We talk a lot about choosing Glens Falls as the place to start our business because it is in a region where we wanted to put down roots. We’ve discovered amazing people here, but something else we’ve discovered, is that people see in the shop we’ve created, something that they want for their business, regardless of zip code. We’ve seen it first hand in the diverse, out-of-the-area clients with which we’ve been working with more and more.

Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York

The Adirondack Museum came with the spring shoots, literally and figuratively as we started work and conducted our first photo shoot in April. The relationship has allowed us to do a few of our favorite things—drive to points North, spend time with people who love this region as much as we do and introduce the area to a new audience. Together we’ll be rolling out a new campus map, a print & online ad campaign, signage and print collateral. 

Town of Newcomb, New York

Up and over a piece and we reach Newcomb, New York. We’re partnering up with Chazen Companies to create a rebrand for the Town of Newcomb. This project has been about two years in the making, but rushing contracts isn’t how you do things in the Adirondacks. Working with an incredible committee of residents, the wildlife have been remarkably non-vocal, a vision for the next generation of Newcomb is making itself known. 

Berkshire Farm Center, Canaan, New York

Berkshire Farm Center, in Canaan, is a new client that also allows us to drive through what is arguably some of the prettiest terrain in the northeast. This new relationship will involve repositioning BFC and its exceptionally beautiful campus and extensive programs to its statewide audience. We’ll have to be careful to head home and not deeper into the Berkshires.

Lakestone Family Farm, Farmington, NY

Lakestone Family Farm, a stone’s throw from Sean’s old RIT stomping grounds, is a project that sprang from Twitter. The gnarly undertaking of transitioning 65 acres of land to a working organic farm is something we were eager to help with, particularly with individuals like Dennis and Patricia who epitomize the spirit of making what you can with your hands and heart. 

SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, New York

SUNY Plattsburgh, to the North of us, has been a client for about a year. They’ve let us put signs in gondolas and throughout the Lodge at Whiteface, on billboards en route to West Mountain and posters on community college campuses from Queensbury to Long Island. Next up is a project specific to the Queensbury branch campus at SUNY Adirondack. They still haven’t let us use “Plattsbury”…give it a few years.

Late last week I was sitting comfortably in the Acupuncture Studio's new digs, just a short walk from the Trampoline office in Downtown Glens Falls. It was my first treatment in their just-opened location, but I've been a patient of theirs for years. 

In fact, this is the third location that their business has occupied. First they had a fairly standard medical office in Queensbury, then they transformed a funky warehouse space into a destination, and now their new spot is a combination of the best of each.

As I nodded off with an armful of needles, my tension left and it occurred to me that Kevin and Cindy Campopiano have been clients and friends of ours for more than seven years, now.

That meant two things to me: The first—We work well together, and understand each other. This doesn't always happen in business, especially with regard to creative and communications. Sometimes expectations don't match. Sometimes egos get in the way. Sometimes it's just not a fit.

The second meaning is a more personal one—if they've been a client for seven years and we've been in business for, meh, about nine, then it means they took a risk on us. Early on, when people hadn't seen our work, before we had awards to brag about, when we needed clients.

That started me thinking, and by now the needles were really starting to work, who else has partnered with Trampoline for that stretch of time? It's a short list, as clients come and go, needs change, businesses are sold or people move on. As our agency has grown, we've expanded our geographic footprint, and discovered a few niche markets where we communicate especially well. But, like the Acupuncture Studio, our oldest clients are all local accounts, and—undeniably—still some of our favorite people to work with. And the work continues:

The Fund for Lake George

We've worked with the Fund since 2003. We've helped 3 different Executive Directors communicate the need for lake science and stewardship, protecting our region's most treasured resource. In 2010 Trampoline illustrated and designed a 60 page guide to help landowners manage their property in ways that would keep the lake free from harm.

The book won an EPA Award and the illustrations were award winners as well. Peter Bauer just signed on with Trampoline to create another volume, this one, a 200 page tome that spans 30 years of scientific data. We're ready to show the impacts to water quality, in the hope that things will change.

