Monacor Int. Animated Banner
Disco-tastic animated banners covering a full spectrum of products.
The client
A leader in the distribution of pro-audio technology with a product range of over 5,000 items, some serious design know-how was required and after an initial meeting with the MD of Monacor UK, it was only natural that Hatch became their agency of choice. This is where the story begins…
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A behemoth products range
With a product portfolio big enough to rival Argos and a catalogue the size of a telephone directory that boasts over 500 new products per year we certainly had our work cut out, and product cut-outs was eventually going to be the order of the day in this animated sequence.
Sitting down with the client helped to identify and group the products into the following five distinguishable sectors:
• Stage & DJ technology
• Public Address Systems
• Speaker Technology
• Cables & Connectors
With the sectors identified we chose five or six products from each that would best relay thier diversity.
In the Spotlight
Our primary objective was to promote the new Monacor printed product catalogue here in the UK, whilst reinforcing the companies positioning across europe as a monolithic supplier of solutions to the sound and lighting markets.
Let the show begin
A dazzling display
The background of the whole sequence shows an empty dancefloor, luminous with projected, multi coloured light patterns and disco lasers shining in from the top right of the banner. Highlighting an IMG Stage Line* wallpaper, the coloured lights and projections blend from purples through every colour of the rainbow, presenting a very cool and product-relevant basis upon which to set the sequence of frames.
With each new catagory-specific headline that seamlessly slides in from the right, comes its range of products, smoothly appearing moments later, either sliding into view, emerging from the nightclub background or in the case of the disco ball, rolling in, pausing in situ with it’s product range and then rolling off screen. Simultaneously, at the bottom of the banner, the range title slides in, pauses and pulses as if to a silent beat and then continues on it’s way off screen. There are five sub-categories of products in the animation, together with a slide presenting the brochure which boasts the headline ‘500 new products added each year’ and at the bottom of this banner an opportunity to ‘click here to order your FREE catalogue’.
Electrifying Flash
Clear & simple copy
The copy for this banner was just as much a part of the design as the imagery included in the animation, with important information contained within the header, emphasis was placed on key wording such as; 500 New Products, Excellence, Powerhouse and Specialists, yet kept simple so as not to distract and clutter the design.
On reflection, a glittering campaign
To add a little ‘disco’ to your online advertising, contact one of our design divas – 020 8297 1200
IMG Optical Illusion Show Bag
Our highly collectable, limited edition optical illusion show bag got carried away at BPM.
Bags of Style
IMG Stage Line produce a comprehensive range of audio equipment designed for all levels of DJ, from bedroom to superclub, and believe they can offer the market something different by providing a premium product at an affordable price.
As part of a bigger brief, our task was to create awareness in the UK of the IMG Stage Line brand, although well respected in its homeland Germany, the firm felt BPM offered an opportunity to showcase the brand and gain its deserved recognition and credibility amongst the DJ collective.
The branding campaign was spearheaded with the super-collectable Optical Illusion Show Bag. A cleverley angled IMG DJ mixer and headphones leading into the physical handles, adorn the front faces of this double sided show stopper.
Printed both sides in full colour the luxury crimson rope handled bags were hi-gloss varnished with a reinforced double lined turnover top & base for extra strengh. The 120mm deep gussets promote the name and URL. Such was it’s appeal, the promo piece flew off the exhibition stand and saturated the three day event.
What went into the bag
So with a chosen format in mind, team Hatch had a brainstorming session which involved reviewing a mammoth product portfolio, investigating different types of bags and handles, whilst working up some ‘VERY rough’ initial sketches. Above and left is a rare chance to peak at a raw working process here at Hatch.
At this stage I was not looking for the next Van Gough, but that initial spark of genius that could be scribbled down on a beer mat, regardless, you can see straight away the idea is gold!
It is just an illusion…
Following the initial presentation of ideas to the client, a decision was made to amalgamate a couple of favoured elements from separate designs. A rope handle being part of an audio cable as seen in ‘fig e’ was to be incorporated into the Audio Mixer, shot at a perspective angle ‘fig a’.
A stage 2 sketch (left) highlighted a technical flaw, that an audio cable would not both exit & enter the amp at same time. As he knew the IMG portfolio and also wanted to relay multiple products, it was actually our client, Neil’s suggestion to somehow include the headphones which in hindsight reinforced the DJ theme.
