Julia Reich Design

King Ferry Winery

jrd_webmin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:14:41 +0000

Stay tuned - project description coming very soon!

Ithaca Waldorf School

jrd_webmin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:40:58 +0000

Problem:
Their existing site was static, visually unengaging, no longer met their content needs, nor reflected the dynamic nature of the school and the local Waldorf community that has sprung up alongside this beloved institution.

Approach:
We started with a Discovery process that included discussions with the Executive Director, who filled us in on what was missing from their old site, and what they wanted to have in a new site. A web solution was proposed based on their needs and budget that entailed a WordPress CMS (content management system).

Results:
To appeal to prospective students' parents, we re-structured the site to include buttons linking to information about visiting the school during Open House events; up-front info on the cost + tuition assistance; details about the school & its programs and educators; and general information about the Ithaca environs.
To provide existing Waldorf families with useful information and to nurture their online community, we included a blog; calendar of events; and a robust gallery of fun images portraying all facets of a Waldorf education.
We also made it easy for supporters to make donations with a prominent 'Donate Now' button on the home page.

Visually, the site is dynamic, with a photo slideshow featuring compelling, colorful, and joyous imagery - a clear extension of the Ithaca Waldorf School brand personality.

Visit the new site.

Strategic Development Partner: FLX Creative

Other projects for this client include a logo update and end-of-year fund raising collateral.

School Food FOCUS

jrd_webmin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:35:02 +0000

Everyone knows that school lunches are disgusting.

Parents object to the sugar and fat. Kids just hate the slime factor.

But we created a set of marketing collateral for a group who’s changing all that.

West Wind Consulting

jrd_webmin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:05:26 +0000

West Wind Consulting is so named because the firm’s founder and president lives on the east side of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of central New York state, where a change in the weather almost always comes with a western breeze. She understands her clients hire her to bring, or navigate change. Like the weather, sometimes change is welcome, sometimes it feels difficult, but no matter what that change may be, it’s always better to see it coming and anticipate it rather than be caught off guard.

WWC had never done any marketing previously, and had enjoyed success purely from word-of-mouth. With the expansion of their office and core services, it was time for an online presence, and an overall re-vamping of their visual identity.

Since an electronic file of the old logo had been waylaid over the years, we had to create a new vector file, and then saved it for our client in all formats they would ever need, for print and online media.While we did not design the logo from scratch, we carefully considered a simplification of the logo by removing extraneous linework and changing the typeface, thereby improving its impact & visibility, and giving it a more contemporary look.

The completed website is a highly personal reflection of the owner, both in design and content. It feels welcoming, natural, soft-edged, and evocative of the breezes blowing off the lake.

Developed and customized in WordPress, it allows WWC’s staff control in managing content, quickly and easily.

View the website here.

.....

Following is an interview with Bob Steinkamp of Ithaca Public Relations, in which Julia Reich, Principal of Julia Reich Design discusses the importance of recognizing the individual needs of each client, and the process the firm used in the creation of West Wind Consulting’s new brand.

DID THE CLIENT GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS OR IDEAS BEFORE YOU BEGAN THE PROJECT?
JR: Yes. We met at the outset for a briefing session to determine exactly what they were looking for. The meeting helped us determine that we needed to retain West Wind’s existing identity, while at the same time making it more contemporary. West Wind Consulting (WWC) recently hired a new consultant with a strong background in annual fund management, which takes the company in a new direction that is unique to the industry, and they were looking to freshen up the existing brand to reflect this expanded line of services. Their existing visual identity was good in the sense that it had a strong concept, but the design needed to be streamlined and simplified, in order to reflect the warm, caring spirit of the company, while still conveying a sense of boldness and a willingness to step out in new directions.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN REDESIGNING WEST WIND’S IDENTITY?
JR: West Wind’s owner lives on the east side of Seneca Lake, where the weather blows in from the west, so in a sense, the name West Wind is a metaphor not only for the constantly changing weather, but for the change West Wind’s clients are seeking. Our goal was to maintain West Wind’s business image while creating a more personal and inviting feeling… one that says “let us take you on a journey.” More than anything else, we needed to make their visual identity representative of the firm’s warm and welcoming personality. But, we also needed to respect the owner’s preference for a certain color palette, and use of organic shapes, all while keeping it simple and dynamic to convey a sense of “the wind.” West Wind also wanted to project a sense of maturity, but without being too cute, gimmicky, or “corporate.”

