1. a display piece for the counter
2. a print piece for local visitor centers’ racks
3. a postcard for announcements

Rather than designing and printing three separate pieces, we suggested a single all-purpose piece: a 4″ x 9″ rack card designed as a self-mailer. David liked the idea of getting three uses for the price of one and decided to have InsideOut proceed with the design.

Matching to Existing Visual Branding
Since Wind Rose Cellars is just starting out, there weren’t a lot of existing pieces to match to. We decided to use their new Bravo Rosso wine label as a basis for the rack card design. The label had many elements that David liked and planned on using in future designs. So we used the same aged paper, compass rose illustration, fonts and colors to keep the look of the card consistent with that of the label. Because we had worked with David on the Bravo Rosso label, InsideOut already had all the design elements on file. This allowed us to get started immediately and helped reduce the overall design time.

A Lasting Print Piece
It’s expensive to have a print piece that needs frequent updating and reprinting. To avoid this expense, we kept the information general and didn’t include specifics (such as prices or a full wine list) that would need future revision. It was better to stick to the basics that included:

• a locator map
•  a QR code
• a reference to their Facebook page

The map was drawn simply, avoiding excessive details that make a map too large (there’s not much space on a 4″ x 9″ card) and too confusing to look at.

The QR code points smartphone users straight to the winery’s home page. No need to type out windrosecellars.com—just scan the code and there you are!

For the Facebook address, we sent David easy-to-follow directions that allowed him to set up a Facebook custom URL for free. The custom address is shown on the card with the Facebook icon and /windrosecellars next to it.

On the front of the card, a glossy coating keeps the colors from fading and gives the piece a substantial appearance. On the back, the card was left uncoated for ease of writing.

Self-Mailer Savings
No need to buy envelopes—the self-mailer design makes the piece a mail-able postcard. To prevent problems with delivery, placement of the return address and the vertical line indicating the message and label areas follows Post Office guidelines.

There’s still plenty of space on the back for David to customize the message on the card. He can use desktop-printed labels or handwritten notes to announce events or special deals.

Ready for Display
At the tasting room, the rack card can be put in a vertical display so it takes up less room on precious counter space. Guests can pick up the card to keep as a reference or they can mail it out and share the information with others.

The 4″ x 9″ dimensions are also the correct size for visitor center display racks. Space is at a premium in most visitor centers. They’ll often reject pieces that are too large for their display racks. Also, in often-crowded racks, the top third of the card is usually all that’s visible. With this in mind, the Wind Rose Cellars rack card features the name and main offering (wine tasting) in the must-be-visible top third.

———————–
After a few revisions, David approved the piece and 2,500 rack cards were printed. The cards now serve as his primary print marketing piece, promoting his new business in the mail and on display.

Click here to view pdf: Wind Rose Cellars Rack Card

The Voss Inn, Bozeman MT

New Web Site Design for Voss Inn

The Voss Inn, a Montana Bed and Breakfast in Bozeman, had a site that was begging for a face lift. They had been a promotion client of ours for over a year, and we were excited to merge their great Search Engine Optimization from the last year with a modern web site that was current with web standards and reflected the unique and beautiful Victorian that Frankee and Bruce so lovingly maintain. As they continue with their promotions, it will be that much easier to increase the Voss Inn’s visibility online for both their primary and secondary key phrases.

Already we have seen these improvements in Google Search:

• Average visit up from 2 minutes to 5 minutes
• Bounce rate down from 46% to 29%
• Average pages per visit up from ~2 to ~6

Congratulations Frankee and Bruce!

Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast, Asheville NC

New Pinecrest Inn Bed and Site

The Pinecrest Bed and Breakfast came to us desperate to see improvements on their organic placement on Google. Several years earlier, owner Stacy Shelly enjoyed first page placement for most of her primary key phrases in the competitive region of Asheville North Carolina. But, as her site aged and new developments were made in web viewing and web site design, she saw her site slip off page one.

Like so many of our clients, Stacy’s North Carolina Bed and Breakfast is a stunning Tudor-style home that has been maintained with love and dedication for over 100 years. So the first thing to make her site more appealing was to take some new photos of her property. She hired Christian Giannelli, one of our favorite photographers, to capture the beauty and elegance of her inn. We then used his photos and our skills to make Stacy a site that will allow her to climb back onto page one for her desired search terms. Stacy told us that after looking at about 100 bed and breakfast web sites online, she enjoyed the designs by Beth Logan the best.

Improvements in Google Search thus far:

• Bounce Rate down from 37% to 20%
• Average visit up from 2 minutes to 4 minutes
• Visits up 40% in first week!

Congratulations Stacy!

Bridgeford House, Eureka Springs AR

Bridgeford House Bed Breakfast New Web Site

The Bridgeford House came to us looking for a refresh of their aging site. Seeing the quality work we had done for others in the industry, as well as in their region, they trusted us to give them a site that would reflect the ambiance of their inn, as well as be a powerful online marketing tool.

