Latitude & Longitude

GREAT COVER LETTER It’s that time of year where companies...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:53:52 -0400

GREAT COVER LETTER

It’s that time of year where companies small and large receive applications, cover letters and resumes from junior and senior college students all over the country. Some have it together and create very professional and/or creative materials, but many do not. This letter above of a finance student applying for a summer internship has been making headlines. It’s different because it is humble. The student is telling the truth and not selling himself as something he is not. It’s amazing how sometimes just being honest can be a breath of fresh air.

We really like this cover letter as an example of what students should be saying in their materials, interviews, etc. And not what one normally receives. As college students, companies know you’re still learning, they know you’re portfolio is limited and they know you need experience. The students that are contacted and hired for an internship are so because they usually display some of these qualities in the letter.:

1) They’ve taken the time to send a cover letter (addressed in our name) and personalized to us.

2) A Resume (an honest one that is not inflated)

3) A link to view their portfolio online, or a creative/catchy piece they’ve personally mailed to us. (Specific to the design industry)

4) They arrive to their interview 5-minutes early, with a notepad to take notes. You’re being interviewed for your personality, and your willingness to receive constructive criticism to see how you’ll take it. We (most design companies) want to see how you do when someone else critics your work. And, we want to see if you take our advice in the interview, and if you run with it. Will you update your portfolio and re-send it to us with your changes? Will you set up an online portfolio if you don’t have one? Will you get on social media to promote yourself? The advice will vary from candidate to candidate, but overall we want to see if you’re humble and if you’ll work hard and collaboratively.

Our Summer 2013 internship has been taken by a candidate who did all of these things and we look forward to working with him. But, if you’d like to intern this Winter 2013, we’re taking cover letters and resumes. Send them to Lisa Peteet, Creative Director, lisa@atlasbranding.com. No phone calls please.

High 5: Rebranding a responsible coffee shopGreat article on our...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:44:53 -0500

High 5: Rebranding a responsible coffee shop

Great article on our friend and client, Jay Weatherly for his wonderful work and handcrafted coffee at High Five Coffee Bar. Thanks Jay for the shout out to Atlas in your article. Read the full story in the Mountain Xpress.

ATLAS TAKES HOME TWO GRAPHIC DESIGN USA AWARDSAtlas was recently...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:45:00 -0500

ATLAS TAKES HOME TWO GRAPHIC DESIGN USA AWARDS

Atlas was recently honored to receive two awards in the 49th Annual American Graphic Design Awards. From more than 9,000 entries worldwide, less than 15% of the design and communication projects were selected as winners. We were recognized in the categories of Brochures for our work on the Eagle’s Nest Foundation Viewbooks and Packaging for our work on FairHarvest Foods.

Magazine Photo taken by Amplified Media.

PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR HIGH FIVE COFFEE BAR! (Formerly the...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:45:07 -0500

PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR HIGH FIVE COFFEE BAR!
(Formerly the Dripolator)

Atlas Branding lent a hand to re-brand and transition the Dripolator (a local coffee bar and Mountain Xpress “Best of” winner) into High Five Coffee Bar. After conceiving of the name “High Five Coffee Bar,” owner Jay Weatherly sought out Atlas to help him craft and launch his new brand. First, Atlas worked with Jay in conceptualizing and creating an original and iconic logo that best encompassed the ethos of his new name and identity. Next, we utilized the new logo and identity in design of the print collateral from business cards to food labels. Atlas also integrated the new brand into the design for all of the new High Five Coffee Bar menu and exterior signage that will be installed in January.

“Working with Atlas was a crucial part of putting a process to the daunting task of re-branding. They did an amazing job of extracting the essence and character of what I wanted to communicate in the new branding. They were responsive and flexible to my ideas, but gave strong direction for me to follow, which is precisely what I needed.”
- Jay Weatherly, Owner of High Five Coffee Bar

So what’s next for High Five - a new website will launch this Spring.

Atlas field trip to @quill and arrow press with client...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:37:24 -0500

Atlas field trip to @quill and arrow press with client @alexander design studio soon to be Form & Function Architecture.

Lovely packaging design.

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:01:05 -0400

Lovely packaging design.

WHAT A FUN SURPRISE! We were pleasantly surprised to receive a...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:14:06 -0400

WHAT A FUN SURPRISE!

We were pleasantly surprised to receive a postcard in the mail from one of our new clients. She’s currently on vacation for the next few weeks and sent us a very sweet note from Bellingham, Washington. We love receiving postcards! Thanks Jan!

