Designsensory.com

Design Week Panel: Design for Good

Thu, 16 May 13 13:19:39 -0500

As part of AIGA's Design Week, I had the opportunity to sit on a panel of designers and nonprofit directors to discuss designing for good during an event luncheon. Our topics covered everything from design by committee, payment for services, crowdsourcing contests, creative freedom and, maybe most importantly, making a difference.

Designers have the unique ability to approach projects from a 50,000-foot view right down to the kerning on a business card. We need to understand both our clients' long-term goals and tactical initiatives.

In many ways, nonprofits operate the same way. Long-term goals of some of the nonprofits I've worked with include educating and enriching neighborhoods, transforming populations, developing workforces, saving lives, curing cancer and rescuing people from poverty. Amazing initiatives. But, these initiatives can't be accomplished without the tactical efforts of a devoted (and probably overworked) staff, programs, donors, communities, participants and (dot, dot, dot) you.

As a designer, some of the most important work we can do is cause-related nonprofit work. It's rewarding, exciting and, to be honest, every nonprofit client Designsensory has partnered with has contributed award-winning work to our portfolio.

So, get started. Find an organization you're passionate about and see firsthand what they're doing. Do your research by understanding their programs, participating in an event and meeting the people they're helping. When you start to see a mission through an individual face and name, you'll be motivated and inspired to help translate their story through design.

Arron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. spoke earlier in the week during AIGA's Design Week festivities and I couldn't phrase what he said any better: "Say yes." Really, it's that simple. Use your skills and give back a little. You'll be proud of the work and the difference you make.

Medal of Honor Photoshoot in Carson City

Thu, 16 May 13 11:56:03 -0500

Lindsay Miller traveled to Nevada for work with the 2014 Medal of Honor Convention, art directing a photoshoot at the facility where the nation’s top military award is minted. Lindsay and a video production team from RIVR Media were given security clearance and access to a process that has never been documented. We asked her questions about the medals, the trip and the overall experience.

DS: What does working with the Medal of Honor Society mean to you?

LM: It’s an incredible honor for me and the entire Designsensory team to work on the project. Understanding the reasons why these medals are awarded and learning about the people who earned them helped guide our process to brand and develop a campaign for the Medal of Honor 2014 Convention in Knoxville. These stories of sacrifice coupled with the opportunity to meet a living recipient like Joe Marm make you even prouder to be an American.

DS: Why go to Nevada?

LM: Northwest Territorial Mint, one of the largest of less than 20 mints in the U.S., is the company that casts the medals. The video and photography assets will capture the people, place and process of how and where a medal is made, sharing its journey from creation in its casting to consecration in its awarding.

DS: Tell us about more about the shoot.

LM: Don Routh of Northwest Territorial Mint gave everyone participating in the shoot an amazing behind-the-scenes tour, allowing us to capture never-before-seen footage of how the medals are cast. The craftsmanship, attention to detail and reverence is reflected in every part of the process. Jeff Muller, who oversees the production of the medals, explained even the blue ribbon affixed to the Medal of Honor is hand finished by a woman in Texas and, as a sign of respect, any surplus ribbon that isn’t used cannot simply be discarded.

DS: Beyond you as art director, who were some of the people involved in the shoot?

LM: Although he didn’t travel to Nevada, we work closely with Joe Thompson, who is spearheading many aspects of the upcoming 2014 Medal of Honor Convention. Joe helped make the trip and this unprecedented opportunity possible. Bill Waldorf was our photographer, and RIVR Media sent producer Nathan Haun and a small crew of videographers. Ed Hooper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and military historian based in Knoxville, TN, joined us. Ed's depth of knowledge of the Medal of Honor's history and its recipients is instrumental in crafting the script and story of how the medals are made.

DS: What are you going to use the video and photography for?

LM: The photography will be incorporated into the entire 2014 Medal of Honor Convention campaign--the website, rich media, print collateral, environmental pieces and other branding components. These will be one-of-a-kind assets given to the Medal of Honor Society in perpetuity. When we began working on a bid document to bring the convention to Knoxville, we were surprised to find available such limited photo assets of the medals. We knew getting these photos would, over time, be more important than our use of them in promoting the convention; as a result, we needed to properly preserve and document the legacy of these medals for years to come.

DS: So, you were in Nevada. Did you gamble?

LM: Tempting, but no. We had a pretty tight schedule so the closest I got to gambling was seeing some slot machines at the airport. The view of mountains bordering Lake Tahoe was enough to convince me where I'd spend my time if given the chance to return.

A Magical Judging Experience

Tue, 23 Apr 13 21:45:46 -0500

Recently, I had the honor and fortune to take a little jaunt to northeastern Tennessee to judge the Pinnacle Tourism Awards for NETTA, the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Alliance. The region, located at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, is an enchanting area, rich in culture, history and outdoor adventure.

My judging experiences usually focus on advertising, design and digital arts, so the Pinnacle Awards challenged me in new ways. Rather than critiquing designed artifacts or systems, the Pinnacle Awards focuses on DMO (destination marketing orgs) marketing and PR activities, their concepts, efficiency in execution, economic impact and quality of execution. The submissions ranged from public works projects to large public events, television programming, community awareness initiatives and more.

But, on this fine spring morning, the first beautiful day of weather in a long while, I was more than up to the challenge of reviewing the hard work of tourism professionals in the area. It was my first time to Jonesborough, TN, and the last few miles revealed a charming, idyllic setting amidst the verdant, rolling hills. Within this pleasant setting and with a little jolt of caffeine, I was ready to go. I joined forces with Doug Renfro, an award-winning television producer, and we got to work.

Before long, it was time to enjoy some lunch—and enjoy we did, at the Main Street Market & Cafe. I fancy myself a bit of a cheeseburger connoisseur, and their version of a Bacon Cheddar Burger held its own. My only regret? I didn’t try any of their desserts. I did, however, cave in at Earth & Sky Confections, opting for a box of craft, artisanal chocolates instead. This proved to be a sweeter decision. The chocolates, like the historic town, are sublime and brought a smile to my face long after the experience receded into memory.

Thankfully, the spirited work of these tourism professionals will not go unnoticed, and many fortunate folks will embrace the urge to visit. When they do, they will mint memories in northeast Tennessee and discover the virtues of that magical area.

Utilize: Still, Video and Motion

Tue, 23 Apr 13 21:39:03 -0500

At Designsensory, we are always on the lookout for new ways to bring better service to our clients. We’re especially pleased to be able to enhance our capabilities with still photography, video and motion expertise.

Our goal is to provide more integrated, end-to-end solutions with branded content in every medium. Our photography, video and motion graphics capabilities have already made a difference to several of our clients, including Patricia Nash Designs and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s Travel South and Vacation Guide behind-the-scenes videos. We’ve been able to offer help at every step, beginning with preproduction services like scriptwriting, storyboarding, location scouting and booking talent, through the art direction of photo and video shoots, to postproduction editing and motion graphics.

Why is this new capability important?

First, it’s crucial to carry branding across all media, with content that reinforces the brand at every turn.

Second, the statistics are staggering: Web video keeps visitors on websites longer, boosts sales and minimizes buyer dissatisfaction. According to studies by Internet Retailer, 52 percent of consumers say that product videos help them feel more confident about their online purchases, and 66 percent will watch a particularly informative video more than once. And, visitors who have watched a video are as much as 174 percent more likely to buy than those who have not.

BizChair.com has tracked 33 percent of the company’s online sales to just 13 percent of its visitors—those who watched the online videos. Smartphone companies have tied video to increased sales in a very specific—and convincing—fashion. One million video views usually translates to 1.2 million units sold in the 12 weeks after a new product launch. Video is important to search engine optimization as well, since videos appear in about 70 percent of the top 100 listings for a search.

Our new capabilities mean a more integrated and more efficient process for our clients and—-we hope—-will translate into noticeable success.

Watch some of our recent work »

Bug Off

Tue, 23 Apr 13 21:31:23 -0500

The nice folks at Pest-Ops came to Designsensory to help locals rediscover a company that has been in Knoxville for 18 years. There’s nothing funny about pests, but Designsensory put some humor—and some shock factor—into Pest-Ops’ marketing, thanks to one big, scary bug.

A dramatic “Bug Off!” billboard campaign has had Knoxville drivers doing double takes when seeing that big, bad bug climbing the billboard surface and showing off its considerable antennae. The first piece of the “Bug Off!” campaign, designed to catch attention quickly and build brand recognition, won a bronze ADDY award.

The second round of billboards, with a pesky ant and a new call to action, is designed to further cement the Pest-Ops brand in motorists’ minds. Keep an eye out for those big bugs as you motor around West Knoxville!

On the Money

Tue, 23 Apr 13 21:28:41 -0500

With an illustration of Alexander Hamilton, our design for CRS (Courthouse Retrieval Systems) Data for the National Association of Realtors’ event invitation was right on the money. While giving a nod to an illustration style reminiscent of U.S. currency, the mailed piece brought together playful concepts and copy along with typefaces evoking a tone and feel from the 1700s.

Unique, multiple components of the mailer included a die-cut element that showcased in a fun and playful way the plentiful hors d’oeuvres and beverages that would welcome attendees. Targeting a small group of approximately 200 MLS executives, the direct mail piece attracted almost all recipients.

The intimate event was held at The Hamilton in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and the invitation helped share the message that those attending would be welcomed with informal conversation, relaxed atmosphere and plenty of food and drink. Aligning its reputation with lawyer, banker and founding father Alexander Hamilton, The Hamilton bills itself as “Designed to capture DC’s creative renaissance and a food-savvy audience that draws influence from every corner of the planet.” The Hamilton’s logo—an illustration of a cool Alexander Hamilton with sunglasses—was inspiration for the design for the event invitation.

Utilize: Brand Ecosystems

Tue, 26 Mar 13 09:12:09 -0500

Being a digital-centric brand consultancy often means our first engagement with clients begins with their website needs. Designsensory, though, as our name implies, infuses creative messaging across media, connecting all senses. With the understanding that a brand is part of a larger ecosystem, our team of designers, animators, videographers, photographers, editors, programmers, writers and strategists together are stewards of Design Thinking, creating multifaceted branding solutions via diverse platforms. No matter the capacity or project you’re working on with Designsensory, consider your brand and each creative execution as part of a larger ecosystem.

Procter & Gamble’s Global Marketing & Brand Building Officer Marc Pritchard shared in a recent article, “Forget thinking about how to make a vine or sending out the most clever tweet. Instead, focus on how to connect to consumers using ideas so big they’ll work on any platform.”

Forrester Research’s Nate Elliott shared in a recent blog post, “Leading your brand with interactive marketing isn’t about choosing one channel over another; it’s about rethinking how all our marketing channels work together.”

Elliott points to these three steps to build a digital-centric branding ecosystem:

1. Engage users on your own website. Nearly every audience we’ve studied says it trusts a marketer’s own site more than any other marketing channel, including offline advertising and social media.

2. Distribute your content and engagement into social and mobile media. Your brand probably won’t make quite as big an impact through social tools as it does on your own site but social platforms will make your brand accessible to users who don’t find their way to your site.

3. Reach a broad audience with paid media. If you want to get your message out to millions of people rather than thousands, you’ll need to buy both online and offline paid media.

In the natural world, ecosystems can be as small and confined as a seaside tidal pool thriving with diverse aquatic life, to an increasingly complex yet interconnected ecosystem spanning multiple continents. The same is true in the branding world, from a simple neighborhood direct mail campaign to a multinational, integrated marketing communications campaign. Ecosystems are varied. Working with a brand consultancy that understands this dynamic will help your brand ecosystem thrive.

Exercising Design Updates With BASI Pilates

Tue, 26 Mar 13 09:06:48 -0500

Through the creative we develop for BASI Pilates and the images, videos, conversations and stories the client shares with our team, we’re able to witness the transformations, the higher physical and mental aesthetic the exercises and education can bring.

Everyone here at Designsensory exercises in one way or another—with personal trainers and aerobics instructors, long distance runners, weekend cyclists and the occasional team of disc golfers. We all know the value of ongoing activity and its ability to, over time, better shape us physically and mentally. And, yes, some of us have tried Pilates!

Believe it or not, for all of our clients and, in particular, BASI Pilates, there’s definitely a link between well-rounded exercise routines and website updates. Regimented, ongoing physical activity and the resulting benefits for health and appearance parallel in so many ways website design and content improvements to better engage site visitors on a regular basis.

In this blog post, discover how the same elegance in physical poise and well-being attained through BASI Pilates extends to the refinement of form and function in the brand’s updated home page. With the brand celebrating 25 years of Pilates workouts, education and training, BASI Pilates needed to continue that same practiced, individualized and engaging experience with newly refined elements now found within the home page.

BASI Pilates stands for excellence, high standards, professionalism and hard work. We embrace these standards and are excited with the updated aesthetic.

Partnering with PetSafe to Launch a National Ad Campaign

Tue, 26 Mar 13 08:42:25 -0500

Partnering with PetSafe to launch the brand’s first national advertising campaign has been a wonderful experience for the Designsensory team. Although we’re digital-centric, we believe that a big idea can expand to any media—and our creative team and collaborative partnerships gave us the chance to do just that with PetSafe’s national ad campaign, touching digital, print and TV. The campaign theme, “Keeping Up With The Joneses,” playfully tells through product comparison vignettes how PetSafe’s innovative pet products create more best moments for people and their pets. Bringing the big idea to life took some time and effort—initial brainstorm meetings, storyboards and sketching ideas, scouting locations, getting props, talent selection, scriptwriting, narrowing down music and sound effects, and making sure the brand message and call to action resonated loud and clear.

To get everyone on the team excited and to witness the campaign coming to life, we had an amazing “Keeping Up With The Joneses” launch party, hosted by PetSafe’s Senior Brand Manager Robin Rhea, that brought together many of the people involved in the projects. During the party, we had the TVs tuned to the DIY Network, timed so that everyone could watch the commercials live, knowing millions of others across the country were also connecting with the PetSafe brand.

It takes a great team to pull off a really special national campaign. A big shout out goes to our internal team and creative collaborators: Wayne Bowman, copywriter; Matthew Foltz-Grey, storyboard artist; and Scott Saulnier with RIVR Media. Most importantly, thanks to PetSafe and our key client contact Robin Rhea for continuing to trust Designsensory to bring the PetSafe brand and best moments to life.

Check out the latest ads and TV commercials here:

PetSafe® Stay+Play Wireless Fence Commercial
PetSafe® Passport Door Spot Fine
PetSafe® New Porcelain Fountains

2013 Trends, Part Two

Sun, 24 Feb 13 23:05:08 -0600

Curious about what tomorrow will bring for design, content, technology and business development, and for our clients and their customers, we are looking ahead to ask “What’s next?” We’ve asked the Designsensory team to chime in on their thoughts for some of the “big topics” they see making an impact this year.

Let us know how these might fit into your branding, and what other trends you find relevant to your business.

TECHNOLOGY

Joseph Nother | creative director & principal

3D Printing
The technology has gone from $30,000 a few years ago to $499 today. The ability for us to truly create and replicate objects will be a quiet, gradual crescendo but one that has deep implications for society. Small-scale manufacturing will force another evolution of merchandising and commerce as well as culture with respect to localism and decentralized manufacturing. Here’s something to consider.

Coexisting with Technology and Information
The countermovement to the idea that we are too saturated with technology and information will continue. People will continue to wrestle with where to commit their precious time and attention. In doing so, the pressure for brands to differentiate and deliver value will only increase. At the same time, there might be resonance in messages that emphasize a return to offline activities.

Wearable Devices
Whether as accessories to mobile apps or separate devices altogether, technology will continue to embed, integrate and augment human beings. Think fitbit, Quantified Self, Nike+ FuelBand, tracking devices, precursors to the Star Trek Tricorder as next steps to embedded and cybernetic technology (particularly if you put stock in Kurzweil’s singularity).

Matt Honkonen | business development

Sensory Intelligence (products like XBOX Kinect & Google Glasses)
Interacting with media and content is moving from point and click to motion and audio cues.

Susan Hamilton | content developer, writer, editor

“Fidgital” and More Effects of Smartphone Use
A growing body of research is tying obsessive smartphone use to anxiety, sleep loss and dangerous behaviors. With so many of us dependent on our phones for scheduling, information, connectivity and even waking up in the morning, the New York Times has coined the phrase “fidgital” to describe how we itch to look, to answer, to check just one more time.

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, says that the need to know what’s going on around us is an important primitive desire that has helped us survive. But, today, the excessive interruptions that accompany an omnipresent cellphone may be diminishing our ability to concentrate, to think deeply, to focus for longer periods or to even be alone with our thoughts.

“The smartphone . . . changes our relationship with computers in a way that goes well beyond what we experienced with laptops,” he says. Of smartphone users, studies have shown that 70 percent check it within an hour of getting up; about half check it continuously during vacations and on weekends; and 44 percent say they would feel “a great deal of anxiety” if they were without a phone for a week.

Why it matters to us at DS: How can we better structure our mobile design and content to give users meaningful information without feeding the compulsive “checking” for more?

Matt Montgomery | graphic designer

Smart TV
Both Apple and Google launched new and improved versions of their smart TV set-top boxes in 2012. Look for both to continue to push forward in this new market. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, has stated he wants to revamp the current TV experience. As these companies and others forge forward, look for more and more customers to abandon cable providers that haven’t evolved with the times. The catch will be what content is available. While Netflix and Hulu Plus offer users many options, traditional cable providers will slow this process down by clinging to their dated multichannel pay TV model as long as they can.

DESIGN

Joseph Nother | creative director & principal

Data-driven Creativity
Collecting data is no longer the challenge. Interpreting data into meaningful bites and using empathy and insights to drive creative solutions is the new art-science. The brands that have the foresight to risk resources in a educated trial and error will uncover new opportunities, learn much and gain even more.

Sarah Loebner | graphic designer

The Color of Design
I expect to see an increase in unique color exploration. With design leaning toward cleaner, simpler styling, color choices are becoming more important, and our clients seem to be more open to alternative color options.

Matt Montgomery | graphic designer

Skeuomorphism
Look for the use of skeuomorphism, the practice of having interface elements mimic real world objects (e.g., making a note-taking application look like real paper), to continue to fade. Many major interface and OS designers have already begun to abandon useless real world metaphors. This trend can be seen in Google’s Android phones & tablets, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 OS and Amazon’s Kindle OS. Apple remains a straggler here, but I believe they will follow this trend as many of their applications start to feel clunky and “toylike” compared to competitors.

CONTENT/CONTENT MARKETING

Matt Honkonen | business development

Content, Content, Content
Brands will be focusing more and more attention and marketing spend on content creation. This will also trickle into social sharing and content curation.

