Want to make an art director and a copywriter shiver in fear? Mumble the words “annual report” to them. These projects were and still are huge beasts, sprawling projects that seem to go on and on and on. “How about another round of changes?”

While for many this is still the case, our client BloodCenter of Wisconsin decided to bring their annual report, which they call the “community report,” online. Our ears perked up, especially at the prospect of doing something different. Using the theme “Life is in our DNA,” we shared the larger BloodCenter of Wisconsin story, a story that goes beyond giving blood and reaches out into diagnostics, research, organ and tissue donation and more. The site incorporates a two and a half minute video, a “movie trailer” of sorts that brings together the many aspects of BloodCenter’s good work.

The homepage features the video, and if I may geek out for just a moment, I’d like to share some details about the video player. (The following is about to become quite geeky indeed, and I’m providing indication to what part you can skip. You’re welcome). <GEEKiNess>These days it’s always a concern about mobile capabilities when designing anything new for the web. Everyone wants to know if the video will work on their new iPad, their phones, and anything else we may not even know about yet. The challenge was having the entire homepage feature a video, a video that needed to play on all the above. In this case, embedding a Vimeo or YouTube player wasn’t going to cut it aesthetically. And having a custom flash player did not solve any mobile issues (thanks Apple). So, we decided to use an HTML5 video player which helped us solve every playback issue on any device. The HTML5 player works on all newer browsers and even has a flash version it defaults to if for some reason you don’t update your browser (which you should always do. It’s free). On top of the flash back-up, you can also provide a regular video file (mov or mp4) that will play on all mobile devices. If you will be doing video on the web anytime soon, we highly recommend you bookmark that link.</GEEKiNess> And, we’re back.

In addition to the main video and the content of the standard community report pages (Board of Directors, financials, etc), the site also features four patient stories from real people that have had their lives touched by BCW. These stories fall under the categories: Discovery, Diagnosis, Treatment and Cure. We could share with you exactly what those emotional stories are about, but we’ll leave it up to you to explore and find out. At the very least, watch the video.

I hope you enjoy our newest work. It’s work I’m really proud of. It ran the gamut, whether it was learning what an OGG file is to sneakily shooting stills while the cameras were rolling.

It’s one of my lifelines. It’s something that I try and bring with me everywhere I venture. I’m constantly looking for more. Drugs? No. Not unless you argue the properties of physics. I’m talking about music. Which one could probably argue has similar effects on the body. Personally, sound has the ability to alter my mood, outlook, energy and creativity (among others) in a moment’s time. So. Sometimes I try and use this to my advantage. For instance, right now, I’m listening to a band called Efterklang. Long drawn out tones with soothing notes, a variety of voices and a repertoire of instruments puts me in a state of thought and emotion. Something I think suits whatever it is I’m trying to ultimately describe in this post. But. If I was handed a project, say for 88Nine Radio Milwaukee (a hip, young, edgy client), I’d quickly sift through my library and find something like Miami Horror. With this bands uplifting melodies, steady beats, and a mixture of synths and electro-ism I feel better connected with the persona and clientele of 88Nine. It also gives me the energy I want in order to design something, I feel, would fit into 88Nine’s positive and edgy image.

Now this is just me. Your choice in music, depending on what you’re trying to achieve, could be completely opposite of mine. Or maybe you’re just not into music. But I think not only our work, but our outlook and day-to-day personalties derive from whatever was just emitted from our car speakers, our headphones, our computers or whatever that noise is coming from in the office next door. So the next time you’re having a rough day or feel like your creativity is stale, try searching for some new sounds.

Heres a few bands that immediately were adopted into my library (along with the two above):

Bag Raiders, Blackbird Blackbird, Gypsy & The Cat, The Head And The Heart, Stornoway

Why is it that the projects you enjoy working on most are often the ones you aren’t getting paid for? One theory I have is that it’s self-rewarding. You feel like you are helping someone reach a goal, and more often than not, who ever is on the receiving end is genuinely thrilled with whatever it is you are assisting with. It’s an added bonus when you are a passionate supporter of the people you are helping—like 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.

88Nine is a young station. They have been on the air now for just over four years, but until the beginning of this year, they have never advertised. Their success so far has been mainly from word of mouth, and also simply because there just isn’t another station in the area that plays such a diverse mix of good music. We were tasked with formally introducing the station to the city, but our concept not only introduced 88Nine to Milwaukee, it also introduced several “new” artists to the city. 88.9FM is truly “Where Milwaukee Discovers New Music.”

The billboards and bus shelters ran in numerous rotating locations from January through February (You may find some surviving artwork around the city still). In addition to the outdoor campaign, we were also able to work with our great friends at Aurum Design on producing a theater spot for the station.

In the end, we hope their introduction has been warmly received with excited new listeners. Who knows, maybe we have even inspired some to update their own personal playlists. Our relationship will continue to grow, so look forward to more from us and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.