Step Away

Some days you just need to give yourself a little time away from the screen. City Park is just the place to do it. 

Sean, Will, and Rob discuss the merits of shade vs sunshine. 

Mind Your Plays & Q

The Adirondack Theatre Festival comes on like a freight train each year in true summer stock style. It kicks off with the gala in January and from there it's a blur of reading plays, waiting on pins and needles for casting announcements, and mapping out the design aesthetic for the season materials. This year the season mixes Broadway appeal, a dash of bawdy puppetry, a silver screen legend, and Lake George connections. 

The design emerged as a stripped down, bold approach with wide swaths of white broken by rough, black strokes, pops of color and then offset by playful icons. 

The curtain first goes up for Heartbreaker, which packs 8-weeks of life with Judy Garland into a play that will make you fall in love and ache for the tortured-later-in-life songstress. The poster design involved ingenuity as it was nearly impossible to use that face that we all know. The striking red and caramel colors of the suitcases and the unexpected type choice are intended to draw the eye in, just like this amazing play does.

The next show, Filming O'Keeffe, brings the return of ATF Founder Martha Banta as director. The play, written by Eric Lane, is inspired by events surrounding the time that Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz spent together on Lake George. The story is guided through the narrative of a young man named Max, creating a film about the two artists. A reckoning of sorts is  sparked as his research reveals some of his own family's secrets. The design of the poster aimed for a dreamy quality wrapped up in the colors of Lake George and the mystique of yesteryear.

Last Season's Hootenanny was such, well, a hoot, the idea of bringing back one of the stars of Woody Sez was too good to pass up, enter: David Finch. David will be adding his nearly impossible-to-believe musical talent and versatility to the 2nd Act Cabaret, with an acoustic cabaret act including some of his own songs. The 2nd Act Cabaret allows audiences to get to know the season's artists in a new light.

Then comes Avenue Q and, what can one really say about Avenue Q but, "Damn that is some funny sh*t." ATF made the decision to spring for the puppets from the Broadway production and they are well worth it. We let the puppet do the heaviest lifting (and breathing.)

The season ends with Faraway Nearest One, a reading of the letters from Stieglitz to O'Keeffe, directed by ATF"s own Mark Fleischer. The production is done in collaboration with The Hyde Collection. It is sure to be a deeply moving produciton as it brings an incredible love story to life.


 

Hot Labels

Here at Trampoline, there are varying opinions on almost everything—from music to design approaches to beloved baseball teams (Go Sox!). One thing we can all agree on is our love of Raul's Mexican Grill. Located on the roundabout in Dowtown Glens Falls, Raul's is just two doors down from the office, making it a favorite spot for lunch, dinner, and the occasional hand-crafted margarita. So when the owner/head chef, Russell Porreca approached us with the opportunity to design a suite of food packaging, we jumped at the chance. He signed on to have us design labels for the Raul's Habanero Sauce, Jerk Sauce, and Lemon & Mango Vinaigrettes.

We were inspired by our Downtown cityscape (as we are so often) and the oh-so-fresh ingredients used by Russell (he doesn't even own a freezer.) The result was a collection of packaging emblazoned with Downtown vistas and colors as bold as the hot sauce. When we started this process, we told Russell his products deserve a design that do justice to his craft. We hope our shared love of Glens Falls and great food shines through in our work.

¡Olé!

You can get your own set of Raul's dressings and sauces at the restaurant or at North Country Coffee Café, in the Empire Theatre Building.

A Moving Message:

Late last year we received a call about a 2013 marketing initiative to Create Healthy Places to live, work and play through a grant awarded to Glens Falls Hospital. The goal was simple: encourage healthier eating choices, increased activity and preventative health. We identified an objective to communicate the message to the general public, the workforce, and to schools. We began by developing a mark and tagline for the campaign that could bridge the various audiences and work across multiple platforms.

