We’d always rather discuss our clients than ourselves but we recently received a request from an inquisitive soul roaming the Internets, to tell the story of the Virtual Farm Creative logo– how it came to be and the process behind it.

Now, we are not so vain to think that the story of the VFC logo has any particular gravitas or that the logo is even our best work. We’re certain, in fact, that we’ve designed more effective and more famous identities for others. However, after receiving the request, it did make us sentimental as we recalled the evolution of the VFC brand and we looked back at twelve years of using it to promote similar work for a host of worthy clients.

The request for our brand’s story was spurred by a VFC Facebook posting that linked to a blog entry discussing how logo designers’ logos are not often representative of the quality of logos they create. Either the firm has worked so hard on developing the perfect logo for their own identity that they can not exceed it with client work or they have outgrown it and surpass it with everything else that they create. Neither scenario is good for business in the creative universe.

THE NAME GAME
Perhaps more important, or interesting, than VFC’s corporate image is the name, Virtual Farm Creative, Inc.

Creative Director, Todd Palmer has always loved naming things… From kids and pets to products and companies and, over the years, has saddled hundreds with memorable monikers. When not snapping off spontaneous nicknames for friends, he’s dreaming up names for colors, bands and corporations that don’t even exist.

But Virtual Farm was an epiphany– there was little strategy and research behind the original creation of the name.

When the small advertising agency started it was in a renovated, high-tech barn on a small farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A small group of pioneers sat in front of monitors in a room where, fifty years earlier, horseradish was ground up and inserted into jars.

In 1999, Virtual Farm Creative was– quite literally– a virtual farm. That same year the firm incorporated the name and began working on developing a personality for the company.

CATCH PHRASE
“I have a strong aversion to very literal marketing concepts,” says Palmer whose firm has named companies like Laxzilla, Twisted Leaf, Switchback Backpacks and Commander Clean. “When someone has to figure something out they’re much more likely to remember it.”

“Memorable allusions to reality with double meanings are much more effective as names and Virtual Farm was just that– creative phrasing that held a lot of meaning on a lot of levels, literal and illusionary.”

In the beginning, Virtual Farm was a very engaging and compelling name. It gave people pause and made them ask questions. “What’s a virtual farm?” and “What do you do?” were perfect catalysts for developing new business.

“At times we all questioned whether or not the playfulness of Virtual Farm was a disadvantage,” recalls Palmer. “But, with companies like Google and Yahoo making news everyday, odds were that potential clients equated Virtual Farm with an expected level of creativity.”

PLOW THIS
So the firm soldiered on for a solid decade as Virtual Farm and then the popularity of Facebook, and the social interactivity it represented, spawned a phenomena Palmer still struggles to understand.

“We have had name and brand confusion in the past and it’s always interesting,” he offers. “Laxzilla originally received cease and desist letters from attorneys representing Godzilla and that blew our minds.”

It was almost as crazy as so many Americans becoming addicted to running simulated farms with the social media game, Farmville.

The fact that the simulation game, offered on Facebook and as a stand alone application, is called Farmville and not Virtual Farm hasn’t stopped the onslaught of promoters, copycats and bloggers from casually calling it Virtual Farm at every opportunity.

This has led agency to begin to refer to themselves as VFC as often as Virtual Farm but a decision to select a consistent approach in one direction or the other has not been solidified and likely won’t be. In fact, that inconsistency is part of VFC’s brand flexibility that is also evidenced in the advertising agency’s versatile logo.

In years past we have had people call the studio to ask if they can pick their own strawberries on our ‘farm’. And, as our own Facebook presence has evolved, we have become certain that a number of our fans are so because, sadly, they believe they’ll receive some insight into Farmville.

Brand confusion aside, Palmer positively adds, “We can be buttoned up and serious when we pitch B2B strategy as VFC or we can go in as Virtual Farm and deliver out of the box creativity.”

IMAGE CONSCIOUS
With most client identity exercises VFC undertakes a fair amount of competitive and market research, develops a strategic plan, design criteria and a creative brief that defines style, art, color and typography. The criteria dictates application standards– logos should be usable at various sizes, in various formats and in black and white or color.

“More than anything else we wanted the Virtual Farm brand to super flexible,” says Palmer. “It was always our intent for it to be extremely simple, to include something special that was memorable and to be versatile enough to effectively communicate an organic design sensibility and a modern approach that exploited technology.”

