Firsts.

When you do something FIRST you want it to count. You want it to be special, amazing, wonderful, and you want people to be wowed! Our friends over at STAPLEGUN got that chance. Their task: create the inaugural invitation for the First female Governor in the State of Oklahoma, Mrs. Mary Fallin. (This invitation will likely be on display at the Oklahoma History Center until, oh…probably the end of time….no pressure there.) Obviously pressure doesn’t get to those guys, because they literally knocked this project out of the park!



They created a classy and timeless invitation that wowed many as they arrived in mailboxes. (I never actually got one in the mail, it must have gotten lost. Surely, I was on the list….I waived at her when she was in the Edmond Liberty Fest Parade in 2009…we bonded.)

The invitation packet consisted of a booklet , an official invite, the response card, and an embossed envelope. It’s really quite impressive. After we delivered the finished product we then entered the piece into print competitions where we said things like “110# Classic Crest Solar White Cover, 4 color + PMS + Flood varnish, wet trap 2 side, 1 silver flat foil, 1 silver foil emboss.” (If you know what all that means, the FIRST step for you is admitting you have a problem.)


The piece won a local award and 3 National awards that we thought we should mention…
2011 Bronze Addy
Best of Category - 2011 Graphic Excellence Awards
Award of Recognition – 2011 Premier Print Awards
Neenah Paper – Silver Award 2011 Text & Cover Competition

We’d like to thank STAPLEGUN for allowing us the honor to be a part of this FIRST for the State of Oklahoma!

Target Practice

We schmooze twice a year at the OKC Chamber of Commerce event SchmoozaPalooza! (I can now spell it without having to look it up.) It’s a fun event and we always have a great time. This time around Groupon sponsored a vendor lounge and we were treated to free appetizers and drinks – that was nice, REALLY nice! (Thanks Groupon!) We always go to Schmooza with a new theme, something fun and different. This year it was…

Nerf Dart Tag – Fury Fire! (Have I told you lately that I love my job?) It was so fun.

But we weren’t just playing tag- there was a method to our madness. We were talking about hitting your target with One-to-One Marketing. We printed a nifty handout that talked all about One-to-One Marketing (which is a communication of individualized, relevant messages to a large number of recipients.) One of the key points was Proper Targeting + Proper Personalization = Better Response! At Heritage we can help set your company apart and get your message noticed with the use of…

Variable Data Printing – Using customer test and images to speak directly and personally to each of your customers instead of sending everyone the same message/offer.

Cross Media Marketing – Using more than one medium to connect with your audience.

The channels we have available to integrate your company’s marketing efforts are: Direct mail, Email Marketing, Personalized URL’s/Landing Pages, Text Messaging Campaigns, and Social Media. It was a hit! People obviously loved playing Dart Tag with their friends and we even had some customers come by and ask to shoot at us, so we played along and let them. (We think they enjoyed that part a little TOO much!)

We handed out these fun slinky note pads with targets on them (hmmm…I bet I know where you can get some of those if you like them! Hint hint.)

Overall the event was a huge success – I definitely think we hit the TARGET!

Action Report

We printed a book for our fab friends over at Funnel Design Group! They designed the book for the PHF Research Park – we’ll stop here for a minute because I know you’re asking yourself, “what does PHF Research Park do?” Well let me use their words and tell you, (I’m sure they’d say it better anyway)… The Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park is a 27-acre, seven-building, 700,000 square-foot complex that supports biomedical technology.

The Research Park is located in close proximity to the Oklahoma Health Center. At the Research Park, Presbyterian Health Foundation's mission is to provide biotech companies with Class A wet laboratory space and office space, currently there are 36 science based companies housed at the complex. As you can see they do a lot! They created this "Action Report" to raise awareness and promote the important and life-saving science happening in Oklahoma! The reports were distributed to the investors, lawmakers, and the scientific business sector. Funnel's objective was to create a comprehensive overview of the vast scientific research going on at PHF Research Park.

