J H I Blog

It’s basically a simple idea to do more with less, but it’s never easy to get there. This maxim is especially true in the realm of communications and never more important than right now.

As never before in history, we are being literally attacked by a tsunami of incoming data, messages, tweets, and all manner of advertising and social connections. Readers/viewers bristle at the thought of wading through paragraphs of copy when they are already thinking about what they will need to move onto as soon as they are done here. So, as a designer, has dealing with pervasive societal Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) become the playing field where successful communications are crafted?

Instead of organizing a lot information into a predetermined box, if we can define the idea and create a concept to express that idea, do we really need a lot of words? The words will be necessary, but later on in the progression of the conversation, but not in the beginning, where it’s critical to get attention in today’s loud media whirlwind.

By example, several years ago, while traveling in Sicily on a quest to visit the famous pastry shops of the island, we stopped at Maricante’s Pastry Shop in the ancient port of Siracusa. (They now have a web site:  http://www.barmarciante.it/HOME.HTM). Ask for a business card and you get this simple idea:

Depending on how you hold the card you either see a smiling face with the inscription: “I ate a pastry from Maricante”, or, I’m obviously having a bad day frowning face with the inscription: “I didn’t eat a pastry from Maricante”. Bypassing the layers of details that may explain why, they get right to the point: happy or sad, the choice is yours. You know all you need to know right now. The product is made with love and is intended to make you feel good…don’t you want that? The mental synapses fire faster than any computer processor and the reader instantaneously attaches a lifetime of experience unclouded by extraneous and complicated layers of information.

Fast-forward to an earlier Apple Computer campaign and poster for the brightly colored bubble Macs from a few year ago. Again, a strong strategic vision and simple and powerful expression create a conversation that defies words! Yum.

Yum says it all, doesn’t it? Not delicious, or any other word, but the quick non-labored immediate response we reserve for when we are surprised by how good something is and don’t feel the need to investigate why. We see it and we know it’s good. But, what is it that’s good: the arrangement of the products in a circle in all their attractive colors; the unique forward thinking demonstrated by a company that would even consider producing such a modern and compelling product? Or, is it expressive of the affirmation of the already common knowledge that to buy and use an Apple computer is an uncomplicated and delicious experience? It’s all of the above.

How does this thinking get applied to the many different forms of communication that we need to produce like web sites and brochures, where a few more words are critical because we are operating in a different venue? The answer lies in strong strategic thinking and a commitment by all parties involved to respect the position of our audience and engage them without unnecessarily burdening them. A marketing communications conversation has a beginning, middle and end. Are we being conscious of the first impression we are making? As our audiences get to know us, are we giving them just what they need at that particular point so that they will actually want to move forward with us? Do we really stop and anticipate their needs or are we just doing data dumps and hoping for the best?

At J H I, we take this seriously; strategy in the development of concept, copy, design and a clear understanding of the proposed conversation form the structure of the process we pursue for our clients.

Now that I’ve been introduced a few times on the blog, I thought it was about time I made my blogging debut and gave a little glimpse into the life of a design intern! As the newest addition to the J H I team, I’ve been busy from the time they gave me a computer and the number to the J H I credit card – for Staples office supplies and lunch orders of course! Here are just a few of the things that I’ve designed over the past few months, working with John Homs, J H I’s creative director.

CenterStage asked us to create the identity for their Youth Open House, “Lights Up.” This was a great opportunity to create a youthful, fun identity for a new event in Richmond. In addition to that logo, I designed a few billboards for Center Stage youth programs and it’s been really exciting to see them when I am driving around town!

I also designed an identity for Dominion Resources GreenTech Incubator here in Richmond. It was recently started to assist businesses focused on energy efficiency and green technologies.

And, rounding out my experience with working across all mediums, I recently completed the Twitter background for First Market Bank to help them campaign for the Shorty Awards , the event that honors top tweeters in various categories. I mean, who doesn’t love #Bacon?!

As a final note, J H I is happy to be joining the ranks of facebook. Click to become a fan of J H I!

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.

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Celebrations is St. Catherine’s annual newsletter which highlights the various achievements of the graduating class and celebrates the end of the school year. More pics after the jump, enjoy!

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That’s right, our “History” campaign for the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau made it as far as NYC!   RMCVB received a great opportunity to advertise alongside editorial coverage in the New York Times this past Sunday where Richmond was the featured destination of their “36 Hours” column.  The article features many Richmond favorites (and JHI staff favorites) Kuba Kuba, The Jefferson Hotel, The Camel and Black Sheep.  This is a great example of integrating advertising with relevant editorial coverage to further promote your product or service. Great job RMCVB on a great national story!

There are 2 things in life that I love above all others: new people and accessories. A few weeks ago, J H I got one of each! Stephanie recently graduated from VCU in graphic design. She also spent a semester studying architecture in Copenhagen which means she speaks Danish. That adds one more language to the J H I repertoire, bringing the grand total to 4 different languages! She is also a great asset as a talented designer and a very hard worker.

The long-awaited RMCVB shopping bags arrived the very same week as Stephanie did and she jumped right in and helped us show off the fun Virginia-themed illustration. The bags are stylish and fun and a great way to promote the Richmond Region!

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.

Richmond is an amazing history experience; you don’t have to go far to get up close to some of our country’s most significant events. This time it’s a four year long commemoration of Virginia’s participation in the most tragic and perhaps most cathartic of all: The Civil War.

Our wonderful clients at the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau asked us to do some visual thinking and create an identity that needed to contain an unusually large amount of information. The design was developed by researching broadsides (posters) and other graphic design from the era to create an identity that blended the historic event with the excitement of the 150th commemoration. It’s a smart solution with a strong graphic look that will be instantly recognizable when used by many partners and it contains a memorable Union battle cry as its distinctive and unique call to action. This is the result…

We’ve recently teamed up with Carpenter Co. to provide the branding and signage for Carpenter’s latest PR campaign, “Sleep Better. Dream Bigger.”  Over the past 4 weeks, the folks of Stephenville, TX (singer Jewel’s hometown, population 15,000) have had the ability to visit the Sleep Better showroom and learn how to get a better night’s sleep.  Leading up to the showroom opening and last night’s live performance by Jewel, we helped the Carpenter folks create a mobile billboard on the trailer of one of their fleet vehicles!  Visit www.sleepbetter.org for more info on the campaign and to read the Stephenville Dreams blog!

Ukrops Local Route from jhigoodidea.com on Vimeo.

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.