With the Virtual Farm logo there was the original intention of illustrating something timeless that would be effective in modern usage. The inspiration was an advertising painting on the side of a barn– big, bold, simple and very graphic.

In fact, the original logo was just a black disc (a disc that would later morph into other colors) under white Helvetica letterforms rotated like an old tobacco ad, white-washed onto the side of a ramshackle road side barn. [fig.1]

MODIFICATION
So, that logo could work in black and white and various sizes and it represented the company well– like a kind of iconic, retro stamp– and the collateral was classic and simple. It wasn’t long, maybe a year, before VFC came to believe that that logo wasn’t special enough to represent the work we were delivering and, while identities were being developed for clients, the VFC logo underwent it’s fist metamorphosis.

Without too severe of a departure, the disc– representative of the agency’s simple farm beginnings– was replaced by an organic shape that invoked movement and creativity.

It was the early 2000s and metallic inks were very popular and other high-end print finishing techniques were trendy. VFC made changes to the logo that would allow for a three and four color treatment and the adaptation of unique presentations. [fig.2]

VFC pushed the envelope of this logo iteration’s flexibility for several years, experimenting with a variety of color combinations. Metallics, Earth tones, neons, farm colors, Art Deco hues and a rural pallete all worked to help VFC establish regional brand recognition. [fig.3]

CURRENT REALITY
As much as we appreciate clever word play, VFC also values visual tricks in logos that go beyond design trends and establish companies as truly creative brands. Like the hidden arrow in the FedEx logo or the Xpedx logo that reads forwards and backwards, VFC designers attempt to add real meaning to every logo, even when it’s our own.

The three color logo had become too complex, overpowering most designs in which it was incorporated, not mentioning how much more it cost to create anything that required process production.

So, in the mid 2000s, the criteria became to simplify the identity in a compelling and meaningful way. To take the identity back to the days of the black disc but to retain some of the style of the current iteration.

VFC called this iteration the window sticker because that’s the first application for which it was developed and it’s still named that way on our work server. All interior fills were removed and the logo, once again, became a one-color treatment allowing us to create a decal that could be used on a window for two-sided signage. [fig.4]

In essence, VFC’s current logo is a see through shape that represents a continuous loop of creativity. The shape and letter forms are all one organic component, a single element that is simple, unassuming and elegant.

The negative space in VFC’s current logo allows for a variety of unique and interesting applications and, so far, we’ve filled it with flowers, frosted it on glass, cut it out of vinyl and wrapped vines around it. [fig.5]

Around the time that the current logo came into existence, VFC started working with a Patent and Trademark Attorney, offering copyright registration services to our clients whom we had branded and/or rebranded. Subsequently, we trademarked the Virtual Farm name and logo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (U.S.P&TO) more or less solidifying the current identity.

We can’t imagine the Virtual Farm logo changing again, although the encroachment of other virtual farms as a byproduct of digital sprawl might have us rethinking that stance.

Over the years we’ve written about a lot of the logos we’ve developed for our clients but we’d never even thought about the evolution of our own identity. Thanks for asking and thanks for the opportunity!

Phoenixville, PA– A lot of big changes have happened in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania in the past few years and now a group is bringing a day of joyful new ideas to the former steel town.

Phoenixville, situated along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia’s northwestern suburbs, has become an arts and entertainment destination thanks to groups like the Association for the Colonial Theatre. Now, the Colonial Theatre, famous for contributing compelling music and film to the Borough’s revitalization efforts, is spearheading an effort to introduce the region to new ideas with a TEDx program.

TEDx is an independently organized TED event that enables local communities such as schools, businesses, libraries, neighborhoods to organize, design and host their own independent, TED-like events. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.

At the regional TEDx events, unique talks given by live speakers combine with TEDTalks videos to spark deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

Most TEDx events are themed and TEDxPhoenixville has selected the idea of a Joy Ride to develop their day long program. Along with the opportunity to see and hear an interesting panel of speakers, TEDxPhoenixville attendees will experience unique networking opportunities and an engaging social aspect common to TED events.

“We most definitely wanted to keep the content lively for several reasons,” comments Kirsten Van Vlandren, TEDxPhoenixville committee chairwoman.

“Foremost, it will be the first introduction that many people have to TED and we want it to be a positive introduction. Secondly, the idea of a day of speakers can be off putting– we want everyone to know that this is going to be an exciting, interactive program. Lastly, there’s enough bad news in the world right now… a day full of promising ideas and unique success stories is sure to inspire everyone in attendance.”