Susan Napier-Sewell | content developer, writer, editor

Content: Getting it Right
The lifeblood of an organization, content in all its forms—words, photos, graphics, illustrations, video and more—drives business and communicates brands. For those confined within a conventional publishing box, content creation, management and delivery continue to present challenges.

In 2013, more organizations will make the liberating journey toward and commitment to sound, intelligent content, reaping the benefits of refreshed and re-evaluated core messages and more, and stepping up to offer enriched user experiences. That translates to the right information reaching the right people at the right time in the right format and language on the device of a customer’s choosing.

Ways & Means: Content Marketing
Many marketers are still doing considerable head-scratching regarding effective implementation and results-measuring for the bright, shiny object called content marketing. Buck the head-scratching trend, and take stock of how you’re doing from the lists below while it’s early in the year.

Which types of content marketing do you use?
Print media
Blogs or digital articles
Existing social networks
Live events
Video
Targeted microsites
Branded entertainment
White papers
Webinars or virtual events
Custom social communities

What percentage of your budget is dedicated to content marketing?
Less than 2%
2 to 5%
6 to 10%
11 to 18%
19 to 30%
Don’t know

Erin Slattery | content strategist

Social Content is the New “King”
Social media is no longer a nominal marketing experiment. It has proved itself in the marketing arena. Businesses realize its power to persuade and are willing to put forth the dollars—quite a few dollars at that—to boost their social weight. That being said, 2013 is about curating these efforts and rising above the social clutter. A strategic combination of content, engagement and promotions will prove most effective in reaching, maintaining and satisfying hungry audiences.

Tailored Content
Audiences continue to demand content that is tailored to them. As websites grow more responsive, so must our content. Our audiences want more control over the content they view and the way they view it. Location-based specials and in-store promotions pushing consumers to social sites are just a couple of examples in the push to create a more personalized and localized customer experience.

Relevance Trumps Spread
Companies have quickly learned that while content is “King,” it is also expensive to produce and can become stale quickly. Focus your resources on keeping content relevant rather than trying to reach wider audiences.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Lauren Glisson | content assistant

Distance Learning
Fairly new to business is the power of “distance learning." This is the power to bring in speakers or professors from a different city, state, country, with no cost. Students experience different cultures for free, using just plain old technology.

Currently, this technique is used in university classrooms and grades K-12, but this method can also be brought to the business scene. People in the branding and design field, such as those here at Designsensory, can now integrate clients and other business leaders from far away into our business at the click of a button, facilitating meetings, clients, and helping achieve global recognition.

Good Times: Judging the Lexington ADDYsÂ® 2013

Sun, 24 Feb 13 22:30:25 -0600

As projects develop and during our internal design thinking process, our Creative Director Joseph Nother guides our design output forward with critiques, comments and insightful suggestions. The Lexington, Kentucky, chapter of the American Advertising Federation recently appointed Joseph to share that same creative and critical thinking as a judge for the chapter’s ADDY Awards competition.

Here, we share a quick Q&A and recap of his trip:

DS: Overall, how was the experience?
Joseph: There’s a lot of amazing design, branding and creative talent in and around the Lexington area and, as judge, I was able to see the positive direction of the creative community. I feel like my role of judging, in a small way, helps the Lexington AAF members celebrate their successes. I certainly enjoyed meeting professionals on the AAF Lexington board and learning about the area and their community. Good times, food and drinks were had at deSha's!

Also, it was an honor to both see the work and judge it on creative merits against hundreds of other work, ranging from visual identities, to interactive, print, TV, radio, billboard and other integrated campaign efforts. I’m excited to be able to bring some of those inspiring ideas home and share them with our team.

DS: Why was judging the ADDY Award competition significant for you?
Joseph: Michael Bierut, founder of Pentagram, said it simply and succinctly, “If you do good work for good clients, it will lead to other good work for other good clients. If you do bad work for bad clients, it will lead to other bad work for other bad clients.” It was clear to me that the teams behind the submitted work are passionate about delivering good work to their clients.

I believe in creating better work through better relationships--among clients, internal teams and with our communities. Organizations such as the American Advertising Federation and the ADDY Awards prove their value by helping to bring everyone closer together.

Along with this participation as ADDY judge, I’m a former president of the Knoxville Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Design, and it’s easy to see the value these organizations and awards can bring through camaraderie, education and, ultimately, inspiration of students and young adults eager to enter the field to pursue their passion and join our creative ranks.

DS: What was your favorite piece?
Joseph: I really enjoyed the branding ecosystem developed for the Alliance For American Manufacturing from "Shatterbox Studios"---simple, clean and bold with a postmodern aesthetic evocative of powerful nationalistic messaging.

DS: What was in your hotel gift basket?
Joseph: What can I say? Bourbon, of course...and some great candies. They didn't last long:)

Celebrating ADDYs 2013

Sun, 24 Feb 13 22:09:30 -0600

The ADDY® Awards spell accomplishment and triumph for a creative community. Winning work happens because of clients who possess courage, commitment and leadership, and who inspire and guide our designers, content and tech teams to take creative to an award-winning level. These awards recognize our creative as among the best in the area. Gold ADDY Award winners' creative will go on to be entered into regional and national competitions. So, stay tuned!

The American Advertising Federation's ADDY Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types, creative by all sizes and entrants of all levels from anywhere in the world.

Designsensory's 16 GOLD ADDY Award Winners

• Altar'd State
• Carton Services
• Designsensory
• Flip Fest
• Knox County Health Department
• Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
• Patricia Nash Designs
• Radio Systems Corporation (Bark for Your Park; Sportdog)
• Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (Spring; Winter; Trails; State Parks; Civil War; Vacation Guide: Cover Design, Behind-the-Scenes Video, Landing Page)
• University of Tennessee Athletic Department

Designsensory's 9 SILVER ADDY Award Winners

• Foxfire Mountain
• Medal of Honor Convention
• Miller Energy Resources
• Outward Bound
• Radio Systems Corporation
• RIVR Media
• Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (Triptales; Summer)
• United Way of Knoxville

Designsensory's Bronze Citation of Excellence

• Pest-Ops LLC

Designsensory's Judges' Choice Awards

• Patricia Nash campaign
• Designsensory holiday cards

And, we congratulate all 2012 Addy Award Winners!

The Story Behind the 2013 TN Vacation Guide Cover

Sun, 27 Jan 13 09:16:01 -0600

Photographing and designing the cover for the official Tennessee Vacation Guide was an amazing creative experience. After collaborating with our friends at State Tourism Office on the overall concept and developing moodboards and draft compositions to test the idea, we scouted several locations across middle and East Tennessee to see what would work best as the setting for what we had in mind.

Gearing up for the shoot involved the entire office and help from the Department. We asked everyone in the Designsensory office to pitch in with camping equipment to be used as props in the shot. As the shoot day neared, our halls looked more like a base camp than a brand consultancy, with backpacks, lanterns, oars, sleeping bags, mountain bikes and a colorful assortment of gear for staging a wonderful outdoor adventure.

Shot at scenic Fall Creek Falls State Park, the cover image captures a family enjoying the fun of the outdoors, music and memories that only a vacation in Tennessee could bring together. To achieve this cover image, the Designsensory team collaborated with the Miles Media for the overall concept, locations and talent, bringing together photographers, stylists and the rest of the creative crew.

To further generate buzz about the new cover design and to push the physical cover to a digital setting, Designsensory conceived and developed branded content in the form of a short video showing a glimpse of what it took to capture the essence of the state in this single image for vacationers everywhere. This behind-the-scenes video shares some of the process and passion to bring everything together—from models and props to learning about setting up the location and getting that perfect shot. A user can scan the QR code on the cover with their smartphone to view the video and then continue planning on the mobile website.

Watch the Behind the Scenes Video »

2013 Trends Round Up - Part 1

Sun, 27 Jan 13 09:03:34 -0600

Guiding our work and inspiring our design is our curiosity to always ask what’s next and what will tomorrow bring for design, content and technology, and for our clients and their customers. As we move into this new year, we’re looking ahead at trends for 2013. Each year, we ask individuals from the Designsensory team, “What are some of the big topics in design, content, technology, business growth and branding you see making an impact this year?”

How do these fit into your branding, and what are some other trends relevant to your business? Please, let us know. And, join us for Part Two in February.

BRANDING/BRANDED CONTENT

Joseph Nother | creative director & principal

Content Marketing starts with Brand Honesty
Brands will need to stop posing. They will need to be honest with their purpose, solve real problems and stand for something ideal, not in the dated sense of corporate responsibility, but as an organization exuberantly and positively involved in people’s lives. With an “honest” brand strategy in place, these brands can then embody and express their ideals in all forms of relevant content and engage in conversations that are customer-first (relevant, valuable, validating) regardless of media.

Josh Loebner | strategist

Native Advertising
Branded entertainment, sometimes known as product placement or in-show branding, is something many of us have seen on TV shows and in the movies. Now advertisers are collaborating with content publishers, media outlets and brand consultancies to create native advertising.

This online form of in-show branding integrates high-quality content into the organic experience of a given platform. Examples could include longer form video, web films, photo streams and interactive graphics among others. This article from Mashable shares more on what native advertising is and how it can better engage and connect with people than traditional online advertising.

Susan Napier-Sewell | content developer, writer, editor

Crossover & Collaboration
We all have skill sets upon which we don’t necessarily hang our organizational hats. Staying compartmentalized can deprive an organization of mining/nurturing in-house assets. Regard each person in your organization as a content resource, with uniqueness of voice, perspective, expertise, and you’ll see a spike in creativity and cross-department collaboration.

Erin Slattery | content strategist

Think Human
From SEO to loyal viewership, content that is meaningful and useful will offer a return on investment far greater than tactics and formulas aimed to boost search results. As leading search engines work diligently to make robots think like humans, it is our responsibility to cater our content to humans, not robots.

Make it Memorable
Static, wordy content has fallen to content that is snackable, easy to consume and experiential. Getting your audience involved by offering an entertaining immersive experience proves key in making your content memorable and return visit worthy. Gamification, video and engaging visuals will continue to grow in importance. Focus on content that is concise, interactive and easy to share and you will find your content more than earning its keep.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Paula Solomon | director of business development

Specialized Solutions
Integrated digital solutions, including specialized video content, are currently on-trend in our business development efforts. Usage of video, specifically on commerce-based websites, is growing exponentially, and I expect sales of the specialized content to grow exponentially as well.

Susan Napier-Sewell | content developer, writer, editor

Red-hot Social Curation
Social curation took off online in 2012. To innovatively engage customers, Pinterest launched its business accounts in October. Brands big and small have joined the social scrapbook that is potentially morphing into The World’s Greatest Shopfront, now 40 million strong.

Social curation is just getting started, given its meteoric rise and the mind-boggling number of new platforms. Take a peek.

Erin Slattery | content strategist

Cross-Pollination
Our marketing islands are no more. Integration between networks and media will prove key in 2013. Already, we see promotions intertwined between Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and others. As the year plays out, expect to see businesses leverage their strength on one platform to extend their reach on others.

TECHNOLOGY

Joseph Nother | creative director & principal

Wearable Devices
Whether as accessories to mobile apps or separate devices altogether, technology will continue to embed, integrate and augment human beings. Think fitbit, Quantified Self, Nike+ FuelBand, tracking devices, precursors to the Star Trek Tricorder as next steps to embedded and cybernetic technology (particularly if you put stock in Kurzweil’s singularity).

Justin Hudson | designer

The Elevation of the Smartphone and Friends
I believe we will see smartphones move beyond contemporary use of onscreen apps and sites to an essentially functional role in our lives. Phones are teaming up with other gadgets to streamline and refine daily existence into a digital experience we control with one hand.

• To stream your favorite shows to any TV, anytime, from your phone, try the Plair app.
• fitbit, mentioned above in Joseph’s trend, keeps track of your well-being and autosyncs so your data, such as calories burnt, steps taken and sleep quality, is always current.
• With Delphi’s Vehicle Diagnostics downloadable app and a plug-in module, you can utilize your smartphone to monitor and control your car, including mimicking car remote functions and translating trouble codes.

Some apps are already in place to benefit our lives, but much of what’s out there in the form of appcessories are novelty items. I expect life-essential devices, such as those mentioned above, to become a seamless integration into our daily lives.

Kristin Eubanks | content assistant

QR Codes; Physical-to-Digital
Businesses are head over heels about QR codes and the changes QR codes can effect. Currently, consumers have to scan the bar codes on their smartphones with an app, unfortunately. Many do not know how to use QR codes, and countless others still have not caught up with technology and do not have smartphones. According to comScore Inc., in June 2011 14 million Americans scanned QR codes with their mobile phones. Unfortunately, this was only 6.2 percent of the mobile phone audience.

QR codes are a brilliant idea, just a little too advanced for their time. Once the generation catches up with the technologies, QR codes would be more affective. A new trend for 2013 would be to keep pushing QR codes to educate people on their effectiveness and raise awareness of what they offer. Although QR codes are taking awhile to catch on, their value is incredible—not just for businesses, but for healthcare as well.

Matt Montgomery | graphic designer

Near Field Communication
Though strangely absent in the latest iPhone 5, Near Field Communication (NFC) in smartphones and tablets is right around the corner. Several flagship Android phones including the Nexus S and Samsung Galaxy S II are already using this promising technology. Though it might take some time for NFC to fully take off, once it doesNFC-enabled devices will be able to perform as your mobile wallet, get tickets for boarding passes or even act as your car keys.

DESIGN

Tuyen Ho | designer

Tactile-enhanced Print Design
I think in order for print design to survive in this digital world, it has to become more tactile and “interactive” to compete with all of the digital media out there. People still like to use their senses (touching, feeling, etc.), so flat print is evolving into intricate visual pieces that encourage people to pick them up and spend time with them. Some print pieces may be traditional flat print, but their designs have textures and shadows creating dimension or a cut-paper-look, making one believe he or she could lift it right off the page. Other designs involve die-cuts, folds, flaps, scratch-and-sniffs, embossing, glossy, e.g., something that will push the experience further. Many think print is dying, but I think now that the day-to-day print clutter is falling to the wayside, making room for beautiful print pieces to be noticed and appreciated.

Ian Fitz | web developer

Responsive Design
I believe 2013 is the year that responsive web design becomes firmly widespread. Ideologically, responsive design has been building steam for many years now, but web browser and cellphone technology has been holding back truly beautiful and graceful design. As more designers and developers dive headfirst into creating flexible pages and as Android development, which requires a responsive mindset to work on the myriad devices and screen sizes Android supports, reaches critical mass, responsive design in new websites will start to outnumber traditional, static web design.

Connecting Creative Power with Happy Hour

Tue, 18 Dec 12 16:29:36 -0600

When people come together at celebrations and gatherings this time of year, festive drinks can bring smiles, start conversations, and keep them going. Did you know that if you want to be more creative, a drink may actually help?

We’ve done the research and, believe us, we’ve been thorough in our studies! If you want to dive into some scholarly reading, reference a recent CBS News article, "In a piece of research called ‘Lost in the Sauce,’ researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UC Santa Barbara describe plying their volunteers with vodka and cranberry juice. What they found was that these volunteers saw more solutions to word puzzles—and they saw them faster. The less fortunate, sober, volunteers, subjected to a placebo, were more focused but not as creative.”

So, let’s raise a glass (mind you, in moderation) to connecting creative power and happy hour. To give you some ideas, at least for the drink recipes, from wassail to whiskey, find out what some of our favorite liberating libations are.

THE 12 DRINKS OF CHRISTMAS*

Joseph’s Heavenly Hot Cocoa
It’s comfort food with an edge. Take your favorite hot chocolate and kick it up a notch! Start with a base of hot cocoa and add Irish cream whiskey—or for the bold, just bourbon.

Cocoa recipe:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 cups 2% milk
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in milk and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Remove from heat; stir in extracts. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

The “Heavenly” Part
To hot chocolate, add Kahlua, Bailey’s and peppermint schnapps. Or, try these: Grand Marnier, coconut rum, amaretto, Frangelico, Irish whiskey, butterscotch schnapps, white cream de menthe, and the possibilities continue. Dollop with whipped cream and nutmeg, too, if you like.

Brandon’s Glogging Good Mulled Wine
It’s “Glogg” in Sweden, but we call Mulled Wine a delicious tradition here. Boil red wine with cheesecloth-wrapped fruit and spices, including dried orange zest, cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, cloves, blanched almonds and raisins. Don’t forget the sugar cubes and brandy!

12 oz. vodka

1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine

1.5 tbsp. mulling spices

1 tsp. fresh orange zest

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. blanched almonds

4 tbsp. raisins

Wrap mulling spices in cheesecloth. In a large saucepan, combine the wine, vodka, cheesecloth with mulling spices, orange zest and sugar. Allow to very lightly simmer over medium heat for at least 30 minutes (do not boil). Discard mulling spices. Drop a few raisins and almonds at the bottom of each mug and top with the hot liquid.

Merry Manhattans by Design
Holidays beg for something simple as 1, 2, 3. Here you go. Design decision: Brandied cherry is a must for garnish.

2 oz. rye whiskey

1 oz. sweet vermouth

2 dashes bitters

Place liquids in cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Stir or shake according to preference until completely chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with brandied cherry. All set.

Anne’s Homemade Happiness Kahlua
Whether your holiday festivus demands White Russians or Mudslides, start with a base of this candy ’cohol.

1 cup of honey
1/2 cup instant coffee (nongeneric is better)
1/5 grain alcohol (recommend Everclear)
2 cups dark brown sugar
6 tbsp. real bourbon vanilla
8 cups water
Heat water, sugar and honey until melted (do not boil).
Add coffee crystals and simmer for 30 minutes.
Cool to 110 degrees and add vanilla.
Let set for at least 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add alcohol and stir well.

If you’re feeling risky, try mixing it up with different varieties of flavored coffees, like French vanilla or hazelnut.

The Grinch Who Stole Content
Things are not always as they seem. Take The Grinch, for example. Sip bold green, melon-flavored Midori mixed with lemon juice and simple syrup. Drop a cherry in to symbolize the Grinch’s changed heart.

2 oz. Midori melon liqueur

1/2 oz. lemon juice

orange or melon slice for garnish

Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker along with cracked ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish and consume!

Alexander and the Peppermint-Twisted Techies
Hands down, when chocolate and peppermint collide, something’s going right. This chocolate concoction with a touch of blissful peppermint bliss will enchant your winter palate.

1 shot vanilla vodka

1 shot white crème de cacao

1 shot milk or cream

1 Hershey’s kiss

1 small candy cane

few drops peppermint schnapps

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix vodka, creme de cacao and chocolate liqueur. Strain into a cocktail glass. Drop Hershey’s kiss into the glass, and hang candy cane off the rim with the stem in the glass (to add flavoring.) Alternatively, rim glass with crushed candy canes, using peppermint schnapps or creme de cacao to adhere candy to the glass.

