Employees at downtown branding firm
Landor Associates are looking outside the company walls for a little creative inspiration.
In a new campaign set to start within the next week, Landor is reaching out to local influencers including the city's bloggers for a design campaign that uses some simple tools of the branding trade. The initiative is just one of a series the company is planning as a way to offer inspiration for Landor employees and Cincinnatians.
"The tools that we use to tell our brand stories are things like color, words and photography. We thought, why don't we take these tools and give people an opportunity to tell their own stories?" said Landor Client Manager Mara McCormick.
The campaign is an expansion of an in-house project. Landor originally brought its 150 employees together with a simple mission: express your feelings and thoughts creatively at a specific time of day.
"Each employee got to chose from an array of kits where they found things like a camera, color swatches or sketch paper. We encouraged them to express themselves at 1:10p.m.," she said. "So maybe they were feeling super stressed that day because they had a lot on their plate. They could use the color red and describe why red reflected what they were thinking or feeling."
The 1:10p.m. time was tied to the company address: 110 Shillito Place. Landor then used some of the submissions to start a wider conversation.
"We collected everything back from people and sifted through it. Then we talked about what we wanted to bring to light in our windows along Race Street that speak to wonderful color expression, imaginative sketches or fun or expressive words," McCormick said.
The process not only offered some outside-the-box methods of expression for Landor employees, but for Cincinnatians on the street as well.
"People are stopping and talking and having conversation at the windows. Everyone has an opinion on why someone did something, or how they would do it. It's an inspiration to the city and give's people insight into what we do," McCormick said.
Soon, those outside Landor will have a chance to add their creativity to the mix. The company will hand out kits to local influencers with the same instructions. Details are still being worked out as to whether those expressions will be displayed in windows, inside the building or somewhere else, McCormick said.
This won't be the last time Landor reaches outside of everyday work to spur creativity. The company plans on making this type of project a regular part of getting creative juices flowing.
"We're using this as an opportunity to communicate more about ourselves and engage the community, now and moving forward," McCormick said.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Landor Associates Client Manger Mara McCormick
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