Graphic Design USA contest winners? Leslie Tane Design & Writing Roads
Writing Roads has won an award!!! My go-to girl, aka phenomenal graphic/web designer Leslie Tane of Leslie Tane Design, entered a poster that we created together into the Graphic Design USA: American Graphic Design Awards competition, and…drum roll please…we won a Certificate of Excellence!
We’ll be published in the design annual in December. I’ve been schooled that it’s really a prestigious award — they received over 10,000 entries and awarded 15% of them. The magazine has a subscriber base of over 30,000 and the website (on which we will appear) gets over 100,000 visits a month. I like the sound of those numbahs!
Here’s our ‘award winning’ poster developed for the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and 4H. Let me tell you that we had a blast in the concepting stage of this project. The goal was to reach baby boomers, the Woodstock generation:
My favorite part is that I had no idea about the contest until Leslie told me this morning that we won! Seriously, that’s how every Monday should start, eh?
Disclaimer: Of course, the dye job is the brilliant work of Leslie, no animals were harmed or colored during the making of this poster. Sorry, you can’t read all of the copy…If you just have to read what I wrote about being a volunteer for 4H, come on – you know you want to! – just leave me a comment and I’ll get that right out to you.
Another Disclaimer: It was brought to my attention that my original copy for the poster (including the main tag) was changed by the powers that be. My words were a bit racy for the 4H…hard to believe, I know. So, anyway…I’m just sayin’.
Filed under News | Tags: 4H, Amherst, award, contest, freelance writer, graphic design, Graphic Design USA, Julie Roads, Leslie Tane Design, marketing writer, UMass, UMass Extension, Writing Roads | Comments (8)how to craft your marketing message
Whether you’re creating your website, blog, ads or a print brochure, you have to decide on a message, a personality, an identity for your business or company. And, this will be communicated to your audience via your design and the WORDS you choose. Here are some things to think about as you begin to formulate your message (or reformulate for those of you in a makeover situation) and the feeling you would like to evoke:
1. Writing and Design must be united. Imagine a site where the words sound like they were penned by the Queen, while the design looks like it was composed by Austin Powers. OY. If it’s possible, find a writer and a designer that have a solid relationship and thrive on working together on projects. The words must support the design. The design must support the words.
2. Ask yourself some serious questions. What makes you different from everyone else in your industry? What is your background and how does it influence your work? How do you want people to feel when they see and read your marketing materials? A good copywriter and a good designer will ask you these questions…and many more.
3. What does your audience want? Don’t make it all about you – because it isn’t. Your clients/customers are the most important factor in this equation. Listen to them by reading blogs and/or joining online communities that discuss your company, product, service or industry. People are talking, so find out what they’re saying.
4. Make it personal. People identify with brands that don’t feel like gimmicks. If you haven’t noticed this lately, many companies are putting the personal spin on their brand – either by telling personal stories (Visa), making their CEO’s real people (Dave from Wendy’s), giving their company a relatable, familiar spokesperson (the Verizon guy) or even making their product into a real person (Mac vs. PC ads).
5. Be true, be you. There may be many CPA’s but there is only one you. Show your personality, reveal yourself and you will attract people. You will also repel people, but I think this is a good thing as it filters out those that won’t appreciate you ahead of time.
6. Test it out. The internet has made it possible to test products, messages, etc. online for relatively low costs via ad words, social bookmarking & networking sites and blogs. Use these tools to market effectively.
P.S. I love my Mac.
Filed under How To, Marketing | Tags: Blogging, blogs, copywriter, effective copy, graphic design, how to brand, Julie Roads, marketing message, marketing writer, relationship marketing, social bookmarking, Social Media, social networking, Writing Roads | Comment (0)when writers and graphic designers work WELL together…
…it can be magical. Good collaboration manifests in many different ways, but the best outcome is that the writing and the design support each other beautifully. Words can be rendered useless, invisible and even ugly with bad fonts and unseemly placement and the most stunning design can be dismissed in an instant if there is no content to hold the viewer’s brain.
The copywriter/designer connection is so important because as projects develop, there is always a need for adjustment. As the design unfolds, a space may appear that is perfect for a one-liner…as the writing builds, a one-liner may surface that needs to be featured on the page…and so on and so forth. If the designer and the copywriter work in isolation it doesn’t benefit the project and can cost the client more money because it may take much longer to get it ‘just right’.
I enjoy working with designers in the following ways:
1. I create the concept for the content/copy/text and then take it to the designer. I describe my vision for the words, the tone and what words need to be called out, etc. The designer builds the graphics around the content and my vision. Then, we communicate and adjust both the writing and the design as we work…and especially after we see them together for the first time. Here is an example of a project that was created in this way:
Design by Georgia Schmidt
2. The designer creates the concept, tells me the vision, tone, etc…and I virtually fill in the spaces created for content. Again, we both adjust as we go along and once we see the two pieces joined together.
Design by Leslie Tane Design
3. And, my favorite: working with a designer from start to finish. You brainstorm as two united minds and come up with a concept for design and content that are joined, fused, totally in-tune – like this:
Design by Leslie Tane Design (and, fyi, this sheep was not dyed in real life, that is pure digital magic. Come on now, dying that sheep would have been mean!)
Filed under How To | Tags: ads, brochures, copywriter, copywriting, copywriting and graphic design, graphic design, graphic designer, Julie Roads, sell sheets, Writing Roads | Comment (0)The Search for the Incredible Designer
I wrote this blog for my Incredible Designer’s , Leslie Tane Design, blog as a guest blogger…but I think it’s important for all of you to read too…so here ’tis.
In my career as a copywriter, I have worked with many designers…the incredible designer, the good designer, the fine designer, and the ‘oh @#$%&, are you kidding?’ designer. I encourage you all to search for the Incredible Designer and then hold on to him/her at all costs. Treat this person like royalty – they are. And…if you are a designer – then BE the Incredible Designer. It’s who those of us that think any old font would work and have no idea what the difference between a jpeg and a gif are searching for.
Here is a list of what makes an Incredible Designer:
1. Artistic Brilliance. The Incredible Designer surprises you every time with her level of artistry, creativity and sheer brilliance.
2. Competence. The Incredible Designer knows so much. Web, print, techie stuff, marketing, printing, everything cutting-edge.
3. Patience & Kindness. When dealing with clients (hmm, hmm) that ask the same question more than 5x, have ‘just one more!’ edit and needed it done yesterday, the Incredible Designer never ruffles. And it serves him. It makes clients want to do better next time for this benevolent master of design.
4. Forethought. When discussing a new project, the Incredible Designer thinks of everything: specs, space, logistics, deadlines, national holidays, watering the plants…everything.
5. Reliability. The Incredible Designer never lets you down. When you turn your stuff over to her, you know it will come back golden.
6. Honesty. The Incredible Designer is always honest about his deadline capability. And, if he doesn’t know something he tells you he doesn’t…and then finds someone who does.
7. Integrity. Enough said.
So, why am I qualified to write this little blog entry? Because my search is over – and I swear she didn’t pay me to write this (in fact, I’ll have to talk her into posting it!) – Leslie Tane Hannus is my Incredible Designer. She is all of these things and more…
For incredible design visit www.leslietanedesign.com….and check out her blog – it’s a great example of what to do!
Filed under How To, Marketing | Tags: graphic design, graphic designers, Marketing, print design, web design | Comment (0)
