1,000 Ways to Love The Earth (and my job!)

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Awhile back, I was approached by children's singer DARIA about working with her and another talented artist, Farah Aria on some collateral for an Earth Day album she was producing. Daria is wonderful to work with and I knew anything she brought my way would be amazing.

The concept was simple and yet so incredible at the same time. Daria was going to produce a completely green CD to giveaway. For the first 1,000 people who sent her a way they love the earth, she would send them her songs, FREE, to download.

My role was to primarily assist in the design of the cover art for the album. But, as it just so happened, while all 3 of us were hashing out ideas, the campaign grew to include not only the cover art, but the design and building of a blog, liner notes, fliers and icons and banners for promotional use. Not to mention:
- submissions by followers all over the world
- an online forum for others to visit, read the submissions and be inspired themselves
- giveaways of not only the CD, but of green posters featuring the album art designed by Farah
- interactive liner notes that include video links and how-tos on creating your own recycled musical instruments
- A handful of amazing, established partners, and so much more!

I was constantly amazed and in awe of these 2 awesome women. Their ideas, their knowledge and their undying energy for this campaign was unreal. Every day brought a new idea, a solution to something we had been working on and ever more ways to love and protect the earth.

And at this point, it should also be pointed out that this campaign is also a testament to the power on online communication. Both Daria and I live on the East Coast - although not very close to each other. Farah is on the West Coast. The three of us all run professional businesses, are all creative in our own right and have a deep respect for each other. Time zones, locations. None of that mattered in this project and there was never a problem. To top it off, the majority of the promotional work advertising this campaign is being done online only. So far we have had an overwhelming response from around the world and we can't wait to share what we've been sent with the rest of you!

I couldn't have asked for a better campaign to work on or two other creative women to work with. I'll be posting more articles about this campaign, so stay tuned! In the meantime, read, enjoy and don't forget to let us kn ow how you love the earth!

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Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone.

A few months back, children's singer DARIA, asked me for some help in generating the art for her groundhog day projects. She wanted something special and fun - just like her music. Whereas she loved the artwork that I used for her cd cover, she was thinking of something a little more unique.

She proposed that I draw the illustrations she was looking for and I wasn't sure what to say. I grew up dreaming of becoming an animator, but my days of drawing cartoons and made up characters seemed so far away.

I was interested though and so we both agreed that an attempt would be made. I would send my rough sketches to her and if she felt I was going in the right direction, then computer generated illustrations would be done.

Working with DARIA is always stress free and I think that helped in easing any fear I had about my ability. I had an incredible time working on these pieces and I can see traits in all of these drawings that I recognize from my style years ago. And it feels good.

I'm not about to run out and put ILLUSTRATOR on my resume, but sometimes working outside of one's comfort zone can be exhilarating and definitely rewarding. This experience taught me a little something about myself that's been hiding for awhile. I look forward to the next new thing that comes my way with even more excitement now!

It's amazing Mr. Groundhog didn't see his shadow this year! Look how fat I made him:)

Check out DARIA and look for all her
fun monthly projects - including art by yours truly!

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Madcow Designs - A testimonial

A small sampling of items included in DARIA's mailing

When one of my clients, Daria, was so kind as to send me a testimonial, I was delighted and a little overwhelmed. I mean golly gee whiz:) When someone approaches me for a job, I go at it full force. That is why they come to me isn't it? But to see it in writing, in someone else's words made me realize the experience and knowledge I bring to my clients.


In lieu of that, I wanted to be able to further explain one of the projects that Daria referenced. I thought it would help others in understanding just how I was able to help her and maybe the explanation would in turn help the reader move forward in their next project.


When Daria approached me with her idea of sending presenter packages to potential venues, I was all over it! Daria is an energetic performer whose colorful personality should be reflected in the materials she chooses to represent herself, so I knew this job was going to be a lot of fun.


As with all jobs there was a budget to stay within, but I knew that wouldn't be an issue. By making sure we got off on the right foot and made use of working with collateral she already had, we were well on our way to a very affordable solution to her problem. The widest piece that was being included was her postcard. Basing the rough measurements on this piece, I was able to find a mailer that was small enough to keep shipping costs down but large enough to accommodate her material and provide quite an impact when received.


Knowing that Daria is concerned for the welfare of all living creatures, I researched and compared the costs and types of various materials used in packing and shipping. This way we could implement products that were biodegradable, reusable or recyclable. Some of the materials could easily be used in one of her DIY musical projects!


There were also shipping costs that had to be considered, and this was a two-fold concern. For one, I had to make sure that the most efficient box used to contain the items also complied with shipping regulations. I was also going to be sealing the box with a sticker that was representative of Daria's World Travels. I needed to make sure that doing so didn't interfere with any shipping regulations or result in any returned packages.


Secondly, I had to make sure that the delivery method was affordable, convenient, efficient and trustworthy. Again after researching and comparing various providers, I was able set up a shipping account for her that allowed me to send the requested packages while the provider billed her directly. It also allowed me to set up a notification system so that when the package was delivered to the intended recipient, she was emailed the details. This enabled her to make a timely follow up phone call, thus helping her to establish another point of contact with the client.


As for the content of the packages, Daria knew exactly what she wanted to send and why. After reviewing all the pieces with her, I was able to make suggestions on packing materials that complimented the collateral and didn't overwhelm them. I was also able to suggest additional collateral and ways that all the included pieces would look consistent across the board. Daria in herself is a brand that is being “sold” in these packages and I wanted the recipient to walk away with a clear understanding of who she was and what she was about. We added custom letterhead that would be personalized for each mailing. Sometimes there were specific items added for particular venues and by taking her blank recycled water bottle rattler and adding a label that corresponded with the rest of her material, it helped explained what this water bottle full of spaghetti actually was and what was to be done with it. It helped the receiver understand what Daria's performances were going to entail without ever having heard of her or going online to research her.


From the moment the recipient received this box with its world travel stamp, to opening the box and interacting with all the pieces within, everything they ever needed to know about Daria and how to contact her was there for them. And it had arrived in one convenient package.


Daria and I worked closely together on this project, but when it came down to it, she knew she could trust me to handle whatever she wanted. Daria is an amazing person in her own right and I'm proud to be able to say that she is one of my clients. Working with her is always a treat. The jobs are interesting and I know that she is ready and willing to trust me and my experience. I look forward to many years of my relationship with her and would like to thank her for the wonderful testimonial she penned:


If you are a small business owner – you’ve probably done a lot of adjusting in the past year or so. For me, the changing economy has made me much more frugal in my advertising and marketing budget and I have found myself working more closely with Tracy at Madcow Designs to come up with some, creative ways of reaching my target audience. The results are the good news. I have actually been spending less and getting better results!


For instance, I used to do an annual postcard mailing to between 2,000 and 3,000 potential customers and simply couldn’t afford it this year. So, instead, Tracy and I designed special marketing kits in small boxes that arrived like presents and I got amazing feedback. People stopped, looked, read, listened and ... booked me! We thought outside the box, came up with a creative plan and went for it!


One of the things I like most about Tracy is that she takes a creative idea and makes it better. She adds her own design input or ideas about shipping, handling and tracking. In the end, we come up with a campaign that brings results.


So, if you are considering thinking outside the box, I encourage you to spend a bit of working creatively with Tracy. She can really make a difference in coming up with inventive solutions to help you survive and thrive in these changing economic times.


DARIA
Children’s Musician and Multicultural Performer

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