The helium tank is our mash up of ideas + art + design + events and everything in between. Work that makes us smile, art that’s all around, events that we hope you’ll join us, or words we’re stitching together. The helium tank is a big window into who we are.
Here at the studio we’ve been busy creating brand identities, launching new websites into the world and organizing photoshoots [have you seen our latest blog?] Of course, in the background of all the work, we’ve been listening to some great music that we’re excited to share! So here it is: sights + sounds vol. III
This is also the most fire playlist cover we’ve ever dropped. Just saying.
The Joke – Brandi Carlile
Sometime Around Midnight – Airborne Toxic Event
Piano Man – Billy Joel
Stand By Me – Ben E. King
Let It Be – The Beatles
Good Thing Gone – Elle King
Happy – Julia Michaels
Anxiety – Julia Michaels
Mama’s Worried – Patty Griffin
How’s It Going to Be – Third Eye Blind
Congratulation – MGMT
Something I’m loving this month:
RISK! Storytelling
We cannot confirm or deny, but theres a rumor that Ryan has been selected to speak at RISK’s Fort Lauderdale event in May. WOOHOO!
Yellow – Emmit Fenn
4AM in London – Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Turnin’ Me Up – BJ The Chicago Kid
Lose My Cool – Amber Mark
Across The Room [feat. leon Bridges] – ODESZA
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgrave’s
306 – HONNE
Crying Over You – HONNE
Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
This Must Be The Place – Sure Sure
Floors – Abhi The Nomad, Foster Cazz
Wild – The Japanese House
I spent some time in Boston this month at the Specialty Coffee Association Expo where I saw the unveiling of this major rebrand. It’s exciting to watch brands rollout new identities, especially when they look this good. I grabbed a ton of swag and put an order in for some coffee.
We’re coming off of a successful 2-day photoshoot on Miami Beach for one of our real estate clients, 57 Ocean. As a branding studio, we pride ourselves in curating the full brand experience, from concept to identity to all forms of visual communication. For 57 Ocean we spearheaded a photo and video shoot to support the sales and marketing team with new content that would help tell the brand story and highlight the lifestyle. Photography played a huge role as an extension of their visual identity.
A great photoshoot is more than one person with a camera, it’s a full team effort. Here at helium, we have a variety of photography + video partners we enlist depending on the look and feel we’re trying to achieve. We have a hand in every part of the process: vision, storyboarding, planning, coordinating teams and, of course, being on set to help art direct and manage the process to ensure the concept comes to life.
For 57 Ocean, helium enlisted one of our favorite photography + video teams to execute the sophisticated look and brand narrative.
Here is a sneak peak into our process.
Shot list
A shot list acts as a playbook for day. Call times, locations, wardrobe needs and photography direction are all parts of a well put together shot list.
Storyboard
The storyboard is a visual guide that is created to lead the direction of a video piece. This is just one of many slides we put together to layout the storyboard for the video portion of this shoot.
Model Selection
Selecting models is a long and thoughtful process. We take into account many factors to ensure the target audience can relate.
Location Scouting
Location, location, location. Finding the perfect location [and props] to tell the story is key. How is the lighting? Will weather be an issue? Will models be sweating up a storm? Does it match the vision of the shoot? All of these questions are addressed when scouting locations.
Crew Coordination
Cameramen, lighting + equipment grips, models, hair + makeup and wardrobe professionals are all part of a successful shoot day. We couldn’t do it without them!
Creative Direction
Weaved throughout the entire process is our team; organizing crews, selecting locations and putting together storyboards that will achieve our goal. On the day of the shoot, we’re right there to help bring the story and vision to life.
Well, that’s a wrap!
Be on the lookout for the final photos and video for 57 Ocean on our instagram and facebook pages, as well as on the newly designed site for 57 Ocean by helium creative.
January of this year marked our 15-year anniversary. Yes! That’s 15 years of branding, website development, graphic design, and marketing projects that have brought upon amazing experiences and made helium creative a recognized full-service creative studio.
We are humbled that we’ve been able to stay strong for 15 years and to still be honored by the American Advertising Federation, especially the Greater Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches chapter, with some of their top awards.
On March 7th, the helium crew traded in Fort Lauderdale for West Palm Beach to attend the 2019 ADDY Awards Gala at Harriet Himmel Theatre. In company of other remarkable creative agencies, we received a total 7 awards – including Best of Show for the 2nd year in a row!
Check out the full list of the winning projects.
