Posted in Architecture | Communication | Innovative Solutions | Marcellus Shale | Marketing | Natural Gas | Networking by Brad Breneisen (Graphic Design) on May 17, 2011
This understated marketing piece shows that appropriateness is more important than a huge budget. A recent award from the SMPS National Marketing Communications Awards is proof.
“Well we’re going to be catching a flight in a few days to Dallas Texas for the Annual INGAA (Interstate Natural Gas Association of America) Conference to network with some folks from the Energy Industry and see what LDG can do for them. We’re only staying for the day so we’re traveling light. We need to get our message, service capabilities, and business cards into these people’s hands in way that makes them hang on to it and introduces them to our brand…”
Hmm, this sounds like a pretty typical marketing/graphic design assignment, I thought to myself, until Marty Muggleton, VP of Client Development finished his thought…
“Most everything aside from business cards gets tossed in the trash at these things.”
This was one of the first problem-solving exercises thrown in my general direction as graphic designer for LDG. The solution to this problem has passed through the gauntlet and come out on the other end with a huge ROI and endless versatility. It’s a piece that fills a niche in this industry that default materials like SOQ’s and oversized postcards can’t (just look in the trash cans after the next conference you attend). The success is in its economy and how it addresses the receiver and their environment in a considerate and unobtrusive manner. It’s a 4″x4″ piece of performance-driven engineering if you will. Although minimal in size and cost, this piece has functioned as a spokesperson for various LDG marketing messages including natural gas & brand architecture services and as a delivery mechanism for loads of LDG business cards – while receiving lots of compliments along the way.
LDG’s Brand Architecture brochure unfolds to reveal its content. Click here to download as a PDF.
Dave Rolley, Client Development Representative, utilized the Brand Architecture brochure (above) at the recent ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) Mid Atlantic conference in National Harbor, MD and here’s what he came back with:
“While networking at the ICSC conference, I provided everyone I met with this ‘competitive differentiation piece of engineering’. Most everyone that received this piece was very intrigued with its uniqueness. They opened the piece up with extreme curiosity and it worked…they were actually viewing the content with fascination. I had several people comment that they were taking this piece back to their companies to see if they could develop their own version. Isn’t copying the best form of flattery?”
After learning about a design project, the first thing I do is to consider resources, timeline, and any other fixed variables involved. In this case it was LDG’s brand, the length of the marketing message, and our in house print/production capabilities among other things. In essence, I build the box that I am about to work inside of. Everyone has heard the saying “think outside the box,” but I think this slogan can be misleading. Good design relies on the designer’s understanding of the restrictions imposed by each problem, and their ability to work in harmony with them towards a solution. This is well understood by different design disciplines whether it’s architecture, engineering, or graphic.
At Larson Design Group, our architects and engineers embrace restrictions. Restrictions are inseparable from design itself. We find satisfaction in solving problems, not creating them. All of our clients come to us with unique problems, and we respond with unique answers. After all, your vision is our reality. Call it a box if you like. I happen to like boxes and what can happen inside them.
Comments (8) | Permalink | Tags: A/E/S, Branding, Brochure, Conference, Exhibition, Graphic Design, ICSC, INGAA, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, National Marketing Communications Awards, Recon, Retail Architecture, Service Marketing, SMPSComments
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You’ve done an incredible job, Brad. You should be really proud of all of your hard work. It looks amazing.
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Thanks for the kind words. I’m really glad it all came together.
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How long did the entire project take you to complete, Brad?
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Developing the overall design took about 15 hours or so (hard to quantify), but the really great thing about this is that it can function as a template for virtually any type of content and serve many different agendas across the firm. So far it has been developed into 2 variations, each promoting different service offerings from LDG.
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You can tell you put a lot of hard work into it, Brad. I like how you thought about it from a big picture standpoint, too.
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Brad, I was always told to think outside of the box but I agree, there is always some sort of box you need to work within. I enjoyed your post.
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Brad – Nice job on this! It is pretty cool to show non-designers the thinking required to make a printed piece achieve a business goal. Most people think this type of project is more art than engineering, but you prove otherwise with this article. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks Rick! Happy to hear this, especially coming from someone with as much experience as yourself. I find that communicating the designer’s thought process to clients and others involved in a project is often crucial to it’s support and success. Keep up the great work you folks do over at MoJo Active.