Matt’s Honking Happy Eggnog
Over time, the origin of eggnog has been the subject of serious debate. We give the nod to England, since we can go along with “noggin” deriving from a Middle English term used to describe a small, wooden, carved mug used for serving alcohol. Eggnog calls for cream, cloves, eggs, vanilla, and don’t forget the nutmeg. A little rum lightens things right up.

3 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

generous pinch of ground clove

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup rum (optional)

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Over low heat combine milk, vanilla extract and clove in medium saucepan. Bring to a slow boil. Once milk mixture starts to boil, remove from heat.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in mixer. Whisk together until pale and fluffy. With mixer on low, pour hot milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk until well mixed. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and heat on med/med-low for about 5 minutes, continually stirring, until thickened and creamy. Do not let it boil, or the nog will curdle.

Stir in the rum, heavy cream and nutmeg and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

We Wish You Wassail
With wassail, It’s a matter of what came first: the drink or the gesture. “Wassail” means “to greet someone,” so when a group comes “wassailing,” hand them a fragrant concoction of cider, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. You may, of course, opt to add your favorite alcoholic beverage.

1 gallon apple cider

2 cups orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 orange sliced

Mix juices, sugar and seasonings together. Slowly bring to a boil in large saucepan. Boil 1 minute. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot. If serving from a punch bowl, float sliced oranges in wassail.

Michael & Kelly’s Cranberry Crackle (nonalcoholic)
There’s something about fruit that thrives in boggy places that’s so irresistible. With cranberries, you’re getting an antioxidant benefit in your punch, as well as a cup of deliciousness. Feel free to use any variety of cranberry juice. It’s all good.

1 bottle cranberry juice

2 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale

1/2 quart sherbet (your choice of raspberry, pineapple, orange or lime)

Mix cranberry juice and ginger ale in punch bowl. Add 1/2 the sherbet to punch bowl center and allow it to melt slightly. Enjoy!

Paula’s Fizzy Pom Punch (nonalcoholic)
Party goers love the fresh taste of pomegranate juice, and the juice is loaded with antioxidants. Perfect for providing hip taste options to those who prefer not to drink alcohol or for midday office parties where employees need to return to work. Serve with a fan-shaped orange cross-section.

1 bottle pomegranate juice (16 oz.)

1 cup nonalcoholic triple sec

2 bottles (750 ml. each) nonalcoholic champagne, sparkling cider or sparkling water

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix pomegranate juice, lemon juice and nonalcoholic triple sec in punch bowl. Add nonalcoholic champagne, sparkling cider or sparkling water. That’s it!

Josh’s Jolly Jello Shots
A work of art, these jolly holiday trees take jello shots from lime to sublime. We’re inspired!

1 (3 oz.) box lime jello

1/2 package plain Knox gelatin (one teaspoon)

1/4 cup cold water

3/4 cup vodka (use a flavored one, if preferred)*

miniature Christmas trees-shaped silicone mold

star confetti (little candy stars, found in supermarket baking section)

assembly gelatin (1/2 cup water and 1/2 envelope gelatin)
coconut

*to make trees stronger, you can use one cup of vodka and no cold water

Lightly spray molds with cooking spray. Blot with clean paper towel, leaving just enough residue to help loosen trees later. Set mold on a cookie sheet.
Pour 1 cup of water into small saucepan. Sprinkle with 1/2 envelope of plain gelatin, and allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Add lime gelatin and stir until dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup cold water, and then the vodka.
Pour in molds and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
For garnishing trees: For garnish, we used coconut (for snow) and the little candy stars.
An hour or two before serving, prepare the assembly gelatin by pouring the water in a saucepan and sprinkling with the 1/2 envelope of gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until dissolved. Allow gelatin to cool to room temperature.
Using a fork or tweezers, dip stars in assembly gelatin and onto tops of trees. Sprinkle with coconut and return the trees to the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

----

*If you noticed that there’s only 11 drinks, it’s time to even things out. Pour yourself a happy glass. There, now it’s twelve. :-)

Building Expansion, Building Inspiration

Tue, 18 Dec 12 15:39:44 -0600

Early last year, we surveyed our expanding client partnerships, additions of new team members and considered how we could expand and improve the working environment. Blueprints were drawn and, five months ago, construction began on an office plan that would cultivate conversation, foster ideas and build bonds. The new digs include additional write-on walls, brainstorming rooms, an open kitchen, design library and team-oriented work stations. With a full flight of stairs leading to it all, there’s the promise of daily exercise of our legs and minds!

Beyond adding to our office space, we’re adding ideas, with what we hope to be monthly seminars focusing on educating, enlightening and inspiring our staff, clients, students and community. The largest of the upstairs rooms will double as a photo studio and community gathering space.

We’re still putting on final touches but, if you’re in the area, feel free to join us upstairs for a meeting, coffee or conversation.

Merry Mailings 2012

Tue, 18 Dec 12 15:37:39 -0600

We love festive occasions and, of course, designing beautiful salutations, so we couldn’t stop at creating just one Designsensory holiday card. We made eight, for you to receive and to pass a warm message of joy on to your friends.

With each card, you’ll see a bit of personality coming through from each of the designers who crafted them. Whatever message you’d like to share, from playful to kind, funny to meaningful, we hope the assortment of cards brings a smile to your face and to others.

Celebrating a Handbag Homecoming

Tue, 18 Dec 12 15:36:42 -0600

Patricia Nash is bringing high fashion to her hometown with a new concept store in the heart of Knoxville. For us here at Designsensory, creating an online store and virtual showroom for the Patricia Nash brand has been an amazing project, but being able to walk into her beautiful store, to be a part of seeing Pat Nash, her team and family celebrate the grand opening of the store was truly a rewarding experience.

At the ribbon cutting, people were overheard sharing that they felt transported to New York’s Soho district or Miami’s South Beach. From the window display to the mosaic artwork in the store vestibule that spotlights her larger-than-life logo to the in-store displays of gorgeous Italian leather handbags, accessories and other accoutrements, the store brings together the exquisite details that define the Patricia Nash brand. Check out pics from her grand opening, and visit the store to soak in the atmosphere and select a handsome handbag or two.

A Modern Twist on an Old-Fashioned Barn Raising

Tue, 18 Dec 12 15:35:35 -0600

You may be familiar with an old-fashioned barn raising, where a community comes together, bringing lumber, supplies and manpower to build a barn in an afternoon. Designsensory’s staff collaborated with the PhotoBarn team to put a modern twist on barn raising by building the technically complex site in short order of two weeks. With online orders increasing into the tens of thousands through the help of national promotions such as Groupon, the PhotoBarn team required tech and design help from Designsensory to streamline the online visitor experience and purchase process.

Built on a highly specialized Magento platform, the PhotoBarn site allows visitors to upload photos, select and size materials for printing, and preview the finished custom piece of art. Located here in East Tennessee, PhotoBarn creates handcrafted photo products using your photographs, and prints directly onto aluminum, wood blocks and boards.

Check out the site

Fail Harder - Utilize Rapid Prototyping

Sun, 25 Nov 12 22:24:14 -0600

“Fail Harder” is a larger-than-life art installation both in size and meaning at the ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. Using over 100,000 pushpins to visualize the message, the art builds on a quote from agency cofounder Dan Wieden, “You’re not useful to me until you’ve made three momentous mistakes.” Failing, or trying harder, is an integral component to the Design Thinking process.

In the FastCo Design article “Wanna Create A Great Product? Fail Early, Fail Fast, Fail Often,” it was reported that inventor James Dyson crashed 5,127 times before perfecting his bagless vacuum cleaner. Dyson’s process is an extreme example, to be sure, but his feelings on failure ring true to any healthy iterative design process: “On the road to invention, failures are just problems that have yet to be solved.” Rather than shy away from failure, prototype and use what you learn to your product’s advantage.

“Utilize failure” is a phrase that’s probably not heard often in boardrooms or business meetings, but embracing failure at the right time can lead to fruitful successes. If “failure” is too harsh a term, “prototyping” is a work-around definition that may ease the introduction of this step within your development processes.

Working through design challenges, creating prototypes, getting feedback, iterating and refining is the foundational Design Thinking process that utilizes failure (prototyping) to create successes.

Professor Dean Keith Simonton at the University of California at Davis shared in a recent Harvard Business Review article that “creativity is a consequence of sheer productivity. If a creator wants to increase the production of hits, he or she must do so by risking a parallel increase in the production of misses. . . . The most successful creators tend to be those with the most failures!”

Rapid prototyping involves multiple iterations of a three-step process:

1. Prototype: Convert the users’ description of the solution into mock-ups, factoring in user experience standards and best practices.
2. Review: Share the prototype with users and evaluate whether it meets their needs and expectations.
3. Refine: Based on feedback, identify areas that need to be refined or further defined and clarified.

Many people look to minimize failure in both life and business and, therefore, avoid undertaking risks. Successful people and businesses embrace or utilize failure and understand the necessity of it to learn and grow. How is your business incorporating risk and failure in its innovation process leading towards success?

Ten Tools for Design Thinking, published by the University of Virginia’s Jeanne Liedtka and Timothy Ogilvie, shares 8 tips on how best to incorporate rapid prototyping, regardless of project or industry.

1. Focus on questions instead of answers.
2. Keep pushing deeper.
3. Question your assumptions.
4. Envision how a negative could become a positive.
5. Create some alternative scenarios.
6. Pretend to be somebody else.
7. Make it a party, but not too big.
8. Make it a competition.

When appropriate, Designsensory employs rapid prototyping as part of our Design Thinking methodology. Although specific to online design and development, this rapid prototyping process definition found in a recent Smashing Magazine article can be utilized in broader design or business contexts.

Bringing Characters to Life for Glitterville

Sun, 25 Nov 12 21:58:32 -0600

We’re giddy about bringing more playful characters to Glitterville, adding more smiles, fun and new illustrations to the original characters. Taking creative direction from the client, we’re digitally bringing the characters to life.

Cupcakes, ice cream cones and other tasty treats will appear as illustrated citizens of Glitterville, infused into the crafty community through the website and branded merchandise.

Designsensory partnered with Glitterville to develop its website: a whimsically illustrated craft factory, providing a backdrop for site exploration and creating a tangible community for visitors to begin the journey through fanciful Glitterville.

Glitterville was founded in 2003 by Stephen Brown, a crafter who wanted to combine passion for making things and celebrating into wacky and whimsical ornaments for holiday seasons. Today, the Glitterville brand sparkles brighter than ever with thousands of products, books and television recognition dedicated to its motto, “Make every day a holiday!”

Best of Show at TENN Show 2012

Sun, 25 Nov 12 21:55:12 -0600

Many people associate great design with cosmopolitan cities such as New York, Miami or San Francisco, enclaves of good design. We are here to say fabulously talented designers can be found across the country. At Designsensory, we are proud to be a part of the larger design community, growing here in Knoxville and across the state. To share in that recognition and celebrate the rising creative class in Tennessee, area chapters of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA, the professional association for design, came together to honor top designs at the biennial TENN Show competition.

We’re thankful for the relationships we have with clients who embrace bold initiative, allowing us to move creative to a higher level. I am proud of our team, thrilled with our wins, as we celebrate design winners across the state.

Designsensory was among top winners at this year’s TENN Show. Winners of the biennial TENN Show competition represent best work across all disciplines of communication design statewide, chosen by a distinguished jury of regional design leaders.

The Tennessee competition drew over 250 entries from more than 30 design firms, agencies and individuals. Professional and student designers were invited to submit creative efforts. Knoxville area winners included Designsensory, Best Behavior Club, University of Tennessee, Nathanna and Robin Easter Design Group. All AIGA chapters in Tennessee, located in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga, participated. The Knoxville chapter of American Institute of Graphic Artists, AIGA, hosted the awards ceremony.

Designsensory wins included Best of Show:

Outward Bound, Interactive

Gold:

Springtime in Tennessee 2012, Interactive
Patricia Nash Designs, Photography
Outward Bound, Interactive

Silver:

State Parks, Interactive
Tennessee TripTales, Interactive
Goodson Brothers Coffee, packaging and print

Bronze:

Summer in Tennessee 2012, Interactive
Winter in Tennessee 2011, Interactive

What's your Brand Story

Mon, 29 Oct 12 19:57:48 -0500

What’s your story? This is a question many of us can answer both for ourselves and the brands we create, curate and care for. How well are you utilizing storytelling to craft your brand message?

Knowing the basis for your brand story, where it comes from, and where it can go helps drive messaging momentum and meaning. A recent Advertising Age article shared that there are seven basic types of stories that explore human archetypal plots and all brand messaging can be boiled down into one or another:

1. Overcoming the Monster

2. Rebirth

3. Quest

4. Journey and Return

5. Rags to Riches

6. Tragedy

7. Comedy

Seeing your company as a publishing house and sharing compelling narratives through design, motion and content is something we hope everyone is familiar with—but how to share the story across platforms and media is something more to consider. Professor Henry Jenkins (formerly of MIT, now at USC), a transmedia scholar and founder of the Convergence Culture Consortium, distills the concept further: “Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.”

Learn the four key takeaways for brands and advertisers to consider in transmedia storytelling:

1. Make stories drillable. Don’t just place across media and spread your message thin—have some avenue for deeper dives of info and insights.

2. Each piece of a story must be enriching, but not essential, to its overall experience. With storytelling becoming less confined by distribution channels, stories are taking on fluid, reactive and flexible new forms.

3. Recognize the power of your fans. Content creators must approach fans, where they already congregate and exist, as co-creators of their narratives, rather than barometers.

4. Build a world, not just a story.

Now, with anytime, anywhere platforms and engagement opportunities, brands can design storytelling to be impactive and connective seamlessly and successfully across media and experiences. Consider storytelling as it relates to your customer’s decision journey and the markers guiding the way along the path. Where does your storytelling begin? How does it continue? Are there gaps, and how can your storytelling move beyond one-way communication toward ownership and advocacy via those customers that become passionate and caring about the brand?

A Harvard Business Review interview, “The Art of Purposeful Storytelling,” with Peter Gruber, chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, shares four truths to storytelling:

1. Be authentic in your story and how you’re sharing it.

2. Be interested in your audience and let them own the story.

3. Have a set goal for the story.

4. Telling a story is an act of listening—engaging and interactive in dialogue.

Gruber goes on to say that as storytellers, “We’re all in the emotional transportation business.” That said, let’s get moving, together.

What’s your story? This is a question many of us can answer both for ourselves and the brands we create, curate and care for. How well are you utilizing storytelling to craft your brand message? Knowing the basis for your brand story, where it comes from, and where it can go helps drive messaging momentum and meaning. A recent Advertising Age article shared that there are seven basic types of stories that explore human archetypal plots and all brand messaging can be boiled down into one or another...

Celebrated Handbags & Celebrities Deliver Hope

Mon, 29 Oct 12 19:51:09 -0500

Whether it’s ourselves, our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends or inspirational stories of strangers, many of us have been touched by breast cancer. We worked closely with the Patricia Nash Designs team, PR partners, media outlets and celebrities to build an integrated campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness month, showing brand support through donations and design.

It’s been truly amazing to be part of the conversations as Facebook fans shared stories of inspiration, support and memories that infuse handbag messaging with meaning. The campaign hashtag “#PN4BCRF” has been included in Twitter posts from celebrities, their fans, media outlets and others sharing the support of the brand’s charitable contributions to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Beginning October 1st, people across the country were able to get a piece of their favorite celebrity’s style and to feel good doing it by joining Pat Nash along with celebrities January Jones, Liv Tyler, Giuliana Rancic, Leann Rimes, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristin Chenoweth, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Menuonos, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Jessica Lowndes, Jennie Garth, Brittany Snow, Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Sweeney, Tori Spelling, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Ali Landry to raise money in the fight against breast cancer.

To heighten awareness and raise funds as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the brand auctioned off 18 signed Barcellona Saddle Bags filled with each celebrity’s handbag must-haves, with 100% of final bids donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF), which totaled in the thousands of dollars.

Dazzling Design that Delivers Results for Jewelry Television

Tue, 25 Sep 12 11:18:37 -0500

Any way you say it—from putting the bling in branding, glitz in graphics or dazzle in design, we’re excited to be working with Jewelry Television®. Designsensory is partnering with JTV to develop some sparkling promotions that includes direct mail pieces targeting separate tiers of Jewelry Television customers along with contest promotions, among other branding efforts.

Each postcard targets a different Jewelry Television customer cluster, based on buying preferences, demographics and length of engagement relationship—from first-time customers to longstanding JTV loyalists. Precious metals, minute details, delicate and feminine aesthetics of the jewelry and gemstones featured on JTV blend into many of the design elements.

Designsensory also partnered with JTV to develop an overall theme, on-air graphics and print collateral for the Jewelry Television and Tuesday Morning Treasure Hunt Sweepstakes. The nationwide contest campaign included Sunday newspaper inserts, direct mail to Tuesday Morning customers and in-bag flyers, leading toward a broader reach, cross-promotional brand awareness and high contest participation. A lighthearted and playful, yet refined and on-trend, pirate treasure theme created an inviting context for people to enter the sweepstakes.

Headquartered here in Knoxville, TN, JTV is the largest retailer of loose gemstones and one of the top four electronic jewelry retailers in the United States.

The Quantified Self: A Mosaic of Metrics and Meaning

Mon, 24 Sep 12 12:29:14 -0500

There’s a quiet revolution that’s moving metrics mainstream. Many brands count on it. We step on scales to monitor our weight and now also measure with smartphones, apps and apparel, disparate, yet quantifiable, aspects of our personal self to create a mosaic of metrics and meaning. Miles logged, calories burned, money saved and spent, dinners eaten, microbrewed beers consumed and destinations accomplished are just a few examples of self-tracking.

Considered more of a movement than just defining terminology, the “quantified self,” according to Wikipedia, “incorporates technology into data acquisition on aspects of a person’s daily life." “Quantified self” was first coined byWired editor Gary Wolf in 2007, who shared in a recent TED talk that “the self is just our operation center, our consciousness, our moral compass. So, if we want to act more effectively in the world, we have to get to know ourselves better.”

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, “You, By the Numbers: Better Performance By Self-Quantification,” author and senior researcher James Wilson shared that “applied the right way, auto-analytics can provide hard evidence in situations where traditionally we’ve relied on intuition and anecdotal feedback. Quantifying yourself is a revelatory experience—and perhaps the best thing you can do to improve your career and your life.”

