That reverie is the result of an incredible collaboration between our team here at Anabliss, an architecture and interior design firm with an office in Denver named Box Studios, and a new restaurant concept out of Houston named Jerry Built. That concept, the brainchild of a father-son team, was rooted in making a burger with the highest quality ingredients (think organic, local and seasonal) whenever possible. Not exactly your typical Texas burger joint.

Anabliss’ challenge was to first create an identity for the restaurant, and then to work together with Box Studios to help incorporate the new brand into the design and architecture of the space itself. Our first step in tackling the project included creating a set of style boards to present to the client. Style boards function much like a visual strategic plan, laying the groundwork for colors, textures, key attributes and other elements that will continue to serve as a reference point for customers who interact with the Jerry Built brand.

The end result of these style boards incorporated a focus on their fresh produce (later showcased by Box in beautiful crates like at your local supermarket), the people and farmers behind the food (check out that painted wall!), and hand-crafted style (eventually reflected in elements like hand-written chalk boards and other signage throughout the space).

With the style boards complete, Anabliss took to producing an identity representative of the company’s newly-defined character. After crafting a series of potential logos, and during a process in which (we kid you not) one of the restaurant creators asked us to make one that looked like it might have been dreamed up during “an acid trip,” we finally landed on a stellar mark that eventually lent itself to the brilliance that is the neon-lit cow, now gracing the Houston skyline and known locally as “Jerry.”

We think it’s proof that something magical happens in the process of collaboration, and we look forward to the opportunity to work together with Box again in the future. Not only that, but Jerry Built is incredibly pleased with the overall result.

As Chad, the son in the father-son team, remarked, “Working with Anabliss was a pleasure as they were able to grasp our concept and come up with a great logo. They had the ability not only to listen to what our requests were, but also the talent to execute a finished product.”

“We built a brand and corporate chain around the centerpiece: our logo. Need I say more?”

We think that just about says it all.

Thanks to Jerry Built, and thanks to Box Studios for such great teamwork. Now, how do we get one of those burgers delivered to Denver?

Photos of the Jerry Built space, credit to: Eric Sauseda

The Akha are a people group spread across several countries in Asia, including China, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam, though the vast majority currently call Thailand their home. With a deep history rooted in a beautiful and complex culture, the Akha often live in mountainside communities amongst their home countries. Unfortunately, they’ve faced decades of human rights abuses and are generally not counted as a legitimate people group among local citizens, though they number an estimated 2.5 million in total. The Akha Foundation, established in 2001 by Dr. Aje Yaebyangu and his wife, Nancy, seeks to serve this people group through outreach and education, as well as an orphanage for abandoned and underprivileged Akha children from surrounding villages.

More than six years ago, Matt had the opportunity to visit the Akha Outreach Foundation in Thailand to gain firsthand knowledge of the organization. In the several years following his first trip, he’s since become a Board member of the foundation and has returned to Thailand twice. During a Board meeting last year, he saw a dramatic need for the foundation to increase support through sponsorship, and wanted to expand their donor base by using a new website to showcase the heart of the organization’s work.

Though the organization has seen incredible growth, Matt believed that building a website as a portal to communicate the amazing things happening with the organization would provide a level of credibility and legitimacy that would spur increased involvement and support. More than that, it would honor the rich history of what the foundation had already established.

Sponsorship provides the opportunity to invest in the life of an orphaned, abandoned or at-risk Akha child in Northern Thailand and it was important to use the new site as a gateway to connect sponsors with not only the foundation itself, but the children they help to support. With this in mind, Lauren helped to throw a fundraiser for the organization and Anabliss began designing a site that would meet many of the foundation’s needs. Paired with their incredible photography, the end result is a great reflection of the incredible work of the Akha Outreach Foundation and we’re honored to have been able to provide such a helpful tool for such an extraordinary group of people.

Because Anabliss believes that great branding always follows great strategy, we started by conducting interviews with key stakeholders from the club and determined several clear guidelines for moving forward. First, we focused specifically on the club’s name. Country clubs often conjure up stuffy and elitist imagery, and Rolling Hills is anything but. While it is certainly best-in-class, its casual elegance is inclusive of all family members from a wide range of ages, even boasting the best youth programs in the state. Due to this, Anabliss felt that a shift to “The Club at Rolling Hills” more clearly positioned the club with its audience and strayed away from any negative connotations they were seeking to avoid.