The custom microscopic imagery forming “words” was designed to give the reader the “Aha” moment that a scientist might encounter when solving a scientific puzzle. As far as design goes, some of our favorite parts of the book are the French Poptone Tangy Orange flysheets & matching orange envelope, the rounded corners of the book & the label that wraps around the cover similar to that on a prescription bottle. Pretty cool!

Matt Goad , Creative Director at Funnel had these words to say, “This project was commissioned by the President of the Presbyterian Health Foundation Michael D. Anderson, PhD in 2010, being his final year as acting President before retiring. Dr. Anderson is a big proponent of Scientific Research and Creativity in Oklahoma, and without him this book would never have been possible. We are truly indebted to him!”

Matt also bragged on us too (and since it’s our blog we feel it’s only appropriate to share it) “Heritage and our account manager made this very large and complex project very painless and actually fun!” Now that’s what we like to hear!

Thank you PHF for promoting scientific research and innovation in this great state. Also, thanks to Funnel Design for sparking creativity, thinking outside the box, and allowing us to be a part of that creativity. We enjoyed seeing it come alive on paper!

Let's Celebrate!

Recently we helped our friends over at NEWCASTLE Gaming Center pull off something pretty cool!

They needed a creative way to invite their VIP’s to a Mardi Gras Tournament Celebration, and we helped them do just that!


We printed the invitations that were made to look like Mardi Gras masks, then they were also die-cut.

The invitation then was placed in a box (boxes are more likely to get opened, because people are just too curious and they HAVE to know what’s in it). Inside the box were two sets of beads (you can’t have Mardi Gras without beads) and the beads had customized medallions – reinforcing the NEWCASTLE brand!


The remainder of the box was filled with string confetti that matched the printed piece & beads. A label was printed using variable data on the outer box wrap.

NEWCASTLE Gaming Center sent the boxes to their VIP’s – and we ran their mailing list through NCOA & made a few corrections. (NCOA is National Change of Address which helps reduce undeliverable mail by automatically updating your list with addresses of customers who have recently moved.) We recommend running all lists through NCOA, but especially if the item you’re mailing costs more to mail (like a box), you don’t want to waste postage on a bad address.

The NEWCASTLE Gaming Center Mardi Gras Tournament Celebration was very successful and they had a GREAT turnout…that’s what we like to hear!

Neenah Greenah

This blog post is brought to you by the color GREEN.

Everyone is always interested in how they can "go green", and here's a cool tool to help.



Those creative folks over at Neenah Paper have an Environmental Calculator that allows users to instantly calculate the environmental savings achieved by using paper made with post consumer fiber as well as the savings from using paper made with 100 percent renewable energy. (It's super cool!)

Symbols for wood, water, energy and waste can be used in creating customized savings reports for annual reports and other print projects. Information on how to use the symbols is included in the Symbols Toolkit, which you can download on their site as well!


You've gotta try it...click RIGHT HERE!


Go green! Oh...and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

P is for Print

I would love to tell you I wrote the article below, but I didn't. I did a good ol' fashioned Ctrl c, Ctrl v, and pasted it right here. The beauty of the blog is that copy & pasting isn't considered plagiarism when you link the story back to the source. I love that. So here's my highlighted link and many thanks to The Print Council.

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper
We all take printing for granted. Perhaps it’s because print has been the world’s number one communications medium for so long we tend to overlook its impact and power.

That oversight could be fatal to a marketing campaign, a product launch, or a branding initiative that is trying to connect with people. People trust print. They feel comfortable using it. And they can’t fast forward past it. This guide to the persuasive power of print provides the top ten reasons why you should consider using print in your next campaign. It doesn’t have to be the only medium you use. But, you most definitely should consider print whenever you want to persuade, inform or entertain. Here are your reasons why...

Print is for keeps.
A Magazine Publishers of America survey found that 24% of readers typically pass an article along to someone else, 23% save the article for future reference, and 13% visit a related website. In action, print’s durability has a positive impact on every message it touches. It says: Your message is significant. That you cared enough to put it on paper. That you are authentic rather than virtual, and you will be there when we need you.

