We put together a brand book for Inside Sales Team and the finished product came in looking great. The piece is printed on a heavy uncoated stock with a custom folder pocket to insert a personalized note to a potential client. The book is an extension of the culture they’ve created at Inside Sales Team, and we’re really pleased with how that culture was captured within the pages of this book.
-Tim
I’m a morning person. That’s why I didn’t mind waking up even earlier than usual to get some shots for the upcoming issue of Block Club. Silo City and Allentown are beautiful places to visit when the sun is just coming up.
- Steve
Here are some images from the new identity, stationery and brand standards project we recently wrapped up for Ristorante Lombardo.
See more images and the full case study at our website.
-Brandon
Hot off the press! We recently redesigned Insyte Consulting’s newsletter. We wanted to do something that was a little different but still reads like a newspaper. The 10 x 6” mailer unfolds to a 20 x 24” newsletter with a poster on the back side. Adding the poster side gives it the chance at having a longer shelf life. The newsletter now will have an opportunity to be hung in a client’s break room, cubicle or hopefully over a CEO’s bed right next to the Mötley Crüe posters.
-Tim
I just returned from the TYPO conference in San Francisco and I am beyond energized.
Over the course of the two-day conference, I had the pleasure of seeing a super impressive lineup of talks by some extraordinary designers, illustrators, typographers and tech founders.
I’m still digesting everything. I learned a lot and I came home with a ton of energy, but the one thing I took from this conference more than anything else is validation. Here are some highlights:
Jessi Arrington opened up the conference with a talk about being honest with yourself and making the most of your strengths. Her story is very inspiring. You can watch her talk at the link above.
When Jeff Veen, a VP at Adobe and founder of Typekit; and Erik Spiekermann, who needs no introduction, offered advice on company processes and culture, they essentially walked the audience through what we already do at Block Club. It was extremely validating.
I really connected with and learned a lot from Peter Bil’ak, a typographer, publisher, graphic and choreographic designer, and editor (among other things) who made the case that working in a variety of disciplines and exploring the unknown makes for better, stronger work. I couldn’t agree more.
I already know that we have an incredible thing going here at Block Club, but to be validated by some of the biggest people in your business is an absolutely wonderful thing.
I’m so looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with my team.
You can see some of the talks here.
-Brandon
This week, our friends in Pittsburgh have officially re-opened their conceptual takeout restaurant.
We posted about Conflict Kitchen a couple months back, when Tim, Brandon and Steve finished a new website for the eatery, and again when I featured the restaurant’s former East Liberty takeout window in Block Club magazine.
Conflict Kitchen was founded in 2010 by Carnegie Melon professors and alumni and offers a rotating menu of food from countries with which the United States is in conflict. They began serving Iraqi cuisine. Iranian food followed, then Venezuelan. Cuban cuisine came after that.
The re-opening once again highlights Iranian culture, serving an extended menu of Persian food.
If you’re in Pittsburgh, make sure you stop by Conflict Kitchen’s new location in Schenley Plaza, at the corner of Schenley Drive and Roberto Clemente Drive.
- PS
We are excited to share the website we recently completed for S. Howes, a manufacturer of processing equipment out of Silver Creek, NY. Stay tuned for the full case study and in the meantime take a look around the new showes.com!
- Julie
Strategic Planning on the Daily
Strategic Planning and Thinking doesn’t have to be a one time/one size fits all/all night cram session. It can happen every day or every week in deliberate small bursts, allowing small companies to maintain their agility and innovate all while keeping up with daily tasks. Make sure that the approach you choose works for your company. You can’t do too much homework on this subject.
- Marilyn
We recently had the pleasure of creating a new identity for Ristorante Lombardo––an institution in Buffalo. Here’s a peak at the new business cards. More to come soon!
-Brandon
Quality/Quantity came across on a podcast I frequently listen to, which just happens to be the next theme of our upcoming issue of Block Club magazine. If you have the time, or are lucky enough to listen to music or the radio while you work, I would suggest to you to give the This American Life podcast a listen. Particularly the last two episodes 487 & 488 Harper High School. It talks about how these schools and the faculty that run them are more important to our communities than I think we give them credit for. It offers a different perspective on the importance of education.
My concept of quality has changed.
-Tim
Take a look at the identity system and stationery package we just created for a new online-based New York State-centric magazine and online retailer. Full website launching soon. Stay tuned!
Read about the process in the case study on our website.
-Brandon
Alliance Advisory Group is a financial services firm headquartered in Buffalo, NY, with additional offices in Rochester, Syracuse and Jamestown. They are one of the top 100 private companies and one of the largest independently-owned financial services firms in Western New York.
We began working with Alliance Advisory Group back in July on developing a new website. Their previous website was dated and the information wasn’t presented clearly. Working closely with AAG we were able to organize their data, create a structure to that information and give the new site a fresh, clean look.”
The site is set to launch within the next few weeks.
-Timothy
In 2011 Block Club was tasked with designing the identity and user interface concept for a new preventative healthcare management company, QBHealth. Recently, we had the opportunity to create the final design for the complete website buildout.
Founder Tim Godzich is passionate about nutritional education and helping people live the healthiest lives possible. QBHealth makes it easy for patients, registered dietitians and physicians to keep in touch, set goals and work together to help keep the patient on track towards a healthy lifestyle.
While the main interface is being coded, here is a taste of the new QBHealth site via the four-part informational page we developed. We’ve kept the graphics friendly and colorful to create a fun and welcoming environment for users. Stay tuned for more from QBHealth!
- Julie
We’re always looking for ways to help locally owned business thrive; it’s part of our core values at Block Club. When we were approached by Insyte Consulting, a manufacturing consultancy with a mission to strengthen manufacturing in Western New York, we knew this would be a match made in heaven!
After getting to know Insyte and their clients, we got to work on developing a new tagline. This would shape the direction of all brand communication going forward. We arrived at “Innovation. Growth. Profit.”, Insyte’s brand promise.
In print ads, we introduced the new messaging with a series of complementary illustrations. Ad headlines use “Insyte” as a double entendre, and reinforce the new tagline. Supporting copy highlights results. A spot color treatment is employed for its bold contrast and simplicity.
In a new website, the simplified messaging translates to a cleaner look and a more user-friendly experience. We worked with Insyte to simplify and organize information. Case studies were edited to be more concise and digestible. Prospective and current clients can access information easily, as it’s exactly where it should be.
The homepage features three case study videos outlining Insyte’s brand promise. “Meet Insyte” videos highlight each employee’s personality and skill set as it relates to Insyte’s approach to helping WNY manufacturing. We worked closely with John Paget of Paget Films to produce the videos.
View the full case study on our website.
Video credits: Block Club, producer and creative director; Paget Films, director and camera; dPost, editor
Back in the spring, we worked on a really fun project with The Community Foundation’s GrowWNY.org. We were tasked with creating a collateral piece that would spread awareness of the organization and its online Go Outside Map.
We envisioned a large-scale fold-up map that would highlight more than 50 of the 200-plus outdoor destinations featured on GrowWNY.org’s online Go Outside Map. We designed the map to complement the color palette and simple aesthetic of the GrowWNY brand. Vector illustrations are simple in shape. On the reverse side of the map, a chart and accompanying icon system indicate the activities and amenities at each destination.
A perforated tear-off portion encourages people to make a green pledge, declaring, “I GROW WNY BY______”. Spreading the word is as easy as photographing and posting on their social network of choice using the branded hashtag: #IGROWWNY.
View the full case study and additional images here.
-Brandon