Sacandaga Outdoor Center

Johnny Duncan signed with us during our first summer in business and we've followed him back and forth from the rapids of the Hudson to the slopes of Alta ever since. When you've worked with someone for that long, conversation comes easy, as it did when we asked John to weigh in on our retail venture: Nine Authentic Goods. We knew he had some experience from his Syd & Dusty's days and he was happy to help out.

Now, we're working with Mannix Marketing to redesign the website for the Outdoor Center. Still at the put-in, but should be ready to launch any day now. Rafting pun, check.

Double H Ranch

Our very first client, still going strong. We've worked to bring the positive message of Double H to the public since we opened our doors. A better cause, and a better client, could not be found. The work is always fun, the kids are always deserving and our morale is all the better for it.

After last year's Camper Sponsorship outreach effort exceeded fundraising expectations, we've been challenged by Linda Smith to beat our own success for the 2012 season. Check the mail soon for your chance to Blaze a Trail and help send a kid to camp!

Davidson Bros. Brewing Co.

Where would we be without Rick and John Davidson? Sober, for starters. The Brothers Davidson are an excellent example of entrepreneurs who know what they want, but will listen to input from all angles. They've allowed us to do some of our most fun branding and packaging, and pushed us to make each project jump off the shelf.

Their new Variety Pack just arrived and will be available this season, along with 6 packs of RYLEY Summer Ale.

Over five nonstop days and nights, the world’s most important platform for the discovery of new music, CMJ Music Marathon invades New York City with over 1,300 artist performances.

CMJ fills more than 80 of the city’s greatest venues, nightclubs and theaters with over 120,000 fans, music industry professionals, college radio tastemakers, bloggers, press, and musicians.

CMJ 2012 will once again be headquartered at New York University’s Greenwich Village campus, just steps away from dozens of downtown Manhattan venues.

Our old pal Anne Lowrie at Make Some Noise Africa is leveraging her contacts in the New York Entertainment scene and recruiting some talented South African musicians to participate in the CMJ Event this autumn. Make Some Noise Africa is currently soliciting sponsorships to cover the considerable cost of travel and boarding each band, and Trampoline is creating a campaign to accomplish just that.

The CMJ Network connects music fans and music industry professionals with the best in new music through interactive media, live events and print. The potential exposure an event like the CMJ Music Marathon could offer to an up-and-coming artist is immense, and we're proud to be a part of the effort to bring new music to the listening public.

Anne said, in a recent design review, "Can you fast-track these revisions? I have two days until I meet with Dave." which makes a good transition to another project in support of the performing arts.

Closer to home, we're already into prepress on the 2012 season brochure for SPAC, with an exciting summer of arts and events in the wings.  

Trampoline is proud to connect with Amanda Magee's history in the Yakima Valley as we begin work on the University of Washington's GEAR UP program Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.  GEAR UP is part of a national effort to assist low income families and position their children for success in higher education. 

The new program RISE UP Rural Initiative in STEM Education and Undergraduate Preparation is part of a U.S. Department of Education federal grant which will operate in 13 school districts in the Yakima, Skagit and Klickitat Valleys and serve 4,955 students over the net 7 years. The counties participating in the program have some of the highest populations of Hispanic, Native American and/or limited English-speaking students in all of Washington State, with poverty rates of 81.2%. 

The team at trampoline is eager to deliver future-enhancing resources to young people and their families in Washington State. 

An update for the Lake George RV Park that celebrates all this destination has to offer, surrounded by our Adirondack Mountains.

This private label for our friends at Quandt's Foodservice Distributors is a nod to their modest beginnings in Amsterdam—over 9 decades ago.

A farm-to-market mark for Kevin London and Kim Feeney as they bring new culinary goodness to your grocer's freezer.

A continuous line to the perfect party in Saratoga Springs.

Healthcare providers in Upstate New York have a credit union dedicated to [lowering] their interests.

Celebrating 250 years of natural beauty and community.

A new logo for a new hop variety from CLS Farms.

