Walmart’s Great Value – Before and After

Walmart’s Great Value – Before and After
06/1/09

So I’m stealling this blog post from one of my favorite design blogs The Dieline.

They recently discussed the new look that Walmart has given to their Great Value product line. You know, the box of cereal or bottle of ketchup that cost a dollar less, but looked as if it had been sitting on the shelf for 12 years and had probably been opened and resealed.

Well for all the flaws of the world’s biggest retail chain, both moral and aesthetic, they tried and I feel succeeded in this endeavor to build a stronger brand for their line of cost conscious products.

Check out this before:

And look where they’re at now:

Not a bad job. Now if they could just do something about they’re “Big Box” architectural style. I know, I know… big box means a small price for me. I don’t know though, I might be willing to pay a bit more to avoid feeling like a redneck for shopping there.

On a side note, it has been brought to my attention that my comments section doesn’t work all the time, I’ll fix that immediately. I really encourage anyone who reads to comment as much as possible, especially about that “redneck” line. Thanks as always.

Jack is Back… Again?

Jack is Back… Again?
03/18/09

Anybody who has ever had to go without Jack in the Box for a prolonged period of time knows that their extensive menu and cult following is unmatched in the world of fast food. Even if you don’t eat there (which I haven’t in probably 3 years), you have to hear about it from those who do or haven’t been able to in a while. And it usually goes like this, “Ooooo… Jack in the Box, that sounds so good right now!”

Well they have changed their image, beginning with a Superbowl commercial where we almost lost Jack (the confident and quippy faux-CEO and figure head, literally, of the restaurant chain) to a tragic bus accident. And has extended into a social media phenomenon with 80,000 opt-in notes to Jack during his 6 week recovery, as well as other viral efforts and games.

Jack in the Box has a long and interesting Advertising history. After the clown-like character was destroyed in a 1980 bombing to make way for a new more mature Jack in the Box, called Monterey Jack’s for a time. This was an epic failure, and the company returned to the Jack in the Box moniker in 86′. But the clown head ordering station remained in exile.

That is until 1994. Coming off what some might call a PR nightmare, the death of four children to Salmonella poisoning, Jack in the Box was ready for a new direction. Dick Sittig and the agency Secret Weapon responded with what could have been bland if done any other way. Bring Jack Back!

Something that isn’t a hugely known fact is that Dick Sittig and Jack have eerily similar voices. Ok, they’re the same. Talk about securing a client. Make yourself the mascot. I would have loved to be in that meeting.

Well the Jack’s Back campaign and subsequent marketing efforts have been off the charts successful by anyones standards. Jack is even popular in areas that don’t have the chain in their region. Antenna balls with Jack’s holiday likeness still grace cars every year. It hasn’t gotten stale in 15 years. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t time for a face lift.

During Superbowl XLIII this happened:

Subsequent videos and extensions were circulated for the next 6 weeks from www.hangintherejack.com, and utilizing Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and Blogs, as well as Traditional In Store, Outdoor, PR, Print and Broadcast media.

And what has it all lead up to? Here it is.

From my favorite design agency, Duffy & Partners in Minneapolis, MN, the new logo offers a classier and more modern feel, coupled with the excitement and charisma that has been established by the Jack in the Box brand. The new brand will be reflected in both advertising and in store, and the hope is that t will account for a cleaner and more enjoyable experience, and increased sales.

Jack’s not going anywhere, but I feel the the restaurant might be. New markets, more locations and better exposure all around.

I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Read more from the LA Times, referred to me by AAF SmartBrief.

Fun work

Martin Luther King Tribute
06/1/10

I wanted to attempt this style  in February, and being Black History Month I chose the Rev. as my muse.

His face is made up of the words of his epic Lincoln Memorial “I have a dream…” speech.

Take a look. I am having it framed as I type.

Smoking Goat Branding
04/1/10

I like beer.

Beer high in flavor, alcohol and price. I brew at home, but wouldn’t consider myself very good at this point. I’m working on it.

We have friends in Louisiana who I would consider really good. I designed some branding for their forthcoming brewery down there.

The Smoking Goat will hopefully be amazing, especially if I get some good beer out of the deal.

Have a look. Then drink a beer and have a look again. Continue this process until the logo looks awesome.

New Poster
02/4/10

This is a poster I made for my buddy Dustin.

A classic quote from him as we drove by Effingham, IL’s infamous and huge cross.

I thought it would look good in his new apartment.

Sheltered Perceptions
01/6/10

I recently got the chance to work on a project for the Humane Society. Given the fact that every time I walk into an animal shelter I have to be talked down from taking home every animal in the place, I was happy to help in anyway I could.

With the majority of pet buying in the United States coming from breeders, mall pet shops and unfortunately mills, animal shelters (specifically the Humane Society) are left overflowing with pets that need loving homes. They are running into a perception problem however, and many misconceptions about shelter pets are accepted as fact, and often repeated as such.

To get past this, we decided to take the problem head on, and address the most common misconceptions individually.

Here is where we landed:

Lauren and Dan sit’n in a tree…
01/5/10

My good friend Lauren is getting married in July, and though I am extremely jealous of her fiance Dan (don’t tell my wife), I made their save the date cards.

I use VistaPrint to print these types of things. Though the quality suffers, and the rumor is that they are destroying local community printers nationwide, for the price they can’t be beat. Check them out next time you want to customize your own holiday card or invitation.

Here’s how Lauren’s STDs turned out: