ROM "travel" ad

To lure the local public to permanent exhibits at the ROM, I proposed a mimic of the common travel ads found in newspapers. I developed the concept, wrote, and designed the ad.

International Award-Winner!

Modern-day Alchemy — turning Green to Gold!

I'm pleased to announce that some environmentally-friendly signage I produced has won two international awards. I succeeded in coming up with the biggest (and cheapest!) promotional sign that the Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Centre has ever had. Using natural elements only, I advertised the web address of the area with seaweed that had washed up on shore. The bird, eel and shell let the audience know that the area is known for its nature. The “sign” was 96 feet long and could be seen by the famous Confederation Bridge to PEI (taking advantage of their traffic) and Google satellites. The URL lets the world know where to go for information on this striking locale.

The two awards received:
Silver
Summit International Awards
Category: Integrated/Mixed Media Advertising Campaigns
Guerrilla Marketing Campaign
Client: Cape Jourimain Nature Centre
Project: 96-foot long URL on beach

Gold
Summit International Awards
Category: Advertising; Outdoor
Client: Cape Jourimain Nature Centre
Project: 96-foot long URL on beach

It's the Silver award that I'm most proud of. It's an award that the SIA just launched. The category is "Guerrilla Marketing Campaign" and the kind of work that falls into it includes some of the least expensive approaches to advertising. I figure I had a lot of competition!

The Summit International Awards has established itself as one of the premier arbiters of creative excellence in the world of marketing. The international panel of judges includes high-ranking professionals from Ogilvy B2, Saatchi&Saatchi, and Stellar Debris. They receive thousands of submissions annually from over 24 countries.

• Summit International Awards
• Cape Jourimain Nature Centre (CJNC)
• Tantramar Interactive Inc.
• My CJNC Eco-Arts Visiting Artist profile page

Thanks to all of you —clients, friends, and family— for your continued support. It paid off!

—Choleena

National Gallery "Canadian" Fundraiser

The National Gallery of Canada's Volunteers' Circle needed to raise funds to launch their outreach program to introduce immigrants who have recently become Canadian citizens to Canadian art. They asked me to write and design a poster that invited their donors to the fundraiser.

At the top of the poster, FUNDRAISER clearly indicates the purpose of the poster.

The headline "It doesn’t get more Canadian than the Group of Seven (or Maple Syrup)" let's people know which food and art are exclusively Canadian; it promises a feast for the taste buds and a feast for the eyes.

Body Copy: Join us at our Maple Sugar Shack Party to raise funds to give New Canadians the introduction they deserve to Canadian Art. Let us treat you to an exclusive talk on how the sap from 1000 trees gets transformed into just 400 litres of maple syrup and the first taste-testing of the season with a golden piece of maple syrup pie. Funds raised will launch our program to help New Canadians become acquainted with some of our sweetest national treasures.

The audience for this poster is the Gallery's group of regular donors. They are art enthusiasts and know that the Group of Seven is a staple of the Canadian art world. This is their chance to proudly introduce immigrants to beautiful Canadian art. Now that's something to be patriotic about!

Design
As red is our national colour, red elements on the poster visually tie together those things that are Canadian. We managed to get usage rights to a famous Group of Seven artwork that features Maple Trees. I superimposed a photograph of a sap bucket to the painted tree. We are literally and figuratively tapping the Group of Seven maple tree and the Donors for the funds needed to bring the outreach program to life.

We produced the poster in both French and English, the official languages of Canada.

Art Fundraiser Promotional Material

The Sweetest Little Thing (SLT) is an annual fundraiser held jointly by the Owens Art Gallery and the Struts Artist-Run Centre. To do my part, I created the SLT poster as well as the 2010 stamp for their ongoing Rubber Stamp Project. This stamp was used on the envelope to call for SLT submissions and related promotions.

The rubber stamp:


Here's what it looks like when it goes through the stamping process:


Creative Rationale for the Stamp
Each year, a member of Struts is asked to create a new stamp. The resulting graphic is a reflection of the Artist's approach to art as well as their response to the theme Sweetest Little Thing.

Personally, I'm a bit of a science fiction movie junkie (thus the 2010 movie reference), I'm a Graphic Designer (thus the adaptation of the movie's poster) and I love a play on words (thus the planet's crescent turns into a croissant, which is the French word for crescent). I think this stamp wraps me up well.

