As I mentioned in a previous post, this series of pieces all work together, yet each piece needs to reflect the personality of the individual subject matter – in this case arts and culture of the Asheville region. We needed to pack a lot of content into eight pages but still keep it vibrant. I had lots of fun using graphic elements and color blocks to separate copy, highlight stories, quotes and data points. With only space for a few images it was key that those images be compelling and fit closely with the content to enhance the story of arts in our area. Fortunately in an area so strong in the arts I had great images to select from.

Below you can preview the Arts & Culture focus report.
Please note: on iPads you will need to scroll down and select the “Open publication” link to view example. (We hope this technical glitch is remedied soon. Thanks for understanding.)

View posts on other reports in this series: Advanced Manufacturing, Workforce

For more information on the work of the EDC, please visit their website.

For this piece there were quite a few data points and lists of facts needed to communicate the strength of our Asheville area workforce. As with all the pieces in this series it was extremely important that it be visually appealing, not just column of numbers. We placed all the data points on the inside spread for easy reference and I used bright colors on the graphs and varied the text styling to set each grouping of information apart. Pulling that spread together was accomplished through use of a beautiful mountain photo that runs across the top of both pages.

Below you can preview the Workforce focus report.
Please note: on iPads you will need to scroll down and select the “Open publication” link to view example. (We hope this technical glitch is remedied soon. Thanks for understanding.)

View posts on other reports in this series: Advanced Manufacturing, Arts & Culture

For more information on the work of the EDC, please visit their website.

This project is an expansion of past work with the EDC where I developed their updated logo and brand style. At that time an overview booklet was created which has served the staff well, but as more focus has been needed on specific target areas individualized pieces were called for. Focus reports in this series include: Incentives, Advanced Manufacturing, Workforce, Arts & Culture, Healthcare and Education.

Each piece in the series is designed to have it’s own personality in keeping with the focus topic while maintaining enough common layout elements and style to work together as a set. Focus area icons I developed for the EDC as part of the Asheville 5×5 plan are used as graphic elements on corresponding reports, along with strong photos and breakout boxes to ensure clarity of information.

Below you can preview the Advanced Manufacturing focus report.
Please note: on iPads you will need to scroll down and select the “Open publication” link to view example. (We hope this technical glitch is remedied soon. Thanks for understanding.)

For more information on the work of the EDC, please visit their website.

But the goals for the guide went beyond that. We needed to create a piece that spoke of Asheville as an unique place to hold a wedding, a piece that evoked the beauty of our area and the wide variety of activities that make it a wonderful place to ask friends and family to gather. It also needed to tie in to existing CVB branding, which includes a fun, bold color logo, while maintaining a romanic feel generally associated with softer colors.

I am please to say that the initial edition won the 2010 North Carolina Destination Marketing Achievement Award: Gold for Best Niche Marketing piece. And brides-to-be have blogged enthusiastically about the piece, as well as the excellent service from CVB staff they have received with it. Always nice to know a design has hit the mark!

Why is the piece one of my favorites? Because it merged illustration so nicely with the layout of a lot of detailed information. There were lists and tables a plenty, but throughout I wove delicate vine illustrations and enhanced pages with photos and quotes. We also chose to print on a natural soft white uncoated paper. The end result is a piece that is very beautiful, extremely functional and has a warm welcoming feel.

To request a copy of the wedding guide, please visit www.exploreasheville.com

Inside spread, front and back of the five panel brochure developed for the YMCA of WNC. Part of the implementation of the new Y brand.

The YMCA is in process of rebranding across the nation. They have updated their “Y” logo and created a new colorful look.

Rebranding is a great time to remind your audience of who you are and what you stand for, and the Y is maximizing this truism. They are using this time to draw attention to their three areas of focus: Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility, reminding us of the depth of the Ys commitment to community.

Starting with the 2010 Annual Report, I have worked with our Y of Western North Carolina in implementing their new brand. I worked closely with their Financial Development Director to ensure that the materials for this year’s fundraising campaign brought the new brand to life.

Along with the updated graphics, we moved to a five panel brochure and included a pledge card for ease of response. Brochures sent to past donors included variable data on the pledge card, additionally adding to the ease of responding.

We also revamped the newsletter, implementing brand while creating a new oversized piece to allow for more stories and larger photos. I’m proud to say that our newsletter design was presented as an example to other Ys across the country of good implementation of brand! Click here to view a pdf of the Winter/Spring 2011 issue.

Other support materials included t-shirts, banners, ads and posters (shown below).

For information on the Y of WNC visit www.ymcawnc.org

On first load, the stars in the header and footer twinkle.

How could I not have a great time designing for a business called PLANET ART!?!

An illustrated logo with influences from pulp SciFi covers – fun – owners, Brandy and Dave – double fun – getting to also design a rack card, car graphic, t-shirts, event posters and a WordPress site – okay, you get the idea, fun.

Planet Art is a different kind of frame shop and gallery located in the River Arts Galaxy in Asheville, NC. They have an Art Exchange where you can buy and sell (for cash or store credit) gently used art, a gallery wall to feature local artists, and of course do an excellent job framing.

Brandy is one of our star WordPress clients. She dove right in and mucked about with pages and post almost immediately after getting the login for her site. She has used photos well and included lots of relevant info. She has also been savvy about cross-linking to her Chair Repair website and included some of the basics on chair caning on the Planet Art site. We touch base with her every few months to see if questions have come up, and to tweak css here and there as needed and to add items to the sidebar which requires some html knowledge. My bet is she’ll soon master that as well.

Discover PLANET ART online at http://discoverplanetart.com/