Yup - been a while. Grad school has been keeping all of us in the program especially busy. For me, my new job at JPMorgan Chase has reduced some of the stress I felt at the newspaper. Chase is quite an improvement over Brown Publishing on so many levels. Details to come ...

This week's design assignment involved direct mail pieces and brochures that caught my eye.

The first I'll discuss is a direct mail piece that advertises a seminar hosted by a healthcare provider, Summa Health. This piece has a few things going for it and few drawbacks. I think the layout is pretty good: The colors are pleasing, the font sizes direct your eye to the appropriate portions of the piece and the and sans serif font selected is easy to read.

The layout is symmetrical, colored borders at top and bottom with heavier elements just inside with white space and text in the middle.

The layout is simple and clear - just right for such an event. You couldn't have sharp colors or photos that would be incongruous with the event.

What I don't like is that if you have no clue what the event will involve - you won't find the information in the flyer. This is clearly designed for those "in the know," who are familiar with the event, or at least, the host and speakers.

What is also rather odd is that this artifact probably cost some money, and the event is only two hours long. Maybe not too unusual, but I'd think that a less formal attempt would be used for such a brief event.

The next piece is a brochure from a construction company. It's is slick in appearance and paper. This probably cost a great deal to prepare, and the designers decided to pack as much information as possible.



A major drawback is that the design is incoherent. I couldn't tell if there was a particular pattern for me to follow. The design is colorful, the fonts are clear and appropriate. The company's market range covers medical and religious to industrial, therefore, maybe they should have been all-inclusive.

Two unusual aspects of this piece is the absence of a company Web site and the cover features a building that one would assume is the company's headquarters, but the name on the building isn't that of the company. Is it their headquarters or their most famous project - who knows?

Also the photos are too small to be of any help and again, don't seem to coincide with adjacent text.

My third piece is a brochure from a small family-run restaurant offering cut-out coupons for a few different menu items. In this case the design, colors and fonts are very casual and therefore appropriate. The layout is clear, symmetrical and user-friendly

Two minor problems are the following: One side of the brochure is blank, which is wasted space. Maybe a map or synopsis of the entire menu could have been included.



Also, there isn't a phone number to call, although the address is included. This actually isn't a minor problem. A phone number or Web site really must be included to make it convenient for potential customers to get more information.

Finally the ad offers discounts to the "Dyenamo Team Shop." Don't know what that is? Can't help you, neither do I and there's no information.

Another brochure was produced by the Central Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The intent is to inform chamber members of healthcare discounts the chamber offers. Because the topic is important but rather mundane, the design is subdued and informative.

The colors are cool, sage greens and soft golds. Sans Serif fonts that vary in size and sometimes bold. Small info boxes offer snippets of information that the reader could quickly determine whether the adjacent info is important to read.

There is a photo of a woman on a cell phone who is smiling and looking at some papers. Not bad, but a local or original photo instead of stock might have had more of an impact.

My final artifact is a copy of a billboard I saw a week ago. I couldn't take a picture at the time, but I found a similar design on the company's Web site.

The ad is for a funeral home in northeast Ohio. The ad includes the company's logo and photos of their three locations. With each photo is the address and other pertinent information - but that's all. In fact, two of the locations look like small homes. At first, I thought the ad was for a Realtor showing homes for sale.

It seems that the only reason they suggest you should use their services is because they have three locations. That might work for some families, but I'd prefer some sappy text about how they care for my feeling at the time I need their services, or at least how many generations of my family they may have served.

This ad offers nothing unless you've used them before. And if that's the case, maybe their complacency is apparent in their service too.

Another logo I like is Arby's. It's kind of corny because of the large (more than 10-gallon) hat and it doesn't try to be anything more than a logo. Of course if you're from another country, you may not know their specialty is roast beef sandwiches, which in some respects is a little higher on the fast food food chain than burgers. The red and the logo are distinct, so once you know they have great sandwiches and see the sign - pull off.



