How we helped VisionFund International celebrate a million reasons to be proud
A valued working relationship
VisionFund International believe in brighter futures for children by empowering families to create income and jobs. Their financial services enable impoverished households to increase their incomes. They train their clients to grow successful businesses. Working together as part of World Vision – a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation – they enable communities to increase economic activity, access clean water, education and healthcare, and provide the foundations for local economies to flourish.
Our mission
This job was a request for some collateral that VisionFund International needed for an internal comms campaign. In May, the company reached their 1 millionth client. That meant that through their 36 microfinance institutions (MFI’s), the organisation now lend money to over 1 million people living in developing countries as a way to help them rise out of poverty. VisonFund wanted to use this milestone to engage staff, both at the Global Centre and in their MFIs. The three items of collateral required that were to celebrate the 1 millionth client were as follows:
A1 Poster – For MFIs celebrating the 1 millionth loan that can be printed and put up in the 36 microfinance offices.
Tea and Mug Gift Tag – Having identified their one millionth client as a tea picker in Sri Lanka, VisionFund had tea bags and were ordering mugs to send round to their global centre staff. Hatch were commissioned to produce a gift tag that says ‘thanks for your work.’ to accompany the tea and mug.
Loan Officer Competition Flyer – They also wanted to create a competition where loan officers nominate their ‘1 in a million client’ by sending in a photo and description of their favourite client. This would be a simple digital flyer that would be emailed round the globe to all of their offices. The source file was to be in the form of a universally recognised editable word document template which local communicators could translate.
One in a million
Seetha “Annakili” Lechchami, a 48-year-old tea plucker in Sri Lanka, represents the millionth client. She and her husband Ganapathi have lived for 25 years in a tiny pair of rooms in a line of identical homes on the plantation on which they both work. Like so many poor tea pickers, the couple had no choice but to bring up their children in squalid conditions and quiet desperation. She borrowed US$150 and purchased a pregnant
goat and its kids, with the intention of selling the males for meat and keeping the females to breed. Now, she has great plans. Once they have made enough money, she and her husband want to build a new home on a patch of land allocated to him by the plantation. They are continuing to support their daughter who recently married. And they plan to put money aside to give their grandchildren a better life.
A thousand pictures tell the millionth story
Having familiarized ourselves with the VisionFund brand identity guidelines and after researching the companies global positioning and core purpose we set about brainstorming our approach to the clients brief. VisionFund supplied a
comprehensive photographic library of their worthy success stories. These professionally taken shots where an individually endeering and humbling story in themselves. Ensuring we stayed on brand, we set about creating the required formentioned items of collateral.
In order to answer the brief and relay how many lives (over 1 million) this organisation had helped beyond recognition, we decided not to focus on one image of an impoverished child but to present 1 million (well 823 to be pricise). This idea was realized by using specialist mosaic software to develop an
attention grabbing mosiac graphic which had to be rendered at a memory consuming A1 size in order to accommodate the largest requirement, that being the poster. With a conceptual design in place and a solid set of brand guidelines ensuring we stayed on brand, the resulting collection of collateral was a heart warming success.
Our highly collectable, limited edition optical illusion show bag got carried away at BPM.
Bags of Style
If there had been an award for ‘Most Stylish Accessory’ at this years’ BPM, then IMG Stage Line would have carried it away, courtesy of the design brains at Hatch Creations.
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.
The forementioned wider requirements of this brief were achieved in our IMG Brand Awareness Campaign, a cool combination of vivid artwork used across all media platforms such as tension banners, animated VT and press advertising, not to mention an awesome social media launch.
What went into the bag
The concept of an optical illusion show bag is not a new one, a simple search online will throw up fantastic work from other designers, some of the more memorable ones that spring to mind would be the bag that looks like it’s carrier is lugging around a crate of beer or the bag advertising a gym where an athlete skipping seems pretty average until you realise the skipping rope forms the handle of 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
Although it would be a technical impossibility to carry around a powered up amplifier we played our ‘designers license’ card and re-shot the amp in the studio, this time with the power on. All of the cool electric blue lights could then be digitally overlayed and individually artworked onto the final piece.
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.
Before sending the artwork off to the manufacturer, the final stage of the project was to relay to the client that the optical illusion aspect of this bag would actually work. The above photo-realistic visual was created by the digital alchemists here at Hatch and it really is a testament to their skills when you consider that it was conceived before the bag was produced!
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.
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…
Thinking outside the box (in this case the truck) we came up with a unique solution based on this impressive product. We created the flyer as a cut out of the truck housing an informative tabbed insert that replicated a screen when lifted. As this was to be a handout at an outdoor event, the item was gloss laminated for protection and to ensure a shiny, rich black finish. The flyers were then individually die cut, scored, folded and individually handcrafted. The finished product is an impressive solution that holds the viewers attention with its interactive nature. A talking point at the trade show, it was a successful, eye catching sales piece.
Looking back at eye-conic promo items proposed for Independent Studio Services.
A glance at the client
Independent Studio Services (ISS) boast more than 40 years experience of Studio and Theatrical engineering, offering packages of design, maintenance, installation and inspection to a vast audience including Theatres, TV Studios, Schools and Colleges countrywide. So when their MD called on Hatch to visualise some show-stopping, eye-popping merchandise, as an encore to the success of the stationery we had previously designed, of course we welcomed the challenge!
The key to success
Promotion is an essential part of running a successful business. You may have the best product or service known to man but, that’s not enough. So how do you get your name out there and better still, remembered?
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.
Everyone’s been to events and tradeshows where there has been uninspired promo items handed out left, right & centre. So what’s called for are fresh ideas; the latest innovative products with a splash of Hatch magic in order to make an indelible impression and boost sales.
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
One of the stand-out designs submitted to our friends at ISS was a branded heat reveal mug, a memorable product which although nothing particularly new to the world of promo items, does have a proven track record of still ‘wowing’ it’s audience.
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.
Cool becomes collectable when team Hatch cleverly blend the existing ISS ‘Eyeman’ within a visual pun, presenting a three icon totem, which spells out a message close to my own heart… ‘I love coffee’.
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.
A clever brand identity to help an established firm of legal eagles soar to new heights.
It is all in the name
After 100 years in business, it had remained unnoticed that the word LAW was within the name of this established firm of London based solicitors. By subtly emboldening the core of their profession within the typography, a sophisticated logo which is both simple and clever was pitched.
The initials LJ, which house the logo as bespoke brackets, form the symbol of a legal document when brought together, this was explored in the abbreviated and animated versions across all items of internal stationary to reception signage and promotional merchandise.
Showing the client how flexible their new identity could be across a whole host of promo items.
Idea One LJ Bracketed legal document with LAW emboldened.
Idea Two Double take Scales of Justice or Boats & Turreted Tower.
Double take
For our second offering we visited the history books with reference to the prestigious address of our client and its nautical connections. Sea Containers House is a prominent building on the south bank of the River Thames in Blackfriars, London.
A double-edged logo was created; to relay their core business on one level whilst also highlighting the historic Thames River location. We wanted to ask the question, ‘what do you see first… Scales of justice or two ships on a river passing a turreted tower.
Showing the client how flexible their new ident could be if applied to a host of promo items.
