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Scribblers’ Club was approached by Family and Children’s Services in the spring of 2010 to help launch their new Capital Campaign; Better Together.

The theme of the campaign revolved around ‘building on the strengths of children and families’. In support of this theme we developed a design that utilized bright, fresh colours and incorporated friendly, square building blocks.

The design was rolled out to various printed pieces and has inspired the FACS internal team and has been well-received by the community at large.

Scribblers’ Club is proud to have been a part of this extraordinary campaign and is a long-time partner with Candi and her team at FACS.

Making a difference.

FAMILY & CHILDREN’S SERVICESBetter Together Capital Campaign

spectacular ! ” “In a word,

2010VI Q3scribblersclub.com

Case Studies

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KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY

FAMILY & CHILDREN’S SERVICES

MARY JO FEDY - Campaign Chair

design matters

My summers last gasp was spent yesterday visiting a friends lakefront property. Not a large cottage, originally built over eighty years ago perhaps too close to the shore, but very well laid out. A long communal galley kitchen receives guests, then into a comfortably small room with a stone fireplace, then to a long glass-enclosed veranda overlooking a similarly proportioned deck before opening onto a small limestone beach and Lake Erie. The sun sets behind this winterized three bedroom cottage so the shores across the bay were golden orange and purple. Up came the fall teaser evening breezes that pelt gently at your face and rustle leaves sounding too dry too soon for the seasons change.

As the bonfire settled into a steady crackle I found my mind already returning to my desk for this morning. I was thinking about our friends and clients and the media mash ups from the last few months. I was trying to look forward through upcoming months wondering where things will be headed.

This cottage captured my thoughts.

Small is the new big. What does it look like to behave small? It was originally built small, purpose built to be heated by the stone fireplace. The footprint hadn’t changed in over eighty years but the walls and windows have since been well insulated and refinished. The biological functions had long ago moved indoors as well. Smart.

The communal kitchen now celebrates a return to connectedness. The young family prepares and eats their majority of meals in that room. The “great room” was intimately sized. Surround sound discreetly tucked into the walls with an unobtrusive proportionately sized flat screen mounted to one wall. The rooms hero remains the stone fireplace. The primary lounger was an Eames, the other small sectional modern and minimalist in a light fabric. The upper walls were recessed with small coves each with a small indirect spot light. The room is nestled in the center of the building originally for its proximity to heat. The whitewashed walls a mosaic of door covered cubbies disguising any clutter from view. Simple. The front enclosed veranda had a narrow long formal dining table. Thin upholstered dining chairs, a couple of comfy chairs and a single Bose Wave radio doing a splendid job of filling the space with just the right amount of music.

A small cottage home, but big on the important experiential details. Everything remained focused on delivering the perfect lake and perfect human experience. Each element of this cottage was selected or purpose built to do one thing very well.

Do you deliver on your promise?The opportunity for today’s growth lay in supporting enriched real world experiences. How does your business measure up to the real world?

People desire things that perform exceptionally at specific tasks, not complicated half wits that try to do everything poorly. People will vote with their wallets to do things right the first time.

One of our most successful clients has grown remarkably over the last year doing just that. They behave small. They do what they say, they show up on time, they finish what they start and even say please and thank you! They cost a little more and their clients pay with gratitude.

That’s it for October’s “release”, I feel better!

See you in November...

The silly season is coming to a close and the fall push is alive and well!

From the land of marketing research all indicators continue to exhibit consumer spending on quality product and real life experiences. People have stopped buying to “keep up with the Joneses”, of course there will always be the folks who measure themselves against all others, but there is a growing healthy trend towards the opposite. People are looking for chances to connect at an emotional level. Buying that big screen TV or fancy new handbag, a new home decorator accessory or technology typically doesn’t deliver a healthy “happiness” return on the dollars spent.

That “consumption stuff” ROI is dwarfed when the same dollars are spent on experiences.

Experiences last longer, they are non-competitive, fun to share, and contribute to ones sense of self. When we buy things they can quickly become tired, actually break or outdated and eventually obsolete, to actually live an experience remains indelible.Better, when we recall an experience we tend to colour those memories favorably. As time passes we’ll romanticize the actual experience building it into something better than it was. When people come together their stories are shared and are often unique to the person telling them. The stories connect people through shared bravado or empathy, and either way the storyteller or an audience typically injects humor and laughter is shared.

Consumers are flocking to cooking classes, adventure travel, museums, parks, trails, lodges, special interest groups. Truly interactive real world activities. Home buyers are now looking at homes that don’t have sprawling square footages but are more relevantly located nearer trails, parks, open markets or entertainment districts. Loft’s continue to grow in popularity A second car is being dropped for public transit and or a bicycle. They travel more, eat less, eat better, and the truly self actualized turn off their connectedness to be present in the moment with their friends and family.

I feel the best word to describe this catch-all shift in consumerism is “integrity”.

People want the truth, durability and reliability. Even though money is held more sacred we will continue to spend but the spending has changed. Conspicuous consumption is dying and it’s being replaced by smart spending. People will spend more money on fewer but better great products. Great products will deliver on their promise. They will be responsible to the planet and they will improve with age. I have taken to the phrasing of things being “worn in” rather than “worn out”. If something is designed correctly it’s my belief that the product will improve with age. Those blemishes that come with everyday use actually tell a story. They add to a products value. It’s akin to acquiring a vintage guitar, the past players favorite notes have become worn into the neck of the guitar, where the heel of a hand has removed a body finish, a blues mans belt buckle has grooved the guitars back, all signs that the instrument has delivered on its promise for years and years. There is beauty in that story and something of an ethos inherited by the instrument through its experience.

Scribblers’ Club was engaged by Kitchener Public Library to assist with the naming and branding of their Central Library Fundraising project. The scope of work included the campaign name, Evolve. Literally., the logo as well as all subsequent print and promotional collateral. The Evolve. Literally. branding needed to be visually captivating and live a life beyond the campaign supporting the KPL in their future marketing initiatives.

The bright, vibrant colours used in the campaign pieces are synonymous with the diverse and energetic community that surrounds the library. The bold graphic shapes represent a derivative of the Civic District blocks that make up our downtown core.

Evolve. Literally. is not only a simple statement but also a clever play on words. In two words, it encompasses the library’s need to evolve into the digital era as well as meeting the needs of a growing, evolving community.

The campaign has been a huge success and has received rave reviews from both KPL team members and the community at large.

“the design is stunning, copy is engaging and the

case is compelling.”

Evolve. Literally.

KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARYEvolve. Literally. Capital Campaign

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT MANAGER