Tag Archives: advertisements
July 15th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design, Informational. No Comments.
There’s a time and place for everything and thus was the case for Little Creek Casino Resort’s logo in their most recent outdoor advertising campaign. As with any business, the logo will always be an ongoing topic of discussion as to placement and size in advertisements. This is a good discussion to continuously have for the business’s sake and the public’s sake. If a logo is too often “overstated” it can overpower the message and take away from the effectiveness… the same being true if a logo is too small, then the message may have no impact or might lack context. For many years Little Creek has delicately wrestled with this logo-to-message balance and finally decided it was time to go for the bold with a “logo message.” By definition “logo message” is a bit of a paradox as that really is not a message, so many industry buffs and advertisers will call this style of advertising “logo branding”… which is just that; placing a business’s logo onto as much media as possible and immersing that media into as much of the target market as possible. Recognition and acknowledgement… be it through conscious reception or subliminal absorption, the public becomes better informed of a business’s presence. With all the bold messaging Little Creek has continuously posted in their outdoor media campaigns, their logo was not the star performer until now. In outdoor advertising, the bigger an element is, the bolder that element is, and when Little Creek asked that I design this campaign with the logo as the forerunner, I made sure it was the biggest element. To add a visual splash of just one of their many gaming, lodging, dining and entertainment amenities, Black Jack seemed like a quick read as to them being the winning casino that they are [Voted the South Sound's Best Casino five years in a row]. If you’re thinking it’s time to brand your logo on a broad reaching outdoor campaign or through various formats of personal print or online advertising, please contact me, Erik Eikenberry at Erik Paul Artistic Communication… and let’s get started today!
PLEASE NOTE: The above images are “proof of performance” photos provided by Clear Channel Outdoor and are intended to show that the client’s advertisement has been posted on the specific medium. The media is not photographed for graphic designers to use as portfolio pieces such as I am doing here on my blog [meaning I have the right use these images, but they were not shot with the intention of being a "great" photo].
Tags:advertisements, Advertising, Billboard, black jack, branding, Bulletin, Bus, Campaign, dining, entertainment, Erik Eikenberry, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, gaming, general message, graphic design, Lacey, Lewis County, Little Creek Casino Resort, lodging, Logo, Mason County, media, Olympia, online advertising, Outdoor, Print, South Sound, target market, Thurston County, Tumwater, Voted Best.
June 3rd, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design, Informational. No Comments.
It’s not often I post many small advertisements on my blog, but I felt this quarter page ad for the Western Gambling Journal was one of my more simple designs, yet still a fun ad to present… and, as well, I figured this was a great opportunity to get the word out about the June Poker Tournaments happening at Little Creek Casino Resort. Little Creek has been voted the “Best Casino” in the South Sound for five years in a row now and it’s no surprise! They are well known for having the largest poker room and offering the widest variety of poker games in the South Sound… not to mention a continuous expansion and never ending selection of the newest and hottest slots and multimedia games. Over the years I’ve seen Little Creek expand their poker tables from their locations on the main gaming floor to building a huge poker room. Speaking of years, the previous poker advertisements for Little Creek [click for example] were always designed with some type of photography, lots of textures and graphic elements. After using a heavily designed look for almost five years, Little Creek finally decided it was a good time to pull back and tone down the design… and though I am a huge advocate of photography in advertising and I think textures with graphic elements can almost always be effective when done correctly, I am very pleased with this new, refined design. If you have advertising and graphic design needs in the Olympia, Tumwater, Lacey area, please contact me, Erik Eikenberry at Erik Paul Artistic Communication… and let’s get started today!
![June 2010 Poker [Quarter Page] Ad - Designed by Erik Eikenberry](http://erikpaul.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/June10_Poker_WGJ_517px.jpg "June 2010 Poker Ad [Quarter Page] - Designed by Erik Eikenberry")
Tags:advertisements, Advertising, graphic design, graphic elements, Lacey, Little Creek Casino Resort, Olympia, photography, poker, poker face, texture, tournament, Tumwater, Western Gambling Journal.
April 7th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Informational. No Comments.
This isn’t about camping, eating pine cones or fleeing from bears; this is about another type of outdoor that can be just as unpredictable… outdoor advertising. Outdoor advertising, or just Outdoor, is a fancy name the industry lumps together for advertising space on billboards, buses, transit units, tall walls, benches, kiosks, etc… any medium that is “outdoors.” Having been deeply rooted in the outdoor advertising industry I like to point out some characteristics of what makes for good Outdoor. Very often an outdoor ad is overlooked or indecipherable because it’s cluttered by graphic elements or is too text intensive or the font isn’t able to be read due to font selection, size, color, distance from the viewer… the reasons go on and on. This sadly happens all the time… for the amount of money being spent on each outdoor advertising unit, it’s smart to have the most effective message that utilizes the most pertinent elements to convey the meaning. I don’t like to say this as a graphic designer and an artist, but sometimes “pretty” Outdoor doesn’t make for effective advertising. These are powerful mediums and in people’s faces, but if there is no pop or punch, then “pretty” becomes pretty ineffective. Obviously the intent is to make effective ads that are as well visually engaging… that’s great Outdoor!
