Wowza! I’ve been dying to highlight these quilts! In honor of last Friday’s historic final voyage of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the final launch of the United States Space Shuttle program, it’s the perfect time to share. I saw the M-64 Galaxy quilt (above left) in Dwell magazine last month and couldn’t wait to check out Jimmy McBride’s website. I was wowed by the innovative quilt designs he has on display that depict his love of space. The colors against the black night of outerspace are spectacular, but his translation of the images of galaxies and nebulas into shapes and fabric patterns is really inspiring. The quilts are hand-wrought and put together with either hand or machine quilting. I was blown away by their detail, color selection and composition. Enjoy!

For those space nerds like Mr. McBride and myself, take a closer look at images that are inspiring his quilting forays and get a view of what’s happening with Atlantis and the International Space Station at the NASA website – great photos and videos. I couldn’t tear my 5-year-old away!

You’ve seen the silicone wristbands made popular by Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong campaign. Similar wristbands have been popular tokens for several years in support of many different charitable causes. The bands offer a tangible way for individuals to show their involvement in the respective endeavors represented, and they also provide a sense of community among those impacted by the issues the bracelets highlight.

How can this concept be applied to YOUR marketing efforts?

In our effort to showcase quality ideas and quality promotions in the Quack! blog, we’re launching a promotional spotlight feature today. With this series, we hope to highlight specific products that may be of interest to our clients. Beyond simply offering special pricing, however, we hope to provide some specific ideas for how the chosen product could be used for real promotional impact. Just consider it a mini brainstorming session with the Sitting Dux designed to net some creative marketing ideas.

DEBOSSED SILICONE BRACELETS

Your message is debossed deep into the bracelet for a unique look. The bracelets are available in most Pantone colors to coordinate with your brand. Plan ahead with this item because the production time is approximately 4-6 weeks after artwork approval. Notice the low minimum order — only 100 pieces! Set-up is $50 and the pricing includes debossing in 1 location.

Qty = 100
Price = $4.40 each

Qty = 250
Price = $2.19 each

Qty = 1000
Price = $0.98

HOW CAN I USE THIS PRODUCT?

Multi-day festivals or events
If you need a way to offer visitors access to multi-day festivals or events, why not try the wristband? A festival-goer’s ticket buys them a customized bracelet that offers free entry for the duration of the event. Plus, attendees walk away with a built-in souvenir of a fun time–a great way to begin building a following for yearly events!

Summer camps or school orientation sessions
Whether you are planning a summer full of youth church camps or kid’s science and educational weeks, this silicone bracelet is a great team-building tool. Camp attendees love to have tangible reminders of a great experience. For children and teenagers, your camp’s bracelet will become a treasured possession. During camp, this bracelet can serve as a camper’s entry access for camp transportation, a “purchasing” tool for camp materials or supplies, and another opportunity for providing security. In addition, purchase quantities in various colors and use the bracelet as a means of organizing “teams” for recreation, transportation, rotating seminars or activities, etc.

Preferred customer promotions
For retail businesses or restaurants this wristband is also a unique way to execute customer appreciation or preferred customer purchasing programs. If you need a way for customers to show their loyalty to your store or restaurant, offer the bracelet with a “cool” statement that customers will want to wear. Offer special deals or discounts to customers who wear it into the store. This product is a fun summer alternative to the standard punch card for restaurant or bar drink specials or food discounts. Patrons can purchase the bracelet for a one-time fee and wear to gain discounts on selected items — a great option in college towns like ours!

Congratulations to our long-time client, Hydrovac Industrial Services, Inc, on the launch of their new website! This website redesign came on the heels of a corporate brochure update and the need to give their online presence a fresher look.

Hydrovac offers state-of-the-art and high-tech industrial services to a variety of industries. As a leader in the industrial services field, their training methods, high-quality equipment and unmatched execution and company culture is quite impressive. Their marketing efforts were overdue for a website that matched the progressive approach they take to providing services like industrial vacuuming, hi-flow, watercutting, bioblasting, video inspection and more.

Dux D’Lux worked with the Hydrovac team to create a new look for the website that offered more visual appeal with the use of eye-catching colors and more photographs of the company in action. We also revamped the information in the website to reflect changes in the company services and to boost the site’s exposure in search engines.

