Salt Design Case studies: Highlighting our favourite portfolio pieces, explaining initial client briefs, our design process and any tricks we learnt along the way.

We are highly experienced in design and production of both print and digital-based projects. Our passion and focus is design. However, we also understand that our ability to provide great service is achieved through a strong, collaborative relationship with our clients.

At the top of our game

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Salt elevated Apex Facades’ business profile, enabling their brand to tower above their competitors.

Rigged up and ready for anything

We certainly rose to the challenge when we were handed the reins to create a digital interactive corporate profile from the ground up!

At Salt, we strive to work collaboratively with our clients. We also have a responsibility to use our design expertise to lead a project and push the envelope in terms of design and maximising content value.

For this project, we created a theme which was carried through every aspect of the document – from content research and writing, to copywriting playful headlines, to creating an edgy design and including our client’s awesome photography!

From our very first conversation with Apex Facades, we knew we were in for a fun and exciting ride! We loved their energy and passion for the business which elevated our expectations for this project to an even higher level.

Rising to the challenge

We set to work researching the business, their achievements, industry and competitors. From the insights gained, we began shaping the direction for the profile, taking on board our client’s vision, observations, likes and dislikes; and most importantly defining and showcasing the ‘why’ of the business.

While our clients were out scaling facades, we were refining the draft content they provided, wordsmithing pun-intended headings and preparing the text ready for the next step in our process – the design phase…

Elevating their brand profile

We visually-linked the profile theme by utilising dramatic photography, strong directional design devices and angles using a high-contrast colour palette. Our design absolutely represented Apex’s brand personality – innovative, daring and proactive!

After nailing the design brief, it was time to incorporate the interactive element which would provide readers with multiple ‘small bites’ of information. This feature also enabled us to effectively manage a large amount of content while keeping the PDF file size relatively small and suitable for emailing.

Apex pride themselves as innovation specialists, so we were especially keen to use interactive features to showcase their approach, and to engage and impress potential clients.

The sky’s the limit

Our client soars at heights we can only dream about! Telling their story from a photographic perspective was a powerful tool and certainly provided the hero element in our design.

We shared with the Apex team the value of strong photography and why investing in taking photos of the highest quality from the get-go truly makes an impactful difference to the finished result. From our insights, our client was able to provide us with such an amazing, quality library of images that we were spoilt for choice!

We are using our phone cameras more often to capture candid moments, then quickly posting these to social platforms. Although technology has come a long way, it’s important to recognise that these images are not always suitable for the variety of mediums and materials we design. For example, while a photo may be fine for your brochure, it’s too small to scale-up to suit a wall mural.

Reflecting on a job well done

At the completion of a project, there’s an amazing feeling of satisfaction we get when we’ve achieved a result that we’re proud of – brilliant design with strong brand messaging. This project was a great example of delivering the total package. And the best reward – our client was even happier with the result!

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker

 

The power of playful design

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As a graphic design studio with a predominantly corporate focus, it’s such fun when we can ‘spread our wings’ on a project like this one! Many Salt projects are guided by brand guidelines where consistency and polished design are required. So what happens when we have a project that calls for fun, playful design without the usual confines of corporate design? We kick-off our shoes and grab our most colourful markers!

Where to begin?

Sometimes, it’s difficult for our clients to know how to begin a new project. So to help with the process, we ask questions to develop the project’s intent and design direction.

The first questions focus on the purpose of the project:

  • What is the reason for this project?
  • Who is the audience?
  • What is the best way to connect with this audience?

And then there’s the technical questions:

  • How many pages?
  • How long will it take?
  • How much will it cost?

For a new educational resource about Native Australian Bees titled “Powerful Pollinators”, our client had so much knowledge and information to share with school-aged children. They wanted to educate and inspire the generation of future farmers; to show them how important these tiny creatures are to our native habitat and to the future of our environment. By focussing on determining the answers to our questions we were able to understand and develop a strong creative brief for the activity book.

Colour your world!

We wanted to get these avid readers excited about the pages of this activity book. To grab their favourite markers and get to work adding even more colour! Bringing the pages to life with vibrant patterns and graphics, we created a design that catches their attention, encourages them think, learn and have fun!

Understanding what it is we are designing

We read what we design. It’s imperative to ensuring the design befits the content – what is seen first, what comes next, what are the important take-aways from each page. Once we understand the content and context, we use our design expertise to add value and support what is being presented, so it can be easily read and effectively understood.

For Powerful Pollinators, our client provided us with a collection of information snippets and facts, plus a few ideas for activities suitable for the reader’s age group. It was quite a mixed bag!