With the required products shipped to Hatch an experimental photoshoot got underway. After shooting multiple compositions in different lighting environments, the final solution would be an outdoor shot of the amp at a front tilted perspective with the headphones strategically hanging over the lower left quadrant. The headphone cable had to line up at the point where the drilled handle hole of the bag would be.
All bagged up
With the raw photos from the shoot to hand and the bag template provided by the Chinese manufacturer we set about creating the final flat artwork. As this design was to appear on both faces of the bag we only needed to set up artwork for one gusset and one front face.
To see how Hatch can bring some smoke and mirrors to your next promo campaign call 0208 297 1200 and speak to one of our magicians… or one of their lovely assistants.
Arctic E461 Animated Banners
Sparkling animated banner with a fresh & funky vibe for Swiss heavyweight Arctic.
Cool Customer
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A Brief exposure
Having experienced the jaw dropping banners Hatch had already created for Adam Hall, GrooveGear, Faital Pro & Monacor, our friends at Arctic wanted us to raise the temperature of consumer awareness across Europe focusing on their E461 premium earphones. Having already booked the adjoined ‘L’ shaped banner position on Audio Pro’s site, Arctic commissioned Hatch to create a short animated sequence that highlighted their product’s rich dynamics, whilst offering a cool ‘must-have’ feel to a mobile device-using target market.
Scripting the snow story boarding
Sub zero concept sets the stage
A blizzard of animation
Ground Frost – Starting from the ground up we wanted to bring the wintery backdrop to life, but how to animate static snow?… the answer was in tiny twinkling sparkles that randomly appear throughout the sequence. Subtle and so simple you may not notice the glistening gems on a conscious level unless pointed out, but here at Hatch we concentrate on the minutest of details in order to magnify the overall experience.
Logo Reveal – We wanted to incorporate an interesting way of presenting the parent company logo with the use of rich media. As the Arctic logo and tagline were to appear in the lower half of the vertical banner as a sign-off, we needed to seamlessly melt the logo reveal sequence into the existing snowy background. This was achieved by cleverly incorporating the horizontal wave found in the logo. The shape is the first element to enter the stage thus sectioning off the area for the movie. Working from an Adobe Aftereffects template we see a gloved hand enter stage right and brush away the fluffy, white top-snow to reveal the frozen surface. Below the ice, an unidentifiable object ripples into clarity to give the second sequence reveal, that being the Arctic logo and the ‘Spirit of innovation’ tagline. This movie sequence has been strategically stitched into the banner.
Copy writing melts in & out
Just as much focus went into the written message, with our in house copywriters giving a distinctly wintery vibe to the snappy copy which thaws in and out of our animation.
Skating on thin ice
This is further complicated by the fact that when a web page loads it will load all of the elements in an order, which meant if our looping top banner loaded before its adjoining sister banner and started to automatically run, the animation would be out of sync. In order to zip things up this was overcome with a special piece of coding courtesey of Hatch’s egg-head programming team, who coolly built instructions into the first banner, not to autorun before the other banner had loaded.
Fresh outta the fridge
With much tweeking and testing, along with an equally impressive yet simplified animated banner gif version that would substitute for devices such as an ipad unable to view flash content, the banner ran live on the Audio Pro International website and received much deserved recognition, below the final animation in all of its glistening glory. Contact one of our alchemists to add some sparkle to your online presence.
Inside the Hatch brand
An insight into how our brand has evolved over the last 15 years.
Which came first, the concept or the egg?
The story of the Hatch brand is interesting to me in as much as I have watched it evolve from birth over the last 15 years, and like all good stories we need to go back to the conception to fully understand the brand and its essence.
Over the years I get asked questions such as: Where did the name originate? Why the egg theme? What’s the relevance to graphic design?
What’s in a name…
Sitting in a loft conversation in darkest Kent back in the mid 90’s, two ambitious friends, disgruntled at working hard for a big local publishing house were discussing, or should I say exhausting what our new design business could be called. At the time the coolest design agencies gracing the pages of Design Week or Creative Review were either a combination of pretentious sounding surnames such as Smithers, Chivers & Randolf or were one-word random objects like Tomato or Frog, I believe Attic had already gone. As combinations of Dexter & Wellard weren’t really raising the roof, we were swaying toward the later single word format.
