Branding Rock County’s Breadbasket

March 25, 2013 Leave a Comment

RCHSPantone

Woot! Woot! Congratulations to Mike Reuter and his Rock County Historical Society (RCHS) team for their great work with Adunate in creating a logo for their upcoming marketing campaign. And so the branding begins!

Mike, who serves as executive director, contacted me a couple months ago regarding the society’s campaign called Breadbasket (I wrote about the society here). Breadbasket will be a yearlong traveling exhibit that chronicles Rock County’s culinary history. The exhibit will run from June 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014, and will target youth of all ages, families and underprivileged families. According to Mike, these audiences will benefit from Breadbasket’s following embedded themes:

  1. Seed to Spoon: Where Does Our Food Come From?
  2. Tasty Traditions: How Does Food Shape Who We Are?
  3. Our Food Future: Bleak or Bright?

Discussing the project with Mike was exciting. He comes to the RCHS with a great portfolio, having previously worked as the operations manager and curator for the Milwaukee County Historical Society. His plans for Breadbasket are to have large, sweeping, door-type displays, along with educational kiosks. The exhibit will be headquartered at the RCHS campus but will also travel to outlying historical societies.

Mike then put together an interesting team of a people, all individual from one another yet all related to Rock County. For more than an hour we discussed what the county means to them (I’ve developed a super effective process of opening up participant’s creative brains and guiding them through the necessary brainstorming). What a fun time! I learned so many appreciative qualities of this area of south central Wisconsin. I daresay the participants did too—open-minded thinking always gives people perspectives they didn’t have before.

One of the objectives for the Breadbasket logo is that it work both independently and together with the RCHS logo. Therefore, it needs to have its own identity, yet coordinate.

Here’s the RCHS logo.

Rock County Historical Society logo, Janesville, WisconsinThe logo is very befitting to the society; the icon replicates its Lincoln-Tallman House and the typeface represents the Craftsman-style of its other buildings.

We decided the red color that RCHS uses in all its visual communications would be the coordinating factor. Rather than choosing one or the other of the two eras represented in the RCHS logo, we went with a generalized advertising style that would have been common in the late 1800s to early 1900s, a time frame common inclusive of both eras.

Rock County Historical Society

Rock County’s food history is fascinating. Like much of Wisconsin, it evolved as a wheat-growing county in the mid-1800s to a dairy-producing county in the 1900s. Today it celebrates everything from large acreages of field corn, to specialized farmers markets, orchards and vineyards, all of which work together to make up Rock County’s enticing breadbasket of food.

So here you have it: RCHS’s own breadbasket of food! I’m anxious to see the Breadbasket displays and the great programs the RCHS puts together in the next year!

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Creative Thinking: Good Business, Portfolio
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Rock County Celebrates its History

February 25, 2013 7 Comments

Lincoln-Tallman House, Rock Co.Historical Society, Janesville, WII’ve got a new project going and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s for the Rock County Historical Society (RCHS), located in Janesville, Wisconsin.

This non-profit society is no small potato. Yes, its hometown of 64,000 people is going through rough economic times, but the RCHS itself appears to be growing and thriving. So much so, in fact, they have a full time executive director, Mike Reuter, who guides support staff and volunteers in reaching out to the community—not just the city of Janesville, but all of Rock County.

It was Mike who contacted me about an upcoming campaign. But let’s not digress. Let’s first talk about the RCHS and the fascinating history it preserves.

The society is located on a 3.25-acre site and consists of six historical buildings, five of which are on the RCHS campus. The awesome building above is the Lincoln-Tallman House and is the highlight of the society’s architectural collection. It was built in 1857 by William Morrison Tallman, a prominent lawyer and land speculator.

Isn’t it stunningly gorgeous?

Lincoln-Tallman House, Janesville, WIsconsin
These windows are why I love old houses. Just look at them—does anyone still build architectural art as glorious as this?!

It was a cold and icy day when I met with the RCHS committee. Afterward I slip-slid around the grounds and drooled over these beautiful buildings. I’m anxious to come back when they’re open and I can admire their interiors.

Lincoln-Tallman House, Rock County Historical Society, Janesville, Wisconsin

The RCHS describes the Lincoln-Tallman House as Italianate in style. Because Tallman was an abolitionist, many people believe it was a stopping point along the Underground Railroad.

Lincoln stayed at the Tallman House in Janesville, WI while campaigning in Wisconsin

Interestingly, President Lincoln stayed here in October 1859 while he campaigned in Wisconsin for his 1960 election. Note the RCHS logo at the top of this document. Also note the period typeface the society uses in carrying out the Italianate style of the house.

Lincoln-Tallman Carriage House, Janesville, WIEven the Carriage House is beautiful. Look at the detailed door frames and rooflines!

William Henry Tallman

Tallman’s oldest son, William Henry Tallman, was an entrepreneur in the perfume business. These artifacts of his business are some of many showcased in the Helen Jeffris Wood Museum Center, a beautiful Craftsman-styled American Foursquare on the campus (of course, I’m a bit partial to Foursquares:-). The society did a super job of integrating an addition to this building, which also houses a gift shop and offices.

Products made by Willam Henry Tallman, Janesville, WIsconsin

Along with perfumes, W. H. Tallman also produced flavorful food products. Aren’t the labels interesting? Color, type and style all exude the period of these products.

