O2 Creative Is Rebranding!

O2 Creative is Rebranding!

Why? After a few too many people thought were an oxygen bar we decided to develop a survey to identify our brand’s identity.

The survey results confirmed that we needed to rebrand in order to better convey what we do as a business, what we are capable of, where we work, and the types of industries we work with.

Here is some information on the process –

• We met to discuss direction: We like our color scheme of lime green, black, and white. (Good thing too because it matches our office and none of us enjoy or are great at interior painting.)
• We like our name: (Phew! That would be a lot of documents, addresses, etc. to change.)
• We are web-based: We’ve realized that in the past few years, our business has changed to be more web-based – (websites, web design, online marketing, SEO, etc.). Our new branding needs to reflect, and convey that…our current branding, logo, tagline, etc. doesn’t.
• Solution: We’re going to take on a whole new look, put ourselves first and develop a responsive website, design and develop handouts, business cards, etc. (We are getting a makeover folks!)

While our rebranding process is still underway, our team and designers have made great strides in giving our current logo a “facelift.”

Here is a sneak peak!

Our Old/Current Logo: We like it, we used to love it…but we need a change. We need something so FRESH and so CLEAN…like OutKast. Something that will clarify and convey who we are and what we do.

Our New Logo: The goal was to develop a simpler logo that has a greater range of use. When it comes to logos, the simpler the better. That way we will be able to “manipulate” our logo in order to fit each of the particular uses we have for it. (Fun Fact: Logos are getting smaller and simpler these days to conform with mobile sites, social media, etc. Just one of the many trends we are staying on top of!)

So our designer Jason started at the drawing board…

Then moved onto Illustrator where he took the concepts to create vector drawings derived from the sketches and ideas. (This is where the magic happens…)

Our team identified a direction…which we are excited to unveil in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

Goodbye to Facebook’s Free Market

Facebook’s changes and what they mean for your business’ or organization’s Facebook page.

Mark Zuckerberg is at it again! Changing Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm to satisfy users and make it more difficult for Facebook page managers to promote their messages to fans…

Why? At the core, Facebook is actually listening to users. And props to them. After all, that is what Facebook is all about right? Creating community, encouraging engagement, and having conversations.

With Facebook Pages becoming so popular for businesses and organizations, users are being bombarded with newsfeed posts encouraging them to, ‘purchase this, support that, like this, enter this sweepstake…’  It must be exhausting, (#FirstWorldProblem).

In all seriousness, Facebook has decided to begin regulating page posts in order to keep their users, (who ultimately determine Facebook’s long-term success), happy and engaged. With so many social media sites, competing for users’ ‘selfies’ and food pics, Facebook is smart to do whatever they can to improve user experience.

What it means for your business’ or organization’s Facebook page:

To put it simply, if you don’t play within Facebook’s new rules you can expect your posts to take a hit.

The “golden rule” for Facebook Pages:

1. Remember what Facebook is all about. CONNECTING. Connecting people, creating communities, encouraging engagement and having conversations.

Doesn’t sound too bad right? It shouldn’t be. If you keep Facebook’s mission at the heart of all of your day-to-day page management your page should fair well.

Some tips:

1. Post content that is of value to your fans
2. Get conversations going
3. Share the wealth. Share community articles, other organization’s successes, etc.
4. Promote your business/organization when your fans will find it useful
5. Throw Facebook a bone – Once in awhile pay to promote a post that is successful (Facebook ‘appreciates’ that)

6. Most importantly, develop a relationship with your fans – listen to them, communicate with them, etc. The more engaged your fans are, the more likely Facebook will be to post your page’s content on their page.

Is this bad?

It’s not bad, just less convenient for you.

Before you get too frustrated with these changes, take a step back.

Facebook pages are free, they drive traffic to our websites, e-newsletters, blogs, and other social media sites, they’re mobile friendly, and allow our fans to advocate and promote our businesses/organizations. Not too shabby for a free platform.