Contrary to common belief, the name was put forward not by some moment of divine clarity or inspired genius but if truth be known it was more down to our eyes wondering around the
room looking for inspiration. If memory serves, it was Danny that suggested Hatch as in the entrance to the room we were residing in. It was only afterwards did we start to draw parallels of how the name could relate to the conception of an idea or a creation, i.e. an egg hatching.
We felt the name could be reinforced with a strapline that would encapsulate and relay our core business, tie in with the ‘egg theme’ and also have a cheeky reference to us breaking away from our current circumstance, the fact that we were no longer little design whores, spewing out work that rarely gained recognition especially from a financial aspect.
So it was agreed, our new venture was to be Hatch Creations Ltd, and our strap line was to be ‘free range design consultants’
tactile matt laminated Royal Blue background. Judging by the dual-name, one card approach, budgets must have been tight back in the day.
Eggsperimental photoshoot
Making our mark
When it came to producing the hatch logo we wanted to do more than capture attention and make the audience linger. Our goal was to prolong the encounter, compelling the reader not only to notice, but to remember.
In order to achieve this we took a light hearted approach using a humorous concept, coupled with a strong typographical foundation. We love the double-take aspect sometimes used in design where elements may be seen after the initial viewing thus causing a ‘that’s clever’ type of response.
puzzle icon. Can you see the hidden elements?
within the egg icon when viewed at different angles.
A smile in the minD
Evolution rather than devolution
A good trademark does not last for ever: it must be adjusted when circumstances dictate. As is often the case with evolving brands our ident has been purified over the years, with fine tuning and simplifications made. The geometric ‘egg icon’ was deemed to be overcomplicated and unessasary and was dropped around 1999, along with a series of accomanying straplines which spelt out the company’s core purpose, were also abandoned in favour of the abbrieviated type based logo (right) used today. This first appeared at the turn of the century when we launched a comprehensive set of rebranded Hatch Stationery along with other marketing materials such as the Direct Mail Campaign.
Egg all over our face
With a strong and historic identity in place and a set of in-house corporate guidelines established, the brand is applied across the board. All correspondence leaving the studio carries the company look and feel, be it traditionally printed letterheads, continuation sheets and compliment slips or an animated electronic HTML email header & footer, they all fly the Hatch banner in style.
Our custom built studio is an incubator for the brand, as designers and clients sip from Nigela’s Duck Egg Coffee Cups with matching saucers the strong Hatch credo is all around.
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Schwarzkopf Spa Offer POS
Schwarzkopf Spa Offer POS. A free beauty treatment incentive calls for some seriously high end artwork.
Going back to our roots
Our challenge was to conceptualise a campaign to promote a free beauty treatment with the purchase of any two products from the Schwarzkopf colour product range; LIVE Color XXL, LIVE Colour Accents, Vital Colors, Poly Tint Colors, Country Colors and Nordic Colors, for nationwide distribution to independent chemists and selected supermarkets.
The final design would be applied to all point of sale items such as shelf edges, colour brochures, A3 stand-alone promo-cards and offer information dispenser packs.
Covering all grey areas
It was essential to make a big impression with this project so no stone was left unturned when researching imagery that really hit the spot. A major stipulation of the brief was that any model featured should have ‘Schwarzkopf’ hair colouration.
With a limited budget our solution avoided the costly route of organising a specific photoshoot with models, hairstylists and spa location, although thinking back that would of been a nice day out of the studio : )
The mane image
As we had access to the original product packaging artwork from Germany the realisation hit that we already had a model shot with perfectly coloured hair although it was only a head & shoulders shot, so the search was on for the ideal body and backdrop images which would allow a starting point from which our technical wizards could weave their photoshop magic to conjure the perfect campaign scene.
Artworking Conditioning
The campaign went swimmingly! Really highlighting the technical dexterity and craftmanship of our creative team.
To add some body and shine to your advertising campaign, why not have a chat with one of our stylists on 020 8297 1200.
ISS Stationery
A consistent look across all outgoing printed correspondance and direct marketing pieces.