MIT professor Deb Roy stated in an NPR podcast on the personal data revolution, “The idea is this: As our world becomes increasingly instrumented and we have the capabilities to collect and connect the dots, it’s like building a microscope or a telescope and revealing new structures about our own behavior around communication. And, I think the implications here are profound, whether it’s for science, for commerce, for government, or perhaps most of all, for us as individuals.”

Tim Chang, managing director of Mayfield Fund, shared in a recent Tech Crunch article: “This goes way beyond health and fitness. Though the quantified self’s roots are in ‘life hacking,’” Chang holds that the notion of quantified self will eventually include nearly everything that people do. "It’s about your consumer habits all throughout your day, from what sites you surf, what you buy, to what you like to brag about on your Facebook and Twitter.”

Here are four key takeaways toward utilizing the quantified self in branding efforts.

1. Know what to track.

Know what customers are tracking as it relates to your brand and consider how those data points can be leveraged into your communications. Conversely, know what data your organization already tracks, such as online analytics, store sales and social monitoring.

2. Keep it simple.

Integrate the quantified self-data tracking simply and seamlessly. For example, Nike+ and Nike Fuel are non-intrusive monitoring and metrics devices and the eventual data displays are consumer-friendly.

3. Make it fun.

Make data-tracking fun for participants by developing a sort of gamification component to offset potential user fatigue and enhance user engagement and retention of the data.

4. Provide insights.

Foster insights, not information, such that consumers aren’t continually bombarded with new data, but rather interpretations of the data leading towards insight. Sharing benefits via trending helps to strengthen bonds between consumers and brand.

Revisiting the Consumer Decision Journey

Fri, 24 Aug 12 17:25:48 -0500

Do you have a good understanding of your consumer’s decision journey toward brand engagement? Understanding consumer behavior will help you know where you need to put your brand’s resources.

In the Harvard Business Review article, Branding in the Digital Age: You’re Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places, David Edelman, co-leader of McKinsey & Company’s Global Digital Marketing Strategy practice, shared insight into the consumer decision journey. “Consumers still want a clear brand promise and offerings they value. What has changed is when—at what touch points—they are most open to influence, and how you can interact with them at those points. Marketers have long used the famous funnel metaphor to think about touch points: Consumers would start at the wide end of the funnel with many brands in mind and narrow them down to a final choice. In the June 2009 issue of McKinsey Quarterly, my colleague David Court and three coauthors introduced a more nuanced view of how consumers engage with brands: the consumer decision journey. The new consumer decision journey is–Consider, Evaluate, Purchase, Enjoy, Advocate.”

This video shares more of David Edelman and McKinsey & Company’s high-level insights into the consumer decision journey.

Here are five steps to defining your consumer decision journey:

1. Engage customers via online surveys, in-store interviews, focus groups, one-on-one interviews or any number of other research methodologies in order to hear from them.

2. Use Google analytics for baseline site data on in-bound navigation, visitor click streams throughout the site and many other important key performance indicators.

3. Dig into social media platforms to monitor and listen to the conversations about customer interactions with your brand.

4. Step into the shoes of one your customers and experience your brand—and your competitors’ brands—from their perspective.

5. Define patterns among and within the data.

To know more about the different points along your customer’s decision journey, all you have to do is listen; many of your customers are willing to share their story. With answers and insights from your consumers, you’re now ready to map out a visual platform outlining your brand’s consumer decision journey.

Moving On Up

Wed, 22 Aug 12 12:19:26 -0500

If you’ve visited our office lately, you’ve heard hammers pounding and seen the construction crew working on Designsensory’s office expansion. As we’ve grown over the past 10 years we’ve relocated twice and continued to expand our workforce–to a whopping 20 people today. Now, I don’t want to be so presumptuous to say that the entire second-story expansion is because of me but, in a small way, I may have been the catalyst for the construction.

When I first came to Designsensory, there was some hesitant conversation about where my workspace could be. We were at capacity among the desks and office space, and there wasn’t any room, except for…the closet. Fortunately, it wasn’t a typical tight, confined space with no light switch, filled with coats and mop buckets. It was similar to our other offices, with the exception of the inevitable office detritus–keyboards, chairs, shelves and the ubiquitous ancient fax machine. After shuffling, stacking and rearranging, the closet became my work environment for a number of months. Some people-moving has since occurred and now, I’ve come out of the closet and am in a–some might say–more respectable corner office.

As the both the Designsensory team and our client base have grown, the ongoing question continued to be: where do we put everyone? Rumors of expansion are now a reality with construction and build-out of second-story office space taking place as you read this. More space to collaborate, create and share conversations are some of the goals of the expansion, along with amenities such as a second dining area, conference spaces, design library, photo studio and a shower for those intrepid enough to cycle or run.

And we hope that the closets drawn in the blueprints will remain just that–closets.

High School to High Design: An Intern Shares Her Experiences

Mon, 25 Jun 12 12:28:40 -0500

Internships, mentoring, ongoing education and career learning, all are core aspects of Designsensory. This spring, we welcomed our first high school intern, Kristin Eubanks, a senior from Hardin Valley Academy. The entire DS team was impressed with Kristin’s motivated spirit, her understanding of the industry and willingness to both listen and participate in the conversation. Here’s an excerpt from her journal.

When entering Designsensory on the first day, I thought the environment would be very formal, but the surroundings were very personal. With the open office configuration, creativity seems to flow when you step into the building. Needless to say, I was warmly welcomed by all the employees. I tried to be open-minded, listen to everyone and learn as much as possible.

During my “work-study” at Designsensory, I was put into so many situations I had never been in before: business meetings on and offsite, a photo shoot, conference calls and other tasks. I participated in quite a bit of research, taking away the impression of the importance of research to every project, vital to creating and molding ideas. A significant conversation occurred with graphic designer Sarah Loebner, who loves her job. Sarah reminded me that it is always most important to pursue your goals.

I feel overjoyed with how well my senior portfolio experience unfolded, and with the valuable things I learned from DS team members. Honestly, there is not anything I would change or do differently within my internship. I do wish my internship with Designsensory lasted longer! A wonderful group of individuals, Designsensory immensely inspired me in the short time I was able to be a part of the team.

The Power of Empathy - Better Collaboration

Thu, 24 May 12 08:49:57 -0500

For some, the term empathy connotes soft emotions, sappy feelings and a general sense of the “warm and fuzzies,” all potentially incongruent with business, boardrooms and branding. Empathy, though, in its truest definition is a powerful tool, integral to the brand engagement process, leading to insights and innovation.

The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of empathy is “The power of projecting one’s personality into (and, so fully comprehending) the object of contemplation.” In the blog post “Empathy: Not Such a Soft Skill,” Harvard Business Review (HBR) editor Katherine Bell writes, “It’s an act of imagination in which you try to look at the world from the perspective of another person, a human being whose history and point of view are as complex as your own. At all levels of management, empathy is a critical skill. If you can imagine a person’s point of view—no matter what you think of it—you can more effectively influence him.”

Although a broad spectrum of consumer information can be gathered from client meetings, online surveys, focus groups, ethnographies and other data-mining tools, the transformation from simple information toward insight and innovation occurs when everyone within both the client and brand consultancy incorporate empathy. This empathy toward the customer fosters positive solutions, but, just as important, is empathy among colleagues and client-partners.

In a recent HOW magazine article, “The Empathic Designer,” David Holston shared that “design success is often as much the result of the quality of the relationships formed with clients, as it is the quality of the design.”

5 Tips for Better Collaborative Design Relationships:

1. Humility: The ability to control emotions at critical times, and to maintain a level of detachment is critical for managing productive client/designer relationships.

2. Listening: Active listening techniques include restating ideas the client has suggested to reinforce the idea that you understand; being aware of body language that might communicate disinterest; focusing on the content of the conversation; prompting for details to better understand the client’s point; and, suspending judgment so as to not cut off communication.

3. Questioning: Being able to ask meaningful and relevant questions not only prompts the client to provide more information, but also positions the designer in a lead role, not just a passive tactical role.

4. Feedback: The ability to give positive and negative feedback is a key factor in creating trusting relationships.

5. Transparency: By providing clients a transparent process in which they understand what is going to happen, when it will happen and what their roles and expectations are, designers take a step toward building strong relationships.

In HBR article, “Leadership in a Combat Zone,” Lieutenant General William Pagonis, director of logistics during the Gulf War, wrote “Owning the facts is a prerequisite to leadership. But there are millions of technocrats out there with lots of facts in their quivers and little leadership potential. In many cases, what they are missing is empathy. No one is a leader who can’t put himself or herself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy and expertise command respect.”

My DS Experience, by Elizabeth Ann (Bitsy) Conde

Tue, 22 May 12 11:05:34 -0500

Besides all of the great things I heard from past interns and teachers, I was not sure what to expect when I first came to fulfill my practicum at Designsensory. I was both excited and afraid about working with such highly regarded designers. Having learned so much from my previous internship, I had great expectations.

Of course, my expectations were fully met and more. Even with my first assigned project--which I feel I completely missed the mark on--I had already learned so much. I was challenged with projects for which I did not have a depth of experience, and that pushed me far beyond my level of comfort. One of my favorite aspects of working with Designsensory was the breadth of elements in design that I would have never considered making part of my process. The staff was so friendly, more than willing to lend advice, even if they were engaged in their own projects.

In conclusion, working at Designsensory gave me vital design experience in multiple fields, causing me to realize what kind of work environment I enjoy designing in. I wish I had more internship hours to complete, because I really do hate to go!

Thank you for making my experience so enjoyable!

Celebrate 2012 ADDYÂ® Wins With Us

Wed, 21 Mar 12 10:21:27 -0500

The Designsensory team arrived en masse and celebrated a year’s worth of hard work at the 47th annual ADDY® Awards, with all entries earning recognition, including four Gold ADDYs. Upon accepting the Best of Show Collateral award, Joseph Nother took to the stage with a brief acceptance speech, encouraging everyone to embrace the power of good design. Tennessee heritage and trendsetting hipsters mingled with the auspicious addition of a moonshine-filled mason jar at each table, helping to promote heartfelt “yeehaws” after wins by Designsensory. Yes, happily, we did our part: our memorable moonshine jar was empty by evening’s end.

The Crowne Plaza saw many in evening gowns and tuxedos, as attendees brought elegance to the roaring twenties-themed gala. Serenading the event was a lively jazz trio, while local radio and TV personalities emceed the event.

The annual ADDY Awards is the advertising industry’s largest recognition of creative excellence. AAF-Knoxville hosts the local ADDY Awards, with Gold and Silver winners eligible to continue the competition at regional and national levels.

Designsensory’s creative honors included:

Gold & Best of Show Collateral for Financial Executives International’s FEIesta Invitation
Gold, The Legacy Centre For Family Business & Entrepreneurship website
Gold, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s seasonal microsite, Winter With Elvis
Gold, Designsensory’s 10-year mixed media campaign
Silver, Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation’s web, mobile & e-blast
Silver, BASI Pilates website
Silver, The University of Tennessee Medical Center website
Silver, The Legacy Centre For Family Business & Entrepreneurship logo
Silver, Goodwill Industries-Knoxville Vintage Fashion Show poster
Bronze, PetSafe’s Paw Print blog
Bronze, University of Tennessee Medical Center’s Fans of Hope website

We congratulate all the winners and express our appreciation to AAF-Knoxville for the fantastic festivities.

Debbie Millman: Thinking About Design

Tue, 20 Mar 12 21:46:23 -0500

AIGA (the professional association of design) former president, and Sterling Brands' President of Design, Debbie Millman’s visited Knoxville recently and lectured on brands. Our design team was fortunate to hear her speak and several folks provided remarks on the evening. . . .

Justin Hudson, graphic designer: "What I took away from the lecture most is the role strategy plays in branding, and the strength it provides to our design. When we have a reason for the branding to exist, with clearly defined goals, our design will be much more successful and less subjective. It defines our role in the process and gives credibility to what we are creating.

Another interesting topic from the Millman lecture is the triune brain and how that relates to our reception of brands. It makes for an interesting explanation as to why we, as humans, act and react the way we do."

Alison Ashe, senior graphic designer: “I loved that she said the only good designers who don’t wake up every morning thinking, ‘What if I can’t be great today; what if I’ve lost it?’ are people like Milton Glaser, and that’s just because they’re 80. It reminds me of one of my favorite books, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, which says that only a true professional who is devoted to his/her craft will constantly be plagued by the fear of being a hack.”

Matt Montgomery, graphic designer: "Debbie Millman, as president of design for industry heavyweight Sterling Brands, has helped brand products such as Pepsi, Gilette, Nestle and Star Wars. So, it’s not surprising that few people speak more eloquently or intuitively about the role of branding in today’s economic and social landscape. One idea I found particularly insightful was that companies should not focus on a brand “refresh” or “redesign,” but rather focus on what the current cultural meaning is behind the symbols in their brand. With this knowledge, they can properly assess whether that cultural meaning resonates with their desired audience or not—-a great insight to help customers ascertain if a redesign is warranted in order to better connect with customers.

I strongly recommend her latest book, Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits, as it is filled with interviews with industry notables and more. Millman weaves these together to paint a fascinating picture of the state of branding today."

Debbie Millman: Thinking About Brand

Wed, 22 Feb 12 13:20:47 -0600

Those of us lucky enough to be in Debbie Millman’s presence at Old City’s Remedy Coffee on Thursday, January 20, drank a cup of experiential wisdom. Inspiring? Vehemently, yes! Her passion and story evoke a close-up, walk-in-my-boots motivation, rather than sit-there-in-awe-of-a-cultural-icon inspiration. We can aptly relate to her trials by fire. An early point in the evening taught listeners to not turn down small opportunities. You never know. . . .

When Debbie Millman is onstage, you feel like a cohort, definitely along for one adventurous ride. To those confidence-eroding self-questions we all have: “Will I be able to do it today?” “Can I be great again today?” she tossed back, “Be aware of how you self-limit or self-sabotage. Don’t cut yourself off. You just may be able to do it!”

For the students in attendance—yet, benefitting all—Millman advised, “Be polite, persistent, headstrong. What can you do to make your dreams come true?”

Her emphasis on strategy certainly resonated with me as we espouse the same values at Designsensory. Millman cautioned that great ideas without great strategy won’t work, paying respect to several in her field who she tapped for their definition of “strategy” particularly in the context of brands. Ultimately, the cornerstone of brand strategy is really in differentiated advantage: the ability to either (a) be different, or (b) do things differently. Brand identity and communication design simply work to define and express this point of view.

A brand is a shared relationship between corporate stakeholders and customers. Millman pointed to how we parse reviews before buying on Amazon, as an example of how social testimony can shape brand affinity. Her statement that, “Human beings metabolize their purchases quickly” and ensuing extrapolations gave us food for thought about challenging stakeholders to create brands that are meaningful, sustainable, transparent and purposeful.

And, she caused some serious seat squirming when she announced that people passionately disavow change, illustrating the lengths to which human beings will endeavor to keep comfort close. Brands, like people, evolve but many are unforgiving of the changes to brand identity because of a discomfort with change. Remember the GAP logo debacle? she reminded.

Indeed, it was a great night to be on the front row. Insightful and inspirational.

Debbie Millman, president of the design division at Sterling Brands and president emeritus of AIGA, recently wowed an AIGA crowd at Remedy Coffee.

2012 Trends

Mon, 23 Jan 12 15:07:21 -0600

At the beginning of the new year, we at Designsensory, like to share some forward-thinking design, content and technology insights that, hopefully, you can utilize within your branding, business and marketing efforts. This post showcases the multidisciplinary nature of our firm with insights from several Designsensory team members. Names are included within the post so that you can get to know a bit more about them and our collective thoughts on what’s next in branding, technology and design for 2012 and beyond.

Joseph Nother | creative director, principal, cofounder

Overall:

Physical and digital lines are blurring and converging. Bringing digital/social information into a physical world will be a growth point. For example, in NYC, a collaborative meeting space key fob is tied in with the individual’s social information and work. Swipe a key fob to enter, then wall screens and settings change to showcase that person’s work, websites of interest, tweets and ambient settings.

Distinct work/life modes are disappearing. For example, people will increasingly work personal content access, such as Facebook, into their professional lives, leveraging their own “avatar brand” in their work.

An appetite for access to content, anytime, anywhere, will increase as well as the ability to discriminate between good, bad and trustworthy content.

Dialogue vs. monologue across all touchpoints enabled by mobile devices will have greater implications for brands. Brands will need to identify and/or plant firm, deep, authentic roots in their positioning, legacy, social advocacy, perspective and mission. These values will, more than ever, need to be clearly express by their culture, people, designed objects and touchpoint experiences to convey a differentiated advantage to consumers.

Context + Content are king because devices make consumption instant. This cycle will also be self-reinforcing and have lasting impact on our ability to discriminate, focus and make decisions in our daily lives.

For technology, experience and meaning trump productivity as we are focused on adding meaning to life beyond material wealth and being.

Across all brands, the novelty of digital gives way to delivery of relevant content, conversations and digitally-enhanced experiences. Brands should now have a greater understanding of what works for them in the digital space. This self-awareness should enhance how they use digital to engage and augment.

Shopping and commerce becomes less isolated and segmented, more integrated into the stream of consumer lives. Thus, the concept of “store” is being redefined.

Social media continues to democratize societal and cultural influence. Media celebrities stand toe to toe with the “influencers of niche and micro groups” (i.e., the normal individual).

Medium:

Print, particularly well-curated and well-designed items will trump digital communication as authentic, real and influential, as digital has become ubiquitous and cheap (i.e., if someone prints something, the individual must believe in it because of the cost of publishing inherent to the medium).

Vintage and tangible objects increasing in meaning and/or become luxury items in an increasingly tactile-less digital world.

Video becomes more accessible, more easily created and distributed. Since video mirrors the experience of real life, people hunger for more moving images and content creators will continue to satisfy while looking for ways to monetize or capitalize on viewership.

HTML5 adoption, the proliferation of gadets of varied screen sizes and the notion of responsive, adaptive and liquid layouts will continue to push digital design in directions focused on sustainabile, flexible content delivery.

Culture:

Olympics in London might spawn newfound interest in UK and Old World heritage as well as contemporary European culture, styles and lifestyles.

A desire to leave the economic and societal negativity of the last few years gives way to a projection of more positively oriented themes.

Elections in the fall of 2012 will see a renewed emphasis on personal responsibility, sustainability, economic viability and personal lifestyle choices, as these themes will serve as sub-current to the explicit themes of the election: taxes, economic prosperity in a global world, global competition and cost-reduction.

Will 2012 be the end, as the Mayans predict? What would that portend? Regardless, a contemplation of where we’ve been, where we are going and the metaphysical value in our desires, fears and aspirations will be on our minds.

