In an age where everything is digital and your family and friends are a FaceTime away, writing a letter by hand and sending it through the mail is a lost art. There is something very personal about receiving a note that’s both thoughtful and handmade. We wanted to encourage our digital world to slow down and craft a note to their loved ones so we Don’t Forget to Write.
Arts Goggle is an initiative of Near Southside Inc. and is in its 14th year of existence. We have participated for the last 5 years and always enjoyed plugging into the community we spend so much time in. With the size of this year’s festivities and the addition of local businesses, our team aimed at pairing down our involvement without paring down our impact. We have consistently attempted to engage the community through unique encounters with: lemonade,body art and chalk–but this year needed a creative twist. After brainstorming, we resurrected an idea to create a postcard series that both: encouraged the novelty of handwriting while becoming collectible items themselves. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation to recruit Trust Printshop to gauge the feasibility of screen-printing the paper goods. So we designed press sheets that had 5 cards to the page and Trust delivered beautiful duo-tone prints with an unexpected (but welcomed) texture to the ink that really made them feel unique.
After the cooperation of multiple agency hands cutting down and tying our card sets with butcher string, our product was ready for the public. At the event, we set up a tent and displayed posters with our simple pricing: ¢25 to send one postcard and $5 for the set. We spoke with hundreds of people and encouraged people to send cards to people they love. We met with illustrators, nihilists, philanthropists and novelists. Some stayed to just write a card, some shared their cards and others politely declined. But whether they sat at our brown craft covered picnic tables or not, Arts Goggle was inspired to cherish and resurrect the art of rhetoric and postage. Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save
If you live in DFW, you’re most likely familiar with the Fort Worth Zoo and may be familiar with their largest annual fundraiser, Zoo Ball. Every year Zoo Ball attracts some of the biggest names in the area to support the Zoo’s local and international wildlife conservation and education efforts. The invitation for the event has always been closely tied to the theme; i.e. last year’s Zoo Ball at the Flamingo or the previous year’s Festival of the Elephants. The theme and focus of this year’s event was to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Texas Wild!, a portion of the Zoo that exhibits our great state’s different regional landscapes and wildlife.
Instead of the black tie formal-wear of years past—in the words of Alan Jackson–“We’re goin’ country!” And with a performance from Clint Black, Zoo Ball was set to be a cowboy cocktail-themed success. Our minds immediately went to the honky-tonk wood floors of Gruene Hall and Nashville-inspired Hatch Show Prints. So with the direction of “Big Hair, Boots, and Beers,” our team went on its westward way.
Process
Our hearts were set on creating a distinctly Zoo deliverable with the romance and heritage of wood block letterpress. Letterpress, simply explained, is pressing ink onto paper via wood, metal or hand carved letters and images. This process dominated commercial printing from the 1400’s to the mid-twentieth century. In today’s digital era, this process is celebrated for it’s unmatched nuance of color and texture.
To produce our limited edition set of prints, we sought out Minnesota-based premium letterpress studio, Studio On Fire. After following (and admiring) their work from afar, we were excited to partner with them for the project. With their help, our vision for the western-inspired prints came to life, complete with a blind emboss of the Fort Worth Zoo logo and hand-numbering of each print.
We created three custom illustrations that combined cowboy regalia with exotic wildlife found in the Fort Worth Zoo, bringing together the key elements of the event. These illustrations were paired with wood block-styled type, set to mimic posters of old. We created three “sayings” for the print set:
Deep in the Heart of Texas Wild! Long Necks Ain’t Nothin’
Without Rednecks Big Hair, Boots & Beer
Results
The final invitation is truly a complete package. An oversized envelope features a rustic Texas flag and warns ‘Don’t Bend or Fold or Mess with Texas’. Custom postage features animal illustrations and the Zoo logo. A hand-crafted pattern featuring Texas sayings, Clint Black lyrics, Fort Worth nods and custom animal illustrations floods the insert upon opening. And finally the prints are secured by a custom bellyband with event details and slip-sheeted for safety.
The event sold out of tickets and was both appropriately rowdy and respected. Even with fears of rain, the Zoo reassured its patrons: a little weather can’t stop our boot-scootin’ and tequila-shootin’.
