Genuine Laughter

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.

The release of the new Web & Mobile image products featuring very small file sizes designed specifically for online and mobile use. As an extension of the firm’s $49 web-resolution offering, the new product features very small sizes – 170 pixels and 280 pixels. The huge selection of high-quality imagery and illustrations are appropriately priced – starting around $5 – and in ready-to-use formats that are ideal for use in mobile, website, email marketing, banner ads, widgets and other web application environments.

Due to the economy, how much has your print spend decreased for 2009?

a) There has been a tremendous decrease in our print spend    35%

b) There has been a marginal decrease in our print spend    33%

c) There has been a slight decrease in our print spend    20%

d) There has been no decrease in our print spend    13%

How about you? Are you printing less these days? Or are you printing differently? What media are you using instead – or are you just doing without?

Let’s have a conversation!

• Wittenberg Magazine for Wittenberg University and its alumni
  
• Dayton Children’s Growing Together newsletter
• Graceworks Lutheran Services’ 2008 Annual Report

What does it take get three projects out the door all at once? Team work.

We’re lucky to have people who are willing to work hard, do things outside their normal scope, and still keep up with projects for other clients.

Because we’re a small agency, this means that everyone wears multiple hats and learns to become a master juggler. For example, some of the things the team did (outside their normal job “scope”):

• Picked-up and dropped-off proofs
• Re-arranged personal appointments
• Designed pages and reviewed proofs while holding a brand new baby

Working for a small agency with a busy workload requires all of our staff to have patience and flexibility – one day I reassigned a job four times.

In the end, I am happy to say, all projects were completed on-time and to the satisfaction of our clients.

Our client requested that we price out two scenarios: using a less expensive stock than previous years throughout the whole piece, and using a coated stock for the main pages with an uncoated stock for the donor pages. The general idea being that coated stock is more expensive, so using less of it would save money.

This combination is used frequently, and most have the perception that the company saved money by not using a coated stock throughout. But that’s probably not the case. It’s the illusion of cheaper paper, but the reality is that combining ANY two stocks, will generally cost more than one stock due to a more complicated production method.

It also reflects being frugal with the print budget. But in reality using various papers can cause the cost to be more for several reasons:

• Two separate press runs because of how ink is applied to and absorbed by the different finishes.
• Folding may also need to be handled separately. If the paper was all the same, it may be possible to run and fold all as one sheet.
• It may also add to your finishing cost in the stitching process.

Additionally, when designing an annual report or a fundraising piece, the common perception is that a good grade of uncoated paper has a cost saving to the customer as opposed to a sufficient grade of coated paper.

So remember, the old convention of using an uncoated sheet vs. a coated sheet to save money is not necessarily the case any more, states Bill Thompson from 3G Graphic Solutions.

Click to download a map of the Town with our recommendations on the Best of Yellow Springs (240 KB).

Location, location, location.

We know that we’re lucky to work in one of the “10 Coolest Small Towns in America.” In case you get a chance to visit, here are some of the hot spots we recommend for eating, shopping and playing.