Whether you're an analyst by trade, constructing your theories in a corner office or you are simply a casual observer of the human condition musing on the front stoop; you see things. The conclusions you draw are of value.

Some recent perspective from a retail client of ours has sparked some discussion here at 166 Glen. What began as a strategy meeting for 2012 evolved quite naturally into commentary on the trends from the previous twelve months. "The wealthy are not spending money. We see it in our customers, the middle class is doing all the spending and the wealthy are holding on to their money. Tightly." Our conversation continued, plans were hatched and we wrapped things up with a collective so-long-2011. 

That comment about wealthy clients, or lack thereof, got us to thinking about how the financial perspective of an area impacts how we operate—specifically with regard to philanthropy.

It has been said that people with less tend to give more. If it is indeed true that those with money to spend are holding it tight while organizations in need of capital need it more than ever, then maybe we ought to really get comfortable with completely changing how we view things.

For non-profits, maybe the pursuit of a huge gift isn't as realistic; maybe it's time to truly start believing in the power of relationships. Spark a chain of philanthropy with five new givers who combined don't give the equivalent of what a major donor used to give, but who—in their new pride of participation—will carry your message further.

These aren't easy times and there are no silver bullets, what there is is the potential to leverage creativity, stretch your willingness to try new things and ultimately, the reward that there are still people who give and there are still avenues you have not pursued.

How do you get people to give?

Do you need to adjust the ask?

Or do you need to think more strategically about whom you are asking to give? 

It's that time of year when we pause to look back over the last 12 months and prepare for the next four quarters. This year has been all over the place, literally. Our work has taken us near and far and our methods have been a hearty mix of tried and true and let's-see-if-this-sticks. 

A number of our clients call us tramps and we might be just that, if you consider a tramp as someone who packs light and adapts easily. Ours is a traditional approach untouched by time, budget or pressure: we work to accomplish client goals and we don't advance by stepping on the backs of others. Everyone knows that hard work is easy to spot, and great creative is hard to forget. 

Thanks to our talented team who continue to execute for clients old and new, far and wide:

Tango Group, Plymouth, MA
For more than 12 years, Tango Group has been serving emerging and innovative companies and nonprofit organizations in the digital media and marketing space. We're happy to be working with Sue Thorn again, whose glowing testimonial on location at Northeastern has convinced many a client to sign with Trampoline.

University at Albany, Albany, NY
We'll be chronicling the stories of recent alums for an outcomes brochure for the Admissions Department at UAlbany. It will likely involve a significant amount of train time with Rob Spring, who's been tapped to photograph the students. 

Featured alumni include Accountants, Stock Brokers, Medical Residents, Social Workers and Nanotech Specialists. Many with graduate degrees from institutions like Harvard, Yale, and New York University. We're looking forward to telling stories that started at UAlbany.

LiquidSpace, San Francisco, CA
Trampoline helped LiquidSpace, in a pinch, to prepare for Mobile Work Week—an event debuting in the Bay Area on the 5th of December. LiquidSpace is an app that connects people seeking workspace with venues that have space to share. 

High-end business centers, hip startup co-working spaces, hotels and private offices are listed. We enjoy at trip to the coffee shop as much as anyone, but when it's time to actually accomplish something, a productive environment makes a difference.
 

Inrix Traffic, Seattle, WA
Google's hand picked provider of real-time traffic data, Inrix, has involved Trampoline in the creation of design elements for the next generation of their mobile app. A series of icons and an updated interface will help users navigate through snarls, bottlenecks and back-ups to reach their destinations on-time and without worry.

Alta Ski Resort, Alta, UT 
As avid skiers, this two-planker powmecca holds a special place in our quads. Alta created a new retail space for merchandise in the off-season, doubling the square footage for gear, rentals, safety equipment, outerwear and branded merchandise.

We're excited to add to our body of work for Alta, and to make the Snowbird fans look lame by comparison. Clearly, several on-site meetings will be necessary over the winter months.