Remember when we developed a unique brand and identity for the Hurst Conference Center’s bridal market, Lumiere Ballroom? We’ve continued to promote this unique positioning to the local bridal market through both traditional and non-traditional means. The goal of our most recent campaign was simple: book more tours. We knew that by viewing the venue, with it’s simple elegance and central location, wedding and reception bookings would increase. Through a digital campaign, we geo-targeted brides with the message ‘Cheers to You!’ in celebration of their engagement and the excitement to come on the big day. By booking a tour with the Hurst Conference Center, couples would receive a complimentary champagne flute set.
Developing the custom packaging came with it’s own set of challenges. Functionally, it needed to be collapsible, easy to assemble and structurally sound. There may (or may not) have been a few flute casualties in the development phase, but through trial, error and a little paper engineering, we created a carrier that met all requirements.
The flute packaging was constructed with Neenah folding board and stamped with holographic foil. The silver-based, rainbow hue mimics the iconic fiber optic star-field chandelier, making it a perfect solution to bring the abstracted Lumiere Ballroom logo to life. Since holographic foil happened to be on our design bucket list, we killed two birds with one, err, rainbow. Upon receiving the first press sheets, giddy excitement and dancing in the sunlight ensued.
Since you may not be able to see it in person, check out the foil in action above.
We all know that gathering metrics and creating reports helps determine the success of marketing or advertising campaigns, but how we gather those metrics and turn them into meaningful presentations is at times difficult for us all.
Schaefer believes that a reporting approach should be more than an excel spreadsheet or a PowerPoint with graphics, so we put together a metrics and reporting “roadmap” that explores every aspect of the process. From the gathering, organizing, and graphing to analyzing and presenting, we wanted to dive into what makes up a successful campaign report.
Download our Metrics and Reporting Guide and hopefully all (or one) of these tips will help set you up for reporting success.
Debbie Carrell bashfully met me in our phone room on the third floor to share some of her stories of past kindness and present excitement. Being our first full time Accounting Manager, she had much more to say than compound interest and federal withholding. So here’s our interview: Okay so could you tell us a brief summary experience about owning your own business?
It’s challenging. It’s rewarding. Sometimes you have the flexibility that you might not have in a corporate environment. But it’s just like working for someone else because things have to get done, and if you don’t do them they won’t get done. It definitely helps to appreciate other businesses and business owners {laughs}. So with the diverse work experience you have, do you have any particular stories that stand out?
Well, the first thing that came to mind was when I was working for Bass. I was in my office one day and there was a window behind me, and someone came in to talk to me about something. All of a sudden she was looking with these big eyes behind me.
And she starts to point.
I thought something was going to fly in behind me. Or something.
So I DARTED across the office and across the floor. {laughs}
Then she said: “oh I’m so sorry I was just going to tell you that there was this huge bird outside…”
{we laugh}
I thought there was a bird that was going to fly through the window or something. It was kind of embarrassing.{laughs} Just a bird on the window {we laugh}
And then in our work, I remember during tax season there were certain clients that were super sweet. They would come in to pick up their things and they would bring these cupcakes or bags of chocolates. Just being appreciative knowing what we did. When we did sell our business, we had one client for years and we were their CPA. She heard we were selling our business, so she sent us this nice long card. The detail she went into was really nice to hear. It was more than numbers. It was a life connection. It feels good when you know you’ve made a difference. That’s so great! I would like to think we are an agency that tries our best to make connections with the community. Tying back to our agency, what is different about working at Schaefer than other agencies?
Well I’m one of the older people here. {laughs} That’s new for me.
I think what’s different here is that I love the group of people, and I enjoy the vibrancy and positive feeling that you have around the office. It feels very close-knit, like a family connection. Even the environment of the building. I go home and tell my husband that I don’t just sit in a cubicle or a little white office. Schaefer puts off a neat energy. Yeah!I think that–well I know that I’ve never felt this way about a job before. The people, the job itself and the office environment is super neat. I completely agree. So now for the age old question: how did you hear about Schaefer? Like were you in Oklahoma and saw a billboard and thought–
I hadn’t heard of the company until I found the job listing on the Fort Worth chapter of the CPA website. When Ken asked me what made me interested I couldn’t tell him, but I knew that if I applied, there was something special because I wanted a feeling and an experience, not just crunching numbers or sitting behind a desk. I told him that I must have picked up on that. Maybe not from the job description itself, but you definitely get that from the website. You can tell that the company is more than just ‘strictly business.’ And we try our best to stay away from ‘strictly business.’ {laughs} Any final thoughts for your fans:
Those of us that have to find work, make sure you find some joy in it every day.
