Cranium Studio and Giving Voice II: A Collaborative Poster Session

Cranium Studio’s two designers, Andrew Zareck and Nate Valderrama, volunteered in June of 2008 to participate in an international nonprofit organization called the VSA Arts of Colorado. Through graphic design, Cranium Studio designers helped special needs teens voice their opinions. In regards to living life with a disability, the teens expressed to the designers their ideas of what frustrated them the most and what the most difficult hurdles for them were. After working together, they expanded on their ideas and expressions and our designers began to create new graphics for a “visual concept” of the teen’s experiences.

The VSA Arts of Colorado organization supports thousands of people with disabilities and helps provide them with the opportunity to have their feelings, beliefs, and ideas voiced to the nation about things they never thought could be possible. VSA was founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith and was officially established in 1978. This nonprofit organization is still in full throttle and provides people with disabilities the capability to express themselves through art and graphic design.

One of Cranium Studio’s designers, Andrew, has a 13-month-old daughter with Down’s Syndrome. His involvement with this organization plays a big role at home for him as well. He experienced how talented this young lady Abby is that he worked with, and how she just simply wanted to have her opinion heard. As Abby Chavez said, “Society must look past the negative assumptions and see the real person for who they truly are.” With this in mind, Andrew is the first one, when his daughter Lily is older, who wants his daughter to be offered the same opportunities as everyone else, to be treated the same way and to learn the same way as every other child does. 

Cranium Studio HOT PARTY - 10.22.08

We started the night off properly with some really great food. A special thanks to Dorothy for preparing a smorgasbord of fine Jamaican cuisine. The hot ribs. The hot jerk shrimp. The spicy chicken wings. They were all absolutely amazing!

We had great fun catching up with our clients and friends, both old and new. We gave everyone a new Cranium Studio t-shirt, no one lost too much money on foosball and the police were not called.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to come by and celebrate with us at Cranium Studio.

Green: We Plant More than the Seeds for Ideas…

In 2006, Mayor John Hickenlooper announced an ambitious tree-planting program with a goal of adding one million trees to metropolitan Denver’s landscape by the year 2025. That’s a lofty goal!

Cranium Studio is centrally located in the booming Arapahoe Square neighborhood in downtown Denver. We saw this as an important step to beautifying our environment while playing an active role in helping achieve Mayor Hickenlooper’s goal of the Mile High Million Tree by Tree initiative.

So, we planted trees. Standing six and ten feet tall, they don’t provide much shade or aesthetic value as of yet, but they are serving a greater purpose. In 2025 they will be as tall as the studio itself. The Japanese Lilac and the Red Oak will provide shade, beauty and a nice place for the next generation of Cranium Studio designers and writers to sit under during our creative brainstorm sessions.

Our involvement in this worthy cause proves that one person or a group of people can make a real difference in contributing to the seemingly astonishing vision of planting one million trees.

Strategy: Rebranding a Nation

Everyone in the marketing world knows how important brand consistency is in order to retain the attention of an organization’s target market. But, what happens if your brand has a universally negative perception? In this case, companies who want to change people’s perception go through the complex yet necessary rebranding process. Here’s the million-dollar question (or in this case, the 40 billion-dollar question); what if the brand in question is that of an entire country and the target audience is the whole world?

Let’s look towards China for the answer to this one. The historically negative press surrounding China and the increased skepticism of the world community, especially in the months prior to the Olympic games, is not unfamiliar to anyone. The issues of excessive pollution, questionable human rights practices and a communist government that’s kept the country shielded from the outside world are ever-present and do not make for an ideal background from which to broadcast the Olympic games. The solution: Rebrand the entire nation.

Approximately 40 billion dollars was spent rebuilding the city of Beijing, one spectacular structure at a time, as part of this rebranding process. The Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube and the Olympic Green not only provide world class venues for athletes to practice and perform in, but this rebuilt, illuminated, new cityscape does wonders for worldwide viewers’ perception of what Beijing has to offer.

