• You want music? You wanna dance? Then check out this video from The Black Keys. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself singin’ and swayin.’

• From the “Then and Now” department, here’s a look at the evolution of cereal box design since the 1940s.

• Not personal, but supremely efficient: The All-In-One Card Stamp.

• One more blast from the past: Celery flavored Jell-O. Yum.

VANGEL Senior Art Director Kevin Shults attended Columbia College in the late ’70s, majoring in graphic design. There he took one painting class per semester ­– eight classes in all – taught by esteemed surrealist painter and professor Sid Larson. During Kevin’s four years at CC, he entered exactly one piece of work in one art show, and that was for a class assignment: a charcoal drawing in a 1981 Columbia Art League exhibit.

Years go by. Kevin marries, has children, and moves up the ranks as art director at VANGEL. He produces countless successful marketing campaigns. He mentors middle-school kids, judges student advertising projects and teaches college graphic design classes. He tours the country picking the mandolin with bluegrass band Midnight Flight.

But he doesn’t pick up a paintbrush.

Then in late 2011, Kevin, finding his children entering adulthood, his touring days with the band at an end, and a little extra time on his hands, decides to create an oil painting for CAL’s “Seven Deadly Sins (and the Seven Holy Virtues)” exhibit.

Apparently, not even 30 intervening years, fatherhood and an initial dearth of Winsor & Newton oils can stop a talented artist when the muses call.

The portrait, titled “Greed,” engages the eyes, toys with the mind, and has won the acclaim of the local art crowd. Among entries from 65 artists, Kevin’s oil painting was singled out for a third-place ribbon at the exhibit’s Jan. 25 reception.

Kevin and his painting have also become media darlings, featured in the Tribune for two weeks running.

How to explain his immediate success? Is it Kevin’s years of creating fabulous visual concepts at VANGEL? The training he received as a student at CC? Muscle memory? Is he an artist savant? You be the judge.

You may view Kevin’s “humorous and timely” piece at the exhibit through February 25.

Here’s what the site looked like before.

And here is the building after Little Dixie worked their magic.

Little Dixie and IBM tapped VANGEL to develop informational graphics to educate employees and visitors about the building’s green features.

Our first step? Dumpster diving.

In the spirit of reduce/reuse/recycle, we visited the IBM job site to scout for construction debris.

Lucky for us, our Italian intern Carlo had come along. He volunteered to scale a construction dumpster and haul out a primer-gray, 8-foot electrical door panel. His fine Italian sweater may not have survived, but he can proudly say he got his hands dirty on the job in America. (Ti ricordi, Carlo?)

Here is the metal panel.

With the basis of a cool sign in hand, we enlisted the crew at SignsNow, for a plexiglass panel we would use to tell the building’s green story. The two pieces were then joined and mounted on the wall at IBM.

Next, we needed a way to maintain awareness throughout the massive building. The solution was a series of 12” x 12” plexiglass pieces that feature 3-dimensional items illustrating the building’s green features.

Simple and intriguing, the pieces also serve as “objets d’art” at IBM. There’s nothing like a chunk of concrete, an elephant, or a beer bottle sliced in half (thank you Village Glassworks) to get people talking.

VANGEL is proud to have been a part of this innovative LEED project. Ever wondered what creative, compelling ideas could do for your office space? Try dumpster diving.

Or give VANGEL a call.

People are busy. Really busy. Especially today, with the added
demand for attention created by the worldwide web. Savvy businesses understand that their company’s website has only a few moments to grab visitors before they click away to the next online destination.

Why not consider video?

Video can engage viewers in a dynamic way. It can enliven your homepage, be posted on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and reach specifically targeted groups via email.

We helped our client, RMI, a leading 504 Loan provider in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, create an online video to show businesses how to grow and succeed with an SBA 504 Loan.

Yeah, but what’s a 504 Loan?

Exactly. RMI needed a simple way to tell potential customers about
504 Loans and address some of the questions people might have about the loan process. Just as important, we wanted the video to give potential customers some insight on working with RMI.

We accomplished both by using interesting visuals, bright colors, and an engaging script. It’s a fast-paced, easy-to-understand overview that’s entertaining to boot. The video punches up the presence of the RMI homepage, serves as a valuable resource for RMI’s various audiences and partners, and is a great way to introduce the company during face-to-face meetings and conferences.

Combine a video with a coordinated campaign, and you’ve got a powerful marketing tool that packs some serious punch.

Let us show you what video can do for your company.
Talk to VANGEL today.

This time the Telly goes to two 30-second television ads we created for GetAbout Columbia, the Federal Highway Administration’s Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program in Columbia, Missouri.

The TV ads were part of a comprehensive public education campaign promoting walking and biking. As with all of the marketing materials we developed for the campaign, the TV commercials embodied the the GetAbout Columbia brand—upbeat, inclusive, and fun.

In the first spot, we touted the benefits of walking and biking by creating an original GetAbout Columbia song. We then enlisted the help of The Vision Factory to bring the brand to life through animation.

The second TV ad was part of a multi-media “Roll Together” campaign. By combining animation with video footage of Columbia streets, (shot by Boxcar Films), this spot reminds everyone—both car drivers and bicyclists alike—that following the rules of the road and simple courtesy are key to sharing the streets safely.

We’re extremely proud of the work we did for the GetAbout Columbia project. (See more here.) That’s because we know that a walkable, bikeable community is good for us all.

Do you have a product, service or initiative that you’re looking to brand in a memorable way? Give VANGEL a call.

Despite the challenges of a different location and an entirely new theme for their annual fundraiser (it was previously known as the Twilight Cruise), the folks at the Chamber made sure Chamberopoly was a rockin’ good time and saw a great turnout.

VANGEL was proud to be the Chamber’s marketing partner.
We created a multi-media campaign to introduce the Chamberopoly theme and generate excitement for the event. The components were designed to create a sense of fun, conjure up memories of playing games as kids, and establish an identity for the event.

Here are a few examples.

Save the Date Email

Print Ad

As with everything we do at VANGEL, the materials are creative, consistent and compelling. It’s just how we roll. Give us a call today and let us make sure your company’s marketing efforts can say the same.

• Ever wonder what your favorite album would look like as a book? These are so brilliant.

• It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and yes, Denver is most definitely guilty. Check out this awesome canine interrogation.

• What do we love more than fonts? Tables MADE from fonts.
It’s alphanumeric furniture, baby!

• It’s Bike, Walk & Wheel Week here in Columbia, Mo. Tomorrow is FREE breakfast day, so get your lazy self up in the morning and walk or bike to a breakfast station near you.