To begin, we spread the activities across the 12 text pages and then added the relevant fact snippets. Once we had the content in place, we embellished the page designs with heading styles, highlight treatments for facts, and coloured patterns to add life and interest. By considering the page layouts, font styling and colour palette, we brought together the pages to create a playful, yet consistent design. We also remained mindful of the comprehension ability of the reader age group – ensuring font sizes were appropriate and the level of information suitable.

We’re buzzing with excitement to know this activity book has kids having fun while learning!

Thanks also to Ellie and Frankie who tested the activities!

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker

 

Designing delicious websites

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There’s a saying “we eat with our eyes!”… So, when your business is food, your website has to be a mouth-watering visual delight!

An unexpected change to doing business

When COVID-19 hit, bookings erased from our event calendars literally overnight! Anniversary celebrations, 21st birthday parties, weddings, corporate engagements, formal dinners were no longer allowed.

Food FX Catering’s business landscape changed significantly due to the pandemic – business lunches were no longer a thing, formal gatherings were reduced to six close contacts, large parties were considered potential health risks.

When word-of-mouth is the modus operandi for new business generation, how do you source new work and new clients?

As a small boutique business, working both in and on the business can be challenging. For Food FX Catering, there never seemed to be enough time to do it all. Sadly, their existing website reflected this – outdated, lacking information and presence.

The silver lining to catering cancellations meant there was time to address the website and ‘pivot’ the business to capture clients online.

Giving customers what they are searching for

People are known to ‘shop around’ for caterers, and websites provide a great starting point to learn the basics – what services are available? and for how much?

Visiting competitor sites provided us an insight into what information to include on the site. Assessing the various methods of promotion cemented the style and design approach we wanted to take. Our client was insistent that they did not want to look too expensive or out-of reach of many. Importantly, they wanted their website to reflect their experience and friendly, wholesome approach to catering.

We set about developing a website framework with a better platform for engagement with customers. We created a design layout which visually presents a showcase of our client’s menu and catering capabilities. And we composed content to provide people with the information they search for when choosing a caterer.

“Happiness is eating dessert before lunch!”

As a person-to-person business engagement, it was important to our client that the warm and friendly personality of Food FX Catering was conveyed throughout the site. To do this we used language with a hint of humour – a genuine reflection of our client and their approach.

Although we couldn’t alter the existing logo, we revitalised the brand through colour and typography. And including a tantalisingly tasty selection of images added an emotional response while still provided even more details of the catering services provided.

Catering information pack

So how do you convert a potential customer into an actual booking? Food FX Catering had a Word file which could be downloaded from their site, filled out and submitted for a quote. It was outdated, lacked so much information and missed the opportunity to connect and gather contact information from prospective customers.

We replaced this file with an interactive PDF information kit. The new file provides detailed menus and package options, answers common questions around hiring a caterer, and is easier to submit. The new information kit also saves time for our client to collect booking details, customer information, and gives them a bridge to an initial consultation.

The pandemic was not an experience we want anyone to go through again! However, it has given some businesses the opportunity to reflect, address and reinvigorate their brand and approach to doing business.

As we head toward ‘normal’ life again, we’re glad to see catering events are happening even bigger and better for Food FX Catering! We may be bias, but we think it’s thanks to their website being ‘well-seasoned with Salt!’

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker

QMHC strategic documents & branding

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The importance of a consistent visual brand across a document suite

QMHC is an organisation which drives reform of the mental health and alcohol and other drugs systems in Queensland. Its role is to encourage and facilitate change to improve the mental health and well-being of all Queenslanders.

Salt Design has developed a strong visual profile for QMHC across multiple platforms and projects.

Understanding QMHC’s vision and purpose has enabled us to design engaging, positive, on-message collateral. By ‘getting’ what our client does, understanding their strategies and reason for being, and knowing their audiences, we have such a strong foundation on which to create purposeful designs.

It’s a point we have always felt so strongly about – that we MUST know our clients to be able to successfully create their brand and effectively profile their business purpose. Our work must never reflect our design styles. Rather, it should always communicate who our client is and visually present their business personality.

Art illustrating life

When developing a collection of strategic documents for QMHC, we needed to create a visual brand which represented the organisation’s future plans. A brand which engaged with key industry stakeholders, government, support organisations and the general public. Most importantly, a visual brand which reflected positively the sensitive topic of mental health and wellbeing.

During the initial design briefing, QMHC provided us with a collection of artworks produced during art therapy workshops. The works were powerful portrayals of the very personal journeys of a group of people with lived experience of mental health issues.
Each artwork was a colourful, abstract, multimedia expression, as diverse as the individuals who created them. And they provided the key to the design solution we were after!

