Lumiere Ballroom

Cheers to you!

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.

September 1, 2015

Opinion: Google’s New Look

Blair: My first impression is that I like the multi-colored “G” as the icon.

Jon: Because of its simplicity, I kept looking at it to try to notice details, but then I realized that the simplicity is the detail.

Charlie: My first thought was, “It’s about time.” To me, this matches everything they’ve been doing for the past few years – from a UI perspective, from a design perspective…

Scott: So, simple question: Do you like it?

Charlie: Yes.

Blair: Yes.

Jon: I think it serves its purpose.

Scott: Do you feel like this is an innovative mark, or are they following a trend?

Jon: I think they’re following the trend that when a company is successful, they can rely on a mark that’s simple. It’s kind of a power move.

Blair: I think the other things with the logo like the animations, the “G” logo and the little man that turns up the “E” in the video gives it some personality.

Charlie: I think they’re kind of the poster child for a dynamic logo, and they’ve built on that for so many years with animations and games, etc. It’s never been static, and this new typeface fits the playful whimsy that you’d want if your name was Google. Another big part of their new identity is the animated dots and the interaction they create. There’s a robotic response to it, whereas I wouldn’t be surprised if you could soon be talking to your browser.

Scott: Do you think they ripped off Siri with the ‘OK Google’ thing?

Charlie: No, they’ve had that for a while.

Blair: Apple has Siri, but Google is Google. It’s a noun and a verb.

Charlie: I think they started the trend, and their brand embodied it. Now, I think their logo fits that trend that they created. In all honesty, I think Apple followed the trend that Google started a few years ago.

*At this point, Amanda brought cookies and everyone went downstairs. So there it is, Google. Schaefer Advertising approves of your new logo.
**A little while later, Todd came back from a meeting and decided to weigh in.

Todd: I associate Google with the thin, serifed, lower-case “G,” so I wouldn’t have updated to a bold, sans-serifed font. Nike didn’t add a wave to their swoosh after 17 years. That’s all I got.

September 1, 2015

Opinion: Google's New Look

Google unveiled a new logo today. And while they chose not to run it past us first, we feel sure that they’re still very curious what our opinions are on the matter. Therefore, I’ve assembled our crack team of rebranding experts to weigh in on the update.
Blair: My first impression is that I like the multi-colored “G” as the icon.
Jon: Because of its simplicity, I kept looking at it to try to notice details, but then I realized that the simplicity is the detail.
Charlie: My first thought was, “It’s about time.” To me, this matches everything they’ve been doing for the past few years – from a UI perspective, from a design perspective…
Scott: So, simple question: Do you like it?
Charlie: Yes.
Blair: Yes.
Jon: I think it serves its purpose.
Scott: Do you feel like this is an innovative mark, or are they following a trend?
Jon: I think they’re following the trend that when a company is successful, they can rely on a mark that’s simple. It’s kind of a power move.
Blair: I think the other things with the logo like the animations, the “G” logo and the little man that turns up the “E” in the video gives it some personality.
Charlie: I think they’re kind of the poster child for a dynamic logo, and they’ve built on that for so many years with animations and games, etc. It’s never been static, and this new typeface fits the playful whimsy that you’d want if your name was Google. Another big part of their new identity is the animated dots and the interaction they create. There’s a robotic response to it, whereas I wouldn’t be surprised if you could soon be talking to your browser.
Scott: Do you think they ripped off Siri with the ‘OK Google’ thing?
Charlie: No, they’ve had that for a while.
Blair: Apple has Siri, but Google is Google. It’s a noun and a verb.
Charlie: I think they started the trend, and their brand embodied it. Now, I think their logo fits that trend that they created. In all honesty, I think Apple followed the trend that Google started a few years ago.
*At this point, Amanda brought cookies and everyone went downstairs. So there it is, Google. Schaefer Advertising approves of your new logo.
**A little while later, Todd came back from a meeting and decided to weigh in.
Todd: I associate Google with the thin, serifed, lower-case “G,” so I wouldn’t have updated to a bold, sans-serifed font. Nike didn’t add a wave to their swoosh after 17 years. That’s all I got.

January 15, 2015

All roads start here. Flash Global Rebrand

Flash Global Logistics was in need of a new logo that more accurately reflected their brand identity – including the company’s global solutions, evolving culture and growing customer base of emerging companies. Considering the scope and implications of a change on this scale, we would like to prepare for a full rebranding initiative, beginning with the development of a new logo and associated identity style guide.
The new logo needed to convey a progressive look and reflect the company’s evolving culture and growing customer base of emerging companies.
Our solution introduced a shortened name, Flash Global and an iconic ‘F’ mark. Speed, efficiency and strength are at the root of what Flash Global promises their customers and the new mark embodies each of those. Moving into this new look has inspired their internal team and helped them elevate their own expectations for the company as a whole. Visually, the brand now matched the quality of the product they have been delivering for years.
Schaefer launched the new Flash Global brand with a new logo, business papers, website, presentation support and all kinds of new swag for the teams at Flash.

