agency: in-house
creative direction: Nicole Chiala
animation/editing: Elizabeth Steinberg
We needed a video to help sell the Luis Vuitton empire on the idea of partnering with issuu on a few different levels. Although it needed to be fairly straightforward copywise, we were fortunate to work with the immeasurably-talented Elizabeth Steinberg to help bring the visuals to life. Not to mention, getting it done on a super tight deadline and budget.
agency: Bravo Echo
creative direction: Olaf Richter
design: Pete Alwan
Some projects require drinking a whole lot more Kool-Aid than others. This one might have required the least ever… despite the claim in the brief that “visual hacking is running rampant in offices across America.” Well, when I read that Designtex had created a transparent film for conference room windows that makes digital displays inside the room appear black, I was all-in. Science fiction had officially become science fact.
agency: EMEHT.
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
design: Nicholas Skyles
A fun little project for everyone’s favorite Japanese retail giant, Uniqlo. Every season they release a line of graphic tees in partnership with various artists. This round included a KAWS/Snoopy aka Joe Cool mashup, the abstract art of graffiti legend Futura and French artist André Saraiva with his signature character “Mr. A” (below). Copy needs were pretty light and straightforward and included social media posts, in-store signage and website copy.
I’m as speechless now as I was the day I saw this at a local supermarket.
agency: Bus Therapy
creative direction/design: Joel Barnard
copywriting: Kate Lacroix
My wife’s client needed an events guide produced and I needed a boatload of trade at one of Denver’s most hipster coffee shops/bars. Needless to say, everyone had their needs met.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Nicole Chiala
design: Joel Barnard
As part of the free-to-publish deal we offer anyone who wants to publish on issuu, we get the rights to use any imagery in their publications for our marketing purposes as long as we credit the source. With so much incredible material to choose from we decided it would be a great resource to help freshen up our rather uninspired social headers. Each month we choose a new publisher to feature in this space. In return, several of these publishers have taken over our Instagram for a day and/or written blog posts for us during their featured month.
agency: EMEHT.
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
design: Nicholas Skyles
It’s going to be a long time, if ever, before companies like Levi’s can bring their entire production back to America, but you gotta hand it to them for at least making small strides. Step right up, get your $100 501s right here!
You know, those times when you go to the public library and need to bring your exercise bike, because… um, yeah.
agency: Bus Therapy
creative direction: Joel Barnard
copywriting: Joel Barnard
Ah, the joys of living in a swing state in the middle of a contentious election. I tried to do my part by reminding Colorado dems who were only paying attention to the polls that their vote truly matters. The campaign involved handing out buttons to Hillary supporters around the state and then posting a picture of the person wearing the button on Instagram with the tag #colo9forh. Although Colorado’s nine electoral votes went to the right candidate, we all know what happened in the rusty states where it truly, truly mattered.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Nicole Chiala
design: Nicole Chiala
illustration: Maya Gürtler Lorentzen
When issuu was built 10 years ago, Flash was the gold standard for creating a magazine-like reader. Once it was clear Flash was going the way of the dodo, issuu’s engineers needed to find a solution and find it fast. Over the course of a year they managed to completely redesigned and re-engineered the core of issuu. For the #newissuu launch, we created a magazine called Orange Juice to help explain just how much work went into the new reading experience.
agency: Bravo Echo
creative direction: Olaf Richter
design: Pete Alwan
Snowshoe Mountain’s main village is at the top of the mountain. It’s just one detail that makes this little mountain (by Colorado standards of course) tucked away in the Alleghenies of West Virginia so popular with fans up and down the Eastern Seaboard for its skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, swimming, golfing, ziplinning, ATVing, clay-pigeoning and pretty much any other activity you can do outdoors. However, it’s not a place you can just show up and expect to fit in. There are rules that must be followed. Rules that everyone must adhere to in order to keep Snowshoe Mountain the sweet little gem it is.
agency: EMEHT.
