Take equal parts pure country music, heartache and expert musicianship by some of country and rock music’s finest, and you’re left with Howard Salmon and Deborah Martin-Lemmon’s Old Habits Are Hard To Break.

Along with Salmon and Martin-Lemmon’s long-awaited fulfilment of an almost joking declaration – “We gotta make a country album one of these days,” this album is a superb undertaking that includes some true music legends – Scott Joss on fiddle (of Merle Haggard fame); Keith Edwards on drums (who’s made appearances on releases by Amy Grant, Ricky Scaggs, Johnny Rivers, Tanya Tucker and Pam Tillis); Bruce Turgon on Bass (of Foreigner); Ben Haggard on electric lead guitar (Merle’s son). You get the picture. These folks are serious business.

To match both the purity that comes across on their CD and the sometimes gut-wrenching, honest and soulful songwriting that does more than it’s fair share of communicating a very “broken down” aesthetic, I worked closely with Martin-Lemmon and Salmon to put together imagery to compliment their musical craftsmanship.

From the liner notes:

This is about dreams, great and small – the American dream, with all it’s landscapes, visions, hopes, heartaches and successes. Imagine attending an old fashioned baptism by the river, watching a cowboy reminiscing over a lost love, a couple who long to be together but just can’t make it work, a solitary truck driver wanting nothing more than to get back home, or how about just some good old foot stomping fun…this album gives that and much more, subtle reminders of great days gone by, pure country music with soul and tradition, the way songs are meant to be sung, portraying feelings of generations past yet providing insight to the present.

Yup. This is good ol’ pure country music executed by some of the best in the business.

As a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University is at the forefront of the world’s effort to advance and improve the state of the software engineering and cyber security practices. With offices around the world, a best-in-class education and training program and a global presence at a full spectrum of research- and industry-centric events, tradeshows and international conferences, the SEI’s mission is to be world leaders in research and transition of knowledge.

As a way to look back at 2011, I designed the SEI’s annual publication around the idea of data complexity. Using highly refined data visualizations and carefully sourced photography as a vehicle for reflecting on – and connecting to this idea –  their collection of work over the year. Running through the entire book is a secondary “story thread” which uses analytical data of various kinds to connect each story to this idea of complexity, which quickly emerged as the central theme for the ever-increasing scale, scope and significance of the SEI’s work – and ultimate impact – within the global technology space.

As with all great stories, “it all started with a phone call.” After trying to reach someone in the Mt Lebanon Commercial Districts Office about the status of a vacant building in my neighborhood, the call took a unusual turn. What began as a call placed by a concerned resident about an empty storefront quickly turned to conversation about a mutual love for craft beer. From there, Mt Lebanon Commercial District director Eric Milliron, Jr and I were far off on a dozen or so tangents as we discovered we had mutual friends, common business connections and shared a similar perspective on everything from locavorism, farm-to-table and travelling the Pacific Northwest in search of craft beer heaven.

We agreed to meet and talk about how we might be able to work together and do some good things in our neighborhood, which, as it turned out, was perfect timing since Eric was looking for some help with the upcoming Uptown Mt Lebanon Farmers Market season.

Working with Eric, I created a series of posters for putting up in local merchant storefronts featuring a blend of farm-style kitch and vintage woodcut illustration. This was set off by the use of expertly crafted vintage typefaces from Bearded’s Wood Type Revival collection. The artwork has made its way onto the windows of most businesses and municipal buildings in the Mt Lebanon neighborhood, sidewalk sandwichboards, digital display screens in local stores and apparently some folks’ kitchen walls! How about that for some local love?

As a music label, Lotuspike answers the question — Does anyone even produce CDs anymore? In the same way artisans and other people who take their product seriously enough to still do things a certain way for their audience, Lotuspike publishes music for critical listening for those who care about craft. While releases are distributed digitally through various outlets, Lotuspike continues to sell all releases on traditional CD media with Ditipak cases.

As a partner in Lotuspike, I have been part of finding and distributing music of the highest caliber with care and attention to every detail since 2004. We try and maintain an elevated level of quality with every aspect of each release, from working closely with the artists and mastering the audio ourselves to designing and producing all artwork. Each package design is considered a direct and meaningful reflection of the music contained within, and it’s with that in mind that we continue to thoughtfully craft each release as a work of art on behalf of the artist.

EPOCH is a release by Shane Morris & Thomas Park of Mystified and is a deep and immersive soundscape reminiscent of a time when humans were absent from the landscape. The original photography used was taken by Jourdan Laik.

From the liner notes:

Each part evokes an era of time when the earth was populated by dinosaurs, resurrecting the massive size of these creatures, and their tremendous, graceful movements

Following on the heels of firmly establishing a fulfilling hobby in homebrewing, I’ve evolved what started out as a “sandbox” for my brewery-related creative endeavors into a notional “pseudo-brewery” with a more fully-formed brand expression.

Reforming an identity and extending it to a microsite/blog and packaging design for updated and refined recipes became a “relaunch” of sorts for my homebrewing efforts, and a more serious approach to what “could be” in the unlikely event that Straw Bale Brewing lived a life beyond our basement.

The concept behind Straw Bale Brewing is centered on the idea that “simple,” “local,” and “quality” can all exist simultaneously in ways that benefit the maker, consumer and ultimately local economies. Straw Bale Brewery (myself, my wife and my son) seek ingredients in our own back yard (seriously, like our own garden – right there in the back yard) and tend to each part of the process with conservation, quality and simplicity.

While we aren’t selling products (yet), Straw Bale Brewing focuses on doing things in ways that would be beneficial to our community if they were being done on a larger scale. We capture all water used for cleaning and brewing and reuse it. We source ingredients from our local farm markets and grow some of them ourselves. We even use spent grain from brewing in homemade breads and soap.

To Straw Bale Brewing, staying locally-focused and making things with care is not only better for us as makers and consumers, but is also more delicious. We’re committed to making sure that people know, understand and appreciate that they do have a choice to make a better decision, and a tasty one, too.

As a brand, Straw Bale Brewing has a rustic personality, with a consistent warm and farm-friendly voice. Each release flirts with concepts that seem to jump from the pages of the Farmers Almanac, with both a nod to tradition and a modern reinterpretation of age-old ideas.

The type figures used in the Straw Bale Brewing mark (and display type on labels) were digitized by our friends at Bearded Studio – straight from their letterpress. These were printed using wood type, which we feel lends a classic and timeless character and an extra layer of interesting texture. Thanks, guys! (check out the Wood Type Revival website to keep up with the Beardeds while they secure the future wood type)

For a little over a year now, I’ve been visiting with the Sisters of the Holy Spirit – a Catholic community of wonderful women – in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh. They feed me, my family and even some of my friends while we talk to them about Social Media, their identity and most importantly, their dedication to their ministries of caregiving, education and community service.

Their goals are modest, but their sense of urgency is of the highest order recently. The numbers of women in their aging community have been steadily declining, while they are looking for new and effective ways to reach the younger aspiring women to join them.

With the help of a my wife and a talented group of friends, I’ve been helping the Sisters get to work building a framework of materials as the year’s community outreach efforts get under way.

Photography by Joe Kennedy, with creative direction by Randie Snow.

Century Interiors has been in business since 1989, and has now turned some of their attention to marketing themselves on the Web.

Much in the same way that Century builds lasting relationships with their clients with a “phased” approach to their renovation dreams, I worked with them to start out small while still allowing for plenty of room to grow.

Building a small site using a customized WordPress installation, Century Interiors serves up company information featuring their team of skilled craftsmen, along with a communication mechanism for both potential customers as well as future team members. This approach gets Century off the ground and provides them with a solid initial web presence with tools for growth.

Customers are able to communicate with Century about potential projects, get quotes and connect directly, either by phone or social media. The site also allows craftsmen interested in joining the Century Interiors team a way to inquire about opportunities with their crew.

Visit the Century Interiors Website >

For the 2010 holiday season – to provide supporters an opportunity to help families affected by domestic violence and abuse – I was happy to produce a special holiday gift catalog offered by the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County. With light illustration and rich imagery, the catalog features a full listing of gift ideas and ordering form offering a great alternative for this year’s gift giving.

The gifts allow anyone to help join the fight to break the cycle of abuse and violence by assisting the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County in offering confort, support and extending critical services to those in need.

For $25.00 you can supply crucial personal items to a woman arriving at the shelter, or for a larger gift of $1,000 you can help keep the shelter’s doors open by covering everyday expenses open for a full week.

