Writing

"I want it done right the first time."

Collateral
To advertise the online security options available to their customers, MSN needed a humorous, attention-grabbing survey for convention-goers to define their "online personality."



Click to enlarge. 		1. On Sunday afternoons, you would prefer to:
A. Nap
B. Garden vigorously
C. Wrestle crocodiles

4. Before seeing a movie in a theater, you would:
A. Read at least six printed reviews,
    consult with coworkers and
    clergy, analyze its socio-economic
    impact, then wait until it comes
    out on video
B. See it if the trailer made it look
    good
C. See it even though the trailer was
    offensive and inane

6. When it comes to making online purchases, you:
A. Don't
B. Buy from only a few well-
    established e-commerce sites
C. Register your credit card info at
    every e-commerce site possible,
    including those apparently
    designed by grade-schoolers


User Guide
Microsoft Real Estate and Facilities required an easy-to-use instructional flip-book for their advanced Enhanced Collaboration conference rooms. The piece included detailed instructions for using several features—such as the projection system, video conferencing, and whiteboard capture—as well as a troubleshooting guide and glossary.

    

Projection
The EC room is capable of displaying up to four image sources (such as laptops, VTC, or the In-Room PC) at the same time on the projection screen. You control which images are displayed from this tab. As you select multiple sources, the projection screen will divide into quadrants, which can be resized using the room keyboard and mouse.
By default, the In-Room PC is displayed when the projector is first turned on.

Power ("Projector On/Off")
Press the "Projector On/Off" button to turn the projector on. If the button is blinking, or if the status bar at the top-right states "Projector: Warming Up" wait 30 seconds for the projector to become ready. Pressing the power button again or pressing "End Meeting" will turn the projector off.



Case Studies
For many companies, a precise, well-written description of their work is some of the best advertising.


Challenge
To establish itself in the action arena, Microsoft released Outwars, a first-person run-'n'-gun that lifts players from the confining underground mazes characteristic of the genre, and drops them into vast, dizzying landscapes of alien terrain. These fully immersive, 3-D environments require players to jet across the sky and plunge through subterranean caverns while battling insect-like aliens attacking from every angle. Microsoft needed packaging that not only captured the intensity of a first-person action title and that grabbed attention in a retail setting, but also communicated Outwars' vertical, wide-ranging play environment.

Solution
A stunningly illustrated space marine blasting out of an alien canyon with his upward-aimed weaponry dominates the package. Brilliant reds and yellows, surrounded by the blackness of space, instantly capture attention, and clearly denote the sci-fi/action genre. The top-down perspective indicates the vertical nature of gameplay, while the desolate background and the soldier's appearance all map directly to the interface. The burning product title—overlapped slightly by the gun barrel—was moved to the top of the box, replacing Microsoft's signature black branding bar, to keep the soldier from appearing boxed in.



Business Communications
Advertising for a funeral home can be a challenge, so when Mountain View Funeral Home was preparing follow-up messaging for general distribution, they needed a formal letter with a delicate touch.



Click to enlarge. 		Dear Neighbor:

In a letter I recently sent out to members of our community, I invited them to learn more about the resources available to help with memorial planning.

The positive response confirmed our belief that many people know the importance of planning for end-of-life events, but find it a difficult task to get around to. This is understandable. ...