Corrections or additions?
These articles by Melinda Sherwood and Teena Chandy were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on July 21,
1999. All rights reserved.
Penny Wise, Marketing Foolish
The simplicity of publishing software may make it hard
for companies to resist the “do-it-yourself” marketing and
promotional campaign. But Lynne Hoinash of RedWolf Design Group at
313 Rodney Court says that marketing is no place for the wanna-be
designers. “A lot of times people in corporations have no
appreciation
for graphic design and all the nuances,” she says. The results
are anything but pretty: typos that cost thousands of dollars, to
sending company materials in envelopes that scream `junk mail.’
Hiring a professional design firm can be less costly than even the
most well-intended armchair publisher any day. The pros not only know
how to spot problems before they occur, but they can’t pass the buck.
“If somebody doesn’t go to an outside place, they have no one
to blame,” she says. “Because we deal with the same printers
all the time, if something weird happens, we have the leverage that
they’ll reprint it. It really transfers responsibility and the onus
on the outside person: if we make the mistake, we absorb the
cost.”
Hoinash now has teamed up with Howard Levine, creative director for
art organizations like McCarter Theater and New Jersey Symphony
Orchestra,
to create Red Wolf, a design firm that meets the needs of mid-sized,
high tech, and retail firms, while specializing in performing arts
organizations world wide (609-683-9316, https://www.redwolfdesigngroup.com). This is Hoinash’s 25th year
in the business. Under Hoinash & Associates, she worked on marketing
solutions for companies like Polaroid and Dow Jones. She has a BA
in art and design from Boston College, Class of 1973, and holds an
MBA from Simmons College. In her spare time (between 10 p.m. and 1
a.m.), Hoinash works towards a PhD in homeopathic herbology.
Good graphic design and a focused marketing approach, says Hoinash,
can make a company appear much bigger than it actually is, but a small
error can bring a company to its knees quickly. These are the top
five mistakes made by the untrained eye:
Typos, easily spotted by a professional proofreader. Evenif you have hawk eyes, get someone from outside to proofread. RedWolf follows that maxim. “We’re so close that we know we won’tcatch it,” Hoinash says.Wrong size or weight for mailing. “Companies willcreate postcards thinking it’ll be 19 cents,” says Hoinash,”butif it’s an eighth of an inch smaller than it’s supposed to be thepost office will reject it and it will come back undeliverable.”Just the weight of the ink, she adds, can make it go over the 33 centrange and cost considerably more to mail.Color blindness. “If you don’t spec the right coloryou can have a disaster,” she says, and if you don’t know what”spec” means, you likely will. Yellows are extremely difficultto get right in print, she says. Choice of color can also reapunexpectedresults. For one of her client mailings, Hoinash explains, a greensignature, rather than the usual red or black, increased responseby about six percent. “There’s lots of dynamics on the psychologyof color,” she says. “Green coveys honesty, truth,relaxfulness,and peace.”Bigger is not better. “A lot of times we’ll seeheadlinesset in all uppercase,” she says. “Studies have shown thatwhen you set a headline in all uppercase it’s harder to read and yourcomprehension is slower, because your mind is not used to readingin upper case.”The ubiquitous trifold brochure, says Hoinash, is nolongereye-catching. “Say that the piece is not going to be mailed butit’s a handout,” she says. “A much more clever design is totake the 8 1/2 x 11 and fold it in half so it’s unusually long andskinny. It stands out from the crowd.”If you are trying to get your company noticed, Hoinash suggests thatyou don’t skimp. “If you’re trying to get a president or a CFOof a company to open your letter and read it you want to use paperwith a high percentage of a cotton, professionally designed, witha personalized envelope.” In the very important business ofmass-mailing,the labeled or window envelope is the kiss of death.– Melinda SherwoodTop Of PageA Dose of DeepakMore than a few go-getting business men and women havestaved off early heart attacks by practicing meditation and enhancingtheir spiritual lives. One of the most influential speakers in thefield of mind/body medicine, Deepak Chopra, appears at Trenton’s WarMemorial, on Thursday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. for the first in athree-partlecture series. He is the author of several dozen books, including”Ageless Body, Timeless Mind” and “The Seven SpiritualLaws of Success,” as well as many audio, video, and CD-ROMprograms.Many of these are up for grabs at the Deepak Chopra website(https://www.chopra.com).Cost: $20. Call 800-483-7436.Formerly the chief of staff at Boston Regional Medical Center, Choprabuilt a successful endocrinology practice in Boston in the 1980s,before adopting a view of medicine emphasizing a lively state ofbalanceand integration of body, mind, and spirit. He is widely credited withmelding modern theories of quantum physics with the timeless wisdomof ancient cultures. In 1992, he served on the National Institutesof Health Ad Hoc Panel on Alternative Medicine. He has also builtthe Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California.Chopra has said that his mission is to “bridge the technologicalmiracles of the West with the wisdom of the East.” Much of hiswriting is full of lofty references to the “universalconsciousness”and “karma,” but the ultimate message is always fulfillinghuman “potential.” One of his most popular books, “TheSeven Spiritual Laws of Success,” was on the New York TimesBestsellerfor over a year. By now, those laws are no secret:The Law of Pure Potential: “The source of all creationis pure consciousness… pure potentiality seeking expression fromunmanifest to manifest.”The Law of Giving: “In our willingness to give thatwhich we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating inour lives.”The Law of Karma or Cause and Effect: “When we chooseactions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of ourkarma is happiness and success.”The Law of Least Effort. “Nature’s intelligencefunctionswith effortless ease…with carefreeness, harmony, and love. Whenwe harness these forces we create success and good fortune witheffortlessease.”The Law Of Intention and Desire: “Inherent in everyintention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment…intentionand desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizingpower.”The Law of Detachment: “And in our willingness tostep into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrenderourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of theuniverse.”The Law of the “Dharma” or Purpose in Life:”Whenwe bend our unique talent with service to others, we experience theecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goalof all goals.”Top Of PageOne Person, One NumberKeeping track of numbers can get cumbersome today withphone numbers, cell phone numbers, beeper numbers, personal lines,business lines, and so forth. A one-number system that will reachyou wherever you are on whatever communication device you may havehandy could be an ideal solution. For professionals who are on theroad, such a system could be invaluable, says Will Grondski,president of the Small Business Survival Group (SBSG) that meets twicea month to help small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve theirgoals.Call 609-419-9094.Sharon Skibbee, corporate account manager of Call Sciences,will be talking about “One Person, One Number Systems” atthe next SBSG meeting on Thursday, July 22, at 9 a.m. at the DailyPlan It on Alexander Road. The meeting is free. Call 609-514-9494.Skibbee will discuss the “Personal Assistant,” a one-numberfinding system. “It doesn’t replace your numbers,” saysSkibbee.”It is one number for a person to reach you. You plug in whereyou are going to be that day and the person can reach you with onenumber.”Top Of PageCorporate AngelsThe Building Contractors Association of New Jerseypresented their first annual Presidents’ Scholarships Awards to fourstudents. The program provides college scholarships to eligiblefull-timestudents who are the dependents of employees of BCANJ member firms.Cittone Institute is naming its scholarship program forCongressman Rush Holt. Cittone had a school at Canal Pointe untilthe end of 1998. Now all classes are on Oak Tree Road in Edison.Applicantsmust live in Middlesex County and pass the standard entrance exam.The scholarship is worth from $8,955 to $25,107, depending on thecourse of study, from computer programming or repair to medicaltranscriptionist.Call Felice Gruber at 732-548-8798.Previous StoryNext StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