Tribune Media Services, Chicago, IL
We've been trying to visually articulate entertainment data since 2005. Tribune is a great example of a company once rooted in newsprint that has evolved their business model to offer what's needed. Today, their unique connectivity —pairing celebrities with their appearances in movies and on TV—is in use by sites like imdb, Fandango and Zap2it.

El Dorado Hops, Moxee, WA
CLS Farms is nestled in the Yakima Valley, home to most of the domestic hop production in the US. They created the El Dorado hop, named for its golden color and memorable flavor that has breweries like New Belgium and Flying Dog clamoring for more. Trampoline provided an updated online presence and social media support with a consistent look on Facebook and Twitter.

Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., Brooklyn, NY
With a new sales team, an updated distribution model and bottomless demand in the city, our favorite Brothers are on tap in the Big Apple. 

Davidson's IPA, Brown, Dacker and Oatmeal Stout can be found at fine establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

Primarily offering small batch product has created a market curiosity that continues to grow. Next up: Reyes Tripel. Oh. Scratch that.

SUNY Adirondack, Queensbury, NY
Doing business with distant clients is fun, but we appreciate our nearby accounts just as much. We're proud to work together with the leadership team at SUNY Adirondack to announce the biggest thing on campus since, well, campus:

Dorms.

SUNY Adirondack will soon offer the full college experience, complete with talented faculty, new housing, athletics, 4-year degree programs and a campus in the Adirondacks!

It's time for us to take a look back at summer, that brief stretch in Upstate New York when snow doesn't cover the window panes, nor condensation dot the inside. Poster season. Ours was an active one and here, in no particular order, are some of our favorites from 2011. 

This crimson composition greeted returning students at Suny Plattsburgh as part of a series that identified up-and-coming undergrads.

Universal Preservation Hall played host to a series of performances presented by Applause Factory. Acts included the Max Weinberg Big Band, Collin Hay, and John Sebastian. Our favorite, however, was the poster for Lisa Loeb. Mostly because she signed it: Design Tramps Rock.

As owners of a retail store in the City of Glens Falls, it was nice for us to have an involvement in event promotion for downtown. In October we worked on posters for the first-ever Stew Fest, and, on the heels of that success, a Halloween street-celebration to pull families with young kids to the very heart of our region.

Rock Hill Bakehouse proudly sources a majority of ingredients from right here in New York State. They operate with a commitment to buying local, supporting sustainability and making better bread. The poster above identifies their sources and suppliers and also shows the stores, markets and co-ops downstate and in New England that sell Rock Hill Bread on a regular basis.

Parks Heritage Federal Credit Union services the Healthcare industry here in the North Country. In an effort to speak directly to potential members, a series of posters was created, each with a specific audience. They're hanging in fire houses, Doctors' offices and EMT squads (above).

 In an effort to build anticipation from two-plankers everywhere, we designed a new poster with an old look for Nine.

The Adirondack Theatre Festival's mid-season show, set in a snowed-in airport, provided polka-dot direction for this orange-and-blue number.

Collaboration comes in many forms, some of the better known iterations are musical pairings, whether it be Broadway’s Gilbert and Sullivan or Folk's Simon & Garfunkel. There are, however, many partnerships that lack the glamour or notoriety, but carry their own special punch.

As an agency in the business of communication, it's nice for us to be able to make connections. Whether that means connecting consumers to a new product like Element Caffeinated Water  or joining organizations with a common goal like Six Flags and West Mountain, we love it when a plan comes together. 

When Adirondack Radiology Associates, a medical imaging company we’ve worked with for more than five years, asked us to spearhead a new Breast Cancer Awareness campaign we were ready to go. The reality is that ARA does not need more mammography customers, but they do feel a sense of duty to continue to build awareness of the importance of being screened.We created a print campaign to remind women to get screened, at the same time we created an opportunity to connect two organizations that wouldn’t otherwise be linked. Screening patients at all the Adirondack Radiology Associates centers can take a Scoville Diamond Jewelers card and receive 10% off their purchase during the month of October. Scoville’s will than donate 10% of the proceeds of the month’s sales to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The campaigns to support Breast Cancer Awareness are numerous and varied. We recognize that going pink can, for some people, trivialize the cause it is intended to support. We have long respected the work our colleagues at Behan Communications do in support of Colon Cancer Awareness each year.