Firming up a brand
As part of our brief we acknowledged the clients desire to retain the ‘Eyeman’ logo element already in existence which had built a certain amount of industry awareness. With inconsistency in colour and size usage, the inherited logo needed bringing into line with variants created for both print and digital scenarios.
Used to maintain the ISS brand identity and integrity, covering logo, font and colour versions & usage, these identity guidelines will help to maintain a consistent graphic style, throughout all print, advertising and on-line marketing activity. Allowing flexibility, yet ensuring consistency in all communications, the specifications should be followed exactly. The basic guidelines were supplied as an 8 page emailable pdf.
Putting the ‘Boss’ into Embossed Stationery
We would normally suggest that stationery items such as business cards, letterheads, continuation sheets, compliment slips, envelopes, DVD covers, address labels, etc are designed and more importantly printed at the same time, ultimately ending up with a complete branded set of stationery.
Advantages of printing all items together would include:
– Consistency of colour and paper stock.
– More cost effective if multiple items fit the same sheet
– Savings on design, when producing multiple items
The letterheads, continuation sheets and business cards were all printed upon Advocate Xtreme White Smooth paper stock which was back printed with a logo silhouette echoed as a 20% background wash.
Cut-out the competition
Our brief, to outline the core services of ISS with a mailable (no bigger than A5) flyer. To make it memorable whilst further establishing recognition of the brand…
…and our solution was in a lively, unforgettable piece that took the outline of the Eyeman motif which sits at the core of the brand and made this the shape of the Flyer. The final approved artwork was run on the same sheet as the business card a 330gsm Advocate Xtreme White Smooth stock. The end result an ‘Eye’ catching, successful piece that won the client business and did exactly as intended, all at a relatively low cost.
To focus your brand consistency with a clear set of guidelines, to make your correspondence relay your identity with a unified professional look or to simply increase business with an effective direct mail campaign, why not contact our team to see how we can turn your competitors into green eyed monsters.
BIG TV
How we helped the UK’s finest big screen hire BIG TV company to keep on trucking.
Company projection
Since its incorporation in 2003, Big TV has offered a solution for almost any broadcasting event; concerts, festivals, documentary shooting, promotional pop videos, sporting events, advertising and awareness campaigns.
Large or small, whatever the requirement, Big TV can provide a state-of-the-art transmission system along with full technical support and expert consultancy. Liaising on outdoor broadcasts alongside the BBC, ITV Sky and Setanta Sports, Big TV have gained the confidence of major broadcasting organisations, earning the company the recognition as the UK’s number 1 provider of Giant LED Screens.
An awesome piece of kit
We were approached by Big TV who briefed us to create a flyer to outline their services. This was to be handed out at this year’s Showman’s Show, an outdoor events exhibition. Their flagship product is a 46 square meter LCD screen integrated into a magnificent truck.
The massive screen deploys within minutes and can rotate a full 360°. The sides of the truck drop down to form a mobile stage.
How we pulled out all the stops…
Fendi Presentation
Sales personnel at the Italian fashion house Fendi, learn about new collections.
A history of Fendi
The house of Fendi began its story back in 1925 when Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande opened a small boutique shop that sold leathergoods and luggage – in the back, a small fur workshop. They were well placed on Via del Plebiscito, a busy area, frequented by Roman ‘society’.
In 1933, Fendi introduced the ‘Pergamena’ with its signature yellow colour, soon synonymous with the brand it became a recurring element on luggage and suitcases and other apparel. It was to be almost 35 years later that Karl Lagerfeld would attach the term ‘Fun Fur’ to the brand, celebrated across the globe as the recognisable Fendi double F logo.
After WWII, Edoardo and Adele’s five daughters – Paola, Anna, Franca Carla, and Alda – joined the family business – Karl Lagerfeld defined them the “five fingers of a hand”. The sisters set about renovating the company and asked Lagerfeld to join the house. The rest is luxurious history.
The brief
With such a rich history, and an even wealthier clientele it is essential that the Fendi sales staff are able to relay accurate product information and furthermore, can differentiate toad from lizard skins for example, as and when such knowledge is required!. Enter Hatch.
We were approached by the Manager of the Sloane Street store, to produce a means of relaying this information as an updateable and engaging training solution, which would provide an aide to better overall staff awareness and customer service.