O2 Creative is a locally owned and operated agency specializing in websites, graphic design, branding, marketing strategies, SEO, and printing. Our team of skilled and creative designers, web programmers, copywriters, and social media experts work with clients to ensure their businesses stand out. We’d love to discuss any opportunities to help your business grow. Give us a call, send us an email, or stop by our office today. · [email protected] · Phone: 970.726.8021

The Power of Advertising with Vehicle Wraps

• Advertising with vehicle wraps offer the lowest cost-per-impression of all advertising forms. Cheaper than billboards, newspaper ads, website ads, commercials, etc. (According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America)

• Whether you are driving around, filling your car up with gas, or parked, your vehicle wraps are working for you! Why would not want to wrap your vehicle?

• 98% of passengers and drivers indicated that they spotted truck-side ads. That’s a pretty good percentage! Think of the opportunities you are missing out on not wrapping your vehicles?

• The average American spends 15 hours per week in a vehicle. Think of the opportunities for them to get familiar with your business?

• When you aren’t using your vehicle, increase your reach by parking it in a strategic position that will continue to promote your business.  Now that’s effective advertising!

• When your vehicle is wrapped you are marketing to pedestrians, bicyclists, and others who see you.  A lot of different demographics get covered when you cover your vehicle.

• Traffic and traffic jams become a prime advertising opportunity.  When life hands you a traffic jam…get advertising with vehicle wraps! 

Why we recommend using a Design Firm:

Without proper design and planning, your vehicle wraps will not reach their full advertising potential and give you the best return on investment. Ensure you are getting the best results from your vehicle wraps by working with a qualified design firm.

A design firm will work with you to guarantee your vehicle wraps will effectively promote your business, your brand, and provide key information that potential customers will use to find and contact your business in the future.

When it comes to advertising and design, the devil truly is in the details.  Designers will work out the simple details that make all the difference!

Small details designers will take into account:

• What colors stand out the best at different distances
• The fonts that are the easiest for individuals to read
• The shape and size of your vehicle
• The information you should include
• What information the wrap will convey in under 5 seconds

If you are going to invest in vehicle wraps, (and we don’t know why you wouldn’t want to) make sure you do it correctly the first time around!

O2 Creative would be happy to design and order vehicle wraps for your business. We are an experienced Graphic Design Agency in Winter Park CO. We have experience designing wraps for a variety of businesses with a variety of budgets, all of which have seen a positive return on investment. Contact us today to meet and discuss how vehicle wraps will promote your business. Email: [email protected]  Phone: (970) 726-8021

The Importance of Branding

Branding is one of the most overlooked aspects of a business, yet it is perhaps the most important.

What is Branding?

Brand is key to developing and facilitating perception of your business. It is what you are promising your customer and is what helps to differentiate your product and/or service from those of your competitors.

How to define your brand?

• What is the mission or goal of your business or organization?
• What separates your products or services from others?
• What is the current perception of your business or organization?

Take time to identify accurate perceptions through the use of surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.Include all stakeholders that are involved and don’t assume.

• Consumers
• Community
• Employees
• Board members

What do you want the perceptions to be?

Next Steps

Design:

• Logo – come up with a great logo! – Don’t skimp on this, your logo will be the “face” of your business/organization
• Identify color schemes, layouts, placement, etc.

Brand Message:

• Write down key messages and attributes you want to convey with all individuals you come in contact with.
• Share these messages with employees so that they can incorporate them when representing the business/organization.

Voice:

• Create a “voice” for your business or organization that reflects your brand
• Use this voice in all written and verbal content

Create a Tagline:

• A tagline is a short, concise statement that captures your brand
• The tagline should be simple, yet memorable

Incorporate:

• Encompass your brand in all parts of your organization (Everything from answering your phone, email signatures, business cards, blogs, website, etc.)

Be Consistent:

• Consistency is key
• Remain true to your brand

Brand consistency in all Bike Granby Ranch collateral

A level of consistency remains throughout all Granby Ranch collateral

Think it is time to consider branding your organization or business? O2 Creative is here to help you should you need any help along the way. We can help with the entire branding process or just pieces of it. We specialize in defining brands, designing killer logos, creating visually effective websites, and more!

