Almanac News

ARTCRANK: A Poster Party for Bike People

nsprehe — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:59:56 +0000

Above: Cropping of Almanac's poster "McKinley Dreams" 3-color screen print; 19" x 25"

Join us this Friday night (May 11th) at the Atomic Cowboy for ARTCRANK: A Poster Party for Bike People. Started in Minneapolis in 2007, and now with shows in cities such as Denver, Portland, San Francisco, and London, ARTCRANK STL will feature hand-made, bike-inspired posters created by 30 St. Louis-area artists. I'm happy to have been asked to create a poster for this event. ARTCRANK'S mission— "to use creativity to change the way people think about bicycles and grow the cycling community"—resonates with me. If St. Louis wants to grow (and retain) creative people, or address issues of regional inequality, a piece of the puzzle is to encourage bike-friendly neighborhoods. A robust network of bike paths connecting St. Louis City and County makes it easy to explore new areas of your city, challenge stereotypes and meet new and interesting people. ARTCRANK is a fun way to bring more awareness to cycling and at the same time, pick up some sweet hand-made posters! From the ARTCRANK website: ARTCRANK is returning to The Grove Neighborhood in St. Louis. The show will open on Friday, May 11 and run through Sunday, May 13 at Atomic Cowboy on Manchester Avenue. ARTCRANK STL will feature hand-made, bike-inspired posters created by 30 St. Louis-area artists. Admission is free, and limited edition, signed and numbered copies of all posters will be available for $40 each. The show coincides with the Missouri Professional Cycling Series (MO PRO) and its featured race, The Tour De Grove. More about the event here or on Facebook. A special thanks to All Along Press for the wonderful print job. Hope to see you Friday night! -nate

Work with us!

awinschel — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:46:49 +0000

If you love strategic design, doing memorable work for great clients and being involved in projects at every level–have we got some great opportunities for you! Check out the jobs now open at Almanac:

Internship opportunity

We’re offering a paid design internship (up to 20 hours/week) starting June 1, 2012. We’re looking for a person who has completed at least his or her junior year in college (or with relevant experience) and is passionate about crafting beautiful and meaningful work across all mediums. You’ll need to have a strong portfolio, a working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and a basic understanding of designing for the digital space. Experience with blogs, social media tools, video, HTML, CSS, jQuery, writing, fun side projects and/or other interesting stuff is a bonus. Otherwise, you need a willingness to jump in and contribute on a bunch of different projects, share your ideas and be part of a team. We’re a small company and you’ll be involved on day-to-day projects from concept to creation.

E-mail your resume and a link to your site/samples of your work to : jobs@brandalmanac.com (please, no phone calls). All applications are due by Wednesday April 25th.

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Freelance designer opportunity

We’re looking for a freelance designer(s) comfortable working across all mediums. Responsibilities and qualifications needed will vary based on project needs. We have opportunities on a variety of levels to pitch in with: production work, print collateral design, brand identity development and website design. Being easy to work with and knowing how to work in a deadline-driven environment probably go without saying. If you’re doing great work and interested, we’d love to meet you.

E-mail your resume and a link to your site/samples of your work to : jobs@brandalmanac.com (please, no phone calls). We’ll be in touch.

Stop the elevator speech, I want to get off!