In terms of relating the image to the theme: babies are sweet little things; croissants are sweet little things; the event itself focuses on dessert-type foods; and, the auction takes place on Valentine's Day -- it doesn't get more romantic than French language and food.

Here I've re-used the stamp for the SLT poster:


Creative Rationale for the Poster
As the stamp graphic was meant to be seen only after it had gone through the process of being stamped, people would see a "grunge" version of that graphic. I decided to take the poster in the same direction. All the elements of the poster look like they've been stamped onto it. Some are rough-edged, some are misaligned — all properties of a hand-made stamp project. Adding a red background recalls Valentine's Day.

Animated .gif
Here, I've adapted it to an animated .gif for promotional use on other web sites:


Background on The Sweetest Little Thing
The Sweetest Little Thing is the most important annual fundraising event for The Owens Art Gallery and Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre. Presented in partnership on Valentine’s Day, the Sweetest Little Thing combines a contemporary art auction with a cake walk and dance. The event has become a seasonal highlight for the community, featuring artists, friends and supporters from across the country and beyond. The funds raised go directly to the ongoing programming of the galleries.

Background on The Rubber Stamp Project
The goal - to stamp all outgoing mailings with an artistic image that will intrigue postal workers. The image must fit on a standard #10 envelope and must lend itself well to the mechanics of the stamping process. The image is often related to Valentine's Day since the stamp is launched annually on the mailout containing the call for submissions to The Sweetest Little Thing — a yearly art auction held on February 14th.

National Gallery of Canada Creative Brief and Brochure

I was recently asked by the Volunteers' Circle of the National Gallery of Canada to develop a Creative Brief & Rationale as well as design for a new promotional brochure. Here it is edited for length and privacy.

Creative Brief

Background:
After serving 50 years and managing over 300 volunteers in 2009 alone, The Volunteers’ Circle for the National Gallery of Canada has reached a point in their growth where they require a marketing approach for their brochure. The Circle needs to lure more volunteers with eclectic backgrounds and varying ages as well as lure more participants to programs.

Goals and Expectations:
Primary Goals
• To increase participant numbers in the Circle’s programs
• To create a brochure that reflects the Circle’s high-quality program line and important role in supporting the Gallery
• To increase volunteer numbers within the Circle — with a focus on volunteers with eclectic backgrounds and varying ages to fill the ever-changing needs of the Gallery

Secondary Goals
• To provide marketing support for the Circle team
• To increase general knowledge of the Circle’s programs
• To increase Gallery Membership

Target Audiences:
Primary Audience:
• Ottawa-Gatineau area residents looking to study art, informally
• Ottawa-Gatineau area bilingual residents looking to volunteer

Secondary Audiences:
• Schools and students in the Ottawa-Gatineau area
• Volunteers’ Circle promotion team
• Gallery promotion team

Perception and Tone
1. Desired Response: The Volunteers’ Circle is:
• Quality-conscious, professional, reputable, reliable
• I can trust the Volunteers’ Circle to organize and roll out a high-quality program

2. Tone:
• Professional, personable, helpful, educational, rich in heritage and culture

3. Usability Guidelines:
• The brochure should supply enough information to act as a lure to other support materials such as the web site
• A bilingual brochure will speak to French and English audiences

4. Physical Guidelines:
• Reduction of the brochure to letter-sized and 3-panel will help offset the increased costs of colour

5. Design Guidelines:
• Clean, simple, attractive design
• A colour palette that is reminiscent of the Masters’
• Textures that make the brochure feel like an artwork itself
• Circular design elements to reinforce the concept of a ‘fully-rounded’ experience
• The addition of photographs to represent the experience of participating


6. Design Recommendations:
• The Volunteers’ Circle should move away from the black and white brochure. This will distance the Circle from the competition (other volunteer groups that take away your ability to select from the best people) and create a friendlier feel. It needs a colour palette and design that is deserving of a National Gallery affiliate.
• Photography, design and writing should emphasize lifestyle – the benefits of volunteering or participating, i.e. higher learning, beauty, rewarding experience, friendship

Communication Strategy:
• Front panel will include a photograph and headline that addresses the dual nature of the brochure — a promotion of both studying art and volunteering
• Interior panels will provide a brief lure for all programs and volunteer opportunities
• Contact call-out area with web address for further information
• The introduction of Testimonials will strengthen the concept of a rewarding experience
• A bilingual brochure will attract both French and English audiences without having to print 2 brochures