Susan Hamilton | content developer, editor

Among the larger trends I hear frequently discussed are:

Fully connect with the community you serve, whether that community is geographic or interest-based. Be an outlet that people in that community trust and rely on for information that serves them and matters to them.

Be transparent in all things. That may mean, for some types of information outlet, shedding the cloak of objectivity and showing your passion and concern. It also means being transparent about who you are, where and when you get your information, how you allow a story to develop (in its own time), and what the responses are.

Alison Ashe | senior designer

There are the things we do, and there is the purpose behind the things we do.

What makes people act? Decide? Commit? Exchange their time, effort and attention for the thing that you’re offering, when there are so many other choices available?

Not just the immediate and obvious need. There is always another purpose underlying that need. In the backs of people’s minds, often unknown even to themselves, hiding behind “Will this antiperspirant keep me from sweating?” is “Will this help me live the life I want?” Right beside “Who am I?” and “What do I want to be?”

The strongest brands will make people realize why they get out of bed in the morning and position themselves in harmony with that purpose. Either we have some deeper reason driving every tiny thing we do, or we’re all automatons. Our job and that of our clients is to define the human purpose and inspire action in pursuit of it. Wake people up and engage them on that deeper level. There are probably as many ways to define purpose as there are people. It’s not an easy job, but it’s why we get out of bed in the morning.

Justin Hudson | designer

Back to the basics. Know your brand, but more importantly know what your customers say your brand is. In just the past few months, we’ve seen large companies such as Netflix, GoDaddy.com and Bank of America, to name a few, lose sight of their most important asset, their customers, and their brands have paid the price in customer loyalty.

Matt Montgomery | designer

Look for the popularity of internet-connected TVs to grow as developers continue to build on Android’s SDK (software development kit) for Google TV, and Apple will undoubtedly release a new version of its Apple TV with Siri-inspired voice control and other added functionality. As these products gain traction, a new wave of developers will scramble to build apps and TV-optimized sites for this new platform.

Human Centered Design will be seen as more and more of a competitive advantage as companies seek to offer useful services in the digital age. Services like Simple and Flight Card that utilize technology to help make users’ lives easier by making sense of complex information will outpace clunkier, less transparent services.

Ian Fitz | web developer

Browsers automatically and silently update themselves.

Many of the browsers have always prompted that an update was available, and new versions of Internet Explorer and Safari show up in the list of system updates, but both of those things are easy to dismiss. This has kept many web users on older versions of browsers, making it more difficult for us as web developers to use new techniques and features. When Google Chrome was released, it included a silent auto-updater. The browser would update itself automatically without ever asking the user. Recently, Firefox has included a similar feature, and Microsoft has announced that it will turn on silent updates for Internet Explorer with a Windows update coming this year. This will hopefully lead to more users utilizing the most recent versions of their browsers, giving us as web developers more options when building sites for our clients.

Susan Napier-Sewell | content developer, editor

A business blog can provide very beneficial returns for SEO efforts because of the ease in optimizing posts for keywords. Adding links to pages within a site seems more natural when they are part of the text within your posts. Blog posts establish an ongoing conversation, a relationship beyond the usual. Put yourself out there in thought leadership and differentiate your company from the competition.

Anne Brogdon | designer
My 2012 trend is the end of QR codes and similar tags which offer an inelegant solution for connecting the physical to the online. Better solutions will be found and integrated.

Josh Loebner | strategist

Be Real. Understand and utilize real, meaningful content. Know what real content is. Know how to create real content, and know how to share real content. Most importantly, know that you aren’t the only one creating content. The people who both love and hate your brand create content every day with what they share and do.

Transparency, accountability and trust will continue to shape communication efforts. In other words, branding that builds worthwhile, lifelong relationships will rise above more compartmentalized, on-off campaigns. We are in the midst of an increasingly data-driven culture (whether it’s for personal apps or your company’s website) which pushes analytics and metrics to the forefront of success measurements. Make sure those data points are tied to emotional well-being and trust. Simply ask yourself, how can your brand be more transparent, accountable and trustworthy in 2012.

Ten Magical Years of Designsensory

Wed, 21 Dec 11 09:25:29 -0600

There is a reason the DS10 binary wink symbol was smiling: We have a great deal for which to be happy! It's not a small feat to celebrate 10 years in business, particularly in light of the current global malaise. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 out of 3 small businesses survive 10 years or more. It's a sobering statistic that only further resonates with me now and during the holidays. Indeed, when I look back on the years and our success, the one word that immediately comes to mind is family.

Long before the Designsensory ship set sail, our parents worked hard to cultivate a sense of purpose, passion, curiosity and entrepreneurship. The values they instilled, the lessons they taught and the support they've shown are fundamental to our success and company culture. Our parents continue to be role models of love, hard work and virtue matched only by the unwavering love, support, encouragement our spouses provide on a daily basis.

As I consider our Designsensory evolution, I recognize that--given the amount of time we spend together--we are family. We don't just share projects, we share memories and milestones: engagements, weddings, births and significant life events. When one succeeds, we all succeed. When one is hurting, we all feel it. For me, working, learning and growing with our staff has been the highest privilege of my life. Their trust in each other, and in my leadership, and in Brandon's leadership, is an inspiration and an honor. The Designsensory family pushes us to be better managers, better leaders, better people.

Without the trust of our clients, we would not be here. Period. The lights wouldn't turn on, and we would lack a reason for being. To our family of clients who have entrusted us with their brands, I thank you for the opportunity to serve you, to learn from you, to grow through and with you. Your trust, patience and desire to achieve a better future makes everything we do an incredibly worthwhile journey.

I am proud to say a staggering amount has been accomplished in 10 years, yet I feel as though we've just started to hit our stride. We live in exciting times with so much opportunity. Let us celebrate the past by focusing onward! Here's to a strong 2012, and a long, bright future of great ideas that inspire, connect, transform and produce meaningful results.

Stay hungry, stay foolish, and . . . stay thirsty, my friends! ;-)

Joseph Nother

Principal & Creative Director, Co-Founder

P.S. Thank you to the members of our staff who worked hard to create the fantastic 10-year evening. In particular, Kelly Raines did an amazing job of coordinating vendors and DSers (myself included) into making decisions and meeting deadlines for the party while trying to juggle the normal craziness.

Vendors (several are DS clients) worked equally hard to put together a magical evening: All Occasions Party Rentals, with the tent and fixtures; Gourmet's Market, with tasty delicacies; Magpies, with delightful cupcake minis; and, Luxe Catering served up fabulous cocktails. As usual, Hart Graphics provided quality print materials in super swift (translate: less than 24 hours) time.

Beautiful flowers were on display, courtesy of Brandon's mother, Suzan Rochelle, and Lindsay's mother, Bekki Brine, while the delicious coffee in our DS10 mugs came from none other than Goodson Brothers Coffee, who has been a local steward of fine coffee since 1882.

The Night Before A Designsensory Christmas

Wed, 21 Dec 11 09:00:55 -0600

'Twas the night before Christmas, with no clients calling.
Not a creative was stirring, not a programmer coding.

DS Basecamp and Freckle were logged with care,
In hopes that client billings soon would be there.

Kelly was sure projects were placed to bed.
While visions of ADDYs danced in DSers' heads.

And, Joseph and Brandon, with all DSers out the door,
Had just left the office--Bah, humbug, clients, no more!

When out of the corner office, there arose such a clatter,
We all turned our heads to see what was the matter.

Away to the door, Paula flew like a flash,
"There’s a new client coming in with loads of cash!"

The moon on the hood of his Benz did show,
This client means business. Let’s go, go, go.

When, what to our wondering eyes did appear,
But a client giving us work . . . no spec to fear.

He delivered a creative brief, so in-depth, yet quick,
We knew in a moment the work would stick.

More rapid than eagles, his demands they came,
As he whistled and shouted each of our names.

Now Joseph and Brandon, Lindsay and Stephan,
Sarah and Ian, Kelly and Anne,
Josh L. and Josh V., two Susans, two Michaels
Paula, Alison, Erin and Matt.

Get to your desks and out of the hall!
Now, design away, write copy and code away, all.

As ideas that during brainstorms take flight,
DSers met with no obstacle tonight.

So, to the keyboards as a team we flew.
With heads full of graphics and coding too.

And, then, in a twinkling, was had an "Aha"!
The writing and drawing of a creative ta-dah.

The client drew in his head and was turning around.
Down the hallway, the bigwig came with a bound.

The creative, how it twinkled, the copy how merry!
The little IA was drawn up like a bow,
And the nav of the site was as clean as fresh snow.

His review of the work, he held tight in his teeth.
While DSers encircled his head like a wreath.

He handed broad praise, and little negativity.
He shook when he said, "I love DS creativity."

"Products will jump right off the old shelf,"
He laughed when he saw the design, in spite of himself.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon told DSers we had nothing to dread.

The client, he spoke not a word, but went straight to the work.
Said, "It’s spectacular," then turned with a jerk.

And, laying his finger aside the pen,
Signed an approval for creative to send.

He sprang to his car and whistled, "It’s done!"
And, away DSers flew, with corrections not one.

But, I heard him exclaim, ere he drove into the night,
"Merry Christmas to all, Designsensory is out of sight!"

Big Wig Awards

Tue, 22 Nov 11 14:26:59 -0600

Every day, creativity and design are top-of-mind here at Designsensory and, with Halloween near, any excuse to attend an event with costumes and celebrations was more than welcomed. The American Advertising Federation (AAF), Knoxville chapter, recently hosted the second annual Big Wig Awards event, with members of our team among the winners.

Held Halloween week, the evening celebrations were made livelier by many costumed attendees. With my Atari t-shirt, Vans sneakers and corduroy blazer, my disguise was appearing to be a young Wayne Bowman--an industry colleague, AAF member and one of this area’s better-known copywriters.

The awards were created to celebrate the uncelebrated, who have also been instrumental in helping others receive or in nominating others for ADDYs or other creative awards. Enjoying the evening’s lighthearted festivities, I was surprised to hear my name called. I was given the first annual Unsung Hero Award, in appreciation for outstanding dedication and devotion to the principles and ideals of the advertising community.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited and shared a speech that included a short commentary about my personal blog, recognizing the optimism and voice for advertising and disability. The night’s celebrations continued with Haley McCallie, Designsensory’s fall intern, receiving two honors during the evening’s festivities: Best Intern and Graphic Design Student of the Year. We were also glad to see one of our clients, RIVR Media, receive the award for Best Film/Video Production.

Curly Hair, Big Wig

Tue, 22 Nov 11 11:51:40 -0600

Haley McCallie, our fall intern from the University of Tennessee (and AAF Big Wig), recaps her journey here at DS:

When I began the process of looking for an internship for this semester, I already knew that Designsensory was at the top of my list. I have been involved with AIGA since I began the graphic design program at UTK; with Joseph Nother and others from Designsensory a part of AIGA, I knew that they shared similar sensibilities (also, after meeting Joseph, I knew his firm would be a fun place to work). However, even with previous interaction, I was still extremely nervous when I came for my interview. Joseph and Lindsay Miller soon put those feelings to rest. They are so laid-back and personable that, after only a few minutes, you feel as if you have been friends with them for years. After a long conversation, I knew that I really wanted the opportunity to intern here, with their relaxed, fun personalities. I sensed it would be easy to learn from them, and the kind of environment they have created is exactly the kind I hope to permanently work in one day.

When I came to DS, I expected to likely get one big project that I could work on and fine-tune all semester. I hoped for the opportunity to work on branding, websites and/or client relations but, most importantly, learn how a design firm operates and where I will fit in as graphic designer (you know, all that stuff they don't teach you in school). About halfway through my stint at DS, it sunk in that I still have much to learn. There are many things that no one takes the time to teach you in school. After a small and private panic attack, everyone assured me that all new grads start out this way. In our field, we will be constantly inventing, evolving and adapting (if we want to do great work), and this is exactly where I am at this time (even if I wish I were a little closer to the "do great work part").

After almost three months at DS, with my time soon sadly coming to an end, I am happy to report that I now have many projects under my belt--from website rotationals to printed banners to a brand refresh to website design. They have given me the experience of a "real" employee with "real" jobs, while taking the time to supplement my education along the way. Long story short, DS has been everything I expected and more. If that wasn't enough, with their support, I just won two AAF Big Wig Awards (for best intern and graphic design student of the year)! I that doesn't cure my recent battle with senioritis, I don't know what will.

Many thanks to everyone at DS, especially those who have really taken the time to teach me. I hope I've served you well. LONG LIVE DS!

Thanks Haley for your hard work! Interested in a design internship? Contact us to apply.

Party Time

Fri, 21 Oct 11 10:19:16 -0500

We're not shy about it. At Designsensory, we're all about parties. We spend many hours together and look forward to championing small victories in each others' lives--birthdays, holidays, baby showers (a relatively recent addition), farewells and weddings.

The same goes with our clients. We work closely together for a period of time and celebrate with them as a project nears completion. This month, we had the pleasure of attending a website preview party for The Legacy Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship. The icing on the cake was a preview demo of their soon-to-launch website.

We've worked with Ed and Cindy Seaver over the past few months to create a dynamic website that embodies their vision and offers a rich set of web-based benefits for members. One key feature to the site is an area that gives members access to an expert panel of family-owned business men and women, ready to answer any business-related questions. The Legacy Centre lovingly calls these professionals, "Tennessee's Finest 'Stache' of Quality Experts."

At the party, Cindy took every opportunity to celebrate the newly developed branding for The Legacy Centre, adding sprinkles of "mustachiness" (see photos below).

Like Designsensory, The Legacy Centre knows how to throw a great party! Looking forward to the official launch of their site soon.

Goodwill Vintage Fashion Show

Thu, 22 Sep 11 15:18:45 -0500

As a graphic designer with Designsensory, I help transform ideas into visions. Now, more clearly recognizing what Goodwill Industries-Knoxville embodies, I see how that remarkable organization transforms the lives of their employees and the community. When I came to Designsensory a year ago, I knew Goodwill as a thrift store. Today, I’m a grateful witness to Goodwill’s empowering and continuous contribution.

I just attended my second Goodwill Vintage Fashion Show, where reused fashions are in vogue! To show appreciation for the continued support from the Knoxville community, Goodwill hosts this and several other events each year as fundraisers and to inform people of the organization’s good work.

Models walking the runway aren’t simply fashion-forward. Rather, the volunteers, community members, Goodwill staff and their clients pay it forward, by supporting such a good cause. Designsensory’s pro bono design efforts helped promote the show to the community.

All proceeds from the fashion show go to support Goodwill Industries-Knoxville’s local mission of providing vocational services and employment opportunities to people with barriers to employment.

Through Designsensory’s involvement with Goodwill, I have gotten to observe, firsthand, the impact made by Goodwill job training. We use the Goodwill cleaning service at our office, and over the last year I’ve become acquainted with this cheerful team. Randy, shown here, is a super sports fan, always smiling and asking about our day as he sweeps floors and empties wastebaskets. It feels pretty good to be linked with a program that reaches so many people through Knoxville’s 24 Goodwill stores and five employment training and rehabilitation centers throughout the area.

At Thursday’s Vintage Fashion Show, we heard from a few Goodwill clients who have benefitted from the job training programs. For her 18 years of dedication to Goodwill, Peggy Nenninger was named Goodwill’s International Volunteer of the Year, a very prestigious award decided by Goodwill International’s Volunteer Service Board. After high school graduation, Allison Koontz enrolled in three Goodwill programs. In Work Adjustment, Allison learned basic employment behaviors and work habits; through Driver’s Education, she obtained her license and is now responsible for her own transportation; through Work Keys, Allison received social and life skills training as well as preparation for Pellissippi State Community College’s placement test. Allison is now enrolled in nine hours of classes at Pellissippi State. Jeremy Wallace mastered two Goodwill programs, equipping him to drive and run machinery at Goodwill’s Material Recovery Facility in Russellville, TN. Jeremy also volunteers at the West Hamblen Fire Department and has competed in Goodwill’s Fire and Rescue Challenge.

Overall, I scored some pretty cool new shoes, a retro hip winter coat to cover my ever-expanding pregnant belly and a semiformal dress. I enjoyed a delicious dinner and a fabulous fashion show. Leaving the event, I knew that the entire evening was dedicated to helping people in need. You might say that I’m fresh on the heels of sharing new things about Goodwill every day, including my fantastic new $4 shoes!

Jaclyn Learns the Ropes, Summer 2011

Fri, 19 Aug 11 13:14:40 -0500

Editorial by Jaclyn. Edited to fit your screen:

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know what tipped me off that my experience as Designsensory’s summer intern was going to be a good one, but “sausage and biscuits” doesn’t exactly sound like the most legitimate answer, does it? I swear, though, at my interview, when Joseph Nother and Lindsay Miller were offering me a tasty breakfast as we discussed the “fine pieces of art” in his office (I’m referring to a children’s plastic buzzer-emitting wand and other “figurines” on his shelves) before actually discussing my portfolio, I knew this place would be great for me.

Designsensory has so much character. Even art on the walls is largely staff-created. The staff is so stylish that I practically have to wear a prom dress to keep up! You should see the stellar shoe collections belonging to Alison Ashe, Paula Solomon and Lindsay Miller. It puts my 54-pair stockpile to absolute shame. Everyone at DS has such great taste, with the occasional exception of the controller of the satellite radio. Ha!

The Designsensory kitchen is another story entirely. Something ridiculous is always going on in there: Josh Vittetoe is scrambling eggs; Sarah Mills is baking cookies; Alison Ashe is roasting pumpkin seeds; Susan Napier-Sewell is microwaving frozen spinach; Joseph is pan-cooking a T-bone. The community food table is one of the funniest (and best) phenomena. My already awesome office experience was further heightened by Anne Brogdon arriving with some insanely delicious homemade Magpies’ mini-cupcakes (demolished in under 5 minutes, no lie); another day, Susan Napier-Sewell brought in 4 dozen delectable vanilla thumbprint cookies from VG’s Bakery. It took a bit longer for the staff to work through a gigantic box of peanuts (from University of Tennessee Medical Center), but those, too, are gone.

However, all is not fun and games. Work is the constant, I promise. And, I learned, of course. To be honest, I didn’t go into the internship expecting to be a ninja designer by August. For me, this experience was about discovering and understanding the dynamics of a professional design firm, and Designsensory completely surpassed my expectations. Each person who works here contributes something more than the job that they were hired to do. I’ve always thought that the bestpart of a job is the family that comes along with it, and these fantastic people definitely have that. (Staffers Sarah Mills and Josh Loebner embodied this philosophy, getting married recently!)

This blog post may not be very telling or specifically indicative of my work at DS but, overall, I think the most important thing that I take away from Designsensory has little to do with the new portfolio items that I’ve acquired. Rather, if my time here is any indication of my future life and career as a designer, then it’s definitely something to look forward to, not stress out about. I also have learned to be more cautious with enormous cups of coffee around costly electronics.

