Patterson/Bach Communications, Inc.

My dad was recently cleaning out some old filing cabinets when he came across his game day program from the 1965 Orange Bowl Classic. Alabama (YEAH!) vs. Texas (booo).

Not only is it incredibly interesting from the view of this Alabama fan, seeing the old legends of the game, but the graphics and designs in the book are absolutely CLASSIC! The ads are simple, direct, and easy to understand. Car ads are the best. What appealed to readers nearly 50 years ago, still hooks people today – style, power, and dependability. And the white space in the design is used to draw the eye to the product. Today, it’s “white space? I’m not paying for white space.”

And the illustrations in the ads and the program are awesome! Obviously no computer-generated garbage. Everything was illustrated by hand with traditional media – BY REAL ARTISTS! It is certainly refreshing to see what some talented artists can do.

Look at the attached ad from Florida Power & Light promoting Florida. No stock photography, no Photoshop. Just pure talent and time, from people who put their hearts and soul into their work. It may be hokey by today’s standards, but still it’s – CLASSIC!

Patterson/Bach is already hard at work on the research and branding phases of a complete advertising and public relations campaign for a new attraction in Orlando’s famous tourist district. Our account services include primary research; branding; creative development; media planning and buying; website design and programming; digital media; and public relations for the attraction.

Prepare yourself for an indulgent experience traveling through both the historic and delicious world of… Stay tuned as Patterson/Bach helps the new attraction unveil itself to Orlando and tourists from countries around the world.

With more and more individuals realizing the importance of a solid education in this economy, academic and career-focused institutes are becoming more aggressive when reaching out to prospective students. Using a targeted online marketing strategy, one educational organization has implemented a successful digital advertising campaign to attract new students.

Sarasota County Technical Institute (SCTI), a specialized training school, provides 39 different programs and offers continuing education for those who are currently employed and in need of new licenses or certifications. SCTI began 2012 by rolling out a digitally focused campaign from Patterson/Bach. The graphics, which run through geo-targeted online advertising, such as Google keywords, seek to usher potential students to the SCTI website where they can learn more about the school from current students, SCTI alumni, and prospective employers. The ads feature the message, “Get the education you need for the career of your choice,” highlighting SCTI’s profession-focused academic plans. The ads are scheduled to run throughout 2012, giving SCTI maximum coverage through a high-traffic environment.

In the campaign’s first month of running, the ads have received over 219,000 total impressions, including increased clickthroughs and site visits from mobile and tablet devices. Of all visitors to SCTI’s website, 35% are new visitors. The ad campaign is growing visitors and raising the amount of potential student interest.

Call Patterson/Bach for creative, effective solutions to your advertising needs at  (407) 645-1880.

I’m an artist. There. I’ve said it.

When I tell people that I am a graphic artist, the typical response is something like, “Oh that must be so much fun to sit and draw pictures all day.” Well, that’s not exactly what I do here at Patterson/Bach. But I do like to draw and paint in my free time away from the office. And I do believe that my personal creative outlet has a positive impact on my graphic design.

Personally, I am a “people-watcher.” I like to draw people – portraits, snapshots of daily life, something that has some life and emotion in it. I can see that in my graphic work as well. I am a firm believer that ads with people, or at least a human element, relate to a viewer with more impact than simply showing a nice photo of a product.

But why should YOU find a creative outlet? Whether you work in a cubicle farm, teach the next generation, or work in the great outdoors, you can improve the quality of your work by finding your own creative passion. Creativity requires “out of the box” thinking, or problem solving. Who couldn’t use a little upgrade in that area? Lack of a creative outlet can lead to various psychological states such as depression, stress, and apathy.

Draw, paint, write, play your guitar, design your own backyard oasis, restore an old car – be creative. It doesn’t matter if anyone else thinks your creations are high art or not. Being creative is not about looking for the approval of others. It is about feeding your passion, recharging the mind, and building something that is uniquely you.

Do you like to cook? Try a new recipe or add a twist to an old favorite. Do you like photography? Make a slide show or have some enlargements framed of your favorite shots. Start with what you already enjoy, then find a way to make it uniquely yours.

Having trouble getting started? Try something you’ve always wanted to try. You may surprise yourself and find that hidden passion that lets your creativity soar.

My new favorite quote: “It is better to attempt something great and fail, than to attempt nothing at all and succeed.”

If you’re not in the commercial art business, the words “white space” may conjure images of the Siberian tundra in January. Not so. White space is actually a graphic design concept that, while little known outside art circles, can have a big impact on the appearance and effectiveness of an advertisement.

Essentially, white space is any portion of an ad that contains no text or graphic. Take a sheet of copier paper and color a small square in the middle. What lies outside of the square: that’s white space.

So what’s the importance or value of white space? Loosely explained, the theory is that clean layouts and graphic designs attract attention because of what’s not there—the visual clutter of dense text, charts, graphs, etc. The human eye, so the thinking goes, is attracted to simplicity—hence the incorporation of white space (or negative space as it’s sometimes called) in a layout.

Of course, this doesn’t mean an ad should be nothing more than a blank page with a logo. In fact, there are times when all available space in an ad should be filled up—say, for instance, an ad announcing a sale on 99 different auto parts at an auto parts store. Used sensibly and judiciously however, white space can create a visually arresting, attention-getting ad.

So, how do you determine the appropriate use of white space in your ads? As with most artistic techniques, there are no fast and firm rules, but here are a few suggestions:

• Commit from the beginning to creating an ad that delivers a focused message. Ads that cram in too many messages—“Here are 73 things you should know about our products!”—often communicate none.

• Create several layout options and eyeball them. Which one stands out from a visual viewpoint? Which one does the best job attracting your attention?

• Ask yourself: does the layout you’ve selected do the best job of communicating the message you want to convey? This may seem like a no-brainer, but the extra scrutiny you give to text and visuals is worth the effort.

For examples of how to use white space in advertising, go to www.pat-bach.com. As you’ll see, sometimes “less can be more” in creating an ad that looks great—and works beautifully.