure and the keeper of secret ways. We added a phrase in Latin that translates to: “Seek the Truth. Defend the Innocent.”. I swear, sometimes you can’t make this stuff up...
WIREGRASS FOUNDATION - Corporate Identity & Collateral Materials. Wiregrass Foundation is a organization dedicated to changing the lives of people throughout the Wiregrass area. They concentrate their endeavors into three areas of interest -- Heathcare, Education and Quality of Life. Even today their efforts in the community are unmatched and their success stories are simply amazing. What they lacked, however, was an image. But when you’re presented with the faces and stories of the thousands they’ve helped, it’s not hard to figure out what makes them distinctive. In order to tell the Wiregrass Foundation story, we simply asked their friends a question: “So... tell us how the Foundation helped you?”
NULEAF TECHNOLOGIES - Corporate Identity. Nuleaf Technologies is a new company offering a host of billing services to retailers. Their web-based management and billing systems allow retailers to offer customized payment options to clients without a credit approval process. For retailers, the old way to approach credit will soon be a thing of the past. We tell them (wait for it) it’s time to turn over a Nu leaf!
NULEAF TECHNOLOGIES - Collateral Materials. Nuleaf Technologies offers its services to a wide variety of clients -- from apparel retailers and nail salons to body shops and Vet clinics. But whatever the problem, the solution is the same... Nuleaf. As a way to help start the process, we developed a series of flyers and brochures which illustrate all-too-familiar scenarios. In each one, Nuleaf presents a way to help the customer and in the process, create a new client.
McDANIEL & ASSOCIATES - Medical Services Marketing Campaign. McDaniel & Associates is an accounting firm who makes house calls. They wanted to reach out to the medical community to offer a prescription for what was ailing them -- practice management. Their approach was to offer their support in accounting, bookkeeping, coding and insurance filing so the practice owners could actually get back to what they do best -- helping people.
FLOWERS INSURANCE AGENCY - “Box” Campaign. Flowers Insurance prides themselves on going above and beyond for their customers. When they asked if I would do a campaign based on “thinking outside the box” at first I said no. I also said no the second time. When it was obvious they weren’t going to back off, I told them the only way to pull it off was to show people (literally) a cardboard carton. Complete with wrapping tape and delivery labels, the only way to successfully “think outside the box” was... to give them a box.
MERGE INTEGRATION SYSTEMS - Corporate Identity & Branding. Merge is a company that offers commercial network, security and content management systems based on technology. They also operate as three separate companies, working together under a common umbrella. The challenge was to develop all three logos and their collateral materials at the same time, with an eye toward giving them a similarity that would help promote all three companies. Primary colors and bold symbols helped convey the essence of each brand, but at the same time allowed them all to work together.
DOTHAN UTILITIES - Corporate Identity. Few people in our area realize that their municipality provides the power and water they use. When asked, most thought Alabama Power or some other national brand was responsible for their lights and hot water. To say the least, that was a big problem. Dothan City officials asked me to develop a brand identity and series of messages to help educate and communicate to the public in a bigger, better way. As a creative, few things are as shocking as when you drive home and suddenly see your logo... 30 feet tall and on the side of a water tower.