Print is Portable.
Long after their iPod battery is drained, people will still be reading what you send them in print. Print is the ultimate in portability and playability. They can pick up a magazine at a newsstand, buy a book on the fly or grab your brochure from a trade show exhibit. There are no compatibility issues, no need to keep anything charged,and never a worry about screen glare. You can fold print,stuff it,clip it, even scratch-and-sniff it. Print can be carried and consumed anywhere, at anytime: On trains, planes and automobiles. Take it to bed, to the beach or to the bath. There’s no need to boot it up or power it down. Print is always there and always ready to instruct, inform and entertain.

Print drives a higher ROI.
Printing is particularly persuasive as direct mail. According to research by the Direct Marketing Association and the Wharton Economic Forecasting Associates, print’s performance through the mail can be measured in dollars and cents. The DMA researchers found that U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person in direct mail marketing to earn $2,095 worth of goods per person, scoring a return on investment of 13 to 1. Why? Because people gravitate toward print. A total of 38% of households surveyed by the U.S. Postal Service in 2006 found direct mail pieces interesting. That study also found that 85% of mail is either read or visually scanned by recipients. And direct mail is also a great way to expand business relationships and keep customers loyal. A study by the Rochester Institute of Technology Printing Industry Center found that 67% of respondents like getting mail about new products from companies they do business with.

Print is beautiful.
Why do they call it the graphic arts? Because print is beautiful and printers continue to consider every job they do a personal masterpiece. And now, advanced printing techniques — like high-fi color and advanced screening— make their work more appealing and more compelling. Photos seem to jump off the page. Special effects draw the eye to the printed content, and a new generation of papers and substrates make readers want to touch and feel your message. You can’t get any closer than that. The beauty of print will enhance your product or service, giving it a special appeal of its own and an extra tangible dimension that no electronic media can impart.

Print plays well with others.
Sure, the Internet is cool. What’s cooler is using a printed direct mail campaign to draw prospects to a personalized website, then following up with a printed thank-you card or closer. Yes, the World Wide Web provides a real-time interactive environment, but so do the telephone and the television. Print enhances the impact of all of those media by providing your client’s prospects with an extra dimension. One that’s friendly. One that’s warm. One that’s inviting. And, one that they can’t very well ignore because they’re holding it right in their hands. Consider the 2003 research published in the Journal of Advertising Research, which examined the advertising impact on weekly sales of a pizza franchiser. It found that the best combination of media in driving sales is direct mail and national TV advertising used together. The print/broadcast duo doubled the impact of using any one medium alone. An American Business Media study adds more insight into the effectiveness of combining print with other media. According to that research, B-to-B magazines were viewed by prospects as trustworthy and objective, websites were seen as the place where they received timely information, and trade shows were viewed as the place for interactions and to improve their awareness of alternatives. That must be why smart marketers are using all three outlets to maximize their ROI.

Buyers seek print.
Online consumers who received a printed catalog from any given retailer were nearly twice as likely to make an online purchase at that retailer’s website. The finding comes from a com Score survey based on 6,400 responses from online shoppers. The reason for the sales windfall: consumers seek print when they’re ready to buy. That’s a fact supported by a 2005 field study by the Direct Marketing Association. Scoring the primary channels for generating orders, the research found that 60% came from printed catalogs, 24% were inspired by retail settings and only 9% arrived via Internet. The percent of sales by channel also showed print’s pulling power. Paper catalogs accounted for 42% of sales, retail 20%, websites 26% and other channels 12%. In a 2006 study of newspaper readers sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America, 78% reported that they use newspaper inserts to plan shopping and 76% say that these inserts have helped them save money. The moral: If you’re not using print, you’re missing out on big numbers.

Print is credible.
The phrase, “Get it down on paper” has never been more meaningful. Having words and images that you can examine and hold in your hand, review, show to others and keep in a safe place provides a degree of reassurance that no bit-and- byte medium can match. People love the speed and scope of the Internet, but the WWW’s fleeting nature makes them wonder: Am I getting the fast shuffle here? And what’s all this contradictory information? Conversely, our ink-on-paper medium is believable because print is real, print is timeless and print is focused. An increasing number of marketers are leveraging print’s high credibility by using custom publications to get their messages out and absorbed. More than 32 billion custom publications circulate annually in the United States, according to the Custom Publishing Review’s 2006 Annual Report. Total expenditures on the medium amounted to $29.9 billion for the year. The researchers also found that 66% of people surveyed read custom publications and that 80% agree that custom publications contain useful information. They are believers because print is the credible medium.

