"Decision Knowledge" Series
Raytheon E-Systems
E-Systems' business was traditionally low-key, relying on a small number of classified projects for government customers.
After the acquisition by Raytheon, management at the Garland, Texas unit of E-Systems chose to pursue several new commercial markets -- among them the Space Imaging [now GeoEye] commercial satellite joint venture with Lockheed Martin, hydrographic (ocean) data fusion, secure identification cards ...
A more aggressive public image was called for, including a completely new suite of marketing collateral.
However, at the time, no single design firm or marketing agency had the depth of technology understanding nor the bandwidth to generate all of the new collateral needed within the timeframe.
We therefore created a "Virtual Agency." The design concept, templates, and final production were led by Paul Jerde -- a highly creative yet practical artist at Rhodes Stafford Wines. Cover art or photography was commissioned to different artists according to the style appropriate for the topic, among them the very talented Paco Garza. Some writing was outsourced to a handful of technology-astute freelancers such as Steve Parrino. I wrote some of the copy and edited the entire package.
For maximum impact, the design elements needed to be re-usable across brochures, technical data sheets, press release letterhead, exhibits, multimedia, and the web. (The best example of this re-use is the "Hydrographic Data Alliance" case study" -- click here.)
In addition to a successful presence in the new markets, the "Virtual Agency" concept earned me an Award of Excellence for Operational Innovation from General Manager Mike Keebaugh.
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Necessity is the mother ...
The "painted photo" design started with a problem photo.
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"Painted Photo" Design
CAE-Link
A critical photo we planned to use had a problem that cropping couldn't resolve, and Photoshop hadn't been invented.
Artist Bob Sloan and I hit on the idea of painting over the affected area, much like using "whiteout" correction fluid, then continuing the irregular edge effect around the perimeter of the photo.
Then Bob added splashes of color to some of the edges, reinforcing highlight colors from the core photo area.
The "painted photo" technique became CAE-Link's signature design, and continued to be used for several years.
