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Showing posts from 2010

Axiom Wins "Best in Show" and More at the 2010 Lantern Awards

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Axiom was the year’s biggest winner at the 2010 Business Marketing Association Houston’s Lantern Awards on Nov. 16 at The Petroleum Club – receiving the Best in Show Award plus five prestigious Lantern Awards and 17 Medals of Excellence. The Lantern Awards annually recognize top-quality creative and strategic business-to-business communications. The Best in Show accolade — given to only one project — honored Axiom’s total communication program for Gardner Denver’s PZ-2400 launch campaign. The Gala’s Master of Ceremonies pumped up the excitement when he introduced the night’s overall winner with “If I was Axiom’s competition, I’d be terrified.” Axiom also earned three of its Lantern Awards for Gardner Denver, a provider of compressed air and gas, vacuum and fluid transfer technologies. These included a website , a flash-animated email campaign and the total communication program for the PZ-2400 project. Axiom’s illustration for a Cameron project in Brazil and its advertising campaign f

The Art League Houston's 2010 Gala

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As a Five Thousand Dollar sponsor of The Art League Houston's 2010 Gala , Axiom supported the yearly event with two tables of guests. Axiom President, Tom Hair, recently joined the Art League Houston’s Board of Directors and as a native Houstonian has also been a past student at the League. Honoring the 2010 Texas Artist of the Year, Joseph Havel and 2010 Texas Patrons of the Year, Leslie and Brad Bucher, the Gala featured a silent auction of work by local artists, guest speakers, a screen presentation of Mr. Havel's art and formal dinner and dancing. The event also had a special exhibit of work from the Healing Arts program. Art League Houston has offered the Healing Art programs since 1991. The outreach classes are presented free of charge and provide access to the creative process for individuals in the greater Houston area who often have little or no opportunity for creative outlets or artistic expression. Art League Executive Director Vanessa Wodehouse said "Every ye

America's Energy Future

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Houston’s video production and event planning phenom Vision, hosted Axiom at the Greater Houston Partnership's America's Energy Future event held October 12th. As specialists in creating integrated marketing communications for the energy sector, Axiom found the conference relevant and timely for its content on the state of the energy industry and future trends. The forum featured corporate and academic experts across the energy continuum from such notable enterprises as the Citizens for Affordable Energy; The Houston Technology Center; Schlumberger; Shell Wind and more. The panel presentations addressed the impact of emerging technologies and renewables on economic development, job creation and energy independence. In addition to these dynamic discussions, Governor Rick Perry provided a “State of the State” following the program.

Texas Artist of the Year Award

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Axiom salutes Houston Artist of the Year, Joseph Havel who will be honored at this year’s Art League Houston “White Shirts & Chiffon” Gala. Held November 5th at the Omni Houston, the event celebrates the rich diversity of Houston’s art community and the artists and patrons that make it thrive. We encourage you to support local art, and the Art League of Houston, by purchasing tickets to this event .

Young Film Maker Adam Will Pursues His Dream Out West

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Building on the inspiration of master film-makers Quentin Tarantino and David Zucker, Adam Will is embarking on his own film career. He’s already produced a couple of creative short films and has several in production. Adam just graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema/Television. He was one of only three students in his field to receive the Meadows School of the Arts Honors for Scholarly Achievement. Recipients are honored based on grade point average and professor selection for outstanding achievement. He joined Axiom as an intern following his high school graduation in June 2006 and we were so impressed we asked him back again after his freshman year at SMU. Adam got to exercise his creative energy with a major role in the creation of a “day in the life” video about our great, Great Dane mascot, Ruling Duke. “Axiom afforded me the first opportunity to work closely within my field,” said Adam. “My two summers at Axiom gave me a competiti

Bicing in Barcelona - Alternative Mass Transit

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As we wander the beautiful city of Barcelona in our off hours from EAGE, we can't help but notice amazing examples of creative energy at work. The Europeans have always excelled at mass transit, and the primary mode of transportation around European inner-cities is via bicycle. In fact, Europe has one of the oldest and most mature biking cultures in the world. This love of bikes has given way to mass biking services offered in many major European capitals. Bicing is the alternative public transportation in Barcelona, launched in March of 2007 with 200 bicycles to rent and 14 stations spread around the city. The purpose of the system is to cover the short everyday journeys made within the City via bicycle, reducing the city's carbon footprint. As of May 2009 there were 6,000 bikes and 401 stations. Each bright red Bicing SmartBike is a three geared bicycle made of stainless steel and aluminum, weighing around 16.5 kg, equipped with headlights, back lights and a RFID tracking sy

