Library Newsletter, THINK...Summer 2013

Television Public Service Announcement for THINK....

Summer 2013 cover of THINK...

The library's free Summer newsletter issue of THINK... arrived in July. This issue covers current news and over 800 scheduled events from July through September. 

The print edition of 2,750 copies is delivered not only to all library branch locations but also to select non-library businesses to extend its reach further into the community. Online copies are also available on the library's website at, http://aclib.us/news. This issue's visual theme utilizes youth, teen, and adult Summer Reading marketing images and in-house modifications thereof. The large, black shovel image topped with a rainbow on it was taken from one of our library renovation invitation and program designs and
also plays into the "Dig It" theme.

2013 American Library Association PR Xchange Award Winning Marketing Design

Front and back views of winning entry for Materials Promoting Collections.

In June my work for the Alachua County Library District was named as a recipient of one of the American Library Association's PR Xchange Best of Show awards in the category of Bibliographies / Booklists / Materials Promoting Collections $6M - $19,999,999.  

Formerly called the “Swap & Shop," the PR Xchange Best of Show competition is specifically for public relations/marketing materials designed to promote libraries. Chaired by the Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the ALA, entries are evaluated based on content, originality, and design by a team of experts in public relations, graphic design, communications, and marketing who then select the winner(s) in each category. This year, nearly 250 entries in print and electronic formats were submitted from over 90 institutions including public, academic, school, state, and special libraries. All winning entries were on display at the ALA conference in Chicago from 23-27 June. 

Surprisingly, I never even knew this event was part of the annual American Library Association (ALA) conference until January of this year when I happened across news of it while searching for something else online. The deadline for entering was only a few weeks away, so I hurried to gather up a selection of materials then narrow them down to submit them one-entry-to-a-category as required by the rules. 

While I'm pleased to receive a Best of Show acknowledgment for my library marketing design work, I have to say that I would have much rather been recognized for any of the other entries I considered far more important and vital to my library's effort to promote itself. Projects such as the new welcome brochure which went through a tremendous amount of concept rethinking, rewriting, branding design integration, paper selection, and printing process coordination; or, the "I Am The Library" employee recruitment campaign which was developed and distributed in multiple formats, including print, online, and even television broadcast commercials; or THINK... the quarterly newsletter that transformed from an unsophisticated and poorly uncoordinated jumble of cheezy dated clip art and uninspiring photography with unappealing colour text boxes that contained every typeface known to man set in mis-matched sizes from story-to-story…to become a well thought-out and focused publication executed with some sense of design integrity and sophistication. 

In comparison, my bookmark that won in its category was the least important item I entered. In fact, it was the very last item I selected from among a collection of other bookmarks in the same Book Talk: Book Discussion series. The strength of the bookmark design I entered was carried forward by a prominently placed book cover with a powerful illustration on the front panel, then on the flip side was sprinkled with a few smaller book covers and their associated single-sentence book descriptions. Compared to my other more labor intensive entries, there was barely any design effort placed on my pre-formatted brochure that won in its category

All that being said, there were definitely many fine examples of marketing design in the PR Xchange Best of Show, clearly deserving accolades of their own. When the award recipients were announced, I was happy read which libraries won in their respective categories. I was even more happy to see what the winning entries looked like after organizers posted images of them into photo albums onFlickr.com at www.flickr.com/photos/97060948@N06/sets/. Being able to see what won in previous years will help practitioners of marketing design to appreciate what had been submitted in the past and also to see where the bar of visual standards are when considering to submit future entries.

I hope that the Florida Library Association (FLA) where my library is located will take careful note of the diverse range of visual marketing tools used to promote libraries and move to add these categories into their own annual awards competition. At the moment the FLA only recognizes website design as the sole manner for promoting libraries. So if you're a web designer, good for you! You have a chance to be recognized. But if you promote your library through any manner of print, you'd out of luck because, after all, who would put an ad in the paper or magazine, or design a brochure, or a flyer, or a poster, or a banner, or a handbill, or an event invitation, or a program, or a newsletter, or a logo, or a display, or a building signage system, or a vehicle wrap, or an integrated branding campaign?

Read about the Best of Show at PR Xchange and link to the entry form where categories are listed:

http://www.ala.org/llama/awards/prxchange_bestofshow

See links for complete list of 2013 PR Xchange Best of Show Winners as well as a link showing the winning entries on Flickr:

http://www.llama.ala.org/llamaleads/?p=1713

Library Groundbreaking Ceremony & Corporate Identity Logo Oversight

Quarter page event invitation.

