Last night we attended (VIP style no less) the Seattle Weekly’s “Best of the Web” award ceremony.
BECAUSE WE DESIGNED THE AWARDS.
It was awesome. There was a flash mob dance that was incredible. There was a guy with juggling pins and paint on him who just stood perfectly still the whole time (until he busted out a chainsaw… that was weird). There was a prize wheel, drink tickets, yummy food…
There was our logo in lights on 3 television screens interspersed with viral videos from the web. Who could have asked for more?
Got lots of street cred for the awards we produced (better pics coming soon) and I got to schmooze with some of the most elite players (not sure what the game is…) in Seattle.
We do a huge variety of creative merchandise for our clients. We get to see the final product and oo and awww over it and then it gets sent on its merry way. It is rare that we actually are invited to the event to witness our hard work, creativity and devotion being doled out and received in gratitude.
That is what makes this industry so special.
You are always giving a gift to someone.
So a special thanks to Seattle Weekly, for giving us the gift of be able to witness all that we did. And for the free drink tickets. Amen.
We just got in the coolest direct mailer ever! This box mails flat in its lid and snaps together at the corners. We have a tons of stock sports teams, but completely custom is what it is all about.
Customizable silicone covers for iPhones, Shuffles and iPods. They will protect the device from scratches, bumps and bruises, but allow for full control of device and full access to all ports. Your logo or message is screen printed on a PMS matched silicone case where it is displayed loud and clear. Can you see my logo now?
One of the best aspects of this job is product testing. There are millions of products, so I certainly don’t see all of them in the industry, but I do see most any that people would consider buying. This morning UPS brought me a neat little ScreenClean.
What you are looking at is a customizable card stock paper about the size of my iPhone (the black rectangle). The actual product is the little Pfizer and Chucks logos in the center. They’re made from a mico-fiber with an adhesive backing (which is more of a cling material than an actual adhesive).
The purpose: To have a tiny, easily accessible cleaner wipe available at all times.
How it works: The little piece of fabric sticks to your actual phone, creating a logo seen to the world. It also sticks to any non-super-dirty surface. You pull it off when you need it, stick the sticky part to your finger and clean, then put it back. The sticky part is restored when rinsed in water.
The good: I love the idea. Tapping in to the logoing of phones via charms, covers, skins and now this. We always need a cleaner for our devices.
The bad: I am apprehensive about the adhesive. It does the job, but doesn’t feel like it should (feels weak). Then again, if it were strong, and I left it in my purse, who knows what kind of crap it would pick up. The “adhesive” is actually more of a cling material.
The Telluride Wine Festival, Center for Wine Origins and SCHILLING studio Gallery are pleased to announce the “Where in the World Does Your Wine come from?” Nationwide Poster Challenge and Art Exhibition. The challenge seeks to discover artists and designers who create an educated and aesthetically pleasing poster design reflecting the promotion and protection of wine regions.
While excellent wine is produced around the world, it is important to know where your wine comes from. This particular competition encourages artists to promote the recognition of Champagne or Port wines, or an official wine region from across the globe. Artists, photographers and graphic designers are encouraged to submit their poster design. The challenge is the first nationwide, juried poster competition celebrating the grape and regions of origin for the world’s most diverse wines. The final selections for cash awards will be chosen based on artistic excellence in reflection of this theme.
The Art Exhibition will take place in Telluride, Colorado during the Telluride Wine Festival June 24 to 27th, 2010. Each of the selected 20 finalist’s posters will be displayed during the festival and sold at SCHILLING studio Gallery with cash awards given to the “Best in Show” and “People’s Choice”.
I like to propose questions in LinkedIn every once in a while just to see the take on any given subject from the average business person. Usually, I like to create a question that has an answer, but can be subjective. In this way, it begs the person to discuss why they chose the answer they chose. Then, I get to see the psychology behind it all. And when you know the psychology, you then have a REAL answer to a much BIGGER question.
