Happy Independence Day, Texas!

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Lisa Prejean

It was 175 years ago today that Texas declared its independence from Mexico. The Republic of Texas then became a U.S. state in 1854. Not long after statehood, the C.H. Guenther family opened a flour milling operation that has grown significantly over the years and is now the oldest family-owned business in Texas. C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc. is a featured “Based Here, Born Here” advertiser in this month’s Terquasquicentennial Issue of Texas Monthly. We’re proud to have played a part in designing their ad, an old-fashioned illustration on a flour sack.

Many thanks to Steve Popp, a Texas native and proprietor of Popp Brand Advertising, the art director who gave us the opportunity to be involved. Like Steve, a couple of our key creative staff members spent their early design careers in the fertile creative market of Dallas. We know the fierce pride Texans have in their independent spirit. We aimed to have that come through in the illustration.

If you have a chance, pick up a copy of Texas Monthly. It’s a beautifully designed publication.

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The Press Check – a Collaboration Between Designer & Printer

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Kevin Prejean


Western Union Annual Report
There are a lot of challenges involved in the development of a simple printed collateral piece. When that piece is an annual report, the complexity of the process increases dramatically. A designer is challenged with the orchestration of a host of processes involving many people, services, details and late nights. A lot of layers and steps in the project means a lot of opportunities to alter the product, for better or worse. Any weak component in the process can negatively affect the final product. The stakes? Oh, just the perception and reputation of a company. No pressure, right?

Because it’s such a huge collaborative effort, good relationships are vital. The designer, the client, account representatives, writers, photographers, illustrators and others all have to play nice to ensure the success of the piece. A critical and often overlooked player in the game is the printer – or more correctly – the printing process. When the ink hits the paper. The final frontier, you might say.

Actually, there’s quite a bit of collaboration with the printer prior to the job running on the press. And that’s what this here blog post is leading up to – the collaboration between designer and printer. To demonstrate, we’ll be using last year’s Western Union Annual Report as our model. The players: a client and an ad agency in Denver, Henry Gill Communications; Prejean Creative in Lafayette, Louisiana; and a printer, Sandy Alexander, in Clifton, New Jersey.

Print team and client.
The first step is matching the project with the right printer. The complexity of the job, the budget and the overall size and scope of the project factor into the selection. Well, in this particular case, forget all that, because the printer was predetermined by the client, Western Union. And who are we to argue with a global Fortune 500 company? Fortunately, it was with a well-respected printer in New Jersey – Sandy Alexander. A great facility with an experienced, accommodating staff and a reputation for high-quality, large-scale work. So we’ve got that going for us – which is nice.

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The Sears Christmas Wish Book – When Catalogs were King

Posted on December 21, 2010 by

The Christmas holidays are always a special time, but for someone like myself who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s, the weeks leading up to Christmas back then meant only one thing – the Sears Christmas catalog.

Ah, there was nothing like that initial rush of adrenalin and amazement as you flipped through that coveted directory of all things toys. You couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, your breathing was fast and shallow, your vision blurred and small beads of sweat began sprouting from your little furrowed brow. Then, shaking with pen in hand, you cracked off a list of only 112 or so items for good ole Santa to peruse. But you deserved it all; surely you were on the very top of St. Nick’s “nice” list!

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Experiencing Reinvention

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Lisa Prejean

There are a number of very good workshops and conferences in our industry and we try to be pretty selective in those we choose to attend. These gatherings are great for gaining practical knowledge and for recharging the creative batteries. Judging from past experience, AIGA always has very high quality programs and 2010 is an “on” year for GAIN, the organization’s biennial Design and Business Conference. Looking at the timely theme, Design (Re)Invents, and the impressive collection of topics and speakers, it was an easy choice. Kevin, my husband and agency partner, and I signed up for the October event.

The conference promised “insights into positive, productive change, offering clues to help us on our own paths to reinvention,” as stated by Richard Grefé, AIGA executive director. Boy, did they deliver. The inspiration, creativity and energy of the case studies presented was remarkable.

One of the examples that made perhaps the deepest impression on me, though, is the story of the High Line. After hearing the first-hand account of this reinvention story from Friends of the High Line cofounder Robert Hammond, we were able to actually experience this new public park — a living case-in-point of the potential that lies in imagining what can be. It’s the result of the vision and hard work that went into preserving and renovating an abandoned, decaying elevated railroad structure on the West Side of Manhattan.

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Dear Students, We’re not Zombies, but we definitely want your brains.

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

Or, how to show your student portfolio without turning the experience into a horror story.

Unless your family owns an ad agency or design studio, landing a job in this industry can be an extremely frightening experience – and the odds are not in your favor. Let’s do a little math: in any given market, there are only so many agencies with only a minimal amount of entry-level creative slots available. If you then look at the number of graduating students vying for those positions, well, you don’t have to be Dr. Frankenstein to figure it out. The top shops will hire the top students – end of story.

But don’t get creeped out just yet. You can at least shift the odds somewhat in your favor by nailing the interview. Here are a few tips and some pointers to put the hex on some of your portfolio presentation fears:

1. Make an appointment. Seriously. Unless you’ve made the evening news, it would be a rare occurrence for someone to pick up the phone or push a text message asking you for an interview. Don’t show up unannounced in the lobby. Don’t randomly throw a “Hey are you guys hiring?” line on the agency’s Facebook page. And never ever, ever have your mom make the appointment call for you (yeah, that happened).

You can be friendly, courteous and professional when making your appointment, too. It won’t kill you. And please try to be flexible and allow the interview to be made at convenience of the creatives at the agency – not just convenient for you. Also, visit as many firms as you can. More appointments lead to more interviews which lead to more opportunities. That’s a nice little trifecta.

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