a product of SLANT media, a creative design + marketing firm in Charleston, SC.

Thursday
Aug122010

Christopher is getting locked up. 

By: AuthorSLANT | DateThursday, August 12, 2010 at 12:55PM

You know Christopher.

The one who helps old ladies cross the street. 

And coaxes kittens out of trees. 

And selflessly drinks Corona so other bar patrons won't run out of good beer. 

How can someone so inherently good be headed to jail?

Wouldn't you know, he's doing that for a good cause, too. 

On Wednesday, September 29th Christopher will be "Locked Up for Good" in the 2010 Downtown Charleston "A Taste of Charleston Lock-up" and is calling on his similarly good-as-gold friends to help to raise bail for his release.

The money he raises (the goal is $2,400 for anyone who just wants to write one big check) will go to help fight Muscular Dystrophy in the Charleston community. 

Every amount helps and really matters to those living with muscular dystrophy who hope for treatments, cures and assistance.  

Here is where your money will go: 

  • $30 Flu Shot
  • $74 One minute of research
  • $100 One support group session
  • $150 One physical, occupational or respiratory therapy consultation
  • $300 Professional fees related to initial diagnostic work-up at an MDA clinic
  • $500 Assists one person for one year with the repair of a wheelchair or leg braces
  • $800 Sends one child to MDA summer camp 

Did we mention the fundraising goal is $2,400? 

How to make a donation

 

Click here to donate online or, you can write a check* made payable to MDA and send it to: 

Muscular Dystrophy Association
29 Leinbach Drive, Suite D-5
Charleston, SC 29407
C/O: Christopher Cecil

*Be sure to include Christopher's name in the memo part of the check so that it will be attributed to his bail. And drop us a line or post in our comments section so we know we're closer to our goal. 

Thanks for joining Chrisopher's circle of those who do good deeds. We know you want to be just like him one day - now you're one step closer. 

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Tuesday
Jul272010

SLANT Re-Engineers the ADC Brand

By: AuthorLauren | DateTuesday, July 27, 2010 at 2:43PM

A year after working with ADC Engineering on the logo design and signage concepts for its Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfont Park project, ADC Engineering approached SLANT to help evolve its own image.

During our Discovery process, we uncovered a company that had dramatically increased its scope of services over their 20-year history but has remained committed to a forward-looking approach to engineering. What they needed was to update the visual expression of their identity to reflect all of this. The goal was to better define who they are and organize their diverse service offerings.

We know what you're thinking: engineers are boring. Well, you'd be wrong. In fact, the project was a blast. We received great client input (which we love) and they weren't afraid for us to explore creativity (which we love even more).

The end product fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Here's a recap of the results of our collaboration:

UPDATED NAME & LOGO

By changing the name from "ADC Engineering" to "ADC Engineering Specialists" the focus is placed on the true assets of ADC: its people and their depth of knowledge, resources and skill sets.

The new logo brings a bolder, more modern and fresh look all while maintaining the visual recognition of their original logo.

OLD LogoNEW Coporate Logo

NEW TAGLINE

We also developed a tagline that provides a one sentence statement summarizing the company's philosophy and passions:

Progressive By Nature.

It speaks to their progressive approach and allows for multiple interpretations:

  • Being progressive is in their blood
  • They work with nature in aspects of their projects
  • Their progressive approach results in "green" or nature-friendly practices

NEW DIVISIONS

We organized ADC's services into departments and set up co-brand identities for each - site services, building envelope and structural. This allows them to to distinguish or individually promote particular services.

The brand doesn't just stop there.  All of this plays out through business collateral, report covers, name tags, building signage, promotional banners, website...you name it!  And to be sure that ADC maintains brand consistency with ease, we provided them with a comprehensive 30 page brand guidelines document.

Congrats ADC Engineering Specialists, you're lookin' good!

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Wednesday
Jul212010

VOTE Will, The Designer's Marketer!

By: AuthorLauren | DateWednesday, July 21, 2010 at 4:15PM

Will Bullock makes marketing look good. You know him as an awesome graphic designer, photographer, and even mayor of a few local establishments. 

