Turtle Recap...we're back!

Okay so we've taken a little hiatus from the blog lately...it was kind of a vacation. Our "excuse" (if permitted and it most definitely is not) has been all of the events lately. But we're back from the dark side and ready to pump life back into good ol' Violet Society.

Here's a mini recap of what's been going on (and keeping us from the blog) in the turtle world.

Turtle client, Jaazz Salons raised $2700 for Haiti with their Haircuts for Haiti event on May 10, 2010. They brought out the TIGI tour bus and revitalized the cycle of donations to Haiti. What an amazing team!

 

TASTE Cafe & Gourmet To Go (TPT client and favorite lunch spot) held a wildly successful customer appreciation event on June 3rd, 2010. Towers of cupcakes, sandwich galore, local wine and beer...delicious.

photo credit: Brad Greene's iPhone

The Flying Goat opened it's doors officially on June 14, 2010, but kicked off a fantastic soft launch for contractors and team members on June 12th. We just love this place...and we love their wood fire oven pizza and Horned Aviator brew!

photo credit: Brad Greene's iPhone

The 4th Big Table was hosted at The White Room on Monday, June 7th, 2010. Chef Nicholas St. Clair from Cafe Marron and Chef Alexa Wilson of Sysco served up a smokin' menu that began with Spinach and Feta Cigars and ended with Smoked Vanilla Ice Cream. YUM...

 

photo credit: Stillpoint Photography

The Purple Turtle and Santé Resturant & Charcuterie kicked off 15 on May 23, 2010 with 15 courses, 15 wines, opera and the amazing company. More about 15 in the Spokesman and the Inlander (twice).

photo credit: Summit Photography

photo credit: Todd Sackmann Photography

The May 15th Windermere Marathon brought over 1400 runners to beautiful downtown Spokane for one of the most beautiful 26.2 mile strips in Washington. Congratulations to the runners and the Boston Qualifiers!

 

photo credit: Erin Arai's camera

15

15

On May 23, 2010 at 6:00 pm the doors of The White Room will open for 15: a 15-course dinner experience conceived and produced by The Purple Turtle and Santé Restaurant & Charcuterie. It will be an event for the senses, fusing the art of culinary technique with the science of molecular gastronomy. Chef Jeremy Hansen of Santé has created an extraordinary menu (and put in the 100 hours of time to develop it) that competes with culinary progressives across the globe.

The menu, available on the website, boasts avante-garde items such as Cumquat Pearls and Lavender & Honeysuckle Pillows as well as the irresistabley savory Chocolate Braised Berkshire Belly and Prosciutto & Melon Ravioli. Nothing short of amazing!

WHY 15?

Aside from a love of food and a propensity to watch full seasons of Top Chef in a single sitting, the dream for 15 was born out of the shared desire of its creators to make Spokane a world class city and further propel it toward that status. There are plenty of people who aren't convinced that Spokane is ready to embrace the culinary movement, or global progression for that matter, but as you can tell, we feel otherwise. Spokane has already proven that it is more than willing to accept changes via the revitilization of the downtown scene, the success of new and unique businesses and the strides toward sustainability.

Join us for an unforgettable evening and a truly landmark event for Spokane!

See you at The White Room.

Details on the website:experience15.com.

Tickets are available by calling Santé at 509.315.4613.

PREVIEW

Culinary genius translated on paper.

Chef Hansen's sketch Course #1. Cucumber and Kawaire Salad. Coriander Caviar. Lavash Square. Segments of Orange in Cucumber Gelee.

Course #4:  Halibut. Squash Blossom Salad. Chervil Potato Window. Creamed Cumquat Pearls.

Course #9:  Berkshire Tenderloin. Onion & Garlic Glass Dome. Raspberry Dust. Rosemary Smoke. White Onion & Raspberry Coulis.

The Evolution of the Goat / La Evolución de la Cabra

There was buzz around The Flying Goat before it was even called The Flying Goat. When word got out that Jonathan Sweatt from Downriver Grill wanted to start a pizzeria/tap room, everyone started talking.

Now, I don't have any big announcement for you at the moment...I'll leave that for Jonathan, (though the ETA for The Flying Goat is currently in June!) instead I'm going to show you how The Flying Goat logo came to be.

This is the evolution of the goat.

Once we settled on the name, (brainstormed over beer and flatbread, polled our friends, etc.) it was time for us to do what we do best...develop an identity for the goat.

Creativity flows without constrictions, so we let our design team develop the first round of concepts based upon their interpretation of The Flying Goat (with some basic direction). We were looking to create a strong, fresh brand that would define that place where you go to gather with friends, fill up the old growler and eat gourmet, wood-fired pizza. It also needed to be a logo that would translate well onto beer mugs and paraphernalia. The Flying Goat will be more than a great place to eat and grab a beer...it will become a culture!

Now that I am done with that spiel, here is the first round of concepts:

From those concepts, we narrowed it down to three favorites. #1 The aviator #2 The wild and winged and #3 The magestic "goat" of arms (...I couldn't resist!).