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
design: Nicholas Skyles
From miners, cowboys and farmers to artists, hipsters and moms, Levi’s has done a pretty good job covering America in denim. That said, sports fans were left out in the cold. Well, not literally since they were already fans of the product. However, Levi’s saw an opportunity to connect on an even deeper level with this passionate group, so they teamed up with the NFL to create a line of team-branded lifestyle gear. Centered around the hashtag #SHOWUP, this campaign provided great incentive for fans to class up their next tailgate by leaving their ill-fitting team jerseys at home.
Who isn’t looking for a great place to take their kids for endless hours of pleasure?
agency: Think to Make
creative direction: Ryan Lee, Joel Barnard
design: Ryan Lee
When I got the call to work on a cannabis product, I was wary to say the least. After all, here in Colorado, the branding and marketing of everything weed so far was all very bongs and boobs. The designer assured me this was different and convinced me to come in to see the working prototypes and hear the founders’ story. Not only had they come up with a beautiful, ingenious solution for child-resistant safety packaging, they had a very refined sense of good branding. I also loved that they were simply using cannabis as their launch pad into all other industries that require safety packaging. Unfortunately, they have run into significant issues with producing the product here in America (which in non-negotiable for them), so it hasn’t come to market yet and I can’t actually show the product here.
Of course there would be fun aspects that come with attending a Republican National Convention. Like taking a drink from a flask every time someone says “God” or “terrorist” or “global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese as a money-making scheme,” but in general I believe it would be hell on earth.
agency: EMEHT.
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
design: Nicholas Skyles
When you think of cider producing regions in America, Austin, Texas hasn’t exactly been the epicenter. Austin Eastciders is turning that notion on its head. Their apples come from centuries-old cider apple orchards in Europe, which means their cider isn’t overly-sweet like most American ciders. They make it that way because it’s how cider was made when it was the most popular alcoholic beverage in America. You know, before Prohibition went and ruined everything.
agency: Bravo Echo
creative direction: Olaf Richter
design: Pete Alwan
Resurrected from one of our past winter campaigns for Snowshoe Mountain, Wooly Ted became the voice for this summer’s Facebook quiz. Over the course of several weeks, Snowshoe’s fans had a chance to answer 15 trivia questions about the mountain during its warmer months. Prizes were awarded at random for correct answers, and a grand prize winner received an all-inclusive winter vacation package for 15 people. Sixteen if you count Ted.
You see a lot of silly things posted on the environmentally-friendly cork boards in the coffee shops around Boulder. This one caught my eye the other day as being particularly funny. I could just imagine the look of despair on my 11-year-old’s face if I excitedly told her starting Monday she would be pulling someone else’s weeds and learning about things that had absolutely nothing to do with Rihanna, Pretty Little Liars or sugar.
For such a beautiful, well-made film, I hated every second of Valley Uprising. There’s no question I have a near-paralyzing fear of heights, but watching people like Alex Honnold (pictured above) scale a 3,000-foot sheer rock face with nothing more than ballet shoes and talcum powder made my stomach turn over endlessly. Did I forget to mention they don’t use ropes or other safety measures? Ummmm, no thanks. Not today, tomorrow, or any other I still have left here on terra firma.
