J H I Blog » Recent Work

Richmond Takes The Civil War to DC

Jo — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00:08 +0000

150 years ago, in 1862, the Union Army was on the outskirts of Richmond. They believed they would take the capital of the Confederacy within days, and that the Civil War would be over in less than a month. However, the now famous Seven Days Battles ended with the Union Army pushed back and the Confederacy victorious. The Civil War would continue for years to come, at great cost to both sides.

(click on image for larger size)

Click for Video 1

J H I has created a series of 12 posters telling the story of the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles, which will be installed in the Washington DC Metro Center subway station for the entire month of April. Each poster has a QR code linked to a brief video featuring a National Park Service ranger talking about the battles.

Click for video 2

The posters are part of a larger installation J H I has produced promoting the Richmond Region as a travel destination, and part of a huge station-wide installation by the Virginia Tourism Corporation promoting the entire state of Virginia. J H I’s client, the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, leads these vigorous efforts to increase visitation to Richmond. They accomplish wonders with a budget that is far below what similar destinations spend to attract tourists.

Click for video 3

If you can’t make it to DC to see the installation, check out the Peninsula Campaign itinerary at OnToRichmond.com and walk the hallowed ground where brave men from both sides fought and died for their beliefs and their country. And be sure to watch for special events planned for May 2012 by the National Park Service and Chesterfield County, commemorating The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff: the first and last time the U.S. Navy attempted to take Richmond by water, and the battle for which John Mackie became the first U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.

Cheers!

Heidi — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:35:53 +0000

Friday Cheers Concert Series 2012: Lineup announced!

This announcement is always exciting and one of my favorite moments of the year…

It signals spring is near, daylight savings is right around the corner and what gets any better than live music outside?!

Tickets for individual performances and season passes are available online at TicketstoBuy.

See you there!

Canal Walk Banners

Zane — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:05:08 +0000

We were recently given the opportunity to help Venture Richmond liven up some of the lampposts around Richmond’s Canal Walk.

On each post is a different colored banner with an activity that can be done in and around Richmond. Visitors will be able to discover fun and interesting facts about our lovely city as they walk or ride along the historic Canal.

Come down and check it out! There is a lot more to do around Richmond than you might think!

On The Cutting…

John — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:18:46 +0000

We love to work with new ideas. We love it when our clients have new ideas and ask us to help them form strategies and communications to bring them to life.

Alternative Energy Solutions, a division of Dominion (one of the top power utilities in the country) has developed a highly sophisticated suite of products designed to make “The Smart Grid” even smarter and more efficient. The program is rolling out in conjunction with Lockheed Martin.

J H I named the product, created the strategic communications position, designed the visual identity, produced a suite of innovative communications tools and also created the trade show presence for both Dominion and Lockheed Martin.

More Good Ideas!

Diocese of Virginia

Stephanie — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:18:16 +0000

Revised crest, simplified to one-color

Recently we completed an updated identity system for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. This project was an opportunity to completely rethink the Diocese’ message as well as refresh the Diocese identity system. The project included strategic naming and messaging recommendations based on interviews and discussion groups. Working alongside our friends at the Diocese, we developed a new tagline that better expresses the church’s relevance in today’s world; redrew an historic crest and icons, and redesigned their business graphics. The Diocese’s new identity system shows a fresh modern face to the world, but is rooted in centuries of tradition. Continue reading for more images of the new Diocese of Virginia identity.

Happy Holideas!

Chris — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:58:33 +0000

Hello all and Happy Holidays from J H I! Here are some Good Ideas for the season.

Onyx
Purchase gifts from an animal shelter online store like theanimalrescuesite.com.

Zane
Bring a “Cookie Jar” when visiting friends. Fill a decorative jar with the ingredients of your favorite cookies and attach the recipe with a ribbon.

Stephanie
Make your friends and your town merry by shopping local!

Heidi
Make spiked eggnog floats (using spiced Rum and Vanilla ice cream) and gather in front of the fire for some board game fun! My choice: Monopoly.

Jo
Cuddle under a soft blanket and watch favorite old Christmas movies: “Miracle on 34th Street”, “White Christmas” and “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

John
Make a really small New Year’s resolution that you can actually keep.

Tara
Sweatpants.

Chris
Get snowed in with some friends and a box of Chinese food; the friends are optional.

