It's tough these days. The economy is not showing any love — if anything, it continues to throw K.O. punches that zap our creative embers of energy if we allow it. But wait. It's the Holidays. Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the others. It's not suppose to be like this! I've gotten over it.Even though this season it's going to be choppy sailing, it's still no reason to cut back on giving back. I'd argue, in fact, we need to each give back now more than ever. How better to combat the Holiday and winter blues than to give of yourself — your time, your energy, your money. It starts with you. Consumer confidence just might follow your suit!
Recently, the team at Hotbed Creative was asked to design a brand identity for the first sports corporation in the nation, the Indiana Sports Corporation. Pretty good gig, eh? The shiv in the shower for some followed: it had to be done for free. Yup, probono. Heck, I'm not even a huge sports fan but I recognized the impact this organization had on my community and on my life. We got over it and got to work. We injected certainty and positive energy every step — even if it was for zero green — just like it was a paying client. No corners cut.
I will not lie, it was a ton of work that often took us from other paying projects — a cause I think every client at Hotbed would be glad to yield to by just a little bit. With delicate balance (civic-wise and schedule-wise) and long nights, we made it happen. The results were beyond imagination: recognition in ways I did not see. Nor did I really even care when I made the decision to take on the projects while trekking back from a client meeting months ago from Ohio — I was the "Yes-man" every designer dreads. The results: a great solution that not only did the client love but, for the first time in my career, I LIKED IT, too! Sure, I fussed — I'm a perfectionistic, controlling Pisces that tasted amazing, true perfection in some other world and now wants it stamped on every piece of work, be it a goose-egg budget or a buttered-bread budget.
We wrapped the Indiana Sports Corp logo a few weeks ago. It was unveiled last evening. It hit the media today. It felt satisfying for this one time in my life. I breathed and thanked the Universe for shining down on each of us at Hotbed.
Stephen Schaf, Owner
Hotbed Creative
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1 comments:
From all of us at the Sports Corp, a big thanks to Hotbed. Stephen and his staff were great to work with every step of the way. We are thrilled with the result.
But I don't know what Stephen is talking about with all this pro bono stuff...a few glasses of wine at the Indiana Sports Corp Holiday Party should be equal to a few months of work, right?
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