12.30.11 – Fish On!
If you’re not reading PROOF!, the award-winning biannual from Johnston Printing and AMD, why, you’re not living. It’s the best evidence yet that print ain’t dead – and a shining example of all that is well and good in the communicative arts.
Issue no. 6 is all about world-renowned fly tier John Newbury. Sure, his flies are ultimately designed to catch fish, but it’s hard not to see the individual beauty of each. And when you consider John’s remarkable story, they become all the more attractive.
What? You haven’t received your copy of PROOF! yet? Sign up here. It’s free. And while you’re at it, let Johnston know who you think ought to appear in a future issue.
12.22.11 – A Tasteful Logo for Some Tasty Treats
Before you design a company logo, it pays to do your research. And no research is as effective as the kind with frosting on it. After Cupcake Art brought samples of its product in for tasting, in fact, their logo practically designed itself.
Looking for a simple, festive, and whimsical look, AMD developed an illustrative approach whose elements can be pulled apart
for various applications. The result – modeled after one of Cupcake Art’s specialty items – will likely inspire naming and
descriptions along the lines of “ palette,” “canvas,” and “masterpiece.”
Cupcake Art specializes in all manner of delicious cupcake treats for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, and other special events. They’ll deliver or ship anywhere, and can be reached via phone (509.935.4626) or email.
11.22.11 – A New Look for a New Client
AMD recently completed a logo refresh for Redmond-based Northwest Fluid Solutions, the region’s leading supplier of fluid system components and technology.
With a deep and impressive lineup of cutting-edge products – including instrumentation and temperature control – as well as offering fabrication and material sourcing services, NWFS felt it was important for their logo to convey competence and experience. Equally important was that the logo visually communicate, in a broad way, the type of expertise Northwest Fluid offers.
The result is a logo that features a blue droplet – a nod to all things fluid – in which a letterform serves as a reminder of the piping or tubing common to all the industries the company serves.
AMD is currently working on a new website for NWFS.
11.07.11 – Hecla Launches Inaugural Report with Help from AMD
In an effort to promote a side of its business rarely seen by the public, Hecla Mining Company partnered with Anderson Mraz Design to create Social Responsibility – a 16-page report highlighting the company’s achievements in a number of areas it deems critical to its success. It’s Hecla’s first such report.
“Our goal,” explained Mélanie Hennessey, Hecla’s Vice President-Investor Relations, “was to share with our key stakeholders some of the excellent work we have accomplished over the years as a responsible mining company in the areas of health and safety, economic development and community engagement, and environmental stewardship.”
According to AMD associate and senior designer Shirlee Roberts, social responsibility is at the core of Hecla’s business. “There’s a reason they’ve been around more than 100 years,” she said. “Understanding the importance Hecla places on caring for their employees and their communities – that makes it all the more gratifying to help them tell this story.”
Roberts’s team helped Hecla with theme development, design, and copywriting.
“From the design and theme concept all the way to printing, AMD’s attention to detail and dedication was unwavering,” added Hennessey. “They were always responsive to our needs and provided valuable input. It is a true pleasure working with the AMD team!”
10.26.11 – Design Works
Clients naturally want to know whether the money they invest in graphic design is worth it – particularly in the area of website development, which can be a complicated and time-consuming process. Thanks to Google Analytics, we have an answer. It’s “Yes.”
Since redesigning Integrus Architecture’s website 16 months ago, AMD has been tracking usage. Here are just a handful of areas we were able to improve:
09.20.11 – Modern Architecture Exhibit Planned for 2012
Overwhelming reader response to PROOF! no. 4, the success of a two-day Modern architecture event sponsored by Spokane Preservation Advocates last May, and a renewed public interest in Mid-Century Modernism has led AMD and the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture to team up on an exhibit set to open October 2012.
AMD will curate the project, currently in the research phase. The firm will also be responsible for design, writing, fabrication, and installation for the exhibit, which will be housed in the museum’s main gallery. Spokane’s leading practitioners of Modern architecture will be featured, along with historic imagery, artifacts, and ephemera.
The MAC is in the process of funding the exhibit through donations.
09.13.11 – clarkarch.com Goes Live
Spokane’s Clark Architects, a small firm that specializes in residential, commercial, and institutional design, recently partnered with AMD in the design of its new website.