In fact, the committee held four introductory salons in the months leading up to TEDxPhoenixville, scheduled for Saturday, September 25 at Phoenixville’s Colonial Theatre, in an effort to familiarize the community with TEDx and to start to build buzz about the live event.

Themed separately with a nod to the main Joy Ride theme, the salons discussed Joy, Happiness, Kindness and Passion and included TEDTalks videos and live content from dynamic speakers, performance artists and musicians.

“The committee has worked very hard on developing a program that is unique and engaging,” continues Van Vlandren. “We have invited individuals with interesting lives– some from nearby and some from faraway– to share what makes their ride joyful.”

As a metaphor for life, the ride theme allows open interpretation to an interesting format of speakers and performers that include adventurers, inventors, virtuosos and entrepreneurs, A diverse collection of individuals whose common denominator is attacking their passion and their lives with joy.

The TEDxPhoenixville Committee includes Van Vlandren, Assistant Director, The Colonial Theatre; Mary Foote, Executive Director, The Colonial Theatre; LuAnn Roth, Patron Services Director, The Colonial Theatre; Kelly Stoetzel, TED Content Producer; Todd Palmer, advertising agency Creative Director; and community members and TED enthusiasts Jay Brown and Tyler Donald.

The day-long TEDxPhoenixville will kick-off at 9:30am and will feature three sessions and an optional lunch prepared by local caterer, Julie Zlogar, using many local ingredients. Attendees are also encouraged to experience Phoenixville during the breaks including a visit to the Phoenixville Farmer’s Market where TEDxPhoenixville has a special event planned.

Speaking of special events, TEDxPhoenixville has collaborated with a number of local merchants to offer special pre-TEDx events where attendees can get to know one another and interact with the region.

Organized by The Colonial Theatre volunteer Beth Lennon, events scheduled for the evening of Friday, September 24 include a private tour of the legendary SEI art collection, a chef’s tasting menu at Majolica, a pottery class at Diving Cat Studio and a beer tasting and tour at Sly Fox Brewing. Participants in the different activities are encouraged to meet up at the Columbia Hotel’s second floor following the conclusion of each event.

“TEDx is all about making connections,” adds Foote under whose leadership The Colonial Theatre has become an area icon. “Connections to new ideas, new people and new possibilities. We’re excited to be able to facilitate that!.”

TEDxPhoenixville has a number of financial and in-kind sponsors who are helping to make the event a reality including Virtual Farm Creative, Inc., Longview Proprties, RLS Video, National Penn Bank, The Soul Center, Diving Cat Studio, The Andersen Family, Daniel Fullam Photography and Preston Leadership. There are additional opportunities for sponsorship of the inaugural year of this dynamic event.

For more information on sponsorship or attending please visit the TEDxPhoenixville website at www.tedxpxv.com.

Phoenixville, PA— There are some businesses that define a community and some communities that define companies. Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, a town undergoing a significant and much publicized rebirth in Philadelphia’s northwestern suburbs, is home to one firm that does both. The small company is helping to make the town special while gaining notoriety for their significant contribution to a regional renaissance.

Carnevale Eustis Architects, headquartered on Phoenixville’s busy Bridge Street, is the creative and
dynamic firm responsible for some of the Borough’s most noticeably improved structures including the
rescued Iron Foundry, 101 Bridge, The Colonial Theatre and Molly Maguire’s Irish Restaurant and Pub.

“The story was all there,” says Todd Palmer. “Here you have an engaged group contributing to the success of the region but they just weren’t branded well and communication to potential customers was lacking.”

Palmer, 44, is the Creative Director at Virtual Farm Creative, Inc. (VFC) also of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania– the firm that was recently hired by Carnevale Eustis Architects to undertake branding enhancements, web development and other marketing efforts to more positively position the firm.

“We started with the brand,” offers Palmer, “conceptualizing an image that communicates collaboration– collaboration between the firm and the building owner, between the structure and the site, between the present and a historical past.”

VFC brought new brand standards to Carnevale Eustis Architects that helped defined the firm’s image, from a stationery system and display advertising to site signage and a dynamic, new Internet presence.

“In the architecture category– professional services targeting property owners– the website is crucial,”
continues Palmer. “It is absolutely the first place that a majority of the target audience is going to explore prior to selecting a firm.”

