The scoop from the IT department at the University of Wisconsin suggests that changing fonts on your computer documents from the default of “Arial” to “Century Gothic” will save 30% less ink in printouts. Arial was designed in 1982 by Monotype foundry. Century Gothic was also designed by Monotype foundry but about a decade later in 1991. Of course, we are supposed to be a paperless society without having the need for paper. Thank goodness for the IPad.

OrangeRoc saves ink and paper by conducting our team meetings digitally form our conference room. Agendas and status reports are reviewed weekly on the flat screen with only one print out necessary. However, despite all the new technology swirling around us, nothing can beat the paper printout for reviewing, critiquing, and exploring new creative ideas.

To celebrate the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival Spring Showcase (April 16-22) and our continued marketing partnership with them, we created a fun promotion called “Rate Your Day.” It’s a spin on the movie ratings system. We all have days we could label as G, PG, R, and X depending on our mental state and the people and events affecting us. If you visit www.orangeroc.com/ratings and click on the button corresponding to your mood, you will be able to download a corresponding facebook icon or download wallpaper for your computer, iphone or ipad or even order a button ($5) to proudly wear, letting everyone you encounter know the state of affairs inside your noggin. Send us a shout out and tell us about your day. Although we are not licensed psychologists we may be able to help you with your “ratings issues.”  We have been known to lift clients’ spirits and sometimes talk them down off the roof.  ”Find your happy place” with OrangeRoc!

OrangeRoc is excited to announce that on April 10th we attended the Hawaii Advertising Federation 2010 Pele Awards, which honors the year’s best advertising, marketing and design. We ended up winning 5 awards for 5 different clients, representing 5 distinctively different projects (Website, POP Display, Trade Show Booth, Poster and Stationery Package).

So there it is..we tooted our horn.

But we wanted to let our readers in on a little bit of the behind the scenes…on how work is selected by the agency to submit to the awards shows and also what we have determined through years of going to these awards shows that the judges are looking for.

First of all OrangeRoc considers all of the work we’ve done for all of our clients to be “best in show” or else we would never let it go out our door. We treat every door hanger and email blast with the same care as we do a big budget television commercial or print campaign. What we produce is a reflection not only on our clients’ reputations but also on ours.

When we lay out all of the work we’ve done from the previous year, we go through a mental checklist of what we’ve seen win form different categories in past awards shows. We only select the key pieces that we feel have a good shot at an award.

What do the judges look for? Well we are a little bit of an anomaly here in Hawaii. Judges are always flown in from the mainland every year and what we’ve found to be a trend is that pieces that have a very demonstrative Hawaiiana feel to them always seem to do better than those pieces that look like they could be from anywhere. We think that the judges get sort of seduced by the colors and textures of Hawaii and all this imagery is new and fresh to them. Diamond Head scenics, orchids, whales and hula girls are all interesting and exciting to them, but for us they are tired clichés.

For OrangeRoc, and many other Hawaii firms, we are many times trying to think of new marketing and design solutions for our clients that don’t rely so heavily on the “Hawaii Experience.” If it makes sense to have Hawaii imagery for a particular client or project then we use it but if it is just convenient graphic safe zone we try to avoid it. Simplicity is also a trend. Pieces that solve a communications problem with the fewest amount of pictures, words and clutter always fare better than those that are jam packed with information. All of the work we create for our clients is based on the philosophy that less is more. Now with that said, less on one piece could mean 500 words and 10 photos where as on another piece it could mean two words and a small logo. It all depends on the project and the client and the message.

Finally, we notice that pieces that are produced with high end papers, printing processes, special die cuts, fancy camera moves, custom music and time intensive animation elements always stand out and seem to win more awards. It is true in some respects that you do get noticed more if you spend more money. Think about walking into a dinner party. You are going to get more looks if you are wearing a designer gown or tuxedo versus an outfit from the GAP. Now with that said there are also times when doing exactly opposite of this also gets you noticed. Going against the trend and designing a piece to intentionally look raw and gritty can also win praise if it communicates effectively the right message to the right audience.

OrangeRoc does not create our work for awards shows. We create work for our clients and they are our first and only priority. Making our clients happy and successful is the greatest award we could ever receive. Thanks to all of our clients for allowing us to produce best in show work time and time again…and if that work happens to win a Pele Award then it’s just the cherry on top.

OrangeRoc shared our professional and industry insights with the students from Hawaii Pacific University on March 30, 2010. Han Nee teaches a class in communications at HPU and she thought it would be a good idea to help students bridge the gap between school and a day on the job.  So she us sent a quick email and we agreed to share a day in the life of a marketing/communications firm. It started with a warm welcome with all of their names on our door. Remember “a day in the life of OrangeRoc” its part of our culture – “our place is your place.” Next, we all stood around, “literally,” and shared 10-20 tasks we had already completed, and it was only 2PM. Next, was a warp speed presentation of our research to implementation process.  Next, we shared 3 OrangeRoc case studies and one case study from my company on the mainland. The case Studies were HIFF 28 and 29, ABC, Extreme Make Over Home Edition “the making of” and the rebranding of Society Brass on the mainland. There are only 3 rooms at OrangeRoc; one room is for creating, one for accounting and one for eating and sharing, watching movies and big student presentations.  It was a tight squeeze with all of the students but we made it work just fine. We enjoy sharing with students and expressing what really goes into creating an award winning campaign, from start to finish.  Good luck to all communication majors.

Han Nee’s response to our tour:

Hi, Mel,

Thank you so much for having us yesterday! The presentations were amazing! I spoke to a few students afterwards and they were all very impressed and inspired. They found the case studies to be really interesting and they also like the ‘day in the life of’ each team member at OrangeRoc. A few students were asking about internship opportunities afterwards and I said I would check with you.

You guys are AWESOME! Thanks again for taking the time and effort to put together such a thoughtful presentation for us. The students were amazed when they first saw their names on the door! It was so very thoughtful.

Mahalo!

Han Nee