July 20, 2014

Guiding the journey home

Founded in 1984, Presbyterian Night Shelter is a non-profit organization that does more than just provide a place to sleep. Through a variety of services, they help clients on the journey from homeless to home. With new services being added and new building projects underway, they came to Schaefer for rebranding and fundraising materials.
The open door logo was birthed out of a game of catch in the side yard. That probably had nothing to do with it, but it’s how we got the creative juices flowing. While the door is symbolic of the roof Presbyterian Night Shelter provides to the homeless, it’s also a symbol of permanent housing, which is the goal for everyone who stays there. For many, the Night Shelter is the only door open to them. But there’s hope on the other side.
Another aspect of the project was fundraising materials for a new women and children’s housing project on the Night Shelter property. While the original ask was for printed materials, we looked at the fundraising goals as well as the potential donor base and decided that a video would be the most effective way to go.
Filmed on a shoestring budget by our, at that time, brand-new friends at 1820 Productions, the video sought to convey a single, powerful idea: home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. As you hear businessmen and women, professionals and even someone who is currently homeless talk about home, the specifics might be different, but the feeling is universal. Punctuating it all is the surprising statistic that 85% of homeless people don’t stay that way.
Homelessness is a curable condition. And we’re proud to help Presbyterian Night Shelter in their mission to end homelessness in Tarrant County.

January 8, 2014

Bridal Brand Development for the Hurst Conference Center

This year, the Hurst Conference Center came to us with a problem. As always, we came back with a solution.
Problem: How can we increase our wedding and reception bookings and overcome the negative perceptions that engaged couples have of a conference center as a wedding venue?
Solution: Develop a unique brand and identity for the Hurst Conference Center’s bridal market that sets it apart from competitors.
Our first step was to evaluate the local bridal market, the competitors and the unique attributes of the conference center. We then crafted the venue’s unique positioning, which guided us through the naming and identity development process. Our strategy was to develop an identity that conveyed simple elegance while highlighting the unique attributes of the grand ballroom while giving it a name that would sound good on wedding invitations. We developed several different names and designs and, in partnership with the client, landed on a name that highlighted the iconic fiber optic star-field chandelier located in the grand ballroom – Lumiere Ballroom at the Hurst Conference Center.
With the bridal identity developed, we executed the new brand in several collateral pieces to introduce it into the marketplace. Our goal was to differentiate the bridal marketing elements from the rest of the Hurst corporate/meeting planner marketing pieces. This meant pulling away from the traditional red and orange colors.
The bridal identity is set apart from the corporate HCC brand through the photography style and limited use of colors. De-saturated photography added an element of refined elegance to the space, while the use of black allowed the chandelier to stand out as a focal point within the venue. However, the corporate/meeting HCC brand and the bridal identity are tied together through the use of photography and the type family (Helvetica).

October 25, 2013

Rebranding Tallulah & Company

Schaefer Advertising recently rebranded Tallulah & Company, a Fort Worth interior design company led by Ally Arlington. She’s the very talented designer who is responsible for the beautiful environment we work in every day. She tasked our team with developing an identity that could exude a timeless style with a flair for the unexpected. It needed to be strong yet comfortable. Beautiful yet functional. Just like her work.

We enlisted the help of calligrapher Lauren Essl, of Blue Eye Brown Eye, to craft the handwritten logo treatment.

October 25, 2013

Rebranding Tallulah & Company

September 10, 2013

JPS Health Network Rebrand

Last year, JPS Health Network charged us with reinvigorating their brand and changing the perception that this county hospital was dated, distant and becoming irrelevant in the community. By doing so, we could inspire the employees within the network to have greater pride in their organization and in the quality care they provide for their patients.

The new JPS Health Network logo consists of the JPS icon and the tagline “Centered in Care, Powered by Pride.” The tagline is given new prominence to clearly define the JPS commitment to excellent patient care. It’s necessary to evolve logos over time to keep them relevant as the assumptions made when the initial logo was established may no longer hold true. The color-enhanced JPS logo reflects the vibrancy, diversity and energy of their staff today while maintaining the core blue icon that is so well recognized in the community.

We found that almost 80% of their printing used four or five colors. With this discovery, we saw an opportunity to introduce more color to the logo that would not impact the budget for printing and would deliver greater impact in digital mediums.

Visually, this is not a drastic overhaul of an identity but a very specific and strategic evolution that focuses on opportunities to better JPS as a network. This can be seen in the improvements to legibility within the icon and typography. Our design styles and approach to all communication materials moving forward must provide clarity because it reflects the quality of care that is provided.

We selected the Tisa typeface family to bring a more contemporary look to the JPS brand. By contrasting a sans serif and slab serif typefaces, we are able to provide variety to the various extensions of the brand without sacrificing consistency or legibility. When paired with the updated icon, this typeface maintains brand recognition within the community and displays a more approachable image.

– Charlie Howlett

September 3, 2013

J.L. Matthews Rebrand

J.L. Matthews Co. is a third generation family-owned business based in Fort Worth that specializes in top-of-the-line safety equipment and apparel for lineman and arborists. They recently came to us with the challenge of updating their brand without losing the history and values that still shape the company today.

Founded in 1946 by Joe L. Matthews, their main focus remains the same: provide top-notch, personal customer service with an emphasis on training and safety. With such a deep family history, it was fun to get to know their business on a more personal level. Old family photos showed what it was like back when Joe Matthews was creating custom leather harnesses in his small, cluttered workshop.

Our goal was to update the brand to make it relevant to their current customers without losing the heritage and family values that continue to set them apart.

Since safety is the most important facet of their business, we began by shifting the brand color from red to a safety orange. For a family of Red Raider fans, this wasn’t an easy decision, but it proved to be the right one.
The logo features the company name with emphasis placed on “Matthews” since that resonated most with existing customers. Date and location were added as secondary elements, and the shield shape conveys strength, which represents the industry and those who work in it.

Lumiere Ballroom

Archives

Cheers to you!

Opinion: Google’s New Look

Opinion: Google's New Look

All roads start here. Flash Global Rebrand

Guiding the journey home

Bridal Brand Development for the Hurst Conference Center

Rebranding Tallulah & Company

Rebranding Tallulah & Company

JPS Health Network Rebrand

J.L. Matthews Rebrand

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