Complex ideas made intuitive. That’s what we do. We’re good at figuring out who you are, tackling complicated problems, digging deep, and creating simple solutions that make sense for your brand. That’s serious stuff, but we also know how to have fun, blending equal parts wisdom, humor, and good relationships into every project at Square One.
Nutrition
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M greenplanit I’ll make it sound good.
Fresh every day. We are a bright, fun-loving group of individuals, and we like working with clients who value those things, too. One example is Scott Group Custom Carpets. More than 10 years after our original brand development, we continue to work together, evolving their brand to mirror changes in their market and corporate culture. Our most recent projects include a new web site, packaging, ads, and brochures, all designed to reveal the balance between their beautiful luxury products, talented design staff, and unwavering customer service. The strong communication and innovative spirit we share with Scott Group has kept their message fresh and relevant since day one.
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Getting results. While the success of many projects is measured in our clients’ satisfaction, sometimes it can be measured in concrete numbers, too. The good design and strategic thinking we invested into CCS’s recruiting materials surpassed our client’s goal of 100 new students, bringing in record-high applications and enrollment that year. The completely rebranded materials included a 72-page viewbook, an interactive CD, a website, new letterhead and business cards, a course catalog, and five brochures, all featuring strong color and pattern, clear messaging, and new photography designed to appeal to prospective art students. CCS was so pleased with the results that they retained us to work on their recruitment package the following year.
Know-how. Problem solving is an integral part of what we do. For example, when we teamed with Nucraft, we began by helping them raise the bar on their computer rendering process. Our recommendations streamlined the process while enhancing the picture quality through better lighting, wood veneers, and cleaner, more sophisticated sets. This was the first step in establishing a new brand look that’s all about clarity, with pared-down design that lets the product be the star of any communication.
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Giving back. We love being part of our community and have been fortunate in our success. So we also make it a priority to give back, through clients such as Opera Grand Rapids, Artworks, Olivia’s Gift, and AHA to name a few. We helped Disability Network/Lakeshore discover the power of its brand, creating a new identity, web site, annual report, and other materials to raise awareness and support for people with disabilities. After implementing the program, other agencies in their network asked for referrals, and we’re currently extending the program to Traverse City, the Upper Peninsula, Lansing, and Michigan’s Thumb Region.
Shelf statements. In the competitive environment of a retail store, influencing consumers to choose one product over another is part science, part art. When Michiganbased Paramount Coffee asked us to help create a few mini-brands, we started with the simple and ubiquitous “Joe.” A hip, approachable name, high-impact graphics, and fun flavor names give “Joe” a personality with the power to move to the front of the checkout line.
“Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.” —Paul Rand
All in the turn of a page. We design communication. Sometimes we tell a story that builds with nuance, and sometimes it’s an image that tells a whole story in an instant. Whatever your message, we can define an effective way to deliver it: visually, verbally, or via any medium you desire. Our recent print campaign for Haworth introduced new product stories while maintaining ties to the familiar Haworth brand family. The unconventional illustrated approach generated an average of 75-80 leads per insertion, was called “compelling� by subscribers, and even influenced several buyers to spec Zody exactly as shown in the ad.
Creating momentum. Sometimes a stalled project just needs a little tweaking to become a success. At Square One, we’re skilled at the critical and creative thinking needed to get the ball rolling. For example, we recently boosted the performance of Haworth’s Start It Up program, which had been a quiet program for years. We recommended embracing the name and creating a smaller, retail-like catalog that simplified ordering with just one line per spread. We also featured Haworth members and headquarter images in the photography, adding personality, elevating the products, and helping this program live up to its energetic name.
Winning strategies. We’re in the business of creating solutions. Sometimes that means auditing a brand to identify its strengths, find any weak points, and create strategies for moving forward. We consider each brand as a whole, addressing the audience/ market, culture, sales process/cycle, messaging, promotional tools, and aesthetics to analyze what’s working and what’s not. Once the audit is complete, we create a road map to focus our efforts, leverage your strengths, and implement the changes we prescribe. This audit process was a valuable tool in creating a strategic plan for Amway’s eSpring brand. It allowed us to identify the global weaknesses of the brand and develop a long-range road map with practical steps to fix them.
Broadening markets. As part of the creative culture in West Michigan, we’re avid supporters of the arts in our community. So when Opera Grand Rapids asked us to help expand its audience, we were happy to take on the challenge. After creating a new identity for the Opera in 2006, we’ve designed a series of visually impactful materials to promote every season. By interpreting each opera’s storyline in vivid, painterly illustrations, we create exciting images that stand out from other non-profit events and appeal to a wide range of viewers – sparking ongoing interest that reaches beyond the traditional opera audience.
