First Cash Pawn

Changing Perceptions

Challenge: Develop a consistent brand look that appealed a diverse customer base, while promoting First Cash Pawn as a comprehensive shopping destination.

Solution: The new look, defined by the tagline “cash at the speed of life,” was reinforced by large images of “real people” set against bright yellow backgrounds punctuated by products icons.

First Cash Pawn

Valentine’s Day Promotion

Challenge: Emphasize a special offer of 20% off all jewelry.

Solution: A heart-shaped box replaced the lifestyle images—and in order not to be missed, the offer was given top billing. In-store materials including posters, banners, and counter cards were developed to help increase response at the point of sale.

First Cash Pawn

Mother’s Day Promotion

Challenge: Communicate the benefits for shopping for Mom at First Cash Pawn.

Solution: A feature image of a gift box addressed to Mom (free with each purchase) was an effective way to express that great gifts don’t have to come from a department store.

Full Color

Turning Heads

Challenge: Redefine Full Color, a well-known film processing company, in terms of its new range of services and industry-leading reputation.

Solution: During conceptual development, the tagline “never go unnoticed” (created by 1400 Words) became the backbone of the creative efforts using unexpected images against an appealing palette of warm colors. The new look was such a hit that certain competitors even began to imitate it.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Full Color

Advertising Campaign

Challenge: Invoke the new brand look and message in a year-long campaign.

Solution: Each piece targeted a specific market—weddings, sports, school, or event—at a key time of year. Creative cropping was used to frame the unexpected, while subtle shifts of color drew the eye to the most important details.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Full Color

Direct Mail Campaign

Challenge: Develop direct mail to drive clients to check out the new Web site.

Solution: An accordion fold design created a surprise reveal in each piece. A series of three mailings were sent out over the course of a year.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Full Color

Web Site

Challenge: Design a compelling e-commerce site that showcased the full range of services while providing ultra-friendly use, navigation, and functionality.

Solution: The new brand identity was carefully woven into the site with logos that changed color depending on the section visited, color-coded quick links to popular features, and rotating offer panels on each page.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Hotel Productions

No Vacancy

Challenge: Embody the spirit and feel of a new video and production collaborative.

Solution: The founders likened the service to that of a hotel concierge, thus all the facets of a storied upscale hotel were a perfect fit. A period marquee, service bell, and other marks of distinction became building blocks of the brand’s visual vocabulary.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Hotel Productions

Business Cards

Challenge: Craft business cards that build awareness for the principal players.

Solution: The rich, dark background creates a sense of drama, while giving the marquee sign a chance to glow.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Hotel Productions

Direct Mail

Challenge: Introduce Hotel Productions and drive traffic to the new Web site.

Solution: Building on the hotel theme, a service bell implies where visitors should check in.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Hotel Productions

Web Site

Challenge: Translate the new look into a multifunctional Web site.

Solution: Guests can choose their services, amenities, or check in with the concierge. Each section or “room” also has its own vintage wallpaper print and feature icon.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Rhumb Designs

Identity Please

Challenge: As a result of narrowing their focus, Rhumb Designs needed to clearly identify themselves as experts in retail marketing and design.

Solution: Nothing says retail more than price tags, bursts, and product photography.

Rhumb Designs

Business Materials

Challenge: Develop a stationery package that instantly reads "retail and marketing design."

Solution: In order to stand out the business cards were cut to resemble a price tag, while type was letter-pressed on all elements to convey a crisp look and feel.

Rhumb Designs

Leave-Behind Portfolio

Challenge: Come up with an affordable, adaptable way to present samples.

Solution: The front and back covers were letter-pressed to match other materials, the interior pages were set up to print on the in-house color laser, and a screw-post binding allowed the book to be fanned like a collection of swatches.

Rhumb Designs

Web Site

Challenge: Position Rhumb Designs as a leader in retail design and marketing.

Solution: Retail audiences feel right at home with animated bursts that guide them through the main navigation and eye-catching images. They also get an instant sense of what Rhumb Designs can do for them.

Plaztex

Switching On

Challenge: Create a category-defining identity for a new manufacturer of pre-textured, paintable wall plates.

Solution: The color of the pre-primed plates became the primary background color of most materials, complimented by striking orange and gray accents. Additionally, the simple yet effective logo design took future product expansion into consideration.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Plaztex

Stationery Package

Challenge: Implement a stationery package to introduce Plaztex to retailers.

Solution: The business cards, letterhead, and envelopes all feature letterforms with slightly rounded edges that mirror the company’s modern appeal.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Plaztex

Retail Counter Display

Challenge: Develop a counter display to showcase Plaztex plates in select Sherwin-Williams stores.

Solution: The display was fitted with four plates, one of each texture, giving customers the chance to touch and feel each product. The base featured 16 configurations and a small tear pad made ordering easy. Initial tests were so successful that Sherwin-Williams rolled out the product nationwide.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Plaztex

Web Site

Challenge: Design a site tailored to the specific needs of this brand.

