Agency Life

As of 12:30 p.m. today, February 9, 2010, the snowfall total on our front porch at the Bing Design home office in Yellow Springs, OH measures 8 inches and counting….

More to come!!

Bing Design has hit the ground running. Despite the year of 2009 being so turbulent, we still provided excellent service, produced top quality print and electronic work for our clients, and created a refreshed identity for ourselves. We have put together some of our featured work for the Hermes awards coming up in February, and we invite our followers to view our portfolio showcasing many of the elements of marketing.

Not only do we look back, but we are looking forward! We have been keeping our eye on trends for the year, but the best way to predict the future, is to create it.

So, we are approaching 2010 proactively! Diving into the latest new media, engaging followers in the many channels of social networks, and collaborating with our clients to communicate trends and best practices that we feel can integrate in their respective industries. All this and still providing time for our Bingers to stay as flexible as yoga masters.

Looking back at the processes and marketing materials we have designed to take shape, we expect to have a good run with many of our valued partners and clients in the coming year.

Cheers to you 2010, we are bringing original ideas and adding value to them!

This is the time of year where client requests are always fast and furious. As we work steadily, we also take this time of year to get in the holiday spirit, where we unwind for the holiday season. Our annual holiday party brings us together outside of the office setting, where we partake in a fun gift exchange and an elegant dining experience.

Our gift exchange typically turns into an eventful showing of gag gifts and alcohol, but for all those tech lovers out there, Time magazine has the Buyer’s Guide for you. But perhaps you aren’t looking for the typical, tangible gift but more of a getaway.

Yellow Springs is a place like no other, and we at Bing are proud of our village! Approached by the Chamber of Commerce, we were pleased to design and produce an electronic GetawaYS Guide to spotlight the rich and rare collection of unusual shops and galleries where one-of-a-kind gifts abound. Highlighting for others what we see daily, brought new appreciation for the art galleries and unique boutiques, bookstores, wine stores, eateries, a gourmet grocer and the most unusual and creative toy store anywhere!

Produced in just days, it’s a beautiful guide to accompany a walk-through visit of the village of Yellow Springs and all it has to offer! Shop, Eat, Play and Stay in the Springs.

Bing has undergone significant changes over the past year – a new logo and web site, fluctuating roles and responsibilities, shifts in the economy, and a broadening diversity of client work.

Our most recent staff change was the resignation of Melissa Blevins. She has been working virtually from a home office in Colorado Springs for the past two years and has done a fantastic job. Through her relocation and travels to Beijing, she has been dedicated and shown amazing follow through in managing clients, projects, and different timezones!

While we’ve been very thankful that we were able to extend her role with Bing after her move westward, Melissa has decided it’s time to look for other opportunities closer to home. We’re confident her professionalism will take her far. Thanks Melissa, for your commitment to Bing through the years and good luck to you in your endeavors! Take care of Martin the cat and Robert for us!

With so many changes going on, we decided to hold a roundtable to address the direction of the business, explore opportunities, and get each other’s perspectives on how things are going. Our HR consultant, Rosalie Catalano, facilitated the discussion and kept it on track through our banter. Several things stood out as we enjoyed our Current Cuisine lunches.

• We value our communication channels and enjoy working in “unstructured” structure.
• Each of us brings a dynamic value-add to their position, and we utilize each other’s strengths to explore opportunities.
• Our ability to adapt to changing needs is a company strength.
• Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is important to all of us.
• We strive to be an efficient extension of our clients’ marketing teams.

Keeping a watchful eye on things like the economy, competition, and other variables that are potential threats on the business, we feel that we have stayed the course to keep our clients satisfied as well as our internal customer. In what turned out to be a mini SWOT analysis of Bing, we seemed to come away knowing it’s not a perfect company, but it has unique strengths that we all contribute to.

Recently we’ve discovered a few more Bings out there – besides Microsoft’s. There are several similar, small design agencies across the country that share our name. And, upon the release of Microsoft’s search engine, some of them are changing their names.

We’re not.

Because, our “Bing” means more than just “eureka!” It’s part of our history.

Here’s some Bing trivia for your Thursday:

Our agency was established in 1979 by Bob Bingenheimer. At that time, the agency was known as Bingenheimer Design. Bob “retired” in 2000 and sold the agency to an employee, Nick Gaskins. As the new owner, Nick shortened the name to Bing.

For more information about Bing, visit our site.