Today, add Charleston AMA Marketer of the Year nominee to Will's list of accomplishments. 

Here's what Will's nominator said of him (and no, it wasn't us): 

Will Bullock | Partner, Graphic Intelligence at Slant Media
Will’s experience and training as an architect continues to influence how he approaches graphic design for Slant Media’s clients. Slant’s client list ranges from retail-based to service-based businesses. In everything he does, his ultimate goal is to bring clarity to their client’s designs through thoughtful simplicity. Though he can appreciate a design that is visually appealing (what I used to refer to as having “cool factor”), I am much more intrigued by designs steeped in process, meaning, and theory. He has also previously served an Adjunct Professor at The American College of the Building Arts.

We couldn't agree more. 

In fact, we'll let you in on a few other reasons why Will rocks:

He not only creates beautiful things, but he takes the time to understand and consider the business side of the equation. (Let's be honest, you can't really say that about most designers).

He also racks up points for giving back to the Charleston community - lending his time to coach and critique design students at the Art Institute of Charleston, starting up the local chapter of AIGA, and coaching his daughter's soccer team.

Form and function, style and substance - Will has the head of a marketer and the heart of a designer. We're lucky to have him. Congrats, buddy!

So, fans of design, fans of marketing, fans of Will, let's vote him to the finals! Voting closes August 4th. 

And if you need fantastic design and marketing help, you know who to call. (cough, SLANT, cough).

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Tuesday
Jul132010

SLANT rebrands J. Henry Stuhr, est. 1865

By: AuthorSLANT | DateTuesday, July 13, 2010 at 9:33AM

 

J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. has been serving the Charleston lowcountry for almost 150 years. But despite their history, they were struggling to leverage their long-standing legacy of personal service as a differentiator from their many competitors. After conducting an in-depth analysis of their existing brand and marketing efforts, as well as their competitors and industry in general, SLANT Media undertook a brand redesign, now visible throughout its business collateral and the new www.jhenrystuhr.com

Old LogoNew design strengthens "crest" and incorporates founder's signature.“We felt strongly about drawing inspiration from Stuhr’s roots, while also conveying their modern approach in providing services beyond those of a traditional funeral home.” said Christopher Cecil, SLANT’s Creative Director. 

The new logo updates the crest that has long been a part of Stuhr’s identity. And instead of putting the company name in script font, SLANT utilized an original J. Henry Stuhr signature that was found during research. “This combination of logo elements conveys the century-old identity of the company and illustrates their personal touch,” said SLANT’s Will Bullock, the branding project design lead. “Then, from a design standpoint, we use these traditional elements in more modern ways - for example, extending beyond the edge of a business card, on a surreal peaceful backdrop on their website.”

Business Card - FrontBusiness Card - BackIn addition to providing information about burials, cremation, aftercare and advance planning, the website also has an obituary section with personalized pages so family and friends can access information about the deceased, the services and convey condolences to the family via an online guestbook. 

“We feel fortunate our business’s heritage has had a place within the history of Charleston. And while being extremely proud of our history, as a business we need to convey our leadership as a forward-looking provider of funeral services,” says Catherine Stuhr, Vice President of J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. “We are thrilled with our updated identity and the additional services and information we can provide on our new website.”

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Friday
Jul022010

Not News: iPhone 4 Drops Calls. News: I think I know why...

By: AuthorChristopher | DateFriday, July 2, 2010 at 4:54PM

Pretty. Dropped calls? Not so pretty.I'm struggling with a love/hate relationship with my new Apple iPhone 4. See...it's pretty. Really pretty. But making calls, that's not working out so well.  You've probably heard of the signal strength woes when you hold the phone a certain way.  But that's easily fixed: get a case or hold the phone differently. I'm actually ok with this issue.

What I'm not ok with is the call dropping issue. And I'm starting to think it may not be the antennas at all.

