Creating a kit with a “wow factor” takes only imagination and ingenuity. It’s a bit like completing a puzzle. You take a budget (of any size); add in logos, colors, key messages and copy; factor is how the pieces will be used, and explore paper and alternative materials. Then you take all of those components and look at them in new ways to make them fit perfectly. And, voila! A custom, innovative marketing kit.
Below are some of our favorite marketing kit projects.
City of Santa Ana – Economic Development Division
For the City of Santa Ana we rebranded the Economic Development Division. We paired a signature graphic – a hibiscus – with lightly shimmered textured paper to create a look unexpected of a city department.
This project comprised:
- corporate identity
corporate identity usage guide
logo development
tagline
presentation folder
stationery
data sheets
notecards & envelopes
CD label & casing
outdoor banners
City of Long Beach – Economic Development Bureau
Long Beach’s Economic Development Bureau needed a marketing kit commensurate with the national developers and retailers it was trying to attract. The bureau also needed a solution to the sheafs of paper informing business owners about the myriad city resources available to them. To achieve a high-end look at a reasonable price, we used a texture paper and saturated it with a rich brown color. The effect was a folder that looked and felt like leather. To add a pop of color, we treated the city’s name with a slate blue foil emboss.
As for the data, we rewrote it and packaged it as a “Start Here: Doing Business in Long Beach” 5×7 brochure. Then we developed a custom folder with a die-cut sleeve for the inside left page and a 1/4-inch deep “box” with flap closure for the inside right panel. The folder showcased the “Start Here” brochure while also leaving room for city staff to include information flyers about other federal and state programs.
Encore Capital Group – Healthcare Division
Encore Capital Group of San Diego expanded its business by creating a healthcare division to provide debt management services to hospitals. The senior vice president needed a marketing kit that coordinated with Encore’s existing materials but gave the new division its own identity. We created a custom folder sized to handle legal-size contract, a brochure explaining the divisions services, and a stationery system. The color bar motif used Encore’s corporate colors (blue and red) and blended them to create a spectrum of colors, which afforded Encore the flexibility to color code all of its business divisions.
Check out his piece on Downey’s successful new business efforts.
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Peninsula Friends of the Library (PFL) raises funds for the Palos Verde (Calif.) Library District by hosting special events, lecture series, books sales and membership drives. To attract a new generation of members, PFL sought to revamp its marketing materials.
We developed a concept based on a puzzle piece, which visually explains how Friends members, the PFL organization and the library district are integral pieces forming a complete picture. We paired the puzzle piece icon with a tag line, “You’re the Key Piece,” and an attention-getting color scheme inspired by the colors of Palos Verde peninsula.
From there, we created a marketing kit comprising a membership brochure, stationery system, flyer templates, newsletter template, bookmarks and color-coded remittal envelopes.
]]>Donnelle, a well-known klutz, is a walking testimonial to Jenn’s PT skills. Jenn and Melissa Walls literally got Donnelle back on her feet after a nasty sprained ankle.
Dereck and Jenn are expanding their practice to include a Pilates studio, a massage therapist and a nutrition counselor. To help get the word about about their business, they’ve hired us to update their logo and stationery system, create advertising pieces and assist in designing their website.
Check back in after the new year to learn more about South County Physical Therapy & Pilates and the work we’re doing for them.
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For the past four months we have been working with WirelessWERX to help launch the company at ASIS 2009. WirelessWERX has a product we all will want. The team makes it possible for 911 dispatchers to find you when you call 911 from your mobile phone.
I know what you’re thinking: They can find me. I have GPS on my phone. Well, yes, you can be found in a broad sense. You can be found within 150 meters — or 1 1/2 football fields — of your location, but most often it’s within 300 or 1000 meters. And, the first responders won’t know what building you’re in or what floor you’re on or what room you’re in. In densely population areas, like the housing tracts here in Southern California, or in multistory apartment buildings or campus dormitories, the lack of building / floor / room information means first responders are knocking on lots of doors before they find you. The existing 911 system was built for landline phones which are tied to physical addresses.
To see how WirelessWERX’s product, watch this video that we worked on with our friends at Loma Media.
