For the 2010 holiday season – to provide supporters an opportunity to help families affected by domestic violence and abuse – I was happy to produce a special holiday gift catalog offered by the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County. With light illustration and rich imagery, the catalog features a full listing of gift ideas and ordering form offering a great alternative for this year’s gift giving.

The gifts allow anyone to help join the fight to break the cycle of abuse and violence by assisting the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County in offering confort, support and extending critical services to those in need.

For $25.00 you can supply crucial personal items to a woman arriving at the shelter, or for a larger gift of $1,000 you can help keep the shelter’s doors open by covering everyday expenses open for a full week.

On the heels of the Fight For Zero campaign rollout, some of the materials in the suite have been reworked, this time aimed at school-aged teens and college-aged youth on their campuses.

Faced with the challenge of appealing to a younger audience, I was focused on finding ways of making the materials disruptive. In order to get the attention of an already media-saturated demographic – not to mention one with their minds “made up” about most everything – the look of the materials needed to be a bit louder than the campaign’s earlier collateral. Admittedly, I have been influenced by much of the stylistic rendering seen in propaganda posters, specifically the Cuban posters from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s.

With a nod to the bold depiction of imagery of this era in poster design I mixed imagery and texture, a strong connection back to the parent campaign along with a new “badge” that gives the youth materials an unique device, helping them stand on their own.

Postcards and posters were produced – all tied to the fightforzero.org website “Teen Only” area. Visit now »

Quickly following the launch of a full integrated campaign for the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, they immediately turned their attention to creating some additional agency materials. First up was a “viewbook” of sorts – highlighting agency services and the agency’s focus on breaking the cycle of abuse and violence in their local community and beyond.

In Stories From The Fight – Finding Hope Through Struggle, real and powerful stories along with emotionally charged imagery become the vehicles for communicating the core focus of the Crisis Shelter:

The Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County encourages, empowers and advocates for those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and other violent crimes. We inspire, through awareness, education, prevention and intervention, citizens who are proactive in creating a safer community and breaking the cycle of violence.

I was murdered on March 10, 1996
My mom said I was beautiful, happy, energetic and just lit up a room – pure happiness.  I loved dinosaurs, Power Rangers and playing with my big sister. I was sleeping in bed when my mom’s ex-boyfriend broke into the house, shot my grandpa and then broke into my bedroom and shot me.  Then, he tried to kill my mother. Even though I just turned three, Sean didn’t like me and told my mom he was going to get us. He told other people that day he was going to kill us but nobody called to tell us. I died in the helicopter on the way to the Pittsburgh hospital. The police caught my killer immediately and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
– Michael – Age 3

I was murdered in July, 1996
I was the mother of a five-year-old daughter.  My husband battered me mentally and physically. When he realized that I was planning to leave him he strangled me to death in our home in July, 1996. The police couldn’t find my body but through the efforts of my loving family, dedicated police detectives and media attention, my killer was finally arrested in September, 2000.  Steven Paul Riggins was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. In October, 2007, the detectives were able to convince him to lead them to my body, which he had buried near the airport. If you’re being battered, let your friends and family help you and be aware of the grave danger you’re in.
– Nancy – Age 36

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

It has been found that in rural communities where men and women tend to stay in traditional roles, where people avoid asking for help, and where there is less awareness of domestic violence and its impact on victims and children are communities where it is harder for domestic violence victims to seek out the resources they need.

That statement opened the first paragraph of the request for proposals I received from the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, speaking loudly to me that my involvement in this project seemed hardly like a choice. This factual information was followed up by what can only be described as truly disturbing statistics that were nothing short of astonishing and, frankly, difficult to accept. Enter the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, who was planning an ambitious Rural Family Violence Awareness and Intervention Initiative, aimed at changing this situation in Lawrence County and beyond with tools, resources and awareness messaging to put these issues (and the need to combat them) in the spotlight.

