We were delighted when Columbus, Ohio festival, Comfest, approached us this year about designing a small card with the goal of attracting more volunteers to the event. In the past, the cards were simple and utilitarian but did not speak to the playful spirit of the festival. Additionally, our client was limited by the quantity they could produce due to the higher costs associated with using a retail chain as a print vendor. As a solution, Fulcrum Creatives came up with a more exciting design that incorporated their environmental ethics and gave them more bang for their buck.

Keeping environmental impact, cost, and overall efficency in mind, we implemented a few solutions to reach their goals. We chose to use a regional printer, Richardson's, allowing an increase in the quantity and quality of the print job while simultaneously decreasing cost. Our design intern, Ellen, created a whimsical piece using a single, oh-so-tasty, metallic pantone color; we never get to use those enough. Finally, the project is printed on remnant paper, excess from other projects that would have otherwise gone to waste, donated from the paper company RIS Paper.

We came up with a design solution that fits The Community Festival's needs, budget, and values — while simultaneously aligning with ours. Fulcrum Creatives is happy to give back to the "party with a purpose!"

How can Fulcrum Creatives help you incorporate sustainability into your marketing materials?

For more ideas on how to think differently about your marketing materials, check out this great article from the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design.

It has been a busy 2010 so far for Fulcrum Creatives, we hosted a party for our friends, family, and valued clients. We have sponsored a variety of events and causes, from The Update Earth Day celebration, to Yay Bike's Bike to Work Challenge. And, we have welcomed new clients and more work from existing clients.

As you have hopefully noticed, we also launched our new web site! If you haven't had a chance to look around, visit our portfolio page (create) and see some of our recent work. Since we now have an official portfolio area, we will be transitioning this blog section to a more casual and social tone. We're planning on keeping you up to date on our clients, projects, goals, and how we feel about what's going on in the world around us. It should be a fun time, so be sure to check back in the future.

If you are a Columbus resident, hopefully you have noticed Yay Bikes!' Bike to Work Challenge materials going up around the city or online. Yay Bike's is a local non-profit that promotes a mode shift from driving and other modes of transport to bicycle, as well as creating resources to ease this transition. Every year Yay Bikes! organizes the Bike to Work Challenge, a friendly competition among employer-based teams in Central Ohio to determine which can achieve the highest bicycle mode share. Bike to Work Challenge has been a really fun project for us. Our sponsorship included a web site design, a sponsorship packet, posters, and promotional videos. Jason Moore took charge of logo design with a hand drawn banner presentation; take a look at the top of this post.

Liz Samuelson led the sponsorship packet design; check out our portfolio entry for images.

Jason and Liz both worked on the web site design, now live at biketoworkchallenge.com. Development of the web site was completed by Yay Bikes! member and talented programmer, Michael Reed.

Our new intern, Ellen Schulte, a very talented graduating senior from CCAD, designed the posters.

Finally, Taylor Kruse completed a Star Wars inspired teaser video and informative video segment on the Bike to Work Challenge.

All of the Bike to Work Challenge materials included images from a photoshoot we hosted in The Sandbox. We asked commuting cyclists from around the city to stop in on their commute home from work and be photographed. Check out the album of some of Jason and Liz's images on Yay Bikes! facebook page.

We love working on projects that allow us to cross over into multiple mediums and create integrated campaigns and materials. Get ahold of us if you would like to see something like this for your business or organization!

Fulcrum Creatives took on design duties for the upcoming IMAGEOHIO10 catalog and web site. Click here to view a PDF file of the catalog. ROY G BIV is an independent, nonprofit art space located in the historic Short North neighborhood of Columbus. IMAGEOHIO10 features work from 28 photographers and video artists, jouried by Columbus artist Michael Stickrod.

Stop by the IMAGEOHIO10 opening this Thursday, Jan. 21st, from 6-8pm, located at the Fort Hayes Shot Tower Gallery 546 Jack Gibbs Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

Fulcrum Creatives believes in and supports the goals of the ROY G BIV gallery and Principal & Creative, Jason Moore, sits on ROY G BIV's board of trustees.

Welcome to the Fulcrum Creatives blog, as we expand into a full web site in the coming months we'll post a few things here to keep you up to date. This is our space to showcase, discuss, and comment on our work, the industry, and environment around us. Take a moment and view some of our portfolio work and read what we have to say. This also gives you a valuable channel into the growth and formation of Fulcrum Creatives. Want to see a bit more about how we work? Or, think we should take a look at an organization or cause? Leave a comment below and we will be sure to get back to you. We're not a big, scary, inaccessible, firm, we want to hear from you!

A Bit About Us

Fulcrum Creatives, a new venture with exciting roots. Formed by the creative minds behind Fulcrum Design Corps and Genuine Creative, Jason Moore and Liz Samuelson, Fulcrum Creatives offers a finely tuned mix of creative solutions for social and cause based clients. We are marketing advocates and creators, visual communicators and artists, photographers and videographers, print makers and illustrators, non-profit board members and community activists. We are involved and invested. No matter the size and status of your business or organization Fulcrum Creatives listens to your needs, understands your goals, and provides creative solutions that drive growth and change.

Most days, your business is anything but simple. Fulcrum Creatives provides the leverage to get efficient output from your input.