Print puts them in control.
Telemarketing is the crudest form of cold calling and, with the growth in do-not-call lists, its effectiveness has sunk to an all-time low. In fact, a Time magazine poll ranked telemarketing number four on the list of the worst ideas of the 20th century. Today, it has gotten to the point that many companies stay away from the phone because they don’t want their reputations damaged by overeager telemarketers. But what happens when we add print to the equation? Send prospects a personalized mailing that introduces the caller and lets them tell you the best time to call. Now you’re putting the potential customer in control of the situation. There are no more interruptions at dinner. There is only a positive flow of information between the marketer and the consumer. The bond starts to get stronger, the relationship grows, and the sale becomes a natural progression of the power of print rather than a rude intrusion.

Print is personal.
It’s time to put each prospect’s name up in lights, literally. Or use a skywriter to put your personalized message to them in the clouds. Or maybe you want to include a photo or the specific product in which they expressed interest. Print can do all that and more because print takes marketing personally. Using new variable data printing (VDP) and one-to-one messaging techniques, you can personalize each and every piece of your print campaign — right down to the specific photos you use and every word of your pitch. Did someone say relationship building? According to a 2004 report by Interquest, the response rate for customized color direct mail campaigns ranged from 6% to 75%, with an average of 21%. The response rates were, on average, 5.6 times higher for customized color versions than for simple mail merge applications. The more you individualize print, the more individuals you will inspire.

Print is everywhere.
We’re used to being surrounded by print. We’re comfortable with it. We want more. What do the numbers say? Consider a 2006 survey by the magazine Graphic Design USA. It found that 9 out of 10 of the designers polled have worked in print during the last year. What’s more, a total of 91% of the respondents’ projects involved print exclusively or were comprised of a substantial print component. The survey also discovered that 71% of the designers’ total work hours were devoted to print-driven projects. Look at event marketing. It wouldn’t be possible without print. Programs, posters, signage of all kinds, special commemorative publications — print is on the scene at ball games, motor sports venues, concerts, shows, fairs, museums, galleries and rallies. Wherever a crowd gathers, print can provide a platform for marketers and a fresh perspective for fans. There is even evidence that we like print more than television. Those are the vital signs of a medium that’s vibrant and valuable.

So the moral of the story is...keep PRINTING! It works.

We just help tell the story...

The 2010 Addy Awards Gala was this weekend at the Skirvin Hotel. The Addy's recognize the best creative efforts in the Oklahoma City metro area over the last year. It was a night filled with laughter, fun, cheers, wine, and then more laughter.



The design team at Oklahoma Christian handled the creative to promote the 2010 Addy's. The theme was "We are the Storytellers", and it was perfect! They deserve an Addy for the Addy's. Is that possible? It should be.





Curtis and his wife, Lisa, couldn't stay the entire evening because Curtis wasn't feeling well. (You KNOW Curtis isn't feeling well when he gives away drink tickets!!) Poor guy.



Bad lighting and poor camera operation caused Laurie, Eric and Julie to look angelic in this picture...

My husband (total trooper) came with me for the evening. He wore his funeral tie, I'm not gonna lie, it's his wedding tie too! He hates to dress up. If he can't wear Vans he's not happy, but he sat there and acted happy...maybe it was the Corona talking, I'm not sure.

My favorite quote of the evening was "The Addy Awards is 2 hours worth of awards stretched out over 4 hours!" So, so true.

We'd like to congratulate all our customers who won!

Heritage printed projects for...

3 Bronze Winners

9 Silver Winners

and...

9 Gold ADDY Award Winners!

We were so excited!! Congratulations to all our customers that took home awards...Oklahoma Christian, Third Degree Advertising, Chickasaw Nation, S Design, Ackerman McQueen, Ghost, Visual Image, & Studio fj!! Thank you for letting us HELP TELL YOUR STORY!

