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!

The Albany Ad Club's 38th Annual NORI Awards were held last Friday night. The Trampoline team descended on Proctors Theatre, spouses in tow, with clients and friends, to represent our agency. It's important for us to be part of a growing creative community in upstate New York. We raised a glass with the id29 crew at Aperitivo beforehand, traded jokes with the Behan Communications team during the reception, and congratulated Freshrr on attending for the first time.

The NORIs pull us all together as an industry, and they set us apart as agencies. Internally, awards like these serve a similar purpose—rewarding the strength of an organization's process while spotlighting the efforts of individual designers. We're a spirited bunch here at Trampoline, make no mistake. Collegiate rowers, mountain bike racers, track & field stars, mathletes and triathlon competitors. We make our living getting attention for our clients. We do that by assembling the most talented people, a deep bench of professionals who love design—but measure success in the results their design generates.

Measurable impact like increased season subscriptions for the Adirondack Theatre Festival, a double in draft accounts for Davidson Bros. Brewing Company, a robust sample library for Finch Paper, a new swagger for SUNY Adirondack, or an added destination for Downtown Glens Falls. We're lucky to have great partnerships with clients who trust us, and let us create powerful work. 

Results and design should speak for themselves. But in an industry where the product (design) is completely subjective, it's nice to be acknowledged by your contemporaries. You can see our first place finishers here. This is not to say that it's all about the awards. We spent time before the event recognizing the obstacles and triumphs for each of us, that will never make into an awards ceremony or a blog entry. It was a poignant milestone, because it marked the union of us as individuals and teammates. Before any names were called, we simply and proudly acknowledged that who we are matters as much as what we do.

A lot happens in a year's time, Trina got married, Jake had a baby, Partick Sisti (pictured below) retired*, we opened a retail store, and relocated our studio. Our staff has been incredibly dependable and consistently awesome throughout.

It was true when we first hung our shingle, and it is still true today, Glens Falls is exactly the place we were meant to start this business and build this family.

Amanda and Paula celebrate hard work recognized.

Derek accepts a trophy from Patrick Sisti. They immediately began a discussion about fly fishing.

Jacob Hadden, center, award-winning illustrator.

Amy's work for ATF won a NORI in 3 categories. On newsprint, no less. No school like the old school.

Trina collected a statue for her Herculean efforts as our Production Coordinator

Even our summer intern, Leslie Searles, got into the act, winning in the student category.

*We did some of our first print jobs with Patrick, and just prior to his retirement, he did his last with us. See you around the trout stream, pal.

Thanks to Albany Alive for covering the NORIs, and providing a few of the photos used above.

The FUND for Lake George has been selected to receive the 2011 U.S. EPA Environmental Quality Award. The award will be made on April 29th in New York City. The EPA states “The Environmental Quality Award is the highest recognition presented to the public by EPA. The EPA award recognizes the successful educational publication Do-It-Yourself Water Quality designed to help Lake George property owners protect the lake’s water quality.

The FUND worked with Trampoline to develop this handsome coffee table book with 25 specially created illustrations. “After seven years of helping to design and develop campaigns for the FUND for Lake George, Trampoline is proud to have been a part of this endeavor” said Sean Magee, Principal of Brand Strategy. Derek Slayton, Principal and Creative Director at Trampoline, added “The illustrative process made use of aerial photographs for reference, pen and ink drawings, digital composition and colorization. Input from the FUND’s staff and Uplands Committee helped to refine preliminary scientific concepts. This full-scale involvement made for a memorable product that communicates clearly and efficiently.”

Congratulations to Peter and the team at the Fund who continue to work hard to keep one of our most important natural and economic assets protected.

See the illustrations here.