Because we designed the web site for the Arkansas Bed and Breakfast Association, they knew what we were capable of, and felt confident making this investment with us.

We hope to continue working with the Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast. Often after a site design we are able to help clients develop a logo which can be used for other marketing materials such as clothing, print materials or rack card design. Once you work with InsideOut on your web site or print materials, we are always here to support the product we created for you. In other words, no more logo fuss. The design isn’t just one pretty image to paste in the corner of your web site. We include multiple file types and alternate versions to suit various technical limitations and space requirements. After we do a logo design, we’re always available to help you, your vendors and publications with any technical problems related to your logo. It’s all part of our logo design service.

Please contact us today if you would like to get a quote for web site design, print or logo development.

Going for a New Look

Innkeeper Cathy Kuykendall redecorated her beautiful Hot Springs, Arkansas inn, updating the look while retaining its historic Victorian beauty. It was an ideal time to have new photos taken and to update her marketing materials. Cathy wanted a cleaner branding that would emphasize the new photographs.

Starting with the Logo

Naturally, she wanted to start with her most important marketing tool: her web site. But first things first! She needed a new logo to establish the look and feel of all her subsequent marketing materials. InsideOut re-did her logo with a clean but traditional-looking font and a graphic based on the stained glass at the Inn. Starting with the logo made updating her web site, rack card and business card very quick and easy.

The result:

“Looking forward to receiving the cards. They are beautiful….” – Cathy

The web site has launched and Cathy is very happy with the result. InsideOut also oversaw the printing of 10,000 rack cards and 1,000 business cards each for Cathy and her manager, Julie. All materials have the same elegant yet simple look and feel.

Click here for a more detailed case study:

Old vs. new design

An update for a whimsical B&B
John F. Craig House is a Cape May, New Jersey inn owned by Barbara and Chip Masemore. They’ve created a fun yet relaxing atmosphere, preserving the building’s Victorian charm while adding the whimsy of retro signs, old toys and colorful touches.

Craig House’s old rack card was straightforward and informative, but it had been printed in quantity before the innkeepers had professional photographs. Now Barbara and Chip were running low on cards, plus they had a collection of excellent photos. It was time for an update!

Telling a story in a small space
A 4″ x 9″ rack card is a great fit for standard rack displays and envelopes. But even on a double-sided card, that’s not a lot of room. So what to do?

We let their photos do the talking. The front of the card features the holiday lights for which they’re famous. The back shows off the lovely dining room. All the photos were carefully selected for what they could say about the inn and its amenities. By contrast, it would have taken an unwelcoming wall of paragraphs to say the same thing with words.

The text we did use was trimmed from the original rack card. We stuck with the essentials: contact information, a descriptive rave review, an edited list of amenities and policies, and a short “about us” paragraph.

The deep maroon, turquoise and pink came from the colors of the house. We also took the quirky/elegant look of the decor and carried it into the new design by tilting photos, using casual-looking script and mixing type treatments.

The result:

“I love the design!” – Barbara Masemore

We printed 10,000 to last her several years and many passing tour groups. InsideOut is currently redesigning John F. Craig House’s Web site, incorporating elements from this rack card and keeping the branding consistent, quirks and all…

Requirements
Co-owner Brad Schmiling wanted to update their brochure. The old design was informative, clear and easy-to-read, but didn’t capture the personality of the winery. Brad wanted the look to express quirkiness and fun, as well as tradition and elegance. From our discussions with him, it was clear he preferred designs that broke up hard edges and avoided the blocky look of rectangular photos and columns of text. Brad also wanted the brochures as soon as possible, with design time charges less than $1,000.

A new size, a new look
The old brochure was a non-standard size, which meant it was more expensive to print and required a larger envelope to mail. To solve these issues, we chose a 12″ x 9″ format that folds to 4″ x 9″ . The new size fits a standard display rack and #10 envelope while giving plenty of room to showcase photos. Fortunately, vonStiehl had numerous excellent photographs. We chose warm appetizing colors pulled from the photos. Brad also liked the informal look of cutout images, so we incorporated that into the brochure, too. Traditional typefaces and the weathered old paper give a sense of history and elegance. The map on the back helps visitors understand where Algoma is located in the state. The inset helps them zero-in on the winery’s location in town.

The update continues
Brad is very enthusiastic about the new look:

“We love the design of the new brochure. I wouldn’t have even been able to
picture it ahead of time. It’s just right!” – Brad Schmiling

We managed the printing of 30,000 brochures to cover their distribution from the winery (from in-house displays and mailings) and visitor information centers. Due to the spot-on design and Brad’s decisiveness, the design time was less than half of his $1,000 budget and the brochures were delivered right on time. To maintain consistent branding, InsideOut will apply the brochure’s design to von Stiehl’s new Web site, currently in process.