HSPA advertising contest 2010

I attended the HSPA advertising awards last night, the Journal Review placed very well again this year.

All in the division B category, circulation of 6,000 - 14,999 daily.

Best Home and Garden
3rd place, Lauri Shillings- Sears

Best Financial Ad
3rd Place, Lauri Shillings, PFC "Spring Cash"
2nd place, Lauri Shillings, PFC "Back to School"

Best Automotive Ad
2nd Place, Lauri Shillings, Horner - "Back to School"
1st Place, Lauri Shillings, Horner - "Coming Soon- Buick Lacrosse"

Best Real Estate Ad
2nd Place, Lacey Wheeler, Linda Walsh- Carpenter realtors "Time is Running out"

Best Fashion and Personal Care
3rd Place, Lauri Shillings, Creek Jewelry "Diamond Remount Event"

Best Entertainment and Lifestyles
3rd Place, Lauri Shillings, Cville Parks & Rec "Yoga Classes"

Best Political Ad
2nd Place, Lauri Shillings, "Re-elect Michelle Cash"
1st Place, Lauri Shillings, "Elect Hal Utterback Sherrif"

Best Thinking Out of the Box Ad
1st Place, Lauri Shillings, Cville Square/Lamar Property Mgmt "Community Fair"

Best Multi Advertiser with a common Theme
2nd Place, lauri Shillings, Downtown Crawfordsville "Eggnourmous Event"

Best Non-inserted Niche Publication
3rd place, Lauri Shillings and Staff for "Montgomery County Cooks"
2nd place, Staff for "Montgomery County Essentials"

Best Non ROP and NON Traditional Product
2nd place, Lauri Shillings, Athena Sport & Fitness insert flyer "Yes You Can!"
1st Place, Lauri Shillings, Journal Review Reader Rewards Card


Best ROP Series or Campaign
3rd Place, Lacey Wheeler, Blue monkey bar "Go Bananas"
2nd place, Lauri Shillings, Muffs & Tails "Holy Cow- that's a loud Muffler"


Best Event Marketing ad
2nd place - Lacey Wheeler, Cville Square/ Lamar property mgmt "Boo Party"
1st Place, Lacey Wheeler, "Taste of Montgomery County"

A film for Advertising Creatives

Art & Copy Film
I expect each and everyone of you to go out and watch this movie. I'm serious!

Inserts and Advertising

I work for a newspaper.
I can remember the days when each person did one job, and did it well. Today, however, Each person is multi-talented and is expected to perform multiple functions in the newspaper office. Feature writers cover sporting events, Page designers handle Business news, Advertising designers (like me) are creating special section magazine page layouts and broadsheet page design, and even, well, INSERTS!

two of my favorites so far have been for a local gym. See their examples below.

making a plain ad, better

How do you go about your creative design process? I usually sketch mine out in tiny squares and headlines. Here's how I've taken an ad that's been running for a few weeks and updated it.
The OLD ad.




The SKETCH




The FINAL look

small space advertising

Ads. Big. Small. Effective.
I realize that most design submissions are for full page ads, full page/ front page designs, or total special section submission and when you look at the 'big picture' you get a much better reader response. But what about all of the small space ads? These are the meat of your advertising core. These are your local mom & pop businesses that need you as a designer to really make a difference. These are your career and life long connections in your community newspapers... You can make a box with words, or, you can make these shine. What are some of the best small space ads you've seen? Are they cluttered? Do they follow the 3 question rule? (What are they selling? Where can I get it? and Why should I get it?) Do they have a good, relevant graphic? Did they use text as art? Things to think about.

No HSPA awards this year...

There will be no advertising awards for my design group this year. Not due to any lack of wonderfulness on my part, but I've found out that our upper management has neglected to tell me of the WAY over deadline of June 12, 2009 for entry submissions.
I realize that I should have kept better track of such things... But I know for a fact that they get those entry submission packages WAY in advance. For the record... I would have sent my own money in to enter.. the darn tightwads wouldn't have even had to put up the lousy $100 bucks....

Here's a link to the last 2 years standings- Just to prove that I MIGHT have won a few more this year had been given the opportunity...

Awards are Fascinating!

Free form newspaper advertising

While reading Ed Henninger's blog, he recently posted a newspage submission that featured a free form ad on it. It was very well done. As I was browsing through my on-line portfolio today, I found a page with a similar concept of free form advertising that I had done in January. This is the result. I like it, but it was hard to work the text around. I had to pick and choose the articles that would flow nicely around the odd shape, and redesign some of the regular features that are normaly in a big box on the page, or are over 2 col wide. I would expect that the every day joe in the newsroom that's doing his own pages wouldn't know how to proceed with such a puzzle.
I liked this effort. I don't think I'd like to see this sort of thing everday in my daily community paper.

Happy 4th of July!

Here's an ad spec I worked up some time ago. I found it recently while looking at my online portfolio at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/LShillings/PortfolioLauriShillings
It seemed appropriate for today.

I hope you all have a happy, festive and safe Idependence day!

Visual Journals

Credit from: blog.howdesign.com

Visual Journals
Designer Ken Carbone explains the importance of keeping a personal, visual journal in this video for Fast Company Magazine.

