High Mountain Sports
Brand Revitalization

Situation: In a world of extreme sports, full of action and image, High Mountain Sports had never established a graphic style for their store, website or promotions. Because of their remote location to metro areas, the small retailer had to compete against the Big Box stores remotely.

Solution: We established a unique style, too edgy for larger retailers, then build a community of loyal enthusiasts by getting personal. The people of HMS are passionate about their sports. They love adventure and live it. We wanted the brand to reflect that young, care-free living.

Results: Customers and employees alike are feeling the fun of HMS. The small retailer is able to compete in customer loyalty with the big chain stores. Direct mail is being recognized and remembered, fan groups are building on-line through the use of social sites, the website is generating traffic and response.

Tactics: Print Collateral, Multimedia, Display, Advertising

Ridgeview Valley
Brand Revitalization

Situation: Developers of 308 acres of pristine land near the popular vacation real-estate market, Deep Creek Lake, MD, needed to differentiate their project from all other land sales.

Solution: Don’t try to compete as property vs. property comparison. Instead, focus on the social and recreational lifestyle of the potential residents of the community. Highlight their desire to live in community while escaping to the natural playground they desire.

Results: Ridgeview Valley was able to make educated decisions on what to develop, how the community should look and feel, and where to focus sales and marketing efforts. In a down market, Ridgeview Valley matched the number of sales of the popular, local-market leader.

Tactics: Print Collateral, Environmental Design, Multimedia, Advertising

KNB EFX
Self Promotion

Situation: With 20 years of award winning special effects and over 600 successful titles under their belt, the crew from KNB effects had never taken time to build a collection of their work or had the means to present the process and unique talent behind the scene.

Solution: Create a 32 page book, focusing on KNB’s greatest works, designed in a style that reflects the dark, mysterious, yet brilliant personality of the owners.

Results: An award winning piece that has received praise for KNB from directors, colleagues and other influencers in the movie making industry.

Tactics: Print Collateral

2008 APEX Award Winner

Rick Gallagher
Packaging Design

b. james has had the privilege of working with this accomplished jazz musician across multiple CD releases. Creating art to compliment the amazing music made each one feel as if it has a style of it’s own. We combined Rick’s love for a natural lifestyle with the rich, loose textures of his music as a platform to build the specific theme of each album.

Results: A consistent brand image across multiple albums and several years of work - each achieving praise and recognition for Rick.

Tactics: Packaging

Wisp Resort
Brand Revitalization

Situation: This 4 season resort in western Maryland was facing the challenge of marketing their high-action sports and recreation activities with a campaign that was developed for real estate sales. The current look and language were too soft for the energy that the resort needed to attract vacationers from the many other recreational options surrounding them. The goal was to let families know that Wisp had more to offer than just ski and golf.

Solution: Sell the fun! Many of our recreational decisions are made on impulse, so Wisp’s new image had to be bold, clean and full of happy people participating in the actual activities. A look that put the viewer right in the action.

Results: A refreshing perception and excitement for the traditional mountain resort. Comments from within the industry have proven that people have noticed the change. Off-season activity and revenue have increased.

“Because of their knowledge of the industry, they make my life easy.”
                                                   - Lori Epp, Director of Marketing, Wisp Resort

Tactics: Packaging

Sydney Love
Brand Creation and Communication

In 2002, when fashion designer, Christine DeGennaro began designing handbags for the J Marcus Company, a graphic designer was needed to translate Christine’s brilliant ideas to textile prints. Brian James was able to merge his sense of design and composition with a mathematical formula that would give the prints a perfectly seamless and seemingly random print pattern.
Seven years later, b. james branding still assists in the development of the textiles, has designed and stewards the Sydney Love brand, and is responsible for most marketing of this now international brand.

“We have used Brian on almost any project imaginable - product design, packaging design, graphic design, tradeshow booth design, in-store merchandising, public relations, marketing and branding. [His] oversight to ensure consistency in our branding and marketing has been critical to our overall development.”

Tactics: Brand Identity, Textile Design, Display, Multimedia

Nvizn
Brand Creation and Communication

Situation: nvizn IT, located in Western PA, is the small to medium-sized company's complete technology partner eliminating the pain of maintaining IT themselves. Confident in their future success, the leaders of this revolutionary approach to technology management recognized the need to brand themselves well from the beginning.

Solution: By focusing on the end user, not the product or competition, we determined that Nvizn should be as simple as possible. In order to be convincing, the style needed to be current, showing a digital side, yet not techie. The stylistic eye logo was designed to convey many different facets of the product offering.

Results: A successful product launch - on time and on budget - impressing the investors to the point that the Nvizn team was granted additional funding for further growth and development.

“We were looking for a long term, strategic partnership with a firm that would help us keep our image fresh, and evolve as we evolved.  [b. james branding has] been incredibly creative, extremely responsive, and genuinely understand our business”.
                - Jonathan Colby, President, NVIZN

Tactics: Brand Consulting, Brand Identity, Multimedia