Category Archives: Blogazine

Meet Your New Creative Agency

We all agree that these are unusual times. At Seaberry, we believe design is especially powerful in moments like these, when telling a story — your story — has the ability to inspire, support and change the lives of millions of Americans. Because of this, we believe that...

It’s time we do our part to end this pandemic
It’s time justice is served
It’s time to find ways to educate
It’s time to feed the hungry
It’s time to mend our relationships
It’s time to take care of this planet
It’s time to take control of our health
It’s time to assert our freedom
It’s time to say what we believe
It’s time to be fearless
It’s time to be noticed
It’s time to be different
It’s time to tell your story

It’s time to meet your new creative agency.

Identity Design • Advertising • Marketing Communications

Make Your Virtual Event Sizzle

Virtual conferences, summits, benefits and even galas have become ever more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. With virtual events you can still train members, raise money, or entertain and have a lot of fun doing it. What you need is a way to make the online experience so exciting and memorable that guests will leave the event they attended from their home-office singing the event theme song all the way to the kitchen.

Picture this. It starts with a digital, branded save-the-date and invitation designed in keeping with the event theme. On the day of the event, a branded program of the day’s activities and sponsors arrives via email. Click on the event link and your custom, branded conference sizzle video begins. It’s hot, with music and animation that gets the blood pumping with excitement about the conference. Your pre-recorded welcome speaker appears, but nobody knows he’s at home, or in an empty hotel event space. The speaker is in front of your branded backdrop or in an event space designed to be a branded environment with props and visual aids to help guide attendees. And when the next speaker is introduced, graphic transitions introduce the new session and designed identifiers appear in the lower third of the screen to describe who is speaking. Every speaker’s slide presentation is branded and designed to complement the conference theme. The event ends with a comprehensive and motivating recap video that makes the experience complete.

It takes some extra planning, but a designer can help to think a little out of the box as you redirect your event from what would have been an in-person experience to a full-scale digital one that attendees view remotely. And oh, by the way, grab some popcorn, because this is going to be good!

 --Monica is President of Seaberry Design

Don’t Close Your Business – Do This First

This week I had a conversation with a friend. She told me some of her neighbors who owned businesses and some of her favorite retail establishments, intend to go out of business at the end of the month, due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting temporary shutdown. 

“Wait a minute!” I thought. I mean, I get it. If those business owners are like most of us, we can’t imagine that the government will shoulder the burdens we’ve faced in the last month. But going out of business? There must be another way. I searched online for the businesses my friend mentioned and realized they didn’t have much of an online presence—no functioning website, no social media advertising, and no definitive brand. That means with the current stay at home orders in place, there is no real way for their audiences to reach them. That’s unfortunate, because now, perhaps more than ever, audiences are yearning for ways to stay in contact with, and remain patrons of their favorite businesses.

When I think about it, I believe the Coronavirus pandemic has pushed business owners into the future. It's horrible how that push has come, but it’s a push nonetheless. Even before the pandemic, brick and mortar stores were fast becoming inconvenient and losing share to online retailers. Digital marketing was and is the direction we are headed. And now—with the Coronavirus causing so much uncertainty for small businesses—is the right time to take full advantage of its effectiveness and benefits. 

Bakerstreet Market, a small gourmet shop in the town of Maplewood, NJ, is a phenomenal example of how to make the transition. The shop opened in December of 2019. When the Coronavirus emergency hit in March, the popular new market faced a crisis. The owners developed a plan for a complete transition to online service using instagram (@bakerstreetmarket) and their website bakerstreetmarket.com to stay connected with their audience, offer online ordering and scheduled delivery. The market’s small town feel and warm brand personality are still alive—online. If you own a business and are thinking of closing it down permanently, ask yourself if you have made the most of online sales and digital marketing. The service you provide is valuable. In this unprecedented time, the transition can help you stay connected while helping your audience #staysafe and #staysocial.

 --Monica is President of Seaberry Design 

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Stay Social (even at a distance)

We Can Still #STAYSOCIAL (even at a distance)

-By Toren Beasley

Everyone at Seaberry Design wants you to be safe and calm during this challenging time. Avoid close contact, wash your hands and follow expert advice. 

Be social, even from a distance
To avoid the negative effects of social distancing, we’re using our creative energy to curate all kinds of fun things to share with people we miss and with people we’ll meet during this unique period. So, we invite you to visit our #STAYSOCIAL page at seaberrydesign.com/staysocial.