Not to TOOT our own horn

I lied. There is a little tootin' going on...

Heritage was recognized as a Top 400 Printer in the December 2009 edition of Printing Impressions magazine. This is pretty much like getting on FORTUNE Magazines 100 Best Companies to work for list. Pretty much.


All kidding aside, this is a great honor! The Printing Impressions 400, provides the industry’s most comprehensive ranking of leading printing companies in the United States and Canada. Heritage has moved up 19 spots from our previous ranking in 2008. There are close to 40,000 printers in the US & Canada, and we're in the top 400...we think that's pretty cool.

We're so excited to be ranked in the Top 400 that we're giving away $400!!!! I'm totally kidding, we're not giving away $400...I just wanted to see if you were still reading.

We do want to say THANK YOU to our customers! You help make that Top 400 happen. We know you have choices, thank you for picking us!

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…

Thank God.

The higher up powers at Heritage thought it would be a good idea to send Jodie and I to Paper School. Why? Because she and I knew nothing about paper. Nothing. Well other than critical terms like “when it’s shiny that like means it’s glossy”. (NOW you see why they sent us!)


Jodie works as sales support assisting all our account reps and account managers…the entire sales team, and she also helps me out with marketing projects as well (she’s a busy gal). Apparently they didn’t want to send us on the trip alone because paper school can get “crazy wicked wild”…so Curtis (VP of Sales) went to meet some clients as well. (He doesn’t need paper school.)

You learn a lot about co-workers when you travel together. Like for instance when Curtis tried to navigate through the city with the gps application on his iphone.

We were in the car a total of 4.5 hours and got lost 4 times (you do the math)! This caused my blood pressure to sky rocket and it caused Jodie to actually dig out a paper map! (Ahhh, thank God for the old fashioned paper map!) We did bond on the trip, which is normal after you yell at someone “that gps is a piece of…” ahem, well you get the point.

Our three largest paper vendors are Xpedx, Clampitt & Unisource. (We love them all.) Since Curtis was headed to Kansas we hit the Xpedx paper school, and we learned so much!

How paper was made, poor paper formation, all about uncoated, coated, felt, text, cover, opaque, newsprint, parchment, vellum, linen..the list goes on and on (really on, and on). It was fascinating, and now Jodie and I are testing our knowledge by feeling paper and trying to guess what it is! We're getting better.....

I think our sales team has a combined printing and paper background of like 185 years…so they have been kind enough to work with us and pass on their wisdom. (Patience young grasshopper, patience.)

If you need more info about paper, or aren’t sure what paper to use or what effect you want…..ask the professionals! (That’s US!) Use that combined experience of 185 years, we know what we're talking about!

Giving Back

So this year back in...oh...September we decided we wanted to do something "different" for our holiday cards and Christmas gifts. So the sales team piled in the conference room and began brainstorming (you can only imagine how scary that was). We came up with an idea to give each customer $1000 in cash....but we decided that was too easy.

So.....we created project Giving Back.

Customers were sent a recyclable gift bag that was theirs to keep.

We also sent them a brown paper bag as well. On the brown paper bag was a label asking our customers to donate items to Infant Crisis Services!

(Now...I wouldn't be a good Director of Marketing for a printing and promotional products company if I didn't pause to tell you about the use of variable data on this project. Each box had a customized label with a corresponding label on the bag as well. The company name, customer's name, and personal label changed for each individual package! Each package was just a little sample of everything you can receive at Heritage...printing, a promotional product, and fulfillment. Okay, I'll take my marketing hat off and put my Santa hat back on.)

The Infant Crisis Services wish list was placed on each bag, and the bags started flowing in! Our customers rock. R-O-C-K, rock! Heritage also offered to MATCH what was collected. So for each bag collected, we donated a bag as well!!!

This morning we delivered over 100 bags and boxes of diapers to Infant Crisis Services! It was amazing!!! (Can you tell how happy our guys were for having to wear Santa hats???)

I put together a little video for a recap of the event! (I can't help it...I love animoto.com!)

