Wagner Design Associates Blog

Wagner Design Associates has recently created a life science product development brochure for Ann Arbor SPARK, highlighting the advantages of working with a Contract Research Organization (CRO). Also called Clinical Research Organizations, CROs provide support to the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. They offer clients a wide range of independently contracted pharmaceutical research services to aid in the drug and medical device research & development process.

Services offered by CROs may include product development, formulation and manufacturing, clinical trial management, safety monitoring, toxicology and clinical laboratory services for processing trial samples, data management and medical writing services for preparation of an FDA New Drug Application (NDA), and many other complementary services.

Here in Southeast Michigan, a hub for life science research, life science product development companies are making connections and partnering with CROs. The advantages are many, including the speed to market for a product, which means quicker business success for entrepreneurs. Ann Arbor SPARK, an economic development company can get a successful product development cycle started for companies in the southeastern region of Michigan that will benefit from a partnership with a CRO.

Once established, don’t forget about creating a brand identity. Let Wagner Design Associates help by creating a logo, website, or collateral materials. We’re an award winning graphic and web design company in Ann Arbor with over twenty years experience.

Wagner Design Associates recently created a magazine for Printwell Printing called Cover to Cover. From the wide scope of content to the unique design elements, this was a winning project. It was so successful that another edition is planned for the coming year, with our Ann Arbor graphic design and advertising firm slated to do the design and Linda Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald Communications, to write copy.

The first edition magazine content explores many facets of the company and the printing industry itself. Some topics include, What Every Print Buyer Really Wants, The Search for Stability in a Printing Partner, Eco-Friendly Printing, and Finishing Touches for a Job Well Done. So, whether you’re coming to the magazine as a creative person, a print buyer, or just someone with an interest in learning more about printing, you’ll find something interesting in Cover To Cover.

The design features are great, too. Printwell is committed to green design and in one article you’ll see what soy ink looks like as well as learning about Printwell’s commitment to recycling and pollution control. What you’ll notice when you first touch the magazine is its unique feel. It could be described as soft and supple—almost like rubber and suede. At first touch, you might think it was an expensive paper, like Touché Cover, and it’s meant to mimic this type of paper, but it’s a varnish. So, for less cost, you can have the same effect. This is just one of the many cost effective print solutions that Printwell offers.

Last week I posted about some of the economic growth happening here in Ann Arbor.  So, now that I’ve got you thinking positively, I thought I’d keep up the momentum.  Wagner Design Associates has recently designed identity materials for MLSIC.  What is MLSIC, you ask?  Well, according to the Ann Arbor Spark website, it’s a recipe for business success:

“Start with a group of entrepreneurs and economic development agencies determined to make Michigan a hub for the life sciences. Add a 57,000+ square foot life science incubator complete with state-of-the-art labs, well-appointed offices and conference rooms, a loading dock, ample parking, and every possible business amenity. Recruit tenants that include not only start-ups but business accelerator organizations and life science leaders. Provide plenty of opportunities for networking, mentoring and expertise sharing. The result is the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center (MLSIC) – southeastern Michigan’s newest home for innovation-based business.”

Wagner is proud to play a small role in this effort to keep businesses growing and thriving. As a graphic design company in Ann Arbor, we enjoy being a part of this community. Part of the fun of this particular project was having our resident photographer, Kristin, take photos of the facility.  We’re lucky to have a staff photographer with her caliber of talent.

For design work, contact:
Kathy Roeser-Nordling
Wagner Design Associates LLC
Office: 734.662.9500
Fax: 734.662.6590
Email: kathy@wagdesign.com

For more info on MLSIC, contact:
Frederick Earl
Facility Manager
Office: 734-233-3099 or 734-233-3050
Email: Fred@AnnArborUSA.org

And this time I don’t mean color.  Here at Wagner Design Associates, an advertising agency in Ann Arbor, we try to be ecologically correct by doing things like recycling our office papers and equipment, asking our printers to use recycled paper or FSC certified paper, as we recently did with the newest edition of Biomatters Magazine for Michbio.

But what more could we be doing? Well, for starters, a little research.

At WattzOn, you can take a short survey, which is free and easy, and you can compare your energy consumption to others. The average American uses 11,000 watts.  I found I used 6,563 watts. I commute more than average, but travel by air far less than average.  While I like this site, I wished I could see how Wagner Design Associates stacked up to other businesses, but so far the only way to use the site is to look at individual consumption. Still, it’s good information.

You can also attend a Compostmodern event. An annual conference takes place in San Francisco, or you can check out their website and blog to find a webcast or other information. One article I saw there was very interesting.  Recapping one of the conference talks by Saul Griffith, these four points about green design were particularly interesting:

1. Get used to numbers. It’s not possible to calculate the impact of a product or building you design without knowing some math.

2. The client is no longer the client; the planet is the client. Always. Designers must work with clients to understand that priorities revolve around doing what’s needed in order to reduce energy consumption and prevent further warming.

3. We need an heirloom culture, meaning that designers should be creating products that last so long they can be handed down from generation to generation. Griffith said he plans to give a Rolex watch and a Mont Blanc pen to his newborn son this year with the intention that they be his only timepiece and writing implement for the next 100 years.

4. We need to transform into a share economy, in which objects that we only use on occasion are co-owned or borrowed from a central source, reducing the number that need to be produced while benefiting from the service the object provides. This model is being played out in car-sharing services and tool-lending libraries but could extend much more broadly.

Blogging is one of the cheapest and most effective marketing tools available today. The benefits are two fold – helping in search engine rankings and communicating with your target market.

Wagner Design, a web design company in Ann Arbor,  recently launched a new blog site for Ann Arbor SPARK. http://blog.annarborusa.org will definitely help the Ann Arbor USA footprint in search engines, but more importantly, it provides a new vehicle to take users to the information they want – quickly.

Ann Arbor SPARK’s main web site consists of hundreds of pages. Some of the most valuable information available lies several layers deep, which some times makes it hard to find. A simple entry on the blog about an event, announcement, initiative, etc…and a link, provides an instant path making that important information available in one click. It’s a great way to supplement an already information packed site and please your audience at the same time.

Electronic holiday cards have been a popular client request at our Ann Arbor web design firm. With so many elaborate design options available, sometimes the simplest of animations can convey a powerful, heartfelt message the best…