All of us at MLB would like to thank our intern Matt Morris for the effort he put in during his time here. On Tuesday, May 15^th, we celebrated his last day at the office with a nice lunch and congratulated him on starting his new venture. Thanks again Matt and good luck!

The MLB Web team recently completed website for Riverfront Parks Committee, a not-for-profit committee that plans, organizes and executes events in the city’s parks. The site has a clean design that is intended to inform the public of upcoming events, educate on the history of the parks, and help generate donations and funding.Our client wanted to ensure the site was interactive with all social media integration, including video capabilities via Youtube. Through photo and video galleries the client can showcase events and help market future activities. The site is also structured to help visitors plan a visit to the area and find different activities at the various locations. Site visitors are able to make donations directly via Paypal. We are very happy with the outcome and excited to launch the site.

You can check out full the site at www.riverfrontparks.org

Continuing our long standing relationship with Metro Healthcare, the MLB web team developed a microsite that resides within the Metro Corporate website. Why? Simple. To properly showcase product lines and clear positioning. The site was built for flexibility, as new pages can be easily added as more products are manufactured, services change, and new applications are identified. It was designed not only to educate the reader and be a resource, but also to help capture a lead or provide direct communication to company representative. This microsite is state of the art and allows for technology upgrades such as 360-degree images that will be available to view in the near future.

You can check out full the site at www.metro.com/pointofcare

Fastest 30 Minutes in Harness Racing Just Got Faster… MLB recently had the opportunity to direct the production of PA Harness Week’s upcoming promotional television spot. It was shot at Mohegan Sun Casino this past Tuesday and was a great success! Keep checking back on MLB’s Youtube channel for the full commercial.

Well, to my fellow designers, relax. We are trained and knowledgeable in our fields. So why do we need to compromise solid concept for “pazzazz!” Does a baby seal or cute, cuddly kitten really convey emotion? Or maybe a strong headline in a friendly typeface communicates better.

In designing for a client, designers, me for example, do not worry about so much about the size of a logo as we do the purpose of the design. Are we selling a car, or selling the cars company that everybody already knows exists? Or are we selling a car and letting people know, cleanly, the hey BMW makes this? Car first..why this car second…company third. Why? The person reading the ad is not going to Germany to buy BMW. They are buying a BMW car.

So, why is it so hard to leap this communication hurdle? Is it the fear that Ford is going to make a bigger logo and sell more cars? Well let’s face it…if you are looking at a BMW, Ford is probably not in the equation. The same with vice versa. But if the wallet wasn’t an option…does an ad that “pops” sell more cars? No. I wouldn’t buy a Kia because there logo is 15% bigger than BMW. The consumer buys what will serve them best. If the Kia has better features than the BMW…than I’m buying a Kia. So to recap a bit. Car first…Why this car second…Who makes the car third.

Now, let us venture a bit further into this subject to what is really a superb display of brand security. Not to beat a dead horse, but it really is a good example, BMW recently released an ad for the Z3.

Wow. This is a client that doesn’t care about “Logo Enhancement Techniques.” Why does this make me want a Z3? BMW is just showing the sexy, sleek body styling with the “shark-like” fender vents. “Buy me and rule the ocean!” So what if the ad doesn’t say…”*car does not actually float.” Who cares what other models BMW makes.” Now notice the top right corner. What’s this? A logo…but it’s so small. A little box that says “BMW Z3″ is next to it. Well, it’s not the size of the logo that matters but the impact it makes. The crazy shark mobile means nothing without the BMW logo, as well, the BMW logo is just a checker board without the Z3. No pop, sizzle, pazzazz, starbursts, or cross selling. Just a two seater Jaws sports car.

Keep it simple, keep it fresh.

In closing, a great quote from a great designer, David Craib… Design should never say, “Look at me.” It should always say, “Look at this.”

Today Children’s Service Centers got a chance to show off their newest video celebrating 150 years of hope, help, and healing at their anniversary luncheon. All of us at MLB are honored to have worked on this project with CSC and would like to congratulate them on such an achievement.

For more information on Children’s Service Center you can check out their site at www.cscwv.org.

We at MLB, together with Metro Healthcare, have recently developed and launched a blog site called PointOfCareCorner.com, which is intended to provide IT, Nursing, and Pharmacy professionals with the advice and the tools to overcome technological challenges at the patient bedside in healthcare facilities. It is also used to promote discussion along these same lines in order to deliver the best results possible.

The site is designed to be very interactive and we feel that its functionality reinforces this idea by allowing participants to log in with Facebook or LinkedIn to post a comment. This allows for a great deal of networking to occur. In addition, the site’s style and navigation features are easy to follow and direct you to the latest news instantly with our news slider. All of this combined with a modern theme makes for a very powerful tool.

PointOfCareCorner.com was supported in Executive Insight Magazine and we, along with Metro Healthcare, are excited to watch it grow. You can check out full the site at PointOfCareCorner.com

We recently had the pleasure of working with Mohegan Sun Off Track Wagering to give their website a new modern look and feel. We also wanted to emphasis their three locations in Carbondale, East Stroudsburg, and Lehigh Valley and their revamped lunch and dinner menus. The new design of the website has a relaxed, fun, and interactive feel, which is what Mohegan OTW is all about. We are very excited about the final product.

You can check out full the site at www.MoheganOTW.com

We got a chance to work with Children’s Service Center recently on the production of their newest video celebrating 150 years of Hope, Help, and Healing. We had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with several CSC employees, executives, and clients who all had their own stories to tell. It was truly remarkable to see first hand how far the children have come and the milestones that CSC has reached. It was a great opportunity for us and we had a blast shooting it. The video will be premiered April 11th at the CSC 2012 anniversary luncheon.

For more information on Children’s Service Center you can check out their site at www.cscwv.org.

Custom Container Solutions (CCS) are manufacturers of quality custom and standard steel roll off containers that are used in several different industries including oil & gas, environmental, construction, waste, and recycling. CCS is emerging with a new brand and identity developed by our team. We at MLB had the pleasure of creating their new image that reflects the quality that they strive to achieve when manufacturing their products.

The Identity design was created to provide a clean crisp look with a strong visual presence in a very industrial industry. The inspiration for the brand was taken from traditional rail cars, where they create a bold impact as they roll on by.

The website we just launched for CCS captures the idea of quality manufacturing and modern technology perfectly. Preparing for the technology of tomorrow is important in every industry. We wanted to make sure that their website expresses CCS’s ability to do so.

Keeping with the theme of technology and modernization, we also created a mobile site for CCS, which is perfect for their target customers who are often out in the field and use smart phones to access the Internet. In addition, we did e-mail and other various print work for them as well. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Custom Container Solutions.

You can check out full the site at www.customcontainersolutions.com.