Making a big deal for the kids

For the annual "Bring Your Child to Work Day" at Mountain America, I had the opportunity to create original graphics that would appeal to the kids and show the parents that it was an important event for the company.

Working with the HR department's theme of "Working Together," I designed the posters, invitations, signs, handouts and activity books to have the bold character of old WWII campaigns, but with a youthful, contemporary style. The project went well and was very well received, but don't take my word for it, listen to an unsolicited testimonial:

I have had the pleasure of working with Noel on multiple projects in the past, and in my most recent experience, he exceeded my expectations again! I was in charge of coordinating this year’s Bring Your Child to Work Day at MACU. During my initial meeting with Noel to discuss the scope of the project (including creating a theme w/logo, children invitations, MAC announcements, posters, participant activity books, bingo game, etc.) he was very open to my ideas. He listened carefully, asked clarifying questions, offered his expertise, and showed a genuine level of interest and excitement about the project.

Throughout the few weeks of planning and preparation, he consistently provided me status updates and would forward ideas and mock-ups to me for feedback and approval. Not only does Noel have a very pleasant, easy-going attitude, he is a creative genius! For example, I would suggest an idea to him for a puzzle or game for the workbook, he would not only add his signature touch to it, but he would take it home to his kids and ask them to test the game or puzzle. He was truly committed to making sure the activity book would be engaging and fun for kids of all ages!

Even when deadlines changed or progress “bumps” happened, Noel was positive and had a “can do” attitude. I knew some of the changes were going to create a crunch for him, but as always, he came through with quality work and on time. We would not have been able to pull this project together without Noel’s dedication, positive attitude, and commitment to product excellence. Noel Hilden again provided me with a true Signature Experience!

Thanks, it was a fun project!

What makes you smile?

For many of us, the idea of making personal improvements would make us happier. Perhaps, even give us a new reason to smile. But the insurance companies say these kinds of procedures are not necessary and won't pay for them. So what can you do? We could save up, put it on a credit card...or take out a signature loan. That's where the idea of "Lifestyle Lending" came from.

I was asked to help Mountain America's Lifestyle Lending department put together marketing materials that were placed in dentist's, orthodontist's, doctor's and ophthalmologist's offices. But that wasn't the extent of their market; they were also lending for veterinary services (because if my dog isn't healthy, my family ISN'T smiling!), hot tubs, kitchens, high-end mattresses, computers and more.

The approach of "A New Reason to Smile" with the picture of a pretty lady with perfect teeth was the perfect approach. Other small images of happy families with different reasons to smile added to the campaign. A direct mail campaign was also included and it generated a terrific response. At last review, the campaign had done very well, and had given the Lifestyle Lending department their own "reason to smile."

Playing with full-size cars

When I was just a boy, I loved to draw cars...and I got pretty good at it too. (And it's kind of funny, but so does my son, and he can draw cars much better than I did at his age.) It was fun to draw the custom cars like the Barris television show creations and coming up with my own funky designs.

So I guess it's not much of a stretch to go from those childhood sketches to vehicle graphics, is it?

Mountain America purchased a shiny new Ford Expedition to be used at events, so why not wrap it with a logo, art and marketing? I received diagrams for the body that I used as a template to create the designs, which I made in Illustrator. The vinyl wrap was produced and applied by FerrariColor in Salt Lake City. I was extremely pleased what a good job they did. Pictured above is actually my second version of the wrap--the first was removed after some body work had to be done.

There is one thing about a wrapped vehicle though; it's IMPOSSIBLE to be inconspicuous, so you have to be on your best behavior at all times while driving it!

Three pointer=Flashy LED ring!

Sponsoring Utah Jazz's Three-Pointer Instant Replay earned Mountain America ten seconds of flashy graphics in the Energy Solutions Arena--and that bright, colorful animation came from me! During some games, that exposure was multiplied even more with basket after basket!

We found out that the motion graphics needed to be created in Adobe After Effects, so I got the software and learned as I went. I created the artwork in Adobe Illustrator and imported it into the timeline, adding the animation and everyone was excited to see how it turned out.

It's really interesting working on graphics on a regular-sized computer monitor, knowing that the final presentation is going to be three feet tall and the circumference of the arena. But it's really awesome when you see it full size, flashing and rolling while the fans go crazy after the Jazz sink another three point shot.

In all, I created four different LED ring and Jumbotron graphics for the Jazz games, and two for the Salt Lake ReAL soccer stadium.

"Have a great summer. C-U next year!" (FREE!)

My kids started their elementary school years at Nibley Park Elementary in Salt Lake City. It's a good school that served the needs of all kinds of students from all walks of life and almost every economic level. Creating a free yearbook...for ALL the students...just seemed like the right thing to do. It was an honor (and fun!) to donate my time to it for four years.

Nibley Park's free yearbook started when the PTA saw that a generic book was being sold for ten bucks each...and not many of the students could really afford it. The solution? The PTA had earned enough from their activities and memberships to be able to produce a black and white yearbook, with a two-color cover, for everyone.

I had been taking pictures at school events and we were able to gather photos from the teachers, so in a mad crunch, I was able to put together the book and get it to the printers; which were able to deliver the books on the last day of school. Everyone was able to pass around their yearbooks for autographs... it was great fun.

In the three years that followed, the children loved to ham it up for the cameras and looked forward to the end of the year: Free Yearbook Day.

