Pica Design + Marketing

Wake Up To Maine

Rob Dietz — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:45:54 +0000

Pica takes Belfast The Bay and Beyond mobile. 68 interactive pages, now on the iPad.

Just one year after teaming with client Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce, we’ve put Belfast Maine on the mobile map. Available now, on the Apple App Store, is Belfast The Bay and Beyond magazine, presented in a uniquely interactive digital experience. Optimized for Apple iPad, the magazine is a first of its kind in Maine, in which local and visiting readers can now swipe, scroll, and tap their way through 68 pages of interactive articles, stories, and sidebars on what’s great and growing around the Belfast area. The digital magazine includes an exclusive feature video on the farm to table way of life in Belfast. With sales of iPad devices expected to reach 82 million in 2013, the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce is creating new experiences for a growing audience.

Impact Architect

Rob Dietz — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:18:44 +0000

Cara Fox has joined the Pica team as Impact Architect, a new role that combines strategic marketing with cross-media campaign planning. A rapid-fire message-maker and relentless pursuer of “true and unique” angles, Cara leads the development of communications that are powered by super-sharp positioning and designed and distributed for highest impact. Prior to joining Pica, Cara worked as a communications consultant in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has 25 years of agency- and corporate-side experience for clients ranging from the world’s biggest brands to rural nonprofits.

Power of Great Graphics

Rob Dietz — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:04:01 +0000

In late April I received a call from Roxanne Eflin of the Maine Development Foundation who asked if I would be willing to present Pica’s experience and viewpoint on ‘The Power of Great Graphics and Film’ at the 2012 Maine Downtown Conference in Farmington, Maine. I was asked to frame the conversation towards Maine downtown communities and present alongside filmmaker Ben Kahn of Nomad Pictures in Portland, Maine. One week and a lot of soul searching later led me to a focused presentation on developing ‘Great Graphics’ for downtown communities. Ultimately, I derived the equation ‘great graphics = meaningful messaging + smart design’ to offer the audience. I also suggested enlisting professional help and setting expectations and ground rules for community input from stakeholder organizations so that the investment in creative would yield the desired result: supported brand awareness for the community. My presentation complemented Ben’s which extended the idea that to harness the power of film, the creative team, the design/messaging, and community stakeholders all need to be aligned in order for the story to be told effectively. Based on the ten minutes of engaged questions following the presentations, both Ben and I had the sense that we delivered an illuminating session for downtown revitalization stakeholders. (At least that’s what I like to think). Here are a few images from the presentation.

Post by Rob Dietz

Pica Welcomes MDF

Pica Design — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:17:43 +0000

Pica Welcomes Maine Development Foundation to Client Roster. In February, Pica was awarded the contract to develop a new website-based tool for one of Maine Development Foundation’s programs. Maine Development Foundation (MDF) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation with a membership of 250 Maine private companies, educational institutions, municipalities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The mission of the Foundation is to empower Maine people to grow Maine’s economy. The organization focuses on four critical areas of economic growth: innovation and entrepreneurship, health and wellness, education, and the attraction and retention of new populations in the Maine workforce. Funding comes from a variety of sources including fee-for-service, private contributions, memberships, foundations and state government contracts.

MDF is non-partisan and delivers the highest quality fact-driven work through its programs and through economic research conducted by professional staff. MDF oversees seven programs in community development, leadership training, and workforce development. Staff members conduct a range of economic research analysis for public and private interests on issues across the economy. All work serves as the basis for extensive and ongoing educational and outreach efforts. To learn more about MDF, visit: www.mdf.org

To learn more about Pica Design + Marketing’s partnership benefits with other non-profits like Maine Development Foundation, contact us.

Pica goes Abstract

Micah Ellis — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:50:45 +0000

On a Friday in early June, the Pica Design team took a road trip to Portland to attend Abstract Maine 2011. The conference was hosted by AIGA Maine and their supporting sponsors. Abstract brought together six heavy hitters from the design community to talk about editorial design and its future (psst…it’s digital): Florian Bachleda of Fast Company, Dirk Barnett of Newsweek, Scott Dadich of Condé Nast, Arem Duplessis of The New York Times Magazines, Luke Hayman of Pentagram and Gael Towey of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

We got an inside look at the process behind putting a Newsweek cover together; staging a photo shoot with Conan Obrien; blow-drying Martha Stewart’s Hens for a photo shoot; and rebranding the New York Magazine with Pentagram. More than that, we got an inside look at where the editorial world is heading and, yes, it has to do with the iPad and the tablet computer. We took a sneak preview at InDesign 5.5 with the good folks from Adobe and saw some of the digital tools they are building into future versions. Exciting stuff, to be sure.

Stepping outside of the daily goings- on around the office and listening to some great talks was both refreshing and inspiring. Overall, we brought home more ideas and inspiration than our brains could carry from some of the top professionals in our industry. The day was topped off by excellent food and conversation in Portland’s Old Port. Many thanks to AIGA Maine for putting together an excellent conference.

Land Trust’s Conservation + Recreation Site Goes Live

Jennifer DeJoy — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:17:07 +0000

Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by local residents of Grand Lake Stream, Maine. They contribute to the long-term economic and environmental well-being of the Downeast Lakes region through the conservation and exemplary management of its forests and waters.