Since I started counting, I'm averaging 8 out of 10 calls just completely cutting off.  But I noticed I'm not getting the "Call Failed" screen you normally see when the call...you know, FAILS.  I've also noticed that my cheek has hit the mute button a couple of times during a call. The screen is supposed to be off when it's smushed against your face to keep you from pressing buttons.

So this leads to my theory that it's actually a faulty proximity sensor (which some people have already noted, having issues with screens not turning off in general) causing the dropped calls. A bad proximity sensor could keep the screen from turning off (or staying off) during a call.  Of course, when the screen is on, the buttons are on and your face becomes a giant finger...capable of hitting the "END" button and killing a call.  Which would also explain the mysterious absence of the "Call Failed" screen.

I wanted to document my brilliance in case it turns out to be true.

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Wednesday
Jun162010

News Alert: SLANT employee is Mayor of Starbucks (239 King St.) and proves Foursquare IS valuable!

By: AuthorLauren | DateWednesday, June 16, 2010 at 4:04PM

So get this. The SLANT team all got a hankerin' for some coffee around 3:30, so we took a break, braved the heat and headed down to Starbucks. The one on King Street. No, not that one - the other one.

While standing in line behind other caffeine-deprived patrons, SLANT Art Director, Will Bullock, pulled out his iPhone and checked in on Foursquare - as he is known to do. Then he was all, "Hey guys, I'm Mayor!"

Will Bullock, 239 King Street Starbucks Mayor (06.16.10)I know. Big deal - right? I mean, my Mayorships have dwindled to four (I keep telling myself quality over quantity, Al Di La is more important than the gas station up the street) but I do get a kick out of getting that message.

It gets better. Wait for it...

This Starbucks has a MAYOR OFFER.

It kinda brings a tear to the eye that a big corporation rewards a $500/month coffee habit with a $1 off coupon, one person at a time. 

So what if the baristas were slightly confused as Will displayed his mobile coupon and proof of mayorship. They pulled through and Mayor Bullock got his discount. And then bought the rest of us drinks to celebrate, which kinda defeats the purpose of a discount... but who am I to say no to free coffee?

Seriously, thanks Foursquare and Starbucks. You made at least one Mayor genuinely happy. People, look for a Foursquare Mayor Offer near you. 

Congrats Will - long live the Mayor!

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Monday
Jun142010

Why SLANT loves John Underkoffler 

By: AuthorSLANT | DateMonday, June 14, 2010 at 1:56PM

We caught this tweet from Fast Company on Friday: The Genius Behind Minority Report's Interfaces Surfaces, Unveils Mind-blowing New Tech http://bit.ly/bdjmmo

The video of John Underkoffler's TED presentation is an amazing show of gestural interfaces that (according to Mr. U) will be commonplace in a few years.

Our favorite part was this quote around the 13:00 mark - it reinforces our own thoughts from our recent GUI + UX video

"For some of this technology, ground center is a combination of design which is crucially important. We can't have advances in technology any longer, unless design is integrated from the start. And efficacy, agency... we are human beings, creatures that create. We should make sure our machines aid us in that task and are built in that same image. " - John Underkoffler

Take some time to watch it. And envision the awesomeness of the future (and the forthcoming buffness of computer users from all of that arm movement).

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Tuesday
Jun012010

Okatie Legacy Plan Charrette wins Mayor's Merit Award

By: AuthorLauren | DateTuesday, June 1, 2010 at 4:58PM

Earlier this year, SLANT collaborated with a team led by DesignWorks, LC to create a sustainable growth plan for the Town of Bluffton's Okatie Headwaters community.

We're happy to announce that the collaborative submission earned the Town of Bluffton's "Mayor's Merit Award".

SLANT's contributions included insight into issues surrounding community identity, as well as human interaction with and without technology in order to garner public involvement. Other members of the team included land-planners, architects, attorneys, developers, conservationists and community activists.

Click here to check out more details about the project and award in this post by DesignWorks, LC.

An earlier SLANTASTIC post about the project can be found here (for your reference because January was a LONG time ago!)

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