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Michigan Celebrates Small Business Case Study

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Every year, we have the pleasure of being a part of the Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) Awards Gala, an event that celebrates and acknowledges the successes of small businesses across the state of Michigan. This time, we helped out with the event’s design assets, creating a fun and cohesive brand surrounding the event. Although the event was moved to virtual due to COVID, we were able to transition these assets into the virtual space to keep everything consistent leading up to it.

Our Task

Our team was tasked with developing a creative concept for all collateral surrounding the 2020 Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards Gala. We then executed the chosen creative concept through a variety of deliverables leading up to the event.

Goal

We were excited to provide unique, bold design options to the client in order to showcase the fun, energetic atmosphere that the event provides every year. We went with a bold secondary color palette and font choice that complemented MCSB’s current brand. Then, we paired this with photos from last year’s event showcasing small business owners and their excitement about receiving the awards!

Process

Creating a design concept for an already established brand can be fun! Although the brand guidelines are already set, we are not afraid to push limits and make it a bit more unique for a specific event, campaign, etc. while still maintaining the existing brand. Here is our typical process: 

  • First, we met with MCSB to chat through their initial thoughts about the design concept for this year’s Awards Gala.
  • We worked with the MCSB team to develop a timeline for each deliverable.
  • We researched competitor and industry event designs to see what’s already out there, trending, etc.
  • Our creative team drafted up three design concepts and color palettes for the event. 
  • We presented the three design concept and color palette options to the client.
  • Once MSCB approved their favorite, we created all design pieces based on the chosen concept and color palettes. We also adjusted these to different sizes and applications. 
  • We created all of the awesome deliverables surrounding the 2020 Awards Gala!

Check out a few of the finished deliverables below.

Results

We successfully created a cohesive brand surrounding the 2020 event, even with the shift from in-person to virtual. The completed deliverables included social media and story imagery leading up to the event, an awardee media kit, an awardee instructions packet, email marketing graphics, an event program, and more. We were able to pivot and create additional COVID-19 announcement social media imagery and graphics for the virtual event itself, as well. We’re all about integrated, especially when it comes to branding and design. We want to ensure that all pieces, from print to digital, are consistent and align with your overall brand!
Need help getting your brand on track? Let’s get in touch.

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