Contact us today:  970-726-8021, [email protected]

Winning at O2 Creative!

With over 4,000 entries from all over the world, we are excited to announce that we have been awarded not one, but TWO Silver Davey Awards by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA)!

What are the Davey Awards?

The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the “Creative Davids” who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than big budgets.

We were awarded a Davey Award for the trail signage we produced for the Town of Winter Park and Headwaters Trails Alliance and another for the digital and print marketing we did for Winter Park Lodging Co.

Project: Trail Signs

Client(s): Town of Winter Park and Headwaters Trails Alliance

Fun Facts: 

• These projects combined took over a year to complete.
• 100+ signs were designed and printed.
• O2 Creative is now an expert in ‘wayfinding,’ (the organization and communication of our dynamic relationship to space and the environment).
• We took these very complex and detailed projects extremely seriously because what good is a system of signs if they don’t get travelers to the desired destination?

Design:

• We identified and used materials that would survive the test of time in this climate for years.
• Created designs that would be relatively simple to replace and add sections to cut down on future costs for Winter Park and Headwaters Trails Alliance.
• Used similar fonts and styles for the signs in Winter Park and the Headwaters Trails Alliance to create consistency and a unified feel throughout all trails in the area.

Favorite Parts:

• We truly enjoyed collaborating with Headwaters Trails Alliance and the Town of Winter Park on this project.
• Seeing the trails in use by locals and guests alike has been the biggest payoff.
• It’s cool to know that the trails will be enjoyed by thousands of people for years to come!

Project: Digital and Print Marketing

Client: Winter Park Lodging Co.

Fun Facts:

• We’ve been working with Winter Park Lodging Co. for 5+ years.
• Winter Park Lodging Co. has a lot of different clients they work with.
• We helped create content that would effectively communicate with all of those clients.

Design:

• We spent a long-time developing and tweaking the brand.
• Focused on keeping all pieces developed consistent with brand.
• Updated their website to display the luxury accommodations.
• E-newsletter template that reflects the overall brand.

Favorite Parts: 

• Seeing how the collateral we created has had a positive return on investment for Winter Park Lodging Co.
• Visually seeing the collateral working together.

We at O2 Creative hold all our work to our highest standards, and it is nice to know that our work meets the standards of the International Academy of the Visual Arts too!

So What Makes us Successful?

• High standards – We strive to ensure that all of our work exceeds our client’s wildest dreams!
• Inspiration – Look around us! The natural beauty in the Rockies never ceases to inspire!
• Collaboration – FACT: Teamwork makes the dream-work!
• Good Karma – You get what you put out there…
• Green Walls – There is never a dull moment when you’re surrounded by neon green and art!
• Pug-sulations – Consults with the pugs! You’d be surprised how opinionated (and right) they can be!
• Knowing our clients and their consumers – This is key!  

O2 on the set of a shoot

O2 Creative’s graphic designer Eric recently had the opportunity to work on a commercial shoot!

Eric served as a production assistant for the art department on the set of a commercial shoot for Blue Moon Brewing Company. The shoot took place at the nearby Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, just down the road from the O2 office in Fraser. We’re all pretty excited to have a member of team O2 on the set of a shoot.

Eric has always wanted to work on a film set, ever since his parents took him to Universal Studios as a child. When he was offered a spot on the production crew for this project, he jumped at the opportunity.

As an art production assistant, Eric’s job was to set up each scene and make sure every little thing would look good for the camera. The shoot was incredibly detail-oriented, from minute elements in the background of a scene, to the placement and appearance of each prop. For instance, the glass of beer in each scene had to have exactly one inch of head, which had to begin just above the Blue Moon logo on the glass. If the head didn’t look just right, Eric and the crew had to “fluff” it back up before taking the next shot.