Grease 7 days a week!

My most recent favorite vintage ad. The fact that they state that it is 'so digestible- you can eat it 7 days a week' just cracks me up!

Graphic Signs from Fireworks companies

Cool signs @ fireworks shop

Chicken and Chi-Chi's commercial

chicken & chi chi's commercial
OMG! I have finally found the TV commercial that is so funny- online. My husband and I have had a secret humorous dialog regarding this commercial for at least a month. I have been searching everywhere for it and finally found it today. Anyone with a 4 year old will appreciate the humor! Kids tend to be very repetative with their demands until you answer them.... this commercial hits that right on the nose. Visit:

http://download.fischeredit.com/CHI_CHIs_FINAL_MAy9/drop_files_here/CHI_CHIs_Cyborgs_Final.mov


Takes quicktime and a pretty good connection speed, but so worth it.

Art Deco programs

These great programs from the late 30's and 40's were on display at IMS museum. They display typical colors and graphics from the period.

Oh, Really?

For some reason, this little statement has had me tittering all day.
Wonder why?

working for the government

Well- it turns out I'm working on a national level.
A local design agency calls the newspaper to get a last minute ad in for a 'political' client... they as me, the in-house designer to work up the ad for them... the 'design agency'... how neat!

Yeah! Awards: shiny objects are so fascinating

Well the design staff at the Journal Review and myself have done it again. We have pretty much closed out the competition in our division of daily cirulation - 6,000 to 14,999 - with our advertising design ideas. Please note that the other 'paper' in Crawfordsville, Indiana was forced to run in the less than 5,999 daily circulation. Go figure, they seem to tell anyone who will listen that their circulation is MUCH higher than that..... I guess some like to be disillusioned about size......

According to the HSPA (hoosier state press association) We have won Major Awards! (cue the fishnet stocking lamp visuals now...) Shaylan Owen was my lead designer at the Journal Review from spring of '06 until just this last Friday, September 21. (Ironically the day of the awards gala in Indianapolis, Indiana.) Shaylan is going on to pursue a higher wage and an "L-shaped" desk at the Bloomington Herald-Times starting Monday, September 24th. Congratulations Shaylan!

A listing of our accomplishements
The Journal Review took home from the event, including 13 first-place awards.

Best Financial institution/Professional Newspaper advertisement:
2nd place for Athena Sport and Fitness Center, 'leave your old body behind", designed by Lauri Shillings, Sold by Mike Boots
1st place for Nelson Jewelers "As One", designed by Shaylan Owen

Best medical Ad
1st place for Dr. Terri Winn, the Kids Dentist "Braces", designed by Shaylan Owen sold by Heidi Stewart

Best Auto Dealer Ad, Color
2nd place for Etter Ford, "Edge", designed by Melissa Dean
1st place for Duke's Gold Speedway 'Overstocked', designed by Lauri Shillings

Best Auto Dealer Ad, Black & White
1st place for Etter ford, "customer appreciation day" designed by Shaylan Owen

Best Real Estate Newspaper Ad
1st place Remax "We've turned 15", designed by Shaylan Owen Sold by Heidi Stewart

Best Classified Ad (non auto, non real estate)
3rd place for Journal review "night owl" designed by Lauri Shillings
2nd place for Forge Industrial Staffing "job fair" designed by Lauri Shillings

Best Misc. Color Newspaper Ad
2nd place, Nelson Jewelers "Diamonds" Designed by Shaylan Owen
1st place, County Market "holiday" designed by Lauri Shillings, sold by Mark Deacon

Best Misc. Black and White Newspaper Ad
2nd place for Vance Tree Farm, designed by Lauri Shillings, sold by Heidi Stewart
1st place for Overlay Proposal, designed by Shaylan Owen

Best Small Space Newspaper Ad
1st place for Creek Jewelers "journey' designed by Shaylan Owen, sold by Mike Boots

Best Multiple Advertiser Page with Common theme
1st place for "Face of Remembrance' veterans tribute, designed by Lauri Shillings

Best Community Wide Special Section (including progress)
2nd place for 'Montgomery County Directory'- Staff contributing
1st place for 'Side Effects'- staff contributing

Best Targeted Newspaper Special Section
1st place for 'Montgomery County Cooks!'

Best in-Paper Promotion
1st place Shaylan Owen for, 'Candid' photo contest

Best Creative Designer- 5,999-14,000 Daily circulation
3rd Place, Lauri Shillings
1st Place, Shaylan Owen

Best Color Newspaper Ad
2nd Place, Shaylan Owen for Nelson Jewelers "as one"

Best Black and White newspaper ad
3rd place, Shaylan Owen for 'Overlay Proposal'
2nd place Shaylan Owen for Remax "We have turned 15"

So, all I have to say is WOW!
I shall have to wallpaper the other half of my 'cubicle' at work with the awards from this year. That should balance out last years...
I must say, I was pretty surprised at the awards banquet that they kept calling our name. For a minute I was a bit embarrassed by the undue attention we were garnering from the other groups.
- I got over that.