how analytics can transform your communications
understanding your audience is the essence of communication Website development is inherently challenging, and when a website is complete the temptation is often to take a break and move on to other things. Unfortunately, a brief rest can easily turn into a hiatus of several months or more. Our company is trying to help our ...
a timely debate
For over a year now, our company has been working with RE Sources for Sustainable Communities and Climate Solutions to create messaging and graphics about the coal train issue. An overview of the issue can be found here. It has been a challenging project. Challenging in the sheer complexity of the issue: the impacts of ...
the devil uses Archer
I thought The Devil Wears Prada had a wonderful insight into the culture of design and the mindset of designers. You may be able tell at a glance that I am somewhat a stranger to fashion, but there was much of this movie I could relate to – none more so than the scene above. ...
this month’s contest: logo evolution
See how a century’s worth of changes have affected eight famous brands. If you can put the logos in the correct order, you have a chance to win $50 from Boundary Bay Brewing Company or Amazon.com, a letterpressed Fresh Ideas book and set of coasters printed by Shew Design. The person with the most correct ...
Komen and Planned Parenthood
The public feud between Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood is an object lesson in successful strategic thinking. It’s also a sign of what is to come in terms of captivating and motivating an audience. For those of you who haven’t followed the controversy, Komen recently announced they would (in effect) not ...
“simpler is better,” a strategy for making adaptable, scalable event graphics
Event graphics and messaging are great opportunities for organizations to capture interest by exploring different ideas and flavors in their communication. Shew Design takes a branded approach to event graphics, creating a few simple elements that can be easily repeated in any number of other materials. We think of this as our toolkit, with the ...
February 2012 Contest
Greetings and well met, traveler. It’s time once again for your chance to win fabulous prizes from Shew Design. This month’s contest tests your knowledge of some classic print and TV advertisements. The twist? We’ve replaced the original copywriting with quotes from Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets – painstakingly finding passages that resemble the sense of ...
January contest winner!
Thanks to everyone who gave our January contest a try. We had a total of three people who completed 100% of the answers correctly, including Troy Date, Andrew Pritikin, and Craig Margaret. Additionally, there were a few ‘close calls’ including Lauralee Carbone and Katie Fleming. Randomly selected among those that got 100% right was Craig ...
Our escape from Microsoft Office
Shew Design is by no means an anti-Microsoft company. We have used (and enjoyed) Microsoft products for years. I think Windows continues to get better and better and my Windows based design computers are, despite the occasional hiccup, wonderful, remarkable contraptions. No creative person in the history in the world prior to this point has ...
an open love letter to Garamond
Garamond is one of a handful of typefaces that designers of all eras return to again and again. Apple used the condensed form in the late eighties, and it became the quintessential typographic solution for business communications in the early nineties. People who make lists of the most readable fonts tend to pick Garamond first. ...
the hidden value of hidden messages – part 2
Hidden messages, conveyed through optical illusions, puns, subliminal messages, riddles, and in jokes, have always played a unique role in visual communications. They raise questions that are fun to ask, but often impossible to answer. More than anything, they appeal to a childlike delight we all share in finding in things ‘hidden in plain sight.’ I’ve read that ...
Like movie posters? Use your knowledge to win beer (or books) and letterpressed coasters from Shew Design.
It’s simple! Visit this link and complete the questions. The questions use the theme of typography dovetailing with writing to create tone and feeling. We’ve taken quotes from popular movies and typeset them in the manner of the posters. The goal is to correctly guess which movie poster the typeface was used in. The reward? ...