Again, it WAS amazing! The response from you, our customers, was amazing and Infant Crisis Services was touched by your kindness and generosity!!!

Thank you for Giving Back this Holiday season!


*If you received a bag and you didn't have time to fill it up, NO worries! We're collecting extra bags through January and we will deliver the extra bags at the end of the month.

Free to Live

We recently printed calendars for Free To Live. Free To Live is a non-profit sanctuary for stray, abandoned and mistreated dogs and cats. It is the largest no-kill sanctuary in Oklahoma. From Free To Live more than 500 animals are adopted out to loving homes each year. At the sanctuary, animals that are not adopted live out their lives with healthy food, shelter and medical care. Euthanasia is not practiced.


Well...the 2010 Pet Calendars are now available!
These calendars were beautifully done (I'm not just saying that because we printed them...well maybe I am. No matter why I'm saying it, they are nice, and you need one!) It has over 200 pages, and has month/week at-a-glance for jotting down things to remember. It's packed full of cute, funny and absolutely precious photos as well as poems, stories and helpful information.

Don't you need one???

I mean who can resist a sweet puppy dog face....



Calendars are only $15, and proceeds go to Free to Live! (Let us know if you want one!)

We're not begging...really we're not. (Insert whimpering sounds.)

I’ll be HOME for Christmas!

We are currently working on several print projects for our friends at Home Creations. They’ve been building new homes in Oklahoma since 1981.

They build ENERGY STAR qualified new homes with tornado safety features, AND they even pay closing costs. Wow! Dear Santa (aka Husband), All I want for Christmas is a Home Creations home, preferably the Wilshire floor plan, with black granite counter-tops, and a Jacuzzi tub. That’s all.



You can only imagine the joy and celebration that took place at the Home Creations office when President Obama signed the Home Buyer Tax Credit extension! The extension continues the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers and those who haven’t owned a home in three years, and it offers a tax credit of $6,500 for existing home owners who purchase a new home. The home purchased must be used as a primary residence. Buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close no later than June 30, 2010. (There's more details, just click HERE to check it out!)

So, are you tired of renting? (Oh boy, I get to use my infomercial voice…) Stop renting. Act now! Call Home Creations today at 877.277.7121 and find out how you can own a brand new home and get an amazing tax credit as well! BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! If you call now, and sign a contract with Home Creations they’ll send you a Snuggie...

.....hmmm, I probably should have asked Home Creations about that first…I was just on a roll with my infomercial voice, and I couldn’t stop myself! Okay, here’s a deal for you…if you sign a contract with Home Creations based on reading this blog post, I’ll buy you a Snuggie! I think I should quit using my infomercial voice.

Just think...if you sign a contract with Home Creations you could be celebrating Christmas next year in a brand new, energy efficient home! Did you HEAR THAT SANTA? By NEXT Christmas! (I doubt my subliminal messages are working on Santa.)

Mirror, Mirror in the Mail

Recently the crazy-creative-collaborative-charismatic design team over at 3rd Degree created a cute & catchy direct mail piece using variable data! And if there's one thing we LOVE here at Heritage it's variable data!! The team was actually hired to launch a new brand for Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates. The direct mail piece was just one component, of a much larger effort to launch the new brand. A pale pink direct mailer with a die cut mirror was created. The reflection in the mirror was created using variable data, so the customer's name (reflected in the mirror) changed for each individual piece. It was a hit, and Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates received great feedback from their customers as well.
You know, Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates and Variable Data Print have a lot in common! They both make you look good, and get you noticed! (I'm going to bet that's the first, and possibly last time, someone will compare cosmetic surgery to variable data print capabilities.)

With Variable Data Printing, we customize every mail piece unique to the recipient. You can vary the text or even the photos used on each card. The result is personalized mail that really gets noticed. Since response rates are generally much higher with variable data printing, you can mail smaller quantities and still achieve better results.

So in conclusion I think all you need to remember is this:

If you need to get your BUTT in gear and do some variable data direct mail campaigns, you need to see us. If you need to save your companies BUTT and get a new brand, you need to see them. And, if you just want a brand new BUTT for yourself, then definitely see them.

There's no BUTTS about it, together we can all make you look good!

Bus Stop.....

Recently we produced a very cool piece for an emerging design studio in Oklahoma City, Studio fj, and their client ACOG. ACOG is the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, and their purpose is to aid local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. ACOG is an organization of, by and for local governments that allows member entities to work in partnership to address issues or problems common to many jurisdictions. This regional cooperation serves to strengthen both the individual and collective capabilities of local governments.

This cool piece that the talented team over at Studio fj designed was the School Bus Idling Reduction: Project Report & Implementation Guide for Oklahoma School Districts. (Yes kids, you still have to write reports when you’re finished with school!)


The design was headed up by Studio fj's Owner, James Harber, and designer Kaleb Nimz. The introduction from the report states the following: “School bus idling wastes fuel and financial resources while producing exhaust emission that are harmful to human health and the environment. Beginning in late 2006, ACOG, Choctaw-Nicoma Park Public Schools, and the OK Department of Environmental Quality undertook a two-year project to determine the extent of fuel and emissions saving that OK school districts might expect by instituting a maximum five-minute school bus idling policy. This report offers the study’s finding to public school districts in Oklahoma and elsewhere so that limited resources can be maximized and children, teachers, bus drivers, parents, school administrations and other can enjoy the benefits of a healthier environment.” It amazes me all that goes in to making our city, country, and world environmentally safe and protected, and it makes me see how much we take for granted.

I know you’re thinking, “KJ aren’t you going to tell us WHY the printed piece was so cool??” Of course I am! Studio fj wanted to take a fresh approach and do something a little different with this project. It has spot UV on uncoated stock. (Gasp!)

In the past spot UV was used on coated stock to give a high definition finish and shine. When applied to uncoated stock it absorbed into the stock and really did nothing, you couldn’t even tell anything was different. Thanks to products and technology it is now possible to apply the spot UV on uncoated stock and achieve great contrast, and that’s just what we did. Also a readymade envelope was purchased and we printed it digitally in four color process. See…told you it was super cool!
Great design Studio fj! ACOG we thank you for researching the harmful effects of school bus emissions, therefore promoting a clean city for all of us!

AAAAAAY!

It’s the Fonz! Fonzie was great, right? Everyone liked him!

I mean really, what parent wouldn’t like some older, biker dude hanging out with their high school age children? I remember watching those Nick-at-Nite reruns of Happy Days and I so badly wanted to be Pinky Tuscadero. I’m sure it was the name that I was drawn too, not the tight black pants and pink silky jacket. (Although I would totally wear one of those jackets if I had it!)

Well the creative department at Visual Image Advertising revived the Fonz for The City of Oklahoma City Utilities Department.

Meet FOGzie...
FOGzie wants you to put a lid on it, and he wants to talk to you about FOG!! (That’s Fats, Oils and Grease!) Fats, Oils, and Grease cause a lot of damage to your sink, pipes, and drainage system. This door hanger was created with a green plastic lid attached. FOGzie recommends this, “When you’ve got a bunch of grease dump it in an empty soup can, you can put this lid on the can and stick it in the freezer. After it freezes take the lid off and throw the can away. No mess, no worries, no problems, ya dig it? Take it from a cool guy like me, this lid can save you some major moolah!”

Pretty cool, aaaaaay? (Granted this is for people who cook with more than just their microwave, so I guess I’m out.) FOGzie even has his own website…check it out!

The FOGzie door hanger was printed here at Heritage (I’m sure you figured that out by now!) We worked with the great team over at Visual Image to make sure we got the right stock and construction to hold that light weight plastic lid in place. There were several stock dummies and mock ups created that were kicked around and abused! They wanted to pick something sturdy to insure that once FOGzie was placed on a door knob he & his lid would stay attached. They decided this design was the most durable and displayed FOGzie’s message and lid the best!

I think FOGzie is going to be a huge hit, and will really help educate people on FOG and how to properly dispose of it. So next time you’re frying up a steak sandwich, french fries, and a batch of Twinkies.. ….think to yourself “What would FOGzie do?”