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CREATING
The firm’s core portfolio was initially bound by metal rivets, so pages could easily
be removed and replaced when appropriate. Since the metal scratched the
brochures stacked above and below, the firm substituted white plastic rivets for
the second piece in Larsen’s promotional literature series—the ID brochure.
“This second component was developed based on a lesson learned: It is difficult
to show a single identity design alone; identities are best displayed in quantity,”
Larsen says. With a compendium brochure, Larsen can demonstrate their
breadth of visual solutions for identities and give the client a chance to consider
a variety of directions. And since Larsen identifies itself as a consulting office,
not a style office, a compendium exhibits a diversity of approaches executed by
the firm’s sixteen graphic designers.
One would expect a general capabilities piece to be the first brochure Larsen
might develop. “With our clients, it’s easier to demonstrate print collateral by
showing actual finished samples,” Larsen says. “They exemplify the quality of
design, printing, paper, and texture for which Larsen is known. By the same
token, we are better able to show our interactive design capabilities by directing
prospects to URLs we’ve designed and developed. Therefore, the two easiest
areas to promote—print and interactive—have been the last to be solved through
printed literature.”
Larsen created the “What Sells” retail brochure to distribute during the recent
recessionary economy. “It cuts to the message and demonstrates that we have
the ability to help corporations and marketing managers drive revenue to the
top and bottom line,” Larsen says. “Its brightly colored cover with large type and
all full-page photos is a departure from the rest of the promotional literature
system, primarily because B2C requires a more assertive approach than B2B.”
π
Every month, a new project is featured
in a large-format postcard, with a single
thought and image on the front and a case
study on the back. This direct mail is sent
as a memory tickler to Larsen’s client and
prospect mailing list.
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IMPlEMENTING
Larsen’s printed brochures are primarily given to serious prospects and clients
with whom they anticipate working. “In the past, we may have sent brochures to
an extensive prospect list due to its low cost, but now that we print fewer pieces
and they cost more per item, we are fairly selective as to who receives them,”
Larsen says. “We occasionally send literature to a short list of companies in a
particular industry we want to pursue, or send individual targeted packages that
address news about a company that fits with our experience.”
Each component within Larsen’s portfolio arsenal has been designed by a
different Larsen designer, with Larsen serving as creative director in every case.
The current literature system printing cost is about $18 to $20 apiece based on
digital, short-run (250 pieces) printing. The unit cost of previous years’ examples
was $8 to $10 each, but when printed in quantities of thousands, Larsen couldn’t
use the brochures in a timely manner and the featured work became dated.
π
With its extensive portfolio of identity
designs, Larsen built a card deck that could
include all or some of the exemplary work
based on what a client wants to see—
and bound together by a rivet.
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“The goal of our promotional literature is to gain new business and referrals
from existing clients, past clients, recommenders, partners, and prospects,”
Larsen says. “The purpose of the literature has been to exhibit our client work—
rather than be a statement about design itself. In many ways, we have taken
our cues for the layout of the pieces from publications like Communication Arts
and Graphis.” As the viewer flips though the brochure, it has a design annual
feel—clean, straightforward images and minimal text. This familiar format makes
it comfortable to view the work. As a result, the pieces came together easily and
quickly in terms of the design process.
High-quality photography has always been a crucial element to the design (from
signage to packaging to print), so Larsen has budgeted for it every year and
art-directed professional studio photographers. They are then able to use these
images in their Web portfolio, for case studies, and for archival purposes.
Another major decision was choosing the paper and binding method of the
brochures, as Larsen wants to display top-quality materials and methods. “Our
binding system has evolved from PVC to spiral to perfect binding, and more
recently rivets in metal, then plastic,” Larsen says. “Today, we are utilizing a
match-cover style of stitching the book and folding over the cover to hide
the stitches.”
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With the advent of the Web came significant change, however. “For many
clients, printed pieces have become a supplement, and in some cases are not
necessary when they can see our portfolio online,” Larsen says. “Nonetheless,
it’s reassuring to have a leave-behind or a tangible item to mail in order to elicit
a meeting. Additionally, the demographics of the final decision maker often
require a variety of media for up-channel selling.”
It goes without saying that every printed piece Larsen produces includes their
URL so the prospect or client can locate the firm’s online presence to quickly
assess their abilities and access their contact information.
“An informal survey indicates people appreciate the books, which offer a chance
to look at Larsen’s work in depth at their leisure, and as a resource when
projects arise,” Larsen says. “The brochures are viewed as gifts rather than
promotions because they make good reference tools that demonstrate excel-
lence in design.”
à
To celebrate the company’s twenty-
fifth year in business, the image of a paper
airplane (an adjunct element to the Larsen
identity at the time) was set into motion in
a flipbook that invited clients, prospects,
partners, vendors, and friends to “Soar
with Us.”
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Setting the Stage for Success
DESIGN FIRM: OLOGIE (USA)
Ologie understands what it takes to tell a good story by exploring creative
avenues that will lead to smart brand solutions for their clients. Based in
Columbus, Ohio, Ologie inspires a myriad of creatives, including designers,
writers, researchers, planners, and strategists to develop the best outcomes
for their clients.
PLANNI N G
Cohesiveness. It’s an important element in many facets of life. Interior designers
embrace it. Sports team managers strive for it. Medical specialists would be lost
without it. It creates a symbiotic relationship among people or elements that
defines who they are and what they do. And when an individual or firm is looking
to promote themselves, creating a cohesive design for their portfolio materials is
paramount. Just ask Ologie, a Brooklyn-based design firm that strives to provide
a consistent message in who they are and what they do.
“When determining how to categorize our portfolio system, we separated the big
buckets of information clients wanted to know,” says Beverly Bethge, partner
at Ologie. “We looked at how businesses talk about themselves and make
themselves more digestible, so we divided our portfolio contents into three
distinct categories:
• “SkillSet:Whatwedo
• “GetSet:Howwedoit;ourapproach
• “MindSet:Howwethinkaboutit,ourpointofview.”
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