News | 2010

Larsen is pleased to announce new partnerships with the Kyphon Products Division of Medtronic and Minnesota Masonic Charities, and continued relationships with National Marrow Donor Program and U.S. Bancorp. Work for these clients ranges from brand strategy, messaging, and identity standards to annual reports and marketing campaigns.

Larsen is pleased to co-sponsor the American Marketing Association Minnesota Chapter’s 2010-11 Digital Series — four thought-provoking evening programs focused on the latest in the digital realm. The October kickoff: Strategy and Metrics: Creating a Digital Plan that’s Meaningful. Join us November 16 for Building the On-Demand Brand: Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends for 2011.

Ending Tim Larsen’s three-year term as Board Chair at College of Visual Arts, CVA named a facility to honor Larsen. The Larsen Digital Media Lab recognizes Tim’s dedication to CVA through board roles, financial donations, and his company’s in-kind services since 1999. Tim credits colleagues for teaching and mentoring students, creating the CVA Leaders of Design Series, and earning CVA numerous design awards for its viewbook and website.

Larsen recently launched a redesigned website for Welsh, a full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in the Twin Cities. The new site helps position Welsh as the umbrella brand for its many service offerings — from brokerage and capital to construction and property management.

The College of Visual Arts viewbook, Old Republic Title 2009 annual report, and two Wausau Paper promotions — In Vogue and WYSIWYG — have been awarded American Graphic Design Awards by GD USA.

Larsen is pleased to announce the launch of a new website for Ampers, a collection of 12 independent public radio stations with diverse programming for Minnesota’s communities.

Two annual reports designed by Larsen — Old Republic Title’s 2009 report, “Never Bet on the Hare,” and Wausau Paper’s 2009 annual, ” Positioned for Performance” — have been selected for inclusion in the Graphis 100 Best Annual Reports 2011.

The Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) invited Michael Haug to present Larsen’s work on the Yorktown kiosk during its “New Directions in Exhibition and Environment Design: Innovation” symposium, held August 12-14 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

To address growing business in the digital realm, Larsen announces immediate openings for a Senior Interactive Designer, an Interactive Designer, and an Interactive Producer on its Minneapolis team. Standout candidates are encouraged to apply.

A viewbook designed by Larsen for the College of Visual Arts has been selected for inclusion in the 51st Design Annual published by Communication Arts. This prestigious annual compendium of juried work features the best in visual communications from around the world. The tabloid-sized viewbook, which employs large close-up photos of artists’ tools and invites prospective students to “be visual,” was also picked for exhibition in the 2010 AIGA Minnesota Design Show and 365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 31.

The College of Visual Arts viewbook and The Saint John’s Bible website will be included in “365: AIGA Annual Design Competitions 31.” These works were selected from more than 2,500 entries and will be two of only 126 featured.

Larsen has become a sponsor of The BrandLab, a bold experiment started by OLSON and now an independent non-profit that brings together the brightest minds in the marketing industry with high school students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds to enlighten their career choices. For Larsen, this will include offering an 8-week summer internship and possible tours of the Minneapolis office plus Larsen staff presenting in a local classroom. Other sponsors include General Mills, Target, Best Buy @15, Land O’Lakes, 3M, and Schwan’s.

The Brand Lab

Best Buy’s at15.com has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Charitable Organizations/Non-Profit category in the 14th Annual Webby Awards. The Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 15% of all work entered that exhibits remarkable achievement. The Webby Awards received over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries.

A 10-person team comprised of designers, developers, and producers — eight of them from Larsen — pooled talents as Team Placeholder to compete and win The Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge. The team created and launched the first website for Dakota Wicohan, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Dakota language. A panel of judges chose the winning team from 16 competitors based on the amount of change achieved for their nonprofit partner. See the video interview.

Team Placeholder included Larsen staff Ryan Bridge, Barbara Brown, Reid Durbin, Gordon McIntyre-Lee, David Molanphy, Jennifer Parks, Bud Snead, and Mike Voermans, as well as Brad Parks of Brad’s Brain, and Justin Mueller of Proximity.

DISRUPTIVE EFFECTS: How Design Is Changing Your World (and how to profit from it) is the first in a series of themed, interactive dialogs among designers and representatives from other disciplines discussing the consequences of design-induced change. Hosted by the University of Minnesota College of Design and sponsored by Larsen, the first dialog features three presenters—Jane McGonigal, futurist/game designer; Tom Erickson, interaction designer; and Nora Paul, media researcher; moderator is Tom Fisher, dean, College of Design. Participants will play McGonigal’s alternate-reality game World Without Oil and discover how design can impact global issues.

Symposium Date: March 18, noon-5:30 p.m. plus reception

Location: University of Minnesota – 3M Auditorium, Carlson School of Management

Register today!

Larsen is pleased to announce new work from clients Digital River, HGA/Minnesota Zoo, National Marrow Donor Program, Vantus Technology, Wealth Enhancement Group, and Welsh.

Digital River — naming strategy, product naming, brand awareness survey

HGA/Minnesota Zoo — wayfinding plan, signage system

National Marrow Donor Program — clinical guidelines kit, trade show booth theme, graphics

Vantus Technology — investor presentation, conference materials

Wealth Enhancement Group – identity, identity guidelines

Welsh — website