In addition to providing information about the firm’s capabilities, expertise, and projects, the site takes care to explain process – from programming and design all the way through to construction administration – giving visitors a glimpse into the relationship between architect, client, and project.
09.07.11 – St. Augustine Gold & Copper Gets a New Logo
AMD has been working with Hecla Mining Company since 1988; Revett Minerals since 2004. It’s that reputation – along with AMD’s work for other mining companies – that initially got the attention of St. Augustine Gold & Copper. The Veradale-headquartered company, which is currently developing the King-king project in the Philippines, needed a new logo, along with business cards and stationery.
The logo design selected by St. Augustine features a single lion holding a miner’s pick and enclosed within a crest shape – an approach that provides feelings of both stability and richness while evoking a sense of history and tradition.
08.29.11 – The Cure for the Dog Days of Summer
The first copies of PROOF! no. 5, the latest in Johnston Printing’s award-winning series, arrived in mailboxes over the weekend. Developed, designed, and written by AMD, PROOF! enables Johnston to not only demonstrate its unique printing and fulfillment capabilities, but also continue a decades-long history of supporting the region’s visual arts community.
The current issue’s focus is on Gary Kaemmer, a sculptor and painter who lives in East Hope, Idaho. For the last few years, Kammer, a former commercial illustrator, has been hard at work on a monumental project: painting portraits of famous artists in the style for which those artists are known. To date, the series exceeds 70 paintings, and includes portraits of Monet, Picasso, da Vinci – even Warhol.
More information about PROOF!, including opportunities to share story ideas, comment, and sign up for a free subscription, can be found at proof.johnstonprinting.com.
08.22.11 – A new promotional brochure for J. Craig Sweat Photography
Spokane’s own J. Craig Sweat Photography, one of the region’s premier commercial photography studios, recently tasked AMD with promoting its significant body of work in the energy production and distribution sector – a portfolio that goes back decades.
AMD responded by developing a 12-page brochure that focuses on what’s most important when choosing a professional photographer: the pictures. Juxtaposing glorious, full-color imagery with brief yet aspirational copy, the brochure demonstrates not only talent behind the camera, but also JCSP’s creative, conceptual, problem-solving approach to telling its clients’ stories through effective imagery.
08.11.11 – Revett Annual Report Celebrates Record-Breaking Year
Anderson Mraz Design once again teamed up with Revett Minerals for the mining company’s 2010 annual report – the fifth such collaboration since 2005. Spokane Valley-based Revett owns and operates the Troy Mine and the exploration-stage Rock Creek Project, both located in northwestern Montana.
“Both operationally and financially, it was a great year for Revett,” said AMD principal and creative director CK Anderson. “So the book took on a more optimistic tone and appearance.”
With achievements like record mill throughput and revenue up nearly 43%, Revett certainly had a great story to tell. But an annual report isn’t just about marking a successful year, added Anderson. It’s also about what the future may hold. “Beyond telling an accurate story,” he explained, “it’s really about instilling confidence.”
Part PR, part investor relations, and part corporate communications, an annual report has to reach a diverse audience. Features of this year’s report include graphic treatments of financial highlights, detailed maps and drawings of Revett’s properties, and a section on the company’s vision of social responsibility.
07.12.11 – Another Annual Report for Hecla
Back in 1988, one of the very first jobs a newly formed Anderson Mraz Design took on was an annual report for Hecla Mining Company. This past April, the 24th consecutive report designed by AMD was mailed to shareholders.
“It’s certainly a testament to their exceptional creative guidance and outstanding design work,” says Hecla corporate communications director Jeanne Dupont on the decades-long relationship, “which is ultimately why we continue to work with AMD.”
The 2010 annual report, entitled “A History of Achievement, a Strategy for Growth,” reminds readers of Hecla’s 120-year-old tradition while sharing the mining company’s progressive vision of organic growth and social responsibility. Historic images of early-twentieth-century Hecla projects are juxtaposed with photographs of current operations; messaging keys in on the quality of Hecla’s assets, investment in exploration, and a focus on the communities in which Hecla employees live and work.
“Hecla has an amazing story,” explains Shirlee Roberts, associate and senior designer at AMD. “And we’re pleased to help them tell it.”
04.13.11 – AMD Grabs Silver and Gold, then Launches New Promo
At the Inland Northwest ADDY® Awards, held March 11 in Spokane, AMD took home four awards in two divisions: a pair of silvers (Integrus Architecture stationery and PROOF! no. 3), and a gold and best of division for PROOF! no. 4. AMD’s own John Mraz was one of four presenters during the awards gala.
