Collateral Design

Iron Completes project for The Trust for Public Land and The North Face

When you live in San Francisco, it’s easy to get complacent about the incredible outdoor opportunities that surround this fabulous city. With the Headlands to the North, Tilden Park in the East, the Santa Cruz mountains to the South, and Ocean Beach to the West, option paralysis can set in. Not to mention, we’re often easily seduced by our world class restaurants and entertainment offerings.

The problem is, we are just not getting out into nature as much as we should. In fact, there’s clear new evidence that says that children who play and explore outdoors feel less stressed and may develop more confidence and greater social skills. It’s just that problem The Trust for Public Land and The North Face wanted to address. How do we get people out into nature again?

The two organizations came together and decided it’s high time someone promoted the incredible diversity of local parks and outdoor spaces, right here in the city. And so Iron was commissioned to write and design the “San Francisco Urban Nature Guide: 2009.” This handy pocket map features nine of the city’s lesser-known, but fun-filled parks, with suggestions on how to make the most of our time in the great outdoors. The guides are free and being distributed through The North Face stores this summer. It’s time to put on a pack and hit the park!

Gala Invite Helps Raise Record Funds for Bay Area Nonprofit

We recently designed the Gala Invite and event program for the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, and we’re pleased to report the event was a huge success.

I was lucky enough to attend the event and was thrilled to learn it raised a phenomenal $550,000! Click here to see pictures from the event. With this money, the Clubs will continue to run vital programs that help kids succeed in school, build strong character, develop healthy lifestyles and graduate from high school with a clear post-secondary plan.

We’re also putting the finishing touches to the organization’s web site, which is due to launch in the middle of the month.

Read more about our nonprofit work
Read more about our web design work

Stanford Puts Its Faith in Iron Graphic Design Services

We are thrilled to report that the Stanford Cancer Center (SCC) has commissioned Iron to design a new science report, which will showcase the myriad achievements of one of the world’s leading Cancer Centers.

This exciting project builds on our ongoing program of work for the Cancer Center and gives us an opportunity to develop and strengthen the brand further.

North Face Project Capitalizes On San Francisco’s Hidden Public Parks

In August we began working on an exciting collaborative project with The North Face and The Trust for Public Land, designed to get people out of the retailer’s store and into some of San Francisco’s lesser-known parks.

In-store maps will feature 10 parks you probably haven’t heard of, encouraging consumers to make the most of their North Face gear in some unexpected places. Below are our first round of creative concepts, featuring a standard map right through to an interactive “park calculator.” We’ll keep you posted as the project takes shape!

 

Graphic Design Solution Adds Value For High End Consumers

When Purcell Murray contacted us to develop a “high-end” design solution for the launch of a new Gaggenau Concierge service program, we were tasked with creating a membership card people would covet. Not ignore.

We chose a simple, elegant design, printing directly onto die-cut aluminum, to evoke the beauty of the Gaggenau product line. The card is presented in a sleek jacket to further mirror the aesthetic and sensory experience of owning a Gaggenau appliance.

Branding the Incomprehensible: The IT Company

We’ve all been there. You get to work, ready to start your day and your email is “down”. You don’t know how or why… just that it doesn’t work and you need it to. Now. The next logical step is to call your IT guy… right? Wrong. Past experience has taught you better. But after trying all of your usual inane tips and tricks you capitulate. You call the IT guy only to be told to try all the things you just tried.

So you can imagine our skepticism when Steven Johnson of Addison Ashley told us “My company’s not like that.” But once he told us how he ran the company and what he believed, our faith in the mythical can-do IT company was restored. And we set out to find the message and the voice that would do the same for the rest of the world. First, we defined the following key messaging points:

  1. Listening Skills – They actually find out the client needs and issues before they start work.
  2. Accountability – They do what they say they’re going to do, when they say they’re going to do it. (Eyebrows raise)
  3. Responsiveness – They know you wouldn’t be calling them just to say “hi”. So they get back to you right away… not several days later. If it’s urgent, within 30 minutes.
  4. Efficiency – They partner with key resources like internet and phone providers so they’re ready to move, or get your office set up within 3 days. Less if you need it.

From there, we built a “proof is in the pudding-backed brand.” And to add impact, we leveraged the fact that Addison Ashley really could put their money where their mouths were, by recommending they offer a “2-day test drive.” (A free trial, at no risk.)

Over the following months, we developed a complete identity system, including logo, stationery, brochure and a website that communicated all of this. Now, the next time your email goes down, you know who to call.