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One of our pro-bono clients, Shoes and Clothes for Kids (SC4K for short) is a remarkable organization with a unique mission: raising funds to purchase brand new clothing, Payless ShoeSource gift cards and school supplies for Northeast Ohio children living in poverty. SC4K is so effective, in fact, that it can take a $40 donation and turn it into nearly $900 worth of clothing for those who need it most.

Often, however, SC4K gets confused with other worthwhile charitable organizations like Coats for Kids. What makes SC4K so special is its commitment to providing kids with something new. Why new items, when there are thrift stores, clothing drives and other inexpensive ways to outfit children? Because there’s nothing like the feeling of wearing a new outfit for the first time or the excitement of picking out new shoes. Unfortunately, so many children in Greater Cleveland have never experienced that pride or excitement – something that SC4K is working tirelessly to change.

Our challenge was to create a new tagline and logo that captured that emotion while also visually communicating what makes their mission so very unique. Two things you should know about me: One, I have a soft spot in my heart when it comes to working with charities and other non-profits. Two, logos are my favorite things to design. So when the call came to take a new look at the SC4K logo, I literally couldn’t wait to start concepting. SPOILER ALERT: the idea that evolved into the final product was bouncing around my head while we were still in the project’s introductory meeting.

The work, though, had actually begun weeks earlier, when Stephanie and Patrick presented four heartfelt, impactful taglines as part of the brand refreshment. The chosen one – “More than new outfits. New outlooks.” – really struck a chord by both distilling the organization’s important mission and giving Nicole and I the perfect push to get our design minds working. From there, the visual concepting began, with ideas ranging from shopping bags to boxes to tags. We both sought solutions that communicated newness, felt shopping-related and also expressed the sense of pride and confidence children receive from these new items.

After presenting several options to the gang at SC4K, everyone enthusiastically decided to move forward with the mark you see above. With that in mind, I’d like to spend a little bit of time discussing the thought process that went into the final product. In the new mark, I started with the idea of a shopping tag, both familiar visually and something that would remain recognizable – and this is important – from a great distance. From there, I added the “heart-as-holepunch” as a subtle flourish, placing it within a circle in the same color (though lighter) as the SC4K deep blue.

Furthermore, I sought to provide a sense of action through typography placement and emphasize all parts of the SC4K name. Below the tag, in the familiar SC4K green, I set the tagline in such a way that it seemed linked to the tag yet distinctive in its own right. Sensing the importance of the “new outlooks”, I thought it would be interesting to place the entire mark at an angle, which forces viewers to have their own new outlook when shown the logo. In the end, I think that choice made a huge difference, because it lends a real sense of freshness and excitement to the final product. And isn’t that what the SC4K mission is all about?

It was a challenge, at first, to find ways to express confidence through the logo, so I made the decision early on to do so through choice of typeface. I went with Trade Gothic, one of my all-time favorites – especially in its bolder, more condensed faces. And in this application it works quite well, evoking a contemporary-ness and strength that help support the aims of the new tagline. I’m really proud of how it turned out; seeing it applied in print, outdoor and television outlets has only solidified that feeling. It was a real pleasure to be able to tackle such a project for such a worthy organization – one that everyone at Melamed Riley wholeheartedly believes in. Anything we can do to help further SC4K’s mission not only helps them, but it also helps thousands of children around the region. And what could be more meaningful than that?

Darin Hintz, Nicole Melville, Jim Bird, Bill Roddy, Adam Smith, Rick Riley and John Butler post-race.

Holy Himalayas!

I can’t speak for the team, but I’m going to anyways. Tour de Cure was a grueling 62-mile – or 72 for some of our directionally challenged riders – mother of a bike ride. It was a wonderfully organized fundraiser for diabetes awareness. When we heard “Yeah, it’s a bit hilly,” or “Are you crazy?” or the concerned look one would give when mentioning cycling around the Brandywine/Boston Mills area, most of us weren’t exactly sure how hilly or crazy it was. Well, we all know now.

It was more of a 62-mile roller coaster, except you didn’t go down one giant hill and let its momentum take you to the finish. You had to push your cranks to their limits and then sometimes still get off and hike it to the top. Brakepad-burning, white-knuckling downhill speeds topped 40 miles per hour and will-breaking uphill climbs were under 3. It was an incredibly exciting run. The weather was damp and humid, but the breeze and lower temperatures during the race were exceptionally better than anticipated. Bottom line – we had a blast! We all finished. Not too shabby for our first gig.

Got Map?

Seems some kids of the smart-ass variety stole some of the important arrow signs that kept the cyclists on the right roads. This forced Rick Riley to pedal an extra eight miles on his route and added about 10 miles to mine. John Butler missed a sign as well and didn’t realize he was off course until he saw a “Welcome to Akron” sign. I found that funny. Doubt it was humorous at the time. Jim Bird and Nicole Melville overshot a sign and added some mileage to their rides as well. The dynamic duo also decided to go up and down the same giant hill on Martin Road a couple times. Way to one up us, guys! Bill Roddy and Adam Smith were perfect. No wrong turns. No misread signs. Next time the announcer at the start of an event mentions something about keeping a map on board, I’ll pay more attention.

Damage Report.

The sorta good news is that the seven members of the team only sustained three flats during the whole event. The sorta bad news is that all three flats were on Adam’s rear tire. Taking three for the team, Adam? Nice.

I heart the Midwest. I grew up in the Midwest. So, I know the greatness of the Great Lakes. I recently relocated back to the Midwest from the South after living in Atlanta for eight years. Not counting the few humble lakes that surround Atlanta – which, till recently, were only half-mast due to the drought – the nearest beach is a four-hour drive.

I now live on Lakeside Avenue that, yup, you guessed it, runs lakeside. I not only have a view of the Browns stadium, but also the sizable body of water that is Lake Erie. I’m so close, in fact, that a real concern on my three-block urban hike to MR HQ is the inevitability of getting pooped on by one of those coastal lovin’ seagulls. Oh, and I forgot to mention, one of the namesakes owns a boat. Score! So, when Rick suggested the creatives have an ideation session on the boat, I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Ouch, nope, still awake.

With a fully packed cooler – thanks Jim – complete with string cheese and an assortment of beverages, we headed out for open waters. As we passed a large tanker two football fields in length, we realized the seas were too rough, so it was decided we should stay within the break wall. It was in a cove, a few miles east of the city, where we dropped anchor and pulled out our pens. I could get used to this kind of office space.

Rick suggested we take a trip down the river before heading back. “Aye aye Captain,” said the crew in unison. As we chugged down the river, this is where history met present day. From the archival railroad bridges forever drawn to the metallic modern day skyline, Cleveland has a story to tell. Now, I might be fresh off the boat, but I can already see this is a great city with great people who have something great to offer – and not just because it’s on one of the Great Lakes.

You know, some experts say the primary purpose of an agency blog is to provide a longer tail for search engines to step on. Others say it’s the timely manner in which a blog allows you to post news and awards. Providing a platform for case studies, networking with potential clients and having a cool vehicle to inspire employee involvement are also mentioned as big pluses. It all sounds swell to us, but we prefer having a more single-minded objective. So here it is: a place for us to publish any real, uncontrived, genuine material that helps give readers a better sense of our agency’s personality. Like a little HTML refrigerator where we hang up all the stuff that has us excited. That’s really its sole purpose. Okay, maybe that and the thing about the search engines. Because what good is a boatload of personality in an empty room?