awinschel — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:57:33 +0000

Ever since my first advertising and marketing courses in college, I’ve been told about the mythical elevator speech. You know, what if you’re lucky enough to ride a couple floors on an elevator with someone who would absolutely buy your product/support your organization/donate to your cause if only you had the right 10 seconds worth of words to convince them before they get to their floor!! And we all agree—oh yes, I need a 10 second comprehensive overview speech. And then we go through this agonizing process of paring down what we do into two sentences, making it quick, getting in all of our key words and messages. And what do we get? Usually, something pretty generic. After we carve away all the things that we just can’t fit into those constraints, we are left with the basics: "I'm a development director for an amazing non-profit that serves women and children in crisis", "My company provides top-notch data-driven research for organizations of all sizes". Hmmmm….anybody ready to buy or donate? Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of brevity, I think it encourages people to cut away the fluff and get down to their own “big idea”—what’s the difference you make in the world? What I don’t like is the notion of the speech, a one-way communication that builds no connections or relationships. I say, instead of the elevator speech, tell a story. It doesn’t have to have elements of everything you do, but it does have to be INTERESTING. It needs to have emotion, be memorable, and share how your product or organization has impacted a life—it should be a story that will "stick". No one has ever shared with me, “Hey, today I met a development director whose non-profit serves women and children in crisis.” But I have been told stories of doctors who go to Haiti to save starving kids, and volunteers who go out every day for 20 years to feed stray dogs, and companies that give away a pair of shoes for every pair I buy. And I want to know more about those stories and people. If you tell an interesting story on the elevator, even though your fellow riders won’t know your organization's key messages, I’ll bet you they’ll ask you some questions, maybe have a conversation so that you can communicate those key points. They’ll probably look up your website....and tell someone else the cool story they heard today on the elevator. -Angie

Bringing Monet’s Water Lilies into the classroom

nsprehe — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:13:39 +0000

Recently, the St. Louis Art Museum approached us with an interesting opportunity: help the Museum create an online resource centered around one of the key works of art in their collection, Claude Monet's Water Lilies. The timing was perfect. The Museum had recently launched a new exhibition, giving the public our first opportunity in 30 years to see Water Lilies as the artist intended: together with the additional two original panels to form the Agapanthus triptych, a sprawling 42' immersive environment. Monet become best known for his deep exploration of light and color, especially when it came to his water lily pond, which he obsessively painted for 25 years. This was an exciting opportunity to further explore this work and the connections surrounding it. We thought about it for a half a second and accepted. Visit the site: discovermonet.com. Intended to live on after the exhibition concluded, this online tool needed to allow teachers and educators to dig deeper into themes surrounding Monet's life and work. From the onset, we approached this project with curiosity and discovery in mind. Visitors have the option to explore by theme–investigating connections between Monet & Japanese art or parallels in Water Lilies and works of later Abstract Expressionist artists. Alternatively, users may explore by date–scrolling through important works and events on a timeline, or switch to the location view to see how everything relates on a Google map. In the resources section, worksheets and learning guides are available for download and use in the classroom. Built with Wordpress, Museum staff can edit and update all aspects of the site, which means that over time this resource will continue to evolve and grow. We truly enjoyed every aspect of this project! While we hope this teaching & learning resource helps people develop a deeper understanding of Monet's life and work, we think Monet said it best himself: "Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." - Claude Monet -nate

Experience Kanaval!

nsprehe — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:41:59 +0000

It's almost mid-January and we'd be remiss to let another day go by without mentioning that February 18th is Meds & Food for Kids' inaugural gala and auction: Experience Kanaval! Over the years, Almanac has worked closely with Meds & Food for Kids to develop their Local Hands, Bright Future campaign, and we couldn't be happier with the momentum the campaign has seen. When MFK approached us to help name their very first gala and develop the invitation, programs and other materials, we looked to marry the brand from the campaign with colorful textures meant to evoke the paper mache masks worn during Haitian Kanaval celebrations.

Dinosaur masks at Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti Photo by Lindsay Clark, ProjectExplorer.org, 2011

This truly unique event will draw inspiration from Haiti's carnival, featuring Haitian music, dancers, food and art. A wild time for sure! Even better, it supports a dynamic organization with some pretty ambitious goals: ending malnutrition and igniting economic development in Haiti. Funds raised from Experience Kanaval! will help build a new factory—look, they've already broken ground!—in Haiti for production of Medika Mamba, MFK's Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Here are the event details:

Meds & Food for Kids’ (MFK) plan to end malnutrition and ignite economic development in Haiti begins with YOU. Join us on February 18, 2012 for the first annual MFK Gala–Experience Kanaval. The event will celebrate the culture of Haiti with authentic fare, entertainment and art.