Can't Stop Yelling "Bingo!" at Yellow Cars...

"Hi, my name is Noel and I yell 'BINGO' when I see a yellow car..."
(Hi Noel, it's okay. We're all friends here. Go ahead...)

Okay, just a little diversion and a little confession... Even when my daughter isn't riding in the car with me, I'm still watching for those yellow cars or trucks.

It started just a few months ago. Whenever I had to take the girls somewhere, my youngest would call out "BINGO!" at the yellow vehicles. She said the neighbor girl had made up the game, so I started playing along. Simple enough rules, first one to spot the yellow car calls it out. My daughter likes to pick out EVERY vehicle, including the tractors on the side of the road, but that seems like cheating to me...

(We understand. Go on...)

Then it happened: we were at Lagoon, the local amusement park, stopped at the top of the Ferris Wheel and I heard another girl picking out BINGOs in the parking lot. This was bigger than the neighbor girl. Sure enough, you can find it on the Web and there's even a Facebook page for "Shouting BINGO when you see a yellow car!" Of course, I became a fan...because I can't stop...yelling at yellow cars!

(Well Noel, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. Group hug!)

Live. Work. Play... A Year's Worth of Benefits!

Every year, the HR Department at the Credit Union has to renegotiate the terms of Health Insurance with the providers. After they've gotten the best deal they can get, they have to notify the employees of the changes to their coverage. When you're a small company, that's not such a problem; but when you have 1000 employees spread across four states, it can be a daunting task.

In order to generate some excitement about the "Open Enrollment" period, HR asked me to help them with a project that would involve employees and showcase the things that helped them to achieve a healthy Live-Work-Play balance. Stories and images were submitted of such activities as rock climbing, river rafting, marathon running, world traveling, gardening and more. These and other stock images were incorporated in the benefits booklet, 15-month mini-calendar, a tri-fold brochure, PowerPoint graphics and PDFs.

The colorful designs I created were well-received. Working within economical guidelines, we were able to stay within budget and deliver the goods on time. HR was able to reach their goals, and of course, the mini-calendars were a big hit and a reminder of the many ways a credit union employee could live a healthy lifestyle year-round.

Saving $20,000 for Charity

It just seemed like common sense; why wouldn't we take advantage of postal discounts? Especially when a simple change in the postcard would save $20,000 and allow a donation to go that much further?

When Mountain America Credit Union, Children's Miracle Network and CO-OP Network decided to send out a postcard and wrap ATMs with a bright graphic that promoted their combined donation efforts for sick children, I was able to help art-direct the project. Working with the marketing VPs of the three companies and an outside advertising agency, we chose the images and colors we thought would be the most appealing, heart-touching headlines and verbiage, and postcard formats.

But when it came down to the production and mailing of the pieces, I could see that the costs could be reduced. Having extensive experience in direct marketing and USPS regulations, I was able to point out ways to make the mailing less expensive and more effective.

In the end, the adjustments were made and the campaign was able to reach more people for less. Since the agency was merely passing on the postal costs, they didn't lose any money in the project. It was a win-win-win-win for all parties, and truly a "miracle!"

It's not so much "HOW" as "WHY"

Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the HOW Design Conference in Denver, CO (www.howconference.com). It was the 20th anniversary gathering and it was packed with amazing materials.

While I was there, I heard some excellent speakers, met some talented colleagues, gathered fun print samples, books and cool t-shirts, saw some interesting sights, ate some good food and was able to soak in great design inspiration. It was a very worthwhile trip and I'm glad I was able to go.

But it was all brought home when I got home... everything I learned and saw was insignificant when compared to what greeted me at the door:

My daughters had decorated the windows with homemade "Welcome Home" signs and decorations and the youngest had even artistically arranged her favorite foods for me...pickles, M&Ms, crackers, cheese and bubble gum with a sprig of flowers from the hawthorne tree in the yard.

I was really touched by the creative efforts of my girls who didn't need a getaway for inspiration--they just missed their goofy Dad and were glad to have him back home. While I love what I do, my family is the reason WHY for the HOW of design and advertising--and to borrow a line from a well known advertising campaign, it's PRICELESS.

$12 million in new RV loans...from cartoon campers

This was fun project and it all paid off. It was a pretty straightforward campaign from the credit union, RV loans for 6.75% APR offered for one month, March 2009. But I took an unusual approach, using old-fashioned looking illustrations with the headline, "Yesterday's Rates for Today's Adventures."

I scoured archives of cartoons to find a style to mimic and created each vehicle from scratch using Illustrator and then adding the distressed texture in Photoshop. From here, the images were adjusted for each of the different media.

It was seen in the credit union branches on illuminated signs, posters, flyers, statement stuffers and on the Web site; also on billboards and in local papers (both in color and grayscale).

At the end of the month, when all new RV loans were counted, business at the credit union was increased by $12 million... and we won a CUNA Diamond Merit Award--nothing silly about that.

Where does inspiration come from?

Inspiration comes from all around us. Sometimes it's a story, sometimes it's a picture. It can be a thought. A word. An emotion. A misunderstanding or confusion. Food, drink, sense. A person, a pet, a place.

Inspirations and solutions to creative challenges can come when you're just trying to wake up in the shower, while driving along a tedious stretch of country road, walking the dog, or from a particularly strange dream. It's so random and unpredictable.

But ultimately, what we do with that inspiration becomes something else. Something new. It becomes our own. This is where it begins.