“VFC delivered a very effective site for us,” remarks Carnevale Eustis Architects’ partner, Lauren Eustis, R.A., LEED AP. “It had been some time since we had addressed our marketing needs and it is so impressive to have organized case studies, before and after photography and customized proposals right at our fingertips. VFC didn’t just design a website, they have provided us with valuable tools!”

The Carnevale Eustis Architects’ web site, www.cearchitects.com, showcases the firm’s success stories with compelling, organized photography and features a completely customized back end content
management system. From there Carnevale Eustis Architects can add new case studies, prepare
proposals that include similar projects and allow the quality of their work to promote their brand.

Backed by years of solid agency experience, Virtual Farm Creative, Inc., specializes in executing complete branding campaigns from a 150-year-old, high-tech renovated farmhouse in the heart of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Focused on reaping results for clients, Virtual Farm’s services include strategic marketing, advertising and branding featuring the development of Internet presences, multimedia presentations, sales and promotional materials, corporate identity, copy writing, original illustration, collateral and commercial photography. For more information call 877-GROW ART or visit Virtual Farm Creative, Inc. on the web at www.virtualfarm.com.

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All too common English language faux pas are long nails slowly moving down the slate blackboard of the World Wide Web. They have become more unnerving as they become more ubiquitous, and dare we say it—more acceptable—contributing to the overall dearth of intelligence on the Internet and the general, but rapidly progressing, decline of human civilization.

Please repost and link to the definitions below every time that you see an OFFENDER so that, together, we can save the Internet to be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren, who will learn and know that two errors are too many to allow.

Postscript: We do not think we’re smarter than everyone or that anything in the above introduction is true at all (except the part about the chicken sandwich) however, we do usually attempt to develop meaningful, error-free posts in the many places that the Internet allows posting– even if it means taking the time to edit– and we think that you should too!

All too common English language faux pas are long nails slowly moving down the slate blackboard of the World Wide Web. They have become more unnerving as they become more ubiquitous, and dare we say it—more acceptable—contributing to the overall dearth of intelligence on the Internet and the general, but rapidly progressing, decline of human civilization.

Please repost and link to the definitions below every time that you see an OFFENDER so that, together, we can save the Internet to be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren, who will learn and know the difference between Your, You’re and Yore.

Postscript: We do not think we’re smarter than everyone or that anything in the above introduction is true at all (except the part about the chicken sandwich) however, we do usually attempt to develop meaningful, error-free posts in the many places that the Internet allows posting– even if it means taking the time to edit– and we think that you should too!

After rebranding this dynamic suburban Philadelphia financial firm, VFC strategically developed content and organized an Internet presence to attract new clients and service existing ones. A robust, custom content management system allows MLFA to add white papers, promote events and communicate with their clientele.

We’ve never subscribed to the notion that the cobbler’s children must go barefoot. If you can’t communicate your own offering in an effective, engaging way, how can you be expected to do so for demanding clients? Still, many VFC competitors fall back on that old bromide while publishing an ‘under construction’ message for months, and in some cases, years. The old VFC site received plenty of compliments, but this new version is just as creative but much punchier, more reliable and better suited for VFC’s effective search engine optimization techniques.

The family of canned beers brewed by Sly Fox have steadily gained in notoriety and popularity since they were first introduced. Craft Beer in a can was an unexplored concept for the most part, but compelling design and clever promotion have positioned the products very competitively. The latest entrant, Route 113 IPA, is the brewery’s most popular draught and certain to sell quickly inside of this inviting VFC can design.

VFC Creative Director, Todd Palmer, serves on the board of Dear Harry, Inc., a non-profit whose singular mission is to fund the development of a permanent memorial to beloved Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. The objection is that the entire cost of the sculpture and its installation will be satisfied with fan donations and VFC is contributing all publicity, promotions and marketing. A brand redirection from Budget Maintenance Emergency Services to BMES, administered by VFC, allows the corporate building response company to market themselves as specialists beyond the parent company offering. The fact that most emergency response is predicated by a natural disaster is highlighted in the striking vehicle wrap, while simple iconry clearly illustrates BMES capabilities and service offerings.
]]> http://www.virtualfarm.com/crop/?feed=rss2&p=357 0 http://www.virtualfarm.com/crop/?p=305 http://www.virtualfarm.com/crop/?p=305#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:44:03 +0000 Todd Palmer http://palmslice.com/?p=305 April 7, 2010–The Philadelphia Phillies’ opening day came and went this year with several noticeable differences. Polanco at the hot corner and Halladay on the mound were new sights but it was something less visible that made the Phillies first season opening win in four years bittersweet for some fans.

