Do right

Our motto at Johnny Lightning Strikes Again is “do right,” and it is founded on three things that we believe to be true:

1) The purpose of creative has to be to help a business achieve their ultimate goal.

2) To do this, the work can’t just be good — it has to be right (and there is a huge difference).

3) The biggest enemy of doing the right work is making strategic decisions prematurely.

This is the foundation of our philosophy and it affects almost everything we do. The most noticeable impact, however, is found in the process we go through from the moment a project with a new or existing client is being considered to its completion. It works in three steps.

1) Pre-Project Consultation

Our only qualifier for accepting a project is knowing that if done right, we can help that business take a step toward their ultimate goal. We know this once we’ve confirmed that there is a problem that needs to be solved, there are achievable results that make the problem worth solving, and there is an appropriate budget. What is an appropriate budget? One that is comfortable for the client, provides us with adequate options for addressing the problem, and is low enough for there to be a meaningful return on investment if the results are achieved. Our pre-project consultation is designed to determine if we can help by working through these criteria.

2) Strategy

Now that we know we can help, it’s time to figure out how. This is when the project begins, which is different from the many agencies that begin with a list of requirements and a quote — strategic decisions that have been made before being properly considered (which, as we said, is the biggest enemy of doing the right work). For us, the project begins with a problem to solve and a budget for solving it. During the strategy step, we explore every question whose answer is going to impact the effectiveness of the solution — the scope of work, the art direction, the key marketing message, and more. In the same way that you don’t start building a house until there is a blueprint, we don’t start executing on a project until there is a plan that details how that work can address the problem we’re solving.

3) Execution

The most creative ideas and the most brilliant strategies are worth very little if they are not executed properly. Execution is when we take the blueprint and we build the house. If the strategy calls for a website that features videos, we develop the site and produce the videos. If it calls for a humorous radio campaign, we write the script and record the spot — as a full-service creative agency, our options are unlimited. Since we’ve made all the high-level decisions during strategy, we are able to execute the work as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

The process repeats

This process is a cycle. Once each project is finished we monitor the results and then repeat the steps — each cycle representing another step forward in helping our clients achieve their ultimate goal as a business.

In 2010, we were at a poolside event and met an MBA student from a Kansas City college. Since Johnny Lightning Strikes Again is in the business of growing businesses, the conversation naturally turned to a concept for a bar & restaurant that he and a few of his fellow students were considering pursuing. Philosophies were shared, business cards were exchanged, and plans to discuss it over coffee were made. These conversations are always exciting, but they also highlight that there are a lot of hurdles to jump over to go from a concept to opening day.

In this case, there was one thing that made us believe that they had the right stuff to do it, however. They wanted to start with the brand.

Their concept was to start a bar & restaurant that was centered around a rotating selection of premium frozen cocktails, with the working name Snow Co. They didn’t have a location. They hadn’t even made their first frozen drink. But they saw an opportunity and understood that branding was going to be a critical part of the equation — so much so that they wanted to start working on the brand before anything else. We often wonder why this is so uncommon, because it should be one of the first considerations of every new business. Eventually, a business will be defined by a lot of things — their history, customer reviews, and the quality of their product or service. On day one, however, a business is defined solely by their brand. If it is ill-considered, it only makes the already tough task of starting a business even more difficult.

Snow & Company has arrived with a lot of hype; if you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, you’ve no doubt heard us talking about them. While our work has already been unveiled on the front of their building, on the shirts of their employees, and on the glasses that their delicious frozen cocktails are poured into, it’s time that we unveil the thoughts behind our decisions. Please take a moment to read the Snow & Company case study and get to know a brand that we expect will be a part of Kansas City’s bar & restaurant scene for a long time to come.

One year ago we met and you told us about your restaurant/bar concept. You didn’t have a location or a brand (that’s where we were to come in), but you were passionate about starting something great…something that would last. A few weeks ago, you opened your doors and served your first frozen cocktail. Congratulations, and welcome to Kansas City.

Your friends,
Johnny Lightning Strikes Again

P.S. For those of you who are interested, we’ll post something about the work we’ve been doing with Snow & Company before too long. In the meantime, you can read an article about them here and another one here (which includes a quote from our very own, David Cecil). Of course, if you’d like to check out Snow & Company in person, you can get the lowdown at snowandcompany.com.

Impressive, right? To read about some of the work we’ve done with The Rieger, click here.

What is user interface design?

In the past 30 years, the ways in which we interact with content have changed significantly. No longer do we simply pick up a piece of paper and read from left to right — we click, we surf, we roll over, and we search. As these systems have become more complicated it has become increasingly important to make them seem easy. This is the purpose of user interface design.

User interface design, or user experience design, is the process of designing how a user interacts with a given system, whether that system be a website, an application, or a piece of software. It has a hand in all aspects of interaction — how a user perceives a system, how they learn it, and how they use it. While user interface design is primarily associated with digital products, the philosophy behind the field is much older than websites and software. As soon as humans started building machines that required people to operate, someone had to think about how this operation could be carried out as smoothly as possible.

Why is it important?

The goal of user interface design is to make the user’s interaction as simple and efficient as possible. Improving the usability and appeal of a system increases the likelihood that it will be accepted by its audience and positively impacts the overall experience a person has with a system’s provider. That’s right — user interface design is still very much a factor in branding a company. If a user has a poor experience interacting with a company’s website or product, they will automatically transfer that feeling to the company itself.

User interface design doesn’t only consider how someone will interact with a system, but how we want them to interact with it. This is why websites and software are such powerful communication tools — user interface design allows designers to incorporate business and marketing goals into the system and guide users towards pre-determined actions.

How is it done?

Great user interface design often goes unnoticed. If you notice how you’re interacting with a system, you are having to think about it, and this is precisely what user interface design is trying to avoid (preferring that your attention is focused on the content and not the vehicle). However, while the end result may look easy, the process for arriving there is quite a bit more complicated. Many disciplines fall under the umbrella of user interface design, but these are the ones that we typically focus on at Johnny Lightning Strikes Again:

• Goal Setting (Determining what the business should want the user to do)
• User Analysis (Determining who the desired user is and what will satisfy/appeal to them)
• Information Architecture Design (Determining the informational flow of the system, often resulting in a navigation map)
• Prototyping (Determining the functional layout of the interface, often resulting in wireframes or a “blueprint” of the system)
• Usability Testing (Determining, through human testing, whether the user experience is a positive one)
• Graphic Interface Design (Determining the “look and feel” of the system)

Every decision that is made in user interface design influences the emotional response of the user, and how positive a user’s experience is with the system is critical to the success of the website or product. For that reason, every decision must be made in an attempt to create a sense of positive interactivity and feedback, whether it be through icons, animations, sound, color, or images.

Where can I see examples of it?

Everywhere. When done right, almost every aspect of a website interface or piece of software has been carefully considered in order to influence the emotional response of the user. The user having a positive experience, after all, is critical to the success of the website or product. As you’re interacting with a system, pay attention to what is being done to create a sense of positive interactivity and feedback. Are icons, animations, or sounds teaching you how to use it and where to find information? Is the look and feel of the interface appealing to you and communicating something about the system’s provider? Is the layout of the interface guiding you towards a particular goal? If the answer to these questions is yes, you’re likely enjoying the handiwork of a great user interface designer.

For examples of user interface design in our work, please click here.

Welcome to JLSA.com, the new online home of Johnny Lightning Strikes Again. Not only did we pack up our brand and move from our previous address (strikesagain.net), we built a brand new house once we got here. We couldn’t be more proud to unveil it.

Johnny Lightning Strikes Again was founded in 2009, and while it may seem like two years is an awfully short amount of time to be in business before overhauling your website, the past two years have been full of change. We’ve grown. We’ve matured. We’ve learned what kind of agency we are and what kind of agency our clients need us to be. Therefore, this is not just a new website. It’s a new chapter in the life of our agency; the culmination of two years of hard work, creativity, mistakes, and success.

Creative that works.

So, what has changed? It isn’t our services — we’re still a creative agency helping our clients address their branding, design, and marketing needs. No, our change involves our focus. Every design firm, branding agency, or creative group is committed to great-looking work; we are no exception. But great-looking work should be a requirement, not the goal. After two years of working with phenomenal clients on great projects, we’ve realized that what makes us the most proud to do the work we do is not when we get a fancy portfolio piece out of it — it’s when we see the positive impact it has on the businesses it’s intended to promote.