When the time came to actually begin the design work, Patrick Moroney, our senior designer, felt the old version was too “busy” and difficult to read, and could communicate the same message with less line work. The typeface also needed to be updated. We came up with a number of designs that we felt would be outstanding choices, and went back and forth on the best choices, and had a number of conversations before deciding on what we wanted to recommend to the client.

The result is that West Wind’s visual identity now reflects a business that’s bold, has integrity, is rooted in the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes, and is intimate, thoughtful, and creative in the services it provides and the way it provides them. West Wind’s website and logo look different. Even the language used on the website is different than typical corporate “marketing speak” and that’s what makes it, and them, special.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO DESIGN THIS NEW IDENTITY?

JR: This project took five months, from the first idea sessions to the site going live, to the delivery of brand guidelines, which explains how to use the new logo and ensures consistency in its application across media. Although the first ideas for any project such as this one generally come quickly, you have to test them, visualize them, and criticize them in order to ensure that the core idea becomes an identity that will stand the test of time.

Once you’ve done that it’s important to spend plenty of time with the client answering their questions and concerns, and ensuring they understand why you’re making the recommendations you’ve made. If the client isn’t convinced, or doesn’t buy in to what you’re recommending, the visual identity will never become a “brand” in the true sense, and the client won’t achieve his or her full potential. That’s also why the brand guidelines are so important. Every organization needs to use its logos and other visual identifiers in a consistent manner in order to create instant recognition in the minds of people who see them. The brand guidelines give the client clear recommendations on how to do that.

HOW DID YOUR TEAM WORK TOGETHER ON THIS PROJECT?

JR: Everyone naturally did his or her part. I coordinated the overall design process/project management, initiated the first round of logo changes, and prepared and delivered each presentation, while the entire team refined the logo, letterheads, business cards, envelopes and website, and tackled the typographical work. There were a lot of ideas about how best to provide solutions to the challenge mentioned above… a lot of discussions and ideas bounced back and forth before we came up with our final recommendations.

WAS THE LOGO THE WHOLE PROJECT?

JR: No, not at all. That’s where the project began. WWC’s new logo was the starting point for branded corporate stationery and a new website. The firm had never before had a web presence -it did everything by word of mouth. But, that’s also what made this project so much fun to work on. It presented an opportunity for us to fully create something from the ground up that will help a great business better market itself to the world.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT WORKING ON THIS PROJECT?
JR: Sometimes, clients have very specific ideas about what they think they want… they know they want something different, but when you present unique concepts, they don’t want to change. Change can be a very scary thing in the business world, particularly when it involves the visual image you’re presenting to your clients and the public. The right visual image can help open many new doors, while the wrong one sends the opposite message and can close a lot of doors, as well. We understand that.

However, West Wind Consulting really was a breath of fresh air. They encouraged us to think of creative ideas and were open to them. They embraced them. They didn’t have any preconceived notions, and were open to exploring new possibilities and ideas, which made it easier for us because it gave us a lot room to explore, while still staying within the framework of the original project brief.

Hawthorne Valley Farm

jrd_webmin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:25:32 +0000

Brown Swiss cows freely roam the fields, affectionately known as “Swissies”. Their milk is made into dairy products, which are sold on-site at the farm market along with other farm-fresh foods. For a long time, the only yogurt product HVF carried was plain yogurt in a quart container, which is sold at the farm store, at NYC’s Union Square Greenmarket, and a few other natural food stores throughout the northeast, so their exposure is somewhat limited. But if you think the organic dairy market is peaceful and gentle – think again: competition is fierce, and the explosion in local and organic foods has made it incumbent on enterprises like HVF to present a more professional image on the supermarket shelf. And it doesn’t hurt to offer something other than a quart of plain.

When the farm called us, they were expanding their product line by adding a smaller 6-oz cup and several new flavors as part of a fresh strategy. Hiring a professional graphic design firm was a logical next step. Our main point of contact? The farm manager and his wife.

The client was comfortable with the cow in the old logo the way it was: a graceful, serene rendering, meant to show respect for an animal they felt was too often portrayed as silly and cartoonish. So the Julia Reich Design creative team began by taking the original cow and “cleaning it up” a little – not changing it, but smoothing out the choppy lines and helping her “read” better as a cow icon. Then we started experimenting with the background landscape, color palette, and type treatment. The new label was approved, with refreshed cow and landscape, and the cups were produced. The packages hit the shelves in 2009.

