Next up, Caroline!

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

You can read the full article which was also published to Brandweek by clicking HERE, but here are a few paragraphs about us:

Extra vacation days and paid leave can help motivate, but fun time on the job can be an effective incentive as well. Small Baltimore-based design and visual communications firm Orange Element takes a creative approach to its monthly Fun Day, a daylong opportunity for team members to shut off their computers and do something recreational together. “Not only is it an opportunity to blow off some steam, but it really does help us grow as a team,” says Aaron Moore, principal and creative director. “We’ve found that in an industry riddled with deadlines and high-pressure situations, taking a break to refocus creates happier, less-stressed employees, which in turn creates even better work.”

The office field trips can provide intellectual experiences that are in line with the company’s creative goals as well. “So much of design is about perspective-and it’s hard to have a good sense of perspective when you’re stuck in an office all the time,” Moore says. “Fun Days get us out of the office to experience new things and help us keep an open mind.”

Orange Element Fun Days so far have included paintball at a partner firm, snowboarding, baseball games, golf and duckpin bowling, all in the name of a good time. “I think there is a direct correlation between the amount of fun we are all having here and the quality of the work that we produce,” says Moore. “Making sure that we’re having fun allows us to be fun people, and that’s a big part of what our clients love about us.”

Orange Element maintains the fun the rest of the month with a lighthearted blog, which employees contribute to, and a pinball machine and putting mat set up in the office. And they aren’t just for show, says Garret Ohm, marketing director.

“The perception is that design firms are lavish spaces with rooms filled with toys. But the harsh reality is that in most firms, this is only a façade,” he says. “Most employees are too scared to endure the countless evil stares from upper management if they try to spend any time during the day doing non-billable work.” Not so at his office, where “the games are used all the time.”

Sweet - even the blog was mentioned in the article! This article hit it on the head, though. We’re big believers in creating an environment where there is a healthy work-life balance. We feel as though it’s important to have fun and stay happy because we know we do our strongest creative work when we’re not bogged down by the stress and anxiety that so often infiltrates the corporate world.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

Go HERE to download the font.

Upper:

Lower:

I’ll post more when I’m finished reading Maggie’s book, but so far it’s a great read about the importance of using symbols in visual communications. My favorite so far part is the case studies at the end of each chapter (which is how I found Culture.ca).

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

Don’t forget to check out these other DOE pages we’ve designed as well:

http://www.myspace.com/h2IQ
http://www.myspace.com/solardecathlon07

Nice work, Andy & Sarah!

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

Mission accomplished. The team from Hub designed a mobile action-sports urban assault vehicle. The vehicle is actually a converted 1959 amphibious tank-like truck that has been outfitted with a skate ramp, wakeboard tower, surf racks, skateboard rails and BMX racks — as well as creature comforts such as a barbeque, sleep-in camper shell, a waterproof CD player, radio and remote control iPod.

Guerilla marketing makes me happy - and this is certainly a great way to build the Nike brand in the extreme sports world. Nice work, Hub/Nike.  I hope to see it in Baltimore at some point!

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

To advertise the low starting price of their Chevy Aveo, they created a billboard made of 769,500 pennies, the exact amount that it takes to purchase a new Aveo. People noticed. Unfortunately, the action they took was not going to their local Chevy dealer, it was STEALING THE PENNIES off of the billboard. They were reportedly gone within 30 minutes.

Next time perhaps Chevy will put the billboard somewhere higher than street-level (although it didn’t stop the guys with the ladder…).

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

And on top of that, I find out that Alltop has Orange Element’s feed on their Alltop branding page, right next to Brandweek. That’s a huge honor for myself and the rest of the team here that works so hard to make this blog worth reading. In case you don’t know about Alltop, it’s one of the best blog aggregators out there because they scour the Web to gather all the best blogs on a number of topics, one of which is branding.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-blog.com

On a side note - I want a Snickers. It really satisfies.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

This is not your average brochure. As a sustainable company, The Brick Companies sought to communicate their commitment without creating additional waste. We suggested developing a brochure in the form of a downloadable PDF housed on their Web site, which is available for downloading and printing if necessary.

We’re quite happy with the results, and I encourage you to click HERE to visit the environmental stewardship section of their Web site or click HERE to download the PDF to check it out for yourself - If for nothing else, to read all about what a forward-thinking company does to lessen their impact. A few select pages of the brochure are below.

Nice work, EJ, Beth and Ande!

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com/

Great branding + Great business model = Success
Great branding + Mediocre business model = Fail!

Unfortunately, not every business that seeks professional marketing help is backed by a solid business model. Many businesses simply exist, with no unique, compelling characteristics that consumers crave. I believe that these businesses, even with the help of a slick brand, cannot survive in the long-haul. And to add insult to injury, it’s a difficult fix that most business owners aren’t willing to embrace.

On the other side of the coin are businesses that deliver an amazing brand experience, yet aren’t supported by a healthy branding effort. The problem with this is consumers use a company’s brand image to decide whether or not they want to engage/purchase/patronize/etc (Think about it the next time you’re in the grocery store trying to decide which shampoo to buy). If the brand isn’t up to snuff, many consumers won’t give them the opportunity to deliver a brand experience because they’ll just move on to the next brand…That equation looks like this:

Bad branding + Great brand experience = Fail!

This happens too often. On a local scale, here in Maryland there are countless brands that I have come across that are truly remarkable brands. A couple that come to mind right now are Terracycle, Carols Western Wear, Chevy Chase Bank and Lemongrass (Thai food). Each of these are companies that I feel deliver a PHENOMENAL brand experience, but could use some help with making sure their brand communicates it. Luckily, I know just the right group of people to solve their problem…

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

p.s. Thanks Alchemy for the image.