Creative services — branding, design, and marketing — are incredibly powerful tools when they are strategically applied to solve business problems. They can increase sales, build brands, and help achieve objectives. So while we’re still as excited as ever produce great-looking work, our commitment is to creative that drives results. The kind that demands attention. The kind that puts a business on its back and carries it from where it is to where it wants to be. It’s creative that works, and it’s what businesses everywhere should be demanding of their agencies. It’s what they deserve.

Go ahead. Look around.

We invite you to take a look around. If you’re interested in how we’ve provided creative that works up to this point, read the case studies in our portfolio. If you’re interested in the specific creative services we provide (web design, content creation, branding — to name a few), poke around in our services section. If you’re interested in more of our thoughts, explore our blog and join in the conversation. Finally, if you’re interested in considering us to solve the problems your business is facing, drop us a note through the form at the bottom of every page. We’d love to hear from you.

Before we sign off, we’d like to send a special thank you to our clients. Your trust, passion, encouragement, and support have inspired us to constantly push to be a better agency. We’ve done great work together and look forward to continuing to devote ourselves to your brands, your objectives, and your success. THANK YOU.

Your friends,
Johnny Lightning Strikes Again

“Branding, logo, website, design and more…these guys do it all! As a start up business (Team Cocktail) we used JLSA to not only help us build our ecommerce website from the ground up but also help us build our brand and image. From the beginning stages (logo development, business cards, letterhead,etc.) through implementation (website development, catalog design, email programs, etc.) they showed they are on top of their game. Insightful, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and creative. They brought everything we asked for to the table and more! Their knowledge of building a brand and taking it to the next level is outstanding. We are so impressed with their work that after our initial commitment was over, we signed on for another year. I’ve worked with a lot of people in the business and these guys are the best around! If you’re looking for out of the box, creative minds look no further than JLSA. They are the best…hands down! Just check out our website to see the amazing work they’ve done for Team Cocktail! www.teamcocktail.com“

Thanks, Lyndsey!

While we’ve been working in the branding, design, and marketing industry for much longer, we can honestly say that the past two years have been the most fun, most productive, and most creative of our lives. We’d like to thank everyone that has been involved in helping us reach this milestone – your advice and support have been invaluable. We’d especially like to thank our clients, both for trusting us with your brands and allowing us to be partners in your businesses. We’re honored.

Here’s to many years to come!

We’d like to thank The Chamber and say that it has been a privilege serving businesses in the Kansas City area for your branding, web design, graphic design, and marketing needs!

Branding is a word that is used a lot – not just in our industry, but in the business world as a whole. But what is branding? It’s a slightly difficult question, because branding is often defined not by what it is, but by the most common applications of it. Branding is when you design a logo. Branding is when you design a website with a look-and-feel specific to that company. Branding is when you mark an animal with a branding iron. While all of these statements are true, none of them can really serve as a proper definition of branding.

Branding is the promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design. It is a communication tool, used to capture the message of a company and deliver it through visuals. It is not something that a company does once and then checks off their list; it is an on-going process that enables businesses to increase their visibility and achieve their goals.

Lucky for us, we have clients that understand what branding is and what it can do for them. Because they know that branding isn’t over once we’ve launched their website or designed their logo, we often have new work to announce that builds on work we’ve already done. Today is one of those days. Our client exclusiveMD, a concierge medical practice in Kansas City, recently realized that their practice was best communicated in three divisions – family healthcare, medical weight loss, and medical spa & aesthetics. This provided a unique opportunity to reassess their brand and determine how to best communicate those specialities, while not diluting the brand of the practice as a whole.

After careful consideration, the solution we arrived at was to design a family of logos that both stand on their own and work as a whole. Each of them are designed to communicate the nature of the specific division, while still adhering to the overall brand and aesthetic of exclusiveMD. Here are a few images of the work, which you can also see in our design portfolio, our Flickr set, and in a few weeks, on the website that we originally designed and developed for exclusiveMD.