HVF's products are good for you and their farming methods are good for the earth. We at Julia Reich Design appreciate what they do and we put this at the core of our relationship - we want to help them get to a new level.

(thanks to Matthew Porter and PhD, from the book Recycling and Redesigning Logos, Rockport Publishers)

Cater to You

jrd_webmin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:39:31 +0000

During the Discovery Phase of this re-branding project, our research determined the following Cater to You brand attributes: Fresh: Providing locally grown seasonal foods with natural or organic origins Educational: Fostering sensible choices, holistic learning, and sustainable food Healthy: Equipping private schools with creative, whole-food solutions Accessible: Working with clients to meet nutrition goals and provide a foundation for life-long wellness Our solution? A natural green and orange color palette, organic sans serif typeface, and a cabbage head icon for their new logo all exemplify the fresh, whole foods available from Cater to You. Cabbage leaf 'hands' refer to the people behind the business, including the growers at local farms, chefs at Cater to You, and students who will enjoy each healthy meal. We also came up with a new tagline, "A Hands-on Approach to Fresh Food" , replacing their existing bland version, "Private School Food Service".

Slow Food USA

jrd_webmin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:25:41 +0000

As foodies and supporters of the slow food movement for good, clean, fair food - Julia Reich Design has been thrilled to be involved with the The Snail, a national quarterly magazine for Slow Food USA members. Our involvement began with a complete overhaul of the design of this publication,and subsequent design of each issue, four times per year. The Snail eventually came to a slow halt last year in order to make room for a speedier online version of the magazine.

University of Oxford

jrd_webmin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:06:34 +0000

We've been fortunate to partner with the University of Oxford North American Office since 2006, helping them with the design of a variety of fund raising and and alumni relations materials, in both print and web (http://www.oxfordna.org/).

Our most recent project together was this 2010 North American Reunion invitation package, which includes registration details & forms, an engraved VIP invite, and a program with a schedule of talks, meetings, and speaker descriptions. The reunion takes place every two years at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom in NYC and features many alumni luminaries, such as Nicholas Kristof, New York Times Op-Ed columnist. This year, one of the original Magna Carta documents, from the Oxford archive, made a special appearance.

Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce

jrd_webmin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:08:43 +0000

In our Discovery Process, we learned that the Chamber’s constituents saw it as a social organization. But it’s really an advocacy and business development organization.

So we looked for active, bold, businesslike images, and avoided anything passive, soft, or pastoral. Our three suggested designs focused on three concepts: “Voice of the Business Community,” “County-wide Reach,” and “Collaboration.” The Chamber went for “Collaboration.”

Our inspiration for that design came from the executive director, who told us that “the Chamber is the cog in the wheel that sets the business machine in motion.” That image set our imaginations in motion!

In the design, each wheel represents one of the four Cs of Cayuga County Chamber. The central “C” shows the Chamber at the dynamic center of things.

We chose a strong “Neutraface” font to mirror the circular shapes in the logo.The bright, multi-color palette reflects the energy of the Chamber’s diverse membership, as well as the area it serves. Blue for the water that brings tourists to the Finger Lakes, green for the beautiful farms and forests, and oranges and yellows to illustrate the vigorous arts and culture of the area. That beauty and energy now appears in the Cayuga Chamber of Commerce logo.

Educational Video Center

jrd_webmin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:40:55 +0000

We began our work by involving the branding team in a series of exercises designed to evaluate the EVC brand from various perspectives in order to unearth its essential character and meaning. The key insight quickly emerged: to re-energize the brand, we needed to position EVC as pioneers in the field, transforming the lives of urban teenagers by empowering them to think critically.

The resulting identity conveys EVC’s core values: creative, passionate, progressive, visionary, urban, nurturing, transformative, and bold.

The new identity consists of a television monitor shape, obliquely referring to EVC’s media involvement. Horizontal white lines suggest motion and the dynamic nature of the organization. The modified typeface used for the letters 'EVC' are slanted to reinforce the idea of forward motion. The typeface used for the full name, with its rounded letterforms and unique thicks and thins, expresses the youthful, non-conforming personality of the brand. It also suggests an object coming into focus, another reference to filmmaking. The color red was chosen because it is warm, powerful, and energizing, all characteristics that can associated back to the EVC brand.

Since unveiling the new identity system, EVChas gone on to create an ambitious new website, Facebook page and email newsletter targeted to their diverse audience and based on the style guide we prepared for them.