Thanks very much to the very talented, creative, friendly staff at Designsensory. You guys made this experience what it was.

---

Well, Jaclyn, thanks for being the super cool, super fun, super talented intern we knew you'd be. - JN

Hard Work Pays Off

Thu, 18 Aug 11 12:01:56 -0500

The start of the school year signals a new season of amazing cheer and dance competitions, but our work with Varsity Knoxville begins long before August. For weeks, we've collaborated on ideas for the upcoming season. It's exciting to design for kids and teenagers but, make no mistake, these cheerleaders and dancers are dedicated young athletes. We had to fuel our inner Sasha Fierce with a few 5-hour Energies, but we were able to get our creative ideas rolling.

The challenge was to develop new ad creative for 5 brands--giving each its own unique style and personality. Here's the process that helped us get it all done:

1. Select themes that differentiate each brand
We started by focusing our creative ideas to one key theme per brand: Futuristic, All-American, Hero, Dreamlike and World Innovators.

2. Develop our themes into concepts
Each theme had an associated look and feel, sketches, photo shoot direction with poses and props, headline ideas and notes documenting the personality of the ads.

3. Get client approval
We took our themes, concepts and sketches to the idea paint wall, charting the course for all ad creative for the upcoming year.

4. Acquire assets needed to create the ads
Varsity Knoxville recruited active cheerleaders and dancers from across the country to join us for three days of a strategically planned photo shoot extravaganza at Jean-Philippe's studio.

5. Deliver finalized ads
The final ads prove our process pays off! We're looking forward to extending these themes throughout the year.

Design or cheer, it takes a team working together to be competitive.

Helping PetSafe Promote the Launch of a New Product

Tue, 26 Jul 11 21:57:00 -0500

Here, at Designsensory, visual design is at the forefront of what we do, but our capabilities go well beyond creating what is seen, to where, when and how it will be seen via media planning.

PetSafe partnered with us to develop a strategy, media plan and media placements for their Stay + Play Wireless Fence campaign. Regionally launched in Birmingham, AL, Nashville, TN, and Richmond, VA, the integrated marketing included print advertising, television commercials, online, social media and public relations.

Strategy and research are central to media planning before, during and after the campaign. Awareness, attitude and usage studies were conducted, revealing what people knew about PetSafe in each market prior to the advertising.

Also, before we launched the campaign, separate A/B testing and focus groups were conducted on the print ads and TV commercial. Once the creative was adjusted and approved, we met with the PR and social media teams to make sure there would be a consistent message throughout the campaign.

Here is a 10-step process to developing a solid media plan:

1. Learn about the product and campaign goals

2. Develop creative

3. Know the customer

4. Agree on a budget

5. Determine markets

6. Gather media info

7. Develop media recs

8. Negotiate rates

9. Place media

10. Monitor campaign and refine tactics

Media planning can often be an intensive process but, if properly executed, well worth the effort for publicity and profits.

Learn more about our how our media planning, strategy and marketing capabilities integrate and augment the value of our world-class creative, design and technical services.

2011 Addy Award Wins

Mon, 28 Mar 11 11:19:28 -0500

Awesome work, Team Designsensory! All Designsensory entries won—with a total of 11—gold, silver and bronze awards. Here's the breakdown:

2 Gold ADDY Awards:

Goodwill Industries - Integrated Print Campaign
Goodson Brothers Coffee Company - Brand Identity and Packaging

7 Silver ADDY Awards:

City of Maryville - Foothills Fall Festival Website
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce - Corporate Identity Rebranding
Jersey City Economic Development Corporation - Website
North Carolina Outward Bound School- Website
Tennessee Wesleyan College- Website
Secret Safe Place for Newborns - Integrated Campaign
Wesley House - Corporate Identity Rebranding

2 Bronze Citations of Excellence:

FlipFest - Print Publication
Ober Gatlinburg - Website

Other highlights of the evening included recognition of American Advertising Federation local board members, including two of Designsensory’s staff, Sarah Mills, designer, and Josh Loebner, strategist. Paula Solomon, business development director for Designsensory, was in attendance, stating, “Our agency is growing by leaps and bounds, and these wins affirm to our clients and staff that we’re one of the best agencies in the region.”

The Knoxville ADDY Awards is the first tier of the three-tiered National ADDY Awards, the advertising industry’s largest recognition of creative excellence. Founded in 1959, the American Advertising Federation of Knoxville is a professional organization that promotes excellence and awareness of advertising in the greater Knoxville area.

KTSC Website Launch Party

Fri, 28 Jan 11 13:03:38 -0600

Unveiling their new website with fanfare and friends, the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation hosted a launch party in the Sunsphere. Media, city and county officials, area business leaders and the Designsensory team helped celebrate the site as a new way to connect with Knoxville and all that it has to offer. A short video supplementing the launch party’s in-person walk-through highlighted all the robust features and visitor interactions offered by the new site.

Momentum for the site continues to grow with media coverage and interviews of top KTSC officials.

Check it out at Knoxville.org.

Case Study: Athletic Championships

Fri, 21 Jan 11 18:34:13 -0600

Updating the Logo

One brand that we've had the pleasure to work with for a number of years is Athletic Championships. Athletic Championships is a brand of cheer and dance competitions that are as high-energy as they are full of fun.

Each year brings a new season for Athletic Championships, and each year we become involved in producing banners, ads, forms – you name it – to set the look and feel for the year. As a part of last year's efforts, we also refreshed the Athletic Championships logo.

The previous logo (shown below), while well intentioned, wasn't communicating the premium experience provided by Athletic Championships. In addition, it was hard to read and couldn't be easily reproduced in 1-color. By simply rearranging and tweaking some of the elements, we were able to fix these problems and align the logo with the premium quality of their brand.

Also, by moving the "A" symbol above the words instead of behind, the "A" is empowered to stand on its own and become a true symbol of the brand. Although a seemingly small change, it has laid the groundwork for allowing this brand to expand and blossom in the past two years.

Expanding Applications

Below are a few samples of the early applications of the new Athletic logo. In the year the logo was changed, it was applied it to banners, large event displays, registration forms, name tags and a myriad of other things.

The ability of the logo to be rendered in white on top of colorful and vibrant imagery has been taken advantage of in the pieces we created.

Going Big Time

For this year's season, Athletic Championships asked us to create a new backdrop for their live events. As you can see below, the backdrops they were using still featured the old logo and lacked the visual punch and energy of the performances going on in front of it. Bouncing ideas back and for with Athletic Championships, we pushed the logo even farther, adding dimensionality to allow it to come alive in a futuristic space scene radiating with energy beams.

To top it off, the finished background was 120 feet wide – talk about visual punch! We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out and there is even talk of adding LED lighting to it in the future. All of this would not have been possible without the improvements we made last year to the logo. It just goes to show the importance and value of building your brand on a strong visual foundation.

As a parting shot, check out this video of the backdrop in action:

2011 Trends: A Few Thoughts

Thu, 20 Jan 11 10:28:57 -0600

If we’ve learned nothing else over the course of 2010, design, advertising and technology is in a continual state of flux, and we believe the changes that have taken place, and those yet to come are important to our profession, clients and most importantly, to our client-partners’ many customers.

Here at Designsensory, we’ve asked our team to gaze into the future and share some predictions for 2011. Here’s what a few people have to say:

Technology Sync
Start a checkout or plan on your phone, finish it on the regular website or app later, share your experience with a video from your phone while your friends stalk you with geoawareness.
– Brandon Rochelle

Mobile Contexts
According to an article I read in their in-flight magazine; Someone from Google was quoted as saying 2011 is going to be the year of “mobile” applications. Using your smart phone to decide what can I do right here right now at this moment in this location. Using your phone as a boarding pass is one example.
– Kelly Raines

Web Standards Evolve
From a technical point of view (albeit technology that will eventually effect function of sites in a profound way), HTML 5 and CSS 3 are looking closer to becoming a reality. They still probably won’t become commonplace in 2011, but with the launch of Internet Explorer 9 we’ll get closer to that, and hopefully see an end to wasting countless hours of development time for IE 6.

Something I’m particularly excited about too is the melding of ecommerce and social media platforms. That JC Penny has their entire inventory on offer on Facebook, without the need for the shopper to ever leave the Facebook environment, is astonishing. We’ll see much more of this, I’m sure.

This is a major company apparently talking about how one day they won’t see a need for a website at all, they’ll conduct all their online business via social networks – while I don’t agree quite to that extent, I think this is something we need to keep a particular eye towards: http://vimeo.com/15632643
– Samuel Clarke

Web Design Evolves
This article from Webdesign tuts+ has some great predictions for 2011.
– Sarah Mills

HTML5
More HTML5 use, especially around geo-positioning and video playing
– Michael Pryfogle

Pervasive Tablet Support
As this Mashable article pointed out at the end of 2010, “more and more web developers are designing their web apps with the tablet form factor and features, like multi-touch, in mind.” This trend will gain more ground in 2011 and will likely bleed into general website design as well. The importance of providing users with custom-tailored mobile experiences will also grow this year, both web and apps.
– Mark Schafer

Don’t Be Evil
So companies are going to be less evil in 2011? Trust me. Google’s unofficial motto “Don’t Be Evil” is something many companies are embracing and sharing. Corporate citizenship and relationships between brands and their communities will continue to grow as an important element in sharing company and brand stories. Communication has long ago moved beyond product differentiators to a world where transparency and immediacy of dialogue can take place between brands, their customers and the community at large.
– Josh Loebner

Innovative, Designed Experiences Lead The Way
Consumers continue to crave and demand well-designed and not only functional but pleasant experiences. These experiences are blurred and pervasive now too:

An engaging conceptual print ad with a QR code leads to a easy-to-use mobile website that facilities an ecommerce order. The user can track on an easy to use website or phone app. The product comes with elevated, easy-to-open packaging. The product is tactile, and pleasant to use. The manual is small and environmentally sustainable deferring to usage videos on the website and Youtube. An email confirms successful delivery and cements the pleasant open-box experience with a human touch. The email also links to Facebook and Twitter to allow the user to open a dialogue not only with the company but other buyers of the product. And onward…

Technology and thoughtful design power this but what remains important is business planning that puts human-centered, empathic experiences first.
– Joseph Nother

By the way, we’d also like to hear from you on upcoming trends, predictions and forecasts.

The Intersection of Design & Business

Wed, 27 Oct 10 09:51:45 -0500

In his latest book, Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products into Icons, author Jay Greene shares insights from designers, CEOs and strategists. Case studies of Porsche, Nike, LEGO, OXO, REI, Clif Bar, Ace Hotels and Virgin Atlantic provide separate yet similar looks into design cultures of the companies and their customers.

A key element of these successful design approaches is for the company to truly listen and empathize with their customers, to understand their needs and how the products and/or services fit into the context of their lifestyles.

Rather than stay inside safe and conservative parameters, company leaders were also willing to take risks that might result in failure, and were able to accept, admit and grow from those failures when they happened. In other words, they employed Design Thinking.

Design Thinking is a way to solve any problem.

A hallmark takeaway from the book is the rise of Design Thinking as an approach to overall business strategy and consumer engagement that extends well beyond traditional ideas of where design is supposed to fit within the model.

Design Thinking combines empathy, creativity and rationality to solve problems in a balanced way.

Most folks think of design as an applied art, as an action or expression that occurs after someone else analyzes, deduces and solves a problem. The issue with this approach is that analytical thinking does not bear much innovative fruit. The act of design is then reduced to simply translating and expressing a derivative idea, product or experience.

Last year, Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management, presented on this very subject at the annual AIGA Design Conference. His presentation (watch the video, download a presentation PDF) delved into contrasts between two dominant styles of thinking: Analytical and Intuitive. He argues that the process of design (Design Thinking) balances the two approaches and confers competitive advantages to businesses.

Design not only concerns itself with the expression of things but can and should play a central role in actually defining them (that's the "thinking" part). What's required is:

• a skilled designer/strategist that can understand the language of business,
• a willingness to engage in an exploratory design process,
• an openness by business managers to challenge deep-seated conventions with insightful questioning.

Here at Designsensory, Design Thinking is something we are very passionate about. It is our design process and something we advocate to prospects and deliver to customers. Design Thinking infuses creative ideas seamlessly into all aspects of our process---business planning, visual communications, technology, strategy and content development---allowing us to deliver greater value to our customers and their end-users.

Golf Tee Typography

Mon, 11 Oct 10 13:05:51 -0500

After months of work, we completed one of the largest, more interesting internal projects to date. Determined to hang something meaningful on the walls of our new office, we embarked on a journey to create an 8-by-4-foot wall art composed of ordinary golf tees and a modified piece of pegboard. Check out the end result. . . .

The Process

In line with how these things seem to go, the process was neither as easy nor as brief as first anticipated. We needed a high enough resolution to clearly display letters of this size, so we began by doubling the number of holes found in an ordinary sheet of pegboard. Put simply, we drilled about 4,000 holes. For the geeks out there, the resolution of our board ended up being about 1.9 hpi (holes per inch).

We also sanded, framed and painted the board to achieve a finished look. After moving the board to our office, we soon discovered that the 10,000 golf tees we had ordered to fill the holes were too large. Actually, Brandon discovered this in an afternoon of epic frustration as he attempted to hammer the ill-fitting tees in the board.

After ordering appropriately sized tees, the tedious process of creating the design ensued. A full-size template of the design was created on the computer, and then tile printed onto letter-sized sheets of copy paper to create a full-size template. After several weeks of team effortâ��pushing tees into the boardâ��and with Lindsayâ��s motivational mantra of â��at least 5 tees a day,â�� weâ��re finally done!

The Design

One of the underlying virtues of this piece is in its ability to be changed. The tees can be rearranged to create a new design. That said, as we put a lot of thought into what we wanted the â��firstâ�� design to be, it wonâ��t be changed anytime soon.

Youâ��ll find the same design on the back of our business card. It says it all: we help our clients connect with their audiences by combining world-class design and technology across a variety of outlets. Not only that, we provide the strategy to integrate a clientâ��s message across all touchpoints.

If you havenâ��t seen the golf tees yet, be sure to drop by and check it out.

Inside out & outside in, part one

Fri, 03 Sep 10 12:34:22 -0500

Creativity effects creativity.

Regarding Designsensory's latest digital launches and our ongoing decorating-our-new-space fervor, one could ponder a conundrum worthier than the proverbial chicken and egg: Are we so inspired along the pathway to fulfill our clients' dreams that original ideas billow over into our personal space, or is it the other way around? Riddle you not, we will leave the question where it lives, between furrowed brows, and initiate a reveal of those client pathways we've traversed of late.

Fall 2010, for Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development (TDTD), aptly themed Fall Into Adventure, is an enticing riot of colorful images and myriad pursuits for Tennessee travelers.

That Evening Sun, shot in East Tennessee and starring Hal Holbrook, met with critical acclaim, the site evocative of the brilliant production.

Nature & Outdoors (TDTD) presents Tennessee au naturel, ethereally yet earthily, covering parks, recreation, waterways and sports, plants and wildlife, natural wonders and the "Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways" initiative.

Down-home, Maryville’s Foothills Fall Festival floats like a butterfly, alive with concerts, art, and adventures.

Summer 2010 (TDTD) colorfully embraces the Sunny Side of Life, offering up lighthearted summer sojourns, tasty Tennessee fresh edibles and contemporary events.

Further south, Premier Properties of Southwest Florida can now kick back and bask with MarcoIsland.com, BonitaSprings.com and Naples.com.

The new Attractions (TDTD) section packs a wallop, as it explores the fast, fun, quirky, amusing and naturally appealing in the Volunteer State.

Onward and upward to Destination Jersey City, where the site literally sparkles with nightlife sizzle when viewing after the sun is completely down.

And, coming soon to this blog near you: what we've been up to in the world of print and our spirited decorating projects in the Designsensory batcave.

Into High (Tech) Gear: Launching a New Financial Web-App

Wed, 17 Mar 10 15:38:20 -0500

The beginning of March brought us to the end—really the beginning—of a long but satisfying journey. For nearly nine months, we have been hard at work developing a competing product with the likes of Mint and Wesabe. Both products are good at what they promise to do, but for many people who need more "personal attention" they leave much to be desired. Enter Solutions web app found at actfinancially.com.

Late last summer, two women entrepreneurs approached us with a detailed concept for a new financial tracking web application. Drawing on decades of corporate and financial experience, Jo Bittof and Nancy Lowery articulated a vision of a robust, user-friendly financial tracker surrounded and supported by educational materials, coaching and a personal rewards program. Their goal was to create a platform that would allow individuals and families to address bad financial habits the same way people learn to lose weight and get healthy: with an emphasis on education, accountability, habit formation, reinforcement and conditioning.

What is Solutions?

Solutions contains a full-featured set of budget planning and reporting tools. The transaction register is based on manual entry to force the user to maintain top-of-mind awareness of each and every transaction. For convenience, transfers between multiple accounts, cash withdrawals, reconciliation tags and commenting areas are supported under the register. At any time, the user can run reports on their spending and saving patterns as well as comparisons against their ideal budget.

Those interested in learning more about the whys and hows of financial planning and management can turn to two main areas for education and personal growth: the community and coaching sections. Community features forums, where people can ask questions, get opinions, be inspired by others’ successes, and learn from mistakes. A rich knowledge base is made available, easily accessed in the coaching section. There, the user can find skillfully written articles--sorted by topic—as well as quizzes, videos and a blog published by Jo and Nancy.

Finally, Solutions features a rewards system, to reinforce learning and good financial behavior. Each time the user completes a task in Solutions—such as reading an informative article or completing a step toward financial independence--they receive a reward in the form of "Golden Eggs." The eggs can then be redeemed for prizes.

It Takes a Village

As Designsensory moves from project development to release, our role transitions to one of promotion and refinement. We launched a beta-testing program to capture early adopters and early bugs, and now we provide an integrated online-marketing strategy.

Of particular note and pride to me is the sheer breadth and scope Designsensory played in the creation of this product. Starting with the brand identity and positioning we moved through architecture and feature planning, usability and interface prototyping, and design and technical development of the web-application itself. We deployed E-commerce to fulfill the user transactions and wrote the logic behind the rewards tracking. On the marketing side, we have concept, strategy and artwork in place for display, social and email campaigns to get the word out.

To sum it up, our entire team did a bang-up job on this application. The interface is magic, and the logic behind the number tracking, reporting and rewards programs is particularly amazing (woot to our tech team!). Also noteworthy is the detailed and inspired work Mark put into the construction of the user interface. We both worked hard to identify the values of the brand and to structure the flow of an elegant user-interface experience, but Mark stayed on tactical point throughout the whole development. His stamp of diligence stretches across every page, grouping and button, resulting in something cohesively articulated and pleasurable to use.