Getting in gear. At Square One, we love introducing organizations to the power of professional communications. It’s exciting to help them find their voices, polish their image, and use their brand to stand out from the competition. Recently, we’ve been teaming with MIT to take their marketing to the next level. Their new brand has the confidence to stand out on the shelf and in sales presentations, helping retailers and consumers recognize them as the solid choice they have always been.
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Attention, please. A trade show is a perfect opportunity to connect with your audience – provided you can break through all the visual noise around you. At Square One, we’re skilled at finding creative ways to make your space stand out and make an impact. We’ve also used our problem solving abilities to design systems that can be easily updated from year to year, giving our clients a fresh look without stressing their budgets or the environment.
What our clients think. Amway Sharon Grider, Director, Latin America Transformation “I wanted you both to know that I just got back from Monterrey last night. We took the four sample kits down to our meeting with our country managers. They were THRILLED!!! Not a single scrap was left - they grabbed everything and anything. My heart skipped a beat when I heard them fighting over who could have the samples we took down. And then I noticed our Central American manager carrying the case over his shoulder as he left the building! Big smiles! A HUGE thanks to both of you and all your hard work and creative effort under the crazy timeframes we had. The ThinkBig theme really resonated with them. They loved the set up with the DVDs and brochures.”
Haworth Tracy Harrison, Project Leader, Marketing Communications “Haworth’s 2008 Brazo and Zody advertising creative, by Square One Design, continues to perform extremely well in terms of recall and leads. It scored in the top 5 for recall in Interior Design when measured earlier this year. And, for the first time ever, Haworth’s creative has moved into the top 5 in recall for Metropolis magazine. In addition to scoring high in recall, these ads are also generating elevated levels of direct leads. In Interior Design, the average number of direct leads for a specific ad insertion is around 30. Haworth’s 2008 ads are generating closer to 75 or 80 leads. We’ve already had one insertion generating a direct lead total of over 100.” Lauren Cullum, Product Analyst, Systems Product Marketing “I just wanted to thank all of you for your hard work on the Start It Up catalog. I am so impressed on how it turned out…it looks absolutely beautiful! This is going to mean the world to our field sales members and dealers to be able to have a tool that will help them win more business! This catalog is a great piece to really show potential customers what Haworth Start It Up has to offer. Thank you again for all of your efforts! I enjoyed working with all of you and I appreciate all of the energy and time you put into this project!”
Kellogg John Torre, Marketing Manager “Square One’s high quality creative work impresses me again and again. They’re also very collaborative and welcome me into the creative process. That’s important, because I’m the one who has to sell ideas up the ladder. Square One answers the questions I’m asked at an executive level before I’m even asked. They set high standards and give me the tools I need to follow through internally.”
Scott Group Mike Ruggeri, President “When Square One works on a project, you get the impression that they care about the end result as much as you do. It’s not just fulfilling the project brief. They think beyond that, as to how it might affect other parts of the business that they’ve touched before. They proposed an entire new image for us and developed new graphics that we love. People in our industry recognize our logo now, and we’ve doubled our sales in the last five years.”
Disability Network, Lakeshore Ruth Stegeman, Executive Director “I’m grateful to Square One for so much! I’m continually amazed at how you have transformed our organization’s message into something visible. It’s as though we were in the dark corner, slaving away, and you came and let in the light. Even now, the phrases, ‘this changes everything’ and ‘more than you think’ are being heard all around the state, spreading the light far and wide.”
Good relationships = good design. AIGA West Michigan Alticor/Amway ArtServe Autocam AWS Cannon Muskegon Clare Wade Communications Columbian Logistics Network College for Creative Studies Disability Network Blue Water Disability Network Lakeshore Disability Network Northern Michigan Disability Network Upper Pennisula Disability Network Michigan Disability Network Ann Arbor Disability Network Grand Rapids Emerse Garrison Dental Solutions Gilmore Habitatery Harbor 31 Haworth Herman Miller Izzy Jade Pig Ventures Jeup Kellogg Lauren James Studio Lighthouse Communities
MIT MSU College of Human Medicine MVA Nucraft Opera Grand Rapids ORG Paramount Coffee Prince Corporation/Johnson Control Sears Architects Scott Christopher Scott Group Custom Carpets Spartan Distributing Steelcase Surpass The Church Herald The Health and Wellness Institute True North Architecture UICA Vaal Vos Van Andel Institute Via Design Viable Waldenbooks Walker Tool and Die Worden Xibitz
Let’s talk. Square One Design aha@squareonedesign.com 616.774.9048 / 800.874.5113 1331 Lake Drive, Suite 210 Grand Rapids, MI 49506 squareonedesign.com