Meet Liz

So, once in a while I like to take a moment to give you a little peek into the goings on of one of our creative individuals here at Third Degree.  Remember Meet Brian?

Well, meet our designer Liz.  Her demeanor at work is quiet, thoughtful and calm.  

The photo above isn't actually a picture of Liz, but it's a stock photo we use for some of our Third Degree diner materials sometimes, and I always think the girl is a spitting image of Liz in a retro green dress.

This is a real photo of Liz's desk.  So neat and tidy.  The cleanest in the office.

A pleasantly maintained facade, until all our colleagues at Third Degree are invited to the wedding of the year.  Seems like a harmless enough festivity. The toasts are made, the spirits start flowing, the DJ winds up, and holy-freakin-moly!  Liz it seems, is a firecracker.*

*Literally on fire, as she exclaimed to Jeff,  a fire chief by occupation, husband to Mickie our EVP, and known to take an occasional spin on the dance floor, pictured above.   Photos by Simon Hurst.

That bright copper hair atop that cool head on her shoulders should have been a giveaway from the start.  Known to down an Irish Car Bomb quicker than you can say top o' the mornin' to ya (that's the name of a drink I've learned from Hallie, our other resident Irish lass), Liz even wrote and handcrafted this really cleverly made and perfectly designed St. Patrick's day drinking guide and conversation starter to give to all her friends and family.

Liz is a master of the Xacto knife.  Her personal passion is creating handmade books which are really difficult to execute cleanly.  And you've seen her desk, so um, yeah, little threads of hanging-on paper and uneven borders aren't really going to be good enough for one of her little creations.  

If cutting paper is one of her greatest skills, it's matched only by her cutting wit.  Liz has been with Third Degree a couple of years, and one of her most memorable portfolio pieces when interviewing for the job, was this book – a collection of Wu-Tang Clan explicit rap lyrics bound up and annotated as if they were prose from a former century, in the most ironic interpretation of "old school" I've ever seen. 

Oklahoma Blood Institute probably didn't realize that while Liz was practicing her typography with words you wouldn't want to say in front of your mom, she was unknowingly just gearing up to design this Gold Addy award-winning annual report she created for them this past year. Don't stop honing your craft, Liz.  And never stop cutting that rug.

Invitation Invasion

What's a personal perk of working with or being a designer?  Really neat wedding invitations.

Going To The Chapel

You 'd think it was June at Third Degree.  We've had two eventful weddings this past month. The first was Amanda's.  She's a sophisticated, professional gal, and I think her personal style runs kind of earthy-artsy meets conservative-classy.  She had Kathleen design her wedding invitations for her and her now-husband Andy.  Birds and feathers and leaves and scrolls abound in this design, but it still somehow conveys a simple statement.

Lovely Letter

Kathleen was our late March wedding.  It was an unconventional wedding for an unconventional girl.  Of course, she designed her own invitations.  The copy sort of reads like a Wes Anderson-inspired correspondence, with typewriter lettering, clever little cameo silhouettes and signatures of the couple.

Intersting details are what make this invite so homemade and individualized, like a hang tag RSVP, stamped kraft paper envelopes and a strip of photo booth pics of the couple. 

Surprisingly enough, an affinity for designing wedding invitations has not gone to waste for one of our clients, Delta Community Credit Union.  A year or so back they came to us with an idea to promote their CD product like a special invitation to an exclusive offer.  They had us design a direct mail piece that looked, felt and read like a wedding invitation.

We certainly had the art director for the job.  Kathleen executed the concept with all the scrolls and frills (look familiar?), and even included an RSVP card and return envelope.  The cards were printed on white column metallic stock and the envelopes on silver metallic. It was a very unique way to turn a credit union product promotion into a memorable offering that made the recipients feel like they were getting something above and beyond the usual.

One Smart Little Credit Union

Allegiance (located in Oklahoma City and around $200 million in asset size) is the first credit union we ever did work for, starting about 6 years ago.  And we just love them.  And I say smart "little" credit union, but that's just because they make a little go a long way. They are really great about making the most out of the ideas we create for them.  They always go that extra step after we've created a campaign or a theme for a new promotion and really embrace it internally.

