Hi, my name’s Craig. I’m a creative professional currently working at DSW Inc.
I create advertising and promotions, and I absolutely love doing it. This is my portfolio of selected work. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile or download my resume.
Schmidt’s Special Events is a division of Columbus’ own Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. The business was concerned that its restaurant patrons were not aware that they could have the same great food and German experience anywhere they please. To point out this offering, a flyer was created and placed prominently in the center of each restaurant dining table. I helped creative direct and design this solution. A modern aesthetic and clean approach was taken to capture the fun Schmidt’s and its German fare are known for, regardless of where it’s enjoyed.
An exclusive facility originally built and owned by John W. Galbreath, the Darby House is unlike any other local facility in the Central Ohio area – beautiful and secluded on a private farm, just outside downtown Columbus, Ohio.
My company, CAM Design, was hired to revamp the facility’s competitive position and refine their communications strategy. I led a select team of freelance talent to augment my skill-sets and bring this brand to the top of event managers and wedding planners’ minds. Everything was orchestrated by an actionable strategy which I devised from both primary and secondary research.
Our insights manifested into a complete Web site redesign that broke conventional industry means. The Web site informs visitors in a visual fashion, with selective imagery and brief textual descriptions, rather than boring and monotonous copy. Additionally, we empowered brides and corporate facilitators with a “Set the Scene” tool that deviates from unimaginative and typical CAD layouts. Instead, the tool serves as a creative catalyst for thinking about how and where things will be arranged within an area.
The entire initiative has been extremely successful, with a 19% increase in overall event bookings when compared to the last two years. I also recently wrote an additional full-page print ad that we ran in both Columbus Bride and The Knot magazines.
Together with the awesome folks at Resource Interactive, I had the opportunity to work on this new Head & Shoulders brand extension campaign. Procter & Gamble was adding a new product into its specialty haircare line called Intensive Solutions. The brand was positioned as the complete solution for modern men looking for dandruff care without a prescription.
I helped design this microsite, email announcement, and online advertising to help build a richer case for the dandruff treatment solutions this brand affords. Both microsite and supporting ads spotlighted the various levels of support offered for varying levels of severity.
Over the last couple of years I have helped the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA) promote several events. Each event this organization hosts involves a leading industry speaker and a social hour for members and visitors to mingle. Most recently, I designed this mailer announcing Debbie Millman’s appearance. In previous years, I created lobby graphics for the social hours at each engagement: these for Kuhlmann-Leavitt; these for Scott Stowell; and these for Marian Bantjes. Last minute e-mail reminders like this one also accompanied these promotional efforts.
The Herbal Essences brand was refined with an all new look and product line for the United States. I worked with Resource to design a conversion site that highlighted the new products and helped existing and new customers choose the solution that worked best for their hair. What resulted was a highly attractive microsite experience with vibrant colors and a bold personality that excited women.
You can also view some of my work on the advertising for this campaign here.
A few years ago (and with the help of my amazing wife, Ann), I started CAM Design, a consultancy offering full service marketing solutions to local and national clientele. Since the beginning of business, I have wanted to create lasting relationships with clients who can’t justify working with larger shops, but still need quality communications that are effective and strategically aligned to their brands.
During summer of ‘08, I reevaluated where I wanted the business to grow and I realized a disconnect between future goals and my inability to find another business partner to take things further. I made a decision that summer to keep things going, but at a different pace. Today, I still operate CAM, but in a much smaller capacity with a select roster of clients that include: NBC Universal, The Darby House, and Schmidt’s Hospitality.
Over the last couple of years, I have marketed CAM fairly aggressively. In addition to the Web site, e-mail marketing, and existing opportunities, we sent out a few targeted direct mailings to brand managers and the like. Some of my favorites included our ‘06 Christmas card, the following year’s Thanksgiving mailer, and our summer promo touting a few of our accolades.
This MySpace customization was part of an entire seasonal campaign Herbal Essences launched during Valentine’s Day a few years back. The campaign was full of wit and fun, and utilized new ways (at the time) to gain fans. The center of the campaign was at its microsite (dumpcupid.com) which housed several funny videos like this one. I helped design online advertising for promotion of the microsite, as well as the seasonal makeover for the brand’s MySpace page. To round things out, several out-of-home and traditional marketing drivers made this campaign one of P&G’s most successful.
In December of ‘07, I responded to a pitch from beverage giant Diageo to help spread a responsible drinking message during the upcoming Super Bowl in Arizona.
I had only two days to create a solution, and the pitch specifically requested a sketched-out slogan that could be campaigned across out-of-home buys on taxi-tops, as well as bus stops throughout the Super Bowl city. The message needed to encourage responsible drinking at Super Bowl festivities, many of which Diageo was sponsoring. However, Diageo did not want its name on this outreach to avoid legal infringement with the Super Bowl committee.
I found myself circling around the idea of ‘embarrassment as a sacrifice.’ My thoughts then manifested into one notion: Do what you have to, to make sure you don’t put yourself and others in danger by driving after celebrating with alcohol. Suggestive ad creative showed various adults doing “Whatever It Takes…” in funny and extreme measures to ensure their night out ends safely. You can see a few sketches of the ideas I pitched here and here.
The idea made it through three rounds of review. However, I did not end up winning the pitch.
Every year, Blue Diesel hosts an internal competition among its three separate studios to see who can come up with the most creative idea for a greeting to send to clients and prospects. The agency wanted a holiday promotion that highlighted the company’s personality, smarts, and overall spirit. They requested something that would break new ground; something that everyone would want to share and talk about.
My team presented an idea that was much more than just a ‘greeting’ or game. We approached things with an engaging and entertaining edge by pitching an entire experience based on the well-known phenomenon of those hideous holiday sweaters that are proudly worn by so many once a year. The entire concept was well received, but didn’t end up winning. I speculate that this was partly because it was unlike anything they have done before. You can read details of the concept here.
I helped create Blue Diesel’s first-ever mobile competition held internally for teams to innovate and claim bragging rights. It was my primary goal to actively get the company thinking about the mobile medium and how we could use it for our client’s benefit.
I helped organize and create the competition, the brief, and devised the firm’s primary mobile considerations document. In addition I art directed this propaganda to boost excitement around the office leading up to the day of the showdown.