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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Antique Automobile Club of America or Heaven?

(image ©AACA Museum website: http://www.aacamuseum.org)

This past weekend my husband and I decided to take a road trip. The AACA Museum in Hershey PA was hosting the "Fast from the Past" motorcycle exhibit that we were both interested in seeing. Driving to a car museum to view motorcycles...we couldn't think of any better way to spend our day.

Typically you would think a day off would allow me a chance to recharge my batteries, tear my eyes away from the computer and not think about design for once.

But, I find that most of the time I relate everything to design in one way or another. My husband is use to this and (hopefully) finds it endearing. He understands my need to "design" everything and make it aesthetically pleasing. When we are restoring cars he leaves the accessories, colors and all visual components to me. He lives with the knowledge that even if he can't envision it, I will make it extraordinary in the end.

What he didn't expect was that our foray to a museum would result in me not being able to get away from the designer within. You would think a day off is just that but boy was he wrong.

According to their website "The AACA Museum is dedicated to the Celebration, Preservation, Education, and Display of the American Motor Vehicle history that provides value for our members, hobbyists, and the public." The museum is organized so that you literally cruise through time. Starting at Battery Park in the 1900s, you travel through decade after decade, all complete with elaborate themed settings that present the vehicles in such a way that those moments in time come alive.

I was expecting to be intrigued and captivated by the vehicles, some of which I have never seen (like the 1952 Studebaker Commander Convertible) and some of which I had read about (like the 1970 LS-6 Chevelle that was found within 21 trailers packed to the gills with cars and parts) What I didn't expect was the level of detail paid to the environment.

There were fuel cans, spark plug advertisements and displays, car care folders you would receive from your mechanic, labels, logos, bus schedules and scores of ads, pins and other design related items. The list is just too long to go into detail here but I was in graphic design heaven!!!

It was overwhelming, inspiring and enviable all at the same time. Every designer's dream is to create something that will withstand the test of time and here I was staring at the brilliance of designs from over 100 years ago. There were large advertisements, that drew me in and were so eye catching in their simplicity that I found them more effective and alluring than some of today's full color, flashier versions.

And to be the one who got to work on the display graphics for the museum!! Designs based on and around the car profession...holy smokes! But, it got me thinking. Maybe I need to parlay my knowledge and love of graphic design with my knowledge and love of cars and vehicles in general. My extensive background in trade show graphics, packaging and print design makes it so I can offer a complete service to any car-based business. And with my intense interest in anything related to cars, you know you'll have my full attention both in the office and out!

Overall it was refreshing to get out and visit a place we've never been too. And maybe I need to seriously consider contacting automotive businesses about offering my services to them. To achieve this goal I think more research is in order...where's the next car show at????

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No Warning Necessary.

I bet when you saw the images associated with today's blog you thought "Oh, this is going to be all about package design."

And you would be right...if today just wasn't so darn nice out. Or if I hadn't noticed one little fact about the pictured items.

You see, I got my start in graphic design by being a package designer. For the first 8 years of my career, that was my main focus and I LOVED it. I concentrated on package design whilst in school and couldn't stop myself from redesigning and rebuilding even the most common household packages. Can I tell you just how pleased my mom was when she would open the bathroom medicine cabinet to find all her beloved brands repackaged in Madcow Designs originals? Trust me, I'm a trip to have around.

Anyway. Even though my main concentration has shifted slightly from packaging, I'm still intrigued by it. And when I found the pictured lacing pin packages I was thrilled. Originally I intended on writing a whole blog dedicated to the design and production of each piece.

Then, as I was gathering my thoughts, I noticed 2 things. One, today is 68 degrees and sunny. A first after a many snowy and rainy day here in South Jersey which is thus causing me to want to be outside. And two, there is one significant item missing from these packages and it made me smile. Obviously people that lived during the time these packages were designed were way smarter than us. They could make it through life without someone telling them that salt was bad for them. Trans fat most likely wasn't even a term and they knew better than to eat paste. THESE PACKAGES SPORT NO WARNING LABELS.