Axiom Showcased in AIGA's "The Texas Show" with 2 Best in Category Awards

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Recognized by the AIGA, the professional association for design, Axiom's work is showcased in a book and traveling exhibit highlighting the Best in Texas design and graphics communication, called " The Texas Show ." The inaugural Houston event was celebrated at the Heights Theater on May 27, 2010, where Axiom was awarded Best in Category Poster for its promotion of the Houston Art Directors Club, Best in Category Video & Motion for ION Geophysical, an Honorable Mention Poster for a Public Relations Society of America promotion, and an Honorable Mention Video & Motion for an Axiom self promotion. Winners from the Austin, Dallas and Houston Chapters of AIGA are included in “The Texas Show.” Of the 149 entries from Houston's marketing and communications firms, designers and students only 17 received awards. Axiom was one of only three marketing communications firms included in the retrospective and road show. "The Texas Show" will be produced biannual

Barcelona, Birthday, EAGE and Synchronized Swimming

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by Tom Hair I’m posting this from Barcelona, while mixing a bit of fun with work as my wife Molly and several other Axiom team members attend the 72nd European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE) Conference June 14-17. Molly and I celebrated our arrival to Barcelona, and my birthday, by my swimming 3,300 yards at Pisc ines Picornell, the pool that is part of the Parc de Montjuic, which was the home of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Parc de Montjuic is the largest park in Barcelona and is 213 meters above the commercial zone of the city. Often referred to as Montjuic Park, or simply Montjuic, this is actually a huge m ountain that divides part of the city of Barcelona from the sea and gives it a unique character of natural beauty. There are two theories about how the name came about – the first one says that it is derived from the old Catalan phrase meaning 'Hill of the Jews' and the other one suggests that it comes from the corruption of the Latin Mons Jovicus (‘H

How Branding Conquers The Three Plagues

Let’s begin with a simple definition of branding. Branding is the art of becoming knowable , likable , and trustable . Branding is an art because it deals with the interplay between strategy [logic] and creativity [emotion]. Too much strategy and too little creativity exude a cold bureaucratic image. Too much creativity and too little strategy send disjointed and confusing messages. The trick is to maintain balance. Unfortunately, three forces team up to keep the scales wobbling. In today’s always-on, always available business world, we suffer from the plagues of time famine , overchoice , and short attention spans . In order to mollify the relentless stress spawned by these three plagues, marketing professionals will often jump into creating marketing tactics and vehicles (website, brochures, logos, brochures, tweets, posts, etc.) prematurely—before investing in good branding principles. In light of the three plagues, the urge to leap ahead with creating tangible stuff is partic

Axiom Wins 5 “Best in Category” Awards at the AMA Houston’s 2010 Crystal Awards Show

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Axiom brought its “A” Game to this year’s AMA Crystal Awards and walked away with 5 “Best in Category” Crystal wins. Additionally, Axiom had the most finalists in the show with 32 projects recognized across 18 categories. Highest honors (Crystal Awards) were achieved for the following print and screen-based projects: Advertising – Magazine (single): Cameron Tree Rings Ad Advertising – Online (single banner, button, pop up): Cameron Acquires NATCO Interactive/Multimedia Marketing Presentation: ION Geophysical Interactive Tours Website – Business to Business: Axiom Creative Energy Website – Non-profit: Historic Houston The evening’s accolades were especially notable as the 2010 competition had the most participation in the history of the event. The American Marketing Association’s Houston chapter has the second largest membership (after the founding Chicago chapter). In four out of the past five years, Houston has been acknowledged as Chapter of the Year — a record in charter history. W

Pain Relief Is Only A Wallet Away

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Nagging pain? Headache? Worried? It looks like it pays off to have a wad of cash handy. According to compelling behavioral research , t he simple act of physically handling money relieves pain. The good news ? Money makes people more self-sufficient and more motivated. The dark side ? Money makes people less helpful, less social, and less charitable. Perhaps banks should consider a new product line extension: a room where customers could rent time to fondle money to alleviate pain. Add a coffee bar, snacks, good music and-- voila! --a new business model is born.