Every aspect of the Olympic games has proven successful in changing people’s perceptions of China from the negative to the positive. From the new logo to the multi billion-dollar investment to change the face of the host city, China has positioned itself as a westernized, friendly, accommodating nation. They have even developed a tagline (”Welcome to Beijing”) that can be heard being delivered personally and in English by every citizen in the city to make visitors feel at home and to attract the attention of the international media.

The nation of China entered into the commitment of hosting the Olympic games with the awareness that their branding was flawed. In efforts to improve the worldwide perception of their brand, China held fast to a comprehensive rebranding strategy. Over the last seven years, they adhered to all elements of their plan
and made it work for them in order to establish a positive, consistent brand. I think it worked!

Happenings: Bike to Work

On June 25th, most of Denver’s professional workforce was arriving to work a little sweatier than normal. They weren’t facing layoffs or preparing for an intense presentation in front of a board of directors; it was Denver’s 2008 Bike to Work Day.

Participation in the 2008 Bike to Work Day encouraged people to explore alternate means of transportation in order to make the world a little greener. We do our part every day by biking or walking to work. Cranium Studio employees take great pride in their decision to make every day “Bike to Work Day”. We know this is not a feasible option for all people to take advantage of daily and there are the occasions where we find ourselves in our cars for offsite meetings, press checks and errands. But, we are fortunate that we can leave our cars behind when we go to work almost every day.

Every morning, Cranium Studio staff start the day as usual, high-fiving each other for participating in such a meaningful step towards a greener world. If you’re interested in working for such a cool, like-minded group of people, don’t worry; biking to work will not be in your job description, but it wouldn’t hurt your chances.

Strategy: How many businesses are seeing an economic downturn as a good thing.

By Alex Valderrama

We have been in business for almost 20 years now and I remember at least three major recession-like instances. In a downturn economy, there are too many businesses that act on emotion and don’t take into account several critical factors. First, an economic downturn won’t last forever. Second, you don’t have to react the same way that the masses are reacting. I know it sounds odd, but consider this; not all industries or businesses are affected the same way at the same time. Third, focus on proactive ideas.

Not only can you survive a bad economy but you can actually gain from it.

Remember, not all businesses are alike. So, here are some ideas that you can take with you. Know your competitors. If they are backing off on advertising and marketing efforts, maybe now is a good time to increase your marketing, making a larger impression to your prospective clients. Secondly, take advantage of opportunities your competitor has left behind. Like I said earlier, don’t overreact. Don’t make decisions until you have considered all viable options. This may be a good time to hire someone from the outside that can give you a non-biased opinion on what to do. Additionally, keep all elements that are an important part of your brand in place. For instance, if your business takes pride in exceptional customer service, don’t let go of five customer service representatives to cut costs. Do what you’ve always done best, and surviving an economic downturn will be less of a challenge.

Here is a quick story. Many years ago we were hired to consult with a pizza restaurant that made phenomenal tasting pizzas due to their masterful mix and quality ingredients. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant you know that the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. After a couple of years, the economy had taken a toll on many businesses, including theirs. They made the decision to go with a less expensive cheese in order to bring the raw costs down and increase profits. The problem was most of their dedicated and loyal clientele cherished the quality of their pizza and when they made the change, their customers could tell the difference and slowly began to disappear. By the time the pizza restaurant acknowledged their mistake, it was too late. Not only had they lost customers due to the economy, but they also lost loyal regulars resulting from that grave business decision. Recovering from those kinds of decisions is sometimes harder to recover from than from economic situations.

The Start of a New Era!

As you can imagine, we have so much going on here at Cranium Studio. We want to keep you posted on the latest happenings, in addition to promoting interaction between our clients, friends and colleagues. So, here it is. Our first Blog. Feel free to peruse through the content or send us comments and suggestions as you see fit.