Free PaperSpecs Webinar:À La Carte - Cohesive Brands Across All Media

Thursday, April 3, 2014
2:00 p.m. Eastern (11:00 a.m. Pacific)

In this free PaperSpecs webinar sponsored by VMA’s Storyboard, guest speaker Christopher Simmons, principal and creative director of MINE, reveals his approach to creating a cohesive design message in today’s cross-media marketing environment.

Palo Alto, California – March 19, 2014 – The days of building a brand’s identity and messaging with a logo-and-letterhead mindset are long gone. Today, designers are considering any number of new marketing channels and creating solutions in an array of nearly unlimited media choices from print to online, from store fixtures and decor to social sites and mobile apps.

Design briefs now consider questions like:

Should the client use Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter or just one?
How do we create a website that plays well with other collateral?
Will unexpected materials and formats make conventional elements more effective?
Is the messaging coherent and consistent across all media?

PaperSpecs’ free webinar “À La Carte – Cohesive Brands Across All Media” will provide valuable insight to these issues from the award-winning design industry expert and author Christopher Simmons.

À La Carte – Cohesive Brands Across All Media
Thursday, April 3, 2014
2:00 p.m. Eastern (11:00 a.m. Pacific)

Registration Link: www.paperspecs.com/webinar.

Simmons, principal and creative director of MINE (San Francisco), will reveal his holistic approach to creating a cohesive design message in today’s cross-media marketing environment through the lens of his innovative restaurant projects.

“With restaurants in particular you get to do almost everything that a designer does – strategy, positioning, identity, logo design, menu design, website, social media, signage, décor, and sometimes even collaborating with architects,” says Simmons.

Webinar Highlights
“Restaurants have a lot to teach us about the latest technology and how to use it to reach target audiences and develop happy, loyal customers,” says Sabine Lenz, founder of PaperSpecs. “Christopher’s talent, experience and perspective make him the perfect choice to lead our webinar.”

As well as showing current examples of his notable work, Simmons will go in depth into the process of discovering and defining brand personalities and extending that voice across all media touch points – print, online and mobile.

He’ll offer tips and insights on:

Defining a brand’s attitude, look and feel (Have you given the client an “image test”?)
Determining project elements (Does the client need logo, signage, decor, website?)
Prioritizing the elements (Should the logo always be designed first?)
Visual organization (How will the client’s customer use or interact with this element?)
Re-imagining elements (Would an atypical format or medium provide a better design solution?)
Selecting social media platforms (Could a “less is more” strategy actually be better?)

“I’ve learned to never underestimate my clients in terms of their intelligence, their vision, and their willingness to take a risk,” says Simmons. “As designers, we often hold back because we think we know something about the client, about the problem, but it’s an assumption. It’s important to put it out there.”

Who Should Attend
“À La Carte – Cohesive Brands Across All Media” will be of interest and benefit to designers and marketing professionals wanting to know more about creating an effective cohesive design message in today’s cross-media environment.

PaperSpecs webinars are developed to include inspiring real-world examples, highly useful and easily implemented tips, cutting-edge perspectives from industry thought leaders, and the results of the most current research.

Thanks to the generous support of VMA’s Storyboard, “À La Carte – Cohesive Brands Across All Media” is free and open to the public. Space is limited though, so be sure to reserve your seat today for this special event at www.paperspecs.com/webinar.

About Christopher Simmons
Christopher Simmons is a Canadian-born, San Francisco–based designer, writer, design advocate, and educator. As principal and creative director of MINE, Simmons designs and directs brand and communication design projects for clients ranging from Facebook, Microsoft and Simon & Schuster, to the Nature Conservancy, SFMOMA and Obama for America. His work has been exhibited internationally at galleries, museums and design symposia, including the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Museum of Craft and Design, and The Smithsonian Institution; it is also included in the permanent design archives of the Denver Art Museum. Simmons is the author of four books, the most recent of which, Just Design, focuses on design for social change. His current writing project involves finding the creative link between design and hamburgers. Simmons served as president of the San Francisco chapter of AIGA from 2004–2006 and founded San Francisco Design Week, prompting then-mayor Gavin Newsom to issue an official proclamation declaring San Francisco a city where “Design Makes a Difference.” In 2013, he was named one of the “50 most influential designers working today.” MINE website: http://www.minesf.com/; Personal Website: www.christophersimmons.is.

About Storyboard
VMA Storyboardis a new approach to covering the creative world across all media, with a focus on the one thing that creatives of every stripe have in common: a need to tell a story in the most efficient and creative way possible. VMA Storyboard is a place to share ideas, get help, get inspired, and show off your creative work – regardless of medium. Here you’ll find inspiring projects that play smartly across the print and digital worlds. Storyboard website: http://www.vmastoryboard.com. Other important Storyboard links: Lookbook: http://www.vmastoryboard.com/lookbook/; Case Stories: http://www.vmastoryboard.com/category/case-stories/; VMA Storyboard Video: http://www.vmastoryboard.com/our-story.

About Visual Media Alliance
Visual Media Alliance (VMA) is a nonprofit trade association open to companies and individuals in the visual creative, Web media, marketing, and printing businesses located in northern California, central California and northern Nevada. VMA provides a variety of benefits and money-saving programs to help its members become more successful and profitable.

Membership benefits include: group health, business and life insurance at money-saving rates; opportunities to network with peers and collaborate with other types of media companies; business services such as a credit union, payroll service and collection letters; discounts on business essentials like software and office supplies and educational programming; personal and professional development programs for both owners and employees; business-centric education that includes dinner meetings, management seminars and classes, webinars, conferences, and hands-on technical training; and membership to Printing Industries of America (PIA) and Printing Industries of California (PIC). VMA website: http://main.vma.bz.

About PaperSpecs
PaperSpecs is a small, independent team on a mission: To provide inspiring, objective, practical, up-to-date information about paper and printing technologies via easy-to-digest tips and tricks, entertaining back stories, and expert insights. PaperSpecs helps to guide creatives from their initial inspirations to the meticulously designed, beautifully printed and finished projects print and paper lovers cherish. PaperSpecs is exclusively for designers, print buyers and paper professionals who feel a deep passion for the tactile and powerful experience that is paper and print. PaperSpecs website: http://www.paperspecs.com.

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