Visual Storytelling Now Mainstream

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What was once deemed as “adult comic books,” graphic novels are gobbling up shelf space alongside “serious literature” these days in bookstores. Over the past decade, the graphic novel industry has reported double-digit growth according to Joe Field, president of ComicsPro, a trade organization for independent comic retailers. “Ten to 12 years ago, I had to pay attention to 12 to 20 publishers,” Field said. “Now, literally every publishing house has a graphic novel imprint ... Graphic novels are the only segment of publishing that has consistently gone up in the last five to six years.” Publishing giant Hachette Book Group set records for first-week sales with the first volume of a graphic novel adaptation for Twilight . In order to meet this rising tide, the University of Houston has begun a Graphic Novel Workshop to help budding writers craft their narratives. Mat Johnson , who teaches at The University of Houston Creative Writing Program and author of the graphic novel, Incognegr

The Fall of the Web’s Latin Hegemony

Imagine you are Chinese, Egyptian, or Russian. Now, imagine that over the past few decades, you’ve been driving your car throughout your homeland, navigating with Latin language traffic signs. Annoying, but doable. Then suddenly, the signs have been replaced with your native language. Welcome to the web's non-Latin language domains. "You should have seen the Russian celebration of this, it was so emotional. Suddenly their own language can be used," says Tina Dam, Senior Director of International Domain Names for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, which is working on implementing 21 international applications for domain names in 11 languages. "This is the biggest change in the Internet in 40 years." For example, let's say you wanted to go to the office of the President of the Russian federation, you type in "president.rf" Today, the Cyrillic address is http://президент.рф/ To be sure, there’s plenty of security

Axiom Achieves Finalist Status in 18 AMA 2010 Crystal Award Categories


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Axiom took the theme of this year’s 2010 American Marketing Association (AMA) Houston Crystal Awards to heart, and brought its “A” game to the annual juried competition. As a result, Axiom will go to the award ceremony May 20 as the finalist leader with 32 accepted entries across 18 categories. Axiom’s 32 finalists will all earn at least a “Citation of Excellence”, with the Best in Category winners receiving the coveted “Crystal Award.”
 Topping the list of Axiom’s finalist entries were two integrated marketing communication programs that each encompassed overall strategy and implementation and included theme and message development, websites, brochures, print and online advertising, multimedia, tradeshows and direct mail. In addition to these two comprehensive campaigns, Axiom’s entries for energy, technology and non-profit clients spanned a full range of marketing communication and design categories such as advertising, animation, annual reports, brochure systems, websites, web-based

Axiom President Tom Hair Named to Art League Houston Board

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HOUSTON (April 5, 2010) Houston native Tom Hair, President of Axiom, was recently named to the Art League Houston (ALH) Board of Directors for a three-year term. Degreed in the Graphic Arts, Hair has been inspired by his academic history, which has included classes and labs at the Art League Houston, Glassell School of Art (MFAH), School of Visual Arts (NY) and Texas Tech University. This inspiration continues today at Axiom, founded in 1998 as a marketing strategy and creative communications agency. “Joining the Board of Directors of ALH takes me from student to patron, now working to provide the general public and deserving individuals an opportunity to take advantage of the variety of programs offered by Art League Houston,” said Hair. “I’m excited to offer the experience gained from managing Axiom successfully for 12 years and bringing the combination of creative energy and business acumen to the Art League Houston.” ABOUT ART LEAGUE HOUSTON Art League Houston is one of Houston’s l

Hope Stone Inc. Awards 2nd Annual Duke Memorial Scholarship to Talented Fourth Grader

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Writer, drummer, dancer and actor Sofia Ivanka is the recipient of the Second Annual Duke Memorial Scholarship awarded by Hope Stone, Inc to provide a year’s tuition for a talented, financially-in-need student to participate in the schools creative play programs. Tom Hair with Sofia Ivanka The scholarship memorializes Axiom’s kid-friendly mascot Great Dane, Duke, who interacted with the Hope Stone students within the Tribeca Lofts where both Axiom and Hope Stone reside. The scholarship spotlights and supports the responsibility of society to make training in art, music and dance available to all children. Sofia was chosen for her quiet leadership, particularly with the younger students, her empathy with animals and her outstanding performance as a student. She has been studying at Hope Stone for four years, developing her many talents. Sofia recently completed her first book, Fourth Grade Math Rules, which will soon be available at Barnes and Noble and at Borders. She has designated a

Creative Energy Blankets House in 130,000 Points of Light

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What better way to kick off our Creative Energy blog than to spotlight a Houston family who caught the spirit of the holiday and lit it up, way up. Three years ago, John Briers and his family had a discussion about why they only decorated the inside of their house for the holidays. John and his daughter immediately headed off to their Home Depot and, as John said, “Filled my Suburban with all the lights it would carry.” It was just a start. The decorating has become a true family affair. While John and his 26 year-old son Michael do the heavy lifting, the entire family and extended family get into the act. John’s wife, an accomplished sculptor, designed a life-like Santa to ride and fiberglass sleigh built by her brother-in-law. The sleigh is mounted on a hydraulic scissor lift. Nieces and in-laws help to light every bush, tree and inch of the house. Here are a few stats regarding their decorating efforts: 2500 straight strands Between 130,000 and 180,000 lights all are LED 900 man ho