The Killjoy Team
World Bicycle Relief
The Dirt Derby
The Bonebell (new site design coming soon)

So when Kevin Heppner asked if we could help design new logos for our favorite team (Joe’s a member), we jumped. Kevin made the new logo a center piece and pulled a 180º from previous designs with a clean kit that’s sure to stand out at the front of the field filled with overdone design and high sponsor counts.

Front and back, yellow and black – and a Stalelife logo that adds a splash of color in a subtle place.

The horizontal logotype is highly visible on a racer's thighs - perfect for the Chicago Cross Cup courses this team will dominate.

Look around Chicago and Austin, you’re sure to see this kit on the dirt and on the streets this year.

In fact, when you design online your first goal is to consider how users might come through your site. What do we want them to do first? Is there something they need to know right away? After all, if consumers are only going to read around 20% of your content, you want to give them the most important information right away.

That’s exactly what we did with BizQuest.com. We simplified their busy page and developed appropriate action-driven content to make it easier for people to complete key tasks. Our design pushes the eye in the right spot (dark blue for the most popular action), and the new header is more pleasant to the eye with a more intuitive taxonomy. Speaking of smart, the buttons that require action are all the same color, we removed the over-use of blue and, lastly, we chose fonts and weights that allow for critical spatial relations.

Success on this project was measured on conversion, and we’re on the upside. While we can’t divulge exact figures, the owner has expressed his pleasure.

New design:

Old design:

If you’re looking to buy or sell a business, please consider our partners, BizQuest. Great people to do business with (and the extra sales will always help prove our viable design even more).

Well that’s Adomatica, a staple in the Austin (and national ad scene). He’s never ripped us before, but I felt obliged to stand up for our fellow ad men and women and give him a bit of the business.

Or he’s a good friend and super-smart online marketer who writes a snarky and helpful blog in his spare time. Grab the Adomatica RSS feed, it’s worth your attention. Unlike the GSD&M / McGarrah Jesse Austin Addy Awards.

Special image thanks to The Foto Booth – a great group to hire for your events.

Around 240,000 people will benefit from the most recent Annual Appeal from World Bicycle Relief. If you don’t know them, WBR is a smart and well-run non-profit that provides sustainable transportation to help people go farther, carry more and cut their travel time considerably.

You can see our full case study here.

A lot of hard work and strategy went into this endeavor – a true team effort between Stalelife and the Communications and Development groups at WBR. Our approach was integrated with old and new tactics, and the results will make us stronger for years to come.

In the end, we surpassed initial goals by 25%, raised the total donation amount and nearly doubled the amount of advocates on the WBR lists. But most important, we helped the group that helps so many. And that feels good.

Clients, friends and cohorts – thank you for making ’08 great. We have the feeling that ’09 will be super fine.

So we created this video just for you:

So why not make ‘em dig deep?

You give $10, they give $10. You send a whole bike ($134 – seriously, isn’t that insane?), the angel gives one, too. That can really add up with all our friends, and the donations will help healthcare workers travel farther, and allow families to carry food and water and more.

If you’re feeling giving this holiday season, go to this site and donate today . They make nice gifts, too.

P.S. – We designed this campaign. Show a little love for the crew.

^ Click image to enlarge ^

There were some subtle modifications to the original – for instance the zippo/camera was removed and the cascading line elements now resemble actual film, but overall the initial creative remains intact.

If you’re a fan of independent film, be sure to get your tickets right away – the BIG show is next Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008. All profits will help fund next year’s awards.

The results were great – 20 cyclists donated and a few spectators brought food just for the heck of it. We’re humbled by the generosity of the cyclists at the Dirt Derby – there’s enough there to fill a small shopping cart.

There’s still time to get on the pick-up list for Saturday’s donation run. We’re riding – with Adomatica and a few other cyclists – from North Austin to South and picking up scheduled food donations as we make our way to the HAMup TweetUP. All you need to do is email HAMup@stalelife.com and give us your address. We’ll show up and collect the food from your porch or your person.

The more food there is, the more people we can feed. And with news of Ike heading toward the Texas coast, the Capital Area Food Bank will use all the food it gets. They provide immediate disaster relief for gulf-coast hurricanes (amongst other things).

Please consider donating.