GREAT FIND: THE EVERYWHERE PROJECT We had the delight of...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:26:00 -0400

GREAT FIND: THE EVERYWHERE PROJECT

We had the delight of stumbling upon the collective works of The Everywhere Project curated by Adrian Walsh a designer and illustrator hailing from Southern California. Inspired by the song “I’ve Been Everywhere” this collection features creative luggage tags representing the 92 locations that appear in the American rendition of the song. Each designer in the collective project, has the opportunity to showcase their personal interpretation of the location they’ve traveled and illustrated. Check it out!

CONSUMER REVIEWS vs. OTHER AD TACTICS An interesting and...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:35:59 -0400

CONSUMER REVIEWS vs. OTHER AD TACTICS

An interesting and insightful infographic designed by Column Five and created by Flowtown. This graphic details research from the 2009 “Global Online Consumer Survey” conducted by Neilson.com.

Take pause to review the graphic and think through how social media is quickly becoming today’s word-of-mouth-referral network. Think social media isn’t paying off? Think again.

Great typography treatment in packaging.

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:05:56 -0500

Great typography treatment in packaging.

Alfalfabet (by in the morning) Luci Everett

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:19:22 -0500

Alfalfabet (by in the morning) Luci Everett

DESIGN JOB TIP #2: THE COVER LETTER (YES, YOU NEED ONE.)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:26:09 -0500

So, when I said that we would be blogging with job seeking advice once a week, I guess I really meant twice a month…The next nugget of wisdom in our installment on Design Job Tips is on crafting a suitable cover letter that you send with your resume and portfolio when applying for graphic design or account management positions.

Here’s a step-by-step guide for adding just the right information into the letter:

1) Draft a template that you will use when you apply for multiple jobs. Save this template in Word, Illustrator or InDesign depending on where you are crafting the letter. You will want to customize each letter a bit as we do circulate good letters and resumes from firm-to-firm so you don’t want it to be completely the same. However, it’s easiest to start with a format you have in place and will save you time in the long run.

2) Remember that your e-mail to the firm, is not your cover letter. The letter should be included in your .pdf with your resume. The actual e-mail you send the firm should just be a few sentences of who you are and what you’re applying for.

Cover letter Format:

• Senders Address & Contact Information (This is you) Preferably in a beautiful letterhead or resume lay out you’ve thoughtfully designed to show us you have tasteful design chops and its not just laid out in Microsoft Word. If you are applying for a design job, we don’t want to see your cover letter and resume in Word. If you’re an account manager and you really want to knock my socks off, try to design your cover letter and resume in InDesign. These days, most account managers will be asked to learn or work in InDesign for writing proposals, research etc. You need to know it anyway.

• Define Objective - what position are you applying for?
Internship (clarify if it needs to be paid or unpaid) Pre-economic meltdown, most firms could pay their internship $10 - 18/hour. This usually isn’t the case anymore. Most internships are going to be unpaid.

Junior Designer

Designer

Senior Designer so on and so forth. Help us to know your level of design experience.

• Date the letter and Add the Addressee Contact Information (This has to be customized.)

• Dear Addressee (It’s better to have someone here like the creative or account director then no one at all. If it’s not personalized, we know you didn’t take the time to go to our website and research who we are. If you don’t put in the effort, chances are the firm you’re applying to won’t put in the effort either. )

• Paragraph One - The Introduction
In a creative and brief manner, introduce who you are, what you’re applying for and why you’re applying to this firm. It should be professional but conversational.

• Paragraph Two through Three - Body Content
Why should we consider you for this position? What is it about our firm that attracted you to us? Why should we hire you? OR

If you’re an experienced designer and you want to discuss a particular project you worked on and how you were challenged but succeed, we love hearing stories about how you work and tackle challenging projects.

Share your personality here.

• Paragraph Four - The Closing
Always close humbly. Thank the addressee for their time. Let them know you look forward to hearing from them and you know you could learn a lot of the firm. Don’t assume the position “Here’s why I’m the best candidate for the job.” Be humble.

• Sincerely & Sign

• Résumé and Samples Enclosed (Always highlight what you’re including in your .pdf so we know what you have.)

3) Rule of Thumb if you are mailing your cover letter, resume and portfolio. Yes people still do this and firms REALLY appreciate getting your work in the mail. But, I would only encourage you to invest in mailing your portfolio if you’ve really put in the time to design the package as a self promotional piece of your work and you’ve been able to print or burn your portfolio to disc in a way that is affordable for you. This can get pretty expensive if you’re applying to multiple places.

4) If you are printing your materials, make sure you print your cover letter and resume on fancy paper. It can be resume paper or something you’ve purchased specifically for your self promotion. If resume paper - make sure you print your watermark correctly. When I was a young designer, one of my future employee’s held my resume up to the light. When I asked what she was doing, she said she was checking my watermark. “If you’re applying for a print design position, I want to see if you’re detail-oriented.” Luckily, I printed the sheet of paper with the watermark correctly placed. You can never be too careful.

