Phoenix First Art Direction

Recommendation

“Mark is an extremely creative individual with a great sense of design and style. His understanding of brand importance and the power of simplicity were very effective in creating a strong brand consistency throughout all the different communication mediums.”

Highlights

• Primary logo
• Branding style guide
• Letterhead
• Business cards
• Media kit
• Website design
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Podcast
• Digital assets
• Print displays
• Print banners
• Campus signage
• Bulletins
• Response forms
• Direct mail
• Motion graphics
• Streaming video

The brand name convention was standardized. In the past, various incarnations of the brand name had been used, including abbreviations. However, it was evident that “Phoenix First” 1) was commonly used and recognized, 2) instantly set the locale as a key differentiator, and 3) aligned with other brand elements including trademarks and domain names.

A branding style guide was also produced. Due to the visibility of the organization (with over 10,000 attendees weekly), the style guide served as a key component to ensure that partners, affiliates, and event promoters maintained consistency when utilizing the media kit.

New business cards, letterhead, envelopes and other brand materials were designed, for both internal and external communications.

Weekly bulletins and other publications also carried the new branding. Mark was responsible for the production process, and was able to develop substantial cost-cutting measures in place of past processes.

The primary website was also redesigned with user experience central to the development. As the central hub for partners and affiliates, as well as an ever-changing calendar of events, the site was designed to be intuitive. With over 2,000 pages of content, all user interactions were organized within a clear hierarchy and consistent format.

A new editorial system powered both the online calendar, weekly email updates, and the printed bulletin creation. This allowed a variety of sources to submit content, complete with a system for moderation, statuses, and editing on-the-fly.

Email marketing and social media strategy. Within a few months, the email marketing increased site visits by nearly 30% and became an integral part of the digital marketing strategy. Likewise, since the organization had no prior social media presence, Facebook and Twitter became new points of referral and interaction.

Podcast development. The format of the organization’s communications and events naturally lent themselves to the podcast format. A new podcast channel was created for iTunes and almost instantly drew a sizeable audience.

Mark pioneered the use of streaming video and motion graphics as a means for additional content marketing opportunities. Weekly services were made available online, and engaging promotional videos were designed for upcoming events on a regular basis.

A range of other materials were produced in the Art Department, including campus signage, banners, event flyers, direct mail, and response forms.

Local and national awareness of the Phoenix First brand expanded dramatically, and the multiple new and revised touchpoints allowed the organization to communicate with its audience more effectively, efficiently, and engagingly than ever before.