Solution: Since customers couldn’t physically touch or feel the plates online, detailed pop-ups showed varying textures. Customers could also use a grid of the different configurations in order to select the right one.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Torres/Highfill Wedding

I Do

Challenge: Not your typical branding project. Thankfully, no one got cold feet.

Solution: What started as a simple save the date announcement, soon became a full-blown branded event. In fact, the nontraditional green and brown colors were chosen specifically by the bride.

Torres/Highfill Wedding

Save the Date Card

Challenge: Come up with a memorable way to ask guests to save the date.

Solution: The "his and her" concept starts to develop with hand-drawn type as an elegant personal touch.

Torres/Highfill Wedding

Invitation

Challenge: Continue the "his and her" theme with a unique invitation.

Solution: Designed as a gatefold to illustrate the joining of man and wife, the invitation incorporated die-cut pockets of the couple in profile that held the RSVP cards and maps.

Torres/Highfill Wedding

Program

Challenge: Develop a wedding program appropriate for each side of the wedding party.

Solution: While both programs contained the same information, the groom’s cover had stripes and the bride’s cover had polka dots.

Torres/Highfill Wedding

Beverage Wrap

Challenge: Create a distinctive wrap for the beverages served at the reception.

Solution: Concluding the "his and her" theme, the beverage wrap featured the couple’s initials joined together.

Paws Cause

Logo/Naming

A warm and fuzzy concept for a Dallas Humane Society fundraising event.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Paws Cause

Logo/Naming

This fetching logo was adaptable to appeal to animal lovers of all kinds.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Paws Cause

Logo/Naming

The response was just purr-fect.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

PeopleAnswers

Icon

Challenge: Develop an icon that quickly communicated the value of the company’s psychological testing services and software in finding the ideal candidate.

Solution: The idea of taking something instantly recognizable then revealing what it truly was inside spawned the apple-melon—an icon that soon became synonymous with PeopleAnswers.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

PeopleAnswers

Business Cards

Challenge: Design business cards that emphasized the apple-melon icon.

Solution: A vibrant orange was introduced to pay off the colors of the apple-melon.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Nobles Baldwin

Business Cards

Challenge: Develop a business card that gives equal weight to a million-dollar real estate team.

Solution: Carry through the same color palette and tone used in the logo design, all while adding a touch of class.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Rhumb Designs

Stationery Package

Challenge: Develop a stationery package that instantly reads "retail and marketing design."

Solution: The price tag icon became the predominant theme.

Rhumb Designs

Business Cards

Challenge: Communicate contact information and stand out in a rolodex.

Solution: While conforming to standard dimensions, there’s no mistaking the identity of this card.

Rhumb Designs

Letterhead and Envelopes

Challenge: Express the brand identity in daily business communications.

Solution: The letter-press look and feel captured a sense of elegance.

Plaztex

Stationery Package

Challenge: Develop a stationery package to introduce a new manufacturer of pre-textured, paintable wall plates.

Solution: The logo implies the shape of the plates and the slightly rounded corners are carried through on all of the letterforms. Shades of orange and gray are also contrasted against a cream background that matches the primer color of the plates.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Plaztex

Business Cards

Challenge: Set apart the logo while providing other key details.

Solution: The vertical design evokes a wall plate, while bright orange accents catch the eye.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Plaztex

Letterhead and Envelopes

Challenge: Continue the theme in the letterhead and envelopes.

Solution: The modular, rounded letterforms create a modern, technical feel.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

D’Vine Wine

Web Site

Challenge: Develop a consolidated brand look to be implemented by all franchisees of a custom wine retailer.

Solution: Rich burgundies, deep greens, and blend of illustration and photography create a luxurious feel, while the cork-themed navigation menu adds a fun twist.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

D’Vine Wine

Web Site

Challenge: Provide a consistent template for franchisees to follow.

Solution: Local store pages within the site incorporate the same look against a green background.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

VMG Health

Web Site

Challenge: Create a more contemporary and refreshed look for a leading healthcare valuation and transaction advisor.

Solution: Color was introduced through the use of tabbed medical folders, while the value gained was expressed through graphs and charts creatively cast across a range of buildings and settings.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

VMG Health

Web Site

Challenge: Find an innovative way to announce upcoming tradeshows.

Solution: The animated hero and legend "The Valuator" was born. He also swings into action in a few "hidden" areas throughout the site.

This work was completed during tenure at a previous agency.

Premier Election Solutions

Direct Mail Campaign

Challenge: Develop a direct mail piece to introduce election management services to private sector organizations.

Solution: Because the difference is in the details, Zen was found through the selection of a bonsai tree as the icon.

Premier Election Solutions

Direct Mail Front

Challenge: Target all four key sectors.

Solution: A Z-fold allowed the outside to remain clean and inviting while opening to reveal the details of the four programs inside.

Premier Election Solutions

Direct Mail Back

Challenge: Use the clean space on the back effectively.

Solution: Simplicity and a creative focus on the logo.