MFK saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children and other nutritionally vulnerable people by developing, producing, and distributing highly nutritious foods, including the gold-standard Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). We make our food products in Haiti, using Haitian workers and, whenever possible, Haitian raw materials.

Date/Time: February 18, 6:30-10:00 PM

Location: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center 975 North Warson Road St. Louis, MO 63132

The Plan 6:30 PM - Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres 7:30 PM - Entertainment & dinner 9:00 PM - Program & Auction

Purchase tickets to the event Visit mfkhaiti.org for more information on Meds & Food for Kids.

We're proud of the great work Meds & Food for Kids continues to do, and we're honored to be a partner with them. Hope to see you there! -nate

Mini Pink Book—The Stylish Side of Curation

awinschel — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:45:34 +0000

When we met Nicole Benoist for the first time last spring and heard about her idea to develop a web site that would deliver her picks on the most stylish places to dine, shop, and visit in cities around the country, we knew she was on to something. Nicole had long been known by her friends as the go-to gal if you were looking for a great place to take your visiting relatives for dinner, in the market for the hottest fashion, accessories or furniture, or wanted to indulge in spa treatments that were sure to be worth the money. After years of e-mailing around excel spreadsheets, Nicole, a writer and fashion industry insider, decided to jump in and create MiniPinkBook.com. And that’s where we came in. Almanac helped her further define the MiniPinkBook brand and website strategy. The content that Nicole creates via Minipinkbook.com is delivered in a number of ways including the curated city lists, blog entries, a weekly deal for subscribers, and interviews with interesting and inspiring people. The city lists are designed to be easily filtered, so you can quickly drill down to the experience you're in the mood for, with fun quotes from Nicole guiding you along the way. Focused around its founder’s sense of style and desire for memorable experiences, MiniPinkBook.com should prove to be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to zero in on the best of the best.

View more shots of the project here. Or you can catch Nicole introducing her new website on KMOV’s Great Day St. Louis on 8/12/11.

The Daily Hookup – Social buying gets cheeky

nsprehe — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:43:59 +0000

Almost 6-months ago we began an adventure working with a new Washington DC based startup company, The Daily Hookup. Devoted to creating amazing opportunities for trendsetters in the gay community—and those who follow their lead—The Daily Hookup (TDH) came to us with a request to help position the company, develop its brand identity and create an engaging website.

"It was established very early on and repeated often, "if we offer you a Brazilian, he'll be smokin' hot!"

The idea for The Daily Hookup grew out of CEO Mario Correa's realization that 99% of Groupon offers he received were irrelevant to him and his gay friends. He wanted TDH to be the antithesis of Groupon, so instead of a Walmart approach, The Daily Hookup employs a team of "curators"—on the ground trend-setting experts in each city—who hand-pick unique products or experiences relevant to their members. Some of the initial offerings include tailored shirts from Hugh & Crye or premium wine samplers from The Tasting Room. And The Daily Hookup is serious about keeping its offerings unique and on-point. It was established very early on and repeated often, "if we offer you a Brazilian, he'll be smokin' hot!" And best of all, a portion of each purchase is channeled to non-profit organizations in the community. Through months of many intense design sprints, changes in direction, trips to DC, conference calls with a growing staff spread out across the united states and coordination with a programming team based in Chennai, India, we worked closely with TDH founders we developed a versatile brand, one that is urban and playful, one that works well with the cheeky company messaging and copy that accompany each offering on the website. We extended the brand to promotional materials for events and sales collateral, all with a focus on the curators, who at the time of posting this entry total 13 in four cities. As is often the case when you aren't working with your own trusted web development team, the final website misses some of the nuance in our design and the team still has some kinks to work out in the UI. But they've made great progress and we're so glad we had the opportunity to help create this unique brand and experience, from the ground up! View more shots from the project here or visit thedailyhookup.com.

