The Creative Guru

Video Productions

Creative Guru — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:51:04 +0000

Annual Report and Cover

Creative Guru — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:40:08 +0000

Annual reports don’t have to be boring when it comes to graphic design. When approached by one of our Southern California (Credit Union) clients about creating their Annual Report, we jumped at the opportunity because they wanted something different and creative. With the theme, “Growth Fosters Change”, our creative team developed a unique cover that, even if we didn’t include the title, the reader would understand the concept.

Using bright, vivid colors, we created this composite photo to demonstrate the evolution of a caterpillar to a butterfly, demonstrating both growth and change. Further illustrating our our growth concept, we opted to include the hands of a child, to demonstrate the early stages of growth of our financial institution.

Not only was our client pleased with the final design of the Annual Report, but the marketing collateral was well received by their members and board.

You can view more covers and newsletters in our graphic design portfolio.

Financial Institution Folder

Creative Guru — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:01:48 +0000

There’s nothing more professional bout your marketing collateral than a well designed presentation folder to help keep your other forms and marketing literature in order for a prospective member or client.

Working with one of our local financial institutions in the Inland Empire, we created a simple, yet stylish, presentation folder for their investment services division. Rather than be cliché with the colors; using green for “money”, we opted to use a more refreshing color that signified rebirth and tranquility; blue. Keeping the photos in a monochromatic color also helped focus the readers attention on the name and kept the piece from fighting for attention with colored photos.

The information was kept to a minimum, with the inside folder jacket displaying the firms mission statement and financial tools as well as contact information. Additionally, slots where die-cut into the folder so that a financial representative could insert their business card.

The overall design was welcomed as an addition to the credit unions line of marketing collateral.

View this piece and others in the Presentation Folder & Binder Design Portfolio

Presentation Folder and Brochure

Creative Guru — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:24:49 +0000

We’ve created another cost saving design strategy for one of our financial institution clients. While offering your potential customers a brochure on your products or services may be a good idea when it comes to disseminating information, with this financial institution and various realty companies we have worked with, we have designed the brochure within the presentation folder itself.

The brochure is actually attached to a presentation folder that has side pockets where the firm can add additional product and service flyers as well as forms the potential customer or member may need to complete; for example if a credit union wants to add their new account documents or a realty property management company wants to add rental forms.

By combining the brochure and presentation folder, our customer was able to save costs over design and printing, while showing a quality designed marketing collateral piece.

View this piece and others in the Presentation Folder & Binder Design Portfolio

Brochure Cover – Financial Institution

Creative Guru — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:42:32 +0000

Departing from the traditional sized, tri-fold 8.5″ x 14″, brochure, we worked closely with a credit union, (financial institution) to help develop a a powerful piece of marketing collateral that not only caught the attention of potential members, but also provided a wealth of information about the credit unions services.

Our approach was to show a sens of togetherness and community through lifestyle imagery that depicted that over their member demographics. The result was an award winning piece that helped propel the credit unions membership base into overdrive.

You can view more covers and newsletters in our graphic design portfolio.

Project Report Cover

Creative Guru — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:24:42 +0000

Cover and report design for the International Urban Development Corp. on Kyrgyzstan.

You can view more covers and newsletters in our graphic design portfolio.

Newsletter – Financial Institution

Creative Guru — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:11:35 +0000

Newsletters, if done correctly, are an excellent way of generating business and leads for your company. Working with a local credit union, we developed a user friendly newsletter that was packed with valuable and informative information that kept the reader engaged.

While the newsletter itself is a sales tool, it should not be used as a hard sales tool, but rather as tool to open the sale possibilities. As a general rule, your newsletter should be comprised of 90% informative and useful information for your reader and 10% sales information.

You can view more covers and newsletters in our graphic design portfolio.

Annual Report Cover

Creative Guru — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:37:36 +0000

When we where asked to create something different for an annual cover, that’s exactly what we did for Parda Credit Union. With their annual report theme being, “Home is where the heart is”, we wanted to showcase all those things found behind the white picket fences of all its members yards, family and their lifestyles.

This particular annual report uses lifestyle imagery behind the iconic white picket fence to represent togetherness and family all coming together in the place they call home, a place close to their heart where all things are possible and that holds true for their financial institution, all things are possible when you are a member of Parda Credit Union.

You can view more covers and newsletters in our graphic design portfolio.

Lifestyle Financial Post Card

Creative Guru — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:09:36 +0000

Creating consistency with your marketing collateral is essential for brand recognition. Working with one of our financial clients in the Inland Empire, our goal was to unify their marketing collateral into a consistent look so that their members and potential members would recognize the Credit Union through both their printed and their online collateral. Using the CU’s colors and a lifestyle approach to imagery, we developed several direct mail pieces as part of a year long marketing campaign that resulted in a 72% increase in new credit union membership.

To see more samples, visit our Direct Mail and Postcards portfolio page.

Aviation Manufacturing Brochure and Folder

Creative Guru — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:03:49 +0000

Design has a purpose. And this design of a combination brochure and information folder is a good example of design with purpose. First off, the client was on a budget, our solution was to create once piece that served two purposes; provide the potential customer with information about the company and to hold additional sales or cut sheets.

In addition to the duel purpose marketing collateral, the design had to be clean. Our client was a manufacturer of aviation parts. We wanted to communicate order and cleanliness through their marketing collateral. By structuring the brochure/folder using a simple design grid, we where able to convey both an orderly company with efficient manufacturing processes as well as a safe and clean organization.

To view more brochure samples, visit the brochure portfolio.