Why is it that the more prestigious the design competition, the more it costs to enter?

Prices for a single entry can be around $120. But once you are selected to either receive an award, or be published in the awards annual, which after all is part of the exercise, there will be an additional fee of $280 – $400. And that is for just one single entry.

Sure, we play along. Sometimes. As we see fit, and for projects we feel deserve to be honored. But we too draw the line.

Let’s not forget that we are an agency, we have a PR budget and cash flow. How about all the students, freelancers, micro design firms, nonprofits and other entities that may have the big, creative, genius ideas that we should all be drooling over? The ideas that really look different because they come from folks that may not have ‘corporate’ breathing down their necks, or they do it for free, out of passion and just for fun? Isn’t that often when truly great ideas happen? They will never be in any of the ‘big’ award books showcasing the best, the brightest and most amazing ideas. The books that design students get for christmas, that turn into their text books of what they ought to measure their own creativity with, are lacking to showcase just that, the unconditionally best creative endeavours. Read the rest »

Some of you may already have seen this – yet another – step to cross platform media creation. Esquire magazine is celebrating its 75th anniversary by use of an ‘electronic’ cover for the special issue. We will hunt for it in the next days and comment with approval (or disapproval – will it look like an old-school gif animation?), but until then, you can watch the cover here.

Thanks to my student Strahan for bringing it to my attention.

Just brilliant! For the first time today I saw a print ad where I could taste (Yes, TASTE!) the actual product.

Image, check. Text, check. Sample taste, check.

Okay, first it was an obvious evolution since we already had breath mints that came in paper sized ‘strips’, and second it really was not an ad featuring an actual product, it was an ad for the company that produces these ad(d)-on features that goes by the name of ‘First Flavor’. It is called Peel ‘n Taste and it does work. Their sample was for Welch’s Grape Juice and it tasted just like the product.

I am amazed about the opportunities that this little invention presents to marketers.

Now try to suck on this onscreen. (Yes, I heard the rumours, but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.)

I received the second issue of ‘Deliver’ in the mail. The magazine with the sub title ‘a magazine for marketers’ is quite nicely designed, and interesting at most times, but…it is published by no one else then the United States Postal Service with the sole purpose of getting us ‘marketers’ to not completely forget about the good old direct marketing vehicle, the snail mail. The article ‘value in volume’ about an Atlanta marketing firm that created $600 a piece books to mail out to NYC’s fashion world in order to, may I add successfully, enter a very harsh and incestuous market, caught my attention. Not only because we experienced how hard it is to enter not only New York’s Design & Marketing market, but especially the fashion world (We now successfully formed a relationship with New York City Designer John Varvatos – we designed johnvarvatos.com), but also because of the crazy idea of spending that much on a single direct mail piece.

It’s crazy.

Crazy good, if done right.

Not only do people mainly receive junk and bills in the mail, but in an increasingly online world, receiving an amazing marketing piece, one that you know you will at least lovingly hold on to and braggingly hand around the office, is something special. Special enough to at least allow for a conversation with the sender.

When I designed an Open House Invitation to spend a glamorous evening at MGM’s CEO’s private residence in the year 2003, I went so overboard (on design and budget) that the client ended up hand delivering each of the ~250 invites of fear of damaging them during transportation. My idea was to replicate a film strip that showcases classic party scenes from the MGM archives, while creating an amazing first impression. When catering to Hollywood celebrity clientele, it is hard to stand out, and a smart idea like this one surely did the trick. As many jobs I hand off to our printers, this one was an all around challenge. And it was pricey. But in the end it worked wonders, just like the example ‘Deliver’ writes about.

The End Of Print?

Not in the world of Geyrhalter Design. Here, print does still ‘deliver’.

P.S.: You can subscribe to ‘Deliver’ free of charge here, just FYI.

I got away from the Los Angeles heat for a little bit and escaped to Mammoth Mountain. Not much explanation is needed on the print piece that greeted me at my rental place.

Yes, it is important to consider the fold when designing…