On the heels of the Fight For Zero campaign rollout, some of the materials in the suite have been reworked, this time aimed at school-aged teens and college-aged youth on their campuses.

Faced with the challenge of appealing to a younger audience, I was focused on finding ways of making the materials disruptive. In order to get the attention of an already media-saturated demographic – not to mention one with their minds “made up” about most everything – the look of the materials needed to be a bit louder than the campaign’s earlier collateral. Admittedly, I have been influenced by much of the stylistic rendering seen in propaganda posters, specifically the Cuban posters from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s.

With a nod to the bold depiction of imagery of this era in poster design I mixed imagery and texture, a strong connection back to the parent campaign along with a new “badge” that gives the youth materials an unique device, helping them stand on their own.

Postcards and posters were produced – all tied to the fightforzero.org website “Teen Only” area. Visit now »

Quickly following the launch of a full integrated campaign for the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, they immediately turned their attention to creating some additional agency materials. First up was a “viewbook” of sorts – highlighting agency services and the agency’s focus on breaking the cycle of abuse and violence in their local community and beyond.

In Stories From The Fight – Finding Hope Through Struggle, real and powerful stories along with emotionally charged imagery become the vehicles for communicating the core focus of the Crisis Shelter:

The Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County encourages, empowers and advocates for those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and other violent crimes. We inspire, through awareness, education, prevention and intervention, citizens who are proactive in creating a safer community and breaking the cycle of violence.

I was murdered on March 10, 1996
My mom said I was beautiful, happy, energetic and just lit up a room – pure happiness.  I loved dinosaurs, Power Rangers and playing with my big sister. I was sleeping in bed when my mom’s ex-boyfriend broke into the house, shot my grandpa and then broke into my bedroom and shot me.  Then, he tried to kill my mother. Even though I just turned three, Sean didn’t like me and told my mom he was going to get us. He told other people that day he was going to kill us but nobody called to tell us. I died in the helicopter on the way to the Pittsburgh hospital. The police caught my killer immediately and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
– Michael – Age 3

I was murdered in July, 1996
I was the mother of a five-year-old daughter.  My husband battered me mentally and physically. When he realized that I was planning to leave him he strangled me to death in our home in July, 1996. The police couldn’t find my body but through the efforts of my loving family, dedicated police detectives and media attention, my killer was finally arrested in September, 2000.  Steven Paul Riggins was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. In October, 2007, the detectives were able to convince him to lead them to my body, which he had buried near the airport. If you’re being battered, let your friends and family help you and be aware of the grave danger you’re in.
– Nancy – Age 36

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Laura Roman is a psychotherapist / hypnotherapy who is passionately results-focused. She uses an integrative mind–body approach to help trauma clients heal, helping them to replace automatic, defensive reactions to threats and fear with more productive responses. She also treats a broad spectrum of children, adults and couples, helping them overcome challenges, manage weight, quit smoking and improve their overall wellness.

Her identity highlights her practice’s unique approach to treatment – helping each client uniquely embrace their strengths, discard their limitations, solve their problems and live more successfully.

As a brand new practice with a limited operating budget, Laura Roman needed to focus her efforts carefully – first on an identity and and extending it to a brochure and business paper system and holding off on larger branding initiatives until costs can be recovered. By keeping expenses low and production simple, I helped her practice get off the ground while allowing them the breathing room to redirect much of their start-up capital to other much needed expenditures.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

It has been found that in rural communities where men and women tend to stay in traditional roles, where people avoid asking for help, and where there is less awareness of domestic violence and its impact on victims and children are communities where it is harder for domestic violence victims to seek out the resources they need.

That statement opened the first paragraph of the request for proposals I received from the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, speaking loudly to me that my involvement in this project seemed hardly like a choice. This factual information was followed up by what can only be described as truly disturbing statistics that were nothing short of astonishing and, frankly, difficult to accept. Enter the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, who was planning an ambitious Rural Family Violence Awareness and Intervention Initiative, aimed at changing this situation in Lawrence County and beyond with tools, resources and awareness messaging to put these issues (and the need to combat them) in the spotlight.

I responded by helping them create a integrated campaign with a full spectrum of materials, including outdoor boards, print media placement, TV and web-based video and a “toolkit” which carried a suite of printed collateral – postcards and large-format posters.

The campaign centered around the concept that, according to the facts and statistics, the cycle of abuse and violence is perpetuated by “silence” or doing nothing. The “equation” metaphor worked to get at this idea while the “Fight for Zero” tagline became the pivot point for the call to action. While statistics revealed information like “90% of date rapes involve alcohol”  the Crisis Shelter’s call to action becomes “Donate and Fight For Zero” or “Speak up and Fight For Zero.” In two phases (adult-specific and teen-specific messaging), the campaign worked to drive traffic to their website, fightforzero.org, which was created by Forward Trends, which offered an innovated set of counseling resources and informational tools – all free as part of the Crisis Shelters grant-funded initiative.

Website production by Forward Trends
Video production by Uppercut

It has been found that in rural communities where men and women tend to stay in traditional roles, where people avoid asking for help, and where there is less awareness of domestic violence and its impact on victims and children are communities where it is harder for domestic violence victims to seek out the resources they need.

That statement opened the first paragraph of the request for proposals I received from the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, speaking loudly to me that my involvement in this project seemed hardly like a choice. This factual information was followed up by what can only be described as truly disturbing statistics that were nothing short of astonishing and, frankly, difficult to accept. Enter the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, who was planning an ambitious Rural Family Violence Awareness and Intervention Initiative, aimed at changing this situation in Lawrence County and beyond with tools, resources and awareness messaging to put these issues (and the need to combat them) in the spotlight.

I responded by helping them create a integrated campaign with a full spectrum of materials, including outdoor boards, print media placement, TV and web-based video and a “toolkit” which carried a suite of printed collateral – postcards and large-format posters.

The campaign centered around the concept that, according to the facts and statistics, the cycle of abuse and violence is perpetuated by “silence” or doing nothing. The “equation” metaphor worked to get at this idea while the “Fight for Zero” tagline became the pivot point for the call to action. While statistics revealed information like “90% of date rapes involve alcohol”  the Crisis Shelter’s call to action becomes “Donate and Fight For Zero” or “Speak up and Fight For Zero.” In two phases (adult-specific and teen-specific messaging), the campaign worked to drive traffic to their website, fightforzero.org, which was created by Forward Trends, which offered an innovated set of counseling resources and informational tools – all free as part of the Crisis Shelters grant-funded initiative.

Video production by Uppercut

See the entire campaign here >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

A recent study published by the University of Chicago followed a sample of young adults for six years, from the time when they were 17 or 18 years old and still living in temporary foster care. The results were troubling.  Only 7% of the young women and 5% of the young men had even an associate’s degree.  Fewer than half currently had a job, and most of those working were not earning a living wage (more than one quarter had no income from employment during the past year and half who had worked reported annual earnings of $8,000 or less).  Nearly 40% of these young people have been homeless or “couch surfed” since leaving foster care.  Most notably, as a group, these young people were less educated, more likely to be incarcerated, more likely to experience homelessness, and less likely to be employed than their peers who entered adulthood as part of a permanent family.

To bring awareness to this issue, and to better connect individuals with ways in which they can get involved, CASA of Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services banded together to host a rally on the steps of downtown Pittsburgh’s City-County building. Along with organizing talks by local former foster children, CASA and DHS also mobilized a “flash mob” with CASA and DHS staff members carrying life-size cut-outs representing the number of children currently within the foster care system.

To help support the promotion of the rally and drum up awareness for the Forgotten Child Campaign, I worked with CASA of Allegheny County to “brand the issue” itself, giving the Forgotten Child Campaign a unique identity and setting it apart from their other efforts. Along with postcard-sized handouts, we designed and set up a dedicated micro-site and communication mechanism to collect information from those interested in helping or attending the rally and to carry the momentum for the effort long after the event had past. The event was attended by over 100 people.

View the Forgotten Child Campaign website >

On Thursday, February 4th, 2010, the Pittsburgh creative community came out for the CREHAITIVE RE/VISION benefit event – an incredible collection of posters representing the group’s response to the earthquake event in Haiti. The posters also shined as an example of the collective support of the greater Pittsburgh community for the relief efforts of the Red Cross, as they came out to bid on these one-of-a-kind designer-submitted creations.

USE #CREHAITIVE and add yours to the Flickr Group >

$1,050 was raised and will be turned over directly to the American Red Cross for their continued relief efforts in Haiti.

