Anabliss Creative Sketchbook

Anabliss was contracted to design a series of ads for the work and rescue division of PMI rope. This includes rope used for water, fire and high-angle rescue operations.

Working with a copywriter, we developed a bold, gritty aesthetic that appeals to the hero mentality of the rope’s users—namely firefighters, police and military personnel. Rough textures, witty copy, and real images of rescue operations using PMI rope were used. The resulting ads are a window into the world of adventure and extreme conditions that PMI customers experience.

The work and rescue ads were so well received that Anabliss was awarded the job of creating a separate, unique ad series for PMI’s dynamic rope division. This includes ropes used for recreational climbing and mountaineering.

“The line between tragedy and triumph” was the inspiration for this series, and the ropes themselves play a leading role visually. Full of color, these ropes are set against a backdrop of bleak, extreme conditions that climbers often find themselves in. This reinforces the idea that the type of rope you choose can be a life and death decision, and PMI has always been recognized for its dependability.

Different headlines and ropes were used for the other two ads in the series.

“The National Trust provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize our communities,” www.nationaltrust.org.

The National Trust was chartered in 1949 to preserve and restore places in America that are part of our history. The Denver branch of the National Trust has worked with Anabliss for many years to create beautiful, motivating publications about historic sites in need of help.

One interesting movement the National Trust is involved in is the restoration and re-use of old barns. They came to us for help in telling the story of these icons of America’s farmlands. Many barns are torn down so that larger, less-sustainable ones can be built. New barns often use non-renewable resources and require much more power, machinery and maintenance than their ancestors. National Trust had provocative, intriguing photography of these sites, both before and after they were lovingly restored by small farmers. We used this great resource, as well as their compelling copy, to inspire the layout of the Sustainable Agriculture publication.

Integrating clean lines and elegant typography with farm-inspired textures and vintage elements, we created a publication that comfortably bridges the timeless traditions represented by the old barns and the progressive, “green” philosophy of the National Trust and the farm-owners featured.

Several interesting case studies helped to make the NTHP’s case. We set these off with texture and an interesting, western-clothing-inspired border. Later, NTHP reused this publication as a web-based PDF. We simplified the texture here to make it much easier for them to read the publication when it was being printed on a desktop black-and-white printer.

The call-to-action in the back of the book had a photorealistic postcard look. We found vintage elements such as the stamp and cancellation, and the postcard itself, to make this work. The piece really connects with farmers and those associated with them, motivating them to get involved in this exciting, cost-effective movement.

In addition, we worked with Tewell-Warren Printing, a local printer with FSC certification. This allowed us to get FSC certified paper and put the FSC logo on the back of the publication, which aligned well with the sustainable message of the whole piece.

The Children’s Hospital came to us with the challenge to design the new look and feel for the 2008 Courage Classic, a 3-day bike race through the Rocky Mountains that serves as a fundraiser for the The Children’s Hospital. We would be designing a POP display, poster, rider and volunteer manuals, trail maps, web icons, t-shirts and water bottles.

We were presented with the following design goals:

1. Make the campaign stand out from the multitude of bike races in Colorado.
2. Have the materials relate more to The Children’s Hospital branded look. (In years past, there was little or no tie from a design standpoint between the two.)
3. Help them sell out 2,000 slots.
4. Help them raise $3 million.

We designed the POP display to establish the concept for the entire campaign. Originally, the client insisted on using a photo from last year’s event and the established event logo (which they agreed wasn’t very strong and said that it would be changed in the next couple of years, but for now we were stuck with it).

Approved Concept

With this direction, we pushed the envelope by using an illustration instead of the photos and a large type treatment rather than a large logo. The client absolutely fell in love with the bright colors, which complement the established Children’s Hospital brand, and the gender-unspecific appeal of the design.

But here are 3 other designs that we felt were pretty great, but didn’t make the final cut.

Concept B

Our designer/avid cyclist, Spencer, had a great time designing this direction. He went with a more realistic approach, using photos of all of the gear that one would need for the ride paired with copy and typography reminiscent of a boxing match to give it a unique twist.

Concept C

With this direction, we wanted to satisfy the client’s request for the large photo and logo, but gave it bright colors and halftone pattern for a pop-art look and a unique die cut to help it stand out from the other cycling POPs it would have to compete with.

Concept D

The vintage photo treatment here gave the otherwise unoriginal photo a distinct look and worn, rugged feeling that we felt our target audience would be drawn to. And again, we went away from the logo and instead focused on large typography to clearly communicate the event and its details.