I responded by helping them create a integrated campaign with a full spectrum of materials, including outdoor boards, print media placement, TV and web-based video and a “toolkit” which carried a suite of printed collateral – postcards and large-format posters.

The campaign centered around the concept that, according to the facts and statistics, the cycle of abuse and violence is perpetuated by “silence” or doing nothing. The “equation” metaphor worked to get at this idea while the “Fight for Zero” tagline became the pivot point for the call to action. While statistics revealed information like “90% of date rapes involve alcohol”  the Crisis Shelter’s call to action becomes “Donate and Fight For Zero” or “Speak up and Fight For Zero.” In two phases (adult-specific and teen-specific messaging), the campaign worked to drive traffic to their website, fightforzero.org, which was created by Forward Trends, which offered an innovated set of counseling resources and informational tools – all free as part of the Crisis Shelters grant-funded initiative.

Website production by Forward Trends
Video production by Uppercut

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

A recent study published by the University of Chicago followed a sample of young adults for six years, from the time when they were 17 or 18 years old and still living in temporary foster care. The results were troubling.  Only 7% of the young women and 5% of the young men had even an associate’s degree.  Fewer than half currently had a job, and most of those working were not earning a living wage (more than one quarter had no income from employment during the past year and half who had worked reported annual earnings of $8,000 or less).  Nearly 40% of these young people have been homeless or “couch surfed” since leaving foster care.  Most notably, as a group, these young people were less educated, more likely to be incarcerated, more likely to experience homelessness, and less likely to be employed than their peers who entered adulthood as part of a permanent family.

To bring awareness to this issue, and to better connect individuals with ways in which they can get involved, CASA of Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services banded together to host a rally on the steps of downtown Pittsburgh’s City-County building. Along with organizing talks by local former foster children, CASA and DHS also mobilized a “flash mob” with CASA and DHS staff members carrying life-size cut-outs representing the number of children currently within the foster care system.

To help support the promotion of the rally and drum up awareness for the Forgotten Child Campaign, I worked with CASA of Allegheny County to “brand the issue” itself, giving the Forgotten Child Campaign a unique identity and setting it apart from their other efforts. Along with postcard-sized handouts, we designed and set up a dedicated micro-site and communication mechanism to collect information from those interested in helping or attending the rally and to carry the momentum for the effort long after the event had past. The event was attended by over 100 people.

View the Forgotten Child Campaign website >

On Thursday, February 4th, 2010, the Pittsburgh creative community came out for the CREHAITIVE RE/VISION benefit event – an incredible collection of posters representing the group’s response to the earthquake event in Haiti. The posters also shined as an example of the collective support of the greater Pittsburgh community for the relief efforts of the Red Cross, as they came out to bid on these one-of-a-kind designer-submitted creations.

USE #CREHAITIVE and add yours to the Flickr Group >

$1,050 was raised and will be turned over directly to the American Red Cross for their continued relief efforts in Haiti.

Ali and Jamie McMutrie joined us for the evening as special guests and answered some questions about their recent activities and their experiences following the earthquake at their BRESMA orphange. We couldn’t have hoped for a better turn out.

I branded the event, curated and organized the poster submissions which came in right to (and beyond) the last minute. Plans are underway for other events where we hope to share this collection again with the public, including the submissions that did not make it in time for the event – stay tuned!

Here is the official gallery of posters in their entirety and a few from the event.
(please contact me if there are any errors – much appreciated, and please share your photos from the evening!)

UPDATE: Posters and event pics online now! >

UPDATE: If you bid on a poster but were not present for the announcement of the winners, please check this listing for your name / number and claim yours! >

USE #CREHAITIVE and add yours to the Flickr Group >

I have teamed up with PRSA Pittsburgh, AIGA Pittsburgh, IABC Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh AdFed and Frank Parsons Paper to plan a benefit event to help raise funds and contribute to the Haiti relief effort. The event will be generously supported with donations of paper by Frank Parsons Paper, printing by Reed and Witting Co., video support by Uppercut and hosted by Villa Southside Restaurant.