One of our newest library branches celebrated with a groundbreaking event in March. Cone Park Branch library is just over a year old and has been housed in a mobile home-like unit until its permanent building is constructed. The groundbreaking event marked the beginning of the next phase in its branch history. 

Event program front / back.

To help promote the event, I was asked to design an invitation, program, and web banner. When the branch library was first opened in 2011, I designed grand opening promotional materials that coupled the image of a rainbow with a architectural blueprint and drafting materials to support a theme of "Building the Dream" ( http://librarygraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2011/12/cone-park-library-branch-grand-opening.html ). For this new groundbreaking ceremony, I extended that reference further by using the same rainbow integrated into the a shovel's handle. I also used a strong, cheerful orange background to relate to other recently developed marketing materials (welcome brochure http://librarygraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-evolution-of-library-welcome.html , library employee recruitment posters http://librarygraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2012/10/four-posters-derived-from-welcome.html , and presentation folder http://librarygraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/library-presentation-pocket-folder.html ).

Event sign and detail view.

After the event, I received photos to post to the library Flickr account (www.flickr.com/acld). I was shocked and dismayed to see a large sign with a logo (aka "brandmark") on it that had been created for the event. The sign used the library's logo...or rather I should say part of the logo correctly and another part incorrectly. I wondered how this could be. Did someone send the sign fabricator the brandmark exactly as it appeared on the sign or perhaps only the book portion of the mark was sent, leaving the sign fabricator to recreate the typography? Either way, what resulted was simply wrong. Worse yet, how is it that nobody noticed except for me?

Our library has two main versions of its brandmark, a book that can be used alone or in combination with its library descriptor ("Alachua County Library District") centered underneath the book. An alternate brandmark displays the book to the left with the library name flush to the right in two lines with a tagline hanging to the right below the library name. Those are the two main "lock-ups" of how the text and book image are to appear. The only variations to those marks are to change the colours to full black, full white, or full blue. The mark on the event sign used incorrect fonts, font sizes and font colours. It also presented a bastardized arrangement of the two different mark lock-ups. I was none too happy about it. After all, how could the library not get its own logo correct?  

You would be surprised at how often this happens in the semi-corporate world where employees aren't adequately trained to embody, reinforce, or even advocate for "the brand" of their organization. Some organizations are good at it; most are not. As an extension to this kind of training, the same is true even for the use of the organization's visual identity. 

In Journalism 101 one of very the first "golden rules" students are taught is that the worst mistake you can ever make as a journalist is to incorrectly spell a person's name (plagiarism no doubt leads the list of worst offenses). There are similar "golden rules" to follow in other industries. In the design profession, an equivalent rule is to not bastardize a company's corporate visual identity brandmark unless doing so is considered allowable within the corporate identity standards policy.

A good thing (if one can presume to adequately leverage that sentiment in their favour) is that if the logo isn't bastardized too much it will most likely still be recognizable to a familiar, yet otherwise clueless public. The flip side of that oversight, however, is that if the company's own people can't recognize that mistake, then the situation should be incredibly disconcerting.

I share that sentiment because the people who work for a company and are most likely to see its brandmark every day and should be the ones who would most easily recognize whether or not it is correct or not. Not only that, but they should also be the very same people who should help by being brand advocates for its proper usage. As a maker of corporate identity standards and the guidelines that establish best practices for the usage of a brandmark, of course I understand that I'm in one of the best positions to realise the good and bad points of a visual mark, of its technical and aesthetic limitations, and of its misuse. I can also appreciate that others wouldn't be as knowledgeable or keen to observe these finer details. But there are certain changes to a brandmark that should be glaringly obvious.

So on occasion I find myself in the role of "brand identity advocate." Whenever I see the visual identity of my library has been used incorrectly, I search out the offending party to inform them that they have incorrectly used it. More often than not, the offending party had no idea the brandmark was used improperly. If they had, or if they had been more sensitive to its use, they most likely wouldn't have used it incorrectly. I inquire about how the improper use happened in order to understand how we can work toward averting the same scenario from happening in the future. 

Through what advocacy I can offer, I hope to educate staff on the proper manner of using our library's corporate identity system consistently so the integrity of the brandmark will remain uncompromised and better able to ensure public recognition. It may not mean much to others, but it means something to me. Proper brandmark usage; you might say that I'm building a dream of my own.

Library Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon Invitation & Program Designs...Serving Up a Second Helping

Guitar invitation front and back.

Our library really appreciates its library volunteers. Every year, somewhere between 300 and 2500 individuals (depending on how you calculate it) selflessly provide an incredible amount of assistance in hours and effort to extend the library's operational service. Because of this, the library likes to invite volunteers to enjoy an annual luncheon together.