Photography, video and music by DP Daryn DeLuco.

ALMANAC INCLUDED IN THIS WEEK’S AIGA DESIGNER BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

nsprehe — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:31:22 +0000

I'm happy to be included as a panelist in AIGA's "Designer Business Roundtable" on Thursday, May 24th., but truth be told, I'm even happier to learn from successful business owners like Eric Thoelke and Traci Moore. Here's the scoop from AIGA's website: ------------ We’re bringing together an intimate group of passionate creatives to discuss key business issues related to design. Our intent is to foster honest and open conversation that will connect us as a community and inspire us professionally. Our first round table is titled: Too Big, Too Small, Just Right How to grow your business, how to decide if you even want to, and what to consider. Selected panelists representing various stages of growth, from freelance to large firm, will speak to the challenges and joys of their own business development. Open discussion will focus on how to determine the “perfect size” for an individual’s business and strategies on how to get there. When: Thursday, May 26th, 7-9pm Where: Centene Center for the Arts & Education 3547 Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63103 4th Floor

Seating is limited to 15 audience members. Light refreshments served. Open to all on a first rsvp basis. RSVP by May 24th to dc@dianncage.com ------------ Hope to see you there. I'll be the one taking copious amounts of notes! -nate

THREE ALMANAC ENTRIES INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL AIGA DESIGN SHOW

nsprehe — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:41:09 +0000

Above: Evan and Paige of Sleepy Kitty. Outtake from KDHX photoshoot. Photo by Douglas Garfield.

WHEW! We're still recovering from a busy last couple of weeks but didn't want to let too much time pass without posting reflections on the first ever St. Louis Design Week. Although we didn't get out to all the events, it was obvious how much time and effort went into organizing this week-long celebration. Thanks to the St. Louis chapter of AIGA and all the many other partner organizations and volunteers (you know who you are) for all your hard work. Among the beautiful work on display, we're proud to have three of our projects included in this year's annual AIGA design show at Mad Art Gallery. The Promoting category included our work for KDHX's capital campaign; Branding included our very own branding work for Almanac; and Informing showcased our brochure for Meds & Food for Kids. We are truly honored to be included in such great company. The work coming out of St. Louis is imaginative and inspiring. For a list of the entries in the show, click here. For a great "write-up" of the show, check out the above podcast from Seán Collins, live from Mad Art. As an added bonus, our work for KDHX is highlighted, (about 8:40 into it), specifically the beautiful photography from Douglas Garfield.

GET OUT AND GET INSPIRED AT STL DESIGN WEEK!

nsprehe — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:44:08 +0000

There's no doubt about it, St. Louis is a creative city. Thanks to some combination (I still haven't pinpointed it yet) of unique and historic neighborhoods, a low cost of living and an abundance of affordable building stock, there exists a culture of opportunity for artists, designers, restaurateurs, business owners or anyone else looking to do something interesting. During a recent photoshoot, Evan of Sleepy Kitty said it best when he described moving from Chicago to Cherokee Street in St. Louis as "..moving from a big city into a dream." You can get things going here that you couldn't in other cities. So you've got an entire city full of these little nodes of creativity, interconnected and ready to burst...what's missing? Often times it's a celebration! A simple way to highlight and reflect on all the great things happening in our city. A week of inspiration. Enter: St. Louis Design week. Organized by AIGA St. Louis, STL Design Week runs from April 18-23 with each day designed to "highlight the ways design impacts our community, influences commerce and improves our lives. Don’t miss the daily studio tours and nightly events designed to inspire." Lots of worthwhile events happening all week, find the full schedule at stldesignweek.com.

Elijah, by Jay Fram

Capping off the week of festivities, our good friend Jay will have his studio open Saturday the 23rd from noon-1pm. In addition to offering a wide variety of snacks and beverages, we've received word that Jay will be shooting free portraits on his remaining stash of Polaroid film! If you get a chance, stop by and pay your respects. -nate