Pica Design answered a request for proposal from DLLT in April of 2010 and was chosen to redesign the organization’s outmoded web site. We reorganized content and designed a website which would be a resource for visitors, both for conservation news and as a guide to recreation opportunities in the region. A home-page slideshow features photos that capture the beauty and wildlife of the Grand Lake Stream area. We also built in new functionality: a blog, event calendar, and social networking tools. The site is optimized for search engines and traffic analysis. And–last, but not least–what would a non-profit be without its supporters? The new website allows visitors to contribute online; donors can direct a donation to a specific project, or donate in the name of someone special.

We are excited to see how the site performs, so we’ll be checking in through Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools. In six months, we will analyze the site’s performance in search engines, part of our effort to optimize DLLT’s online visibility and help DLLT staff and volunteers do what they do best: Conserving Forests and Lakes – For People – Forever.

DowneastLakes.Org BEFORE" src="http://blog.picadesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DLLT-Before1-300x273.png" alt="" width="300" height="176" />

Downeast Lakes Land Trust Website: BEFORE

Downeast Lakes Land Trust Website: AFTER

Check out the new site @ https://www.downeastlakes.org

Pica Design Launches Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) Website

Jennifer DeJoy — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:34:21 +0000

Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) has a new website–a dynamic, information-rich site that will be updated and maintained by WCAP staff.

Waldo Community Action Partners’ mission is “to create opportunities for people to improve their quality of life.” They aim to make a big impact on Waldo County citizens by expanding opportunities for health, comfort, and financial and personal development. The site provides information and contacts for public transportation, education programs, energy services, emergency resources, health programs and community projects.

Using revolutionary web techniques, Pica Design programmed the site so that users with disabilities can navigate it without the use of a mouse. Site visitors can also follow quicklinks and visual icons to intuitively locate the content they need. We consulted WAI* and Section 508** to understand the needs of the disability community, then created solutions that we implemented across the site. The site also includes a private website for the WCAP staff to communicate and share documents between departments.

To check out the website or to learn more about how Waldo Community Action Partners supports our community everyday, click here: http://www.waldocap.org

* Pica Design developed navigation for the site to be WAI Compliant for Accessibility. WAI stands for Web Accessibility Initiative and their mission is to work with organizations around the world to develop strategies, guidelines and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities (for more information, visit www.w3.org/WAI/).
** “508 Compliant” refers to respect for and adherence to Section 508, which requires that Federal agencies’ electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities.

Pica Design Launches WCGH.org Website

Rob Dietz — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:57:50 +0000

Pica Design is pleased to announce the new redesign of Waldo County General Hospital’s website at www.wcgh.org! Waldo County Healthcare, Inc. (WCHI) serves the healthcare needs of Waldo County residents through Waldo County General Hospital, five rural health centers, home health and hospice services, public health nursing, physicians’ offices and educational programs.

Waldo County General Hospital (WCGH) is a not-for-profit community hospital committed to providing excellent care for patients and their families in a friendly, caring atmosphere in line with its mission to be the BEST. Services are provided as efficiently as possible with an eye on the future and in collaboration with other community-minded agencies. All services are provided regardless of ability to pay in accordance with the hospital’s financial assistance policy.

In early March, Pica Design was selected to redesign and redevelop the hospital’s new website working within the brand standards outlined by MaineHealth. The goal of the new website design was to remain accessible and intuitive to a broad-range audience while incorporating the newest tools and technologies to allow the hospital to enhance their existing communications and open new channels of communication. In addition, the new website needed to offer the ability to allow Hospital staff to manage every aspect of the website. Over the past six months, we have worked closely with the Hospital’s administrative staff to implement and test all of the site’s new functionality, including:

One of the bigger challenges for our team was to code the new website to work on every browser and keep the website as accessible as possible. Should a website break occur, the user has the ability to ‘Submit a Website Problem’ through a link located within the footer navigation.

In addition to developing the new website, Pica Design is providing hosting services as well as consulting on web and social media strategies to help the Hospital get the most out of its online presence. To learn more about Pica website development and social media strategies, contact us by phone at 207-338-1740 or email at: info@picadesign.com

Pica Design Awarded DLLT Contract

Rob Dietz — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:18:30 +0000

We’d like to welcome Downeast Lakes Land Trust as a new Client. In early June 2010, Pica Design was awarded a contract from Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) for the design and development of their new website. DLLT is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2001 in Grand Lake Stream, Maine. Their mission is to contribute to the long-term economic and environmental well-being of the Downeast Lakes region through the conservation and exemplary management of its forests and waters. To learn more about their initiatives and the land that they are conserving, visit: http://www.downeastlakes.org

To learn more about Pica Design’s partnership benefits with other non-profits like Downeast Lakes Land Trust, contact us today at: info@picadesign.com

New Poster for Vision Source

Micah Ellis — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:41:48 +0000

We recently finished designing a poster for Vision Source, a Belfast optometrist practice for Dr. Jeffery Dutch, OD and Dr. Amy Marnecheck, OD. The poster will be used for Vision Source’s annual Trunk Show, a special sale of high-end eyewear brands, on Thursday, May 28th. The posters measure 3ft. by 3ft. and were printed by Warner Graphics in Camden.