That's right kids. No dire warnings about throwing these pins at others, leaving them lying around in cribes or swallowing them. One package doesn't even have instructions. The person that bought this item knows what they are for and won't be reattaching their shingles with them or giving them to the cat to play with...although technically they could be used for light woodworking. They must have had hardier turkeys back in the day.

According to a quick search online, the E.H. Tate Co (makers of both items pictured) was bought out by The Newell Company in 1969. It does not say whether or not the Tate name was incorporated into the Newell name, but for the sake of it being Friday and me being silly, I'm going to say thus: Thank you E.H. Tate and Company for producing 2 lovely packages that have withstood the test of time (and several kitchens) and for realizing that the American populace was intelligent enough to know what to do and not to do with your lacing pins.

In conclusion, I am left wondering what exactly happened around 1969 to cause the winds of change to blow in on consumer packaging and dumb everything down? Can we blame it on Nixon? The Vietnam war? Or hippies? Whatever the true reason maybe, I might never know. Until then I'm off to go enjoy the outside as soon as I velcro up my shoes, wash my hands with antibacterial cleanser and grab my bicycle helmet.

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Being a designer is a funny thing. We can't go anywhere or look at anything without thinking about the fonts, the colors, the illustrations or the photography. We gush over the feel of paper and can be seen fondling printed pieces with such glee and amazement, to the untrained eye it must look obscene. When we meet other designers we compare notes on program versions, print houses, design trends, wax nostalgic about past jobs, our paths to this career choice and the training we have received.

For today's blog, I would like to relate one of my favorite stories from a very early point in my design career that I love to tell to other designers. I don't think a day goes by when I don't reflect on this as I prep for the work day ahead.

A lot of designers I know had professors that thrived on "rules" for design. What to do and not to do in order to achieve the best result for a client. Which in theory sounds great. Some days I wish there was a simple outline to follow that would please everyone. But alas, design is very subjective so unlike 2+2 always equaling 4, in the design world it could very well equal platypus...depending on your cilent's own rules of what they like and don't like.

I distinctly remember a design professor stating at one point to never use the colors red and blue together because the contrast between them is too stark for most consumer's eyes. Now, I know what you are thinking..."But the American flag....." yes, yes, I know, I know. I 'm just telling you what one person said.

Now fast forward about a year after that statement to my first design job. I was still in college and working part time in an in-house department for an upscale supermarket. My supervisor liked to tell me and the other workers almost the same thing..don't use red and blue together because they aren't good color choices when used on packaging for food.

OK. Confirmation #2 to not use red and blue together...EVER...got that Betsy Ross???

I had been employed by this company for about 6 months when my first package design job got handed to me. This is the culmination of everything I worked so hard for in school. All the interviews I had gone on, all the late nights spent honing my skills and here is my first big printed piece!! I would be working with a freelance illustrator and the owner of the company one on one to achieve pasta packaging perfection!

Unbeknownst to me the package design had already been around quite a few times. The owner wasn't happy with any of the designs or the many illustrations that had been provided. I'm in my cubicle happily unaware of the many revisions and options that had been provided when the owner walks in to check on my progess.

He is thrilled with my first proof and without hesitation the package gets sent to the printer and it was on the shelf in a matter of weeks.

The package is a lovely shade of red and blue.

So what does this say? Ignore everything your professors try to teach you in school? Supervisor's recommendations be damned???

Luckily for everyone involved, that is not what I am trying to convey.

Design is like every other fine art that is out there. We will have our supporters and our detractors. And even though our profession is very commercial, there is no simple answer to every job. We will not always wind up with 4 when adding 2 and 2 together. Design is very subjective and good designers know that.

So trust us when we ask you questions like "what is your favorite and least favorite color" because you just might love red and blue together no matter what anyone says:)

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