As you can see at the bottom of the navigation at right we now have the ability to add a poll to our sweet blog. This week’s poll touches on something that I think about quite a lot. At Orange Element, we’ve always had this dream of developing our own custom designed product line. But not just any custom designed product line - one in which we are able to sell the products for profit, a portion of which would then be given directly to a charity or group of charities in our community.

We’re still in the initial stages of brainstorming how we could make it work, but it’s a very exciting thought for us. The opportunity to both help humanity while creating a tangible product that represents us and allows people to interact with our brand in a whole new way is very appealing to us.

So please, weigh in on the poll. Let us know what you’d be interested in. If you have other ideas or thoughts about this potential venture, please shoot them to me via email at garret [at] orange-element [dot] com.

My vote? Oh, I’m glad you asked! I cannot wait until we can do a limited-edition run of Orange Element designed Moleskines. I’m still researching the actual process of customization of the graphics and production, but I can definitely see it being a great icebreaker for new business meetings! The best part, which is great for lefties like me is that it opens completely flat. Previously the only option I had for taking notes in meetings where those stuffy leather portfolios that you’d expect an accountant to be bringing to a meeting. And that’s definitely not me…

In the meantime, I just ordered this limited-edition Plaid Moleskine. One of only 50 ever made! I can’t wait for it to get here.

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

I get a lot of people that ask me if many people actually read our blog. Thanks to advanced Web analytics that Wordpress has in place, I actually know the answer to that: Yes, I’m delighted quite a lot of people are actually checking us out here.

Even still, I was glad to see some hard statistics on Google Trends that point to the fact that Blogs are actually growing in popularity and are now even overtaking online newspapers and magazines in popularity on the search engine.

Check it out HERE.

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

One of our clients, who also happens to be one of the folks I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation event was featured in an article in today’s Baltimore Business Journal today. The article was about the efforts The Brick Companies has made both at their headquarters but also at their portfolio properties to create a sustainable environment. In the article Lex Birney discusses what a great impact sustainability has had on his business–even from an employee recruitment standpoint. I’m glad to see them getting even more recognition for being what Kim Coble of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation calls “a very environmentally progressive company.”

Here’s a link for you paid subscribers:
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/05/12/focus2.html

Oh, and did I mention that one of our strategic partners, Sawmill Marketing & Public Relations, is the one responsible for getting TBC the coverage in the BBJ? Nice work! Check out Sawmill here and here!

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

Aaron and I were invited by our good friends at The Brick Companies to attend the sponsor’s dinner for the Akridge Save The Bay Classic to benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It was an absolutely amazing event, held at the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center, which is the headquarters location for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It’s just an amazing building that has set the standard for sustainable workplaces with features like geothermal walls, natural ventilation, solar panels, insulated panels, rooftop barrels, composting toilets, a bioretention system, and even more. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

This is the inaugural Save The Bay Classic, but by the looks of the event last night you would never know. The presentation was amazing, and I really learned some great things about the efforts many organizations are making to do sustainable business. Among the speakers was Will Baker, the executive director of the CBF, Ed Allenby, the director of development of the CBF, an executive from Akridge, Ron Dodson, the founder of Audobon International and Lex Birney, the CEO of The Brick Companies.

Each of these folks had a lot of great things to say, both about the role the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is playing in saving the national treasure that is the Bay, as well as how important this golf tournament is in that effort–both in raising money, but as Will Baker said it also helps to spread the word of their cause out into the public. And it’s amazingly fitting that they chose Queenstown Harbor as a location for the tournament. That is, after all one of the most sustainable golf courses in this region. It has also recently been certified by Audobon International as a cooperative sanctuary.

Unfortunately Aaron and I couldn’t be there for the tournament today due to other commitments, but we’re definitely going to play next year. Actually, if all goes well, we could even be helping CBF with their tournament marketing materials and more next year! After all, they ARE one of our dream clients!

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

*Photo courtesy of the CBF Web site.

To my amazement, I happen to be the main character in this book, Search For The Shadowman. Here’s a brief description:

“What starts out as a simple family-history project turns into an obsessive hunt for the truth behind an old family feud. Andy Bonner is determined to get to the bottom of a mystery involving an ancestor who had supposedly stolen his parents’ money and been disowned.”

So there you go–and if you want to buy it, it’s available on Amazon for $5.50. Hurry–they’re going fast!

Andy

Sarah is awesome. She sent me a link yesterday that I thought was pretty cool, so I wanted to pass it along to you so that you brand lovers can check it out:

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/

Brand New is a great blog that I am sure to add to my Google Reader. It’s mainly about something that I’ve written about in the past–refreshing a company’s visual brand. The best part is that it’s a great collection of old vs. new identity examples, many from major corporate brands but also some from local and regional brands as well.

Here’s one of my favorite examples - pretty shocking departure, and I actually like it. I think Ford needs a brand refresh to change my perception of the brand! If you read the post at Brand New about it, you quickly learn that it was an April Fool’s joke. Too bad….

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com