CREHAITIVE : PGH Creatives Mobilizing for Haiti + Poster Auction Benefit Event
Thursday, February 4, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Villa Southside

UPDATE:
Ali and Jamie McMutrie from the Bresma orphanage in Haiti will be joining us for the CREHAITIVES event next week! Don’t miss it!

As a creative community, when we see catastrophic events, like the earthquake in Haiti, we have an overwhelming urge to do whatever we can to help.

We send money. We send prayers. Yet we all feel helpless—Like there’s something more we could be doing.

We can’t always board a plane and lend our skills to the relief effort. But we are creators, makers and thinkers and we CAN respond sympathetically with art and prose. We can engage with each other. We can encourage discussion. We can come together and contribute our ideas.

As the Haitian people begin turning from searching and rescuing to recovering and rebuilding, there are many things they need. Most critical among them are money, food, water, shelter and medical assistance. In addition to these basic and immediate needs, there is also a resource that will be critical to long-term success in their efforts to rebuild—hope.

As part of this fund raising event we’re encouraging Pittsburgh’s creative community to design posters representing the rebuilding of communities and restoration of hope in Haiti. The posters that are submitted will be exhibited and auctioned off during the event.

About Red Cross Donations:
Your financial gift to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief will help those affected by this crisis. The American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund provides immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to those in need.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit:

• Facebook Event page >
• PRSA Pittsburgh’s website >

To contribute to the poster project, put your brainstorming hat on and design posters that:

• Represent your response to the earthquake in Haiti
• Highlight, if possible, the importance of the rebuilding of communities and the restoration of hope

Submission guidelines can be found HERE >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance – Pro Bono)

In the third phase of Emmanuel Christian Church’s new branding effort, I have continued my pro bono work for ECC and redesigned their business papers, including basic #10 envelopes, business cards and stationery.

Their identity includes some evocative elements, including rough-edged illustrative segments and other texture detail that were used to tie things closely to the other ECC materials. You can see this connection well when looking at their recently-redesigned bulletin.

This marks the next phase in ECC’s progression towards a complete extension of their newly created identity. We’ll be working towards future goals of signage and the eventual refresh of their website.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance – Pro Bono)

In the next phase of Emmanuel Christian Church’s new branding effort, we worked together on the redesign of their bulletin. After some initial usability discussion that resulted in some changes from their current format, we then pre-printed the bulletin shell, which ECC can run through their laser printer week-to-week for customized announcements and promotional information on the mostly blank inside front cover. Overall, this redesign works well to extend their new identity, paving the way for a new suite of highly visible materials that will encourage strong connections between ECC and its the congregation as well as the local Pittsburgh community.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance – Pro Bono)

The friendly group at Greater Harmony Chorus in Pittsburgh, PA (a division of the Sweet Adelines International singing group) asked for a bit of help sprucing up their identity. I agreed, and donated a bit of logo development.

Using an abbreviated version of the brand exploration process used with Emmanuel Christian Church, I was able to expedite the process for them, making responsible use of everyone’s time. It was a great way to field-test this process again, and I can’t say enough about the ability of this approach to uncover some great insight about a brand’s personality. Thanks again, DK Holland!

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

The identity for Emmanuel Christian Church marks the first step in their approach towards an entirely new branding program. With a renewed focus on outreach and engaging their community in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood of Brighton Heights, Emmanuel is committed to reshaping their church, making themselves more accessible, inviting and becoming a bright spot in their community.

Leading up to this identity redesign, I worked together with Emmanuel’s pastoral staff to carefully consider a range of branding “markers,” including:

Reputation: How well is your organization known?
Esteem: How highly regarded are you?
Relevance: How important are your organization’s mission and activities to the concerns of the audience?
Differentiation: Are there others that do what you do? What makes you different than them? What  makes you the same? Where are the points of  “alignment”?