Awards were given in sixteen divisions, with judging based on a combination of originality and creative strategy. AAF Spokane received 400 entries.
The Inland Northwest ADDY® Awards Competition, administered by AAF Spokane, is the first level of a three-tiered national competition conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). All local winners are forwarded to the District XI ADDY® Awards Competition, where they will compete against entries from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
AMD followed up its ADDY success with the release of RESULTS, a promotional book highlighting the firm’s capabilities and expertise across branding, identity, logo design, advertising, print, packaging, web development, multimedia, and environmental graphic design. The book includes a candid interview with AMD principal CK Anderson, along with illustrations by Don Baker.
To receive your own copy of RESULTS – free – click here.
03.10.11 – A Smart Solution for the Smart Grid
“The central problem of brand-building,” writes noted designer and brand expert Marty Neumeier, “is getting a complex organization to execute a simple idea.”
That’s a challenge in and of itself. But what if it’s not a simple idea?
Itron, the world’s leading provider of smart metering, data collection, and utility software systems, is a complex organization finding answers to complex problems – like OpenWay, which enables energy utilities to create supply advantages, improve operations, and enhance smart grid security.
So when it came time to refresh its OpenWay demonstration and streamline its tradeshow presence, Itron turned to AMD for help.
The solution? Moving Itron’s story from multiple LCD monitors, complicated graphics, unwieldy equipment, several laptops, and intricate cabling to a touchscreen presentation. The content itself is built on a web-based platform, enabling Itron staff to present the most relevant information to visitors in a customized demonstration.
“Simplifying the OpenWay product story – while enhancing visitors’ perceptions of Itron’s expertise – was key to creating a more emotional presentation,” said AMD principal and creative director CK Anderson.
Anderson’s team researched the latest touchscreen technology and equipment; they designed, programmed, and tested content; and provided both IT and setup support on location at the DistribuTECH 2011 conference and exhibition in San Diego – all in just three weeks. AMD also provided space planning and graphic support for the OpenWay booth.
If you’re not reading PROOF!, the award-winning biannual from Johnston Printing and AMD, why, you’re not living. It’s the best evidence yet that print ain’t dead – and a shining example of all that is well and good in the communicative arts.
Issue no. 6 is all about world-renowned fly tier John Newbury. Sure, his flies are ultimately designed to catch fish, but it’s hard not to see the individual beauty of each. And when you consider John’s remarkable story, they become all the more attractive.
What? You haven’t received your copy of PROOF! yet? Sign up here. It’s free. And while you’re at it, let Johnston know who you think ought to appear in a future issue.
12.22.11 – A Tasteful Logo for Some Tasty Treats
Before you design a company logo, it pays to do your research. And no research is as effective as the kind with frosting on it. After Cupcake Art brought samples of its product in for tasting, in fact, their logo practically designed itself.
Cupcake Art specializes in all manner of delicious cupcake treats for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, and other special events. They’ll deliver or ship anywhere, and can be reached via phone (509.935.4626) or email.
11.22.11 – A New Look for a New Client
AMD recently completed a logo refresh for Redmond-based Northwest Fluid Solutions, the region’s leading supplier of fluid system components and technology.
With a deep and impressive lineup of cutting-edge products – including instrumentation and temperature control – as well as offering fabrication and material sourcing services, NWFS felt it was important for their logo to convey competence and experience. Equally important was that the logo visually communicate, in a broad way, the type of expertise Northwest Fluid offers.
The result is a logo that features a blue droplet – a nod to all things fluid – in which a letterform serves as a reminder of the piping or tubing common to all the industries the company serves.
AMD is currently working on a new website for NWFS.
11.07.11 – Hecla Launches Inaugural Report with Help from AMD
In an effort to promote a side of its business rarely seen by the public, Hecla Mining Company partnered with Anderson Mraz Design to create Social Responsibility – a 16-page report highlighting the company’s achievements in a number of areas it deems critical to its success. It’s Hecla’s first such report.
“Our goal,” explained Mélanie Hennessey, Hecla’s Vice President-Investor Relations, “was to share with our key stakeholders some of the excellent work we have accomplished over the years as a responsible mining company in the areas of health and safety, economic development and community engagement, and environmental stewardship.”
