Our “On to Richmond” Civil War & Emancipation 150^th campaign
for the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
has now made its way into the National spotlight. RMCVB received
a great opportunity to promote Richmond as a “must see” Civil War destination with a full page ad in USA Today on Monday, April 11. “Path to Freedom” looks fiery hot at the size of a small poster!
(We’d also love to see it as a backlit diorama in the airport, in
case anyone would like to donate the space…)

A relay race metaphor was an underlying concept used throughout the pieces in this project. Members were first sent a flash animation teaser to spark excitement about the conference. Members then received a three-dimensional mailer. The exterior of the box carried the line “The Time is Now”. Inside a stopwatch displayed the LCLD logo along with registration information. As a result of this strategy, conference registration and attendance surpassed projections.

Following the conference, members were sent another mailer. This piece continued the concept of a relay race with the act of passing the baton—A reminder for each member that they are running the final leg of the race for a more diverse law profession.

J H I has been able to integrate some interesting new media applications into this project, including an emailed Flash animation which unveils the conference theme to registrants. Click below to watch it!

When we heard about the financial hardships of the historic Byrd Theatre, we were heartbroken. We love the Byrd. We can’t imagine Richmond without it. We know lots of other locals feel the same. And we knew the annual Carytown Watermelon Festival was only a week away, when thousands of potential donors would be walking past this beloved landmark. Two days and one great slogan later, we had designed a t-shirt and gotten a few sponsors on board, including Target Marketing, who offered to help get 500 shirts produced and delivered in time for the festival. The shirts are $15 each (cash only) and will be sold Sunday,  August 8 in the lobby of the Byrd Theatre. You can also pick one up at World of Mirth, Eurotrash and Chasen Galleries. A special thanks goes out to our silent sponsors  – anonymous at their own request – whose generosity means that 100% of shirt sale proceeds will directly benefit the Byrd Theatre Foundation. If all goes well, we’ll sell out and need to produce another 500 to meet the overwhelming demand!

That bright orange scooter parked outside is the sign of a new addition here at J H I.

Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Meena Khalili, designer and illustrator and the newest addition to J H I. It is a sincere privilege to be working in this productive and successful creative think tank!

I’ve come to J H I just after receiving my MFA in Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to that, I studied Illustration at VCU where I earned my BFA in Communication Arts and Design. I have studied illustration in Florence Italy, and taught graphic design in Doha, Qatar. I get my good ideas by traveling, observing cultures, and drawing the world around me.

Just last month, Applied Arts Magazine recognized a series of my illustrations which were inspired by the charming and charismatic coffee shops I’ve observed here in Richmond, Virginia. This work will be featured in the September 2010 Student Awards Issue of Applied Arts Magazine as well as in the November Awards Exhibition in Toronto, Canada.

Richmond, Virginia. this historic and interesting city, is chock full of visual nourishment that continues to feed us those good ideas!

(Richmond Coffee Shop Series Award Winners)

ChildFund began in 1938 in Richmond, VA. Founded by Dr. J. Calvitt Clarke, it was originally called China’s Children Fund (CCF), and was created to help children displaced by the second Sino-Japanese War. The “child sponsorship” concept we know today stemmed from Dr. Clarke’s vision: one sponsor donates one amount to help one child.

The organization’s work quickly expanded to helping children around the world, and its focus shifted to addressing the devastating impact of poverty on children’s lives and communities. In 1951, the name was changed to Christian Children’s Fund, and by the 1960’s CCF was assisting over 36,000 children in 50 countries. In 1985, more than 325,000 children were sponsored by CCF. Today, the organization reaches over 15 million children and family members in 31 countries.

Recognizing that the complex and multiple challenges now facing children around the world requires a globe-spanning organization that can substantially impact the lives of children in need, CCF became a founding partner of the ChildFund Alliance, comprised of 12 like-minded international children’s organizations.

In 2009, CCF became ChildFund International.  As part of its rebranding initiative, J H I was asked to write and design a six panel brochure that could effectively communicate the organization’s 5 Year Strategy to a wide range of stakeholders, in multiple languages, and in countries around the world. The resulting piece, “Positive Outcomes, Lasting Change” recently received a First Place award in the Virginia Press Women’s 2010 communication contest, and will advance to the National Federation of Press Women contest.

It’s always nice to win awards. But it’s even better to be a part of changing the world.

Needless to say, technology has changed the landscape of marketing and design. We’ve all had to re-evaluate existing brands and rethink new ones, beyond print, beyond web, and beyond social media. So when Jo brought in a great article about Google’s brand last week it really got me thinking. Their logo, which is fairly unremarkable in itself from a design standpoint, has completely bucked brand tradition. Last year, Aol jumped on board and rebranded with a logo that not only changes color, but also changes texture and imagery. So what, or who, is next? All of this was fresh in my mind when I came across this article that uses squid (of all things) to bring up some really interesting ideas on the future of branding and marketing. Good food for thought!

Great photography is such an important part of any finished piece, printed or online.  And usually, we focus on the finished product of our work, the brochures, magazines, and advertisements that we complete for our clients.  However, in recent weeks we’ve been given the opportunity to capture the right photo to speak for our clients. Here are a few photos from behind the view finder of our latest photo shoots  at Randolph Macon College and Carpenter Co.  Finished products coming soon!