Ali and Jamie McMutrie joined us for the evening as special guests and answered some questions about their recent activities and their experiences following the earthquake at their BRESMA orphange. We couldn’t have hoped for a better turn out.

I branded the event, curated and organized the poster submissions which came in right to (and beyond) the last minute. Plans are underway for other events where we hope to share this collection again with the public, including the submissions that did not make it in time for the event – stay tuned!

Here is the official gallery of posters in their entirety and a few from the event.
(please contact me if there are any errors – much appreciated, and please share your photos from the evening!)

UPDATE: Posters and event pics online now! >

UPDATE: If you bid on a poster but were not present for the announcement of the winners, please check this listing for your name / number and claim yours! >

USE #CREHAITIVE and add yours to the Flickr Group >

I have teamed up with PRSA Pittsburgh, AIGA Pittsburgh, IABC Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh AdFed and Frank Parsons Paper to plan a benefit event to help raise funds and contribute to the Haiti relief effort. The event will be generously supported with donations of paper by Frank Parsons Paper, printing by Reed and Witting Co., video support by Uppercut and hosted by Villa Southside Restaurant.

CREHAITIVE : PGH Creatives Mobilizing for Haiti + Poster Auction Benefit Event
Thursday, February 4, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Villa Southside

UPDATE:
Ali and Jamie McMutrie from the Bresma orphanage in Haiti will be joining us for the CREHAITIVES event next week! Don’t miss it!

As a creative community, when we see catastrophic events, like the earthquake in Haiti, we have an overwhelming urge to do whatever we can to help.

We send money. We send prayers. Yet we all feel helpless—Like there’s something more we could be doing.

We can’t always board a plane and lend our skills to the relief effort. But we are creators, makers and thinkers and we CAN respond sympathetically with art and prose. We can engage with each other. We can encourage discussion. We can come together and contribute our ideas.

As the Haitian people begin turning from searching and rescuing to recovering and rebuilding, there are many things they need. Most critical among them are money, food, water, shelter and medical assistance. In addition to these basic and immediate needs, there is also a resource that will be critical to long-term success in their efforts to rebuild—hope.

As part of this fund raising event we’re encouraging Pittsburgh’s creative community to design posters representing the rebuilding of communities and restoration of hope in Haiti. The posters that are submitted will be exhibited and auctioned off during the event.

About Red Cross Donations:
Your financial gift to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief will help those affected by this crisis. The American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund provides immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to those in need.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit:

• Facebook Event page >
• PRSA Pittsburgh’s website >

To contribute to the poster project, put your brainstorming hat on and design posters that:

• Represent your response to the earthquake in Haiti
• Highlight, if possible, the importance of the rebuilding of communities and the restoration of hope

Submission guidelines can be found HERE >

Image courtesy of ThoughtForm

I attended a great lecture by ThoughForm’s John Sotirakis recently as part of local printer Trust Franklin Press’ lecture series.

John, who is the creative director and branding guru from ThoughtForm’s (formerly Agnew Moyer Smith) team, took time out to describe a bit of a “behind the scenes” look into their process of developing a branding program. The gist of his talk was that, while a branding and identity program should appear to be simple and clear on its surface, much upfront work, planning and research is done in working with the client at the front of the process. Hence the “iceberg principle” – 90% of the branding effort is unseen. Having worked on John’s team during my career, his presentation reminded me of why he is one of the foremost thinkers (and a kind of a local hero) on the subject of branding. He, like me, is a self-proclaimed “branding geek” … another reason I love hearing him talk!

In his example of the American Planning Association identity (APA), the evaluation and planning tactics he used working with APA’s national governing organization and their associated local chapter sub units reminded me of some of the larger branding projects I have worked on, so this talk was especially interesting.

Here are some of the take-aways from my notes:

Branding can be organized into a four phase process:

1. Discovery (Understanding & Strategy)
2. Brand Structure (Articulation of the brand “picture”)
3. Brand Expression (Execution of branded elements / Design)
4. Guidelines (Standards, Templates and Guidelines for use)

Since it’s Discovery that constitutes much of the upfront analysis and planning work of a branding program, John spent the majority of the talk discussing this first phase.

1- Discovery:

Communications Audit

One of the most important parts of the Discovery phase is taking a look at all of the existing material within an organization. This can include external as well as internal communications collateral, templates, brochureware, etc.

John advocates a thorough process of evaluating each piece’s effectiveness across a spectrum of criteria. In other words, for a given brochure – how well does it express the desired personality of the brand? How well does it maintain the consistency of the brand’s parent pieces? How well does it the meet expectations?

Personality Profile

John also spoke about examining the brand from a personality profile standpoint. Much in the way traditional DISC or personality profiles are used to evaluate, a brand can be evaluated across a wide spectrum of traits. Ranging from one extreme to the other, John recommends looking across an organization and ask, “Friendly” or “Reserved,” “Outspoken” or “Subdued,” or even “beer” or “champagne.” By plotting where across a continuum these traits fall, it can give valuable insight into the target for a brands personality. John also suggests that this type of exploration should be done openly and publicly.

If Your Brand Was A Magazine

John also described an additional exercise as asking the branding team stakeholders a simple question:

“If your brand was a magazine, which one would it be?”

This is a clever and fun way to get to the heart of the perceived “personality” of a given brand in the eyes of those in charge. Again, John urges those who engage in this process to do so publicly.

Word Association

In the same way the brand’s stakeholders can help uncover the personality of an organization by describing it as a magazine, it can also be useful to articulate it with “gut reaction” word associations. “When I say ‘Process,’ you say ‘xxxx’ “

Position Statements

John also described a process that seemed familiar to us here in SEI Marketing, and that’s position statements. By breaking the branding team up into groups, A, B C and D, and asking each to write statements that describe the position (desired outcome) of the brand, useful information can be gathered. John outlined a template for these statements, following a “_______ + ______ + ______ = _______” approach.

Audience Survey

By using a series of qualitative questions and statements, John also outlined a process of measuring the audience perception across a “Agree” to “Disagree” continuum. This might include things like color theory, familiarity and statements that test a variety of hypotheses.

Competitive Benchmarking

As an interesting approach to measuring a given brand’s performance against other similar organizations, John revealed a useful “points distribution” system. By distributing a total number of points (20) across a series of criteria for a brand against other competitor brands, you can begin to see patterns or “thin spots” reveal themselves regarding these factors. This can be particularly useful in assessing the needs of the brand, or the kind of work a given identity system must do to support the goals of the organization. It may also uncover many issues that extend beyond the brand’s identity itself and may lend itself to consideration of factors deeper than the superficial public-facing presence.

Personas

Another familiar exercise described by John was to examine the brand from the perspective of a variety of relevant personas. In other words, how does a potential customer view our brand? A potential collaborator? An industry partner? A stakeholder? These all give a branding team useful insight into the end user.

Market Evaluation

John also discussed the process of market evalation by way of a quadrant plot approach. By using a 2 x 2 matrix, on one axis spanning from “Reactive > to > Proactive” and the other “Discreet > to > Outspoken” you can plot the perception of the brand by the stakeholders. This can also work to get to the heart of what makes up a brand’s stance on what it is willing and is not willing to say and do.

Define Success

John wrapped up his discussion of the Discovery phase by urging branding teams to finally ask another simple question of the branding team’s stakeholders; “What would success of the branding program look like?”

John also notes the importance of a “Brand Champion” within the client organization. It is most often incredibly difficult to gain and maintain the needed momentum for a successful branding program effort without the help and support of an internal resource. This “champion” makes certain that the branding effort maintains the presenence needed within and organization and keeps the “seat at the table.” Without this person at the center, it can be difficult for the effort to hold the priority it needs to among other issues.

2 – Brand Structure:

Understand and Articulate Brand Structure

From here, as John describes, the branding process moves to 2 – Brand Structure, where the branding program begins to take shape. The team begins to articulate the brand configurations of signatures / wordmarks and in context of any subrands or secondary business units.

3 - Brand Expression:

Design

Through the design process, the brand voice and personality is extended throughout the various pieces of collateral. Here is where we begin to see a “family” of material form, with common elements and theme tying the pieces together. This is where consistency in branding has real value and power, keeping the character of the brand firmly intact.

4 - Guidelines:

Documentation of Guidelines

As John points out, perhaps one of the most important final steps in any program is to document and articulate guidance for those who will be using or creating any the branded material. Not only is the “how-to” material critical, but it’s also important to relay the branding team’s findings and recommendations. These guidelines may take many forms including electronic, web-based or a traditional “kit.”