According to AMD associate and senior designer Shirlee Roberts, social responsibility is at the core of Hecla’s business. “There’s a reason they’ve been around more than 100 years,” she said. “Understanding the importance Hecla places on caring for their employees and their communities – that makes it all the more gratifying to help them tell this story.”
Roberts’s team helped Hecla with theme development, design, and copywriting.
“From the design and theme concept all the way to printing, AMD’s attention to detail and dedication was unwavering,” added Hennessey. “They were always responsive to our needs and provided valuable input. It is a true pleasure working with the AMD team!”
10.26.11 – Design Works
Clients naturally want to know whether the money they invest in graphic design is worth it – particularly in the area of website development, which can be a complicated and time-consuming process. Thanks to Google Analytics, we have an answer. It’s “Yes.”
Since redesigning Integrus Architecture’s website 16 months ago, AMD has been tracking usage. Here are just a handful of areas we were able to improve:
- functionality – 4 out of 10 visitors to the old site never made it past the home page; 90% of visitors to the new site continue on to services, projects, leadership, etc.
- searchability – a 21% increase in traffic from Google
- loyalty – a 75-fold increase in traffic from those who visit the site 25 times or more
- visibility – visits from Spokane and Seattle, where Integrus has offices, increased dramatically: Seattle by 76% and Spokane by 85%
09.20.11 – Modern Architecture Exhibit Planned for 2012
Overwhelming reader response to PROOF! no. 4, the success of a two-day Modern architecture event sponsored by Spokane Preservation Advocates last May, and a renewed public interest in Mid-Century Modernism has led AMD and the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture to team up on an exhibit set to open October 2012.
AMD will curate the project, currently in the research phase. The firm will also be responsible for design, writing, fabrication, and installation for the exhibit, which will be housed in the museum’s main gallery. Spokane’s leading practitioners of Modern architecture will be featured, along with historic imagery, artifacts, and ephemera.
The MAC is in the process of funding the exhibit through donations.
09.13.11 – clarkarch.com Goes Live
Spokane’s Clark Architects, a small firm that specializes in residential, commercial, and institutional design, recently partnered with AMD in the design of its new website.
In addition to providing information about the firm’s capabilities, expertise, and projects, the site takes care to explain process – from programming and design all the way through to construction administration – giving visitors a glimpse into the relationship between architect, client, and project.
09.07.11 – St. Augustine Gold & Copper Gets a New Logo
AMD has been working with Hecla Mining Company since 1988; Revett Minerals since 2004. It’s that reputation – along with AMD’s work for other mining companies – that initially got the attention of St. Augustine Gold & Copper. The Veradale-headquartered company, which is currently developing the King-king project in the Philippines, needed a new logo, along with business cards and stationery.
The logo design selected by St. Augustine features a single lion holding a miner’s pick and enclosed within a crest shape – an approach that provides feelings of both stability and richness while evoking a sense of history and tradition.
08.29.11 – The Cure for the Dog Days of Summer
The first copies of PROOF! no. 5, the latest in Johnston Printing’s award-winning series, arrived in mailboxes over the weekend. Developed, designed, and written by AMD, PROOF! enables Johnston to not only demonstrate its unique printing and fulfillment capabilities, but also continue a decades-long history of supporting the region’s visual arts community.
The current issue’s focus is on Gary Kaemmer, a sculptor and painter who lives in East Hope, Idaho. For the last few years, Kammer, a former commercial illustrator, has been hard at work on a monumental project: painting portraits of famous artists in the style for which those artists are known. To date, the series exceeds 70 paintings, and includes portraits of Monet, Picasso, da Vinci – even Warhol.
More information about PROOF!, including opportunities to share story ideas, comment, and sign up for a free subscription, can be found at proof.johnstonprinting.com.
08.22.11 – A new promotional brochure for J. Craig Sweat Photography
Spokane’s own J. Craig Sweat Photography, one of the region’s premier commercial photography studios, recently tasked AMD with promoting its significant body of work in the energy production and distribution sector – a portfolio that goes back decades.
AMD responded by developing a 12-page brochure that focuses on what’s most important when choosing a professional photographer: the pictures. Juxtaposing glorious, full-color imagery with brief yet aspirational copy, the brochure demonstrates not only talent behind the camera, but also JCSP’s creative, conceptual, problem-solving approach to telling its clients’ stories through effective imagery.
