It’s still a recession. The Super Committee is not Super. Newt is back
(groan). Non-violent protestors are pepper-sprayed. Penn State…enough
said. When things get tough, the best thing to do is go fishing.

Great day on the Bay yesterday with Captain Chuck Howes on ‘Killin’ Time’
out of Chesapeake Beach, MD courtesy of my son-in-law Brooks Kline. (That’s
us on the right in the photo).

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Dundalk, a historic town full of pride and promise going through some tough times all too familiar in America today — the manufacturing base has left the area, leaving lots of vacant homes, high unemployment and all that comes with an aging population. But the renaissance has begun! This video is just the first in a series of key message videos going viral in an attempt to increase awareness and improve perception of a great Baltimore suburb.

Blandair Park. Can you even imagine a worse name for a park?

When we were asked to create a branding/wayfinding program for this premier
regional park in Howard County, Maryland my first effort was to get the name
changed. Nothing doing.

So we dug in to the project and during preliminary sketches we began playing
with the ‘land’ and the ‘air’ parts of Blandair. Parks are land and air.
But there was that ‘B’…so we made it a verb/wordmark and gave it the
sizeable task of educating and encouraging those who attended the park. Once
integrated into the signage, the program came together.

I hope you will agree, the air in this park is now far from bland.
B Curious, check it out here.

In the words of Will Rogers, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” FAIS has developed a new logo to help our first impression communicate some of the key attributes of our school: We are a contemporary educational institution, as shown by a clean, simple presentation. We are respective of both French and American cultures, as shown by the merging of both national flags to form our symbol. We are of an international mindset, as shown by our global shape. And our name is set in a more classic Roman font, as our educational foundation has classic roots.

Now here is a non-profit group that we love. MVLS provides free legal assistance to those in Maryland who can’t afford a lawyer. Free because the good lawyers of Maryland are willing to give of their time to help those less fortunate. Our job is to turn up the volume—gain some visibility—we focused on just what ‘pro bono’ means…for the public good.

This Birmingham, Alabama school is now 35 years old and celebrating success with its first magazine—a 60 pager dedicated to recognizing all those who have been a part of this fine institution.

Then we need solid market research before we can develop serious marketing plans—enter Ian Symmonds of Ian Symmonds & Associates, Portland Oregon. We’ll post the results.

Then we need a public relations plan—enter a team of Towson University Communications seniors for their senior project…We’ll post the results.

More to come…

Project: Create the theme for our annual marketing and public relations
campaign

Challenge: Develop a strong, powerful theme that can work with the Pinwheels
for Prevention slogan created for Prevent Child Abuse America.

Theme: I Stand for Children.