Our Solution
The team at Hatch set to work on ways of developing a bespoke CD containing a tailored PowerPoint presentation which would offer a detailed collection of information showcasing the current seasons’ story. We applied a two-pronged approach, one focusing on Materials’ the other, on the collection as a whole, getting a real ‘feel’ for the Fendi Woman.
The idea was not to fight with the brand by introducing graphics which were too conceptual, but to stitch together a clean, simple, stylish and memorable presentation, allowing the images and information to speak for themselves.
The final solutions consisted firstly of an editable, 26-page presentation of essential knowledge on luggage and accessories, focusing on: signature fabrics and exotic leathers; their pattern variants and compositions, colourways, weights, natures, origins and care advice as well as the seasons’ styles, suitability, pricing and popularity. Secondly, a 40+ page, updatable Powerpoint presentation featuring an overview of this years’ Spring Summer collection.
The branded CD Rom was presented to the Fendi salesforce – it was a run-away success!
ISS Branding & Merchandise
Looking back at eye-conic promo items proposed for Independent Studio Services.
A glance at the client
The key to success
Creating a subliminal ‘stamp’ on your target market’s mind is the key to successful branding and merchandising and to keep that promo item on their desk with added shelf life, is really going to help, but we’re not talking about the same old personalised pens and coasters.
As strategic thinkers here at Hatch, our creative minds get very excited when a new merchandising project presents itself, we pride ourselves on making it our business to promote yours in the most cutting edge and eye opening ways.
A rich blend of hot product & cool design
This works by hiding the artwork underneath a black heat sensitive coating which magically ‘disappears’ when hot liquid is poured in. Slowly but surely the magic happens and our message is spelt out in a rather cool way, much more interesting that your bog standard trade mug.
The clients message relays further ‘Eye’ related banter advising the caffeine consumer to ‘Look no further…
Other graphical elements utilise the companies recognisable amber & plum colour pallete adorning the decorated mug from rim to base.
Eyes on the prize
So whether you want to position your company with a branded keepsake that ends up on the desk of your target market or simply create a memorable and attention grabbing show handout thats going to direct the footfall to your exhibition stand, then Hatch could be the secret ingredient to your next campaign. Contact our promo consultants to see how we can help your sales go through the roof.
EES Johnson & Johnson Sales Aid
A clinical new face for EES marketing collateral, instrumental to sales success!
ESS – The Practice
Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, develops and markets a broad portfolio of advanced surgical instruments used in open, minimally invasive and natural orifice surgery.
Formed in 1992, Ethicon Endo-Surgery is a global leader in core markets of open surgical stapling devices, laparoscopic surgical instruments and the use of advanced energy technology.
The company focuses on procedure-enabling devices for the interventional diagnosis and treatment of conditions in general and bariatric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal health, plastic surgery, orthopedics, gynaecology and surgical oncology.
The diagnosis
Whilst promoting the core values of quality, innovation, value, education and evidence, our 3 tier multi-brief was to design an ‘About Us’ brochure which would translate into both print and digital format along with a handy quick reference guide which could be utilised by their sales force as a prompting aid.
Together these would form a collection of sales collateral aimed at customers and stakeholders of EES.
The preparation
With no guidelines in existence, a fresh approach was taken when creating the brochure for EES.
Our diagnosis was not to take the reader up a visual dark alley, which in itself would be something of an eye-watering challenge given the purpose of the end product. Instead we opted for a metaphoric lifestyle imagery route. Scanning the royalty free libraries we endeavored to find images that evoked the feeling of comfort, confidence, sensitivity and trust bolstering the companies core values.
We prescribed an A4 landscape format on an ultra ice-white stock with clean and crisp typography which would echo the clinical nature of the sector.
Our treatment
The digital solution for the brochure came in the form of a fully update-able and more importantly emailable, interactive Power-point Presentation.
With the design of the brochure in place, our cure for the sales aid requirement was to simplify the information in the brochure and present it in short, sharp, bullet points. This pocket sized piece was wiro-bound to form a set of easy read, easy access ‘Cue Cards’, prompting aids for the EES sales execs.
Translated into three different languages these pieces were set for global distribution.