Additionally, the club has a distinct location advantage. While most country clubs around Denver are located either directly in or just outside of the city, Rolling Hills is tucked in the foothills of the Rockies and enjoys frequent visits from local wildlife, including elk, deer—and, yes—even turkeys. The club’s architecture also harkens to its surroundings, with exposed wood and tall ceilings, giving members an experience often found in a mountain ski lodge. As this is an advantage no other local country club could promote, Anabliss knew it would be essential to tie in imagery that reflected the natural beauty and wildlife constantly present at Rolling Hills, and the image of a buck turned out to be the perfect fit. Both revered and prestigious, a buck is the quintessential representation of an outdoor mystique and and rugged elegance that the club cultivates. It also worked well as an icon on its own, a must-have for all of the applications and products that the club has available (like golf balls and hats).

Finally, we were given two specific visual directives: don’t create anything too golf club-specific, and be sure to include a nod to the “rolling hills” referenced to in the club’s name. Because Rolling Hills is so much more than a golfing experience (though it does take pride in its 18-hole championship golf course), we didn’t want to simply highlight one of its programs while ignoring all of the club’s other offerings.

With that said, Anabliss developed a new identity for Rolling Hills that we believe accurately expresses the energy of the club, and we’re thrilled with the results. After finishing the new identity, we also created a set of brand standards, a manual that the entire staff could use in order to represent and communicate their new identity with confidence and pride. This set of brand standards was then expanded into a unique product offered by Anabliss, the Online Brand Manager. The Online Brand Manager comes customized based on need and houses brand standards, imagery, identity versions, and documents (like PowerPoint templates), as well as frequently asked questions and contact information. Simply put, it’s Anabliss’ proprietary online asset manager, completely company-branded with the guidelines necessary to successfully manage an organization’s brand.

It was great to work with Rolling Hills, and we can’t wait to see how their new identity and branded materials help to establish it as the high-class club that it is.

We’re a bit biased, though, so what do you think of Rolling Hills’ new look?

The teams began the daunting task of setting branding goals and formulating communication strategies. While each team had a strong concept about what their campaign should convey, they needed the insight of a designer; thankfully, Anabliss was there to lend a hand.

Each team presented their campaign at the competition, complete with Anabliss’s produced pieces, to a panel of judges: Brigette Schabdach, Brand Strategist at Spin Creative Studio; Peter Murane, President & Founder at Brand Juice; and Toti Cadavid, Co-Founder at Xcelente Marketing. The winning team, “Add Some Altitude,” focused its campaign around current Colorado CEOs, using their testimonials to encourage other CEOs to join them in Colorado. Below is a clip from the winning team’s presentation.

This partnership allowed students to gain real-world experience working with a design agency. Several of Anabliss’s talented designers were assigned to the class, donating over 60 hours of design time to this important rebranding effort.  Each team had a different strategy to employ, and each Anabliss designer was able to put those ideas into riveting concepts. Anabliss was responsible for key images, logo creation, and typography; they also helped to broaden the students’ ideas, such as leveraging technology to expand a simple brochure into a fully-integrated iPad application. From beautiful photos of Colorado’s scenic landscapes to whimsical imagery of businessmen in bike shorts, Anabliss offered their years of experience to the teams in order to create dynamic campaigns.

Anabliss has been a vital business partner to the Business School in so many ways, but their efforts and support with this rebranding campaign have truly reflected the impact the collaboration between the two organizations has had.  It also made an impression on the OEDIT: “The Governor’s Office was thrilled to learn that Anabliss was working with [the University of Colorado Denver] to help execute the graduate-level student’s vision plans for their branding exercise and competition,” David Thomson of the Global Business Development Division explained. “The level of creativity and execution was well above our expectations and we certainly appreciate Anabliss’ efforts in helping make this such a success.”

This partnership has been so meaningful because each entity is invested in building and sustaining a strong, cohesive Colorado Brand: “The partnership we’ve had with the University over the last 10 years has been extremely meaningful and we were excited to share our expertise with the marketing students at UCD. This project in particular gave us the opportunity to partner together in encouraging and supporting local economic growth through new job creation, an interest we both share.” Matt Coffman, President at Anabliss, explained. Anabliss’s commitment to supporting higher education has been instrumental – and greatly appreciated – by the Business School and we are looking forward to more opportunities to partner in the future.

We’d also like to thank Erik Stenbakken who helped support team two with custom photography.

View videos of the teams presenting their work here.

Read more about the competition here.

2012 marks Anabliss’ 15th year in business! So, to celebrate we partnered with our friends over at Tewell Warren Printing (it’s their 50th year in business) to create a very special calendar.

Each month features advice, wise words or ideas that have helped us succeed over the years. Paired with each quote is a beautiful, distinctive image. But you really need to hold this year’s calendar in your hands to get the full effect. We used different printing techniques to create a unique, tactile experience every month.

It’s hard to do it justice with only photos and my limited descriptive vocabulary. So, email us and we will send you one for free. I have a feeling you’ll like it.

Please send your name and address to calendar@anabliss.com and we will get your calendar* in the mail as soon as possible.

*While supplies last.

Matt, Scott, Margie, Lauren, Gressa and their guests were treated to an evening of cocktails, food and laughter. While they ate the delicious meal, the festivities started. Girls Inc. President and CEO, Carol Bowar, welcomed everybody and opened the evening with a haiku. Then three, now-grown, Girls Inc. “girls” shared their inspiring success stories and their journeys over the past decade, including serving time in the Air Force, attending college, and planning to go to law school.

Next, everybody was treated to “celebration cupcakes” as John Heffron took the stage. A winner of the second season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and featured on several Comedy Central specials, his material was fresh and funny. He covered the gamut of relationship woes (“Did you know that when you get married, your wife makes you get rid of stuff … like your roommate?”) and had everybody choking back tears with childhood anecdotes about cross-country car rides with chain-smoking parents (with the windows rolled up, of course) and enduring “the middle hump suck seat.”

Like good design, we encourage all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, and look forward to next year’s Girls & Guys Night Out!

We saw a demand for quality Christian gameplay to be introduced on the Smartphone market, but had limited knowledge about smartphone technology. So, after spending many long hours working together over Skype (we’re 3,000 miles apart) and with a little faith, we succeeded. We’re pleased to announce the creation of the Android application, Sword of the Spirit!

What is the Sword of the Spirit?
The Apostle Paul petitions believers to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power; To put on the full armor of God which includes the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6: 17). This application was developed specifically to help believers memorize the 100-most searched for scriptures in the NIV (New International Version) Bible so you can successfully and powerfully wield the sword of the Spirit through the knowledge of the word of God.

In the game, each player is given 20 random scriptures selected from the top 100-most searched for NIV Bible verses. Choose the appropriate verse for each scripture. For each correct answer you get one point. After 20 questions, you will be given a Sword of the Spirit ranking based on your overall performance. Get 5 answers in a row to unlock treasures in the trophy case.

The application was officially launched Thursday, July 7th, 2011 and it received over 100 downloads the first day! People from India, China, Russia, Greece and Africa are now playing our Bible-based scripture challenge.

Test your knowledge of bible verses. Download the app and tell us how you rank!

The Colorado AIGA Student Chapter put out an issue of “Point” this spring featuring an interview with our very own Matt Coffman. You can read the article below or download the whole “Point” publication here.

What’s up with Anabliss?
Matt Coffman the man behind the mysterious name.

I recently sat down with Matt Coffman (via email), the mastermind behind Anabliss, to ask what’s up with the name and how was his year away from design…

When did you start your company?
Before I graduated college I received best student portfolio in an AIGA competition. This recognition had given me many opportunities to freelance in a handful of high-quality shops around town. I had the opportunity to work at over a half-dozen agencies in town but, after much consideration, determined to start Anabliss. I officially received my business license in 1997 and worked out of my basement for the next couple years.

Where did you get your company name from?
I was unimpressed with Coffman Design and, at the time, wanted a name that started with an “A” (to be listed in the beginning of the phone book). Ana is a prefix which can mean ”a personal collection”. Bliss is “happiness”— So, Anabliss was formed. It really defined my love of design and creativity. I  remember it took me 6 months to create the identity. Why is creating your own stuff so hard? About a year later, while still working in my basement, I received PRINT’s Annual Best of Book and the Anabliss identity was featured on a full page including an introduction about the concept behind the business card. From that moment I felt as if all the hard work, designing the Anabliss identity, was worth it.

What was your motivation for starting your own company?
At the time, pride had a lot to do with my decision. Looking back, that wasn’t the best reason to start a business. I literally had no agency experience but I knew that I could establish a successful company. Unfortunately, the lack of experience demanded a longer learning curve and many more trial-by-fire experiences. Fortunately I’ve discovered that my character is one of a natural leader and these past experiences have only helped me face hard challenges. I can’t change the past, but looking back, I would love to give my 21-year-old-self some much needed business advice.

What challenges do you face owning a small business?
Let me start with this; The part I enjoy most about this business is truly supporting the companies we work with–being a consultant, not a designer. Being a friend not a vendor. With this comes trust and ultimately loyalty–to you and to your company. The relationships I’ve developed over the last 14 years have been invaluable to me. Many of our clients have been with us for several years — many over a decade.

With any relationship, you’re always one mistake away from losing trust. That said, the biggest challenge as a business owner is ensuring our company lives up to the standards we’ve set for ourselves. A company is a lot like a person. If you’re honest and trustworthy, people will inherently trust you and your council. As the founder, I feel an urgent responsibility to deliver on our promises; Not just for the value of the client but for the quality of the relationship. Our business is all about relationships, not with companies, but with people. And that is the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of owning a business.

You recently took some time away from your company… During your Sabbatical what did you learn?
I read something recently that summarized it clearly. When a person once asked Confucius “What surprises you most about mankind?” Confucius answered, “They lose their health to make money and then they lose their money to restore their health. In thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future and they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived…”

During my sabbatical I learned this first hand. I looked back on my 13 years of owning and operating Anabliss and realized just how much life I missed and who I’d become… I wasn’t excited about the person saw in the mirror. And, didn’t feel as if the last decade was balanced with fruitful living – the kind that makes you proud of being who you are. The most important lesson I learned is the importance of God in life. I realized that you can have everything you want in the world and still feel like you have nothing. I read recently the hardest thing in life to deal with is success and failure. I had everything that I could imagine and was still asking the question, “What is it all about?” Living in today’s world it’s hard not to have serious doubts about religion and a creator. That said, I used this time to focus on what God had to say about life and the purpose of our existence. I had a chance to learn about the character of Jesus and what he offered. After six months of living our “dream” both my wife and I, and our 5 month-old baby Finley, enrolled in a Christian training program that helped reset many of the false beliefs we had established over the years. Although we’re still on a journey, learning, asking questions, etc, the second half of our time off was far more rewarding than our first half of living our dream.

How did your business survive while you were gone for a year?
There was something special that happens when you empower your employees to the behind-the-scene,day-to-day activities that happen in any successful business. I was fortunate to have a team who was ready for the challenge. Before my sabbatical, I took three months to train and delegate all the responsibilities of the business and establish a clear plan of action. During my time away we had a mid-year group meeting in Seattle that really set the stage for next 5+ years. It was the first time the company had taken an off-site retreat to focus on the business–and what it had to do to offer the most value to our clients. We had an amazing time and it really took our business to a level that it had never been before.

When it was all said-and-done, the team exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. Upon my return, I saw the growth of each employee first-hand as well as heard from our existing clients what how wonderfully our team performed during this time. The personal benefits each employee received will be something they will have forever. The time I had away allowed the fog to clear and focus on the high-level priorities of the business moving forward. Overall, it’s an amazingly strong combination!

What did you do during that time to recharge to further yourself as a designer?
I was in need of a break from design. I was at the point of burnout and I knew in order for the business to grow creatively, I had to step aside. Part of being a business owner is knowing your limitations and empowering your team. For the company to do better work, I didn’t need to become better at design, but better at seeing how I could contribute. In this case, completely extracting myself from design allowed our company to grow from both a design and account services perspective.

For me personally, being a great designer isn’t about doing more design, it’s about looking at the world in a different way and trying new things. It’s these experiences that bring new perspectives into (the value of) your design. In turn, I was able to become a better designer by unplugging from design and becoming more confident in who I was and what I wanted out of life.

Finally, our company often talks about how we don’t design “pretty.” Many people can look at our work and see a common thread of timelessness. We’re not in the business of being amazingly creative first, we’re in the business of solving problems first and design second. This is a very important distinction between the skill of hand (creativity) versus the skill of listening (solving problems).

How do you distinguish your company from other design firms?
First, we have evolved into a brand strategy, design and management partner for our clients. We are a group of established brand professionals who are both quality- and process-driven. This experience allows us to ask the right questions, collaborate deeper and provide more valuable perspective than other agencies.