DESIGN JOB TIP #1 DON'T MAKE ME WORK

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:08:00 -0400

We’re starting a new weekly series on “Job Seeking” advice for graphic designers on a mission to find a firm that is both hiring and interested in responding to your e-mail. Why? Because you are trying to learn how to respect the process and showcase your work in the best light. You may be applying into a creative industry, but like any other professional job, we want to know that you’ve taken the time to show us that you really, genuinely want a job.

Our advice is going to be predominately for new graphic designers and college graduates, but our hope is that this may be helpful to designers, account managers and seasoned professionals as well. So, without further ado, I give you Job Tip #1: Don’t Make Me Work.

The Cliff Notes:
1 - Your first introductory e-mail to a firm should include all of the above:

a) Cover letter (This will be our topic for next week.)

b) Resume (Professionally designed in either InDesign or Illustrator.

Saved as a .PDF)

c) A link to your online portfolio or a .PDF of your portfolio that is under 10MB. (This is a must!)

d) Contact Information that is current. (Phone and E-mail.)

2 - Make sure your e-mail is personalized and to the point. The e-mail does not count as a cover letter. It should only be a small paragraph in length.

Expanded Thoughts:
The average Account or Creative Director probably receives 60+ e-mails a day, plus balancing this their client work load so they’re probably going to quickly scan your e-mail. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to read and quickly review your work. In those precious 10 - 30 seconds, you want them to identify: what you are applying for, your experience and your portfolio. If any of these elements are missing, your e-mail will most likely be junked.

This probably sounds very basic as you read this blog post, but almost 2 out of 3 new designers that e-mail us are missing one of these elements. We hate to see young designers overlooked because they aren’t sure how to apply yet for jobs in this industry.

For our concluding thought, take the time to do a personal address in your e-mail. If you’re applying for an account or office position, go to the firm’s website and see if you can figure out who the head of accounts is in the company. If you are applying for a design position, address your e-mail to the creative director (their full name). If their website doesn’t have this information available, it is perfectly okay and clever to pick up the phone and call the company to ask who to address your e-mail to. In our experience, the secretary or designer that answers the phone is happy to give you this information so you can send a personalized e-mail. Less happy to put you on the phone with that person - so I’d start with e-mail first.

Take the few seconds to figure out who you are e-mailing and you will definitely have a little more luck with receiving responses from time-to-time.

We hope this Job Tip #1 doesn’t come across too harsh. We’re trying to be honest with our experiences both in applying for jobs, and interviewing potential hires.

NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC: THE COVER LETTER…

NEAT WOODEN CALENDAR I found this great idea for a wooden letter...

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:31:00 -0400

NEAT WOODEN CALENDAR

I found this great idea for a wooden letter calendar on one of my favorite blogs Graphic Exchange. Enjoy!

North Carolina Bill Cracks Down on Illegal Moving Companies

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:35:00 -0400

Illegal movers face civil penalties of up to $5,000 for false advertising

October 1, 2011 – NC – Illegal movers operating in North Carolina will have to think twice before advertising their services to the general public. This past June the North Carolina General Assembly ratified House Bill 311 that will aid in putting advertising and vehicle identification restrictions on non-certificated and non-licensed (illegal) movers across the State. Since late 2010, the executive committee and board members of the North Carolina Movers Association (NCMA) worked in conjunction with State Representatives to author a new law that would penalize illegal movers in an effort to protect the general public from hiring non-professional moving companies.

The House Bill 311 will become effective October 1, 2011 to be enforced by the state Utilities Commission. A primary facet of the law that directly affects the general public will penalize any unlawful, un-certificated person who operates as a carrier of household goods within the state that advertises services on vehicle placards, phone books, print media, Internet, billboards or business cards. If this law is violated, persons will receive a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for violating this section of the bill.

The other facet that directly will affect the moving industry requires certificated movers to properly mark vehicles with company name, city and North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) license number in three-inch letters. If the vehicles are used for interstate traffic, certificated movers will need to add DOT and MC license numbers near their company in the same size as their NCUC number. If moving persons violate this law, they will be subject to a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 for the first offense, and no more than $2,000 per subsequent offense.

“We are pleased to see legislation which provides protections for the public,” said Carol Kimball Shahl, director of the Transportation Rates Division the NC Utilities Commission Public Staff. “Taking action because someone without authority is advertising is simpler than taking action because someone has performed an illegal move. Un-certificated movers typically avoid leaving the paper trail we need for proof of the illegal move, which has limited our ability to pursue such companies and individuals.” This is a growing concern across the country as more consumers are affected by illegal scams. In an USA Today article published on July 27, 2011, “The Better Business Bureau received more than 8,900 complaints against both licensed and unlicensed movers in 2010 – a 5 percent increase over 2009.” States including California, New Jersey, Illinois and Maryland also are putting legislation in place to protect the public from un-certificated moving scams.