When the Phillies emerged victorious in an 11-1 romp over the Washington Nationals on April 5, 2010 it was without their voice of nearly forty years.

Nearly one year ago, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Hall of Fame announcer, Harry Kalas collapsed in the Nationals Park press box at approximately 12:30 pm on April 13, 2009, just a few hours before the Washington Nationals’ home opener against the Phillies. Kalas had touched the lives of millions of Philadelphians as the longtime play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Phillies.

In a heartfelt demonstration of affection for Kalas, a group of friends formed the non-profit group Dear Harry, Inc. to fund and build a permanent monument to Kalas that they will gift to the Philadelphia Phillies upon completion. Lead by acclaimed bronze sculptor and longtime Phillies fan Lawrence Nowlan, the group has been raising funds for the effort since November and are more than one-quarter of the way to their goal.

“Social media and a website that accepts contributions to the effort have gotten us this far,” said Suzanne Norris, Development Director for the organization, who adds that Dear Harry, Inc. is now exploring more aggressive ways to raise the remaining funds. “First, we’re throwing a one-of-a-kind party followed closely by one-of-a-kind opportunities for companies to contribute.”

PARTY ON, HARRY
On April 23 at 7:30pm, supporters of the Harry Kalas Memorial statue are invited to gather at McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park for a combination game watching party, fundraiser and celebration of the life of Harry Kalas. Former friends and family of Kalas are sure to be on hand to recall stories of Harry in and out of the broadcast booth and comedian and impersonator Joe Conklin will be making an appearance.

The evening that includes some great food and drink specials offered by McFadden’s will also feature live music by regional favorites HOLT45 and appearances by the Philadelphia Passion Lingerie Football Team as well as other surprise guests. The Phillies are on the road playing the Arizona Diamondbacks that evening so spirits will be high as all cheer on the team and recall a Philadelphia icon.

The evening will also feature a silent auction with amazing items up for grabs and all proceeds benefiting Dear Harry, Inc. Sports memorabilia from Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, and Mike Schmidit are accompanied by tickets to U2, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band and Lady Gaga concerts and so much more. Tickets to the Harry Kalas party at McFadden’s are $10 online at harrykalasstatue.com or $20 at the door on the day of the event.

GIVING HARRY THE BUSINESS
The group is able to accept tax-deductible corporate donations for the Kalas memorial statue through a partnership with the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame who is also donating a portion of their proceeds from their Annual Golf Tournament to Dear Harry, Inc.

Now, however, businesses that donate at least $500 will join the Friends of Harry Club and receive a limited edition custom plaque. Companies donating $5000 or more will receive a 22″ bronze cast of the actual Harry Kalas memorial statue. Dear Harry, Inc. is only creating sixteen of the limited edition bronzes which will be compelling, collectible keepsakes and conversation pieces for any company or business with ties to Philadelphia, the Phillies or Harry Kalas.

Dear Harry, Inc. requires at least $80,000 to complete the sculpture, which is well underway. Fans can view the statue’s progress and can contribute to the Harry Kalas Memorial Statue by visiting http://www.harrykalasstaue.com. Checks made payable to Dear Harry, Inc can be sent to Dear Harry, Inc., c/o Muntz Financial, 25 Skippack Pike, Suite 204, Broad Axe, PA 19002 and ten dollar donations can be made instantly by texting HARRY to 20222.

About Dear Harry, Inc.
The day after Harry Kalas died a petition on Facebook seeking support for a statue to be erected in Kalas’ honor and memory was started. One of the nearly 20,000 Facebook members that have signed the petition was Philadelphia native and acclaimed sculptor, Lawrence Nowlan. Inspired by the groundswell of support, Nowlan gathered a small group of friends to strategize a way to turn this dream into a reality. The non-profit group, Dear Harry, Inc. was formed as the organizational entity whose current singular mission is to promote, fund and execute a memorial to Harry Kalas. Visit www.harrykalasstatue.com for more information and to follow the statue’s progress.