Speaking of food…this brings me to our project.

Last December, Mike Reuter contacted me about the society’s upcoming marketing campaign. It’s a year-long celebration of Rock County’s culinary history and RCHS needs help with its branding. As Mike says, “Rock County’s culinary heritages defines who we are. Rich natural resources, innovative industry, and tasty traditions blend together in creating a county passionate about their food and where it comes from.”

The campaign is called “Breadbasket: Seed to Spoon.”

It’s going to be awesome!

 

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Filed Under: Creative Thinking: Good Business, Items of Inspiration, Stepping Out
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Superstorm Sandy and the Importance of Giving

November 2, 2012 1 Comment

Philadelphia, night before the Hurricane Sandy

My husband and I were in Philadelphia over the weekend just before Hurricane Sandy hit. To say it was interesting is an understatement. The grocery stores were madhouses and people stood in checkout lines that ran the length of every aisle. In coffee shops they discussed the water resiliency of their apartments and whether their subway stops would stay open.

Meanwhile, my husband and I cozied in at the historic Conwell Inn, located at Temple University (I just love that inn). At midnight of the night before the storm, we walked around campus and there was this fascinating calm-eerie-excitement in the air (the students were ecstatic because classes had already been cancelled:-). We debated whether to stay our full reservation, but in the end left the next afternoon before things became too chaotic.

That’s the extent of our hurricane adventure—obviously, nothing too dramatic. It did give us cause for reflection though.

Whenever my husband and I visit large urban areas, we’re reminded how naive we are of life outside our sheltered Midwestern simplicity. Most city folks don’t drive (many, like our son, don’t even own a car). They live in smaller spaces that don’t allow for much food storage. And there are people everywhere. When something catastrophic like a superstorm hits, the problems they face are much different than our own.

Hurricane Sandy reminds us of the importance of giving. Isn’t it awesome how Americans come together and help each other out?

With that in mind, I want to put out word to those needing help with their visual communications. Each year Adunate does two pro-bono projects—one large and one small. If your organization needs creative assistance in 2013, click here for an application. And then, click here to guarantee your project’s success!

 

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Wednesday Webs: Empowering the People

April 25, 2012 1 Comment

City of Toronto Archives, public domain

In the old days entrepreneurs were at the mercy of banks or venture capitalists for financing their innovative ideas. Nowadays crowdfunding provides resources at the grassroots level. It’s a “teamwork makes the dream work” approach that offers even the little guy an opportunity for success.

Maybe you too have a dream?

  • Likened to an old-fashioned barn raising, crowdfunding is successful when recipients work hard and give back in return. This restaurant owner offered free meals.
  • A creative print and design business became reality with the help of Kickstarter, the largest of crowdfunding communities.
  • Crowdfunding is also for non-profits. StartSomeGood, who actually prefers the term peerfunding, connects social entrepreneurs with people who want to help.
  • Kiva helps under-served and poor people around the world. Just a $25 loan empowers people to create a better life for themselves.
  • A top ten list of crowdfunding websites.

 

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Filed Under: Creative Thinking: Good Business, Wednesday Webs
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Must Non-Profits Look Like a Charity Case?

February 21, 2012 1 Comment

National School Leadership Conference

When I met with Rachel DiGiorgio two months ago, I knew I was going to like working with her. Rachel is the project manager for an upcoming National School Leadership Conference and she wanted topnotch promo pieces for this non-profit event.

“We want to look like a class act,” she said. Oh, that gave me a warm and happy feeling!

I do a lot of work for non-profits and I must admit sometimes it’s a challenge. They’re usually working on limited budgets, understandably so, and this defines how much they can spend on communicating their message.

It’s challenging in other ways as well. There’s a mistaken notion that if the visual communications for a non-profit are too flashy, too professional, or maybe just too “well designed,” they convey wastefulness on the part of the organization. Non-profits worry their audiences won’t open their checkbook or sign up to volunteer.

But guess what—it doesn’t benefit any organization, non-profit or not, to look like a charity case. Here are three reasons why.

Good Design Does Invisible Magic

A non-profit’s communication goal should be to attract its target audiences and hold their attention long enough to tell its story. Good design does this. It does it invisibly, without viewers even realizing why they’re impressed. Good design doesn’t have to be flashy or expensive, but it must give thought to theme, style, topography and imagery.

Good design is good communication.

Communication Establishes Credibility

Your visual communication is your image. It tells who you are. A poorly executed promo piece says you’re amateur, cheap, and you do not value your organization. A well-designed piece on quality paper (which doesn’t have to be expensive) says you are professional, honorable, and worthy of your audience’s time and money.

Your Effort Shows You Care

I love how Rachel explains her class act goals.

“God gave us his best,” says Rachel. “And while our best cannot rival God’s, we continue to strive to do our ‘human’ best out of love and gratitude.”

Really, why wouldn’t an organization want to look its very best? Why wouldn’t it want to communicate its message in a way that brings the best results?

Obviously, I’m not the only one asking these questions. Check out this DesignTalk discussion, where more than 85 people voiced a similar opinion.

 

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Filed Under: Communicating Christ, Creative Thinking: Good Business, Portfolio
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