For over 20 years, Better Housing Coalition has been changing lives and transforming communities through high quality affordable housing. BHC is nationally recognized for its innovative approach, from building green to providing support services that help each neighborhood flourish. In 2009, BHC launched its annual leadership awards, to honor those whose leadership inspires positive change in the greater Richmond community (and to raise money, in case you’re looking for a worthy cause to support). In 2010, BHC decided to name the event/awards Groundbreakers, and asked JHI to develop a logo that would be an extension of the BHC brand (which JHI also developed). The final choice was a colorful constellation of shovels, illustrating the endless and wonderful possibilities that can happen when we all dig in and help.
Volkswagen and ad agency DDB Stockholm are launching a behavior-change campaign linking positive behaviors with fun. The “Fun Theory Campaign” is an initiative to promote environmentally friendly behaviors and is ultimately about driving environmentally friendly cars. The idea behind the campaign is to demonstrate that acting responsibly can be fun. Several experiments are under way. One converted a staircase in a Stockholm subway station into working piano keys. The result: 66% more people chose the stairs over the escalator. Another uses cartoonlike sound effects to make throwing rubbish into the trash can fun. That bin collected 41 kilograms more trash in one day than did a standard bin nearby. This campaign is a stellar example of advertising at its best: a big idea that can work across all media, including social and viral.
JHI is delighted to be working with Westminster Canterbury Richmond, a premier continuing care retirement community with such a beautiful campus and wonderful amenities that I keep trying to figure out how to get around the age limit so I can move in (sorry folks: you gotta be 62 or older). In addition to lovely residences and a packed calendar of events and activities, WCR also provides high quality healthcare support. While the focus is on staying healthy and independent, WCR also offers assisted living and nursing care, providing residents and their families with the secure knowledge that they will be well cared for if their needs change.
In addition to the 15oth logo, J H I also designed an ad to promote the Richmond Region’s Civil War commemoration. The message reinforces Richmond’s pivotal role in that Great Conflict and the design, like the logo, is based on broadsides (posters) from the Civil War era. The authentic cannon illustration was provided by the Museum of the Confederacy. The logo and the ad provide a design language that will be echoed on the On To Richmond website and throughout materials created for the commemoration.
In case you’ve ever wondered whether or not a logo matters, here’s an interesting overview from Fortune Magazine of the evolution of several famous logos, both successful and not so…
Here at JHI we are big believers in supporting locally-owned businesses, which is one of the many reasons we are proud to have Ukrop’s as a long time client (since 1999). Interesting fact: Ukrop’s is the area’s largest retailer of locally grown produce. Local Route is a campaign we designed for Ukrop’s about two years ago, and it’s still going strong (in fact, a grocery chain in the Midwest liked it so much they asked if they could use it). On June 29, we’ll be reprising Local Route for a five week run of :10 TV and online ads that change weekly to feature local farmers and the summer produce item that’s at its peak.
Differentia is an oversized tabloid created on an irregular basis by J H I. Our purpose is two-fold: to produce a publication that reflects our unique sensibility as a design firm, and to connect with the local creative community. Previous issues have won numerous design awards (very gratifying). In the past, we’ve picked a theme and built differentia around that idea, basically creating all the content ourselves. For the next issue, we would like to design differentia around work submitted by local amateur and/or professional writers. We will let the submissions dictate the theme, and the writing will be the primary focus. We believe there are a lot of good writers skulking around this town. Got something you’d like to submit? We’d love to read it! Submission guidelines follow…
Ross Catrow of PharrOut.com sent us this link: a top 10 list for corporate website and social networking do’s and don’ts. There are some thoughts here that can save you a lot of heartache and money if you’re responsible (partly or fully) for this at your organization, or if you work with clients on these tools….
We have a saying here at J H I: sending creative ideas to a client without protection is like sending a toddler out to play in rush hour traffic. Because the fact is, an idea is just that: an idea. It needs the support of the person or people who came up with it, who understand all of the nuances and details that lead to its conception, who know why it’s strong and where it can go, or what can be altered without weakening its core value.
Clients frequently ask us to send initial concepts as pdfs because they are too busy to meet and go over the ideas in person. Of course, technology has made everyone’s workday an accelerated rush from punch-in to punch-out, with packed schedules making it difficult to find even a few minutes to meet. So, unfortunately, despite our deep misgivings, there are times when we are forced to send original, embryonic conceptual ideas alone over the internet. What happens? continue reading
This week Onyx had a play date with her BFF, Jackson. As you can see by the toy parts in the background, they had a great time. Jackson, who is much older and wiser, is very patient with Onyx’s rambunctious and demanding nature. Watching these two play is a great reminder that it’s important to have FUN!
