Maryland Film Festival Poster
Hi all, Here’s some more poster love, this time from me instead of Andy. You might remember my post about winning work with The Maryland Film Festival to promote their Friends of the Festival program. If not, click HERE. With the Festival itself set to begin tomorrow, we’ve just finished our first project with them. [...]
I Love Posters
I like to design them, collect them, look at them, talk about them, think about them. I even dream about posters sometimes. Over the years, as a result of my pursuit of the perfect poster collection, I’ve amassed a great library of knowledge about posters that I thought I’d share with you. Enjoy: Communities: http://www.gigposters.com [...]
Color Inspiration
Here’s a link that you might find of interest, even if you’re not in the design or marketing industry: http://tinyurl.com/5quzu3 Most of us have fond memories of the Crayola brand as children. As a matter of fact, according to this article, a Yale University study has determined the scent of Crayola crayons is among the [...]
New Client :: Peace Corps
Hi all – We’re thrilled to be working as a sub-contractor to fellow Baltimore design firm Novak Birch for one of our dream clients: The Peace Corps. The contract is for print design work on collateral materials that will be used to further the Peace Corps recruitment campaign “Life is Calling. How Far Will You [...]
What’s On Your Desktop?
They say your computer desktop can say a lot about who you are as a person. And since that’s the case, you may want to do something about that ‘default’ desktop you’re currently using… Don’t worry, Desktoptopia has you covered. Desktoptopia is a great new service that allows you to get served fresh new desktop [...]
Brand Strategy, Simplified
Hi all, Here at Orange Element, we work hard to make sure our clients’ brands are as strong as possible each and every day. But that job becomes even easier if the company’s business model is an amazing one. That’s why as marketing director, I strive each and every day to reach out to and [...]
Bloggers Unite
I have recently signed up for Bloggers Unite, which is an effort by all bloggers to draw attention to human rights issues at the same time. Here’s a description from their Web site: While the words might change from country to country and are sometimes taken for granted, human rights represent one of the universally [...]
Retro Designs
Thanks Ande and Charles for passing along this awesome link about retro designs. As you probably know if you’re a loyal OE Insights reader, I am a big fan of the use of historical elements in design. If you’re the same way, you’ll probably love this link. CELEBRATION OF RETRO DESIGN Here’s one of my [...]
Environmental Graphics Are Important
In a world where brand marketers are so busy looking for the next “hot” medium to help extend their brand, many need to look no further than their physical environment. Based on our experiences, environmental graphics are one of the most often overlooked marketing mediums from a marketing strategy standpoint. Wikipedia defines environmental graphics as [...]
Meet Saskia
We’ve had a special guest this week at Orange Element. While she’s not a great designer and is incredibly hairy, Saskia has served as a fantastic office mate. She’s been calm and quiet all week and has been motivating us to push our designs while her home has been undergoing some construction. We will miss [...]
Golf With Friends
Aaron and I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to play 9 holes of golf at The Golf Club at South River down in Edgewater. I have to admit, sometimes life is really, really good. What an amazing day for some golf – thanks to our friend Charlie Birney for inviting us [...]
Giving New Life To A Brand :: Brand Refresh
As a group that works creating and communicating great brands every day, we’re keenly aware when a brand needs help. These brands have become somewhat stale, are insignificant, or are just dated. This often happens when brands have been around for a while, regardless of size or industry. Factors could include: aggressive competition, becoming ‘lost [...]
Barack Site
Aaaah, the power of interactive media. Have you seen this site? www.barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com. How about this one? www.hillaryismomjeans.com. I’m thinking they were clearly done by a Barack supporter, but either way they are hilarious. The Hillary one actually allows you to submit your own versions. Here’s my favorite from the Obama site, even though unfortunately it’s [...]
Every Little Bit Counts
Hi all – We’re all really excited because we just recently received a new shipment of disposable cutlery from Worldcentric. But this is no ordinary disposable cutlery. What we received are disposable utensils made from corn starch that biodegrades in 180 days or less when composted. Amazing. The utensils themselves are just like normal plastic [...]
Pimp Your Pooch
Hey all – Check out this sweet micro site our friends/partners at Fastspot just finished for Animal Planet (Discovery Channel) to promote their new show, Groomer Has It. http://www.pimpyourpoochgame.com/index.html I gave my dog, Layla, “The Jessica.” Enjoy:
Branding Vs. Brand Development
In marketing communications there are so many terms and buzzwords thrown around that it’s easy for even professionals in the industry to get confused from time to time. And with the advent of social media and popularity of blogging, there are even new terms being created nearly every day. As a matter of fact, HERE’s [...]
Oh What A Night!
Last night was a blast. Not only did Orange Element take home 5 Addys, including two Gold Addys, we also found out that one of our entries, Matt Mendelsohn promotional kit, won another Gold at the AAF District 2 competition! This means that it will automatically move on to the National competition! We had a [...]
Baltimore’s Got Talent
The office is currently abuzz about tonight’s Addy celebration, which is just a couple of hours away at this point. I’m sure you’re excited to know that I’m prepared to spend some time tomorrow giving you a full recap of the night’s events! I won’t let you down. In the mean time, I wanted to [...]
Cool New Coke Product
And for the second T-shirt-related post of the day….Thanks to our good friend Melissa Franko from The Brick Companies for passing along this story that I somehow missed. It’s an article from Brandweek that discusses a new product from Coke. They, like many of the companies in the drink category that bottle their beverages with [...]
T-Shirt Design
Okay, I’ve entered my first t-shirt to Threadless. It’s the first of about six in the series titled “little creatures”. Willie the Beav, inspired by my son at 4-months (when he only had 2 teeth), first appeared on Orange Element’s wrapping paper in November 07. I’m pleased that it’s passed the first judgement of being [...]
Die!
Yesterday, our friend Dave Stock from Baltimore Color Plate came by to show us the die that is being used to create the die cut in the South River brochure. I have to admit, I had never seen an actual die before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. For some reason I pictured a [...]
Cool Typography Posters
Just caught up on my Brandflakes this morning and they tipped me off to a really cool set of posters that are virally making their way around the design world. Check them out HERE. They’re essentially a typographical study showcasing the different sections and districts within popular cities using only type. How much would I [...]
Starbucks Goes Back In Time
Remember how Starbucks’ top brass had come to the conclusion that in the process of expanding from one store to over 15,000 stores, they had drifted astray from the characteristics that made their brand so near and dear to the hearts of so many people? If not, HERE’S a refresher. Well, they’re taking active steps [...]
Brandjunkie
Interbrand, under the guise of Brandchannel just released its annual Brandjunkie awards, so I wanted to pass them along. There really weren’t that many surprises this year, which is similar to years past, but I really enjoyed that they asked some odd/random questions this year like: “What brand, if sent back 100 years, would have [...]