We sat down with our newest Account Coordinator, Morgan Staral, to introduce her to the world, per our world famous interviews. This interview was unique because we’ve been warming up to Morgan for months through her internship, and by now we have a decent understanding of how embarrassed we can make her. She politely obliged, after her billable work concluded, and we chuckled through topics ranging from: small towns, local deities and dismemberment. So without further adieu, our freshest devotee:
The first thing I have written down: Rumor has it that you hate blondes. Tell me about that.
{Laughs} Let me think about this…
You’re not going to write everything I say right? {Laughs} Well most people say that brunettes….I don’t know. People say blondes have more fun. Okay so you wanted to be brunette to disprove–
I wanted to be rebellious. Towards the blondes? You wanted to be a rebellious blonde?
No. I wanted to be a rebellious brunette! You wrote down you’re kind of from Aledo–
… For sure from Aledo. {Laughs} My apologies, {laughs}. What led you to stick around DFW after you graduated high school? Did you visit Fort Worth a lot?
Mainly because I love my family. I love Fort Worth too, but I really didn’t want to be out of my comfort zone at the time. And on the weekends yes, I’d visit Fort Worth, but on the weekdays I was busy being an athletic trainer. Any short stories?
As an athletic trainer, you have to keep your stuff together. So when people get hurt, you have to try to not freak out. But you know how I am with medical things– You run?
Yeah I run. {Laughs} So having to run to the injured player…was always horrifying. This one time a player’s fingers were stuck in another guy’s face-mask. We had to cut the face-mask off while his fingers were still stuck. That’s when I knew my training career needed to come to an end…
And we ran with scissors. Everything your mom told you not to do. {we laugh} So how did you hear about Schaefer?
Well my best friend Katie is the daughter of Ken’s good friend. One time we were at an airport in Nashville and Ken was actually there. She ended up sitting next to him on the plane and we had no idea what the future held, but she introduced us. Then when I was looking to work at an ad agency, Katie suggested looking at Schaefer (even though I had my heart set on leaving Fort Worth) and well the rest is history…
Then you know the art show thing the graphic designers do? Oh yeah the FW Creative Co-op Gauntlet?
I saw Ken and I was like, “BOW DOWN he’s a god!!” (knowing that shortly I would be an intern at Schaefer). All my friends started laughing and geeking out with me because even in graphic design, he’s a big deal! {Laughs} Even if it doesn’t make it to the interview, he’s gonna hear about that.
2015 was a year in which BRIT grew both inward and outward.The Botanical Research Institute of Texas deepened its roots by digging into its own resources. An eleven-month survey of the herbarium unlocked the secrets of their plant collection, uncovering the true size and scope of the herbarium while pointing to research opportunities under our own roof. At the same time, they brought on a new executive director, Ed Schneider, to lead the organization into the next chapter of its story within our community.
Schaefer developed the 2015 BRIT Annual Report as a modern field guide of sorts. The piece brings together the institution’s vast scientific knowledge, the beauty of its subject matter and the community of people who love BRIT. On the cover we used a natural, craft paper similar to sturdy field guides or journals, but used a gold foil illustration to contrast the more rustic look with something more modern and sophisticated.
We included four, nineteenth century etchings, printed on translucent vellum, to highlight the impressive collections housed within the walls of BRITs office. Not many people know that BRIT is home to one of the largest herbaria in the in the United States with over a million specimens. They also have an impressive collection of original etchings, paintings and books dating back to the 1700’s. We felt these collections presented a new side of BRIT and positioned them right alongside the incredible museum neighbors in Fort Worth’s cultural district.
We also worked with photographer Gary Logan to capture portraits of the individuals who played big roles in this past year’s success. The portraits brought faces to the institution and broke down any perception of BRIT being solely focused on plants. They are truly made up of great people with tremendous passion for what they do and the impact of their pursuit goes beyond what most of us know.
We are really pleased with the end result and proud to partner with BRIT for a second year in a row.
At our agency, each project is touched by an invisible hand who sources and manages the right partners to make our projects a success. A getter of goods. An accumulator of accoutrements. A manager of men. And Production. Mostly Production.