agency: Bravo Echo
creative direction: Olaf Richter
design: Pete Alwan
Just finished some banners to promote the Little Nell Hotel’s fly fishing program. I haven’t experienced it, but apparently they do everything for you except put the fly in the fish’s mouth. You can even choose to have a white table cloth lunch with wine pairings. What would Grizzly Adams think? Ha.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Jeremy Lacroix, Nicole Chiala
design: Nicole Chiala, Cameron Gallacher
Planning and producing a magazine can be quite messy when using a range of tools (email, Dropbox, Slack, etc.). There winds up being a lot of lag and confusion in the movement of assets and tracking of updates and approvals. For those looking to whip their workflow into shape, issuu has the perfect solution — issuu Collaborate. It allows an unlimited number of collaborators to work together on all aspects of the planning and production of the magazine from one central hub.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Jeremy Lacroix, Nicole Chiala
design: Nicole Chiala
There are more than 26 million free-to-read publications on issuu. In order to showcase the breadth of content found within this extensive collection, several “segment” campaigns are currently in the works. The first, Generators, focuses on a group of sensational young publishers producing high-quality magazines around fashion, art, music and design. Before the campaign launched, we invited six of these Generators to Hacienda issuu in San Francisco’s Mission district for an incredible weekend that was part conference, part workshop and part inspiration fest. We promoted the Generators campaign on issuu.com, issuu’s social channels and via an email newsletter.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Jeremy Lacroix
design: Rachel Rochelle
For anyone seeking digital distribution of their magazine, issuu makes it painfully easy. Simply upload a PDF of your publication and it will be presented in a beautiful online reader for a worldwide audience to enjoy. Of course, with more than 26 million free-to-read publications on issuu, occasionally something in the system will go awry. Rather than create a typical 404 page, we took it in a direction that issuu’s audience would connect with immediately.
Really? Your Prius is spitting out slightly less greenhouse gas than my 1989 Jeep Cherokee, so you get to streamline your visit to the bank? Considering the environmental cost of producing your little hybrid, buying a car like yours is actually worse for the environment than buying a non-gas guzzling used car. Anyway, it’s pretty easy to disregard signs like these, because despite the occasional dirty look, they are simply unregulated attempts by businesses to make Boulderites feel even more special than they already do.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Jeremy Lacroix, Nicole Chiala
design: Nicole Chiala
Magazine publishers looking to distribute their publications digitally find the biggest worldwide audience using issuu. Although the basic plan is free, a paid subscription provides a wealth of benefits to publishers wanting to monetize their publications. This ongoing series highlights a few issuu success stories as a way to help those publishers on the fence see the true value of upgrading.
agency: in-house
creative direction: Jeremy Lacroix
design: Rachel Rochelle
No matter what type of magazine or other publication you produce, issuu will publish it on their site in a beautiful reader for a worldwide audience to enjoy. You also have the option of embedding it on your own site or blog, sharing it on any of your social channels or printing it to distribute traditionally. Currently, there are over 26 million free-to-read publications available on issuu. This was a down-and-dirty brand campaign to attract new publishers.
agency: rabble+rouser
creative direction: Christina Schroeder
art direction: Matthew Sharpe
Weber grills are built like tanks. They don’t rust. They cook food evenly. And they last forever. Thankfully, we didn’t have to talk about any of that stuff because quality and durability are already built into the Weber name. We simply had to remind people what makes grilling season so great. These are anything but serious times…
agency: EMEHT.
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
design: Nicholas Skyles, Melissa Jun
Sit down with the founder of KIND Snacks and you’ll hear the word “and” a lot. He believes there’s no reason his snacks can’t be both healthy and tasty. This brAND philosophy gave KIND a unique position in the market, which is summed up in their lengthy tagline: Do the KIND thing for your body, your tastebuds & your world. The more we learned about the company, they more realized what they were doing was “kinda awesome,” and just like that #kindawesome was born. The campaign, in conjunction with the brand refresh, contributed to the doubling of KIND’s business in one year, from $200M to $400M.
agency: Genesis, Inc.
creative direction/art direction: Olaf Richter
When Merrell Footwear came looking for a new ad agency, they didn’t have much of a problem. They owned fit and comfort. They had incredible distribution. Their growth was remarkable. What they didn’t have was the attention of Millennials. Standing out in a sea of sameness within the category would be easy. Finding the right connective tissue with this audience became the true challenge. We did so by recognizing a universal truth: as humans, we are never more free than when we are outside. And at no other time in our lives are we outside more than during childhood. It was a time of innocence and wonder. Of fearlessness and endless adventure. And more than anything, pure joy. Our message to this generation became: to live life meaningfully today, let out the child trapped inside.