This year, the event planning committee selected a Brazilian guitarist to be featured at the event. From the design side, invitation concepts were designed, approved, printed, and in hand to mail out; program designs were also well into development and on schedule for completion. 

Guitar program / CD insert cover exterior (folds).

Then plans changed. The guitarist was out, and a new, more generic theme based on "the gift of time" was mandated. A scramble ensued to get a replacement speaker, develop a new invitation design concept, then print and deliver to the invitees in as little-past-deadline as possible. There's nothing quite like a change of plans after a significant amount of work has already been done to make things exciting, is there? Well, these things happen on occasion, so you just have to roll with it and hope things will work out better next time around.

Guitar program / CD insert cover interior (when opened).

So, what started out as one design concept for a volunteer appreciation luncheon, turned into two. And why not? We can say that our library loves our volunteers twice as much. Well, almost. We'll give them face time but not Brazilian music.

Clock invitation front and back.

Both designs utilized domain free photography which I modified to suit the theme. The guitar image colour was intensified by saturating it in Photoshop; text, a library logo, music note clip art, and additional photo images of utensils were added to make the guitar opening look like a table place setting. For the blue clock, its hands were topped off with the very same fork and spoon images used from the guitar concept to equally give reference to the meal aspect of the event. The final blue clock image was selected from a total of 24 preliminary designs urgently created within a few hours after the announcement that plans had changed from one theme to another.

The initial guitar concept included quarter page invitations and a program that would double as an insert into a music CD case which would also include a music CD from the guitarist. Opening the case would display the program event schedule on the flip side of that outer-facing guitar image cover. Pulling the insert out and opening it would then reveal names of all the companies that donated gifts to be raffled away to lucky prize winners at the luncheon. The music CD was going to look pretty cool. But I regress on the magnificence of what could have been.

Clock program front and back.

By comparison, the clock concept version utilized a simple front and back quarter page design for invitations, half page design for the program. Table markers based on the design were also made, folding an 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet into a tall, 11 inch triangle pylon and set upright on tables to indicate seating table seating assignments. It wasn't nearly as exciting as the guitar concept, but hey, by then it was all about getting things done in time which I'm sure everyone appreciated.

TOTAL ITEMS:
300 Guitar Invitations (unused)
300 Clock Invitations
200 Clock Programs
24 Table Markers

Library Newsletter, THINK... Spring 2013

Television PSA announces the current edition of THINK...

The library's free Spring newsletter issue of THINK... arrived in April. This issue covers current news and over 800 scheduled events from April through June. 

The print edition of 2,500 copies is delivered not only to all library branch locations but also to select non-library businesses to extend its reach further into the community. Online copies are also available on the library's website at, http://aclib.us/news. 

This issue's visual theme makes use of the state of Florida's state flag emblem and colour scheme. It compliments a nearly year-long tourism marketing campaign by the state of Florida called "Viva Florida 500" which celebrates and promotes the state's history. Our library is participating with events of its own that features Florida history topics as well as other more contemporary interests.

Library Presentation Pocket Folder Design

Design of a new pocket folder incorporated elements taken from the recognizable past 
(watercolour image of Headquarters Library) and recently emphasized (mission statement 
language used in a bold corporate colour scheme) for a more dynamic marketing tool.

Want a way to keep yourself organized and be remembered at the same time? Consider a pocket folder, the relatively inexpensive stationery tool that can carry your essentials while also delivering your organizational image and branded message at the same time.

Pocket folders are a great way to present a collection of otherwise separate, loose documents together all in one convenient manner. They also offer an excellent opportunity to act as a "leave behind" product that can extend your organization's visibility well beyond the event at which they are first received. Use the folder to present information to people at meetings and events. Once the event is over and the shelf life of the information contained within expires, the pocket folder could potentially live on to remain useful by both containing new information and by continuing to keep your image in view. 

When I had the opportunity to redesign the corporate pocket folder for the Alachua County Library District, I reviewed the existing folder. It was about as minimal in design concept and material use as you could possibly imagine. It literally only printed its logo in one colour on the cover and inside pocket, and the paper choice appeared to be a flimsy, 8 point coated cover stock. Any thinner and it would have been a piece of writing paper. The message it presented was that the library, while getting kudos for being thrifty, was also being exceptionally cheap and unimaginative. 

I wanted to redesign the folder do some work for the library. I felt it was important to maximize the opportunity to be not only a practical tool, but also one that brought two existing and easily identifiable branding visual elements that had yet to be seen together into the presentation. The folder could act as "a bridge" by bringing together these two visual components of the library's visual branding elements: an old watercolour image and a new graphic presentation style dominated by bold colours, typographic styling and a newly refined logo treatment.