So what is this rule of thumb? Three seconds, three elements! Actually it’s a few different rules rolled into one thumb. Always take into consideration that your audience might only have a few seconds to glance at your outdoor ad. Three seconds is a good rule of thumb as the viewer is usually anticipated to be the driver. They are inundated with so much sensory information that three seconds is the best “worst case scenario.” Of course this will vary depending if the unit has a strong read at a stop light or if the read is hindered by obstructions such as trees or traffic. The more obstructions there are, the smaller the window of impact (or absorption opportunity). Consider the road speed: is the read from a freeway or on a 35mph road? 20 feet off the road or 200 feet? Assess the frequency the medium is repeatedly seen, the sun light direction, shadows, which side of the road, etc! The most important portion of the rule of thumb is the amount of elements in the advertisement… again three is a great rule of thumb. This is by far the hardest rule to respect and the easiest to dismiss. Some people will say to use the “who, what and where principle” to determine ad elements, but Outdoor strength comes by determining the “who, what, where, when and why.” Then, from those five principles, any three relevant ones should be used to convey the most important information. Outdoor mediums are not brochures, nor webpages, so the content should not be intensive as such. Three seconds, three elements… that sums up “The Great Outdoor Rule of Thumb.” If anything, it’s logical to just put your business name (or logo), your message (consisting of very few words) and your contact information (nowadays just a url is sufficient). Smart advertising in general never uses one medium to sustain a product, service, event or experience, each medium available is an ancillary of the other. If you are successful in composing with three elements, lastly consider a supporting visual element. This is optional and if unnecessary… leave it out. Nothing distracts a message easier than a busy graphic or a photograph in need of being deciphered (with only three seconds to do so). Inversely, sometimes nothing compliments a message like a simple graphic or “instantly understood” photograph. Last rule of the thumb, before the creative is sent off for installation and posting, step back from your outdoor ad and view it from at least 10 to 15 feet… if you can’t read the elements on the monitor (or printed out and hung on the wall) that’s a good indication your ad won’t read on the street. If you have the option or ability, photoshop it (or mock it up) onto a photograph of the location (click here for an example). Try to ride the location if possible to see the unit before purchasing the space… take in all the surroundings; traffic (amount of/lack of), lighting, obstructions, distance (at what point can you read the content and from how far away). If you’d like to discuss ways to further maximize and best utilize your outdoor advertising and advertisements, please contact me, Erik Eikenberry… and let’s get started today!
Tags:advertisements, Advertising, Erik Eikenberry, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, graphic design, graphic designer, Logo, mockup, Out-Of-Home Advertising, Outdoor, Outdoor advertising, Rule of Thumb.
March 16th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design, Personal. No Comments.
Whenever I am out and about, I keep my eyes focused on the surrounding advertisements in our community, mainly on bus ads and billboards (or outdoor advertising as the industry calls them). As an advertiser (who started his career in the outdoor advertising business in Los Angeles) I truly believe outdoor advertising is a great medium and a powerful one (if done correctly). The Sunset Strip would be nothing without billboards, tall walls or transit ads and the same is true for our own North West, I-5 Fife Corridor, which is notorious for its jam-session of 4-story tall billboards. So, when one of my advertisements is on the street (being driven around somewhere) it’s no surprise that I’m going to track it down. I have to admit I have gone to many lengths (and miles) to track down a simple,”nothing to brag about” snapshot, all in the name of advertising. Yes, advertising is my passion and so, I kept my passion alive Friday night when my wife and I were on our way to dinner and a movie and I spotted a “Half Back” ad of mine. I went from date-nighter to bus-chaser in zero to five seconds. I suppose I should rewind why I was so intent (aside from being passionate about advertising). Friday afternoon, after receiving an “unpostable” and horrible quality “proof-of-performance” photo from Clear Channel Outdoor of the Power To The Player “Half Back,” I realized I might never have an image of this graphic design piece unless I take matters into my own hands. So having the understanding and uber-patient wife that I do, I chased this bus… right turn after right turn after right turn, all the way to the Intercity Transit station on State Ave & Washington St. in downtown Olympia. Vehicles are not allowed in the bus terminals, so after wedging into a parking stall I ran across the station grass field, through a few crowds of people and finally was up on it and snapped… the… below… image (sorry, I had to catch my breath). If you have any advertising or graphic design needs there’s no need to chase me down, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Power To The Player Bus “Half Back” Designed by Erik Eikenberry
Tags:advertisements, advertiser, Advertising, billboards, bus ad, Clear Channel, Erik Eikenberry, graphic design, Half Back, intercity transit, Little Creek Casino Resort, Olympia, Power To The Player, Thurston.
