Welcome to “Beyond the Portfolio”

Thanks for taking the time to check out this blog. While the Shield Design official website is always there, I plan to use this blog to keep you posted on recent work, talk about some of my favorite projects from the past, and let you know what I’m up to. Let me know what you think, and of course, keep me in mind for your next project!

Logos! Logos! Logos!

The past few months have brought me a variety of great logo projects. I always welcome these projects. From business consulting firms to marching band shows – logo strategy is the same: develop a single visual element that communicates a core message and personality of the business, organization, event or promotion.

Low-Tech Interactive Display

Speedco customers interact with the "Share a Dream" display.

Encouraging donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® called for a unique in-store display for over 50 Speedco locations nationwide. The first challenge was naming the promotion, which entered donors in a drawing for a $2000 or $1000 travel voucher. The name “Share a Dream Giveaway” was given to the promo – playing off the fact that entering the drawing also helped critically ill children’s wishes come true.

A large stand-up panel stating “picture yourself here” was designed so that Speedco customers would place their head at the top, inviting customer participation. The display also offered some fun photo opportunities which made great content additions to the Speedco Facebook page.

Why a brochure?

Just a few of the brochures produced by Shield Design.

Websites, blogs and social media sites have made some small (and larger) businesses question whether a printed brochure is even necessary. As a designer who focuses primarily on print material, my response is always: “Of course you need a brochure!” Seriously though, print material can play a powerful role in your marketing efforts. A brochure is often the introduction to a business – and can lead people to your website. Printed material is the hands-on way to capture your target audience’s attention. A printed piece also offers the possibilities of using special paper stocks, embossing, even scratch-and-sniff inks and other elements to help communicate your brand.

If a potential customer shows an interest in learning more about your products or services, telling them to “check out my website” could be translated as “go look up the information yourself.” A brochure, or other printed material, offers an immediate, take-home message. And there is always the possibility that they will keep your material on a desk, refrigerator  or bulletin board. A website is often visited when a customer is looking for specific information, while a brochure allows you to be seen even if they think they have no interest in what you offer.

Having a web presence is pretty much expected these days, and it’s an important part of your marketing efforts. It lets you present much more information than you’d probably want to include in printed material. And, of course, Shield Design can help you develop your website. However, don’t write off brochures as an out-dated means of communication. A well designed, well written brochure paired with a good website can be a powerful one-two punch.

Hometown Power!

From 2005 to 2009, Muscatine’s Pearl City Rugby Club featured international talent, a factor largely responsible for three years of Division I championship status. However, with funding restrictions, the international roster ended and the club now consists of only local athletes.

Shield Design was asked to create a poster for their 2011 game schedule. The line “Hometown Power” was used to communicate that the Club is proud to be built on the talents of local players, and is excited to introduce the community to a whole new team.

World Famous Melons

A challenge of designing an ad in tourism guides is creating something that stands out in the crowd of many other same-sized ads – all competing for the reader’s attention. Since many of these ads feature scenic photos, we chose to go with an illustration I had created a couple of years ago. The look was inspired by old produce boxes of yesteryear – which works well with Muscatine’s history of “world famous melons”.

Muscatine and the Civil War

This June, the Muscatine Art Center commemorates the beginning of the American Civil War by presenting an exhibition of Civil War artifacts. Shield Design was asked to create a catalogue to accompany the exhibit. The 16-page catalogue features photos of the Art Center’s permanent collection along with excerpts from letters from Muscatine soldier Daniel Parvin. Parvin’s letters, written from 1861-1864, give an intimate glimpse into a soldier’s world. The catalogue is available for sale at the Art Center.

Though I’ve never considered myself a history buff, being part of this project definitely made an impact on me as I read letters from Parvin and had the privilege to handle actual Civil War items – including life casts of Abraham Lincoln’s hands. I highly recommend taking the time to check out this exhibit.

Local photographers Randy Richmond and Beth Van Zandt provided the great photography for this project.

The OneCo Project

Muscatine Foods is the parent company of Grain Processing Corporation, Kent Nutrition Group and Precision Foods. To help streamline communication to their 1800 employees, the development of an intranet site began in 2010.

Shield Design was brought into the project to brand the intranet with a name and logo and create graphics for the site, which was built by RK Dixon in the Quad Cities.

The name “oneCo” with accompanying tagline “one company. one source.” was chosen for a few reasons:

• it conveys a simple and efficient communication tool
• it reinforces the idea that all employees work together for one company
• it’s easy to remember and refer to

The oneCo logo is customized for each individual company with their corporate logo and colors. A series of icons were also developed for key areas of the site.

To launch the oneCo site to employees, break room posters were designed and mouse pads were distributed.

Janet Sichterman, VP, Human Resources & Communications at Muscatine Foods Corporation had this to say: “Mike took time to understand what we wanted to accomplish. He translated our ideas into amazing graphics that really reflected the messages we wanted to portray. He went beyond just the graphics and helped us think through communications and messaging, then creatively developed what we needed. Mike was a critical member of our project team.”

Summer Reading Illustration

Summer break isn’t much of a break for the folks at the Musser Public Library. Programming is in full gear with their Summer Reading Program. Presentations, workshops, activities, stories and contests are all part of this year’s fun.

Highlighting one continent each week, the 2011 summer reading program’s theme is “Around the World”.  To communicate this, my friends at the library asked me to create an illustration that captured the program’s spirit of adventure.

The graphic is being used on their website, fliers, outdoor banners and other marketing materials.

New web site (finally)

One of the basic rules for a good web site is to keep content fresh. I often dish out this valuable tip to clients. And then I took a look at my own site, and I’m reminded that I don’t practice what I preach. So finally I’ve re-designed my site to represent a more current and complete cross-section of my project work.

Take a look at www.mshielddesign.com

A Sweet Project

Have I mentioned lately that I love when Pam and Betty from the Musser Public Library call me about a new project? The library is always coming up with interesting, creative ideas, and I’m thankful that they include me in their projects to help with design work.

A recent program the library hosted was “The Story of Chocolate”.  Attendees learned about the cultural and botanical history of chocolate as they walked through several stations, including a real cacao tree, South American dancers and an appearance by Willy Wonka.

The library asked me to develop a “look” for the program to tie together various promotional items. Elements of the campaign included a logo, advertisements, bookmarks, 8 ft banner, and event tickets.  A brochure that, when folded shut resembles a candy bar, was also created as an educational handout for visitors.