About the Artist
Nationally renowned sculptor, Lawrence J. Nowlan is an independent artist who draws inspiration from the past while working in a modern sensibility of style. Nowlan, whose interest in sculpture came by a chance encounter with the works of Auguste Rodin at the artist’s famous Philadelphia museum. Nowlan was born and raised in Philadelphia and graduated with a BA from Millersville University in 1987 followed by an MA at the New York Academy of Art, Graduate School of Figurative Art in 1996. His distinctive commissioned figures and reliefs can be seen throughout the country and Ireland.

As a brand, Main Line Financial Advisors is nearly fifty-years-old. Founder, Fred Matarazzo started the company by independently delivering reliable accounting services to businesses in Narberth, Pennsylvania and the surrounding Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia and beyond. Matarazzo became a leading tax advisor as the small company grew and underwent branding iterations and enhancements along the way.

As the company evolved, Matarazzo began offering synergistic services to a growing base of satisfied clients. In 1990, Fred’s son Al joined the firm and Main Line Financial Advisors began comprehensively marketing financial planning and accounting. The last ten years have seen the strengthening of the brand and the successful expansion into other communities. Although the firm still has a strong presence in Narberth and all along the Main Line—including a satellite office in Malvern, Pennsylvania—Main Line Financial Advisors is now headquartered in Pottstown.

“Part of the new marketing objective is to explain the name to a community of clients outside of the “Main Line” proper,” comments Al Matarazzo, who oversees operations and directs the firm’s investment strategies. “We have brought a great offering to a new group of potential clients whose companies can benefit from interrelated services,” adds Matarazzo. “It just happens to be called Main Line Financial Advisors.”

The timing couldn’t be better for the firm’s brand overhaul during a promising time in the Montgomery County town. Pottstown is undergoing a hopeful renaissance and is steadily attracting compelling businesses like Main Line Financial Advisors.

“It’s our challenge to present an image that is both competitive and professional and to evolve and support a brand that can and will be one of the new pillars in Pottstown’s revitalization,” offers Todd Palmer, VFC’s Creative Director. “Al and his team are committed to growing their business in this community in a meaningful way and the brand needs to reflect that.”

At the same time, the strategy behind the brand enhancement is to lessen the influence of the words Main Line and to allow other elements to support the Main Line Financial Advisors image and upcoming marketing mission.

“We have introduced a colorful glyph that represents an organic intersection of advisor and advisee,” explains Palmer. “The partnership of pleasing blue and green, representing, say, converging paths in nature, meet to form a third color which, with a proactive approach, will become synonymous with MLFA’s excellent services.”

Additionally, VFC composed logo concepts utilizing custom typography and formulated a compelling new tag line that will comprise Main Line Financial Advisors’ engaging new corporate identity. That identity will direct brand standards that will define the development of competitive corporate collateral and professional marketing materials for the evolving company.

“When brand development is planned, organized and consistent, developing an organized, consistent message to the target audience becomes instinctive,” adds Palmer, whose firm specializes in top-to-bottom brand management for companies like Main Line Financial Advisors. “The real objective here is to tell the Main Line Financial Advisors’ story in a captivating, understandable way.”

Main Line Financial Advisors’ branding includes the new corporate identity, logo, tag line and standards representative of the firm’s origins, mission and future. Other elements on the production schedule in the annual effort include a communications package, sales materials, corporate collateral and an overhauled Internet presence.

VFC is developing an ambitious website as the centerpiece for the Main Line Financial marketing campaign featuring state-of-the-art, completely custom content management tools and organized updatable content.

“We intend on promoting Main Line Financial Advisors as a highly organized and effective, comprehensive offering with personality,” reflects Palmer. “Financial planning and advice are necessary and required services and we want them to be understood clearly while positioning our client as the best choice with whom to partner.”

In just a few memorable words, the tag line adopted by Main Line Financial Advisors, “Your Future Is Worth It”, says a lot about the firm’s history of success, their regard for their clients and their confidence in their abilities. Main Line Financial Advisors’ current marketing effort also promises to be worth it in and around Pottstown, on the Main Line and everywhere else that the firm partners with fortunate clients to dispense the gift of guidance.

To learn more about Main Line Financial Advisors, 211 High Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, visit the firm’s current website at www.mlfa.com or call 610.323.5860.

Sometimes work works out that way, it’s more fun than it oughta be.

It was a similar situation when VFC was asked to provide marketing support for Sly Fox Brewing’s Route 113 India Pale Ale in a can!

