Wagner Design Associates Blog

Every year CNN/Money Magazine issues a report on America’s Best 100 Best Places To Live. This July, Saline and Tecumseh, Michigan were both among the 2009 winners in the Small Towns category!  Tecumseh stood at the 93rd position and Saline was 68th. For Saline, this marks the third year in a row the city has been included in the list. Qualifications include financial performance, education, health, culture, housing, leisure, and quality of life. Our own Jill Wagner, partner and creative director of Wagner Design Associates, is a Saline resident. And, production artist and photographer, Kristin Rueger, resides in Tecumseh.

But wait. There’s more.

Two of our many wonderful clients are important players in these towns. Ann Arbor SPARK, for which we’ve created identity materials, web site design, advertising pieces, and much more, is the economic development driver for the Ann Arbor region. Similarly, we’ve worked on identity materials, logo designs, and an annual report for the Lenawee Economic Development Council (LEDC), which fosters economic growth in Lenawee Township, including Tecumseh.

As a successful graphic design firm in Ann Arbor, we are excited to be connected to clients committed to helping Michigan grow, because we know Michigan is one of the best places to live in the United States.

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.

Wagner Design Associates, an Ann Arbor advertising and graphic design firm, received one Gold and one Silver ADDY in the Ann Arbor Ad Club’s 2009 ADDY Awards competition.

A Gold ADDY was awarded to Wagner Design in the self-promotion category for a wall calendar designed for University Lithoprinters. For each calendar day, the design featured Pantone color swatches chosen in seasonal colors.

The silver ADDY was awarded to Wagner Design for a self-promotion flash piece. The online card production featured holiday-themed headshots of the agency’s staff in a flipbook format.

Sponsored nationally by the American Advertising Federation and locally by the Ann Arbor Ad   Club, the ADDY Awards Competition recognizes and rewards creative excellence in the art of advertising. Beginning at the local level, in 200 markets nationwide, the ADDY’s three-tiered competition is the largest and most representative advertising awards program in the industry.

Wagner Design provides a full range of creative design and advertising services to organizations in the high technology, retail, health care, financial, and academic sectors. The firm has won recognition and awards for its work in print collateral, direct mail and electronic communications and has been featured in various design publications.

Kathy Roeser-Nordling
Wagner Design Associates LLC
T: 734.662.9500
F: 734.662.6590
E: kathy@wagdesign.com

Ann Arbor, Michigan
Travis Pointe, long considered the area’s premier year-round, member-owned country club, has selected the team of Wagner Design and Fitzgerald Communications to head up its new marketing effort. Founded in 1976 and widely known for its championship golf course, fine dining and elegant facilities, Travis Pointe (TP) recently completed a two-year, $3 million renovation.

According to TP General Manager David Loan, board members realized that this was an optimum time to update the Club’s image with a strategic, cohesive marketing program. “From the pools and tennis courts to the dining rooms and social areas, our facilities have always been outstanding, but this renovation has moved us into a whole new realm,” Loan explains. “Our marketing and advertising need to reflect that transformation and the many benefits of membership at Travis Pointe.”

Loan points out that Travis Pointe prides itself on offering something for everyone – singles, couples and families. “We offer a tremendous range of athletic programs, tournaments, classes, and workshops for members of all ages and abilities,” he says. “Our year-round social events include holiday parties, buffets, special theme dinners, dances, and much more. We have also instituted a new wine club, which is tremendously popular, along with personal wine lockers for members.” He goes on to note that the Club’s welcoming atmosphere remains unchanged. “Travis Pointe has always been known as a friendly and inviting place. If anything, that sense of warmth and belonging is even stronger today.”

The TP executive staff chose the Ann Arbor-based firms of Wagner Design and Fitzgerald Communications to create a comprehensive marketing program for the Club that will include ads, direct mail and new publications as well as a refreshed corporate identity package.
Ann Arbor advertising and graphic design firm, Wagner Design, provides a full range of creative design and advertising services to organizations in the high technology, health care, financial, retail, and academic sectors. The firm has won recognition and awards for its work in print collateral, direct mail and electronic communications. Clients include ProQuest Company, United Bank & Trust, Con-Way Transportation, the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Michigan Department of Education.

Since 1984, the firm of Fitzgerald Communications LLC–headed by writer Linda Fitzgerald–has provided copywriting and consulting services to a wide array of businesses, colleges and universities, health care organizations, government agencies, and non-profits in Michigan, New York and Texas. Her work, which has garnered numerous awards, spans print and electronic media.

Contact:
Jill Wagner
Wagner Design
734-662-9500 ph
734-662-6590 fax
jill@wagdesign.com

Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wagner Design has completed the first of several direct marketing projects for the University of Michigan Medical School. The ongoing campaign is directed to potential students across the country as they go through the process of choosing a medical school. Jill Wagner of Wagner Design serves as creative director/art director; freelance writer, Toni Voss, has been tapped to provide concept work, and copy writing.

To kick off the campaign, a brochure which asks, “What kind of doctor will you be?” will be mailed to prospective students. The piece features student-authored essays that describe the impact of the Medical School’s curriculum and faculty on their learning experience and career aspirations.

A second brochure entitled,“Where do you go from here?” follows the career paths of eight U-M Medical School graduates as a way of demonstrating the School’s efforts in preparing their students for residency and for future career development. The brochure spotlights four nationally known physicians: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Medical Correspondent; Dr. Benjamin Carson, a world renowned brain surgeon at Johns Hopkins; Dr. Samuel Broder, former head of the National Cancer Institute and the leader of the Celera Genomics team that broke the human gene code; and Dr. Nancy Ascher, chairman of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ committee on organ transplantation.

Students who have been accepted to the University’s medical school but who have not yet made a final decision will receive several digital e-vites encouraging them to to participate in online chat sessions with Admissions representatives and students, as well as to visit the U-M for a special weekend program in the spring.

Since its inception, the University of Michigan Medical School has been recognized as a site that combines state-of-the-art research activities, innovative medical education and pioneering clinical care. The first professional school at the University of Michigan, the Medical School admitted its first class of 91 students in 1850 and has awarded almost 18,000 M.D. degrees in the past 150 years, as well as educating thousands of residents and biomedical researchers. The School is currently ranked among the top 10 medical schools in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Wagner Design is an award winning, full-service advertising and graphic design company in Ann Arbor, providing innovative design solutions to a wide variety of clients and industries. Current clients include ProQuest, Con-Way Transportation, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, United Bank & Trust, and the Michigan Department of Education.

Contact:
Jill Wagner
Wagner Design
734-662-9500 ph
734-662-6590 fax
jill@wagdesign.com