Kudos to Hydrovac Industrial Services, Inc! It’s been a pleasure working with you through the years.

Warmer weather has arrived and golf season is well under way. Golfing is a time-honored sport for both men and women, and it remains a prime business networking opportunity as well. Customized golf products are highly valued promotional items for many businesses and organizations. Whether you are producing a charity golf tournament, looking for conference gifts or showing customer appreciation, golf accessories carry long-lasting promotional benefits.

Miss Jenn has found five sensational golfing products that are sure to inspire plenty of birdies or better. These promotional items are the perfect marketing solution for:

Golf Tournaments
Golf Pro Shops
Tradeshow Give-aways
Conference Momentos
Customer Appreciation
Corporate Retreats & Meetings

PACKAGED TALL TEES
This pack includes ten 2 3/4″ tees pre-packaged. Pricing includes 1-color imprint on the tees
Tee colors = white, black, blue, green, orange, red, yellow

Qty = 250 packs
Price = $0.95 each
Set-up = $45

Qty = 1000 packs
Price = $0.75 each
Set-up = $45

Special expires 6/25/10

CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA DIABLO GOLF BALLS
New, softer cover and HEX aerodynamics provide longer, more penetrating ball flight for added distance. Priced per dozen. Pricing includes 1- to 2-color imprint on 1 location.

Qty = 6 packages
Price = $39.00 each
Set-up = $45

Qty = 24 packages
Price = $35.00 each
Set-up = $45

Special expires 6/25/10

HEMMED WHITE GOLF TOWEL
100% cotton velour hemmed towel with brass grommet and hook. “Soft-hand” silk screened impring
Size = 15 x 18″
Pricing includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

Qty = 125 towels
Price = $2.28 each
Set-up = $45

Qty = 250 towels
Price = $2.10 each
Set-up = $45

Special expires 6/25/10

GOLF ACCESSORY KIT
We love this item! And your minimum quantity is only 100!
2 3/4 x 2 5/8″ kit includes 1 divot fixer, permanent ball marking pen, 2 plastic ball markers and 4 tees. Fits easily into pocket or golf bag.
Box colors = clear or translucent blue
Marker colors = black, blue, red or green
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on box

Qty = 100 kits
Price = $1.84 each
Set-up = $45

Special expires 7/25/10

ECO-FRIENDLY GOLF BALLS
A green to the core, environmentally friendly ball made of eco-friendly material.
100% recyclable and made from renewable material.
Packaging is also eco-friendly, so it’s a responsible product all around!
Priced per dozen.
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 1 location.

Qty = 6 packages
Price = $23.50 each
Set-up = $50

Special expires 12/25/10

I came across this extraordinary fabric pattern by Palace Papers in a magazine recently. The fern fronds provide a touch of natural whimsy and unexpected detail to the traditional herringbone pattern. I couldn’t stop looking at it!

Plant forms are some of the most prolific sources of design inspiration. What better teacher of principles for design like economy, variation, pattern or form? The Palace Papers swatches got me thinking of some of our own past projects that have interpreted leaf and plant forms. Enjoy this flash from the past with Dux D’Lux logo designs inspired by plant life.

I’ve been noticing how often I use my keys — at home, in the car, at the office. They are with me almost all the time, and I’m sure it’s the same for you. The key chain that holds my entry essentials is prime real estate for getting my attention. This makes it prime real estate for a creative marketing message and a valuable product I can use every day or just in a pinch.

Check out this special pricing on three great ways to put your marketing message in the hands of customers every day. Promotional key chains are some of our most popular and successful promotional products. Whether it’s the standard beverage wrench, a handy key flashlight or a pocket key ring knife, these options are good solutions for getting your “key” message front and center!