08.11.11 – Revett Annual Report Celebrates Record-Breaking Year
Anderson Mraz Design once again teamed up with Revett Minerals for the mining company’s 2010 annual report – the fifth such collaboration since 2005. Spokane Valley-based Revett owns and operates the Troy Mine and the exploration-stage Rock Creek Project, both located in northwestern Montana.
“Both operationally and financially, it was a great year for Revett,” said AMD principal and creative director CK Anderson. “So the book took on a more optimistic tone and appearance.”
With achievements like record mill throughput and revenue up nearly 43%, Revett certainly had a great story to tell. But an annual report isn’t just about marking a successful year, added Anderson. It’s also about what the future may hold. “Beyond telling an accurate story,” he explained, “it’s really about instilling confidence.”
Part PR, part investor relations, and part corporate communications, an annual report has to reach a diverse audience. Features of this year’s report include graphic treatments of financial highlights, detailed maps and drawings of Revett’s properties, and a section on the company’s vision of social responsibility.
07.12.11 – Another Annual Report for Hecla
Back in 1988, one of the very first jobs a newly formed Anderson Mraz Design took on was an annual report for Hecla Mining Company. This past April, the 24th consecutive report designed by AMD was mailed to shareholders.
“It’s certainly a testament to their exceptional creative guidance and outstanding design work,” says Hecla corporate communications director Jeanne Dupont on the decades-long relationship, “which is ultimately why we continue to work with AMD.”
The 2010 annual report, entitled “A History of Achievement, a Strategy for Growth,” reminds readers of Hecla’s 120-year-old tradition while sharing the mining company’s progressive vision of organic growth and social responsibility. Historic images of early-twentieth-century Hecla projects are juxtaposed with photographs of current operations; messaging keys in on the quality of Hecla’s assets, investment in exploration, and a focus on the communities in which Hecla employees live and work.
“Hecla has an amazing story,” explains Shirlee Roberts, associate and senior designer at AMD. “And we’re pleased to help them tell it.”
04.13.11 – AMD Grabs Silver and Gold, then Launches New Promo
At the Inland Northwest ADDY® Awards, held March 11 in Spokane, AMD took home four awards in two divisions: a pair of silvers (Integrus Architecture stationery and PROOF! no. 3), and a gold and best of division for PROOF! no. 4. AMD’s own John Mraz was one of four presenters during the awards gala.
Awards were given in sixteen divisions, with judging based on a combination of originality and creative strategy. AAF Spokane received 400 entries.
The Inland Northwest ADDY® Awards Competition, administered by AAF Spokane, is the first level of a three-tiered national competition conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). All local winners are forwarded to the District XI ADDY® Awards Competition, where they will compete against entries from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
AMD followed up its ADDY success with the release of RESULTS, a promotional book highlighting the firm’s capabilities and expertise across branding, identity, logo design, advertising, print, packaging, web development, multimedia, and environmental graphic design. The book includes a candid interview with AMD principal CK Anderson, along with illustrations by Don Baker.
To receive your own copy of RESULTS – free – click here.
03.10.11 – A Smart Solution for the Smart Grid
“The central problem of brand-building,” writes noted designer and brand expert Marty Neumeier, “is getting a complex organization to execute a simple idea.”
That’s a challenge in and of itself. But what if it’s not a simple idea?
Itron, the world’s leading provider of smart metering, data collection, and utility software systems, is a complex organization finding answers to complex problems – like OpenWay, which enables energy utilities to create supply advantages, improve operations, and enhance smart grid security.
So when it came time to refresh its OpenWay demonstration and streamline its tradeshow presence, Itron turned to AMD for help.
The solution? Moving Itron’s story from multiple LCD monitors, complicated graphics, unwieldy equipment, several laptops, and intricate cabling to a touchscreen presentation. The content itself is built on a web-based platform, enabling Itron staff to present the most relevant information to visitors in a customized demonstration.
“Simplifying the OpenWay product story – while enhancing visitors’ perceptions of Itron’s expertise – was key to creating a more emotional presentation,” said AMD principal and creative director CK Anderson.
Anderson’s team researched the latest touchscreen technology and equipment; they designed, programmed, and tested content; and provided both IT and setup support on location at the DistribuTECH 2011 conference and exhibition in San Diego – all in just three weeks. AMD also provided space planning and graphic support for the OpenWay booth.