Three concepts were presented and what you see below is the dimensional mailer that was selected. 3D DM has near 100% open rates (who doesn’t open boxes?), and since our client is in construction we went with a blueprint theme. The tube is apropos, and rattling inside is a 256mb USB drive, pre-loaded with a splash site that launched upon insertion.

Our letter is 100% benefit driven for the developer’s who read it. The brochure showcases a diverse offering of Klein’s portfolio – everything from landmark construction to new Starbucks buildings.

We hear the reception so far is great, and it’s lead to many meetings and RFPs for Klein. If you’re looking for a commercial construction company in Chicago (and the suburbs), consider calling on our partners.

The blueprint theme is established with a teaser line above the addressing.

Once inside, the developer has an extraordinary kit – they don't normally receive 3D mailers.

The square brochure is light on copy and big on full-bleed images.

Like a good designer's portfolio, Klein's award-winning projects are easy on the eyes.

The copy we developed is all about value. For developers that means close personal service, quality construction methods and competitive prices.

Special thanks to our consumate partner, Kathy Labbe of PROforma. Amazing print and promotional capabilities – she helped make this mailing a success.

Yeah, neither did we. That is until some of our friends on Twitter started chatting about it. Next thing you know, the local community is rallying around this great cause and supporting the Capital Area Food Bank with the HAMup TweetUP. Immediately we thought, “how can we help this social event, but with our own spin?”

A coffee’s worth of brainstorming
with Robert Gilbreath of Adomatica and several ideas rose to the top. But none stuck out as much as picking up donations on September 13th and transporting them via bicycle straight to the CAFB. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to donate if you can’t make the event yourself.

There are plenty of ways you can help feed the hungry. Here are just a few:

• Collect donations in your office, church, school or social events
• Spread the word about Hunger Action Month – here are some examples of avatars people have created for their social networking sites
• Take a “Hunger is unacceptable” image and upload it here. Then share it with your friends.
• Volunteer your time at the HAMup TweetUP on 09.13
• Attend the HAMup GrillUP Happy Hour dinner at Whole Foods on 09.11
• Grab your bike and join us on 09.13 as we take a slow stroll from North Austin to South, picking up food goods along the way

If you can’t make the HAMup TweetUP – but you know that you’ll shop for groceries this week or next – let us bring some of these needed items on your behalf. We will even pick up checks made out to the CAFB.

To schedule a pickup, please email us at HAMup@stalelife.com.

Our convoy will leave from Burnet and Justin area and pick up any donation (and riders) between the highways all the way down to CAFB. If you live East of I35 or West of MOPAC and can collect in your area and join us, that would be great.

Let’s feed even more people this year while laying down less of a carbon footprint! You can make a difference in the lives of hungry Central Texans, so please consider helping out.

What is branding?
It’s more than a logo and a tagline for letterhead and business cards. Your brand is the foundation of your company’s identity – the service you provide combined with the consistent look and feel that give customers – at a glance – a sense of ease and confidence.

Consider Amazon.com. Their reputation and following is very positive, and their unchanged logo and design structure are part of the reason they are the world’s largest online retailer (with record profits last year). Their brand screams “easy to use”, and it ultimately benefits from a high degree of trust.

How strong is your brand?
It’s easy to find out, just ask around – ask your employees, your friends, vendors… anyone who will give you an honest answer. Be sure to ask people who are not emotionally tied to your brand. And if they answer no to three or more of these questions, it’s time to consider change:
- Does your company participate in positive community relations?
- Do customers view your service in a positive light?
- Is your logo easy to recognize?
- Does your brand look consistent throughout all of your collateral and media?
- Is your physical presence modern and up-to-date?
- Is your brand stronger than your competitors?
- Is there a defined leader in your industry?
- Does your brand communicate your company’s message and abilities?

Plan your changes
Top-notch service and products should be at the forefront of all company activities, all the time. But if you’re set on that front and you want to update your physical presence, it’s easiest for your customers to recognize when the modifications occur simultaneously with other important marketing activities (like a website redesign, a new ad campaign or an annual report.)

Hire the pros
You file taxes through an accountant. You review contracts through your lawyer. The same is true for your brand. To design a positive presence will require pros who are well versed in color theory, typography, illustration and original brand creation.

Some companies use brand guidelines for various agencies, employees and developers to follow. This helps the initial design process, maintains consistency, and should always be part of your final deliverables.

For more information from Stalelife, or to have your brand reviewed for no-cost, please send us an email.