BEVERAGE WRENCH
Features a stainless steel insert for opening bottle caps and a lever edge for opening cans.
Colors = 16 colors to choose from, including Mississippi State Maroon for our Bulldog fans!
(Mix and match colors at no additional charge)
Pricing includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

Minimum Qty = 250
Price = $0.49 each
Set-up = $50
Special pricing expires 6/30/10

MINI FLASHLIGHT
Includes an incandescent bulb, slide switch and batteries (not inserted)
Size: 3 3/16 x 1″
Pricing includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

Minimum Qty = 100
Price = $0.95 each
Set-up = $45
Special pricing expires 9/25/10

6-FUNCTION POCKET KNIFE
Perfect for a keyring. Knife includes 6 features: knife, nail groomer, scissors, split-ring, toothpick, tweezers
Size = 2 1/4″ x 3/4″ x 5/16″
Includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

Minimum Qty = 150
Price = $1.64 each
Set-up = $50
Special pricing expires 8/25/10

As we’ve been focusing on working women this week leading up to the celebration of Mother’s Day, we’ve shared some ideas for pampering those women executives and business owners on your client list with great give-aways. We’ve also shared the second installment of Debra Shafer’s online mentoring session featuring great insights from her 30 years as a woman entrepreneur. Today, we shift our focus to outfitting women in the workplace.

The corporate “uniform” today is becoming more and more varied and often times more casual. However, businesses and organizations are seeing that the way their team members are clothed can make a powerful impression on customers. Offering employees a collection of brand-sensitive and logo-embellished wearables is a great way to foster a consistent brand image with the public as well as help team members to “buy in” to the brand identity. In addition, corporate-centered wearables can be a huge asset for visibility in situations like tradeshows, conferences, or industry events. But, how do you provide wearables your women executives and team members will want to wear — and items they’ll feel comfortable in?

Women often feel at their best and most productive when they are comfortable and at ease in their clothing. Corporate wearables are no different than personal fashion choices in that regard. Offering adequate choices is one of the keys to creating a successful corporate wearables program that will meet the requirements of both men and women.

Because of the considerable trend toward logo-wear in the workplace, there are a multitude of garment options for women to choose from. When determining pieces to include in your corporate wearables package for women, pay attention to these three considerations: options, details and flexibility.

Options.
For women, the thought of wearing a specific “uniform” is sometimes off-putting. Women value individuality in their clothing choices, so offering those options can make a corporate wearable program more successful. When planning your logo-wear options, color can be a great way to provide brand consistency while also allowing for individuality. Offering a variety of clothing pieces and styles within the same brand color palette can offer a uniform “look” as well as enable team members to exercise personal preferences. For example, the polished blouse and women’s cut polo in the blue color family above offer both “dressed-up” and more casual options that will work in different business situations and for different tastes. In addition, this flexible approach to a team look gives your business a less “Stepford” and more current look, showing prospects and other companies a more individual-based approach to doing business–a real plus for larger companies in particular.

Details.
One of the main areas where corporate wearables fall short in outifitting women team members is in choosing items that are primarily designed for men. The details in the cuts of men’s clothing versus women’s is very noticeable for women employees. Pay attention to size breakdowns and choose items that are available specifically in women’s sizes to provide a more comfortable fit. Consider fashion details such as the cut of the waist or shape of the hemline. Items that flatter women tend to include a cut that is smaller at the waist and wider at the hip, rather than a straight cut. Also, women often enjoy wearing their blouses and shirts untucked, so a straight or only slightly curved hemline can provide a more professional look. In addition, take sleeve lengths into account when choosing items to include in the program. Options like the 3/4 sleeve straight-hem shirt and the more casual v-neck tee shirt shown above offer alternatives to the standard boxy company tee shirt.

Flexibility.
Women tend to layer their clothing year-round. By providing a selection of wearables that can be layered, the flexibility of the pieces is greatly expanded. Consider items like tee shirts, polos and button-downs that can be combined, as well as vest, sweater and jacket options. By maintaining a limited selection of colors for some of the pieces and expanded options for others, team members can create an individual look that also maintains a consistent image. Even for the warmer months, include items like the cardigan sweater or casual trench shown above. These items lend a professional image, but are more flexible for various events than the standard blue blazer approach.

By creatively choosing logo-embellished clothing options that afford individuality and flexibility along with reinforcing the company brand and image, businesses can develop corporate wearables programs that receive full support from both their men and women team members.

Today’s post features Part 2 of an online discussion conducted with Dux Queen, Debra Shafer during our recent Online Women in Business Forum. Held exclusively on Facebook in collaboration with our our friend and colleague Jennifer Wyatt of Her Executive Coach, this 2-part live “mentoring session” with Deb featured her insights on  conducting business as a woman for 30 years as well as her advice for marketing a small business. Take a look!