Living Life Well

Tara — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:31:14 +0000

I last left you with the vision of me strutting my stuff around Westminster Canterbury for a photo shoot.

Ok that’s not entirely how it happened. I wasn’t strutting MY stuff around, but I did attend a fascinating photo shoot for beautiful Westminster Canterbury Richmond. [Read my previous post for details.]

Well the final product of that photo shoot is finally here! The photos were beautiful! They were cropped, resized, edited; you name it. They really look great.

Here is one ad we made using one of the photos. [More to come as we get farther into 2012!]

I also had the pleasure of attending another shoot, only this time it was with the great people of NBC 12! We shot footage for “Live Life Well” Minutes which will air during the Today Show on NBC.

Talk about an awesome experience. We interviewed 6 different employees at Westminster Canterbury, all of which were from different departments around the WCR community. After we shot the footage, NBC went back and edited what they shot, and sent us the compiled videos.

Dr. Kevin Fergusson

Reverend Ray Inscoe

What do you think?!

**A BIG thank you to Michael Park and Victor Nash!

Shockoe Design District

Chris — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:44:39 +0000

Let me start off by saying it has been an honor and a privilege to work with Venture Richmond and the Shockoe store owners on such an interesting project.

When J H I was asked to develop an identity for the “Shockoe Design District,” I nearly jumped out of my skin. As a Richmond native, I’ve enjoyed all of Shockoe’s offerings…from fresh tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market in the summer to a cup of hot chocolate at the Grand Illumination in the winter. So the chance to add yet another feature to the area’s allure was a challenge we accepted with verve.

The end product is the Shockoe “S”. While directly referencing design, with its use of simple shapes and bold colors, it also encompasses a few of the District’s landmarks. The curve of the S represents the Canal Turning Basin where the Shockoe District begins, and the 3 squares in the middle represent Richmond’s triple crossing .

You can see the Banner (pictured below) hanging across 15th St. for yourself when you attend Shockoe Design Day! (Nov. 5th, 12PM–8PM at 14th & Virginia St.)

Shockoe Design District

Picture Perfect

Tara — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:51:05 +0000

When you look through a magazine, how much time do you spend looking at the pictures? Personally, I focus more on the pictures than I do the copy. They tell more of a story to me than the paragraphs that sit beside them. I know I’m not the only one. Some people flip through magazines and don’t even give a second thought to how that picture became so perfect. Well let me tell you a little secret: those pictures you see in magazines and ads don’t just happen. There is some serious blood, sweat, and tears that go into those pictures. In fact, there are hundreds of pictures taken just to get ONE good one.

I was recently given the opportunity to tag along to a photo shoot for Westminster Canterbury Richmond. I thought we would take a few pictures, go to another location, take a few pictures, and be done by lunchtime. WRONG. We had 5 locations, 4 different models, 3 different exposures, a million thoughts going into each picture, and one goal: to portray the vision of our client in the most accurate way possible. Believe me, it’s hard not to want channel your inner Tyra Banks when attending these photo shoots. But of course, I just stood in the background in awe over the limitless amount of possibility when it comes to photography. Moving a chair an inch to the left can make or break a shot. It’s incredible.

After the photo shoot, we receive the photos from the photographer and look at each one very carefully. We look for photos that give us the same visceral feeling as they did when they first came through the lens. Here are a few from the shoot (soon to be seen in advertisements, direct mail, online….)

Photos courtesy of Richard Boyd

What’s In A Name?

Zane — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:07:16 +0000

We are pleased to unveil one of our latest branding campaigns! Introducing Project:Homes, formerly Elder Homes. This was a complete rebrand, from a new brand position and clearer definition of services to a new name—which emerged from many J H I brainstorms—to a new logo. It was critical for the new name and look to be grounded in the ElderHomes Brand DNA while enabling the organization to move beyond misperceptions of being solely about “senior” housing services. The new brand position also became the new tagline: improving lives by improving homes. Project:Homes can now deepen its services and expand its capabilities while remaining firmly rooted in its true core strengths and unique approach. Click here to download a PDF of our strategic recommendation for Project:Homes and get a glimpse into the ground work that goes into a new identity.

Let us know what you think! Twitter us @jhigoodidea or click here to tell us on Facebook!