This particular question is extra fascinating for me. It helps me to understand how people understand the use of SWAG (I’ll be posting more questions on this topic in the future). It seems that people break into two basic categories: 1. SWAG is a business card with a little more function and 2. SWAG is marketing material that can be used alone or cohesively in a campaign to create buzz about your business.
Those who view SWAG as a “Funner Business Card” chose answer “A”. And I agree. If you are a business who is using SWAG to draw more clients by putting your name in front of them (and the studies show this works marvelously, as SWAG gets the most bang for your buck when you consider cost per impressions), then OF COURSE you want your URL on there! You probably want as much information as possible on there. These client’s generally purchase the pens, mouse pads, notepads, mugs… items that have a high appeal and anyone can use them. They stay on the desk right next to the person for a long time to come, and constantly remind that person (and anyone else walking by) of that business.
Those who view a “Higher Purpose” for SWAG chose answer “B”. And I agree. Actually this is the heart of So Tons Creative. Most of you know our mission is to create meaningful campaigns (or campaign accompaniment) with and through the use of SWAG. The best ways to use SWAG are the creative ways, and those sometimes don’t lend themselves to URL’s, phone numbers or even… sometimes… the business name. The client who uses SWAG in this way is the one that is creating a more customized feel. Adding more of an allure, a design element to the product, and making it more of a meaningful gift, to entice the recipient to “come find them”. To also enlist their good friend Jealousy. Now, not only are you engaging the person you sent it to, THEY are now engaging those around them, as they show off their new precious.
Done right, that is how something goes viral. You may have seen this with the new Canon Zoom Lens Thermos. You want one. You don’t even really know what it is… but you can feel the coolness. THIS… my friends… is SWAG in its prime. The Holy Grail. Not only did it create crazy internet buzz, it is going to eventually be another path of revenue for Canon. It triggers a nostalgia as well, and when you can do that, you have hit a homer. (Really, when you do this right, it ain’t no thang for someone to Google you… so a URL could cheapen the product).
As for “C”, it’s not an absolute, but it isn’t cheesy. Mike Styskal of DOE hit the cheesy nail on the head when he said “Leave the www off though”. Not only from a design perspective, but it isn’t a necessary function anymore! Open a new screen and type youtube.com and it comes right up. From a design perspective, it gives us more room to work with it, and the truth is www looks ugly.
To see all the answers to this survey click here. If you feel the need to add your two cents, and the question is closed, leave it here on this blog!
We could have done it Seattle. We could have pioneered the bag tax and forced our progressive selves to move forward even further, but we let D.C. beat us to the punch.
But hey, Seattle doesn’t need no stinkin’ bag tax to make them bring their own bags, and that is exactly how progressive we are! But now that you have all those bags, what to do with them? Here is a handy new product that takes the hassle out of the “Bringing my own bags to the store is such a hassle”.
If you have been watching any football you have to have noticed those new nifty hand held banners that everyone is holding up. They’re called Rollbanas, and we’ve got ‘em. If you hate football and want to protest it, these are a good way to go too. Multi-functional.
If you like the pens we have been handing out lately, now is the time to snatch them up for your very own. Until March they are on special (buy 200+, get the 10,000 piece price of $0.44 each). No set-ups either.
Back in the beginning of November we fore-casted a new trend that is now hitting main stream media. Personalized Hand Sanitizer. So Tons Creative for the “W”!
Those who view SWAG as a “Funner Business Card” chose answer “A”. And I agree. If you are a business who is using SWAG to draw more clients by putting your name in front of them (and the studies show this works marvelously, as SWAG gets the most bang for your buck when you consider cost per impressions), then OF COURSE you want your URL on there! You probably want as much information as possible on there. These client’s generally purchase the pens, mouse pads, notepads, mugs… items that have a high appeal and anyone can use them. They stay on the desk right next to the person for a long time to come, and constantly remind that person (and anyone else walking by) of that business.