Sly Fox Brewing isn’t just a Virtual Farm Creative client, they’re friends and we are huge fans! We genuinely love their entire impressive lineup of beer varieties, but our hands-down favorite has gotta be the IPA! Being outdoor enthusiasts who also enjoy a tasty beverage after a mountain bike ride or during an al fresco concert, we’re equally enamored with the fact that beer THIS GOOD and THIS LOCAL is available in CANS!

We have designed, produced and provided marketing support for four of these innovative aluminum containers thus far and several weeks ago the decision was made to introduce a fifth can, the brewery’s flagship India Pale Ale. Now, Route 113 is a very popular ale in the Sly Fox pubs and throughout the Chester County, Pennsylvania craft brewery’s distribution area, so we wanted the design to be super sick. We also knew it had to appeal to beer-drinking consumers at all levels as well as fit into the standard set for the Sly Fox family of cans.

Additionally, there was a directive to equally weight “I.P.A.” and “India Pale Ale,” which we believe was accomplished through multiple concepts and iterations. In fact, we custom illustrated no fewer than twelve different looks for the can but, like we said, it was a labor of love.

Named for the happy coincidence between the number of bitterness units in the original recipe and the highway the original Sly Fox Pub sits along, Route 113 IPA was and is available in 220z. “bomber” bottles. VFC and Sly Fox collaborated on the decision to depart from that bottle design to develop a compelling alternative that would compliment the beer style and that can’s cool factor.

Admittedly, there were a lot of strong contenders presented but we’re all stoked about the final selection which is clean and tasty just like the liquid inside. Using white as the dominate hue provides ample contrast to the other cans while the fresh palette of supporting hues are accented by flashy aluminum peeking through. We can’t wait to allow one to chill our grip!

Since we all believed that the design was appropriately compelling and that the product was satisfactorily popular (it was the most requested beer to be put into cans) we decided that, although full cans wouldn’t be available until the end of March, we could build some excitement by slowly leaking the news (and the design) to the fan-base.

VFC and Sly Fox consulari, Jack Curtin, utilized Facebook, Twitter and the slyfoxbeer.com news portal in a strategic effort to create excitement about the release. Every day for two weeks increasingly more revealing clues were provided about what the next can would be and what it was going to look like. The post “quality” and “interactions” were through the roof, all of  which VFC managed to pull off all while successfully administering the aggressive Social Media Campaigns of our other, equally-importnat clients.

As soon as the Federal Tax and Trade Bureau approved the design and all of the language on the can, VFC posted the final version to an anticipating audience that reverberated the discussion about this offering from individual to individual and network to network. The official post was timed to launch with simultaneous email blast, tweets and ambitious press effort.

Released the same week as Apple’s iPad, Sly Fox’s IPA can’t hope to achieve that kind of world wide dialog but it did create a buzz. It won’t be the last time!

UP NEXT: Sly Fox 113 suitcase packaging and variety packs!

In the early nineties, the Internet in it’s infancy, experts were all trying to define- if not develop- the “killer app“. This was the application that would do everything for everybody, seamlessly and easily. Google has started to, finally, twenty years later, put all of the pieces together. In the same way, we believe, Apple has, albeit dramatically and with great fanfare, addressed the needs of many with one elegant appliance. In fact, it’s so elegant that calling it an appliance almost seems profane.

Through years of product improvement, Apple has perfected the user interface to the point where you don’t have to adapt to use products. The products adapt to you. It started with the first Apple computers blowing away the Windows operating system and on through the years until the iPod and then the iPhone improved intuitive interfaces beyond comprehension. So the most innovative company in the computer biz has a long history of continually improving interactivity, but we all knew that.

What we might not have all known was that we don’t all need computers. But, once again, Apple did. Do you really need a box full of parts with libraries of code, preferences and settings?

NO. You need an elegant device that does what you want it to do. That’s all.

The killer thing about the iPad (is definitely not the name) is that it easily customizes to do what you want it to do. Like the iPhone, you download only the tools (apps) that you require and that’s all you need to know. The simplicity is awe-inspiring. The web has evolved to the point where it’s ubiquitous, necessary and the first place most individuals turn for everything.

There were multitudes of detractors and Apple naysayers out in full force today but the jillions of positive tweets and posts are warranted. This device has opened the door for a single communication, entertainment, productivity application and that is killer news.