whether you’re enrolled or not, you can learn a lot from spending the day on a college campus. for instance, when we shot photos for montclair state university‘s new student life brochure, we realized that while we’re living in an incredible age of technology, campus life isn’t all that different than it was 30 years ago: it’s still about the community. and that community is thriving. to best illustrate this, we used the students’ own instagram photos and words to help tell this remarkable story. the result: a cool, dynamic brochure that encourages prospective students to create compelling stories of their own one day.

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you might remember that, a little ways back, we launched a campaign for cabot creamery—makers of the most delicious cheddar this side of anywhere. now that’s it’s complete, we want to fill you in on what came to be a nyc-branded ‘friendsgiving’ dinner giveaway, complete with the chance to win a fully catered dinner for 10, posters throughout the city, shareable art, a new facebook presence and a really cool event at the hearst cafeteria. in just 10 weeks, we added nearly 4,500 nyc/tri-state area fans to a spin-off fan page with the help of some facebook sponsored posts and banner ads that appeared on grub street, time out new york, new york magazine, and chowhound. we even had a few full page takeovers with tony and grub street, which highlighted both the contest and the brand’s local farms.

we were also able to bring a taste of the big prize to hundreds of hearst corporation employees right in their own cafeteria. chef jimmy kennedy came down and cooked up some delicious cheesy grub and, in tandem with the free cheese samples the publishing peeps were loving it (include publishing pro and oprah bestie, gayle king)! we’re getting ready to host the grand prize winner’s fully catered dinners for 10 next month, so stay tuned for more fun pics and cheese filled fun!

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awards season is in full swing and our friends over at madison square garden are preparing for the greatest awards show of all: the 137th westminster kennel club dog show. okay, we may be a little biased on account of all the pooch-tastic love we’ve got going on over here, but hey, it’s the gold standard. for our part, we revamped the logo to reflect the prestige and glamour that comes with being an award winning pup. be sure to see the best of the best february 11-12—only at the garden.

fact: happy employees beget happy customers. which may explain why whole foods market’s customer service is among the best in the world. it’s an incredible place to work, so says fortune magazine, who named them one of the 100 best companies to work for (for the tenth year in a row). and they’re not alone. you know who concurs? the people who work there every day making sure you have the very best food and experience possible. for our part, we wanted to showcase these great employees and profile them in a way that does justice to their energy and passion, while highlighting the perks that come with a whole foods market career. we even included qr codes that link to current employees’ favorite recipes. yep, if we didn’t work at the watsons, whole foods market would be next on our list. more

time flies when you’re the jewel of new york city. grand central terminal turns 100 years old this year and we’re honored to a part of this milestone.  this iconic structure has been the pinnacle of architectural, historical, and inspirational discourse for a century, and today, it’s never been buzzier. we dipped deeply into their archives of beautiful photos and designed a campaign that evokes the majesty and of the building and humanity of the lives who pass through it. we were careful to ensure every piece (from website, to signage, to out of home) was worthy of this grand centennial celebration. our partnership with grand central continues to transport us. we hope the works does the same for you. more

when fresh&co opened a new store at 729 broadway @ waverly, the watsons made sure the word was out and the neighborhood was abuzz. from teaser ads that covered the windows during construction to the first, fully-branded interior, every inch of real estate was made to excite and showcase the freshest quick service experience in town. this included a menu board design, wall mural design, opening day postcards and swag, an ad campaign for ny students including digital, social and display, pre-opening parties and sidewalk tasting. and since the store services nyu and other neighboring colleges, we suggested the restaurant remain open for 24 hours during finals week. as for the interior branding, the design will soon be appearing in fresh & co.’s. current and future. that’s what we call keeping it fresh. more

the new year is for new beginnings, and that’s just what we’re about to embark on with a host of wonderful new clients. keep an eye out for projects from the likes of demarco coffee, the ramaz school, the american academy of pediatrics (aap), new york harm reduction educators (nyhre), and a website for dc-based law firm pwr. here’s to 2013 being the best year yet.

we don’t know if you’ve heard, but good jobs aren’t really growing on trees these days. except when it comes to bartlett tree experts. just ask their employees. that’s what we did for their new recruitment campaign, which includes print ads, brochures, and trade show materials. we asked employees from across the country and canada, to tell us in their own words the benefits of working for a company like bartlett. using their words, intermixed with information about the company history, culture and benefits, we designed a brochure that even included a career tree that helps job seeking students align their major with opportunities at bartlett. we even included a pop-out insert that lists the many cities where bartlett has offices so job-seekers can expand their search. a great project for a great company.

early christmas morning, the unthinkable happened. a 48-hour illness ended a splendid life and devastated all in its wake. he was one of our own. a watson. and, as with all things young and beautiful, we thought he’d live forever.

his name was greg niclas and he was 33 years old.

greg was our first hire. our sr. art director. our living proof that the size of one’s talent is not in direct proportion to the size of his ego. he was as gifted as he was easy to love.

greg was quick to laugh, but he lived a most considered life. every conversation. idea. piece of music. and, most certainly, every design was thoughtful. examined. felt. more

we’ve been having tons of fun with hint water these past few months. from political campaigns to newly designed display cases for stores across the country it’s been a busy fall for the über refreshing flavored water. and now back for a limited time only is their peppermint flavor water which we had the pleasure of designing a new label for. as an office that keeps an eye on healthy living, we can be seen downing a different flavor of hint on a regular basis. and with zero sweeteners, calories, or preservatives it’s a completely guilt free treat. now that we’ve talked it up, excuse us while we hit the fridge for another bottle.