Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Triple Strength! This year’s holiday card showcases the original artwork of our new designer, Emily Shellenberger. Painted in watercolor and ink, the piece was designed to resemble a classic holiday card, featuring iconic poinsettias. To set this classic card apart from the rest, the vibrant red color and three flowers make the artwork unique to the Triple Strength brand.

Along with the flowers is a separate pull-tab to take in and out that resembles a greenhouse plant marker. On the front is the TS logo, identifying the flowers specifically as Triple Strength poinsettias; on the back are simple directions to care for the beautiful flowers and make them last.

This card was sent to current clients and friends of Triple Strength as a simple reminder that we cherish the relationship we have and hope it continues to grow. Wishing you the best this holiday season and a wonderful new year!

International Trade

Ten Thousand Villages is a source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and sculpture, textiles, serveware and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world’s largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. They have spent more than 60 years cultivating long-term buying relationships to establish the international trading company they have today.

In Summer 2011, Triple Strength was approached by Ten Thousand Villages to make a bid to design the company’s new ecommerce website. They were in search of a site that would energize the Ten Thousand Villages brand, replicate the store experience online, and share the stories of the artisans. The bid was open to a number of agencies, but it was Triple Strength, with its extensive portfolio of creative and cutting-edge web projects, that was selected to move forward with the site redesign.

The goal was to design a site that allows viewers to easily find and purchase the company’s exclusive items while still functioning as an informational site to learn about the creators and locations where the products are made. The stories of the artisans needed to be as equally weighted as the selling aspects of the site, because the Artisan Story is what separates a plate made in Uganda and sold at Ten Thousand Villages from one sold at Crate and Barrel. The site was designed to reflect the grassroots of the artisans featured; the rich, natural colors and textures are symbolic of the products they craft and sell.

Previous Site

The New Concepts
Three design variations were created to effectively portray the Ten Thousand Villages brand and allow nearly effortless usability.

Concept 1
The first concept uses warm, deep earth tones and natural textures to portray the cultures and heritage reflected in the craftspeople and their products. Torn paper edges along the navigation bar give the site a handmade quality, while unique effects keep the site on the leading edge of functionality. For example, the social media icons on the side of the content bar are designed to slide as you scroll down the page and remain visible at all times. This omnipresence puts customer interaction at the forefront, without being intrusive.

Concept 2
This second concept suggests a more commercially oriented approach. It is clean and light for easy navigation, allowing the products be the focal point. The color palate is muted, off-white and tan with small hints of color to direct attention to buttons and links. Primary ad space would be highlighted at the top, while the rest of the content is clearly defined into three spaces: selling space, secondary ads and blog information.

Concept 3
The final concept is a slight mix of Concepts 1 and 2, with extra care given to the ecommerce and store elements. It has a neutral color scheme and a segmented design. It works well for buying and selling, but is still reflective of the cultures through the green and tan color selections. The bright banners that call out each category make the site’s functionality clear and concise.

Review and Production
After the clients reviewed all three of the design concepts, it was clear they were drawn to the influential textures and rich colors of the first concept. The layout also worked with their idea of the hierarchy and utility for the site.

Triple Strength was selected only for the layout and design of the new site; production for page templates and content implementation began immediately. Ten Thousand Villages would be handling the development and Magento content management system (CMS) integration.

Magento is a leading ecommerce solution providing back-end CMS for a variety of national retailers including Bonobos, the NorthFace, and Ford. With the new CMS each page has its own function and unique display. Purchasing products is much easier with specified categories. Each artisan has a library of media integration, with which they can share their story. Finding these stories is also simplified with an integrated map of their native country and the countries served by Ten Thousand Villages.

Triple Strength appreciated the opportunity to work with such an amazing company, and hopes to work with them as they expand their branding in the future. The experience was more than enjoyable, and we are pleased with the final design. In the future, we hope to enter this design in various competitions. Now that the new TenThousandVillages.com is live, the growth of this long-established fair trade company is sure to increase.

A New Captain on Deck

If you’ve been watching ESPN, TBS or a few other networks lately, you may have noticed the new TV commercials for popular rum runner, Captain Morgan. The new ads feature an updated Captain Morgan navigating quirky situations, with the new slogan ‘ To Life, Love and Loot.’ It seems this new campaign, administered by Captain Morgan’s parent company, Daigeo, is setting the liquor as a more premiere brand. With other top shelf beverages, such as Guinness, Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker, and Tanqueray on the payroll, it’s easy to see why ‘the Captain’ needed a facelift.

In past ad campaigns the literal Captain Morgan was either not present, or a more cartoony iteration of the character, which played into the less sophisticated, more party atmosphere of the beverage. An overnight sensation, the campaign grew on the back of the Captain’s easily replicated pose of raising one leg atop a rum barrel (even though most replicants use imaginary ones). ‘Got a Little Captain in You’ became the rallying cry for those making this pose in ridiculous situations. It gained so much popularity that the NFL instituted a ban on the impression due to the frequency of its use during touchdown celebrations.

With new marketing efforts, the partying Captain has evolved into a suave, debonair man-about-town … think of the Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man on Earth’, but for hard liquor … and he’s a pirate. Calm and level-headed, this liquor leader diffuses the most chaotic of situations, in the most respectful of manner. Pending bombardment by British naval fleet? Solved with somersault dive from the deck, so picture-perfect that a French judge would have a hard time not holding up the 10 card.

“Our consumers continue to evolve and expand their interests, we recognized that Captain Morgan himself needed to evolve with them,” Brand Director, Tom Herbst. While the Captain may have dialed back his party-hardy lifestyle, his escapades still land him with realistic decisions and situations, much like Captain Morgan consumers. “Each spot showcases a new side of the Captain and reinforces … that even today, they can live like the Captain lived.”

In order to bring to life the 17th Century Pirateer, Daigeo utilized the creative minds at international super-group, and NY Cosmos supporters, Anomaly. They also called upon Academy Award-winning Director, Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech, to craft the briny deep atmosphere of the first commercial spot.

The new Captain identity illustrates a maturity of the brand, and, though I don’t drink it, (we had some rough years, and went through an ugly divorce) I’m really happy with their direction. With anything pirate themed, it’s easy to fall into cliche traps, especially when you’re dealing in alcohol. The more refined persona tailors itself to a more refined consumer (one looking for a drink, rather than one looking to get wasted), and aligns itself with other Daigeo brands.

Here’s to you Captain Morgan, I salute you, sir.

Endnote: While we are on the topic pirate themed alcohols, I’d like to jump ship (pardon the pun) to one of Captain Morgan’s smaller-scale competitors. I heard of Kraken Black Spiced Rum in a Comm Arts Design annual, and if you’re a fan of consumer packaging, then I recommend picking up a bottle, even if you’re not a fan of spiced rum.

Key Components:
•  finger-rings on the bottle, always a selling point for Steve Semanchik, and
•   a spectacular illustration of the mythic Krakken on the label.