Consistent visual branding

We still needed a means by which to ‘connect’ the artworks together within the initial document design. To do this, we selected an abstract painted background graphic. When combined with the artworks, this graphic provided colour, texture and visual interest.

The application of the painterly effect has been diverse. We have applied the graphic to multiple reports and supporting documents, posters, display banners, invitations, social media graphics and online resources.

We have also applied different brand colours to the graphic. By retaining the graphic and changing its colour gradients, we have created a new, fresh brand identity for the latest suite of corporate documents. It has provided a strong visual unity to the resources to make them truly a cohesive collection of information.

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker

 

 

Turning big ideas into winning results // Brisbane State High School

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At Salt, we’re known for great design – usually the end product is an A4 Report, brochure, business card, poster or pull-up banner.

So how excited were we when approached to design, print and install two HUGE murals in one of Brisbane State High School’s (BSHS) Sports Stadiums. What an amazing opportunity to show how design at any scale can inspire, engage and solve even the most challenging of briefs!

Changing a client’s brief

When first contacted, the brief was to design 26 x individual banners to be installed into a VERY large sports arena. However at the site inspection we quickly realised the walls of the stadium were already jammed-packed with ‘visual noise’ – acoustic panelling, basketball hoops, air vents, steel girders, loudspeakers, glass panels. The last thing these walls needed was even more stuff!!!

Instead, we proposed to design and create two eyecatching murals (one for either end of the stadium) which would draw everyone’s focus to the designs.

 

94 years, 26 sports and 2 corporate colours

The purpose of the banners from the original brief were to display and celebrate the School’s brilliant sporting achievements spanning over 94 years (1922-2016). Each premiership year in each sport (26 sports in total) was to be represented. Just how that could be done in a logical, eye-catching manner was a challenge in design planning.

A future-proofed design

The requirement for the murals is that they can be added to at the end of each year. Sports who have won their annual premiership will have the year added to their sport’s ‘honour roll’. Our design enables white vinyl cut lettering to be applied – with ample space for the School’s anticipated sporting excellence to continue in every sport for many years to come!

No photos please

Due to the potential limitations of using actual photographs within the design, our client requested that we find an alternative means by which to represent each sport. Planning for the longevity of the artworks (envisaging issues such as changes to uniforms, student privacy and potential copyright ownership of photographic images) lead us to opting for developing silhouette illustrations for each sport – some of which we added the School’s actual sporting uniform to provide even stronger visual links to BSHS.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle

Our design was based on a ‘layered’ image approach using the School’s corporate colour palette. Having already worked with the school, we understood their strong drive to encourange and empower students. So we added another ‘layer’ to the design by including motivational quotes which adds a sense of celebration of achievements and recognition that it is not about winning – but doing your best.

Getting the job done before the school bell

Timing for the production and installation of the murals was critical – the murals needed to be installed before the first day of school! We received final artwork approval two days before Christmas! Printing and planning for the installation took place during the first and second weeks of January.

Installation took a VERY long day. Planning was crucial as it involved hiring a specialised crane/lift which weighed less than the restricted requirements for the timber flooring in the stadium. Watch our video below to see how the day went…

The siren may have sounded – but the games have only just begun!

We are so pleased with the result! And even better is that our client is too! There is now a strong point of visual focus within the stadium – which reinforces the School’s visual brand and it’s vision for the School, its students and the entire school community.

Perhaps, as the clock counts down the last seconds of the next nail-biting game – it provides some winning motivation!

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker

 

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When the world is your oyster – you need to look as good as you taste!

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We eat with our eyes, so it made perfect sense for our client Freycinet Marine Farm to approach Salt Design to refresh their corporate identity. You can view our initial re-brand project here!

Wide format print production

Once again, Salt Design’s wide format print capabilities have proven so valuable to our designs! We have recently printed a suite of menu signs for the counter display! We are so pleased to have replaced the old make-shift signs with these delicious-looking posters!

Printed on our Roland XR-640 Wide Format Printer, using BJBALL Rhino W/F PP White Film Solvent SB300 ensuring the menus are easily cleaned and will continue to look like new!

Recent accolades

Recently, Freycinet Marine Farm came second in the Tasmanian Tourism Awards. Recognised nationally and internationally, this prestigious Award is proof of our client’s quality products, business acumen and progressive approach to tourism.

Congratulations Julia, Giles and all the Freycinet Marine Farm Team!

Next challenge

We have loved our involvement with Freycinet Marine Farm so far! We hope to begin designing a new website for them in the new year. . .

salt-shaker-signoffBecause everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker