Archive for the branding category
Translating Sustainable Sushi to the Web
by Chuck on October 22nd, 2008
I have been working for the past 2 months for the Monterey Bay Aquarium on translating the sustainable sushi program to the web. As a long time sushi lover this has been a great project to design. The big challenge was to convey a positive message of ordering sushi to maintain healthy oceans. We didn’t want to just show a negative message about over-fishing. The solution was to display enticing alternatives. Have a look!
http://mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_sushi.aspx
sustainable sushi choices
Billboards with a strong message
by Chuck on September 23rd, 2008
The City of Salinas in partnership with Casella Creative launched the first phase of the anti-violence campaign. Below are links and articles of the media coverage.
Below is the article for the Salinas Californian.
Coming to a billboard near you: four thought-provoking scenes aimed at persuading young wayward gang members to leave the road they’re on.
Advertisement
QuantcastThe billboards are newest campaign by the city of Salinas to fight gangs. One billboard features two panels; in one, an image of a big toe on a body tagged at the morgue next to a college identification card. The message is “Choose your identity.”
Another billboard features scenes from a funeral and a graduation with the caption, “choose your ceremony.”
“Part of our game plan is to work on all the different levels such as prevention and …” said Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue on Thursday. “None of these things are in response to current events; we’re rolling out the game plan.”
The billboards will be erected at these locations: John Street at Spring Street, Market Street at Clark Street, Abbott Street at Romie Lane and Sherwood Drive at Market Street.
Donohue said the campaign is a collaboration between the business community and students at Heald College through the city’s Community Awareness group’s communication committee.
The campaign is privately financed by Foxy produce company, he said.
Billboards target gang culture
Message on Salinas signs brutally honest
Communication committee members Shelly Smith, an instructor at Heald College in Salinas, and Chuck Casella of Salinas-based Casella Creative, came up with the campaign. Smith said she brought in 50 students from criminal justice and business classes to help conceive the idea in March.Because many of her students came from a background of having to make “difficult choices” in their own lives, Smith said that makes the effort and resulting work all the more powerful.
Casella said the billboards are focused on raising community awareness and aimed at those submerged in gang activity.
“Basically, you can’t tell kids not to join the gangs,” he said. “The only thing you can do is state the brutal facts.”
Casella said more billboard and campaign ideas are dependent on fundraising through corporate donations.
“It makes people think about it and be aware of it,” said Salinas police Cmdr. Trevor Iida, the city’s Community Safety Alliance director. “The more people are aware, the more they will want to help change. I don’t think the majority of the community understands the gravity of the gang problem.”
By Sunita Vijayan
Monterey Chamber of Commerce Showcase 2008
by Chuck on September 8th, 2008
Casella Creative supports the Monterey and Salinas Chambers of Commerce by sponsoring the Fall Showcase 2008. We rebranded the whole event, from brochures to tickets. The first step was to create the tagline “The power of Local.” It represents the idea that local businesses could provide better value and service than big conglomerates. Next the tagline was incorporated into an illustrated mark that displays the Monterey and Salinas chambers.
New Showcase Logo Design
Info on the Event:
The Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula Chambers of Commerce will present “Showcase 2008 – The Power of Local!” on Thursday, October 23 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Monterey Conference Center. More than one hundred Chamber members will display their products and services, and approximately one thousand guests are expected to attend. Members of the public are invited to attend Showcase 2008 and see what their local business community has to off er, while also having an opportunity to network with hundreds of other potential customers. In addition to the potential business opportunities, guests will be able to participate in food and wine tastings.
Great Logo Experiment
by Chuck on September 7th, 2008
Here is a great article by designer, Doug Bartow, on what happens when companies try to cut corners on branding. Doug wasted $1000 on 4 online logo company’s.
The Challenge: Hire four online logo design companies, give them the same visual identity problem to solve, then critique the results.
The Kitty: Spend less than $1,000 USD total on all four companies, getting as many distinct variations as possible.
The Players: But how to choose? Simply googling logo design returns 11.7M hits in a mind-boggling .13 seconds. However, companies that play in this online space must successfully manage their search engine optimization, or SEO, to ensure that they appear at or near the top of search engine results consistently. Their business development depends upon it. Acknowledging this, I chose the top four non-sponsored returns from my Google search. The contestants, in search results order, are: the Logo Loft, Logo Design Pros, LogoBee and the notorious thousand-pound gorilla of online logo companies, Logoworks.
The Task: Invent a fictional client in need of a new logo. It should be fun, fast, colorful and kick-ass…rollerderby, of course! It’s a ‘sport’ familiar to most, but not so actively followed by the masses to make for an easy identity job without a modicum of research into the history and aesthetic of what is known in the biz as flat track derby. I found a rich collection of active clubs on the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association www site. There’s also a great Q & A section on the official rules for rollerderby, which are much more complex than I ever imagined. e.g. Q: “When do referees stop the jam-in-progress for a jammerless jam?” No, I’m not making this stuff up.
The Client: Troy, NY (id29′s hometown) was one of the original nine cities that in 1871 formed the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, which survives today as Major League Baseball’s National League. Although Troy’s team only lasted two years, they did sport a winning record (28-25,) and I discovered with some amazement that the domain name was available—perfect for my fictional upstart rollerderby team—the Troy Haymakers Flat Track Derby Club.
Let the games begin.
view the full article
http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/005099.html
So the bottom line is hire a design firm and spend $2000-$10,000 on a logo. If it’s done right the logo will last you 5-10 years. The logo will be paid off in a couple of years, if you consider the useage.
David Ligare: new website and gallery
by Chuck on June 12th, 2008
Casella Creative just completed the Neo-Classic painter, David Ligare’s website. As the artist has evolved so has his presence on the web. His previous website was dated and filled with information that took away from his paintings. The idea was to display his large full color paintings coupled with clean typography. The purpose of the website is to function like a container and display the essence of his work.
The client’s feedback was “The new format is EXACTLY right to me!!! Great job. Simple is not necessarily easy.”
So have a look at David’s work at www.davidligare.com
access iv rebranded
by Chuck on May 8th, 2008
Access IV is a pharmacy & nutrition service located in Marina CA. They hired Casella Creative to update their brand. The reason for the rebranding was they realized the value in a strong online presents. With a new website in the works they wanted a matching logo. The owners didn’t want to stray too far from the original logo because they already had brand recognition. A major problem with the old logo was the IV was mistaken for a roman numeral 4. When the type was placed in all caps the periods had to be used which added an extra element. Using a bold lower-case type solved both issues and allowed this mark more approachability and strength. Casella Creative used a classic typeface (Scala) to add a timelessness to the mark. Coming soon new website: accessiv.com
The Peter Maurin Work Co-operative distributes catalog designed by Casella Creative in Salinas, CA
by Chuck on May 7th, 2008
This is the last component of the Sappi Grant. It’s a 5″x5″ 12 page catalog that tells the compelling story of the Peter Maurin Cooperative. It has a dual purpose 1. to display the products and services for new business 2. to tell the story of how this program is empowering the homeless. Throughout the brochure is a heart motif growing at an exponential rate, that is a metaphor for spreading LOVE. The brochure was printed on recycled paper to reinforce the co-op’s commitment to sustainability. To obtain a catalog call 831.776.8674. or contact Casella Creative.
Beta of new Salinas Stock Photography
by Chuck on April 19th, 2008
We are nearing completion of a new Ag Stock photo site. chuckcasella.com/gallery Casella Creative specializes in scenery and ag photo in the Monterey County area. We’re waiting to gather photos of the 2008 harvest for the office launch.
Casella Creative designs Biomass 2008 Report
by Chuck on April 19th, 2008
Casella Creative has been working with BCurtis Energies and the US Department of Energy to create a 56 page report that states the potential of the next generation of ethanol. Clients like this reaffirm our commitment to the environment. The total report is still being politically vetted, but it’s almost complete. It’s comprised of 30 color charts and 30 company profiles. Casella Creative specializes in taking complex information and distilling it down to easy to understand charts and graphs.
Download a pdf of the “Biomass 2008: Fueling Our Future slide presentation biomass2008slides-bcurtis
Complete Sappi Grant
by Chuck on February 15th, 2008
Six months and 30 grand later, Dorothy’s Place finally has a solid brand to raise the funding they need. Thanks to Sappi paper and their “Ideas that Matter Grant” Here is the full range of collateral that was designed by Casella Creative.