A big thank you to John Sotirakis for a fantastic talk, and for sharing a bit of the little known but critical thinking work we designers do.  This is a great reminder that what we do as “design thinkers” can have real business value. It’s the work of those like John that reinforces the shift that communication and information designers have made from “decorators” to “thinkers” and continues to legitimize our roles as strategic partners.

Besides being energized by dynamic and inspiring presentations by Stefan Sagmeister (Seven-Year Itch), Coke’s David Butler (Redesigning Design) and Stefan G. Bucher (Makers and Thinkers) AIGA’s Make | Think in Memphis this past October did a few key things for me.

First, it confirmed a hunch I have been carrying around with me for a while now. Each day I head to work into a somewhat cozy in-house environment. Not without its crazy-making challenges and hair-pulling lunacy, but  pretty secluded nonetheless from the real urgent and complex needs of the worlds neediest organizations. Let’s face it, I do not work nine-to-five on the front lines of the fight against hunger or poverty. Spending a week shoulder-to-shoulder with such a wide spectrum of designers, thinkers and makers—some of whom are indeed working on some of these more pressing problems—has given me perspective. I need to be doing more than I am nine-to-five. I have learned that designers need to step outside of what they are doing and do something else. Stefan Sagmeister urged young designers to “have an interest in something outside of design,” and I wholeheartedly agree, although I would offer that they should also consider their power as practicing designers and where they might be able to improve things for someone.

I was impressed by this need while I participated in the AIGA/Osmosis Express Yourself–Portrait event at the Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. I was paired with a few local kids and guided them through the process of creating their own self portrait. This was the power of making and thinking expressed in the most basic of terms, but to these kids, it was an exercise in looking at what made them happy, what they liked to do, their perception of their family and home lives. For some of them it was awkward and maybe even painful, for some it was the most they’ve been able to express themselves in a long time. Maybe ever.

photos taken by Laura Carthage. Visit carthagephoto on Flickr >

I say designers should focus some effort on making some part of their surroundings better.

• Commit to  partering with an organization and give some work away.
• Try talking to non profit in a terrible part of town about their most pressing need, then spend two hours and help them solve it.
• Serve someone dinner.
• Look around you and consider the day-to-day work you do, then take a giant step outside of it and do something for someone for free.
• Commit to contributing a portion of work pro bono each year to a charitable organization.
• Apply for membership to the Designer’s Accord.
• Review the AIGA’s Living Principles for Design, then find a way to apply it to your work.
• Learn about Ethnography and how user-centered design can help you consider what you work on more carefully.

I wish I could say that I did all of these things, and I wish I could dedicate the time do learn everything…maybe someday.

Photo by Stacy Wood

Secondly, I realized (maybe late due to my nine-to-five bubble) that the entire paradigm of design as a discipline has shifted from one of “decorating” to one of user-centric approaches, dedicated to proving the value of design thinking as a valuable commodity. Needless to say, this was refreshing. I was glad to see designers dispense with all the talking about themselves, and start talking about why we need to apply solid design thinking to address social change and to solve real business problems for the right reasons. Most importantly, it was nice to hear that this was for reasons other than “because it makes us happy,” or “because it was a great addition to my portfolio of work.”

The entire tone of the conference was one of social responsibility, ethical principle and focused on making designers a powerful force for change. Maybe it was the venue, being the home to the Civil Rights Museum and steeped in culture as described by Stax Record’s own Al Bell.

Maybe it was the BBQ. Maybe it was the blues, but for sure it was just the reminder I needed.

Thanks AIGA. See you next year!

In the interest of time, I’ll be brief, but let’s start by saying that Tufte is an encyclopedic mind and a fantastic presenter. If you every had any doubt that a single person could cover the history and analysis of information graphics spanning from the time of Galileo (1613) to today, structure it for presentation in six hours in a meaningful way, attend his course. Secondly, like James Brown is the Godfather of Soul, E. T. is the Grad Daddy of information graphics. For info geeks like myself, he’s a hero.

From my notes:

9.28.09 | 8:45 AM | Crystal City Marriott

E. R. Tufte walks over and leans against a nearby credenza outside the ballroom as we open our books and start our “read-ahead assignments” while we wait to enter. He cracks a smile and jokes, “Nice books.” He then lets us know that we can take our time, but the room was open if we wanted to go ahead in.

I entered and sat in the second row, just beyond the right-most of the two projectors. I am one of 4 people in the room.

He walks straight up, reaches into my box of books, and grabs one out, beginning to unwrap it himself.

He turns to page three of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information and signs his name, while he asks two rapid-fire questions at once, “What do you do? Where do you work?”

He grabs the next book, Envisioning Information, turns to page three and signs again as he responds and let’s me know he’ll be visiting CMU in November for a pair of free lectures

Here are my take-aways in list form:

1. Always Remember: Do whatever it takes to explain something.
   - Don’t ask, “How can I use data visualization / charting to understand X?”
   - Ask, “How can I understand X” (the method of explanation will make itself clear)
2. In diagramming: linkages (links) = verbs. Annotate and label them clearly and simply.
3. Avoid (and be on the lookout for) “Chart Junk” (Tufteism)
4. “You never need boxes around things. Ever.”
5. You need to include signs of credibility (data) – the reason to believe what is being presented.
6. “Keep an open mind, not an empty head” (Tufteism)
7. People are very good at finding relevant information in a complex visual field. (newspaper sports pages)
   “Something is always relevant to someone”
8. Assume your audience is smart…or smarter than you (they managed to find themselves in a position of authority somehow – how dumb can they be?)
   If they aren’t, make them so.
9. “There is no such thing as information overload, only bad design” (Tufteism)
10. On Supergraphics: Supergraphics are important for many reasons, one of which is that there are many stories or “hooks” in them for the viewer.
11. On figure ground vibration between design elements: 1+1=3 (first line + second line + the interaction between the two)
12. On “fudging figures and data”: Local “Optimizing” = Global “Pessimizing” (Tufteism)
13. On Interfaces: make them 93% content and 7% administrative (and make it minimal)
14. Use Trebuchet for tables on the PC (if you have to) (Tufte is a Mac guy)
15. Sort tables by Performance, not alpha.
16. Don’t get it original, get it right.” (Tufteism)
17. Develop a good routine for presenting performance data.
18. Find a supergraphic you can use.
19. The intellectual model for non-fiction reporting should reporting. Look at science and nature for inspiration.
20. Add data to help with credibility…and DON’T LIE.
21. For “serious stuff” it’s better to spread stuff across space, rather than stack it in time. (Spacial Adjacency)
22. If you want to understand something more, increase the resolution. (Tufteism)
23. On PowerPoint (don’t get him started!): PowerPoint slides represent a breaking point (interruption) within a flow of important information.
24. Information resolution is key.
25. Work to maximize viewer cognition time and minimize viewer “figuring out” time. (“Eliminate impediments of content”)
26. A way to escape “flatland” (the confines of 2D paper space) is to show real object / 3D item whenever possible (Galileo’s Istoria e Dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari included an actual pop-up figure)
27. As a consumer, be on the lookout for information “cherrypicking,” blocks to original sources, glibness, smugness, lack of backup information, comparisons, causal an multi-dimensional information. Look for documentation.
28. E.T.’s law: 97% of content in a given field is junk. Our job is to find the other 3%. (Tufteism)
29. On Small Multiples (diagrams using small representations or figures to explain): Small multiples are useful on many levels for comparisons, multivariate data and reliability.
30. The idea of “Know your audience” can often lead to underestimating them. Instead think, “Know your content. Respect your audience.” (Tufteism)
31. Remember Conway’s Law relative to design: BAD organizational structure dictates structure of design.

Tufte on “How to give a good presentation”:

1. Only use PowerPoint as a tool, not a platform for presenting
2. Give a handout (you can still use the screen for movies, charts, images, etc)
3. Use sentences
4. Handout: Side 1 = Supergraphic; Side 2 = State problem, proposal, solution, resolution, etc.

Tufte on “How to prepare for a presentation”:

1. Eliminate Items that damage content
2. Make content better
3. Practice (use videotape if you have to)
4. Show up early
5. End early

The minute he said “end early,” he was done…three minutes early.

After the course, I spoke to him again at his merchandise table as I sorted through a pile of signed press sheets, from which I scored two excellent forms from the Envisioning Information print run.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance – Pro Bono)

In the third phase of Emmanuel Christian Church’s new branding effort, I have continued my pro bono work for ECC and redesigned their business papers, including basic #10 envelopes, business cards and stationery.