The Flintstones logo is a true logo because it represents the animated show and is utilized in various types of advertising. What's cool about the logo is the font (I think it's Bedrock semi-bold condensed). It's easy for kids to read and pretty distinct.

Somewhat like the Disney logo, it also conjures up one's childhood. It's comforting and like Arby's, kind of light-hearted.

The next logo I'll discuss was Al Sharpton's campaing logo/sign for the 2004 Democratic primary campaign race. I don't particularly care for Sharton, who does represent a significant portion of the urban community, but his stood out. The collection of other signs shows the limited creativity: Basic red, white and blue.



Sharptons is red with white lettering - it stands out. It doesn't relay any mesage but it will catch the eye of a passerby. The primary goal for a logo is to get attention and Sharpton's does.

Virtual Inspiration

This aspect of my blog is part of an assignment for MCM 740, a graduate class at Franklin University.

The following are reflections and collections for MCM 740. What is recorded is done so with the freedom from self-consciousness — the liberty necessary to analyze myself as I grow.

Each page can be evaluated on its own merit and as a journey from relative ignorance and innocence to maturity. Growth often comes with error, loss and confusion. therefore, the destination I hope to reach will include many pitfalls. I trust we can enjoy the ride together.

Logos that attract me

  

The K-Y logo is interesting 

on several levels. Most apparent is the contrast of the simple white font to the light to dark shaded blue background. Though I don't have much personal experience with K-Y products, the appearance is quickly identified.

Secondly, the discreet, virtual absence of any suggestion as to what the product(s) are for, shows a strong brand image. The use of K-Y products and absence of any hint in the logo reminds me of a schoolyard retort: "That's for me to know, and you to find out."

Three Chimneys is a thoroughbred horse breeding farm of high regard. The simple logo is easy to duplicate in any size, easily recognizable and "gauche-free." Similar to K-Y, there is no suggestion to what the business involves, but the reason behind that is described by another well-known and apt phrase: "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it."

 

Touchstone Energy attracted me for what I consider are its incongruities. I often see the logo without accompanying taglines. When that occurs, the tri-colored logo is what I would expect to see with an MR/DD or child-related community house.

I guess I can see why an electric company that relies upon coal-burning power plants would want something that is unintimidating, but this is too vague of a connection.

Personal Consumer Behavior Statement

You can't finish grad school — can too – can not — can — can't — can

In my secret garden, battles between Superior Me and Inferior Me are determined by the degree of public commitment made by the former.

Superior Me knows I can achieve nearly anything I set my mind to, including getting a master's degree, but he admits I sometimes lose focus on long-term goals. That’s why he took a cue from Vaidyanathan and Aggarwal (2005) and announced to the world I would enter Franklin University's MCM program. He's relying on "self-predicted ... (though not my) normal (academic) behaviour” (p. 234) for my success. He knows I can’t fail now that I’m committed to friends and family.

Superior Me is why even as a short-legged, stubby guy, I have run five or six marathons. He tells people about some of my personal goals and to be consistent with his blabbing, I end up training and finishing 26.2 miles. Sometimes he's a no-good @#$%&!

Inferior Me, on the other hand, survives on my academic "low domain-specific self-concept" (Moller and Koller, p. 70) sown during my lengthy undergraduate career. I failed or underachieved in many ventures because of my limited abilities. He tells me any success was due to outside influences.

All that commotion coming from my secret garden — you can't hear it? — are those guys fighting. It's early in the struggle for the master's degree, so the outcome may not revolve around the material, but which Me is the most consistent.

References

Vaidyanathan, R., & Aggarwal, P. (2005). Using commitments to drive consistency: Enhancing the effectiveness of cause-related marketing communications. Journal of Marketing Communications,11(4), 231-246.

Moller, J., & Koller, O. (2000). Spontaneous and reactive attributions following academic achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 4, 67-86.