Redhead

Join us tomorrow night from 5:30-7pm as we kick off a new exhibition at our downstairs sister business, Nelson Gallery, and celebrate the opening of Brian Whitfield’s "Melodic Undertones". If you live in and around Lansing, odds are you’ve seen some of Brian’s murals in the community. This reception is an excellent opportunity to become more familiar with his unique style of work, and we hope to see you there.

Event info: https://www.facebook.com/share/XhDxkvgudnAKv8rU/

Choosing the right URL for your website involves a bit more planning than simply checking what’s available; it’s an integral part of the name development process. In our latest blog post, our technology director Tony shares his strategy for selecting the perfect domain name. Check out the blog post here: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/08/13/domain-names

In our experience, the best logos are a mixture of precision and play. When we helped Downtown Lansing rebrand earlier this year, we knew that the words we used to describe the brand had to translate into a visual language. The DLI brand is transformative, determined, and audacious. With a clear vision established (and unrestrained by stuffy brand language), our designers were given free rein to create a logo they felt spoke to these values. The end result? A logo composed of bold, angular shapes, bright pops of color, and a big personality.

Marketing isn't just about promotion — it’s about crafting a narrative, building anticipation, and nurturing relationships that extend beyond the initial launch. In our latest blog post, Jen shares her insight into embracing marketing as a core strategy for success. Give it a read: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/07/24/begin-at-the-end

For more on this topic, tune in to the latest episode of The Speak Easy Podcast, which Jen co-hosts with Karen Stefl of Render Studios. Listen here: thespeakeasypodcast.com/listen/marketing-strategy

More often than not, perfectionism overcomplicates projects or ideas, making them convoluted rather than clear and impactful. Exceptional work, on the other hand, acknowledges that excellence evolves through iterations, learning, and growth. Sometimes, the most groundbreaking ideas stem from embracing the raw and unpolished. With the right care and feeding, exceptional work becomes *the* process, and striving for perfection becomes redundant. Interested in hearing more Redhead observations? Check out our blog here: https://observations.redhead.studio/

One of the best parts of making a new brand? Helping our clients utilize it to its fullest potential. Recently, we helped the City of Trenton, Michigan - Government through a rebrand. Pulling inspiration from the city’s location on the Detroit River, we created a new logo that spoke to Trenton’s rich outdoor offerings — but our work didn’t stop there. We worked with the City of Trenton team to host brand training sessions for all of the city’s departments to make sure they felt confident using the brand once our work together was done.

To learn more about the City of Trenton’s rebrand, check out the case study here: https://redhead.studio/studies/trenton

At Redhead, we’ve had the privilege of working with many departments, offices, and colleges at MSU on a variety of projects over the years. In our latest blog post, content director Allison peels back the curtain on several of our past projects with MSU, and demonstrates how there’s plenty of fresh ideas and new creative angles to be found within structured and impeccable standards. Read it here: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/07/03/msu-brand

Back in 2019, we worked with the Ingham County Health Department to introduce the “This is life with HIV” campaign, which shared the stories of real people in Ingham County and Greater Lansing who were living with HIV. This year, for a new iteration of the campaign, ICHD wanted to emphasize the importance of knowing your status and increasing connection to care. Continuing our previous work on this project, we interviewed several people living with HIV in our community, and developed materials to share their stories in English, Spanish, and Arabic. By sharing stories and facts about HIV, the campaign worked to dispel myths and reduce stigma against people living with HIV, and demonstrated that a positive status is neither a definition of worth nor a death sentence.

To see more of the “This is life with HIV” campaign, visit lifewithhiv.org.

For those interested in learning more about the healthcare available here in Lansing for people living with HIV, check out the Ryan White Program at Forest Community Health Center at health.ingham.org/health/communicable_disease/hiv_sti.php.

Lansing Pride is still looking for volunteers for Saturday's festival. Pride in Old Town is always a summer highlight, and we hope you'll come out and join us in celebrating. See you there!

Volunteer at Lansing Pride 2024! — Lansing Pride Volunteer at Lansing Pride 2024!

We were recently digging through the Red archives when we came across this gem. When our creative director, Jen, was first starting her career, she designed this booklet for the Michigan Education Association (MEA). Then, a few years after Redhead’s conception, one of the first tasks our design director, Rosie, took on after she was hired was a new logo for MEA. Don’t you just love a full-circle moment (and a chance to chuckle at graphic design standards from back in the day)?

It can be hard to find the steam to begin planning for something that’s months away, but it’s never a bad idea to start now. In our latest blog most, digital media strategist Kate Grove shares the marketing lessons to be learned from your favorite store’s seasonal displays. Read it here: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/06/12/christmas-in-july

Balancing education and encouragement can be challenging. A hack that we’ve found? Mix an uplifting tagline with a bright visual tone, and sprinkle in some adorable illustrations to boot. For the Michigan Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) initiative — led by MSU Center for Regional Food Systems — the Grow More Michigan campaign needed to spread the word about the benefits of eating and growing local produce to child care providers. The trick was developing strategies that would help support providers' limited capacity by offering tools they would actually use.

