Holiday greetings with a pulse. Please enjoy ;-O

Installing Quicktime is necessary to view this video.

Check out the latest website we designed and programmed for our client, Mollie Johnson Interiors. You will find the portfolio section inspiring and filled with elegant interiors. Visit the site at www.molliejohnsoninteriors.com.

Every year, Hart-Boillot looks forward to designing the Annual Report for The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. The Nieman Foundation is a program that provides a year of study at Harvard for working journalists. It is the oldest and best-known mid-career program for journalists in the world.

This year’s report is special in that it is also a commemorative booklet celebrating 70 years of Nieman Fellowships.

Our design brings together a modern look with historic tones. The silver ink on the rich red cover creates an elegant look.

Check out Nieman’s new website to learn more about the program: www.nieman.harvard.edu.

Perhaps you saw the recent work we did for Northeastern University. As a continuation of their advertising campaign, we produced an ad specific to Northeastern University Online that was featured in Boston Globe Magazine.

The ad’s theme is about “Redefining the classroom.” It tells a story of flexibility and the convenience of earning a degree online with all the benefits of earning a degree in the classroom.

I had the good fortune of seeing Joel Makower speak at a recent Renewable Energy Business Network event. He’s not only an excellent speaker, but an excellent writer. I have been reading his blog, Two Steps Forward, for a while — his simple style draws you in, but unlike many “activist” writers, Makower doesn’t shy away from complexity — presenting numerous sides of every issue in an even-handed manner.

Among the many gems in this book is the appendix, “The Ecological Roadmap – Earthjustice Findings on Environmental Values,” by Cara Pike. This is a MUST READ for green or clean-tech marketers. It presents the results of research into environmental worldviews, breaking the US population down into 10 separate categories and detailing their attributes and beliefs, along with suggestions for what and how to market to each category.

Here are three other gems that stuck with me from Makower’s book, Strategies for the Green Economy: Opportunities and Challenges in the New World of Business.

• No green deed goes unpunished: Makower gives several examples of organizations that are getting green but cannot publicize their good deeds because doing so would shed light on more significant problems, thus inciting previously untapped criticism from environmental activist groups. This can lead to not talking about environmental efforts, called “greenmuting” by McDonald’s Bob Langert.
• “The Greenwasher in all of us:” Quoting directly, “While it’s generally a good thing to maintain high standards for companies seeking to claim environmental leadership, I can’t help but ponder the hypocrisy of it all — how much more we expect of companies than of ourselves.” Makower goes on to discuss how his audiences are often railing against businesses but rarely implementing greener practices in their own lives.
• A Tale of Two Circles: This is the title of one of the book’s chapters, which addresses “how the public and companies can focus on a set of environmental issues or aspects of corproate operations that may not necessarily have the biggest environmental impact. And it offers a warning to companies that have been telling the wrong story when the public’s focus changes.” Makower goes on to show how public discourse focuses on the amount of waste that ends up in our municipal landfills. What we don’t talk about is the industrial/commercial/agricultural waste. As the author notes, “It’s only a matter of time before [...] the public recognizes that for every pound of trash that ends up in municapl landfills, at least 65 more pounds are created upstream by industrial processes — and that a lot of this waste is far more dangerous to environmental and human health than our newspapers and grass clippings.”

Pointing out these few important pieces of Makower’s work does not do justice to a book that reads beautifully and is literally filled with facts and figures that will make you think, act, and potentially adjust your business and marketing strategies.

In the HB creative department, we are constantly working through different stages of our design process. Typically, this starts with a discussion amongst our design team and the client. After defining clear next steps, our creative team gathers for a brainstorm and begins to conceptualize designs.

Recently, we worked with the Marino Center for Integrative Health to introduce a new brand to its constituents. Through new company messaging, a monthly newsletter, on-site signage, a revamped website, and stationery, Marino has upgraded its look and feel to match its first-rate patient services. A brief gallery shows some of our logo developments.

For more about process, check out this post from one of my favorite bloggers: David Airey.

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Southern India - Chennai, Bangalore and Trivandrum. My husband’s family are of Indian descent and this was my first trip. The experience was more amazing than I can put into words.

Nothing in India is predictable. It is complete sensory overload. It’s hard to describe a place where things are happening 360 degrees around you.

One way I can attempt to describe it would be: At the same time I was gazing at a beautifully-carved Hindu temple, I watched women in dazzling saris sell market goods under an umbrella to avoid the intense burning sun, a monkey steal an ear of corn out of a woman’s hand and other monkeys climb on a nearby car, cows graze in the street eating coconuts, an ox pull a truckload of goods in this overwhelmingly busy street, a family of four on a single motorcycle whiz through traffic and finally a little boy asking me if I had any chocolate he could have.

Wow. I feel exhausted just writing that sentence. Actually, I feel excited.

Seeing so much happen made me feel rejuvenated. The people are more religiously devout in all three faiths than I have ever met. There are many ethnic groups, each practicing daily traditions while sharing in a rich culture with deeply-rooted family values.

I met countless family members that welcomed me with open arms. Not only did I acquire a better understanding of my husband’s family, but of the life they had before immigrating to the United States. I never realized how much of a shock it must have been when they immigrated. I have so much respect for my husband’s parents for having the courage to start a new life in a different country so that they could give their children more opportunities.

The trip was interrupted the day after we left Bangalore when there was an episode of multiple small bombs, which killed a few people. This is a rarity in the southern part of the country.

When we landed back in Logan airport, I was confused. I just didn’t know where all the traffic and cows were. And, I could wash my face from water out of the tap. I joke about these differences, but I can’t wait to go back.

I have many stories to share, feel free to ask.

Receiving design awards is always good news at HB. Most recently, we earned two Davey Awards.

Our work on a previous award-winner, the NextPoint Properties direct mailers, netted us a gold award while our work with EMC & CDW on a baseball card promotion earned us a silver award.

Big thanks to our clients on all of our work – our client relationships help us to build and create award-winning projects.

One of our favorite resources for design discussion and brand criticism is Brand New, a blog that discusses corporate and brand identities.

The site does a great job of breaking down new brands and developing conversation amongst bloggers, viewers, and designers.

When you’re through, be sure to check out our own branding section.

We recently completed a creative invitation for a fundraiser supporting Compassionate Care ALS and the MDAA/ALS Center at UMass Memorial Medical Center. We were tasked with creating an elegant invitation with a Southwestern flair.

Our design included a swatch of denim adhered to a textured paper with a simple message: Wear Blue. Bring Green.

The event was filled with an audience excited to wear blue jeans at the classy Tutnuck Country Club. Attendees brought their “green” with them as the event successfully raised nearly $100,000.

The invitation design has been given an honorable mention by MarCom Awards.