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September 22, 2009

Signal Makes Beautiful Music with Album Cover Creative Challenge

We are proud to announce the outcome of another spirited Signal creative challenge. This time, the Signalites tackled the task of creating a mock album cover. We split into teams and each came up with an original band concept and album cover artwork across a full spectrum of musical genres. No songwriting or recording was required, though with the talented musicians among our staff, that may not be out of the question for a future challenge. Fans voted for their favorites on Signal’s Facebook page and a winner has been chosen!

Congratulations to The Howe Creek Family Gospel Singers (otherwise known as Adam, Leisha, Ginger, Chris and Hannah) who took the top honors for the album Softly & Tenderly. The Skrunchies came in a close second place with Bad Reputation, followed by Sombrero Diablo’s ¡Viva Nada!

To view all of the album cover entries, visit Signal’s Facebook Fan Page.

Gospel

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September 14, 2009

Robin Vuchnich Delivers Results as New Creative Director at Signal’s Raleigh Studio

Robin

We are pleased to welcome Robin Vuchnich back to Signal as creative director in our Raleigh office. Having previously served as a graphic designer from 2001 to 2005, Robin rejoins our team in her new role and has already delivered immediate results with her fresh thinking and creative inspiration.

“I am very excited about Robin’s return to Signal,” says Signal President Rick Haynes. “We are so fortunate to add such a talented and accomplished artist to our team. We couldn’t be happier to have her lead our creative efforts in Raleigh and our clients are already taking notice of her efforts.

Robin graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., with a BFA in Communication Arts/Graphic Design. In addition to her prior experience with Signal, she served as a senior designer at Raleigh-based Capstrat as well as principal of her own design firm. Robin’s creativity has earned her more than a dozen design awards from juried competitions including the ADDYs, the Webbys, AIGA and PRINT Magazine. Her recent work includes branding for the new Raleigh Convention Center and the Raleigh Arts Commission as well as leading creative development for The NC Health & Wellness Trust Fund’s “T.R.U.” (Tobacco Reality Unfiltered) campaigns. Other notable clients include GlaxoSmithKline, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UNC, Duke University, Quintiles and Duke Raleigh Hospital.

Robin’s duties as creative director include working closely with the creative staff to inspire and help maintain the highest quality standards. She also communicates closely with clients to make certain their project objectives and production schedules are met.

“One of the biggest things that brought me back to Signal was the integrity of the company, specifically the close-knit business family,” Robin says. “My first job out of college was as a designer for Signal. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my work with other companies it didn’t compare to the feeling I had at Signal. I am proud to see my career come full circle as I continue on with my Signal family.”

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August 25, 2009

Widget Wizardry: Web 2.0 Connections Made Easy

Companies all around are getting connected to the social media world. You may be on Twitter, or your might prefer Facebook, but the question is, do people know about your presence? It’s simple to take one more step and make it easy for your targeted customers to find all of your social media connections using widgets.

What are widgets? They’re cool, customizable mini-applications that can be embedded directly into to a web page, bringing live feeds, games and user specific information to your visitors. Popular social media sites offer simple chunks of code you can insert on your site to create instant widgets.

For example, by adding a Facebook widget to your company’s site, you immediately have a visually attractive and customized entry point readily available for visitors to connect with you. Via your Facebook widget, visitors can see up-to-the-minute wall postings and become your fan with a click. And of course the widget links directly to your Facebook page.

There is a vast and growing range of widgets available. Below is an example showing how Signal has combined three widgets (including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook) on one “connect with us” page. Visit the Alma Lasers Connect page and see the widgets in action!

Alma_Connect

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August 12, 2009

Social Media is Like a Party

I read a good analogy of social media the other day, and I like to use it when I compare social media to traditional advertising. Think of it as if you were walking into a party. Traditional advertising would have you wearing a big sign saying, “I’m really great, you’ll like me, we should hang out,” etc.

Social media, on the other hand, is the more natural way to go about entering the party. You would meet people and engage in conversation, learning about them and telling them about yourself. Hopefully you find common ground and become friends. Then, maybe that person will tell their friends about you, and they’ll come up to you and start talking with you. Or maybe they’ll talk amongst themselves about you.

It all starts by building a relationship with a conversation.

So, don’t be the guy holding the big goofy sign. Act naturally and start the conversations with people.

- Jim Ellis

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August 4, 2009

How to Subscribe Using RSS

So now that we’ve invited a lot of people to our blog, we thought we might share a good how to video on how to subscribe, to make sure you don’t miss anything. Take a look and learn how to subscribe to the Signal Blog using RSS, Really Simple Syndication.

RSS Video

RSS Video

By the way this “In Plain English” video series is a fun and informative series that has segments on social media, blogs, wikis, etc. Enjoy.

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Social Media: Look Before You Jump In

Before you say to yourself, “My company needs to be on Facebook” or “How can I get my organization on Twitter,” you need to ask yourself the more fundamental question of WHY? What do you hope to do with it? This seems obvious, but I see too many companies that just jump in without really figuring out the basic question “What is my objective?” And before figuring that out, you really need to figure out who your audience is, and decide whether or not they will take to what you’re trying to do using social media.