WirelessWERX is deployed at University Lofts at Denver University and the Denver 911 Command Center. A home version of the product is in the works.
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WirelessWERX asked Eliot Lane to coordinate its participation in the ASIS International 2009 trade show, the security industry’s preeminent event.
WirelessWERX was using the show for its debut. Here, the company would officially launch its SiteWERX product and demonstrate its indoor location services technology. WirelessWERX needed to create a booth presence that gave it credibility with customers and legitimacy among its peers, which included ADT, Honeywell and Stanley.
Fran created a signature image for WirelessWERX using a high-rise building to convey WirelessWERX’s specialty in indoor location. We then partnered with Denise Dres of Nimlok Orange County to select a booth. Denise put together a rental booth configuration that fit the budget and made WirelessWERX look sensational. Denise also lent her expertise regarding ordering shows services, calculating drayage and coordinating shipping.
To explain WirelessWERX’s business to customers and partners, we brought in John DeBello of Loma Media. John and his team produced a compelling video, “Saving Time. Saving Lives,” which shows how SiteWERX accurately pinpoints a mobile 911 caller’s location by including building, floor and room number. (The current 911 system was devised 40 years ago for landlines. It provides locations within an area of confidence between 50-50 meters, which is the equivalent of a football field.)
Lastly, we added Christine Bock of Bock Communications to the mix for her media relations expertise. Bock helped craft WirelessWERX’s story and arranged briefings with top industry analysts and reporters.
The show was a success for WirelessWERX. The keynote speaker named WirelessWERX as one of the 10 “must see” exhibitors at the show, and the company received media coverage from Security Products magazine, Security magazine and the Orange County Register.
]]>Fran and I are particularly excited to work with PFL because we are library lovers. Fran has wonderful memories of bringing her daughter to the gorgeous Cerritos Library. My first job was at the Bacon Free Library in South Natick, Mass. I was 10. I begged the librarians to hire me. I spent my Saturdays reshelving books (and hanging out in the mystery section pouring over the next Agatha Christie to check out), covering books in cellophane, and checking out books. At the Bacon Free, everyone knows their library card number… it’s one of the many charms of the library. (I’m A278!)
Check back with us in September. We should have samples posted of PFL’s new marketing materials. In the meantime, if you’re local, go visit one of the PVLD branches. You’ll love them. And, join the Friends organization of your local library…they’re worth it.
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City of Long Beach Neighborhood Services Brochure
The City of Long Beach has a number of excellent programs for businesses and residents. Don’t get me started on all of the free assistance and tax breaks available to businesses. It’s crazy. Then there are all the services available through the Neighborhood Services Bureau (NSB). Want to refurbish the facade of your home or business? Check. Want to set up a neighborhood watch? Check. Want help with graffiti removal? Check.
A few weeks ago we finished up a brochure for NSB. They wanted something extremely portable for their team to carry around on their routine visits of every neighborhood. The end result was a 10×7 die-cut brochure that gives an overview of NSB. (The die cut follows the outline of the yellow arcing sun.)
We also created Word templates for each group within NSB, giving their materials a consistent look and feel.
If you want to learn more about NSB, click here.
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Like the cobbler’s children, we have spent our time working happily on our clients’ brand identities, marketing collateral and PR programs. Meanwhile, our site — fabulous as we thought it was — had been static for nearly four years. Today, that changes. Welcome to the new eliotlane.com.
Throughout the site you’ll find the usual information plus a portfolio section where we show off the cool work our clients let us do. In our blog you’ll learn about what we’re up to and what’s capturing our interest. By now you’ve also noticed we changed our logo. Once we started tinkering with the site, we decided to refresh everything. Post a comment below and let us know what you think.
A sincere thanks goes out to Kevin Field of 7th Groove who helped produce the site.
Best,
Donnelle & Fran
Health Access for Pacific Islanders Seniors (HAPAS), a program by Special Service for Groups (SSG), provides health education brochures on topics such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunization.
Each series of brochures must be translated into as many as 13 languages. (See Services) To ensure the project stays within budget, SSG provides copy and photos and uses our graphic design and translation capabilities.
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