The Cultural TImes: Designing for the Arts in the Rocky Mountain Region

A. Guy Studio, L.L.C., was asked by Mr. Stewart Mosberg to create a magazine in a style that communicated the open, wide-ranging spirit inherent in the arts of the Colorado High Country. Developing a unique visual style, A. Guy Studio gladly completed this charge. The result, "The Cultural Times," was an eye-catching publication that quickly became known throughout the region for it's visual communication as well as it's valued content.

Upon reflection, it became apparent that a simple, functional layout, along the lines of most magazines, would not be adequate for this type of publication. Rather, the content, look and feel of The Cultural Times had to be just as expansive as the high peaks of Breckenridge, Colorado. Therefore, sophisticated layouts were developed in a tabloid format. Expanses of negative space were handled with deliberation, thus making positive design elements, such as headlines, articles and photographs, all the more effective.

The design of this arts magazine required, among other things: a corporate logo, a "masthead" logotype for the contents/publishers page, an eye-catching "swash logo," used for promotional purposes such as signage and vending machine frontages, and spread layouts for contents, running articles, feature stories, editors pages and advertising pages. Attention was given to the smallest details, such as the design of individual page numbers.

The design of The Cultural Times magazine helped to spread its readership from the High-Peak Country and Denver to Colorado proper and beyond.

The Cultural Times publisher, Stew Mosberg is a design legend. A long time corporate leader in the branding, design and marketing fields, he has created successful campaigns for many national and international markets. He has headed too many design and marketing organizations to count. All the while, Stew has served as a compassionate mentor to may "up and comers," including myself.

Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., Stew now lives in Colorado with his Husky, Shayna. He writes for various publications statewide and also is a talented voice-over artist. Throughout Colorado, he is a known and respected art critic. A creative writer, Stew headed a group that of other, published "High Peak Authors" and now has a novel of his own in development.

This city boy now journeys upward! Stew has learned the joy of fishing and combines the pleasure of catching wild brookies with hikes up to their lairs, often wetting a line by streams that are over 10,000 feet high.

Focus on Change Subject of Museum Exhibit

The Manassas Museum, one of the top-ranked regional Museums in the country, recently paid homage to the Virginia Piedmont region. The exhibit developed is part of the heritage series “From Cows to Condos” that uses educational programs and interactive learning to educate students and museum visitors about the significant changes in the county through the years.

A cultural and economic crossroads, from pre-colonial settlers, to historic railroad systems shipping local produce to market, to the commercial airways of today, Manassas's varied story deserved to be told. With the whimsical title "From Cows to Condos," it was!

A. Guy Studio L.L.C. was asked by the museum curator, Roxanna Adams, to develop a logo that told the story of this exhibit, while being adaptable enough to be reproduced for a plethora of uses.

The name "Cows to Condos" provided rich "fodder" for the visual imagery used in this logo. The barn in the background is a rendering of a historic "brick barn" located in the Manassas city limits. The road dividing the logo symbolizes the line of commercial development that has occurred in this area, with rural lands being toward the west of Manassas and business towards the east.

The cow...is just a cow.

{Logotype as seen in the Washington Post}

Promoting Pioneering Technologies

With alternative energy resources a priority, many companies have attempted to develop products that reduce our individual carbon footprint. Poulson Hybrid, of Stratford, Connecticut, is such an industry leader.

Poulson designs and produces such items as hybrid car adapter units, which turn every automobile into a gas saving electric vehicle, to solar hot water system for the home.

In developing this last item, Poulson hot water systems needed promotional items to communicate to their target audience: home contractors and builders. A. Guy Studio, L.L.C. was asked to design a brochure for this marketing effort, that communicated both efficacy and ease of installation.

Combining simple schematics, familiar to those in the building trade, with a bit of "green graphics," this brochure is now being used throughout the northeast with great success. A. Guy Studios is proud to contribute to such eco-friendly companies as Poulson Hybrids.

Successful Promotional Brochure Designed for the City of Manassas

The growing City of Manassas, Virginia, needed promotional material. The charge was demonstrate to large corporations that this is the place to locate their businesses. Crafting an image equal to this task, A. Guy Studio, L.L.C. developed a stylish brochure, highlighting the inherent strengths of the City of Manassas.

Manassas has many stellar qualities: easy access to east coast travel hubs, City owned utilities and water supply, an educated workforce, a "business friendly" atmosphere in City Hall, among others.

However, Manassas is small in physical size. Therefore, a key to this design project was to visually communicate the expansive nature of Manassas's business attributes. This promotional item did just that.

With an elegant black background, watermarked with the "Manassas M" logo graphic, this piece immediately projects quality, style and timelessness.

The deliberate use of panoramic photographs on each spread "expand a feeling of expansiveness," while visually highlighting Manassas's strengths.

Key elements, critical to providing information for each topic in this promotional item, are laid out with cleanliness and precision. This allows for ease of visual and verbal communication.

This successful promotional item is currently being used, locally and nationally, by the Department of Economic Development for the City of Manassas.

A. Guy Studio Client, Philip Carter Winery of Virginia Wins Big at Recent Wine Event

Philip Carter Winery, of Markham, Virginia, is coming into it's own, garnering well earned recognition for it's line of fine wines. This press release except from Philip Carter says it all:

"Silver and Gold...

no not the Burl Ives song, awards for Philip Carter Wines!

The American Wine Society’s 2009 Commercial Wine Competition was held this October. This year 86 wineries were represented with 476 wines entered. Philip Carter Winery proudly has taken home Gold and Silver.

Winning in the Gold category is Philip Carter’s white, 2008 Governor Fauquier. The Silver Medal went to Philip Carter Winery’s 2008 Chardonnay.

Try the Gold winning Governor Fauquier with your Thanksgiving and Holiday celebrations or give as a wonderful Gift. This white has a fresh, green nose like honeydew melon and lemongrass. The front palate is full of tropical fruits and apple flavors. The finish is herbaceous with highly acidic notes and a nutty ending.

Stop by and pick up a bottle or call us at 540-364-1203 and we will ship it to you, just in time for the holidays."

Kudos! -A. Guy

WIld Scotsman Single Cask, Single Malt Family Launch

Wild Scotsman Whisky is known for it's top notch blended products, crafted with care by proprietor Jeffery Topping, in Linwood, Scotland.

Now, Wild Scotsman Whisky is going a step further, expanding it's line of premium spirits to include rare single cask, single malt scotches.

Initially consisting of Glen Grant single malt and Caol Ila single malt, an appropriate brand image was developed by A. Guy Studio to place these whisky's firmly on the top shelf.

To project the timeless quality this growing product line deserves, a central label, complete with a custom die, embossing and "metallized inks", was developed. An image, based on an ancient Scottish fighting weapon, the "targe shield" was used in the background of this label. The targe was used in conjunction with Scottish broadswords even after the Jacobite Rebellion. Therefore, the addition of a graphic, Celtic targe and cross completed the livery of this label perfectly.

A secondary strip label was developed by A. Guy Studio to carry legal copy, product information including the distillery name, as well as an original signature of the Wild Scotsman, Jeffery Topping. This arrangement not only provides an effective system for organizing needed information, but allows these elements to be handled with elegance.

The strip labels are also cost efficient. The product information in these labels can be printed separately, as needed, when further single cask, single malt products are to be launched. In this way, A. Guy Studio's good forward thinking creates a practical design, allowing flexibility of production.

This product line is now making it's way across the Atlantic! Look for these scotches soon, as they reflect unique Celtic artistry and heritage, inside the bottle and out.