People People

For example, they always use their own employees to tell their story, featuring them in all their materials.  Here is a messaging series we created for their allegiancecu.org site to help them position themselves as really being a knowledgable resource for their members.  Not only did they embrace it, but they made their own buttons that each of their front-line employees wear in the branches, deciding if they want to be a "helper," a "knower" or a "sharer" depending on their own personality.

A Silly/Serious Promotion

This is the most recent checking promotion we themed for them.  Third Degree created the concept, and then designed elements like teller mats, doorhangers, direct mail and web banners.  The promotion got great results, just between November and December Allegiance grew $3.8 million in checking accounts and now have over 800 Rewards Checking accounts. 

Window Shopping

Of course we can't take all the credit.  We didn't even know Allegiance had hired a window artist to come in to paint these whimsical branch-front windows to feature the promotion, until Brett, who designed the smart/silly campaign happened to see them driving by.  Could they have had Third Degree design and produce a more graphic, professional window-cling? Sure.  Would a more conservative or sophisticated campaign been sort of jacked up by trying to recreate it with a cartoonish window-painting style? Uh... yeah.  But for this fun, lively, friendly promotion, it was a perfect fit, and a really economical solution.

Making "Spectacles" of Ourselves

That's Brett.  And that is one clever idea we can't even take credit for.  Dang!  However, that doesn't stop us from posing in front of it.   Nice shades.

School Days

So we have more than just interns to account for our school ties at Third Degree. We've actually done a lot of work for colleges and universities, including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University.


Universal Appeal

This is a set of collaterals that Kathleen and Kande just recently completed for OCU. I think they look really modern and competitive. OCU attracts students from around the world, so having a global appeal was a big deal.


Campus Collage

This is the theme that Phillip and I developed for the University of Oklahomas recruitment efforts a couple years back. This first redesign set the tone for the next couple years, which we helped them evolve. This campaign won a gold Addy for us that year as a mixed media campaign, which is cool, because most mixed media campaigns that win include "big" mediums like broadcast like TV or radio, but ours competed with just a mix of different types of well-crafted collaterals.


Doodles and Details

This was a seriously layered approach, tons of tidbits of information, handwritten notes, little objects and photos. It sort of had the feel of a scrapbook or common room bulletin board in a dorm.


Home Page

The gals and guys at OU web wanted us to help them create a new look for their web site, too. This is a huge project for them over there, and they are all about getting their site as cohesive and comprehensive as a major university's should be. So, as they continue to take that online presence to the next level, we're just glad to have had a part in influencing the look and feel.

Plus, I got to be featured on the web site as an alumn (not the brooding guy with the mysterious hair, the smiley girl with the not-so-mysterious hair.)

Dining & Dancing With Daddy

For the past few years we've designed the invitation and collaterals for the annual Dining & Dancing With Daddy event, held by The Oklahoma Gladney Family Association of the Gladney Center for Adoption.  This is a really neat black tie dinner where dads and daughters (and some sons with cute little tuxes, too) have a fancy night out with other families like theirs, brought together by Gladney.

Birds of a Feather

The first year we designed the materials, Kathleen art directed, and not only did we find out how fun it was to design these neat little invitations, but we also won a gold Addy award and a silver District Addy award for a not-for-profit invitation.

Fancy-Fancy

The next year we did a more embellished invitation in royal purples and metallic golds.  Liz designed this place setting style theme.

I love all the little details that make it seem even more special.

Pretty In Pink

This years invitation, also designed by Liz, is printed on cross-hatched textured paper, layered with watercolor-inspired textures and powder-puff dandelion graphics.

Dining and Dancing with Daddy 2009 is this weekend, Saturday, January 31st.  And I know two people who will definitely be in attendance...

Steppin' Out... With My Baby

Mickie, Third Degree's executive vice president, with her son Jackson (remember the cute little tuxes reference?)  Mickie and her husband have been involved on the Gladney Family Association and are past presidents of the central oklahoma group.

I personally think Mickie should wear a feather boa to work every day.  She had Jackson up here yesterday because the schools were STILL closed because of the ice.  But we have plenty of crayons, computer games and weird desk toys to keep any 4-and-a-half-year-old entertained for at least... well... twelve minutes (I mean, he only ran into the meeting room once during a conference call.)  Have fun being the beau of the ball this weekend, Jackson!