One of the library's long-standing and most recognizable images was use of a watercolour painting of its Headquarters building. It was the image that appeared on every personal library card, so it would be easily identified on the folder. You can see how the library card looks here:
http://librarymarketingdesign.blogspot.com/2010/11/library-card-month-display-september.htmlhttp://librarymarketingdesign.blogspot.com/2010/11/library-card-month-display-september.html

Another more recently developed branding piece the library was beginning to use was its new welcome brochure. It utilized a bold colour scheme and prominently featured three important words identified in its mission statement: "participate, connect and discover." You can see how the welcome brochure looks here:
http://librarymarketingdesign.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-evolution-of-library-welcome.html

The watercolour image of Headquarters Library had been used for years, but it was both small in dimension and low in resolution too. It wouldn't scale up to a 10x14 inch pocket folder size without becoming noticeably pixilated, so I requested the Library Foundation—which had the original artwork—to allow me to photograph the painting. That way, I could start with a much larger, higher resolution image and save it for future projects as well. Once I received the original painting, I discovered that I couldn't remove it from its glass covered frame without tearing off a backing paper that sealed the painting to the frame. I had hoped to avoid shooting through glass because of the potential for light reflections and mirroring. Nevertheless, I managed to shoot the painting at an angle to avoid those things, then used Photoshop to correct the slightly perspective-distorted digital image created from shooting the watercolour at an angle.

The library also had two versions of its logos: one with its name under a book, and one with its name and a tag line to the side of a book. I recently updated both of these logos so they could seen better when displayed small. I had removed portions of the original book rendering and increased line weights for greater visibility so they would reduce instances of lines disappearing when displayed small. 

I wanted the redesigned pocket folder to have a colourful and bold quality like the recently created welcome brochure. To achieve that, I used big, diagonally placed bands of the same primary and secondary corporate colours to contain the mission statement words. The words were set using the library's corporate bold italic Arial font style. I angled the colour bands upwards from the back (where the words would be seen) to cross over the upper left of the front (where one of the bands would contain the corporate logo + tagline). This would allow me to utilize the space well and in an energetic manner, and to visually connect the front to the back of the folder. I duplicated and flipped the watercolour image so that it created a continual, seamless background image behind the diagonal text bands. This also allowed the roof of the building to poke up from behind the colour bands which was important for when the folder was viewed only on the back side.

Inside, the two, five inch pocket flaps would use the two primary corporate colours, display the primary corporate logo (the one that doesn't use the tagline), and offer a place for inserting a business card into die cut slits. 

For paper, I chose a heavier 12 point coated cover stock to make the folder sturdier and to appear more luxurious. Because the paper stock was already coated, I could leave one side unprinted to save on printing cost, knowing that the unprinted side would still present nicely due to its already coated sheen. The inked side was coated with an additional aqueous clear coat after printing to help reduce fingerprint smudging and to protect the printed surface.

Hopefully, this design example shows that although the pocket folder may be just paper, when used well it can go a long way to deliver not only your news, but how you want to be remembered too.

Before and after: the redesigned pocket folder (top three items)
along with the older pocket folder (bottom two white items).

Thinking "Out of the Box" for Library Event Marketing

Promotional signs and handbills were created in the
appearance of a model parts kit for easy recognition
and a direct visual link to the event theme.

One of our librarians organized a library event for patrons interested in building model vehicles. It would include quest speakers from a local organization who would give a presentation about model building and would even offer free model kits to hand out to participants. I was asked if I could create signs and handbills to help promote the event with, so I inquired about what information and visuals were available. Did the organization have a logo, possibly some photos of themselves, models they'd built, or any other potential images? The only visual available was their organizational logo, so with that and the most essential event information, I turned to ways I could present the information in an eye-catching manner. 

After a little research looking at visuals for model building, I decided to present the event text information as pieces of a model still attached to its kit frame the way most models appear when taken out of their respective boxes. Having a little room left over in various areas, I filled those spots in with a few recognizable vehicle elements to help make the presentation more recognizable. 

Because model kits are unpainted upon delivery, the kit needed to be only one colour.  The presenter's logo was a primarily black .jpg image, so I made the entire frame and model pieces black to match. Simple white rules were placed along the arms of the frame to give the illusion of "highlights" that would help give some dimension to the otherwise flat black colour scheme image. The librarian then used bright yellow colour paper to print the images on for eye-catching, high contrast signs and handouts.

Total items delivered:
1 master 8.5x11 inch sign to print out a total of 20 signs
1 master 8.5x11 inch page showing four handbills to print out a total of 200 handbills