And the SWAGger of a College Kid

Lindsay Hixson — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Between college fairs in May, summer internship programs, and early planning for fall job recruiting, we've been brainstorming and creating a lot of college-friendly swag at Sonic lately. Here are some of our favorite product ideas:

Flash drives. I had a flash drive on me at all times in college. Group projects are so prevalent, it's really rare to complete an assignment using just one compute...

Sonic Staff: Meet Tarika

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Time for another staff interview!

Tarika (pronounced like Erica with a T) Hammernik is a recent addition to our art team. We're so thrilled to have her at Sonic, and you should be too! She plays a huge role in making sure your materials look sharp!

Meet Tarika:

How long have you been working at Sonic Promos?
I'm pretty new to the team! I started working here mid-February 2013...

Can It Be Just a Little Bit Better?

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

I recently had the opportunity to spend a night at the Aloft Hotel in Dallas. Aloft is one of nine brands under Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Aloft positions itself as a modern, fresh and fun destination, and I certainly felt that theme as a guest, in every detail, right down to the mini bath products and other hotel freebies.

National Graphic Designer Appreciation Day

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:00:00 +0100

(source)

I have no clue if such a day even exists. If it does, odds are it's probably not today.

But here on our blog, we deem it so.

In honor of this "holiday", I'd like to dedicate today's post to our fantastic design team at Sonic Promos. Michael Fritz and Rahmie Santoso work behind the scenes to support our staff and wow our clients. Their hands touch every order, at multiple stages.

...

Evolution of Popular Logos

Lindsay Hixson — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 09:00:00 +0100

I came across an interesting article by Nicholas Tart on the Retire@21 blog today: 17 Evolutions of Your Favorite Logos.

It's fascinating to see how much has changed, and across a very short period of time in many cases.

You know on makeover shows when people comment, "you look like you've lost 10 years!"? I feel that way about the Apple logo in 1976. What a difference. It's ...

Color Theory and Consumer Behavior

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Let's talk about color.

Most of us have a favorite color. Mine is yellow. Specifically PMS 107.

It makes me feel happy and warm. And it's not all in my head; humans really do have physical and psychological reactions to different hues.

Do you ever think about how certain colors make...

Use Promotional Items to Enhance Your Charitable Event

Lindsay Hixson — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100

What was the last sponsored event you went to? I bet you saw branding everywhere, right? How were the branded materials being used?

Sometimes, promotional materials are just... present at an event. They provide a backdrop for photo ops, decorate empty tables and watch the action pass from a merchandise display in the corner. Used in this way, promotional items are simply wallflower attendees; they st...

Tootsie Pop Wrappers

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100

How do you feel about lollipops?

I have to admit, they're not my favorite candy. As a kid, Blow Pops and Tootsie pops generally littered my Halloween pumpkin well into April. Mounds Bars, Almond Joys, and Whoppers had priority, in case you wanted to know.

Despite my indifference to Tootsie Pops, I never failed to check the wrapper for a hidden star. Everyone knows that a star-marked wrapper is gold...

Tell Me About Your Favorite T-shirt

Lindsay Hixson — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100

As product consultants, our job at Sonic Promos is to advise and guide our clients' choices in branded materials. Much of the time, this entails recommending apparel styles, brands, colors and decoration techniques.

Our choice in product must be synonymous with the campaign's message and budget, but it's equally important that the product appeals to its target audience. If the item's r...

J-Serve and Group Purchase Programs

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Where will you be on April 22nd? Helping your neighbors? Beautifying the community? Making a difference?

More than 10,000 Jewish teens around the world will be!

J-Serve, the International Day of Jewish Youth Service is scheduled for April 22nd this year.* Taken from the J-Serve website- "J-Serve provides teens with the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim, acts of loving kind...

Bryn Mawr College Rebrand

Lindsay Hixson — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0100

In recent weeks, several projects at Sonic have revolved around Bryn Mawr College's rebrand.

The college's new logo has a fresh, updated look, and it serves an important role in the school's efforts to engage and connect with students, alumni and faculty. Sonic will be working with BMC closely to ensure that all promotional materials adhere to their new branding guidelines.

Whether your orga...

Working Around Minimums

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Do you remember learning about fixed costs and variable costs in high school economics? Fixed Costs (FC) + Variable Costs (VC) = Total Cost (TC)

In short, the total cost of a project is comprised of fixed costs that are independent of output and variable costs that vary with output.

Why the lesson in economics? The reason I bring this up is to help explain certain aspects of promotional pr...

Branding from a Five-Year-Old's Perspective

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:38:44 +0100

Have you seen this video yet? If not, please take three quick minutes to watch it now. You won't regret it.

I find so many things interesting about this video.

First, it's incredible how accurate she is. Some brands throw her, like Monster- "Those are little... squirgs"- and Boeing- "an outside space", but for the most part she's pretty spot on!

Based on this one child (although a sample size of one would not be permissible by any statistician), we can a...

Yes, There Are Published Books about McDonald's Drinkware

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Saturday afternoon, you would have found me browsing antique stores in Navasota, Texas. I was on the hunt for a sofa table when I discovered this little gem instead.

An identification and value guide for McDonald's promotional drinkware? Can you believe it?!

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. McDonald's has produced thousands and thousands of prom...

Award Winning Direct Mail Piece with Columbia Books

Lindsay Hixson — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:56:39 +0100

On Wednesday evening, Sonic received its first Gold Pyramid Award at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. Debbie Bostin and Seth Weiner's direct mail campaign with Columbia Books won top place in the category of Political and Legislative Program.

Read on to learn more about the project.

In 2008, Columbia Books acquired the US Congress Handbook (first published in 1974). Th...

The Evolution of Advertising

Lindsay Hixson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:44:58 +0100

Mashable Business posted a really interesting article this week titled "The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy". The article discussed a beautiful illustrated timeline, originally created by Infolinks.

The graphic is too large for me to repost here, so you'll have to click over to check it out.

Here are a few of my favorite parts:

Creative Calendars and Brand Mascots

Lindsay Hixson — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:14:12 +0100

Driving home last night, I passed a Chick-fil-A restaurant and did a double take. The sign outside read- "Come in today for your 2012 cow calendar".

Now, I'm accustomed to reading fast food advertisements that boast hamburger creations eight patties in height, seasonal "crab" cake sandwiches or fifty-cent Flizzard milkshakes with chunks of Snickers and Reese's Pieces and whole cupcakes blended right in. But a calendar? Now that was something new.

Turns out it's not anyth...

Blog entries tagged Branding