Friends, family, clients, and passersby can download and share anything you find to your heart’s content. We’re adding fun messages, factual graphics, and even links to trusted sites as often as we can.

Managing our own creativity
To manage the potential effects of Covid-19 on teamwork, we’ve temporarily closed our physical space and launched a virtual creative studio. We still meet every day — clients and designers — each in our individual capsules — staying connected, creative, excited and having fun, even though we're not in our material space. You can still get in touch with us the way you always have. And we can still design whatever you need to keep in touch with your audiences, members, customers, and even your family. 

The virtual experience reminds us of how social human beings are. How much we need each other to stay connected, to stay sane and to have fun! That’s why we decided to create a safe social space. If quarantine and social distance has you fed up, #STAYSOCIAL with Seaberry and keep your head up.

 --Toren is Chief Operating Officer at Seaberry Design

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Don’t End Up In The Hospital

I hope you’re having a stress-free week.
Let me tell you why.

-By Monica Seaberry

One of our clients was given an overwhelming task. The job was to create 22 complicated organizational charts from company personnel data, make them color coded, add style sheets, and put them into one presentation in a relatively short period of time. Our client did what any capable manager would do. She handed the job to her staff member, who courageously decided to tackle the project using Adobe InDesign.

Adobe software applications are extremely layered and learning how to use them is like learning a new language. It wasn’t long before our client’s staff member became ill from looking at his computer screen too long as he figured out the ins and outs of the software. He actually had to take several days off. It's a real condition known as cybersickness, a technologically induced version of motion sickness. 

With one man down, the enormous org chart job fell back into our client’s lap, who also attempted to learn to use InDesign. Our client became stressed out. Her blood pressure went up so high that she had to go to the hospital. 

It takes years to become an expert in design. It only takes hours to overtax your brain and end up pushed to the limit, sometimes to the point of physical exhaustion. Our client was soon aware that tough assignments are best handled by the experts. Adobe Creative Suite  is the industry standard for top design firms. Most designers, like those on our staff have been using Adobe software for decades, so a complex job like this comes rather naturally to us. When our client called, we were able to complete the job.  We have to admire their spirit though. They made quite an effort, but it also cost them a lot of time off.

The moral of the story — don't end up in the hospital. Take a deep breath, and call the experts.

 --Monica is President at Seaberry Design

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You Need to be Creating Video

If You Aren't Creating Videos You Are Likely Falling Behind

-By Adya Beasley

I’ve always believed video to be one of the ultimate storytelling techniques. It is dynamic, attention grabbing, and easily customizable. And with its ability to combine live action footage, photos, graphics, animation, text, sounds and even extras like special effects, video can deliver a more complete picture of an initiative, project or message than any one component can on its own.

Video really is one of the most effective tools you have to connect to your audience. 
A report by Social Media Week discovered that viewers believe they retain 95% of a message when obtained via video.

  • And more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands more than any type of content according to a report from HubSpot research. Not to mention demand for video just keeps growing. This year, the number of videos crossing the internet per second is expected to approach 1 million according to Cisco’s Annual Visual Network Index Forecast.Put it all together – audiences aren’t just accustomed to video, they’re expecting it. Which means video is no longer just part of your outreach or marketing success, it is key to it. If you and your team aren’t using video to engage your audience, you’re not just missing out, you’re likely falling behind.

    Good news is, with endless ways to use video to your advantage, catching up is easy.

    -Adya is Vice President of Digital Media at Seaberry Design

    Learn more about the most common types of video production and get a sense of what style might work best for you.

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Another New Year, Another New You

Use Customer Data to Drive Creative Ideas

Happy New Year! At Seaberry Design we love January. It’s always an exciting time for new beginnings, new plans, goals, and new directions. 

At work you’re probably getting  initiatives and objectives all laid out. And whether you’ve got a new ad campaign, internal messaging effort, big event, or perhaps you’ve been tasked with revamping the company identity —  now is the time to commit to making this year the most successful yet.

So how are you going to do it? And how will you stand out from the pack?

