western north carolina

Asheville Skyline Working Together to face COVID-19

Here in Asheville and around the nation, we are still in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling to understand its impact on our community. Times are stressful to say the least. One of the best ways to alleviate anxiety during uncertain times is to look for ways to be of help and service to others. Many people and businesses in our local community will be heavily impacted by this disease in the weeks to come – here are 5 quick ideas how we can all easily help out right now:

BUY LOCAL – more than ever, community businesses and their employees will need our support to stay open. Shop local, and consider buying gift cards for later use from your favorite shops.

ORDER TAKE OUT – local restuarants have been hit first and hardest in this new world of “social distancing.” If you want to help your favorites and their employees, order take out and let them know you’re on their side.

CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBOR – the elderly and others at high risk are espcially vulnerable now. Offer to do shopping or run errands for those you know who may fear being in public.

BE GENEROUS – donate to food banks, churches, animal shelters, or your favorite charity. The needs they work to meet are more critical now than ever. Donating blood is also safe and urgently needed.

POST POSITIVE – we are all inundated with frightening facts and negative speculation about the future. Help others to remember that we will get through this together – your words online can be just what someone else needs to feel stronger!

Of course, follow all the advice from the CDC and your health professionals about how to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy during this time. The official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 website is here. For an easy recap, the White House and CDC have released official Coronavirus Guidelines for America as of March 18, 2020, which you can see below.

Official Coronavirus Guidelines for America

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

Brands make lucrative use of the visual and emotional appeal of animals in their design strategies – perhaps the epitome of the brand “mascot” is man’s best friend himself: the lovable dog. Remember the terrier on RCA Victor‘s record labels with the title “His Master’s Voice”? Dogs are a natural fit for a surprisingly wide range of enterprises, from beer to high finance – and the reason is pretty clear. Dogs have an almost universal appeal as faithful companions, loyal and fierce protectors, and they share a nature that is intelligent, calming, comforting, and speaks of home and hearth.

Those warm and fuzzy canine qualities are a valuable fit in the branding strategy of many businesses, and not just for vet clinics, pet shops or animal services. This blogpost looks at a few local Asheville and western NC ventures that make creative use of canine appeal extending beyond the field of animal care.

Beer

Probably the only thing more popular than our beloved pets in WNC is beer. The business of craft brewing has boomed internationally over recent years, and the dog makes frequent appearances in both the names and logos of breweries and of their specific beers. Red Dog, Blue Dog, Mad Dog, Flying Dog… its a long list. Just Google “beer, logo, dog” to get a feel for the popularity of this trend. Locally, canine-friendly Asheville Brewing Company has a great offering in their Lemon Space Dog Wheat, a wheat ale with lemondrop hops.

Sanctuary Brewing Company in Hendersonville, NC is ” a nano brewery and tap room committed to enriching the lives of humans through our excellent craft beer, and benefiting animals through local advocacy.” The owners work with local shelters and animal advocacy groups as part of their mission to rescue and benefit animals in the area. A great combo!

Pink Dog Creative

Art studios and retail space in Asheville’s booming River Arts District, Pink Dog Creative uses just that – the shape of a large, tooth-baring pink dog as it’s logo. The huge pink dog on the buildings wall mural has become symbolic of the resurgence of the River Arts District and of the role the arts have played in Asheville’s success.

Plum Dog Financial

A dog represents trust and dependability, as well as the idea of home. That is why you see a dog in the logo and marketing of Plum Dog Financial, mortgage brokers and financial experts located in the Montford neighborhood downtown. Creatively, its a natural fit and definitely works to bring the potentially distant and unfriendly world of finance down to a personal, approachable level. Smart marketing!

The Park on Main Hotel

A 24-suite luxury hotel in Highlands, NC, The Park on Main Hotel cleverly uses the image of a scottish terrier in their print and social media branding. And what a perfect fit – the hotel is a pet-friendly business marketing specifically to pet owners. The idea of the loyal family dog emphasizes a comfortable, home-away-from-home atmosphere that all hotels desire. The terrier, Mr. Pickles, even has his own Twitter feed and proves to be the ideal mascot.

Is your own pet primed to be your small business mascot? If you had to choose an animal to represent your business, which would be the best fit? Perhaps there is a creative connection there that would work well for your marketing strategy. If that brings up any ideas for you, talk to your printer about where that could lead: anything from a seasonal promo idea to a brand refresh or redesign. Remember, if you have the right printer they are your marketing consultant and specialist as well!

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication and design. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Personalization – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

Call us at 828.684.4512. ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

Tag: western north carolina

5 Ways to Care for Our Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.