Their identity includes some evocative elements, including rough-edged illustrative segments and other texture detail that were used to tie things closely to the other ECC materials. You can see this connection well when looking at their recently-redesigned bulletin.

This marks the next phase in ECC’s progression towards a complete extension of their newly created identity. We’ll be working towards future goals of signage and the eventual refresh of their website.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance – Pro Bono)

In the next phase of Emmanuel Christian Church’s new branding effort, we worked together on the redesign of their bulletin. After some initial usability discussion that resulted in some changes from their current format, we then pre-printed the bulletin shell, which ECC can run through their laser printer week-to-week for customized announcements and promotional information on the mostly blank inside front cover. Overall, this redesign works well to extend their new identity, paving the way for a new suite of highly visible materials that will encourage strong connections between ECC and its the congregation as well as the local Pittsburgh community.

High in the in the Guanacaste Mountain range of Costa Rica is Women of the Cloud Forest, a Fair Trade project dedicated to offering opportunities to the women of rural Costa Rica and their families. There are about 50 women in the project who hand-embroider bags and jewelry decorated with the variety of beautiful seeds found wild in the rainforest.

The women who participate in the project live across the Monteverde region – from “downtown” Santa Elena to two hours away in Cabezeras. Women of the Cloud Forest operates a small Arts Center where women gather together to take free classes in embroidery and produce rainforest seed jewelry.

– womenofthecloudforest.com

The classes are offered in a communal setting, where the women who range in skill level from beginner to expert, can all learn from each other.

From birds to butterflies, frogs to insects, the women produce color accurate reproductions of North and Central American species. Each design is lovingly “painted” using single strands of embroidery thread.

After the women have finished decorating the bags, they are then sent to their talented seamstress, who puts the finishing touches on them, including the zippers, straps and pockets. Over 200 custom crafted designs by the women are then shipped and sold throughout the US.

The Women of the Cloud Forest project also offers Teacher’s Packets, do-it-yourself kits for teaching small classes of about 30 people to make their own rainforest seed bracelets and jewelry, as well as information about the different types of seeds.

They also provide consignment style fundraising opportunities, perfect for schools, churches, environmental groups and other non-profit organizations who are looking for an easy way to raise funds while also raising awareness about fair trade and conservation issues.

Along with the great opportunities for the women of rural Costa Rica, the Women of the Cloud Forest project also empowers other locals with ways to earn income as a result of the group’s efforts:

Misiel Alvarado is a seed collector. Besides organic vegetable and coffee farming, Misiel is able supplement his income by collecting various types of seeds for the project. The cosecha or the harvest of the seeds starts in March at the end of the dry season. The seeds are then washed and drilled preparing them for jewelry-making.

I was lucky enough to spend some time with co-founders Amy and Michael Sobkowiak, and they are wonderful people with a great drive to help the people of the Monteverde region. They have some amazing stories of how the people they help have thrived.

To learn more about the Women of the Cloud Forest, their projects and their skillfully-crafted products at:

www.womenofthecloudforest.com >

On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, President Obama called our attention in a press conference to the importance of the work of non-profit organizations. The item from his remarks that spoke the loudest to me was the following:

So if anyone out there is waiting for government to solve all their problems, they’re going to be disappointed.  Because ultimately, the best solutions don’t come from the top-down, not from Washington; they come from the bottom-up in each and everyone one of our communities.

This sounds like a clear call to me. Regardless of your party affiliation, view on the war, policy, etc, one thing is hard to debate – we need non profits to thrive. Throughout our varied communities, there exists in these organizations a strong spirit of tenacity and the drive to face severe adversity to make our surroundings better, safer and equal.

If not now, when?

In a previous post, I highlighted an interview by AIGA Philadelphia, who spoke with Pentagram’s Michael Bierut about our power as designers. There is no denying his point, that in a culture now dominated by corporations and organizations who yield so much influence over the products we use, our lifestyles and the ways in which we receive our information, design has been “democratized.” We are surrounded by Apples, Targets, Wal Marts, Best Buys and so many other companies who literally market lifestyle as opposed to product. Our responsibility as designers to care for the products, messages and communication vehicles we help our clients use has never been more important than it is today.

So what can we do? (let’s be led by example)

Design can indeed be a powerful tool for change if put in the right hands. I took a few minutes to round up some examples from those who take this work seriously.

Landesberg Design

Landesberg Design was founded in 1982 and is based here in Pittsburgh with a branch office in NYC. Established and overseen by Rick Landesberg, his firm has become an institution locally, with a long history of work for a range of clients – from fortune 500 to cultural institutions to foundations. Notably, his work for non-profit organizations such as the Sprout Fund, Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti stands out for their impact both locally and globally.

Making the Connections, The Sprout Fund

Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: A Century of Heroes

LISC 2007 Annual Report

Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti 50th Anniversary Book

Catapult Design

Catapult is a multi-disciplinary non-profit design consultancy dedicated to providing engineering, implementation support and product solutions that change lives in areas of the world that lack infrastructure to provide for people’s basic needs. They work to provide clean water where there is none, they help a health clinic in Rwanda power itself with solar power, you get the picture.

In Guatemala, like many places around the globe, thousands of rural families do not have regular access to electricity in their homes. Instead of relying on electricity delivered by reliable local infrastructure to meet their needs, they are forced to provide their own power, piecemeal, or go without.

More than 1 billion people around the world rely on kerosene lamps to light their homes and businesses when the sun goes down. Not only is kerosene expensive, but its flames are dangerous and the smoke poses serious health risks.

Seven health clinics in Rwanda’s Ruli District serve the needs of 120,000 community members. These clinics provide both in-patient and out-patient care for people who cannot make the 2-3 hour walk to the main hospital. Two of the seven clinics are connected to the grid; three have some electricity via solar panels; two have no electricity.

Public Design Center (PDC)

The PDC is a graphic design resource center. At the core of their mission is empowering those in the most economically disadvantaged locations to communicate more effectively. Through workshop-style one hour clinics and drop-in consulting engagements, they help people make the most of their resources.

Few things are as vivid in my memory as that day. I was huddled around a production area island exacto-cutting out comps for a meeting at PPG Industries, here in Pittsburgh. I remember being very confused. And the phone ringing…a lot. Our client called to cancel the meeting, announcing that her building – One PPG Place – was being evacuated. What were you doing?

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Results Unlimited Universal is a classic example of a business reviving its formal self and reinventing its presence. After a long hiatus, RUU has asked me to help them reemerge into the event and meeting planning marketplace with a fresh identity. Ready to take on the challenges of planning amidst global logistical and technological complexity, RUU requested a clever mixing of its own personality with a wide-reaching perspective for its new mark.

With help from the illustrative talents of friend Kurt Hess, the delicate “world-in-your-hands” rendering was achieved with strong graphical weight, while also hinting at RUU’s identity from years earlier, helping with recognition.

I’ll be rolling out other materials for RUU in the near future, so be sure to keep your eyes on this feed for more.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance – Pro Bono)

The friendly group at Greater Harmony Chorus in Pittsburgh, PA (a division of the Sweet Adelines International singing group) asked for a bit of help sprucing up their identity. I agreed, and donated a bit of logo development.

Using an abbreviated version of the brand exploration process used with Emmanuel Christian Church, I was able to expedite the process for them, making responsible use of everyone’s time. It was a great way to field-test this process again, and I can’t say enough about the ability of this approach to uncover some great insight about a brand’s personality. Thanks again, DK Holland!

As I think about where I am and look back, I consider a few key things:

• If money was no object and nobody else needed help I would spend all my time with my family doing things we love.
• If there were no bills I would quit my job and work on designing things that helped people.
• Reality can be frustrating, and I would much rather do things because I cared about doing them, rather than needing to do them to get paid.
• …more

As I really look closely at things, there is a thread tying many of these things together, and it’s this – I hope one day I find myself in a position to leave behind some work that has changed things in some way. Rather than just making things with limited uses, or temporary purposes, made of paper or things that end up in the trash (hopefully recycling bins), I hope I can leave behind some lasting impact for someone, or some cause.

On the plus side, I can look positively on an item from the recent past that I had almost forgotten about entirely. A few months back I had been selected to be on a list with some of my heroes, all who are dedicated to design for change and labeled as “role models” by an organization named, Creative for a Cause. An honor indeed – some of these folks are seriously heavy-hitters.