Another incredibly powerful project is the Scar Project. If you’ve not seen it, it will change your awareness of Breast Cancer 

Wherever you are, we hope this October and all the months that follow, you find support for your own cause and heightened awareness toward the causes of others. It is through these connections that we really make a difference, find consensus and impact change.

Join us on the UAlbany Campus next weekend for Fallbany: The University's celebration of, well, almost everything. The day kicks off with an enormous farmers' market which is followed by student performances, a book fair featuring UAlbany faculty authors and fun kids activities like a rock wall and presentations by the Albany Grate Dane Rescue. See some of the creative here in the TV Spot.

Inrix Traffic puts the power of real time incidents, traffic forecasting and comparisons in the palm of your hand. We just completed a redesign of their free app for iPhone/Android (winner of MacWorld's 2010 Best In Show). The update continues through the seven circles of development, but has been greenlighted, so to speak. The project managers at Inrix, based in the Pacific Northwest, knew just what they wanted, and were extremely efficient. 

So it came as no surprise to hear, just yesterday, that Google had partnered with Inrix to provide the majority of traffic data for Google Maps < the best, trudat double true. The real shame here is that it's a contractual agreement, and not a merger. Those headlines would just write themselves. Who's up for an on-ramp metaphor? For more information on what's next for Inrix, read the article at TechCrunch. 

The iconic Lake Placid olympic posters from the 1930s exclaim: Join us! Outdoors! Up Where Winter Comes to Play. The same could be said for the strategy behind a recent campaign by SUNY Plattsburgh. An agreement with O.R.D.A. places messaging in and around the Olympic venues throughout the Lake Placid region.

The goal (pun intended—hockey fans: light the lamp) is to associate the Plattsburgh brand with positive experiences that families have right here in the Adirondack Park.

Coach Herb Brooks said, "Great moments are born from great opportunities." Plattsburgh, a short 40 minutes away can, and should capitalize on the Lake Placid mystique. Drawing the line before Bob Costas, naturally.

For our part, the creative was an odd mix of education work and destination marketing. Like projects we've completed for SUNY Adirondack and Merrimack College combined with consumer campaigns for Alta Ski Resort and our own familiar West Mountain.

Design decisions were centered around location-specific copy and Plattsburgh's Cardinal red. Photos of enrolled undergrads kept our imagery legit. 

Dasherboards in the Herb Brooks Arena:

Mezzanine signage in the Jack Shea Arena:

Panels in the Cloudspin Lounge:

And Gondola Signage at Whiteface Mountain:

As a rule, designers salivate over a good packaging project. Here at Trampoline we're no different. The chance to flex our artistic muscles on a 3 dimensional surface has been known to leave a Trampoline designer giddy with excitement, hand poised over mouse, ready to pounce.  

So when we were approached over the winter to design packaging for a newly developed caffeinated water product, we jumped at the opportunity. What’s more, in addition to package design, the project also included naming, an assignment loved nearly as much as packaging. 

With any naming project, the best place to start is invariably with a little product research. As a team, we embarked on a delightfully energetic tasting of what was finally christened “Element” water. Hydrating and primed with a shot of caffeinated spark and Theanine for focus it tastes like, well, nothing. Just like water should. 

Over the course of the project including client feedback, internal critiques and revisions, Element packaging emerged reflective of this purity. Cool blues, clean lines, and a crystal clear label combined with fluid copywriting and a simple typeface conveys a product that will pick you up without weighing you down. 

Borne of nature with a touch of human ingenuity, Element water fits the bill when energy and lasting refreshment are called for, sans coffee breath or stained teeth. In stores throughout the region, Element is also available at Trampoline’s own Nine Authentic Goods in downtown Glens Falls. Swing by for a visit and grab a bottle or two, you’ll be happy you did. For all the lastest Element locations, check them out on Facebook!