Curious how we pulled that off? Check out the campaign here: growmoremi.org
Check out our case study here: https://redhead.studio/studies/rfs

Recently, we had the honor of receiving several Communicator Awards. These awards celebrate excellence, effectiveness, and innovation in all areas of communication. This year, we were recognized for our work with Downtown Lansing Inc., the Refugee Development Center (RDC), and Michigan College Access Network's Michigan Achievement Scholarship Campaign. Congratulations to our clients and partners whose projects earned Communicator Awards this year. It’s been a privilege to elevate your messages to the masses, and we thank you for your trust and continued partnership. Cheers!

In the vast and sometimes wild world of business, your brand persona is your compass. It's the fixed point that remains constant, helping your business stay true to its identity across diverse terrains. It sets your product or service apart, making it easily recognizable and memorable, and points you in the direction of your target audience. Just like a compass adapts to different landscapes, a brand persona is a tool that helps your business stay relevant and resilient. Successful brands know who they are, and there’s no shame in needing help to get there. Check out some of our brand development case studies at https://redhead.studio/studies.

Accessible design ensures everyone can experience a piece in all its intended glory. However, the colors chosen for a design can sometimes make meeting those standards tricky. In our latest blog post, graphic designer Kelly Glass breaks down how designers can create with accessibility in mind without abandoning their vision. Read it here: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/05/22/more-orange

Cheers to our friends at the Refugee Development Center (RDC) on another successful Thrive celebration! It was wonderful to see the Newcomer Center packed with people committed to RDC’s mission of supporting newcomers in our community. The Reds were honored to attend the event, and had a blast!

517 Day is here! There’s a lot of reasons to love the 517 (like so, so many). Late last year we helped our friends at Lansing 5:01 create an entirely non-scientific list of 517 Reasons to Love Lansing. This list allowed us to love on some of our favorite people, places, and things in Lansing, and in honor of this auspicious (local) holiday, we asked our team to each pick one of their favorite things from the list. It was a struggle to pick just one favorite, so please excuse us as we take the next 3-5 business days to recover. Happy 517 Day from the Reds!

Check out the 517 Reasons list here: https://lansing501.com/517reasons

In honor of Mother’s Day coming up, here’s a throwback to a campaign we did with the Ingham County Health Department all about normalizing breastfeeding and combating misinformation. Regardless of their feeding choices, all new moms deserve access to accurate information about breastfeeding. Paired with photography of nursing families in our community, this campaign worked to destigmatize breastfeeding in public, and led to a direct increase in inquiries for breastfeeding support from the health department. This project was a major win, and will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
To learn more about this campaign, check out our case study here: https://redhead.studio/studies/ichd

We had a blast celebrating the grand opening of The Shops at Middle Village’s new space! Middle Village helps bring more retail options to Downtown Lansing by giving up-and-coming entrepreneurs a place to sell their products and develop a following. We think it’s quite the win-win.

Check out the space for yourself tomorrow from 11:30-1:30 pm at Middle Village's Brunch & Boutique, where there will be brunch, giveaways, and a chance to explore the businesses inside.

In the early stages of building a brand, we always ask our clients the standard questions: backgrounds, aspirations, target audiences. But the most revealing discoveries usually come from odd-ball questions used to spark curiosity and unconventional thinking. In our latest blog post, design director Rosie Tulgetske breaks down her approach for using intake meetings to extract the essence of a brand.

Extracting the essence Our intake meetings are continually evolving. We thrive on refining our approach to craft the perfect brand identity tailored to each client's needs. It'...

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Paper Petting Zoo! It’s always fun to get together with folks in the industry to talk about the artistry and intention behind the paper selection and printing process. Our friends at Central Michigan Paper, Mohawk, and BRD Printing Incorporated brought lots of samples for us to nerd out over, and the insider info they shared gave us all kinds of inspiration for upcoming projects. Thank you to AAF Lansing for helping us put on this event!

ICYMI: It’s World Book Day! While doing some spring cleaning, we came across these brand books from past client projects. Believe it or not, it wasn’t that long ago that the protocol for sending brand books off to clients involved printing and binding a physical deliverable. Though we are die-hard paperback fans, some “books” truly work better in a digital format.

Sometimes the best parts of websites are under the hood. To better reflect its accomplishments and increase ease-of-use, MSU Pharmacology & Toxicology reached out for a website overhaul. This involved balancing web development, design, and content to create a streamlined platform that showcased research. With this upgrade, the department is poised to sustain its groundbreaking research and status as a leader in its field. And, of course, a fresh coat of MSU Brand Standards paint never hurts.

Check them out here: phmtox.msu.edu
Check out our case study here: https://redhead.studio/studies/pt

In the world of brand consulting, every word we choose carries weight. Our job isn’t just about crafting catchy slogans or compelling narratives; it's also about ensuring that the language we use is inclusive, respectful, and reflects the values we stand for. In our latest blog post, our creative director Jen unpacks her approach to inclusive language. Check out the blog post here: https://observations.redhead.studio/2024/04/12/language-matters

The Sparrow Foundation’s 24 Karat Gala was over a month ago, but we’re still not over how this foil detailing came out. In our very digital world, we delight in the process of selecting the right paper, typeface, and accent details to create premium print pieces like these invitations.

If you enjoy getting nerdy about print details like we do, check out our Paper Petting Zoo on May 1. Link to event: https://fb.me/e/55iYeV063

Thank you to Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center for the opportunity to speak with these young creatives today! Our founder Jen was able to chat with these budding entrepreneurs about starting their own art or clothing business. Their energy and creativity was infectious, and it’s always a treat to speak with young people who are passionate about a charting their own course in the creative industry.