• Manufacturing a cellphone uses approximately 1390 MJ of energy and produces 60 kg of CO2 emissions
• A gallon of gasoline has 131 MJ of energy and emits 8.8 kg of CO2
• Manufacturing a cellphone uses as much energy as 10.5 gallons of gasoline and emits as much as 6.8 gallons of gasoline
• Using a cellphone for a year on average uses 4,221 MJ of energy (equivalent to 32 gallons of gasoline) and emits 112 kg of CO2 (equivalent to 12.8 gallons of gasoline)
• replacing a cellphone every 2 years rather than one would save 30 kg of CO2 emissions (about 3.3 gallons worth) and 700 MJ

Source: Fat Knowledge Blog & UMTS report (ESU-services Ltd.)

Bucking the Trend and Dialing it Back

Generally speaking, I tend to go against the grain. I reject trends, I change jobs when I shouldn’t (ask my wife), I ride the bus everywhere and I have the economy cable package (although DVR takes care of the time shifting).

Admittedly, though, until recently I was a BlackBerry user (also known as the “CrackBerry” around my house) with a serious affliction. For the most part it began as a work-related nice-to-have – something all the managers carried – and was a sort of necessity.

It wasn’t until the prospect of ditching the BlackBerry came up that I realized the impact it had on my everyday life. From a purely practical standpoint, I was scanning email 24/7 and perpetually strapped to it. From an psychological perspective, I was always “waiting” for something to come in, and basically like Pavlov’s dog, jonesing to see that “new message” icon in the upper left or for it to ring. Not for any special reason, either – simply because the functionality was there – I was a slave to it in a way. (I’m not alone either)

So the idea of ditching it was undoubtedly for two major reasons: 1) Cut back expenses and 2) Cut back stress (and maybe get some of my life back too) Hey, why not just check email a few times a day – later when I’m standing still – those messages will be there in 15 minutes anyway, right? (tick, tick, convulsion, tick)…and I’ll cut expenses, too.

A Phone I Can Feel Good About

A sort of unintended side effect of kicking the “CrackBerry” to the curb was also realized when I found the Moto W233 Renew phone, by Motorola. It’s literally the first carbon neutral cell phone on the market. It’s made from recycled materials (recycled water bottles to be precise), and what little carbon footprint results from the manufacturing the handset is offset by Motorola with their alliance with Carbonfund.org, getting their official CarbonFree® product certification.

The packaging uses 22% less material, and all the printed matter is on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. A postage-paid envelope is even provided in the box to return your old phone for recycling at no cost.

So I got a bit of my life back, saved some green and made the dent I’m making on the planet a little smaller. Now, if I can just shake the DTs from the email withdrawal…

* CarbonFree® is a registered trademark of Carbonfund.org in United States and Canada

To say that as designers we have a responsibility to the people we work with, and that we have power as agents of change is indeed an understatement.

In the following interview, given by AIGA Phily, Pentagram partner Michael Bierut discusses this in the context of the global economic climate, the proliferation of forces like “Target” and their ability to democratize design in today’s culture. He is also asked to comment on IBM’s Watson’s idea that “Good design is good business.”

If you had any doubts about the collective influence of the design discipline, take a listen to one of today’s foremost thinkers on the subject.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

The identity for Emmanuel Christian Church marks the first step in their approach towards an entirely new branding program. With a renewed focus on outreach and engaging their community in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood of Brighton Heights, Emmanuel is committed to reshaping their church, making themselves more accessible, inviting and becoming a bright spot in their community.

Leading up to this identity redesign, I worked together with Emmanuel’s pastoral staff to carefully consider a range of branding “markers,” including:

Reputation: How well is your organization known?
Esteem: How highly regarded are you?
Relevance: How important are your organization’s mission and activities to the concerns of the audience?
Differentiation: Are there others that do what you do? What makes you different than them? What  makes you the same? Where are the points of  “alignment”?

We also underwent an in-depth profiling exercise (as outlined by DK Holland in her book, Branding for Nonprofits), where we looked closely across a spectrum of issues in order to craft ourselves a creative brief to work against. These items we examined were:

• Profile
• Context
• Positioning
• Audiences
• Personality
• Current  Situation
• Budget
• Schedule
• Design Media
• Technical / Practical Requirements

Following through on this examination proved incredibly valuable in helping us uncover many of the reasons why Emmanuel stands out among many established and emerging churches. The results of our preliminary work together provided the basis for an identity and branding program that not only stands out among other Christian evangelical churches, but has made Emmanuel confident they now possess a voice that expresses their core values and personality as closely as possible.

With a built-in dependency on a third party database and inventory provider, All Foreign Auto Parts needed to approach their site redesign carefully. Taking into account the limitations on their functionality, technology requirements and their connection to their inventory system, we worked together to build an “acquisition point” for those wanting to search for parts using their tools.

Because their database / inventory provider imposed strict restrictions on technology that could be used on their server, I provided All Foreign with a minimal number of pages that functioned as a portal to their third-party-hosted search mechanism. The homepage needed to do most of the work, and all interface elements and navigational items were built using CSS and a lightweight jQuery gallery, as well as a XML-fed flash widget to pull in new sale items from their eBay storefront.

Visit the All Foreign Auto Parts website >

// All Foreign Auto Parts Background /

All Foreign Auto Parts is a small family-run used auto parts supplier with a big online business. With a very successful eBay storefront, All Foreign has managed to build a very strong national reputation as a quality  parts resource — with experience and reliability — especially among their commercial customers, including dealers and collision shops.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Well, it’s official…CASA of Allegheny County is going green, and I am proud to be helping them get there.

CASA is kicking off a move to a more economical electronically-focused communications strategy, both to trim back costs and to broaden their reach in an environmentally-conscious way.

To notify their audience who normally hears from them then via print, I have developed a postcard for a blanket mailing. This is the first step in our working together to begin slowly directing traffic to the CASA website for quarterly newsletters, event invitations, and other types of materials that have been previously printed.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

For this month’s special “winter” edition podcast for Lotuspike, the founders put together a series of winter-inspired tracks, including some custom made experiments prepared for the season. Winter Trail Pt. 1 was my contribution. While it’s a bit unpolished, I am hoping to fix it up a bit more later, as well as develop Pt. 2.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Following on the heels of a well-received FY07 Annual Report, CASA of Allegheny County again planned an announcement of their milestones for FY08. This time, not surprisingly, a smaller budget necessitated a more straightforward approach to the communication of CASA’s successes for the year.

Using a single-fold standard-sized self mailing postcard, I designed a simple and warm piece featuring kids holding their “grade” for CASA’s performance this past year!

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Software Engineering Institute

To support newly upgraded and enhanced security within the SEI’s main building in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, a glass enclosure was installed with security badge access points. With a great opportunity for a branded environment, I have designed an application of the SEI signature for the glass and installed using a “frosted” vinyl application.

/ SEI Background /

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research development center (FFRDC) affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI’s mission is to advance the state of practice for software engineering and related disciplines.

Firm: Software Engineering Institute

With its inaugural conference in 2006, the SEI’s Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) Conference became the premier international conference for software architecture practitioners.

Annually, attendees convene on the SEI’s home turf in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to share updates and insights, present new tools and methods and participate in courses and workshops. With a small but enthusiastic turnout to SATURN 2006, the SEI claimed its first international conference a success, and quickly turned its attention to achieving growth.

As part of the SATURN planning and design team, I worked with the SEI’s Software Architecture Technology (SAT) initiative to craft a communications plan targeting steady annual growth. Through the focused analysis of demographics, reviews of attendee evaluations and feedback, and thoughtful budgetary planning, the team rolled out a integrated strategic communications plan beginning with SATURN 2007.

As the statistics indicate, with the help of a successful campaign, from 2007 to 2008 the SATURN conference increased revenue 350% and over doubling registration for the event. The plan included no- to low-cost tactics, including LinkedIn group, Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising and viral video.

The transition from 2008 to 2009 will be an evolution of the conference series, with an expanded family of subrands, including SATURN Technology (tools and architecture technology) and the SATURN Network (LinkedIn /user network). With an updated SATURN brand, a redesigned website, and a shift in focus from “Workshop” to premier “Conference,” SATURN 2009 is on course for increased growth.

View the SATURN website online >

/ SEI Background /

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research development center (FFRDC) affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI’s mission is to advance the state of practice for software engineering and related disciplines.

Firm: Freelance (in cooperation with Novaurora)

Working with Novaurora, I acted as design lead for the creation of a web acquisition point for a fresh new iPhone app, Proximi.

Like some other iPhone apps, the premise is simple – allow iPhone users to leverage the location-based services on their handsets to find each others’ locations in proximity to one another.

Proximi had one feature, though, that immediately set them apart from the others. Privacy. You want to be located…but not found. Not precisely anyway.