So, if you are a parent looking to find the money for braces or a recent grad with a new job looking to save for a home check out Solutions today. You bring the goals and it'll help get you there.

DISH: A Hearty Helping of Design

Mon, 15 Mar 10 12:44:04 -0500

Today's post comes from our beloved design intern Erin Slattery. A writer by education but now pursuing a design career, Erin elegantly captures her recent experience at the DISH Conference in Nashville.

***

Last Thursday, I packed up my portfolio and headed off to the DISH conference hosted at Lipscomb University by AIGA Nashville. I figured it would be a nice opportunity to get some feedback on my work and maybe hear a few good words from industry professionals. Little did I know, I was headed for two amazing days of candid advice, industry insights and inspiring words from the creative minds leading the world of design.

The event kicked off with studio tours of Bohan Advertising, Red Pepper, Advocate Printing, St8mnt Design, Lithographics and Anode. Students met at Plaza Artist Supplies, where we signed up for the tours we wanted to attend. I chose Bohan and St8mnt, Bohan being the first on the list.

Mr. David Bohan, CEO and founder of Bohan Advertising greeted us warmly and said he would be our tour guide. He led our small group of 8 through the walls of the renovated industrial building, stopping at each of the massive portfolio pieces adorning the walls. At each pause, he shared with us the concept behind the piece and the collaboration it took to bring the project to completion. We continued the tour, passing individual offices marked only with the work and whiteboard critique hung on the sliding barn door that guarded the busy designer inside. Finally, we stopped in front of a painting of individual colored squares. He explained that this painting was essentially their first office, where the designers were allowed to paint their spaces in any color they liked, allowing the designers to express themselves as they saw fit, helping the company save on redecorating fees. He shared with us the importance of being able to tell a story in every piece we create, a theme I would see repeated throughout the conference. The tour ended with his business card and a warm handshake, and a newfound appreciation on my part for this man who had started from the ground up and built something absolutely amazing.

Next, I headed to St8mnt, which proved a perfect complement to the large firm I had just left. They were a polar opposite, operating in an open office with just four people. They spoke about their former work at recording studios and displayed some of their current projects, offering great advice about keeping positive relations with the people for whom you work. It was nice to see another side of design in the real world, although I did find it ironic that they too had sliding barn doors. Maybe there was a sale.

Day gave way to night and the conference participants congregated back at the university, waiting on a speaker of which most of us only knew about his hair. The speaker was Stanley Hainsworth, well noted for his work at Nike, Lego and Starbucks, and of course for his hair. He spoke candidly with us about his background, and the ability to look at design outside traditional bounds. Design, he said, was a great combination of not only print, interactive and the like, but also industrial design. He spoke about the need to tell a story in every project, and to remember that designers, in the end, are there to sell. What I found most fascinating is that when asked where he got his inspiration he merely said, "Get out of the studio." Thank you Mr. Hainsworth. I will remember that for the next sunny day.

The next day began early, with breakfast and talks by Project M and Mohawk Paper. Industry professionals shared some great insight about getting a fantastic design job. After lunch, students split into two groups and gathered for the portfolio review. Area professionals donated their time and energy, offering some insightful advice on each student's portfolio. Critique, at least in my case, was limited to not only work, but extended into design environments that might be a good fit in the future, and tips on the importance of branding oneself. For this insight alone, the 3-hour drive was worth its weight in gold.

Creative Circus, a portfolio school from Georgia, and a panel discussion rounded out the afternoon. IO Studio donated a MacBook Pro to the Best of Show winner. Prizes were raffled off, and goodbyes were said.

Once again, I packed up my portfolio, heading home to Knoxville. This time I was not thinking about getting some helpful advice on my portfolio, but rather thinking how excited I am to work on that next piece.

And, possibly, to get some barn doors if things work out right.

Endless thanks to AIGA Nashville for hosting such an inspiring event, also to the volunteers and professionals that donated their time to make it so.

2010 ADDY Award Results

Tue, 23 Feb 10 21:56:31 -0600

Way to go, Team Designsensory! As you know from my last post, all eight of our submissions received recognition at this year's Addy Awards program. The "unknown" was the color of the awards.

Well, at the end of the evening this past Saturday, we proudly walked away with 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze Addy Awards from the 2010 competition (featuring work created in 2009). Our gold winners are entered into the regional District competition, and we have elected to also send one of our silver winning entries.

Here are the details:

Gold ADDYs:

• Event branding and print collateral work for Lifesaver Luau 2009

• The digital experience for a new Tennessee Tourism initiative called Tennessee Trails & Byways

• The seasonal winter website for Tennessee Tourism

• The new visual identity for Knoxify

Silver ADDYs:

• Website development for Bonita Springs

• Print collateral work with Miller Energy Resources

Bronze Citations of Merit:

• Branding campaign and print collateral work for Premier Athletics 2009 Summer Camp

• Magazine publications for First Tennessee Bank

We thank the folks at AAF Knoxville for a festive, memorable awards show, send congrats to all the winners and participants, and offer a heartfelt note of appreciation to our clients for extending us the opportunity to create.

Clean Sweep

Sat, 20 Feb 10 15:10:30 -0600

I am proud to say this blog post title has two meanings. One, we are slowly making headway with all the accumulated junk that made the trip from our old office to the new one. Of late, we had Goodwill pick up several older computers, screens and monitors for recycling. This action has restored some semblance of order to our storage closets, bringing us one small step closer to putting together an open house.

The other meaning, perhaps of great blogging merit, is our sweep of the Addy Awards. Like last year, I am happy to report that all of our 2009-2010 submissions have earned recognition. Again, the question now is what color are we going to walk away with---bronze, silver or glittery gold.

Being a proud American Advertising Federation member we thought to not only shamelessly plug our success but also the AAF Knoxville event itself. The awards presentation is Saturday, February 20 at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Knoxville. It is at said proceedings where one finds out the color of their victory. Needless to say, the event is a victory for all Knoxville creatives! Congratulations to everyone and check back with our blog for an update of the final results!

Here are our 2009-2010 entries:

• Magazine publications for First Tennessee Bank
• The new visual identity for Knoxify
• Print collateral work with Miller Energy Resources
• Branding campaign and print collateral work for Premier Athletics 2009 Summer Camp
• Website development for Bonita Springs
• Event branding and print collateral work for Lifesaver Luau 2009
• The digital experience for a new Tennessee Tourism initiative called Tennessee Trails & Byways
• The seasonal winter website for Tennessee Tourism

Which color (gold, silver, bronze) would you give to each?

Beginning the Year with a Farewell

Tue, 05 Jan 10 18:06:39 -0600

As we say hello to a new year we find ourselves saying farewell to a friend and colleague. After several years of service, Sara Lewis has decided to pursue an alternate career path and will be leaving the Designsensory family as a full-time employee this January. As a tribute to her service and time with us we thought we'd simply testify to her awesomeness as we wish her well in the future.

"It has been excellent to work with Sara - as my very first job in a strange new country, I was especially pleased to discover a work colleague who could be so professional and hard-working, yet still retain a great sense of humor and consistently upbeat attitude. Thanks, Sara! I will be sorry to see you leave the company, and wish you the very best of luck with your new career."

- Sam

"Sara is fluent in lolcat and was always happy to chat with me in that vernacular when the situation called for it. And the situation called for it often."

- Alison

"When I first joined Designsensory, it was Sara who made me feel at home. Lost in a sea of anagrams and protocol, she guided me through and helped me become a healthy, happy DSer. Always a smiling face, she made even the worst client requests seem mere trifles. I'm glad she's only going to be a small jump away."

- Anne

"In my one month working with you, Sara, I’ve come to respect you immensely as a co-worker and like you very much as a friend. I will be coming to nab you soon for some shopping, gabbing, cupcakes and ice cream so start saving your pennies!"

- Paula

"Sara's great! She works hard and is fun to be around. We took a detour one day to go up in the sunsphere for a little tourism research. (Then we had to stop by the candy factory for a little taste bud research.) I'll miss her happiness."

- Lindsay

"Sara has the unique ability to bring order and organization to the office when there might otherwise be chaos. This unique skill, her happy personality, and her cake-making experiments (of which I was a happy taste tester) will surely be missed."

- Mark

"What will we do without Sara? She managed both the best and worst of situations with grace and humor. As Isaac Newton said, 'Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.' In other words, Sara."

- Susan H.

"Sara Lewis...where to start? First, lets change your middle name to Rocks, because that's all you ever did, was 'rock!' You made life so much easier and I am forever going to miss the pleasure of working with you. I do wish you the best of luck in your new adventures and hope nothing but the best for you!! Good bye my friend."

- Josh

"Tis true . . . where you are concerned . . . 'Parting is such sweet sorrow.' Working with you has been a joy! You always come back with answers (good answers!) to issues raised; you are quite unflappable (and, goodness knows, we have surely tried your patience on a daily basis!); and you are most witty & pleasant (great tools in the workplace). So, I say not goodbye, rather "a bientot," which the French use as an informal farewell, meaning "See you later." Take care and great success in your new position."

- Susan S.

"Anytime, we lose a member of the team I am not only reminded of how fleeting time is but also how special a family we have become. I am reminded of how for a period of time our lives become intertwined, and you learn to appreciate the family, friends and colleagues that bring meaning to your short time on Earth. On a daily basis we fight the good fight shoulder to shoulder and it is those experiences that are minted in the history of our lives.

But with Sara, that loss is deeper. Since her first day, I have been honored and impressed with her devotion to spirit of Designsensory. She is professional yet fun, confident yet humble, diligent yet flexible and she has helped us grow this company with her dedication to service. As time went on she earned our trust, and as we grew larger she became the real face of Designsensory. The time spent with her has made us all better people as she has led the way with her compassion, strength and understanding for the needs of our customers, vendors and other team members. Now in the wake of her departure we must confront the void of her absence and reflect on the lessons she has taught us.

It has been a great privilege to have lived and worked closely with Sara. I am confident we will find a suitable successor but that special spark of positive energy, that ample and generous laughter and unwavering smile will never be fully replaced. Thank you Sara."

- Joseph

Sara, you will be sorely missed. Best of luck in the future and remember you will always have friends here at Designsensory.

Exploring New Ground. A Retrospective on The Tennessee Trails & Byways Website

Mon, 07 Dec 09 17:41:59 -0600

Several weeks ago, Designsensory proudly and excitedly played a crucial part in the launch of a new Tennessee statewide tourism initiative: Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways. Governor Phil Bredesen, along with the Commissioner of Tourist Development, Susan Whitaker, announced an initiative that will take Tennessee Tourism to the next level.

The premise is simple: most travelers visit well-known cities within a state or region. Unfortunately, this often leaves so much left to be discovered begging the question: Is there an easy way to get people to leave the tried-and-true behind and explore new things. Tennessee's new tourism initiative answers that call.

The mandate from the State on this project could not have been more clear---create a wildly memorable website for people to engage a new ground-breaking, state-wide tourism initiative in Tennessee. We were simply told "Have fun and just run with this one." Well, we did!

This was one of those projects where we threw ourselves into an idea not exactly knowing how we would pull it off. Let me just say, I love the pressure and creative breakthroughs that come from this type of scenario. Creatively, my goals for the user experience were quite clear: meaningful movement, whimsical yet contextually-specific imagery, and visually something different from the conventional page and site structure. We wanted movement---not gimicky but something that made sense within the concept.

In surveying possible new ways to create movement without Flash I came across a jQuery plug-in called jParallax. As usual, our tech team and Josh, in particular, worked a miracle to get past the learning curve and make it work with everything else. The integration of this plug-in allowed us to implement the key conceptual element of the website---the left-to-right, east-to-west browsing action of the view-port area. Later, we would return to this code to deploy custom interactive trail maps based on the graphical print map found in the brochures.

It's quite incredible to think that the entire site, which when all the trails finish development and go live will include thousands of backroad finds and hidden gems all served up from essentially one "page". In the end, what is most experimental is not the visual or technical design but the organization and browsing behavior. This website could have easily evolved into a typical "menu, click-to list, click-to tertiary page with a sidebar" routine. Instead, as the emotional appeal of the initiative suggests, we left our comfort zone and explored new ground. Hopefully, the ends will be as satisfying as the means.

The early feedback could not have been more promising. Here is a videocast from a well-known online design resource (Thank you Unmatched Style):

tnvacation.com/trails from Unmatched Style on Vimeo.

Anyway, give the website a go and see what you think. Better yet, travel to Tennessee and experience the trails firsthand. As the initiative blossoms over time, we hope the interactive experience leaves a memorable impression with the explorer in all of us compelling people to...hit the trail!

***

If you want to learn more about the website, visit our portfolio page. You can also interact with the initiatve on social platforms (courtesy the hard work of our partner agency Paramore|Redd). Participate in the development of the trails on Facebook, stay informed on Twitter and post images from the trail to Flickr.

Under Construction, Part 2

Wed, 04 Nov 09 08:33:32 -0600

Great progress has been made on the space since my last post. This pics show the progression of various architectural features at about the mid-way point of construction. One of the elements we are excited to see rendered is our entryway ceiling. Above is the framing for the circle feature. Here is the frame drywalled and integrated:

The other element we are all excited to put to good use is our new conference room. Lately, we have not been able to fit our entire team into our conference room let alone larger client teams. Thankfully, that will all change with our new space.

Our new open area has elevated drywall ceilings and great natural light. This will be a huge improvement over our current cave-like collaborative area.

And, of course, your truly and Brandon will need to find some new furniture to fill our new larger offices. The main reason for the expanded personal office space is so we have a smaller area to hold small team meetings, critiques and scrum sessions. Here is the framing to my office:

That's not to say it has been a walk in the park. It's amazing how easy it is to take the most mundane things for granted until you realize what goes into making it so transparent in everyday lives. Take electrical power for example. Due to scheduling and logistical issues, the majority of the build-out will have been rendered with a generator as on-site power has been absent.

As I write this, we look (and have) to move in 10 days. Fingers-crossed.

Making and Thinking in Memphis

Wed, 21 Oct 09 13:28:47 -0500

Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to attend AIGA's Make/Think national design conference. It was a great experience that was as fun as it was inspiring. The theme of the conference (Make/Think) focused on the designer's dual role of both making artifacts and solving problems with creative thinking. It also provided multiple opportunities to engage in both activities. Here are a few of the things I learned at Make/Think:

You can do anything that you want. Really.
As I heard Stefan Sagmeister describe the things he learned from his year-long sabatical in Bali, it occured to me that the solutions to a design problem really can be anything. So often we model our work after existing solutions that we limit ourselves in what we can achieve. Watch Sagmeister describe the Casa da Música identity (skip to 10:00) to see what I mean.

Making things is fun, and I need to do more of it.
Before the conference, I had been thinking that I needed to draw more. For me (and I imagine it to be the same with most designers), my love for art and design began with drawing as a child. Drawing anything and everything for the pure joy of drawing.

At the conference, I got a chance to draw for the joy of it by participating in Stefan Bucher's workshop on how to draw ink-blot monsters. My end result wasn't nearly as cool as Stefan Bucher's monsters, but the experience of drawing was what I needed.

In the same way, participating in the Hatch Show Print letterpress workshop provided the joy of making something beautiful with the simple elements of wood, ink, and paper. As a designer in the digital age, it was a great reminder to step away from the computer every once and a while and just make something.

"Our approach to design creates the value."
This quote comes from perhaps the most impactful speaker I heard at Make/Think: David Butler, the vice president of global design at Coke. He challenged his audiences to take a holistic approach to design – thinking about the system within which a particular design or product exists instead of narrowly focusing on the minutia of design.

It was great food for thought and was fascinating to hear about how those ideas have played out in real life at Coke. It also has me thinking about the different systems which I work within and how those can be leveraged for greater value through design. Be sure to check out the recent Fast Company article featuring David Butler if you haven't already.

Connect. As the rest of our design team has unfortunately found out by experience (obviously I think this was Joseph's motive in sending me), I could literally discuss for hours the different people, experiences, and ideas I encountered at Make/Think. So, as this is a blog post and not a book, let me close with some pictures and end with an open invitation for designers and non-designers to connect with me if you want to hear more.

Stefan Bucher presenting on the main stage

A slide from the Hatch Show Print affinity session

3 floors worth of designers

Main Street

Under Construction, Part 1

Fri, 25 Sep 09 15:48:08 -0500

As all 12 of our readers have probably noticed, our blog posts have been far and few between for the past several months. Now, what reason could there be for this travesty?

Have we run out of things to say or post? Yeah, right. That'll be the day.

Have we gotten so lazy, the mere thought of having to type on a keyboard is met with the strongest dose of apathy? Not so much. I can't think of one person in our office that would fit the bill for this.

Are we busy enough that finding the time to write is coming at the risk of missing out on the next episodes of "Mad Men"? There is truth in this but certainly not the real reason.

No, the reason largely rests on one bit of news: after over four years in our current home, Designsensory will be moving into our new digs in October!

The truth is, we have simply outgrown our space. That, by itself, is great news. What Brandon and I didn't know was how complicated and time-consuming this process would be.

It started back in early spring when we canvased Knoxville for our potential new home. Doing this during an economic downturn posed both challenges and opportunities, but in the end we found a great space with the right numbers that made it all work. We closed at the end of August, and construction began in earnest the first of September.

Here is the new space in all of its glory---it even came with plant life!

Gravel prepped for the concrete pour.

Look at the shiny, new concrete sub-floor.

The red line indicates a wall and, in this case, shows the new conference room area and Sara and Lindsay's new offices.

Check back for the latest news on our new space. We hope to be settled by the end of October. And, don't worry (because I know you are all worried), we will try harder to post more often between now and then. :)

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 3

Fri, 24 Jul 09 15:10:20 -0500

This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. In Part 2, we looked more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail. Here in Part 3, we examine requirements for getting your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment.

Nonmachinable mail
A mailpiece is nonmachinable if it has any physical characteristic which prevents it from being processed by the post office’s equipment, and is subject to a surcharge. Unless you are doing something unusual with your mailpiece on purpose and electing to have it processed manually at extra cost, your goal is to make all mail machinable by meeting all of the specific guidelines in the reference documents available to you (and with the help of your Mailpiece Design Analyst, printer, and/or mailing service representative). All discount mail must be machinable.