BEST OF SHOW + GOLD drip pop Website
Last year, drip pop’s brand and packaging design won Judge’s Choice and Gold. This year, the intricately animated and colorfully designed website won Best of Show! This truly makes drip pop an all-around award-winning brand. See more.
GOLD Bad Harriet Brand Development
A Gold ADDY Award is quite fitting for this gold + black, film noir and femme fatale inspired brand: Bad Harriet. Developing the brand for this upscale bar located in Auberge Resorts’ Hotel Jerome in Aspen was truly a sinful pleasure. See more.
GOLD Revelation Design Website
Who said all florals had to be delicate? Revelation Design is a modern-day, floral and event design studio for whom we conceptualized and designed a custom e-commerce website that is equal parts romantic and edgy. See more.
SILVER Paragon Website
With Paragon, a concept project developed in conjunction with renowned architecture firm, García Stromberg, we pushed the boundaries of what we consider reality and showcased the possibilities of virtual reality through an award-winning website. See more.
SILVER EDSA Magazine Design
Design Matters is still leading the pack for most ADDY awards received throughout the years with a total of 6 since 2013. Being able to work closely with EDSA to concept and design their annual emblematic publication is truly an honor. See more.
SILVER Plant Intention Brand Development
For the creation of Plant Intention we went as far as traveling to London to meet with the inspiring founder and grasp as much of her energy to infuse into this product-driven brand. From concepting the name to developing the striking brand, we are sure this is just the first of many awards.
Want to learn how we develop these award-winning brands? Join us for an exclusive Behind the Scenes of the creation of the ADDY Best of Show winner: drip pop. We welcome you to our studio on Thursday, April 18th, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm for a conversation about how the multi-ADDY-winning brand and campaign work for drip pop came to be. Grab your tickets HERE.
And follow us on instagram and facebook to keep track of our future award-worthy work!
Sights + Sounds Volume II is here! Take a look [and listen] at what’s inspiring us and getting our creativity going as we shift from winter to spring here in FTL.
Who are we kidding…it was never winter.
You can listen the full playlist on Spotify by clicking the album cover below.
Ryan’s sights + sounds
Top Songs
Fame – The Acid
My dearest darling – Etta James
Boyfriend – Charlotte OC
South of the River – Tom Misch
Almost Home – Moby
Animal – The Acid
Drive (Cover) – Aimee Mann
How To Disappear Completely – Radiohead
Seventeen – Sharon Van Etten
Running up that hill – Meg Myers
Maybe You’re The Reason – The Japanese House
You’re On My Mind – Tom Misch
Pain – The War on Drugs
Lovely Day – Bill Withers
Wound Up – William Wild
Street Light – Jordan Rakei
California – The Lagoons
So I Met Someone – VHS Collection
Saltwater – Geowulf
Que Sera – Wax Tailor
Montreal – Wylen
Into the Light – J.Views, Wild Club
With Summer just around the corner, many college students have started applying for internships at design studios all across the country. Many of them with similar questions: What does it take to be a good candidate? What does an agency look for in my resume? What do I need to know?
We answered those questions [and many more] in an interview we did with Web Designer Magazine. Take a look at this snippet where we talked about working here at helium.
As a small agency choosing the right people to join their close-knit team is vital to get right. Christopher outlined their process for finding these rare individuals: “We always look for employees who are genuine. As a small, boutique studio personality is crucial. People who are leaders and can wear many hats, who have great values and ethics, who are conceptual thinkers and can look at the big picture are highly attractive to us.
“Talent is only a fraction of what makes someone a great fit. They have to be able to bring ideas to the table and understand how to communicate them to the team as well as the client; then have the capability to manage and execute those ideas into a viable and effective product. That’s the whole package. My best advice to anyone looking to step into the industry is to not try to impress, just be you. Be honest about your skillset and show an eagerness and willingness to learn.”
Ryan quickly interjects. “Know the basics! We get resumes all the time from designers, for example, who clearly do not understand design fundamentals. All I have to do is look at a resume or cover letter to know if someone is a right fit for our team or understands the basics. Show me you know how to layout a great resume focused on simple typography, hierarchy, readability. A well designed resume is like eye-candy. No frills. Just pure, simple, amazing layout composition. Show an agency that you get it.”
Think you have what it takes to work here? Head over to our contact page and fill out our Join The Team form, we’d love to hear from you!
As always, you can follow along with our team on instagram or facebook @heliumcreative.