  • Dedicate yourself to being unforgettable.
    It’s no secret that people are visual creatures but did you know that great design greatly influences business success? The Design Value Index found that in the U.S., design-centric companies outperform the S&P 500 by more than 200%. That means how your content or project looks is just as important as what it says. So if you have a big presentation to make — design it. If your campaign or messaging effort requires a report, print catalogue, brochure, or an event invite, make it unforgettable with the right layout, graphics, colors and styling. 
  • Consider how people will find your work this year.
    Will your big initiative exist online, offline, or both? If it’s online, being successful at attracting customers to your website and social media accounts is key. Make sure you create content that is optimized for your various online platforms. Going offline? Spice up your postcards and brochures with new and innovative formats. And check to see if it’s time for your website, logo or branding to get an update. When your project is complete you’ll want where it appears to be just as impressive as the work itself.
  • Think outside of the box and take a risk.
    Once you feel you have it all figured out, take a moment to think of something new. Just because it hasn’t been done before by your organization doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be. For instance, if infographics are part of your general communications, try turning them into an exciting animated video that will really resonate with your audience by making numbers, graphs and concepts easily digestible.

Bottom line — this year is going to be your best yet. Want to discuss taking your initiatives to the next level? Schedule a free consult and let’s talk about this year’s goals.

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Why Content Drives Collateral Design

For collateral materials like brochures, program books and annual reports, it’s content that drives design.  Without knowing the story content tells, it’s difficult for designers to figure out the most important elements of collateral design; how big will the piece be, what will it look like, how will the audience interact with it, what color palate will be most effective, will there be graphics or other visuals?

Share the story with your graphic design team

Content is the story. Graphic design is how you make it attractive and memorable.

Here is how the process should work:

Decide why you need a brochure and what you want the audience to do when they get it. Taylor your message to tell a powerful story and deliver a compelling ask.  Try to get to the point where there will be minimal if any text changes. Wholesale story changes often mean wholesale design changes and that can seriously impact design and production schedules.

Share the story with your graphic design team. Let them develop design comprehensives, including graphics and imagery. Choose the elements that work best—colors, imagery and shape that make the piece attractive and a layout the guides the audience through the story and inspires them to action. The tactile experience is also important, so designers will help choose the right paper and packaging for distribution.

Finally, think about your printer. You will want one that is particularly good at what you want to produce. What started with compelling content is now effectively doing the job of increasing sales or converting those on the sidelines into an army of supporters for your cause.

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University of Maryland Team Wins DFHV Transportation Challenge

Congrats to the incenTrip app team -- Chenfeng Xiong, Eric Ji and Lei Zhang -- for winning the DC Department of For-Hire Vehicles Transportation Challenge Prize! Seaberry partnered with the @DFHV to explore new transportation options in the District. The incemTrip team is comprised of reseachers from the Maryland Transportation Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park. The incenTrip app uses redeemable rewards, traffic predictors, and eco-friendly features to ease your commute and to encourage ride sharing over the use of personal cars.

University of Maryland Assistant Research Professor, Chengfeng Xiong, presents the incenTrip app at the 2018 DFHV Transportation Challenge.
DFHV Director Ernest Chrappah asks questions of contestants at the 2018 DFHV Transportation Challenge. Left is UMD Transportation Institute Software Development Program Manager Ya Ji.

“[We used] personalized traveler information and incentives to encourage smart and shared mobility travel options," said Chenfeng Xiong, Ph.D, a member of the incenTrip team. The app is supported by big data analytics and advanced Artificial Intelligence models developed by the UMD researchers. The “incenTrip” team is eager to contribute ideas and solutions to the challenges faced by the entire Washington, D.C. transportation system.

Check out all the app has to offer at https://bit.ly/2JPruaw

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Design for a Better Customer Experience

Looking for a way to design a better customer experience?  Taking a look at customer touchpoints might be great place to start. Touchpoints—the interactions your customers have with your business—can be business cards, brochures, flyers, your web site or anything that helps customers choose you over the competition.

Design touchpoints to improve the customer experience

Your goal is to design the touchpoint for the channel where the interaction takes place. For example, a paper brochure or flyer is designed to be delivered by mail. An online ad is designed for the web. If you want to improve interactions with your customers, you will want to pay close attention to how each piece is designed and to what message they send. You will be counting on customer touchpoints to communicate the promise of a rewarding experience with your product or service. 

Work with a graphic designer to create powerful visual interactions with your customers. Decide what need is driving the customer interaction and where and when the interaction takes place. Collaborating with a designer and understanding what you want each interaction to do, will help to deliver better, more meaningful and endearing customer experiences. 

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