Second, we have real experience. Unfortunately today we live in a cut-and paste world, meaning, anyone can pop-up a website and promise the world. It’s another story to deliver on that promise and Anabliss has over 14 years delivering solutions for our partners.

How do you convince clients that you can provide the same type of service as a larger agency or how do you talk about this concern?
Very simply, size doesn’t equal quality. We were recently featured in the publication Designing Brand Identity (by Alina Wheeler). Our rebranding work for The Colorado Health Foundation and TeleTech was published alongside rebrands such as AT&T, FedEx and Walmart. Companies such as VSA Partners, Landor Associates, Pentagram (and now Anabliss) grace the pages of this remarkable branding resource. This was a testament to show our knowledge and insight into the brand development arena. In addition, we’re not a 100+ person agency. To us, you get priority and everyone in our company knows your brand. This offers less layers of complexity to clients who deserve a higher-level of customer service.

Are you a fine artist as well? Do you have any other hidden talents?
My mother was an art teacher and I began art from a young age although I wouldn’t call myself a “true” artist. I was really talented in architecture in high school, but after visiting a stuffy agency my senior year, I literally decided that day to change my profession (I wonder what I’d be if I had visited a cool studio… humm).

Where do you find inspiration?
I find the most inspiration when I unplug from all the noise going on in the world. We live in an over-stimulated environment and it’s really hard not getting caught up in trends and noise of it all. I remember the last time I was surfing off the coast of the Big Island  of Hawaii and I was so amazed at God’s creation–There was so much to see, so many colors, shapes, textures and patterns. I remember looking at all the colors of and shapes of the fish swaying to the tide over a neon green carpet of reef and thought that I was on another planet. I literally have never seen anything so imaginative and creative in my life! Now that I’m land-locked, I really enjoy found objects and typography. I have a folder of my scans that include random bingo cards and circus announcements. My home tends to showcase random typography things. Maybe it’s the contrast between the natural and man-made world that I find so interesting.

What should a new designer avoid when getting into this field?
Two things are important to remember here. First, don’t show anything in your portfolio that you don’t enjoy doing. Wouldn’t that stink to get hired for something that you don’t enjoy? Secondly, make sure your work is your own… I recently had an experience that really surprised me. We had posted an ad for a junior level designer and received an application and a link to a website that had Anabliss-specific work in it–I’m not talking about work that looked like ours, but our work. I gathered myself and called the applicant hoping his explanation of “his” work would be explained through my generic questioning. My jaw dropped as he proceeded to explain how he produced everything (that we did) from concept to completion. Just to be sure I asked, what program he used to design the materials and what his inspiration was for the work. While listening to his explanation, I even considered asking him in for an interview so my staff could experience how smooth this man was talking about our work. I couldn’t believe my ears. After about 10 minutes, I shared with him how deceptive he was and that our work needed to be removed from his site immediately. For the first time in our conversation, he was at a loss for words. I say all this to say simply, be honest. Don’t sell yourself by showing something that’s not your own. The bottom line… people are investing in you as much as they are investing in what you can do for them. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Do you have any advice with working with complicated clients?
It’s our job to quickly assess if it’s the client or the problem that’s complicated. If, from the beginning you see red flags, choose not to get into a working relationship. If you commit to the client, you need to do what you can to uncomplicate the situation. Often times, by fixing the problem, it helps fix the clients attitude toward you. A large part of our job is to be on the same side as our clients. It’s a partnership, and like any relationship, there will be challenges.

Later this month it will be launching to about 300,000 customers. If it gets a good response, which they’re anticipating, she has another half-dozen books in the hopper that she’s eager to share with the world.

So, if you have children or you know someone with children or if you’re just young-at-heart, click here to read it. Don’t forget to search for the hidden animations on each page. I was only able to find 88 out of 106. But I’m sure your kids will do much better than me.

On January 1^st, urbandwellers™ co-founders Bruce Littlehorn and Larry Beard, Jr. opened a flagship showroom in their downtown Denver loft to feature their unique line of home furnishings and accessories.

Also, they recently launched a new website with information about the collections, philosophy and creation of urbandwellers™. The hōm™ collection, is a series of customizable modules that reinvent the flow and functionality of an urban space. They have modules for a streamlined office workstation, bookcase, pantry, armoire, hideaway bed, bar, gym, seating area and even a concealed litter box. It will make you want all new furniture. Who knows? It might even make you want a cat!

If you want to tour the urbandwellers™ showroom, you can make an appointment online or call 303-536-5040.