First things first, and when it comes to social media, remember this acronym: P-O-S-T.

  • People
  • Objectives
  • Strategy
  • Technology

This acronym comes from an excellent book on social media entitled Groundswell, and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about social media (and you should be interested in it, because it’s not going anywhere). The book shares some very good strategies and case studies, and is a relatively quick read.

You see, just saying you want to be on Facebook or Twitter is jumping straight to the “T” (technology), but knowing your audience, your objectives and strategy to meet the objectives should truly dictate the technology.

So, start with PEOPLE. As in any marketing strategy, you need to have a clear picture of who your audience is. Is your target market even engaged in social media? Are they more likely to “talk” or “listen”? Will they write reviews? Do they even join groups like Facebook?

The book Groundswell is written by people who work for Forrester Research, and market research is their forte. You can view a presentation of how they break down people’s social media behavior.

What’s more, they give you a pretty cool tool that you can use to gauge what your target market is doing within social media.

Forrester Profile Tool

Forrester Profile Tool

Check it out, and know your audience. Next time, we’ll talk about the “O”–Objectives. More to come.

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May 27, 2009

Signal’s Creative Challenge

Back in April, Signalites in both our Wilmington and Raleigh, NC studios were divided into 6 teams and given the challenge of creating an original “Signal Trophy.” Photos and descriptions of each entry were posted to Signal’s fan page on Facebook, giving fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite and decide the winner.

The votes have now been tallied, and Signal is pleased to announce that the winner is Team 3 with their Master’s-inspired Signal Jacket!

The Top Three Entries

The Top Three Entries

Check out the winning entries here:
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place

View all 6 Signal trophies and visit Signal’s Facebook page!

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May 19, 2009

Signal Gets a Little Press in Triangle Business Journal

Rick Haynes, President

“From baseball cards to Internet sites…” Signal was recently featured in Triangle Business Journal. From our beginnings designing trading cards and sports collectibles, to our current  interactive design and web marketing work, the article discusses the evolution and diversification of the agency over the past 17 years. Take a gander!

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April 28, 2009

Signal Celebrates 17th Anniversary

The Signal Gang

The Signal Gang

Starting as a traditional graphic design company, Signal designed its first web site in 1994 for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. Over the past 17 years, the agency has evolved to approximately 30 full-time professionals and launched a variety of new service offerings to keep pace with the changing needs of its clients. This includes the rollout of video and multimedia capabilities in 2001, email marketing in 2003, and marketing/brand strategy and a variety of web marketing services (including search engine optimization) in 2004.

“We are proud that our business family has reached this agency milestone. Our diversification of services was essential in enabling Signal to continually grow and evolve into a full-service creative agency that provides clients with integrated design, marketing and technology solutions,” said Rick Haynes, president of Signal.

One key differentiator for Signal is its technology team, which has grown to encompass both traditional web developers and application developers. The technology team is responsible for creating custom web applications for clients. Much of their work focuses on integrating databases with web sites, complex tracking and analytics for marketing campaigns, building intranets/extranets, working with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, surveying tools and mobile applications.

Signal has worked with a broad range of clients and brands throughout the years. The agency got its start designing trading cards and a variety of sports entertainment products for Marvel Comics (“X-Men”), DC Comics, NFL, NBA, Disney (“Toy Story”) and James Bond 007. Signal’s current client roster is diverse and includes industry leaders such as John Deere, GlaxoSmithKline, Bald Head Island, Alma Lasers, Medical Mutual Insurance Group, North Carolina Medical Society, ExperienceOne Homes, Highwoods Properties, Quintiles, McKim & Creed and Syngenta, in association with Gibbs & Soell.

“Signal has been working with many of its core clients for over a decade. A lot has changed during that time. As new technologies and the Internet transform the way our clients connect with their audience, we will continue to evolve to help deliver their message and reach their business goals,” stated Bryan Kristof, Signal’s director of marketing.

“Signal isn’t just another vendor to us, they are a direct extension of our marketing team. They put serious time and effort into getting to know us and our target audience. Year after year, they consistently produce quality creative solutions and fresh thinking for both our print and web efforts. No other creative firm has delivered results in the way that Signal has,” commented Shawn Scott, associate deputy executive vice president for the North Carolina Medical Society.

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April 9, 2009

Signal Launches New Web Site for Coastal Carolina Pediatric Dentistry

New Dimock & Weinberg Web Site

New Dimock & Weinberg Web Site

Signal announced the launch of a new web site for Dimock & Weinberg, DDS, PA, a pediatric dentistry practice located in Wilmington, NC.

The design of the new web site highlights the fun and child-friendly focus of the practice and features downloadable forms to help simplify new patient registration. The site also features an interactive photo gallery that provides visitors with a virtual office tour, while additional pages provide extensive information on what to expect from a child’s first visit to the dentist.

To view the new Dimock & Weinberg, DDS, PA web site, visit: www.ccpedo.com

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