Eric was one of about 25 people who worked on the set. He really enjoyed the opportunity to contribute his own creative suggestions to the director throughout the project. Each person played a unique role in the production of the commercial, and everyone functioned as part of a greater team with a unified goal. Eric’s experience working as part of a creative team at O2 better prepared him to work on the set of the shoot for Blue Moon. Working on the set also helped Eric gain new insight on how O2 can work as a creative team more efficiently on future projects.

The commercial itself offers an artistic perspective into the similarities of craftsmanship between snowboard making, woodworking, gourmet cooking, and of course, beer. The commercial will feature the rustic spaces of Devil’s Thumb Ranch, as well as the mountain scenery of Colorado’s Favorite Playground. Keep an eye out for the commercial to air soon!

Do you have any cool experiences working on a creative project? Please share your stories with us!

To contact O2 Creative, call 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].

Click here for our last blog – O2 at Gears & Beers!

The O2 dogs

Anyone who knows O2 knows we’re dog lovers. We’re always enjoying time with our pups, whether we’re in the office, hiking about somewhere in Colorado’s Favorite Playground, or just out for a walk around Fraser. The O2 dogs are just as much a part of the operation as Philip, Eric, Jaryd, Brad, and our newest member Cynthia too.

Wylie, Sophie, and Thumbelina are Philip and Eric’s pugs (and “bugg,” a Boston terrier-pug mix), and are also the resident O2 dogs. These lovable little pups hang out in the office, faithfully putting in the long hours with the rest of us. While team O2 is working hard, the pugs are…well, hardly working.

Thumbelina is actually a burgeoning local politician. Grand County Pet Pals has an annual campaign to elect the Grand Dog of Grand County, and Thumb is a leading candidate in this year’s election. The Grand Dog campaign is actually a fundraiser to benefit Grand County Pet Pals and Advocates for a Violence-Free Community, so Thumbelina’s campaign efforts are going toward a great cause. Click here to vote for Thumb!

In addition to the pugs and buggs, there are even more cool canine friends on the O2 team. Jaryd has a dog of his own, a handsome lab-bulldog mix named Roscoe.

Jaryd and Roscoe are often out and about, hiking on the many trails throughout the Fraser Valley and Grand County.

Roscoe also loves to swim, and is never nervous about jumping into a Rocky Mountain stream or lake, no matter how cold the water might be.

Brad has even had a dog of his own around lately. This week he’s been dogsitting Kali while his friends are out of town. Kali is a basenji mix. A basenji an energetic African breed, which means Kali pretty much thinks she’s a lion.

Kali and Roscoe quickly became best buddies too, and are always excited for a puppy play date. Of course the only photo we can find of the two playing together is this one, with Roscoe is grinning like a goofball and Kali looking like she just did something bad.

The newest member of the O2 Team, Cynthia, is a dog lover too. Though she does not yet have a dog of her own, she hopes to get one some time in the near future. Until then, maybe Philip and Eric will let her take the pugs for a walk. Just keep an eye on Wylie!

To meet the O2 pugs – or the O2 humans, for that matter – stop by our office some time in downtown Fraser, Colorado. To contact us, give us a call at 970-726-8021 or email [email protected]. Until then, we at O2 hope you’re enjoying the dog days of summer!

Click here for our last blog on professional web design

O2 in Mountain Bike Capital USA

One of the best things about living and working in Colorado’s Favorite Playground is that Colorado’s Favorite Playground also happens to be Mountain Bike Capital USA. That means you can also find O2 in Mountain Bike Capital USA! We pride ourselves on being a bike-crazed community, and with virtually endless bike trails, bike shops, bike events and bike activities, the bike fun just keeps on coming.

Bikes are our preferred means of summertime transportation. We can often be seen pedaling around town during the warmer months, and also ride our bikes to work whenever we can. Anyone who has stopped by the O2 office lately can attest to this.

But biking is far more to us than just a means of transportation. It’s a means of adventure! We’re always eager to explore the miles and miles of trails in our area, whether it be a chilled-out cruise on the Fraser River Trail, or a rambunctious ride on rugged mountain trails.