We also underwent an in-depth profiling exercise (as outlined by DK Holland in her book, Branding for Nonprofits), where we looked closely across a spectrum of issues in order to craft ourselves a creative brief to work against. These items we examined were:

• Profile
• Context
• Positioning
• Audiences
• Personality
• Current  Situation
• Budget
• Schedule
• Design Media
• Technical / Practical Requirements

Following through on this examination proved incredibly valuable in helping us uncover many of the reasons why Emmanuel stands out among many established and emerging churches. The results of our preliminary work together provided the basis for an identity and branding program that not only stands out among other Christian evangelical churches, but has made Emmanuel confident they now possess a voice that expresses their core values and personality as closely as possible.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Well, it’s official…CASA of Allegheny County is going green, and I am proud to be helping them get there.

CASA is kicking off a move to a more economical electronically-focused communications strategy, both to trim back costs and to broaden their reach in an environmentally-conscious way.

To notify their audience who normally hears from them then via print, I have developed a postcard for a blanket mailing. This is the first step in our working together to begin slowly directing traffic to the CASA website for quarterly newsletters, event invitations, and other types of materials that have been previously printed.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Following on the heels of a well-received FY07 Annual Report, CASA of Allegheny County again planned an announcement of their milestones for FY08. This time, not surprisingly, a smaller budget necessitated a more straightforward approach to the communication of CASA’s successes for the year.

Using a single-fold standard-sized self mailing postcard, I designed a simple and warm piece featuring kids holding their “grade” for CASA’s performance this past year!

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

For communication with the general public, I created a brochure system for CASA of Allegheny County that used an insert approach. Using die-cut tabs, any in a series of information cards can be substituted for the different types of audiences CASA reaches out to, including potential advocacy volunteers, donors or the general community.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole  purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I was responsible for all concepts, design and production coordination for the CASA Volunteer Poster series, used to recruit potential advocacy volunteers and donors.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose…children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /

2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

CASA of Allegheny County is just one local organization in a nationwide network of regional CASA offices. With strict national identity guidelines to adhere to, CASA of Allegheny County made clever use of their standards to recreate a full set of materials from the ground up.

Their new presence in the community started with a fresh new website, complete with smiling children and a warm and inviting look and feel. A primary goal for CASA’s new campaign was recruiting volunteers. An increase in these numbers means more help for the children — and that’s top priority. Launch of the new site increased their website traffic by more than 120%.

The CASA site also underwent a revamp  in February of 2008 to wrap the entire site architecture in a content management system (CMS). CASA staff can now handle all of the needed changes using a customized administrative interface.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Website | Public Service

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

For their first-ever annual report, CASA of Allegheny County set out to communicate to an expanded audience of donors, supporters and volunteers. With a careful balance of whimsy and elegance, the report covers CASA’s community impact over the year, as well as their ambitious plan for growth.

Along with emotional and moving stories, statistics and financials, the report announces CASA’s 25-year growth strategy, laying the groundwork for an increasingly widespread advocacy effort.

Equal in importance to the practical information was CASA’s underlying message — planning for their legacy of service to the children and families of Allegheny County was as critical as their current activities.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole  purpose — children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

With strict national identity guidelines to adhere to, CASA of Allegheny County made clever use of their standards to recreate a full set of materials from the ground up.

I was responsible for the design of an updated identity system, including business papers and personal note cards.

This identity was also extended to a refreshed website, quarterly newsletter, corporate brochure, annual report and various other collateral.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose…children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the Cigar Dinner and Auction materials each year, including invitation, sponsor recognition signage and event program.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the CASA of Allegheny County quarterly newsletter.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children would otherwise have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

I handle all design and production of the Spring auction event materials each year, including invitation, sponsor recognition signage and event program.

/ CASA Background /

CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose – children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

/ Award /
2005 ADDY
Public Service | Campaign Elements

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >