Studioblog (n): a blog by Studiobanks about design, marketing, internet, business, Charlotte and more. 

Carolina Theatre to be Restored

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One of Studiobanks’ first pro-bono projects was to help the Carolina Theatre Preservation Society with the theatre’s 75th anniversary. It was an event to help raise funds for the restoration of Charlotte’s oldest theatre, which was closed after a fire 20 years ago.

To my surprise, we saw a new banner hanging on the long empty corner of 6th and Tryon yesterday while we were out to lunch. It appears that a new residential condominium is going to be constructed on the lot, and the plans call for a complete restoration of the Carolina Theatre!

The project will also include Charlotte’s first elevator system parking garage. Read about the project at The Encore website.

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What Do You Want to Know?

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I have been asked to give a lecture about our studio on the 11th of October. The lecture is part of an AIGA series that highlights Carolina-based agency owners, art directors, designers and freelancers. It is geared towards introducing students and budding designers to the design happening right next door. Their website describes the event like this:

A Lecture By Your Next Door Neighbor

Ever wonder who the mysterious neighbor is across the street? Well, it might just be the Creative Director for one of Charlotte’s big agencies, the Art Director for a well-known national brand or the freelancer that designs for all the big names in town. Come out and meet Carolina-based agency owners, art directors, designers and freelancers. Hear them speak about inspiration, and what drives them to design award-winning work. See their portfolios and ask them all the questions you are just dying to know.

I am currently trying to figure out exactly what the lecture will contain. So for any of you out there that might be attending this event, I need your help! What do you want to know about Studiobanks?

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The Light Factory

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Tracy Russ, a copywriter we work with, graciously invited us to join him for lunch at a fundraising event for The Light Factory. Their website describes the organization like this:

The Light Factory is a non-profit arts center dedicated to exhibition and education programs promoting the power of photography and film. Each year thousands of people visit The Light Factory in Uptown Charlotte's Spirit Square to experience our exhibitions, take classes, hear talks, and see films.

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Top 5 things to never do when inquiring about a graphic design position

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Studiobanks receives tons of email from young designers looking for entry-level design positions. However, the majority of the emails we receive I delete immediately. Having your email deleted is the worst thing that could happen. Even if the firm isn’t currently hiring, you should want them to save your information for when the time comes that they do need to hire someone.

To that end, here are my top five things to never do when inquiring about a graphic design position. While these will not ensure that your information is saved, it will at least ensure it is not deleted immediately.

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(Project Update) Heels.com

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We were recently approached by one of our favorite clients to help design a logo for a new e-commerce website he is working on. The site will sell women's shoes and was appropriately named Heels.com. In the world of domain names, a short, generic word like "heels" is very valuable - so that made it kind of exciting for us. This particular client has his own team of web developers and just utilizes us for look and feel. So along with the logo we also designed out what each page of the website will look like. As of today, it looks like the developers have not implemented our design yet and have put up their own coming soon page.

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No More Soup For You!

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This week's issue of the Charlotte Business Journal reports that local entrepreneurs John and Victorian Kirby will be opening an Original Soupman restaurant in downtown Charlotte. The Original Soupman was created by Al Yeganeh, better know as the inspiration of the "Soup Nazi" from the TV series Seinfeld. With most Original Soupman franchises in the northeast the Kirby's restaurant will be Charlotte's first taste of the 50 soup varieties.

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The Right Way to Brainstorm

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Just read a good article about brainstorming over at bNet. Brian Libby points out that the term itself

dates to the 1953 book Applied Imagination, in which advertising veteran Alex Osborn first articulated how a well-managed group could generate more ideas than the same number of individuals thinking on their own.

It goes on to show how the term has become a muddled catchall for anything related to creativity since the term became popular. Libby argues that over time Osborn's brainstorming's framework has disintegrated and that

many “brainstorming” sessions undermine his four key principles: focus on quantity instead of quality; allow no criticism; welcome far-fetched ideas; and encourage the group to improve ideas by combining them.

It's worth a glance and also points out how to avoid common mistakes and get the most out of brainstorming meetings.

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Business in the Front, Party in the Back

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CarolinaNightlife.com was featured in this month's issue of Charlotte Magazine. The article covered nightlife in the Queen City and how Carolina Nightlife and similar websites turn profit by promoting it. A photo shoot was held for the article at one of the newer bars in downtown Charlotte. My brother Hunter is the one on the floor and I am sitting on the table.

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Party Crashing

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So our new neighbor, Meadows Office Furniture, here in the Citispace in Southend development had a grand opening party yesterday. Although there was not an official invitation given to Studiobanks, the guys and I decided to head over and introduce ourselves. Everyone we met was very nice. Clint Barlow, the General Manager of Meadows, came up to us, apologized for any inconvenience the large party tent in the parking lot might have caused us (we did have to tell some clients that were coming in for meetings to use the development’s exit since the main entrance was blocked) and told us to enjoy the party. Since we were kind of party crashing, we didn’t really know what to expect. It became clear quickly that we were quite underdressed for the event. Most attendees were in suits or business casual attire. We, of course, were adhering to the Studiobanks dress code of “whatever you feel like wearing.” It really hit home that we were standing out when the photographer, Wes Bobbitt asked if we were the band! I had planned to go see the documentary Helvetica with the guys, but was having such a good time I ended up (once again) closing down the party with Christy over quite a few cocktails.

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Winestore Earns BOB Award

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The accolades continue to pour in for Studiobanks' client Winestore. In just a short year after opening the store, Winestore has been featured in numerous articles highlighting their unique approach to selling wine. In the latest issue of Charlotte Magazine, Winestore was named the "Best Place to Buy Wine in Charlotte," winning one of the magazine’s coveted BOB (Best of the Best) Awards.

Best Place to Buy Wine: Winestore.

This is a simple, well-organized place that doesn’t overwhelm you with thousands of bottles. Instead, winestore has a carefully selected collection of excellent wines ranging from affordable to very expensive. With an urban, chic, hip design of glass and steel, finding a good bottle is easy with categories like Dinner Party, Girls Night Out, Making Up, Loose Change, and Tax Break. It also has a fantastic method of sampling wines for sale. It’s an automated dispenser that’s activated by a wine card you purchase at the counter. Each sample is one ounce and costs $0.70, which is a great value—especially if you’re wondering if the $50 bottle you’re considering is any good.

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