We met our newest, Mrs. Jackie Medling, coming from 8 years of Production and traffic management in Dallas. I prepped her that we like to light-heartingly interview our new folks. And that I MAY replace spicy choice selections with the word ‘Bubblegum.’ So with no more delays, here is that interaction:
Schaefer: So you’ve spent some time in Dallas? Is that correct? Tell us about your favorite place. As in, Jackie’s Guide to Dallas?
JM: If there was a one night or one day, I would suggest either going to the Bishop Arts area; there’s lot of cool funky places and good restaurants and cool book shops and coffee shops. So there or lower Greenville. They’ve redone Greenville recently. Do you have anything against Upper Green..ville?
I mean I wouldn’t go above Mockingbird on Greenville. You can but it gets into suburbs and neighborhoods and stuff. I like to stay below certain streets. Hahahah. Speaking of mockingbirds and then Blackbirds. I hear you know every Beatles lyric?
Almost yeah, yeah. Do you have a favorite or one that you’ve always been like: “whats that about?”
Favorite? Because I’m a little sentimental I like: “In my Life.” That’s one of the songs I love the most. Because It reminds me of my dad and there’s a line that says: “In my life, I love you more.” Also the line: “Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog’s eyes.” I’ve always thought: whats up with that? Its weird and creepy. Weird and creepy, makes me think of weird and sleepy. And we’ve kind of touched on it but, how important is sleep to you?
Its uh-hella important. I mean…very important… Bubblegum important?
You know, I like to go to bed around 9. I would like to wake up around 9. I can nap on command… Last question I have written is: How did you hear about Schaefer?
So I lived two streets away [pointing] Me and my husband used to walk our dogs and I used to always walk by Frank Kent and I always looked at the office and thought: A. That’s such a cool building and B. I wonder if they are big enough to, you know hire out. And also you guys make sick-cool work.
So when the position came up, I thought : “That would be a dream job. No… Bubblegum.” I’ve got to get in there. Hahaha So pretty much, from off the street. The word on the street haha.
Yeah pretty much. Any final thoughts for your adoring fans?
Ummm… Tip your Bartenders.
Who doesn’t love a neighbor that turns into a favorite client? That’s how we feel about the City of Hurst, who have been our clients for more than 5 years. In that time we’ve seen Hurst change and grow, and we’re not just talking about 121. The hardworking folks that work in City Hall have been injecting Hurst with a much needed dose of positive energy and ‘let’s do this!’ attitude.
Hurst’s expansion and growth has led to a new transition process for the community. As more DFW-ites move to Hurst, the city needed to engage and inform new residents on local resources, programs and activities. This is where we came in.
The Hurst Welcome Packet features a welcome mat (we thought it was clever) and a pair of red shoes. The diecut shoes serve as the folder’s latch, placing them on top of the welcome mat. Inside, the new resident would find detailed information on all the need-to-knows of Hurst as well as a welcome letter from the mayor.
The city won a first place TAMI Award (Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers) for the packet, and we couldn’t be more proud.
Check out that happy dance!
Within the packet, new residents also find the quarterly “Where We Live” magazine and a trifold Neighborhood Services brochure. Each of these pieces were refreshed during the past few years to more accurately reflect the colorful and light personality of Hurst.
Sealing Hurst’s status as a city ahead of the curve, custom SnapChat geofilters were developed for favorite hot spots and city events. According to SnapChat’s official website, they receive thousands of geofilter submissions daily. Of those, the Heritage Village Park graphic was selected as an outstanding submission!
We’re proud to partner with a client who makes a lasting impact on their communities. And it’s not too shabby that we think they’re great people too.
On the heels of our spring campaign launch, that introduced Gus, the baby gorilla to the world, we are proud to showcase our new TV spot for the Fort Worth Zoo. This spot is a 30 second summary highlighting the fun, educational and majestic moments that happen everyday at the zoo. With over 400 different species of animals, 15 different exhibits and attractions, it’s an experience that changes with every visit.
Over two days, we filmed all-new footage throughout the zoo and captured special moments from over 15 different exhibits and attractions including everyone’s favorite, baby Gus.
Projects like this one allow us to immerse ourselves in our client’s world as well as the experience of their customers. We learn as we explore and we look for unique ways to tell a story that people can relate to. Its a challenge that we embrace and let’s be honest, we have a lot of fun with it too.
Explore these interactive 360 videos/photos by clicking on the image and dragging around. Its a unique perspective of what its like on set.