Part of working in Mountain Bike Capital USA means we also get the opportunity to market Mountain Bike Capital USA. We’ve been working closely with the Winter Park & Fraser Chamber of Commerce to develop Mountain Bike Capital USA’s Facebook and Twitter pages (<–click to like/follow!) Check ’em out on social media to get the scoop on all things Mountain Bike Capital USA: news and events, bike park updates, area trail info, and more.

We’ve also had the privilege to promote Granby Ranch’s downhill mountain bike park, which is quite the thrill indeed. No really, if you haven’t tried downhill biking, try it…SUCH a rush!

Members of the O2 team also plan to be out and about at the Colorado Freeride Festival, this weekend at the Trestle Bike Park. The festival features some of the world’s most talented mountain bike athletes, so you bet we’re going to check it out.

So if you see O2 in Mountain Bike Capital USA, don’t be a stranger! Come say hi if you see us at the downhill bike parks, or give us a wave if you see us cruising along a trail. Happy pedaling from O2!

To contact us at O2 Creative, give us a call at 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].

Click here for our last blog: Photography tips from O2

Adding and managing WordPress posts

This week’s post will be the third installment in our WordPress tutorial blogs. Last week we discussed how to add or edit pages on your WordPress website (you know, the “Home” page, the “About” page, the “Contact” page, etc.).

This week, we’ll be discussing the “Posts” feature on your WordPress website. While Pages are essentially the static pages of your website, posts are more time-sensitive, and are displayed in reverse chronological order. The post feature allows you to curate a blog on your website, and also allows you to make timely announcements on your website, such as news, events, promotions, or other updates you’d like to share.

To access the Posts feature, first login to the back end of your WordPress website. Once you’ve accessed your WordPress dashboard, you should notice the Posts tab on the left (if you aren’t yet familiar with the dashboard, click here for our intro to WordPress).

If you hover your mouse over the “Posts” tab, you should have a drop-down menu of options appear: All Posts, Add New, Categories, and Tags.

Clicking on the “All Posts” tab will direct you to a list of every post on your website.

Clicking “Add New” will direct you to the Add New Post interface, which looks basically the same as the interface you use to add pages (which we discussed in last week’s post – click here to read that post).

With this interface you can add and edit each post on your website, using the WordPress kitchen sink and other editing tools to format each post. You’ll notice the publishing options on the right of the screen, which allows you to save a post as a draft and to preview the post before publishing. Clicking the big blue “Publish” button will publish your post, which then makes it a viewable post entry on your website.

WordPress also allows you to organize posts using Categories and Tags. The Categories and Tags features enable visitors who read a post to search your website for other posts about similar topics. You can add and assign Categories and Tags using the appropriate menus, which you should find on the right side of the Add New Post screen, right underneath the Publish button.

Categories allow for broad grouping of topics among your posts, and tags allow for more detailed organizing of topics. Each post must be assigned to at least one specific category (even if it’s the default “uncategorized”), though the use of tags is entirely optional.

For instance, say you wanted to write a post about a favorite stir-fry recipe. You could organize the post using broad categories like “food” or “cooking,” and more specific tags like “broccoli” or “onions” or “soy sauce.” Then, if a reader clicks on the “cooking” category, he or she will be directed to every post on your website that is also grouped in the “cooking” category.

You’ll also notice the “Featured Image” option, below the Categories and Tags menu. The Featured Image allows you to select an image that will represent the post when it’s displayed within a list of all posts on your website.

Also, WordPress allows for readers to comment on your posts. You can manage each comment by clicking on the “Comments” tab on the WordPress Dashboard, which allows you to approve or unapprove a comment, mark a comment as spam, or move a comment to your trash, as appropriate.

Marking a comment as spam allows WordPress to recognize such comments as spam, which can help to prevent future spammers from posting unwanted comments on your website.

This is just a quick overview of how to add and edit the Posts feature of your WordPress website. Of course, if you ever have any other questions, or would like to discuss WordPress more in-depth, contact us today!

To contact O2 Creative, call 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].

Click here for last week’s post – WordPress Pages