Library Summer Reading 2012 Marketing Designs

Upper left: 8.5x11 inch web ad + two similar smaller web ad and
web banner. Far right: two print ads.
Center and lower and left: one PSA, two print ads, and one web ad.
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The Summer Reading Program is the Collaborative Summer Library Program's (www.cslpreads.org) annual effort to encourage people of all ages. They break the effort down into three age groups that have their own themed application. For example, this year's Summer Reading for kids was: Dream Big. For teens, it was Own the Night. And for adults, it was Between the Covers. 


To help publicize this, the organization provides art and a couple of pre-formatted marketing items for each age group, such as a bookmark and an 8.5x11 inch sign. Space is left on each item for local libraries to add their own language. Unfortunately it might not be adequate space for each library's needs. 


Our library happens to be one of those libraries that applies a design across multiple channels of publicity, such as print, online, and television. Each of these applications has its own dimensional requirements that do not perfectly match what the providing organization offers, so I have to create everything we need from scratch, and incorporate some of the art provided to maintain a consistent style to each age set. 


Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, consistency doesn't always happen in every case. Here is how we approached it, however, using a few different styles for Kids, and a more unified style for Teens and Adults.

Punch card front/back, bookmark front/back, two web banner ads, and one PSA.

Summer Reading for Kids
Utilized the background of the Adult program enlarged to crop out the images of Frankenstein and Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With The Wind so that there would be enough open room to place a calendar listing of all the summer events. The listing included additional art of the event performers. Another set of ads used the black and white clip art, extending the black sky portion to create room for additional language. Used full colour clip art gator and flying space bat along with a in-house supplied night sky for background. 

Top two panels: the Concept.
Bottom two panels: the Completion.

Summer Reading for Teens
Utilized supplied clip art of silhouetted crowd shot and theme logo "Own The Night." Text utilized colours from the crowd. An additional in-house supplied art element--the colourful circle background--was used to extend the style to areas that needed a background and/or complementary accents.

Summer Events for Teens

One branch wanted to promote two kinds of summer events: some that were and some that were not directly related to the summer reading program. The thinking was that teens sometimes shied away from "being directed" to attend organized reading program events and might be more inclined to attend them if they didn't appear to be part of results oriented mandate. The librarian requested the events all be packaged together in brochure form and even went as far as to lay it out how she wanted it to look. She incorporated a couple of the art images provided by the organization and was very particular about what she wanted it to say and where it should be located on the page--to the degree that I wasn't sure if she simply wanted me to print it as is, or to redesign it. I checked to clarify, and she was open to me redeveloping it for her, so I went to work interpreting her event placement and organization, then finding ways that new visuals could enhance the document and still utilize artwork that was consistent with other Teen Summer Reading collaterals. Wary that she might think I toyed with her design too much and prefer her own, I sent a four page proof to her that first showed her design, then my own, for immediate comparative visual impact. She emailed back to approve my design and added a nice note:

"Thank you so much for saving me from myself by re-designing this brochure. The brochure reflects the effort we put into programming here and the respect we have for our teens.  Thanks to you...for your patience and for sticking to your professional standards."

Top: a long online banner ad. Left: an 8.5x11 inch wall sign.
Middle right: a television PSA. Bottom right: an online banner.

Summer Reading for Adults 
Everyone at our library agreed: the artwork provided for adults was horrid. It was cartoon clip art of a bed being shared by Frankenstein and Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With The Wind.--both reading a book of each other's story. I sourced for a more sophisticated image and settled on an opened book shown from the side closest to a reader when laying on its opened cover. The program title "Between The Covers" was provocative, so I wanted the image to have a hint of it as well. Fortunately, I have Freud to thank for absolving me of any illicit wrong-doing, because after all, no matter how it is displayed, sometimes "a book is just a book."