Poster design for Erik Runyan Jewelers Summer Happy Hour Series. An evening of bonding with your dog featuring pet related jewelry, fine art, and benefiting the Humane Society of Southwest Washington. – JSC
Graphic Design | J.S. Collard Design Vancouver WA
Artist Reception Poster for Another Happy Hour
Artwork created by J.S. Collard Design for another addition to the Summer Happy Hour Series for Erik Runyan Jewelers. This event features the paintings of Joe Day and bronzes by sculptor Rip Caswell.
Wednesda, July 7th, 2010 at Erik Runyan Jewelers on the corner of Evergreen and Washington in downtown Vancouver.
Too Many Hats, Not Enough Time!
This is my interpretation of what it feels like to be a small business owner. And a tribute to The Son of Man by French painter René Magritte.
-Illustration: J.Scott Collard
Main Street America Wasn’t Invited
Small Business represents 99.7% of all employer firms and employes the majority of workers in the U.S. Most of my clients fall into the small and micro business classifications and many are asking why the support for the “little” guy hasn’t filtered down to them.
I don’t know anyone who can answer that question and I can’t begin to discuss it without getting a little hot under the collar.
The only thing I can advise is just be frugal and smart about investing in your business – for both the short and long term results. The least expensive and the easiest is updating or remodeling your existing brand and your channels of advertising.
A Website Remodel can create greater interest for your return customers as well as capturing new ones. Initiating an e-touch program using your own client lists can remind your customers you are still a viable business. Refreshing a logo that is outdated or doesn’t fit your brand experience can help to better tell your story. Targeting your demographics to focus your website for better Search Engine Optimization. These are all effective ways to bolster your business now and in the future, without too much of a financial investment.
So if you feel that you weren’t invited to the party, don’t let that stop you from throwing one of your own. And you never know, a new party may show up, one that more of us are invited to.
Illustration by: J. Scott Collard
Data Without Creative Is A Boring Ride
For years, the buzz around the marketing cooler has been the talk of Analytics, Target Market, Customer Demographics, Data Cultivation and so on. They’ve taken the front seat in driving the marketing bus. Don’t get me wrong, they should be right up there and every CEO and business owner needs to keep them in mind when making any advertising road trip.
But making all promotional materials data driven alone is like handing over your brand to an accountant. Now I don’t want to get any death threats from accountants, I have friends who are accountants and they do a great job on taxes and stuff. We all have our own expertise! I can’t make heads or tails of the IRS tax codes for corporations, and not one of my number crunching friends can draw a decent reposing nude on a bar napkin (let alone come up with a full fledged creative campaign).
Each day consumers are bombarded with thousands of advertising impressions. Consumers want to develop a relationship with a company who has personality and that is projected through the creative. Data by itself only lets you know where you want to be. Creative is the vehicle that gets you there. So, How’s Your Ride?
If your message is boring, what consumer would want to travel with you?
Merging data with creative and clever solutions will cut through the clutter and the mediocre. Getting noticed is the key. First you have to get their attention and then you can make them a customer.