Providing users a platform to instantly get status on every contact on their list and to add, invite and meet up all from a single screen, while keeping a private rationale like, “your friend is now 2 miles away – invite them to lunch?” is their value proposition.

/ Proximi Background /

Proximi is an exciting new venture based in California that is changing the way iPhone users think about productivity and social networking through their innovative iPhone apps.

Along with Proximi, they also produce MagicPad, the first rich text editor for the iPhone, available through the iPhone App Store.

Some great ideas are short-lived, and unfortunately MarioLemieux.com has been taken down at the time of this post…

I handled all design for the MarioLemieux.com website, which included plans to support online memorabilia sales, multimedia features and links to Mario’s partner organizations.

Mario began his pro hockey career at the bottom rung when he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984. The worst team in the NHL, with little fan support, the Penguins were a textbook example of hockey failure. Within seven years Lemieux led them to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

Working hand-in-hand with Mario Lemieux’s organization has truly been an honor. Not only has it been an opportunity to cross paths with one of the greatest athletes of all time, but it has also been a chance to see a truly gracious and charitable person at work.

His work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his establishment of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, dedicated to Hodgkin’s and cancer research and his overall community involvement make him a truly powerful force for the greater good.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Taking into account the founder’s “vision,” an identity was created surrounding the idea of that Vision Marketing Group (VMG) is committed to working with clients who “understand the value of strategic thinking and appreciate how far our vision can take them.”

With this in mind, an identity was created to help launch VMG into their market with a clear focus and the ability to make an immediate emotional connection with potential clients. An enlightened feel and emotive “sunburst” graphical approach carry the identity.

/ VMG Background /

While their roots are planted in Western Pennsylvania, Vision Marketing Group’s reach extends far beyond. From their base in Punxsutawney, and with offices just outside Pittsburgh, the founder and his three sons work with an array of specialists in fields from branding to broadband, from market positioning to multimedia, from copywriting to corporate identity.

Visit VMG on the web >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Previously, Advanticom already had a well-established name for itself nationally as a leader in IT services, consultation and technology infrastructure.

With a shift in focus and a new value proposition, Advanticom sought to reinvent themselves with a new identity to set them apart even more so.

I first participated in an intensive market research study and the crafting of a comprehensive communication plan. Once a clear strategy emerged, I began by creating the new identity system and worked with Advanticom to integrate the new mark into their corporate culture.

/ Advanticom Background /

Advanticom is in the business of designing, engineering, assembling and servicing IT solutions that help organizations become more efficient and more productive. Their strategy is simple: recruit people with the right experience and talent, cultivate knowledge and business savvy, and create a culture of excellence from top to bottom. It’s a strategy that produces powerful solutions for their clients.

Visit Advanticom >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

For communication with the general public, I created a brochure system for CASA of Allegheny County that used an insert approach. Using die-cut tabs, any in a series of information cards can be substituted for the different types of audiences CASA reaches out to, including potential advocacy volunteers, donors or the general community.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole  purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

A fresh identity was created for Revolution Wellness to introduce the health and wellness start-up to potential investors, subscribers and used for all marketing materials, including sales / proof-of-concept presentations.

“Active lifestyle” and “lightness of being” were the watchwords for this identity’s creation. An important requirement was for the mark to become a personality that struggling dieters might be able to connect with on an emotional level easily and without intimidation.

Exercise and nutritional awareness are the keys to this plan, but they make no promises it will be easy. Revolution Wellness offers a strategy for holistic wellness through a total lifestyle shift.

/ RevolutionWellness Background /

RevolutionWellness is the result of one man’s heartfelt desire for wellness. A personal search for a balance in diet, exercise and emotional well being led to a platform from which he could share his research and plan for healthful success.

Visit RevolutionWellness.com >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I was responsible for all concepts, design and production coordination for the CASA Volunteer Poster series, used to recruit potential advocacy volunteers and donors.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose…children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /

2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Working directly and closely with the artist, Ben Cox, I was responsible for translating his musical vision across the packaging and artwork for his debut CD, On Water on the Lotuspike music label.

Artists Statement:
“The music on this album rejects the notion that music must make a narrative statement, and instead embraces the idea of music as an organized sonic experience. These pieces are not portraits; they are rather landscapes or still-lifes.”

/ Ben Cox Background /

Ben Cox has been a musician for twenty-five years and a recording engineer for fifteen years. His lifelong interest in music has taken many forms over time, from playing trumpet in jazz bands to singing bass in an informal renaissance music group. His interest in electronic music follows from interest in experimentation with musical formal structures, metrical and rhythmic complexity, and the wide sonic palettes made possible by electronic instruments and electronic manipulation of acoustic sound sources. His musical works reflect these interests, and have been heard in television and radio advertisements, installation projects, and at trade shows, in locations ranging from Indiana to Australia.

Visit Ben Cox on the Lotuspike Website >

Firm: Giant Ideas

I handled all asset design and maintenance of the Pittsburgh Opera website for the 2005?2006 seasons. Much of the artwork is based on the illustration of Michael Gibbs.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Illustration Campaign

/ Pittsburgh Opera Background /

Pittsburgh Opera is a world-class opera company with some of the brightest vocal and music talent of our time. Each season is a fresh new lineup of operas, both classics and reinterpretations, presented on a grand scale.

View all Pittsburgh Opera Materials >

Visit the Pittsburgh Opera Website >

Firm: Giant Ideas

I was responsible for design and production of collateral brochures, performance programs and posters based on the illustration of Michael Gibbs.

/ Pittsburgh Opera Background /

Pittsburgh Opera is a world-class opera company with some of the brightest vocal and music talent of our time. Each season is a fresh new lineup of operas, both classics and reinterpretations, presented on a grand scale.

Visit the Pittsburgh Opera Website >

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Illustration Campaign

Firm: Software Engineering Institute | CERT

I provided creative direction, assisted with writing, created all informational and diagrammatical support graphics and coordinated deployment of final video podcasts.

// Part 1 | Project
Part 1 covers the project team’s involvement in international standards bodies, their managed string and secure integer libraries, their collaborations with various government and commercial organizations, and other areas of work.

// Part 2 | Standards
Part 2 talks about the CERT secure coding standards, a collection of rules and recommendations for secure coding in C, C++, and other programming languages that is being developed through a community process.

// Part 3 | Training
Part 3 describes training in C and C++ secure coding practices that he and other members of the project are providing to software developers, undergraduate and graduate secure coding courses, and other training activities.

Over the last week, I have had no fewer than four conversations with coworkers and other designers about how their “Brand” is misused, abused, damaged and confused within their respective organizations. These have been separate and unique conversations about somewhat different topics, although the constant among them has been one central issue…the organization (mis)understanding of what exactly a “Brand” is and not internalizing it appropriately. Why is there not a better understanding of what exactly a brand should mean to people?

Brand ≠ Logo

March 5 on NPR’s Marketplace, the big story for Xerox was their new logo. Whatever.

Ron Frankel, who they claimed was a “branding expert based in Los Angeles” stated:

“companies have been spending billions to rework old logos so that they can multitask for the Web, in video, on cell phones. For instance, AT&T sought a new emblem when it acquired Cingular. UPS has faced heavy competition from FedEx and recently went brown with it’s new insignia and KFC is trying to build customer backing by giving a face lift to “The Colonel,” but Frankel says it’s not enough that people know you.”

So, the problem here for me is that his point seems a bit short-sighted. Seeing as how companies these days need to do this kind of “brand maintenance” when big things happen–like mergers, or complete changes in business paradigms–or the moving of many of their services and customer touch points to the web, his point here makes me ask, “And this should happen differently, how?”

Don’t get me wrong, I am a Paul Rand fan (till the grave, and nearly cried when UPS rebranded. I am also a Pittsburgh resident and responded with a moment of silence when the Blattner Brunner agency replaced his Westinghouse “W” with their spinning monstrosity outside of the Westinghouse Building on Stanwix St.) But even the most steadfast and timeless (as Paul Rand was a master of) identities need work sometimes as times change around them.

So why is that? Let the big man tell you himself:

Here is what a logo is and does:

• A logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign.
• A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies.
  
• A logo is rarely a description of business.
• A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.
• A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more importance than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can almost be anything.?

-Paul Rand

What we do not hear in this statement is that the brand IS the logo, or even that the logo IS the brand. The way this Ron Frankel and Xerox’s VP of branding were talking, it was among the most significant moves they have made in decades, and the act of changing their logo constituted a “rebranding” effort.