The aviator was, hands down, our #1! Wings are an expected interpretation of The Flying Goat, but the goggles are just clever (Kudos Alonso!).  After making our decision, we began working on the little guy's face, playing around with the shape of his eyes and nose.

We joked around that Version B of the goat has that "deer in the headlights" look. Do you see it?

 

With the infinite wisdom of our creative directors we found a home for our goat admist a striking, bright cobalt background.See #2.

 Moving forward, we changed the font type and polished option #2. And of course...played around with a few small details of the poor goat's face (needless to say, I'm sure our designer is happy to be finished with the goat.)

And finally, after a few dozen goats, we have our final, beautifully designed (and hand drawn!) logo for The Flying Goat!

Disclaimer: No animals were hurt in the making of this logo.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

La Cabra Voladora, cuando se supo que Jonathan Sweatt (Chef del Restaurante Downriver Grill) quería empezar una pizzería-pub, muchos empezaron ha hablar del nuevo proyecto.

Por ahora, no tenemos ningún "gran anuncio" para ustedes ... eso lo dejamos para Jonathan. En lugar de eso les vamos a mostrar cómo se desarrollo el logo.

Esta es la evolución de La Cabra Voladora.

Una vez que nos decidimos por el nombre, empezamos a desarrollar una identidad para La Cabra Voladora. 

La creatividad fluye sin constricciones. Estábamos buscando para crear una marca fuerte, fresca, que definiría el lugar donde usted va a reunirse con los amigos y comer gourmet pizzas a la leña. También era necesario un logotipo que se vería bien en jarras de cerveza y otros productos de merchandising. La Cabra Voladora será más que un gran lugar para comer y tomar una cerveza ... se convertirá en una cultura!

A continuación vea la evolución del concepto.

Social Media benefits for ME / Los beneficios de las Redes Sociales para MI

We talk day and night about social media benefits for businesses, but we NEVER talk about the social media benefits for you and me (you know, real people). Yes, the social world is ripe with opportunity for businesses, but it's only successful because the end consumer is on board! AND why should you get on board? Well...because social media provides some pretty sweet benefits for us too!

The benefits of engaging on social networks:

1. Stay connected with family and friends!

I don't mean to be Miss Obvious, but this is the key reason why you need to be active on social networks! Stay in touch with your family and friends...your life will be richer for it!

2. Score some sweet deals.

Connect with your favorite brands via Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Chances are you will get plenty of opportunities to win free stuff or get deals and discounts. 

Some generous brands:

• Dell @dell (known for tweeting discounts and deals)
  
  
• Sprinkles @sprinkles (they give away cupcakes...lots of them. you've just got to live near a Sprinkles!)
• Urban Outfitters @UrbanOutfitters
  

If you're looking for something specific, sift through the rift raft. Use search.twitter.com/search to find great deals using the # (hashtag function) i.e. Search: #wine #deals

3. Get involved with the community and issues YOU care about.

Social media has embraced social causes as if they were a long lost brother. If you want to help Haiti, you don't have to become a volunteer at the Red Cross. Just go online.

i.e. Invisible Children on Social Vibe

Ronald McDonald House on Facebook Causes

#HELPHAITI on Twitter

4. Ditch CNN for your Twitter feed. 

My very favorite use of Twitter is as a source of news. I don't have time to watch the news during the day, but with my handy Twitterfeed the news comes to me in 140-character bite sized pieces. 

5. Subscribe to magazines without...subscribing to magazines. 

I love magazines, but I don't have the time or money to subscribe to all of them. Luckily for us, all of our favorite magazines have become incredibly active in social networking. If I want to read about the latest Celebrity Gossip, all I have to do is become a follower/ fan of (subscribe to) People Mag on Facebook.

6. Network/market yourself more effectively than ever.

You've heard the success stories: man loses job, man starts tweeting, joins LinkedIn, hops on Facebook and man gets job! It's amazing how many companies have now limited their job search to social media outlets. Some companies have even stopped taking resumes...instead they take tweets. So, get online and make some friends, you never know what opportunities will arise.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

Hablamos de día y de noche de los beneficios de las redes sociales para las empresas, pero poco se habla de los beneficios de las redes sociales para tí y para mí (tu sabes, la gente real). Sí, el mundo social ha llegado con grandes oportunidades para las empresas, pero el éxito se debe a que el consumidor final está a bordo! ¿Y tu por qué estas a bordo? Bueno ... porque los medios de comunicación social ofrecen beneficios para nosotros también! 

Los beneficios de participar en redes sociales: 

1. Manténgase conectado con familia y amigos! 

Esta es la razón fundamental por la que necesita para estar activos en las redes sociales! Manténgase en contacto con su familia y amigos ... tu vida será más rica! 

2. Las ventajas. 

Conéctate con tus marcas favoritas a través de Facebook, Twitter y Hi5. Es probable que encuentres muchas oportunidades para ganar cosas gratis o conseguir ofertas y descuentos. 

3. Involucrarse con la comunidad y los temas que te interesan. 

Los medios de comunicación social han abrazado las obras de caridad como si se tratara de un hermano perdido. Si desea ayudar a Haití, no tiene que convertirse en un voluntario de la Cruz Roja. Sólo tienes que ir en línea. 