agency: emeht
creative direction: John Lee, Jiae Kim
animation: Laundry
I’ve been an Adidas fan as long as I can remember, but you gotta give it to Nike for their ridiculously-innovative ways. This project launched right at the beginning of the whole basket-weave fad, which it turns out was much more than a fad. Flyknit is definitely the new standard in athletic shoe comfort. That said, you can guarantee those in Beaverton are busy coming up with the next big thing. Stay tuned…
agency: Genesis, Inc.
creative direction/art direction: Olaf Richter
No other bicycle component manufacturer has impacted the industry quite like Shimano. Although footwear isn’t technically a component, its connection to the bike’s powertrain can’t be understated. Shimano redefined the the shoe-to-pedal interface with the introduction of SPD back in 1990. Since then, delivering footwear with the same level of innovation, material selection and flawless functionality as every other Shimano product has remained a top priority. As more and more footwear competitors entered the market, it was our job to make sure both consumers and dealers saw Shimano footwear as one more essential component on the bicycle.
agency: Ogilvy & Mather
creative direction: Vicky Azarian/Chris Lindau
art direction: Gina Whitt
Have you heard? Small to midsize businesses are the engines of a smarter planet. Sounds believable enough, right? Well, it was our job to convince SMBs they should fork over a chunk of change to IBM to make their business run smarter. Using current IBM customers, we created a series of animated videos to help tell these companies’ stories. The videos lived on the main SMB landing page, which also included games visitors could engage with while imagining all that IBM could do for them.
agency: Genesis, Inc.
creative direction/art direction: Olaf Richter
They should rename the athletic shoe business the athletic shoe “claims” business. If you aren’t trying to convince people your shoes are built in some special way that will practically take all the work out of running, well then, you just aren’t going to sell many shoes. Imagine our surprise when Pearl Izumi came along and had actual scientific proof that their new midsole design indeed provided a more efficient run. At that point, we just had to piss off dog lovers and make a small child cry.
agency: McClain Finlon
creative direction: Mike Weed
art direction: Joel Barnard
If there’s one thing you can say about JTC Engineering, it’s that they know how to get things done. Our task was to highlight some of their best work in a fun and interesting way. You know, pretty much the exact opposite of what you’d expect from an engineering firm.
agency: Ogilvy & Mather
creative direction: Vicky Azarian/Chris Lindau
art direction: Gina Whitt
photography/illustration: Heimo
I had long appreciated how smart the current IBM work was, which I was able to experience directly during my time at Ogilvy. This campaign was obviously a little different than most of the other work that was being done, but the overall “Smarter Planet” campaign’s visual interest translated nicely here via the work of Heimo.
agency: Lowe & Partners
creative direction: Vince Engel
art direction: Thomas Richie
It was a tough time to be working on Eddie Bauer. They were in the midst of trying to shed their outdoor-enthusiast reputation and become a “fashion” brand targeting city dwellers, poorly. Thankfully, this project grounded in pure inspiration landed on our desks. John Ryan is a stud, plain and simple. A paraplegic, he hand cycled across the length of Canada to raise money for spinal cord regeneration research.
agency: Digitas
creative direction: Kim Snow
art direction: Tony Larsen
The AMEX spg. (Starwood Preferred Guest) card is all about earning hotel points that can be used at Starwood properties all around the world. In fact, it’s so generous, you can earn a three-night stay after your first purchase. Somewhere around the third day of beating our heads against the wall, we came up with this simple visual solution of using the AMEX card as a hotel key. File under: painfully obvious.
agency: Dimassimo
creative direction: Mark Dimassimo
art direction: Jon Rosen
A series of print ads used whenever Crunch Gym needed to announce the opening of a new location. Crunch was a great client that understood how to get a lot of attention with a very limited budget. As much as they let us push the envelope, we were still amazed at how quickly they bought off on our idea of “virgin equipment” enticing people to come take a ride.
