Colleen Hughes

The graphics team was challenged to create an array of vibrant and visually compelling pack designs for Sharpie’s Black Friday 2022 Launch. As we seek to leverage up the pack designs each year, we focused on animals with multiple color potential. The team was eager to push their creative limits as they learned new skills and articulated higher fidelity. The QR code was newly featured to provide consumers with more Sharpie content than ever – coloring pages, games and more!

Our Design team was challenged to create our first expansive omni-project that features both physical and digital components working together.

We developed a system that pairs an assortment Prismacolor art supplies with virtual workshops. This product is geared toward aspiring artists and casual creatives interested in art techniques—those not quite an art major, yet desiring to push their artistic skills.

The compelling online video tutorials are unique to the Prismacolor Technique product and among competitors. Prismacolor further sets itself apart by offering high-quality art supplies to complete the lessons.

Each level progressively builds on the previous level, with the ultimate goal of allowing consumers to build art skill and to feel accomplished with their finished product. This fits into a specific niche which Prismacolor hasn’t pursued yet.

See it in action: Prismacolor Technique

Sikich LLP is a leading professional services firm specializing in accounting, advisory, technology and managed services. The goal with rebranding was to bring all services under one umbrella. With a spectrum of audiences which included accountants, technology gurus and creatives, it had to speak to all. As the brand lead, it was my responsibility to strategize the brand launch and brand awareness. I was also in charge of developing the comprehensive brand guidelines and art directing the brand video which introduced the Sikich Brand Evolution to the world.

Vela Insurance Services supports wholesale brokers with specialized insurance products and a constellation of resources. For over a decade, I have partnered with Vela’s marketing department to reinforce their brand through multiple print and digital components. By researching and speaking to their brokers and employees, we learned how to best deliver and tailor appropriate messages. Vela’s openness to bold creative has allowed us to help them stand out in the sea of monotony in the insurance industry.

L. J. Shaw came to us without ever having a logo in their entire 60+ years in business. It was important to them to have a timeless brand mark which not only seemed like they had for years, but one that positioned them far ahead of their competitors in the claims and damage appraisal industry.

Stahlin, a brand of RobRoy Enclosures, is a pioneer in the manufacturing of non-metallic enclosures. Built in the U.S., Stahlin provides the most extensive in-stock and customized line of electrical enclosures and accessories in the marketplace. Geared toward maintenance engineers, contractors, distributors and end users, the bold design emulates their strong, durable and reputable product line. 

Through our discovery process, Stahlin’s attentive customer service and ability to customize products was identified as their top differentiators. By strategically organizing the products by end use and adding real world market testimonials, we were able to help Stahlin stand out from their competitors and establish a fresh rapport with their audience. The 242-page catalog is much more substantial and professional than anything they’ve ever had before. Sikich also art directed the photo shoots to capture real world product and environmental photography, solidifying their authentic brand for years to come.

“Working hand-in-hand with our marketing team, our partners at Sikich have helped us build a solid, recognizable brand. Colleen Hughes has essentially been an extension of our team for the last 10 years, playing a key role in updating logos, developing proposals templates, and designing advertisements and trade show displays to name a few. Her creativity, professionalism, and willingness to meet our last-minute requests have truly made a difference.”

– Karen Catena, Marketing Director, RJN Group

Naper Settlement, an outdoor history museum in the heart of Naperville, approached us to refresh their brand as fun, inviting and versatile. Once the brand was established, we worked with their curatorial staff to develop over 50 way-finding and interpretive signs throughout the 12-acre outdoor campus. Brighter colors, definitive icons and silhouettes were all used to help tell the stories of the first settlers. Many more stories are still left to tell, so a capital campaign and case statement were created to help potential donors understand the importance and value of adding to the museum grounds for the enjoyment of future generations. 

Fitness Physicians maintains fitness equipment and required an identity that spoke to their audience of gym owners, managers as well as health system and rehab facility managers. The circle symbolizes a seal of approval as well as skilled, knowledgeable and authorized. The wings stand for speed and efficiency. The green supports stability, endurance, and integrity.

The City of Aurora wished to extract pertinent information from their comprehensive annual financial report to produce a summarized version in a high-quality format, specifically designed to be readily available and understandable to the general public. This would allow the City of Aurora to enter the report in the PAFR Award Program for the first time. The 12-page, glossy brochure balances white space with angled and layered photographs which mimic the logo. Minimal copy and easy-to-read charts quickly help the audience understand the financial highlights and expenses for the year. Consequently, the City of Aurora won the award they hoped to obtain.

The 2015 Popular Annual Financial Report earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA).

As a manufacturer of stainless steel, carbon, and alloy tubing, as well as extruded shapes, Plymouth Tube Company partnered with us to boost their brand presence online and help strengthen their marketing efforts around the world. With specialty brands diluting their Plymouth Tube brand, we achieved clarity by restructuring their website and organizing their family of brands under one brand umbrella.

We overhauled the entire website with a responsive design. Since more and more customers were conducting their product research on mobile devices, it was important for Plymouth Tube Company’s products to be easily browsable on laptop computers, tablets and mobile phones. By integrating a cross-selling framework to engage viewers on every page and connecting users through high-impact photography from four different mills, we were able to capture their true grit, tone, and power in the tubing and engineered shapes industry.

We used a mix of iconography, bold textures, and expressive photography to create a capabilities brochure that’s both an introductory piece and a pocket folder in one. With every element, we tell the Plymouth Tube story and frame the company as a dependable supplier of tubing and shapes throughout the world.

www.plymouth.com

Aquascape builds backyard water features that rely on a natural balance of circulation, filtration, plants, fish and rocks to ensure sustainability. For several years, our team assisted Aquascape with their integrated marketing outreach. From book design and quarterly magazines, to product catalogs, calendars, packaging, trade show graphics and much more. I gained experience art directing photo shoots, directing fine artists and making sense of a pile of disorganized chaos to produce beautiful and informative pieces from water feature subject matter experts.

Naperville School District 203 aspired to create an eye-catching biennial annual report to be mailed district-wide to students, parents and community tax payers. Our goal was to create a unique and colorful booklet that would be easily noticed and stand out in a pile of mail. The horizontal format, child-like icons, an abundant of photography and bright color palette helped communicate exciting new programs and achievements. The charts and graphs were styled to mimic child drawings and the student silhouettes and quotes radiate successes and positive developments. 

The Annual Report earned recognition from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for Excellence. https://bit.ly/2N3aC2T

Fox Metro Water Reclamation District is a wastewater treatment plant servicing 300,000 living in Aurora, North Aurora, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Oswego, Sugar Grove and portions of Yorkville and Batavia, IL. The objective of the 2018 Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) project was to distill the most essential highlights of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) document and present essential information through an attractive, branded communication piece. Our goal was to appeal to, and be understood by, non-financial experts. Using branded charts, graphs, and infographics we helped relay the most critical information visually and attractively in this 12-page Annual Report. 

The 2018 Popular Annual Financial Report earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA).

View Entire PAFR Here

In a fast-paced world of competitive transportation, West Suburban Limo demanded a high class identity and brand. Our team collaborated to develop the tagline, “We Drive the Driven” which speaks to the frequent flyer and busy business person who relies on reliable transportation to and from the airport in and around Chicagoland. The logo strongly supports this notion with strong visuals represented in rich black and metallics.