4. Aprovecha que CNN esta en Twitter.

Mi uso preferido de Twitter es como una fuente de noticias. No tengo tiempo para ver las noticias durante el día, pero con el Twitterfeed a la mano, las noticias me llegan a mí en 140 caracteres o menos.

5. Suscribirse a revistas ... sin suscripción a revistas. 

Me encantan las revistas, pero si no tienes el tiempo o dinero para suscribirse a todas las revistas que quieres. Afortunadamente para nosotros, todas nuestras revistas favoritas han llegado a ser increíblemente activas en la creación de redes sociales. Si quiero leer sobre los últimos chismes de la farándula, todo lo que tienes que hacer es ser un seguidor / fan de ellas.

6. Vendete más eficazmente que nunca. 

Tu has escuchado las historias de éxito: el hombre pierde el trabajo, el hombre empieza a buscar, se une a LinkedIn y a Facebook y el hombre consigue trabajo! Es increíble cómo muchas empresas ya han limitado su búsqueda de empleo a los medios de comunicación social. Algunas empresas incluso han dejado de recibir curriculums ... en vez toman tweets. Por lo tanto, a conectarse en línea y hacer algunos amigos, nunca se sabe qué oportunidades se presentan.

judging a book by its cover / juzgando un libro por su cubierta

We all do it. We look at something and make a split second decision based solely on appearance. As a person who loves all things shiny and makes most buying decisions based upon aesthetics, I am probably worse than most. However, it's incredibly important that businesses invest serious resources (time & money) into their packaging. When I refer to packaging, I am not only referring to box that your iPhone came in, but rather am talking about the WHOLE package. And, by the WHOLE package, I am referring to all the visual elements of your brand from your website, to your store front, to your business cards...to the box that your iPhone came in.

Make sure your packaging is:

1. FUNCTIONAL (it needs to work!)

2. EASY TO USE (it needs to work well!)

3. INNOVATIVE (it's 2010 and it is time to ditch the cardboard box (or template website) for something will promote brand differentiation and brand recognition. It might even be something that people will want to keep instead of recycle.)

4. VISUALLY APPEALING (it needs to CATCH the consumer's attention and appeal to your target market.)

These aren't all the necessary checklist items for product packaging (it should be safe, brand consistent and follow guidelines), but they are key for developing a strong memorable WHOLE package!

SOME BEAUTIFUL "PACKAGES" WE'VE DESIGNED:

A PRODUCT Margarita Cookies, the peruvian version of Nilla Wafers:

Don't these look good?

CD PACKAGING:

Lincoln Center CD for the Grand Opening.

Shriners' CD packaging we designed for friend, Shawn Morlock.

 The STORE FRONT for aNeMonE:

We designed their branding a few years back and they debuted this beautiful store in 2009 (check it out next to Nordstrom in River Park Square).

ONLINE "PACKAGE" for Marcella's Bridal:

All of the online outlets for Marcella's Bridal from their website to their blog to their Twitter page and icon to their Facebook Fan Page and Facebook ad.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

Todos lo hacemos. Esperamos algo y tomamos una decisión basada únicamente en la apariencia. Como una persona que ama todas las cosas brillantes, tomo la mayoría de decisiones de compra basadas en la estética, soy probablemente peor que la mayoría de personas. 

Sin embargo, es increíblemente importante que las empresas inviertan recursos (tiempo y dinero) en sus envases. Cuando me refiero a mi favorita de todas las P del marketing, el Paquete, no sólo me refiero a la caja en que llego el iPhone, sino más bien a todo el paquete. Y, por todo el paquete, me refiero a todos los elementos visuales de la marca: de su sitio web, del frente de la tienda, sus tarjetas personales...

Asegúrese de que su envase tenga lo siguiente: 

1. FUNCIONAL (que necesita para trabajar!) 

2. Fácil de usar (que necesita para trabajar bien!) 

3. Innovador (estamos en el 2010 y es el momento de deshacerse de la caja de cartón (o plantilla web) su Paquete debe promover la diferenciación y reconocimiento de marca. Incluso podría ser algo que la gente quiere mantener en lugar de reciclar.) 

4. Visualmente atractivo (que necesita para captar la atención del consumidor y su mercado objetivo.) 

Estos no son todos los puntos de la lista necesarios para el embalaje del producto, sino los fundamentales para el desarrollo de un Paquete completo y memorable! 

Estos son algunos de lo hermosos "paquetes" que hemos diseñado: 

Paquete de galletas Margarita en el Perú.

El CD del Lincoln Center para la gran inauguración. 

El CD Shriners lo hemos diseñado para nuestro querido amigo, Shawn Morlock. 

El cartel de la tienda Anemone. Diseñamos su marca hace unos años y se estrenó en la hermosa tienda en el 2009 (Al lado de Nordstrom en River Park Square). 

Paquete "online" para la Casa de Novias Marcella's. Todos los puntos de venta en línea: desde su sitio web, su blog, sus iconos para las páginas de Twitter y Facebook, a el diseño sus anuncios en Facebook.