Next we wanted to continue the playful vibe set by the bright colors and jaunty font, which we did by creating custom illustrations. Identifying yourself in a message, particularly when the theme is to improve your health, can be intimidating, even discouraging. The collateral for the Good Move campaign needed to be lighthearted.

The billboards needed to strike a balance between informative, "retaily," and conversational. The targeted billboard buy was done to strengthen messaging, with the farm stand board playing against a nearby fastfood billboard.

Posters in the workplace at area organizations, as well as in schools and parks needed to resonate with their intended audiences. One business had stairs, which for the entrepreneurial Good Mover, can be a make-shift gym. We used the idea as a starting point for a poster. 

One size does not fit all, particularly when it comes to improving your health. The idea of commuting by bike and tying in the promise of decreased fuel costs, if only to make the switch one day a week, seemed worthwhile.

Posters and billboards are incredible tools for a campaign, but for a push like this, we wanted to get closer to the people who we needed to hear us. We needed our message to stay with them: enter the branded napkin. Certainly not revolutionary, but neither are most of the tips we all need to follow to feel better. Sometimes the best way to drive home a message is by demonstrating a willingness to be uncomplicated. Incorprating different illustrations created for the campaign, we put together a napkin designed to help gently clean up a person's food choices.

As the campaign roll out began in earnest, the opening day of farmer's market across the counties we were targeting drew closer. We all hoped that at some point the consumers of the Good Move campaign would eventually find themselves walking to the market, either from their house or from the car they parked several blocks away, and filling their tote bag with local bounty that is a Good Move no matter how you slice it.

What they say is true

My passion for the Double H Ranch has grown every year I've spent time there. My first experience was simply working on the design of a camper sponsorship piece, an integral part of the Ranch's fundraising efforts that continues the 'free of charge' policy that they extend to all campers.



In talking with the folks on the Ranch and hearing more about what happens there, my interest was piqued. So I took a leap of faith and signed up for a week as a volunteer nurse. The nervousness of what to expect disappeared the minute that I checked my first camper in and I've been hooked ever since.

Since that summer I've continued to volunteer as a nurse for a week each summer, as well as on weekends in the winter for the adaptive ski program. I'm also on call as a fill in volunteer on check-in days when the camp is inundated with smiling, happy faces ready to start their week at an amazing camp.

This year I am busy serving on the annual gala committee, one of the camp's largest fundraisers, that takes place at the end of June at The Great Escape. We still do things with the Ranch through Trampoline, with our agency sponsoring the first ever Winter Adaptive Ski Program Fundraiser last February. It was a bona fide success and we are looking forward to our continued sponsorship in what will now be an annual event. I'm already busy filling out my forms for my week at the Ranch. Over the winter we foster-housed several of the bunnies from the Ranch. My daughter Julia, who came with me for a week, is applying to volunteer in the barn in what I think will be the beginning of a long relationship between her and the Ranch; her ultimate goal is to become a counselor. 

What they say about the Ranch is true, it really is magical. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities it has given me, as a business owner, nurse, individual, and parent, to experience the magic.

Booking It to Europe

Our team has varied backgrounds, from newspapers and sketchbooks, to the operating room and backstage. Sean got his start working for a medical marketing firm in Boston, cutting his teeth on projects for Millipore and Corning, while Paula ran things in the OR for a ophthalmic practice. Last week as we wrapped up the design for the Adirondack Theatre Festival season brochure, launched the media plan for the Adirondack Museum, Paula ran out to Boston to meet with a medical practice and Sean finished a project for Delcath, it felt as if in some ways things were coming full circle.

Late last year Delcath Systems, Inc. contracted us to take existing branding elements to create a system of informational content for a European roll-out of a proprietary procedure called Chemosat. The procedure helps isolate the liver for the delivery of concentrated doses of chemotherapy without impact to other parts of the body. Using already established standards, we designed a system of booklets in six language and housing for the kit. One component of the kit, a journal, was intended for patients, and we worked very hard to establish a look and feel that maintained the clean, straightforward branding while offering a mellow and appealing design.