Wagner Design Associates Blog

Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wagner Design Associates has developed several key marketing pieces for the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) Office of Research and its Business Development team. The graphic design firm designed the Business Development logo using compass imagery to signify the team’s role as collaboration navigators for faculty, and created a pocket folder and flyers that give a comprehensive view of how the team facilitates interactions between faculty and industry partners. Wagner also designed complementary pieces for conference use, including a retractable banner, table drape and giveaways. In addition to the work for the Business Development team, Wagner also enhanced the Office of Research web site with new graphic elements.

With expertise in both the academic and business realms, the U-M Medical School Business Development team connects faculty with new collaborators and helps them navigate the most efficient path to accelerate research from “bench to bedside.”

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, electronic communications, and web design, and has been featured in various design publications.

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

Ann Curtis
University of Michigan Medical School
Business Development, Office of Research
T: 734.615.9147
F: 734.763.4936
E: accurtis@med.umich.edu

Ann Arbor, Michigan – ­ A variety of marketing projects, including new logo and identity package development and web site design were recently produced by Wagner Design Associates for Premiere Land Services (PLS).  The newly created pieces will enhance marketing efforts and upgrade the company’s look to more accurately showcase the breadth of the company’s services. The new website can be viewed at www.plsco.com.

With recent expansion and company development, PLS now specializes in unparalleled resources, solutions and expertise for clients in the telecommunications and energy industries. PLS’s network of highly qualified professionals provides consulting services, oil and gas leasing, title research and curative, site acquisitions, surveying, and ROW permitting throughout the United States.

Wagner Design provides a full range of creative graphic 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, electronic communications, web design, and has been featured in various design publications.

Contact:

Welcome back to the third in a series of seven blog posts that highlight examples of work from our Ann Arbor graphic and web design portfolio, and identify and discuss each of the seven elements of design: color, line, shape, direction, size, texture, and value.

Size is a somewhat sensitive subject in the design community. A common misconception by clients is that in advertising, biggest is best. It’s true that a big font or a big mark will attract attention. But attention, when it comes to advertising should be positive. The idea is to attract, not repel.

If a very angular font is used, for example, making it huge will make people feel like they are being shouted at. If that’s not the effect you were looking for, reconsider the size. In the same vein, a humungous logo is not necessarily the best way to make your company known. Sometimes a big mark is so intrusive that the message itself gets lost. Bigger is not always better. Balance is essential for attracting onlookers and relaying important information.

Take a look at the Highscope International Conference Mailer Cover & Fold Out Poster. Both were created with current branding in mind. The goal was to ensure a consistent look that unified them with Highscope’s previous marketing pieces. We used some very large elements but balanced them with smaller images and blocks of copy so that we could highlight the content of the mailer. Notice that although the logo has been downplayed, the poster is still a very recognizable part of the Highscope marketing family.

This is the second in a series of blog posts that highlight work from our Ann Arbor graphic and web design portfolio, and identify and discuss examples of the 7 elements of design: color, line, shape, direction, size, texture, and value.

When color communicates mood, it acts as an adjective. But when line communicates action and movement, it is an element that can best be described as a verb. A line can be either the actual linear marks or an edge where two shapes meet. It can imply speed, relaxation, fluidity, recklessness, pep, flirtation, concentration, and many other kinds of activity depending on what you want to communicate. Urgency isn’t always the best answer; a sense of calm can attract the eye just as provocatively.

Take a look at the Leslie Science Center Logo we designed. The line the designer used creates a circular movement to give the viewer a sense of fluidity—invoking the circular patterns found in nature and life.  It mimics the shape of the earth. The lines in the font compliment the lines in the mark, marrying the fluidity with sturdiness and giving a balance to the logo design in its entirety.

Ann Arbor­ Graphic design and advertising firm, Wagner Design Associates, has recently been selected by The Lenawee Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) to create advertising, marketing, and PR materials.

Wagner Design will create new logos and print materials designed to reflect the LEDC’s dedication to supporting existing businesses in Lenawee County, as well as attracting new businesses to the area. Targeted industries are advanced manufacturing, agriculture processing, tourism/recreation, and green technology companies. Jenn Cornell, PR strategist and consultant, will join with Wagner Design to create a comprehensive marketing program.

The LEDC helps businesses by providing research, and connections to needed resources through partnerships with local and state agencies and offers assistance in obtaining training grants, and professional development opportunities in order to support and attract new businesses to Lenawee County.

Wagner Design also develops advertising, marketing, and PR materials for Ann Arbor Spark, a non-profit committed to economic development in the Ann Arbor region.  Wagner provides a full range of creative design and advertising services to organizations in the high technology, life sciences, 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.
Contact:

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

Jim Gartin
Lenawee Economic Development Corporation
T: 517.265.5141
E: Jim@onelenawee.org

And the winners are: Palace Blue, Lavender, Fuchsia Red, Salmon Rose, Super Lemon, Vibrant Green, Dark Citron, Lucite Green, Slate Gray, and Rose Dust.

Every year the Pantone Institute releases a Fashion Color Report with it’s top ten colors for Spring. These colors are among what will be considered trendy for the year.

I saw this list in Communication Arts, which also said that “blue is the new green.” Then Jill brought in an article from the Free Press that said the same thing. So, it got me thinking, who is Pantone exactly? I know they’re the color people, but what does that mean?

Here’s what their website had to say:

Pantone, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, is the world-renowned authority on color. For more than 45 years, Pantone has been inspiring design professionals with products, services and leading technology for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity.

In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone’s founder, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community. His insight that the spectrum is seen and interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONE® MATCHING SYSTEM®, a book of standardized color in fan format.

I used to love playing with those color fans as a kid. I guess it’s no wonder I ended up working in a web design firm in Ann Arbor. I didn’t know I had Pantone to thank for all those hours I spent pretending to be an interior designer. Anyway, if you’re planning to repaint your dining room lavender, consider PMS 263. Or, if you’re designing a blue website or logo, think about using PMS 279, which reflects ecological and technical influences of our times. Or, if you’re looking for a new dress for say, the upcoming ADDY Awards gala, then set your sights on a hot little red number, like PMS 233.