Nonmachinable characteristics for letters:

• Has an aspect ratio of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.
• Is polybagged, polywrapped, enclosed in plastic, or is made of a non-paper material. Windows and certain other types of external attachments are an exception to this.
• Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.
• Contains items such as pens, pencils, keys or coins that cause uneven thickness or are loose and able to move around.
• Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds round an 11-inch diameter turn.
• For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than .009 inch.
• Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece.
• Is a self-mailer that is not prepared according to DMM 201.3.14
• Is a booklet that is not prepared according to DMM 201.3.14.2

Machinable mail
This means the piece meets all of the physical requirements which allow it to be run through the USPS’s high-speed processing machinery. Machinable mail must meet all of the same requirements that Automated mail must meet (see below), except a barcode is not required.

Bookmark the USPS Quick Service Guides for detailed requirements for machinable and automated mail.

Presorting
Presorting is required for discount mail. This done after addressing, either by a presort bureau/letter shop/mailing service, or in-house using specific supplies and methods required by the post office.

Automated mail
Think of this as “machinable plus barcode.” To qualify for the lower automation postage rate, a barcode is applied by a presort bureau along with the address before delivery to the post office. There are minimum quantities for getting automation rates. Learning to design a mailpiece correctly for automation will most likely require the help of an MDA or other mailing adviser.

Barcodes
A barcode will be applied to your piece at some point in the process; it is either applied by a mailing service along with the address before it goes to the post office (in the case of Automated mail), or it is applied at the post office after a machine has read and interpreted the address.

If your piece will not be mailed at the Automation rate, you must leave a strip of clear space in the bottom right corner of the address side, the dimensions of which are based on the shape of the piece. If the piece is letter-sized, for example, the barcode clear space must be at least 4-3/4×5/8” and extend all the way to the right and bottom edges. Your MDA can provide you with an up-to-date plastic template and measurements.

If designing for Automated mail, the barcode will in most cases be printed as part of the address block by the mailing service / presort bureau. That address block will only need a clear space a few inches wide and tall, and the additional clear space in the corner is not needed. There is a great deal of flexibility in where the address/barcode block can be placed, as long as the barcode is within 4 inches of the bottom edge of the piece. The minimum size of the space needed will vary a little depending on the mailing service, so communication is key.

Background color/paper
In the aforementioned clear spaces, the background should be of a uniform color with adequate light reflectance for the barcode reader or address reader to read properly against. White is preferred, but lighter colors can also work. The USPS has reflectance meters which can measure a sample of the paper you are using. Certain types of coated papers should be avoided.

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In Part 4, we'll cover addressing and postage.

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2

Wed, 01 Jul 09 12:29:47 -0500

This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. Here in Part 2, we'll look more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail.

Factors determining the type of mailing
As a designer, unless the format of the mailpiece and the class of mail are already decided for you, you'll be basing decisions about the design of the piece on what kind of message, information, or material needs to be conveyed, weighed against how much the client is willing to pay to get their piece into the hands of the recipients on their list. This cost analysis tool can help start that decision-making process if the client is unfamiliar with commercial mailing.

Retail or Discount
In most cases, commercial mail is discount mail and is designed for easier processing by the post office's equipment. Not meeting the specific physical requirements will bump you back up to full retail price or incur a nonmachinable surcharge. Retail is synonymous with Full Rate First Class. There is also a discounted Presorted First Class category for commercial mailings.

Size and Shape of Mailpiece
As mentioned in Part 1, any piece of mail will be classified as a postcard, letter, flat, or parcel, depending on the dimensions of the piece.

Postcard
Small postcards only
To qualify for the postcard rate:
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 4-1/2 x 6 inches and .016 inches thick (about as thick as 120lb cover weight stock).
• Postcard rate is only available if using First Class.

Letter
Larger postcards, letters, booklets, self-mailers
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 6-1/8 x 11-1/2* inches and 1/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.

Flat
Larger envelopes, newsletters, magazines, larger booklets, larger self-mailers
• A flat has at least one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high or 11-1/2* inches long or 1/4 inch thick.
• Maximum size: 12 inches high x 15 inches long x 3/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.

Parcel
Anything that isn't a postcard, letter, or flat
• Length + girth cannot exceed 108 inches (130 inches for Parcel Select).

Class
Classes can be thought of as service levels. The class affects postage rates, speed, and services included such as forwarding and returning.

Express Mail
Anything mailable can be sent Express
• Highest cost
• Fastest service available

First Class Mail
Anything mailable can be sent First Class
• First Class Mail offers a discounted rate for small postcards
• Faster than Standard

Standard Mail
Advertisements, circulars, newsletters, magazines, small parcels, merchandise
• Maximum weight is 16 ounces
• Slower than First Class

Periodicals
Newsletters, magazines
• Must be published at regular intervals and meet other specific qualifications
• Requires a formal application procedure

Package Services
Merchandise, books, circulars, catalogs, computer-readable media, film, recordings, educational materials, binders, other printed matter
• Subclasses are Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail
• For merchandise, Priority Mail (First Class) may have similar postage costs to Package Services but is faster.

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In Part 3, we'll look at what you need to know to get your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment.

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 1

Mon, 08 Jun 09 15:28:03 -0500

We recently attended a breakfast talk hosted by AIGA Knoxville on designing for direct mail. Sheila Kirton, our local USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst (did you know those existed?), gave us a great refresher on what to do and not to do when designing direct mail and alerted us to some upcoming changes in mailpiece requirements. Since we found this so helpful, we decided to put together our own introductory guide to mailing standards. Even if you’ve worked on mailpieces before, there can be many gaps in your knowledge. Mail can be pretty tricky, and it’s difficult to know where to go for a comprehensive overview from a designer’s perspective.

Interesting Findings from the AIGA Knoxville Breakfast Talk

• The maximum length for a mailpiece in the Letter category is being reduced from 11.5 to 10.5 inches on September 8. Anything over 10.5 inches will be mailed as a Flat instead of a Letter. (This applies to Sumo-sized postcards, self-mailers, booklets, etc.)
• A square letter-sized mailpiece will receive a nonmachinable surcharge because it will tumble end over end instead of sliding smoothly through the equipment. Flats can be square, however.
• Glossy paper stocks can cause problems in the machines because they generate static electricity. They can also interfere with machine readability and incur additional charges.
• Some paper coatings or printing methods can interfere with the barcode your piece will receive during processing. A mailer that we received recently had a barcode which was badly smeared over a field of solid color. The color appeared to have been printed by a color laser / quick run method.
• Blue inks are more difficult for machines to read.
• Your envelope’s flap can be on either the front or the back side, but cannot be on the bottom edge.
• Your piece can have rounded corners, but they can have a radius no larger than 1/8 inch.
• Don’t use an open / cutout address window in your self-mailer; it can get caught in the machines. A booklet that we received advertising a well-known design conference demonstrated this error!
• Those clear tabs for closing self-mailers look nicer, but they often don't stick as well as the opaque ones.

Mailpiece Design Analyst

Something you may not know even if you have been designing mailpieces for a while is that there is someone at the USPS whose job it is to help you design mail correctly and prevent unexpected postage costs and delays for you and your clients. Sometimes this information finds its way to you through others, such as printers or mailing services / presort bureaus, but the MDA is closest to the source.

From the USPS site: “Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDA) are postal employees specially trained to answer your questions regarding mailpiece design. These employees provide advice and issue rulings regarding acceptability for automated rates. MDAs provide technical assistance on mailpiece design to envelope manufacturers, printers, advertising agencies, and graphic designers.”

This includes testing your chosen paper stocks, if needed, and checking your artwork via email/PDF for problems before you send it to print.

To find the analyst assigned to your zip code:
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.asp

Brief Introduction to Mailpiece Shapes

We’ll look more in depth at how mail is categorized in upcoming posts, but one of the first things you should know, which will make it easier to navigate the USPS’s reference documents, is that there are only four categories of mail shapes.

• Postcard
• Letter
• Flat
• Parcel

Any piece of mail will be classified as one of these, depending on the dimensions of the piece. Many things which do not seem like a letter, for example, actually fall into the Letter category, such as a small booklet, a self-mailer, or a large postcard.

Small postcards under 4.5×6 in. and being sent First Class are the only things the USPS places in the Postcard category; a Postcard is really only a type of discounted Letter.

Other Resources

For those who would like to dive right in, these have been the most helpful online resources for us. The USPS publishes an overwhelming number of reference documents, many of which repeat the same information in ways that are tailored for the different audiences to which they speak. The more in-depth resources also tend to include lots of information on sorting methods, barcode creation, etc. which most designers don’t need to know; that information is targeted at mailing professionals (presort bureaus; postal employees; in-house mailing departments).

Business Mail 101
Online introductory tool for beginning or infrequent mailers (this applies to a lot of designers!), including a glossary.

Quick Service Guides
A more user-friendly version of the information in the Domestic Mail Manual. Includes visual diagrams of sizes and shapes of the different types of mail (see the sections labeled “Physical Standards”).

USPS Domestic Mail Manual (the Bible of mailing)
It’s actually not easy to locate this online version of the ultimate domestic mailing reference when browsing the USPS site.

USPS International Mail Manual

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In our posts to follow, we'll examine the different shapes and classes of mail, and discuss how to ensure that your mailpiece will travel safely through the post office's automated equipment.

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2

The Stage is Set (again) for Designsensory

Thu, 12 Mar 09 17:59:02 -0500

What a year 2009 has been already! Here's the latest bit of heartfelt news. I am pleased to announce Designsensory has officially been awarded a second term with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as their interactive agency of record.

In turn, we are partnering with our peeps at Paramore|Redd on the online marketing initiatives which includes email, social and viral initiatives all driving back to the tnvacation family of sites.

If you spent any time with us for the past several weeks you would know this was a more emotional win than the many we are thankful to be awarded. So, why all the mushy gushy sentiments you ask?

Well, our work with the state has always been a labor of love. For nearly five years we have poured hour upon hour on this project. In many ways our stewardship of tnvacation.com has defined our professional and personal lives. It made many things possible when we were just starting out as a going business. We have grown steadily through this time and have developed some great relationships in the process. Most of all, a lot of life was lived in those five years!

When the rebid process finally arrived in late 2008, it certainly brought with it moments of retrospection and a great deal of stories to boot. As you can probably guess incumbent agencies do not eagerly await the rigors of the rebid process. Nevertheless, what a way to re-evaluate, refresh, research and recommit to a program. It's a great way to stay hungry and keep the fire burning.

This victory was especially sweet to me, Brandon and the crew here at Designsensory. Though the results were released a few weeks ago and I am most happy to share the news with you now.

Here's to another great five years. I know the best is yet to come!

Final Addy Results are Golden

Thu, 05 Mar 09 20:14:17 -0600

Though this news is a little late making it to our blog, I am happy to report we had a stellar showing at this year's Addy Awards. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we went 5 for 5 entries to awards. We were happy to get that notice but ecstatic when the results were finally revealed. Your favorite (I hope) design and tech peeps walked away with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.

• Tennessee Vacation Seasonal Sites - GOLD
• Hunter Museum of American Art - GOLD
• Designsensory Website - GOLD
• Designsensory Stationery System and Identity - SILVER
• Lifesaver Luau (Secret Safe Place of East TN) - BRONZE

Respectfully, I would disagree with their awarding of the Bronze to Lifesaver Luau. The design team worked incredibly hard on that campaign in particular. It featured time-consuming hand drawn visual elements across all pieces and the campaign worked very well from a conceptual and results standpoint. In particular, Mark S. and our then-intern, Sara N. did a wonderful job. Bronze is nothing to scoff at but you guys were golden in my book.

Anyway, this isn't the end of the road for the Addys. The gold-awarded projects move on to regional competition, so keep your fingers crossed! Thank you to everyone who showered us with kind words. It is much appreciated.

Early Returns for the 44th Annual Addy Awards

Tue, 10 Feb 09 12:07:30 -0600

Early this year we decided to submit a few projects to the Addy Awards for consideration.

I am happy to report that early indications are favorable. As the letter for Exhibit A (above) states, all five of our entries have been awarded an Addy. The question now is, what color are we going to walk away with---bronze, silver or the almighty sparkly gold. Personally, we are hoping for gold---these days, it's good for a diversified portfolio. Ok, bad joke.

Anyway, being a proud American Advertising Federation member we thought to not only shamelessly plug our success but also the AAF Knoxville event itself. The awards presentation is Saturday, February 21 at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Knoxville. It is at said proceedings where one finds out the color of their victory. Needless to say, the event is a victory for all Knoxville creatives! Congratulations to the other local winners and to our talented Designsensory peeps.

Keep up with the AAF Knoxville's blog for highlights of the event and check back with our blog for an update of the final results!

Here are our entries:

• Our very own Designsensory (1) identity, stationery, and (2) website.
• The new Hunter Museum of Art website
• Our 2008 Lifesaver Luau campaign for Secret Safe Place of ET
• The four seasonal mini-sites of tnvacation.com

Which color (gold, silver, bronze) would you give to each?

Christmas at Designsensory

Thu, 18 Dec 08 16:50:47 -0600

Well, what can I say? You blink an eye, the year goes by and it's Christmas once again. It used to be that we'd get a little snow, and that would help to make the season feel more like a winter wonderland. Now, what generally signals the approach of the holidays is our frantic search for what has become a Designsensory tradition---our yearly ornament gift to our new client friends.

Over in design, this is coupled with designing our package label and Christmas card. For the past several years it so happens this honor has been bestowed on the newest designer to join our ranks. I am happy to report that this year's designs come from none other than our Mark Schafer. They continue the festive Designsensory tradition and sparkle with a little of Mark's signature goodness. If you are one of the lucky ones to receive this gift you will see the card and ornament as well.

What makes this tradition even more sweet is seeing the progressive years of ornaments on our Christmas tree. Every year we reserve one of our winning ornaments to put on our tree. I suppose it is our version of tree rings---our way of keeping track of many years in business. It's a sweet realization that makes a season already steeped in symbolism and meaning all the more real. It represents the many blessings we share and the many relationships that make our lives possible. For that, we are most thankful.

On behalf of everyone at Designsensory, let me wish you a wonderful Christmas season. We look forward to sharing these sentiments with you again in 2009.

Five sites on "Best of CSS Design 2008"

Wed, 17 Dec 08 09:36:25 -0600

Once again we have had the fortune of having our work recognized over at the popular design-blog Web Designer Wall. None other than five of our websites have been selected and included on this years "The Best of CSS Design 2008." Our seasonal site series for the State of Tennessee and the website for local Knoxville favorite, Dara's Garden are included with 45 other examples of great web development. Five out of 50 ain't bad but 2009 is almost here! New year..new challenges...new inspiration. Let's see what 2009 has in store. Appreciate the nod Nick.

Here are the showcased websites:

Cut & Paste: The 2008 Greeting Card Competition, AIGA Knoxville

Tue, 11 Nov 08 16:40:39 -0600

As many of you may know, Designsensory is a proud and active member of our local chapter of the AIGA, the professional association of design. Given that Alison and I both serve on the Knoxville AIGA board we thought we'd do our part to get the word out for this year's greeting card competition.

The theme is handmade and the competition is open to everyone! Here's more info:

We're encouraging you to step away from your bright computer screens this holiday season and get back to working with your hands. Create an original holiday greeting card(s) and mail it in to our competition by December 1st for a chance to win one of four locally handmade packages: 1st prize = $150 value, 2nd = $75 value, 3rd = $30 value, 4th = $20 value.

Then, join us on First Friday, December 5th at the kickoff of the Handmade Holiday Show in the former White Store Building on North Central (get directions). The Glowing Body / MagPies reception will open at 6.00 pm with music starting at around 8.00pm. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Downtown North Redevelopment and AIGA Knoxville.

Fifty designs will be chosen from the submitted entries. All fifty chosen designs will be on display and offered for sale in a silent auction on December 5th.

So break out the pens, pencils, and brushes to show us what beautiful things you can make. Be it cross-stitch, screenprinting, letterpress, collage, illustration, spraypaint, etc...the options are limitless!

Go to Knoxcards.org today to download your application.

P.S. Also, don't forget we have our PM: Happy Hour coming up this November 18, 2008 from 6:30-8:00pm at the Urban Bar. Come join us for drinks and good conversation with folks from the local creative community in Knoxville! In fact, if you mention you learned about this event through this blog post, I will personally buy you a drink.

And...no, I am not resorting to bribery. :-) See you there!

From Abingdon, Virginia with Love

Thu, 16 Oct 08 10:33:20 -0500

Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Abingdon, Virginia. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Highland region in Southwest Virginia and steeped in Old World tradition, Abingdon succeeds in transporting the lucky traveler to a different time and place. Rumor has it that Abingdon is also an old childhood stomping ground of a certain Technical Director here at Designsensory.

Anyway, we found Abingdon a magical setting when we were there last but it is surely going to hold a special place in our hearts now. The business that brought us there weeks ago (bidding on their tourism website RFP) has concluded and we have been graciously selected as their new development firm. Our task: redesign www.abingdon.com.

With visual inspiration like the photographs above and a heritage that goes back to the formation of our country and the Revolutionary War it should prove to be fertile ground for some great authentic design. Thank you to our friends in the Abingdon Town Government who granted this opportunity. Time to work some magic of our own. ;-) Stay tuned...more to come in early 2009. In the meantime, experience Abingdon for yourself!

Work Honored by Graphic Design USA

Fri, 12 Sep 08 13:39:52 -0500

Just a few days ago the mailman brought a little dose of love in the form of a good ole catalog envelope. There was nothing special about the envelope except for what was inside---five awards for design excellence and a special note of congratulations. Our selections were picked out of a pool of 10,000 plus entries as part of the top 15%. A big pat on the pack to everyone who worked on these projects! Check out the certificates below. More importantly, click on the projects and see the work!

Recognition for the new Tennessee Theatre ID mark (logo) | View project»

Recognition for the Goodwill Industries 2007 Fashion Show Campaign | View project»

Recognition for the redeveloped AC Entertainment website, Concertwire.com | View project»

Recognition for Careers and Education website for the State of Tennessee | View project»

Recognition for the Lifesaver Luau 2007 Fundraising Campaign | View project»

Again, congratulations to everyone for their passion and hardwork. Awards are great but effectiveness and business performance are better. I am happy to report that in each case above, the customer AND their constitents benefited from great design. Anyone have a favorite?

A taste of our own medicine: Designing one's own Identity

Tue, 05 Aug 08 09:56:51 -0500

Why is it so difficult to design and develop your own identity system, print collateral and web site? Besides the time and personnel commitment, many design and web development agencies often struggle to capture the essence of their organizations when it comes time to do all things brand, identity and web site. Perhaps it is deciding on one path from a myriad of creative possibilities. Or perhaps it is a battle between aspiration versus pragmatism with respect to positioning.

Be it a large, hundred-man enterprise or a small, two-person shop, it is always a decidedly difficult task. Having said that, focusing the mirror of the design process on oneself has its rewards as well. Turning a process reserved for clients on ourselves ultimately shows how painful, yet rewarding, the design process can be.