Tom Hunnicutt, president of NCMA and owner of Gasperson Moving and Storage, an Asheville moving company said, “Limiting the ability to legally advertise will result in fewer individuals operating illegally. Currently, someone interested in moving to North Carolina could look in any phonebook within the State, on the internet or on Craigslist and unknowingly contact a mover who has no license, or no insurance and have that person load up all of one’s possessions and drive away with them. That, to me, is a scary proposition, because the average customer assumes that since a business advertises, it must be legitimate.”

Barry Kampe, a resident of Buncombe County recalls his firsthand experience with a local illegal mover, “We should have known when they attempted to bill us for more than they quoted for items that were outside of our control. Then, we had several items that were significantly damaged. They wanted to handle everything themselves. They had a friend of a friend that could repair the items for dirt-cheap, ‘no need to bother with insurance’ is what I recall them saying. As we did some digging after the move, we soon found out they were unlicensed and un-insured hence, the reason for their unwillingness to handle through insurance!”

Un-certificated and un-insured movers can occur on the national, state and local levels. Consumers looking to relocate to a new city or state need to make sure the company or persons they hire are properly licensed and insured.

House Bill 311 was authored by state representatives Susan Fisher and Ruth Samuelson and supported by Maggie Jeffus and Daniel McComas.

About North Carolina Movers Association
The North Carolina Movers Association is the only association in North Carolina that is devoted solely to the household goods industry. Our current membership is in excess of 150 certificated household goods carriers. Our Board of Directors is elected annually from the membership each year for a three year term and is lead by a President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. Our association has been in existence since 1954. For more information, go to www.ncmovers.org.

Tips for Avoiding Illegal Mover Scams
• Don’t book your mover from a print or online ad only. Meet your mover prior to deciding to hire one.

• Make sure you acquire at least three quotes from different moving companies so you can compare their services and pricing. If a price seems too low, there is probably a reason for that.

• If you are hiring for an interstate move, check for a ProMover logo, which indicates that the moving company has passed an annual check for felony convictions, improper advertising and good Better Business Bureau ratings in regards to interstate moving.

• Ask for the company’s State Utilities Commission number. Go to the North Carolina Utilities Commission website to check their number a http://www.ncuc.net/consumer/transportation/ConsumerGuide.htm.

Media Contact:
Dean Peteet
Atlas Branding & Design
828-713-0392
dean@atlasbranding.com
243 Broadway Street
Asheville, NC 28801

Contact:
Tom Hunnicutt
President of the North Carolina Movers Association, Inc.
Owner of Gasperson Moving & Storage
828-658-8880
tomjr@gaspersonmoving.com
250 Weaverville Road
Asheville, NC 28804

THE ART OF EXPLODING FLOWERS Artist Qi Wei dissects flowers like...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:08:45 -0400

THE ART OF EXPLODING FLOWERS

Artist Qi Wei dissects flowers like an antique clock with parts to photography his beautiful art.

Pictured Above: Lily, Chrysanthemum and the Rose. Found Here.

FINALLY! A SEARCH ENGINE JUST FOR STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY! AT LAST!!!

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:57:37 -0400

FINALLY! A SEARCH ENGINE JUST FOR STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY! AT LAST!!!

SINKING MY TEETH INTO THE GOOD LIFE. We just ordered a copy of...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:26:54 -0400

SINKING MY TEETH INTO THE GOOD LIFE.

We just ordered a copy of “The Good Life,” by Aussie Chef Adrian Richardson. This beauty was designed by Suzy Tuxen of A Friend of Mine based in Melbourne Australia. The book offers mouth-watering recipes and visuals inspired by Adrian’s life. Home grown and homemade recipes in rare form are wonderfully accented by creative typography and fresh photography.

I’ve been warned that the recipes are for a more advanced cook… but I have to admit I’m probably buying it more for the charming design.

To purchase a copy, go to: Fishpond.

Just like Christmas!!!

PACKAGING INSPIRATION: UPPERCUT DELUXE We recently discovered...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:00:58 -0400

PACKAGING INSPIRATION: UPPERCUT DELUXE

We recently discovered the masculine design of UPPERCUT Deluxe, a wide range of grooming products for men that were designed and produced by a designer/barber team Luke and Steve.

We love the blend of vintage and modern design for a completely masculine look and feel. The color palette of black, silver and red provide a classic and iconic combination for fabrication on a budget. Love it!

These products are from Australia, but I would love to see them rival the low-brow, slightly offensive branding of Axe.

Parks & Recreation Paper Dolls

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:38:09 -0400

Parks & Recreation Paper Dolls:

We’re HUGE fans of Parks & Recreation. Now, we’re HUGE fans of Kyle Hilton’s paper doll and illustration work.