• Peaches Grill (104 Xenia Ave) – Enjoy the patio in the summer – or the libations all year long. Peaches has an extensive beer list for a small town hangout. And, they have live entertainment most weekend evenings. Recommendation: the beer sampler and pita chips.
• The Winds Café & Bakery (215 Xenia Ave) – Fine dining in a casual town with an adventurous menu that changes monthly and a healthy wine list. Pumpkin lasagna is a surprising fan favorite every fall. Closed Mondays.
• Ye Olde Trail Tavern (228 Xenia Ave) – Eat in one of the oldest buildings in the Village. Recommendation: get the pretzel bread for your sandwich enjoyment.
• Current Cuisine (237 Xenia Ave) – Grab the lunch special to-go (during the week) or make your own meal out of the eclectic and delicious deli items. Or, fill up on any of their fabulous desserts.
• Sunrise Café (259 Xenia Ave) – Great spot to start the day with breakfast – or to rest for lunch. Fantastic pancakes and omelettes and plenty of choices for leaf eaters. Closed Tuesdays.
• The Corner Cone Dairy Bar and Grill (101 South Walnut Street) – The Classic corner dairy bar with Frosty treats to go! (During the summer only.)  Also a great place can also rent bikes to tour the town starting at $8 per hour
• Bonadies Glass Studio (220 Xenia Ave # 1) – Gorgeous things galore! Bonadies specialties include carries a collection of unique glass jewelry, ornaments, artwork and lamps.
• Yellow Springs Pottery (222 Xenia Ave (King’s Yard) – Original creations from a most original town. Yellow Springs pottery is a retail cooperative of 10 members who produce a large selection of handmade pottery.
• Dark Star Books and Comics (237 Xenia Ave) – They carry 40,000 used books and an extensive collection of back issue comics. Buy and sell your goods here! And, say hello to the store cat, Mr. Eko.
• Kismet (249 Xenia Ave) – No boys allowed. Okay, not really. But, this is definitely a women’s boutique. Find unique clothing, jewelry, shoes and accessories here.
• Mr. Fubs Party Toys and More (252 Xenia Ave) – It’s a par-tay at Mr. Fubs. And we’re sorry if they’re out of fart machines. We needed them. Yes, all of them. They also carry unique brain teasers, plush toys and gifts.
• No Common Scents (1525 Xenia Avenue) – Herbs, spices and aromatherapy. Sniff. Relax. Ahh. It’s a great spot for a cup of coffee or tea and to catch up on your reading.
• Tie Dyed Gift Shop (125 S Walnut St) – You’re in Yellow Springs. Why not grab some tie dye? (When in Rome…)
• Asian Collection – Really cool Asian gifts and garb in really unusual building….
• Yoga Springs Studio (108 Dayton Street) – Get your zen on… Daily classes available for novice to advanced yogis.
• Main Squeeze – Offering the finest in fresh juices, smoothies, wheat grass juice and brewing & winemaking supplies.
• Little Art Theatre (247 Xenia Avenue) – This cozy theater has played some of the finest art, independent, documentary and Hollywood films for over 50 years. Monday is bargain day – just $6 a show! General admission (after 6pm) is $7.50 all other days.
• Glen Helen Nature Preserve (405 Corry Street) – Get out of town and roam 1,000 acres of preserved land. The Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center offers a range of environmental education programs to connect you with the natural world.
• Little Miami Scenic Trail – The Little Miami Scenic Trail is part of an 80-mile trail network that extends from eastern Cincinnati to Buck Creek State Park near Springfield. Part of the trail passes through Yellow Springs – and a public restroom. If you’re heading north, the restrooms are just across Route 68.

Those answers all relied on traditional media like radio and television.

Not any more.

Years from now, when we talk about the historic or unusual moments in our history the answers will be impacted by social media. The prevalence of social media and tools like Twitter has altered the way we create and consume media forever.

Let us know how you get your news – and where you were.

Roger reading the part of "Terrence the Tiger" - caught on camera phone. Thanks, BlackBerry.

Recently we flexed the vocal talents of our own Roger Starnes for an animated video project. Roger played the voice of “Terrence”, a fiercely brave tiger with an uncanny ability to win.

Roger’s voice over was recorded by local audio engineers at UD Media Production Group.

The Tiger mascot was introduced in a 60-second, 3D video that is streamed on our client’s intranet. Terrence will be used in the company’s internal brand from time-to-time to deliver news and updates.

We’re already hard at work on his next appearance. Which means we’ve got a “tiger” in the office for a little longer…

While you’re in the tech mindframe, jump over to the Teradata Magazine blog to get some of the latest updates on everything that’s Teradata. We recently helped the client plan, establish, and generate content for this blog during their major PARTNERS User Group conference in Las Vegas. Our creative director, Todd Chaney, was invited to be a guest editor for the online publication to cover the event and create an online experience for anyone who couldn’t be there in person. Melissa Blevins and Nick Gaskins supported the effort. Be sure to click on the Flickr and Twitter links on the left side of the page to see more social media content.

eHealth wanted a trade show set-up that was lightweight, easy to transport, and a snap to put together. By golly, I think they found it. Check out the installation process, as displayed by Selby and Joe:

There are magnets and locks on the back-side of the display that keep it stable. They can also make it a little tricky to set-up the first time around. The trick: grab a buddy – it’ll take two people. And don’t be timid.

The total shipping weight is around 12 lbs, and that includes a carrying case with wheels.

And in case you’re curious, the white box on the top of the display is for a PPT projection. The display doubles as a projection screen for presentations that are shown in the booth. However, if the client is not planning to use the PPT, that panel can be easily swapped out with another photo/graphic panel.

If you wanted to buy a vowel, I’d go with “e” for “eeeee-asy!”