Poor Frankel, he tried, as he went on to say:

“They need to know why they should care. That’s what you tell your designer. Give me a visual representation that will start or try to communicate why our brand is the only solution.”

Ahem-Mr. Frankel, this is perhaps the second bit of direction given to first year design students, right after they are told, “pretend you have a client and need a logo.”

So again I ask, this is the crux of the news?

So why then do we find an entire segment on a nationally-syndicated radio show waxing on about the Xerox logo changes as the marker for a whole new face of the company? Now that there is a new logo, do the employees walk around the offices with a new-found sense of pride? Do they race back to their cube to pull out their Xerox-branded Ducati action figures with a renewed enthusiasm now that the logo is updated? Now that they have custom branded jump-drives and water bottles, do they believe Xerox now a phoenix rising from the ashes of its former self? No. They’re the same company that now has to explain to everyone why they have a new identity.

I waited for the real story – I waited for the discussion with the CEO or CMO to come on to discuss how the company and its employees had to really discuss how they would internalize this new identity, how they would embrace it from the top down.

The best I got was:

The design has to create a link between the old and the new that doesn’t alienate the customer.

Again-this is what they started this segment calling “rebranding.”

You’ve got to make the right choices that are respected by the core customer and of course desired by the masses.

Well, seems they might be neglecting a fairly significant factor here. How about asking the Xerox VP about how this new identity reflects the unified voice of the company in everything the organization is, does and says? How about asking if the new identity is from the inside out, from the top down, adopted and believed in by everyone who answers a Xerox phone, delivers a printer or who lands a distributor deal for toner.

The brand ≠ logo. The brand is every single thing that could possibly reflect back on that company. It’s customer service representative’s tone of voice, the building foyer–and the quality of their products.

Brand + 1 (as Novaurora’s Jason Putorti says):

“There’s no such thing as a “neutral” brand experience. This little word is kicked around a lot and its meaning is often confused. Your company’s “brand” is how other people feel about your company. (Yes I said feel!) Put another way, it’s what your customers say about you, not what you say to them. You might even call it your company’s personality. For example, what do you think about Amazon.com? That’s their brand. If Amazon has done a good job, what you think will match up with what they want you to think, also known as their “brand values.” Every interaction between your company and your customer affects your brand in a positive or negative way. Well-executed visual communication can go a long way to providing the right takeaways.”

First published at Foundread.com, 27 November 2007

What he said. ^

Ok, that’s enough ranting. Although I do agree with Frankel that the new logo looks like a “baseball that got drunk,” I simply think that the interview failed to define accurately what “brand” means and what identity maintenance like Xerox just underwent really encompasses. In my opinion, the public might be better informed had they asked more thoughtful questions that got to the heart of why Xerox is now telling an entirely new story to us, and why they thought they needed to.

If I had to guess, I would speculate that if you called the Xerox corporate office and asked the person who answered the phone, they could answer these questions–and I would bet their answer would have nothing to do with being “desired by the masses.”

Firm: Software Engineering Institute

In an effort to reinvigorate a dated preexisting inventory of DVD presentations, a new introduction was created for adding to the front of all preexisting SEI digital content, and a new production plan was rolled out for all new content.

All previously created editions will be re-packaged with new branding and marketed as the “Classic Collection,” while new content is developed within the family that includes, “Showcase Collection,” and “Educational Collection” presentations.

This approach allowed for a cost-effective way to repurpose old content, bringing the presentation in-line with the SEI’s newly developed corporate branding standards, while also providing a production framework for new content as they move forward.

Promotional trailers were also developed and used for marketing purposes via YouTube.

/ SEI Background /

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research development center (FFRDC) affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI’s mission is to advance the state of practice for software engineering and related disciplines.

View the Video Intro:

.

View the Promotional Trailer:

Firm: Giant Ideas

I was responsible for TV campaign art direction, as well as writing, and production coordination of radio promotional spots. This includes overseeing sound design and VO.

/ Heinz Background /

Heinz. Need I say more? The world leader in premium condiments, and always an eye on the end zone!

View the TV spot:

Listen to the radio spot:

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

At the outset of the project, RevolutionWellness was only an idea on paper. After an extensive logo exploration and settling on an identity and positioning strategy, RevolutionWellness.com (link retired) was created as the vehicle for building the program’s subscriber base.

The website presented the entire plan approach and background research to interested users. It also acted as the initial contact point between plan users and the company, with contact form and planner tools, including a BMI and calorie calculator.

/ RevolutionWellness Background /

RevolutionWellness is the result of one man’s heartfelt desire for wellness. A personal search for a balance in diet, exercise and emotional well being led to a platform from which he could share his research and plan for healthful success.

Visit RevolutionWellness.com > (link retired)

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

CASA of Allegheny County is just one local organization in a nationwide network of regional CASA offices. With strict national identity guidelines to adhere to, CASA of Allegheny County made clever use of their standards to recreate a full set of materials from the ground up.

Their new presence in the community started with a fresh new website, complete with smiling children and a warm and inviting look and feel. A primary goal for CASA’s new campaign was recruiting volunteers. An increase in these numbers means more help for the children — and that’s top priority. Launch of the new site increased their website traffic by more than 120%.

The CASA site also underwent a revamp  in February of 2008 to wrap the entire site architecture in a content management system (CMS). CASA staff can now handle all of the needed changes using a customized administrative interface.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Website | Public Service

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

The mark, created collaboratively with co-founder / artist and fellow-designer Jeff Kowal.

I was responsible for carrying the identity across an integrated suite of business papers and press kit materials, including pocket folder, one-page press release format and promotional CD and postcard design.

/ Lotuspike Background /

Lotuspike has gone through a transition, from being a hobby for the three founders (myself included) to full-on recording and distribution of progressive ambient and electronic music. Lotuspike’s mission is to provide independent artists a venue for releasing, marketing and distributing their music on a quality medium with mass exposure while retaining the rights, property and integrity of their musical endeavors.

Visit Lotuspike’s Website >

Firm: The Firm of DeAngelis/Pipitone

For every designer who has ever married, it’s well known we can’t bear the thought of walking through the doors at one of those stationery stores to <GASP> order pre-made invitations and RSVPs!

It’s simply against our principles.

Truly one of the most challenging and rewarding projects for me to date, our wedding invitations were indeed a labor of love–and one worth every minute. Working closely with my wife, formally trained as a writer, we carefully crafted the set of materials working backwards from a fairly complex set of requirements.

/ Solution /

Our wedding was actually a pair of gatherings, both in different locales. While both could be separated easily into two unique events, the guest lists overlapped. Materials for our guests were created in subsets and color coded based on to which event the recipients were invited.

Picking up on an aesthetic and concept based on a handmade journal given as a gift to my wife some years earlier, “Beauty” became the theme. Poetry and textural patterns of Victorian styled vines and leaves, colored in terracotta and deep purples throughout carried the look across an entire suite of materials.

Travel and accommodation information cards, RSVPs, and slip sheets with a general announcement were in each package, wrapped in a colored carrier and finished with a translucent envelope for mailing.

The result was an emotional piece the recipients could immediately connect with, right out of the mailbox.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

For their first-ever annual report, CASA of Allegheny County set out to communicate to an expanded audience of donors, supporters and volunteers. With a careful balance of whimsy and elegance, the report covers CASA’s community impact over the year, as well as their ambitious plan for growth.

Along with emotional and moving stories, statistics and financials, the report announces CASA’s 25-year growth strategy, laying the groundwork for an increasingly widespread advocacy effort.

Equal in importance to the practical information was CASA’s underlying message — planning for their legacy of service to the children and families of Allegheny County was as critical as their current activities.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole  purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Little Talk is currently my most complete audio work, released only as part of the 2004 Lotuspike Label Demo. The label demo CD was part of our press kit distributed shortly after Lotuspike launched, and was a music sampler representative of the label’s vision. It has not been released on any other compilation as of yet, however it is in regular rotation on somaFM.com’s widely-distributed Groove Salad stream.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

With strict national identity guidelines to adhere to, CASA of Allegheny County made clever use of their standards to recreate a full set of materials from the ground up.

I was responsible for the design of an updated identity system, including business papers and personal note cards.

This identity was also extended to a refreshed website, quarterly newsletter, corporate brochure, annual report and various other collateral.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose…children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the Cigar Dinner and Auction materials each year, including invitation, sponsor recognition signage and event program.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the CASA of Allegheny County quarterly newsletter.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the Spring auction event materials each year, including invitation, sponsor recognition signage and event program.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >