Thysse Interviews Agrace on Promotional Boxes

Agrace Recognizes All Staff With Self-Care Gift for 2020

Thysse’s Marketing Director, Jen Braga, interviews Agrace’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Liz Kopling, on her experience with the project.

Agrace approached Thysse with an opportunity for a brand new project: a custom gift box for all employees to recognize them for their dedication and contributions in 2020. From March-December, these team members faced enormous challenges to providing patient care and facilitating family communications, all while navigating a pandemic themselves. Agrace’s CEO Lynne Sexten wanted to share Agrace’s appreciation for employees’ perseverance and commitment to providing the best standard of care for Agrace patients. In mid-December, I had the opportunity to sit down with Liz Kopling, Director of Marketing and Communications, to talk through the entire process, and how it was received by staff.

Agrace custom gift box

Jen: What made Agrace want to do a custom gift for your team this year?

Liz: In my 10 years with Agrace, we’ve never done a company-wide gift on this scale before, it was a unique thought for 2020. The project was really a function of wanting to reach out and personally thank each employee and surround them with care and empathy. We have about 850 employees and this year has been hard on all of them. Many of our staff are in a clinical setting and had added challenges of adapting many types of patient care throughout the pandemic.

As months and months of the pandemic wore on, our CEO, Lynne Sexten, had the idea to do something that would make people understand how much we appreciate them. To show our gratitude for hanging with us through such a tough year.

“You cannot take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

Liz Kopling, Agrace

Jen: What were some emotions or themes you wanted to capture with this box?

Liz: The theme of the package was committing to self-care and creating self-compassion. The idea of giving yourself grace and prioritizing taking care of ourselves. You cannot take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first.

Each item was chosen to encourage taking breaks and participating in self-care in a way that was meaningful to them. We included items for work and home, to provide self-care opportunities throughout the day, in any setting.

Understanding that self-care is not always about self-reliance, we also included a list of resources for employee assistance, discounts and more.

Ultimately, we wanted to provide an experience that made them feel appreciated, understood, and valued.

Jen: The final box is made up of a few Thysse-sourced pieces and some with local flair. Can you talk through how you selected the items included?

Liz: The goal for the box was for items to be helpful and things that people would appreciate. We wanted them to be high quality and locally sourced when possible. Through employee connections, we sourced Madison-area companies to provide the tea and chocolate included in the baskets, (Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier and True Coffee Roasters). Thysse was a deliberate choice too, as you’re able to provide a local connection to help us source some of the items produced elsewhere. In the end, it was more about quality than quantity, we wanted an entire gift experience that people would value and be excited to receive.

Jen: Other than proximity to your offices, were there additional factors in your selection of Thysse as the partner for this project?

Liz: I had worked with Thysse on previous projects, and knew from experience that JJ would be honest with me about the feasibility of the ideas I had in mind. Thysse has a great reputation in Madison and Oregon, for being a provider of quality work and as a company who really cares about their community.

I’d worked with JJ and Tina on sourcing third-party items in the past, with great success. I knew they would be able to get what we wanted without the need for me to constantly check in to make sure things were on track. The communication and logistical work would be seamless with Thysse which was a huge advantage.

Agrace custom gift box

Jen: Can you explain how the project kicked off with our team? What tools and conversations did you have to help formulate the project scope? (initial consult, item selection, proofing, etc)

Liz: In the beginning, we just had the packaging and quality in mind, and wanted a trusted partner for the process. In terms of timing, once the idea was out of the gate, we wanted it delivered as soon as possible to help our staff combat the constant stress.

We came to the table with a couple ideas; we knew we wanted to include the chocolates and likely a cozy blanket, but were open to suggestions. Tina added so much value with her recommendations because she took our initial ideas and pulled ideas for us to consider. The blanket in particular ended up being a unique plaid pattern that she’d suggested.

We did use the promotional store link on the Thysse website to form an idea of what we were looking for, to then share with the Thysse team. It helped us understand what our options might be and have more productive discussions with Tina and JJ about the whole set of products.

Jen: What was the overall timeline for your project, from request to delivery?

Liz: The project was about 7 weeks from first contact to completion. The team was upfront about lead times, (YETI was substantial because of high demand), but once everything we ordered arrived in Thysse’s hands, the turnaround time exceeded expectations. Thysse was very responsive throughout the process.

Jen: Were there any expected or unexpected challenges in working through these custom boxes?

Liz: The timeline was out of our and your control, being based on vendor supply and lead times, which is a factor in any project. Tina and JJ were extremely upfront in setting expectations on delivery and ship dates to deliver as soon as possible. One piece we knew we wanted to include was a YETI product, which Tina confirmed at that time had the longest turnaround time of any of the items. We narrowed down that selection first, to get the order in immediately while other components were being selected.

“I had very high hopes and expectations of the project because of my past experiences with Thysse.”

Jen: What’s an unexpected benefit you found in working with Thysse through this process?

Liz: One example of Thysse’s value came when we went to order the blankets. The color patch on the blankets we’d chosen was brown and there were only about half the quantity needed in stock. Tina quickly suggested a gray option instead, that still went well with our branding and had full quantities available.

Anytime there was a hiccup, JJ or Tina would always respond with a solution which was so helpful. It kept things moving forward on our timeline, and it felt like they knew how important it was for us to get this out as quickly as possible. It also just takes the stress out of the hands of the customer or client in our case. Just knowing that I don’t have to worry about those details like I might have to with another vendor, where they aren’t as solution-oriented or proactive.

Another benefit was Thysse’s proximity. We always try to work with local partners as much as possible. On this project, it allowed us to more quickly view samples and make decisions.

I’ll just end with: I had very high hopes and expectations of the project because of my past experiences with Thysse. The feedback from staff was beyond my expectations. They were not only appreciative; they were emotionally overcome in some cases by how this package arrived unexpectedly with so much thought behind it. I think having Thysse be able to help us execute our vision was an expectation that your team far exceeded.

Jen: You had some custom messaging included in the boxes. How did you decide what to include, and who did you ask to participate in the box creation?

Liz: We wanted it to be a surprise, so we kept the working group fairly small. I shopped around a bit on the Thysse web portal and would put them into a little collage to be tweaked.

Some of it came up organically. We had the idea to do the “Proud Agrace Team Member” magnets, and I assumed that customizing them by job (RN, CAN, LPN, etc) would have a large cost associated. Tina got wind of that discussion and let us know that the cost difference would be pretty minimal. Her ability to work with the vendor gave us some more creative energy to be able to customize them even further.

The most collaborative part of the projects seemed to be after we had the items set. We started to look at the collection and wonder how to package them all together in a way that would withstand shipping, and in a way that would keep the boxes looking pristine. The Thysse team tested different boxing options, whether we should put everything into original packaging or totally customize the boxes for a better experience.

We ended up using a belly band that was glued around the bundle to keep everything in place. We did have a couple in person meetings, but for the most part we were able to collaborate with the stakeholders and Thysse virtually. I was with my design manager in my office and took a short video of a mockup idea. Thysse took that and ran with it to make a formal prototype to test with all the items and ensure the optimal fit. It was very collaborative.

In terms of the box we chose, when designing, we originally thought of using white. Someone on the Thysse side suggested the kraft brown box as these items were being shipped and could get a bit scuffed/worse for the wear in the process. The end result shipped beautifully, and that impacted the final design. 

Agrace custom gift box

Jen: We have an area in sales with space to do some prepackaging/prototyping. Tina, Ole, and JJ played your video on our monitor and would scrub back and forth on the layout to confirm it was matching your requests, and also note areas for improvement. I think that was the first time they’d used video to work with a client in that way, but all agreed it was a good process to continue for future projects, so that we can all agree on layout and assembly process. The video was a great tool for communicating remotely. Having the ability to play it back multiple times was extremely helpful.

Liz: Right! You can lose the nuance in meeting notes sometimes. The Thysse team’s expertise was a big asset in the process too. We thought that just wrapping the items up tighter in tissue paper should do the trick [to keep everything in place] and the Thysse crew did some testing. The corner of the chocolate box may break through the tissue in shipping jostling and arrive ripped/out of place. That’s the kind of level of detail where we just wouldn’t know, having never sent something like this before. Having a partner you can trust is critical. We’re not the experts in packaging and shipping, knowing that Thysse has that expertise and we didn’t have to anticipate every doomsday scenario that could occur.

Jen: I assume you’ve done some promotional product ordering in the past. What’s a mistake often made when sourcing promo products? Did we avoid this?

Liz: In the past, when we’ve been able to do something like this, we’re looking evaluating cost as first priority. Things end up being “ok” but no one is ever passionate about them. This time we had the benefit of being in a situation where we knew people would be passionate about the items received.

I noticed a difference in the quality of each piece too. The engraving and branding on every single item, from the $.99 ear saver to the patch on the nicer blankets, the imprints were so beautifully done. I was almost shocked at how good everything looked. Engraving/imprints/etc are not always done so meticulously. I don’t know if that’s a credit to the vendors that Thysse works with or Tina’s attention to detail or if we just got lucky. I mean, again, even the ear saver has just the most crisp, absolutely pristine logo on it

Jen: It’s a combination of all of the above. Tina knows the vendors doing the imprints, and selects those that do an outstanding job engraving/embossing. There’s also a difference depending on the product chosen, certain materials will receive embossing or imprints a little better, and look really clean. If something’s printed on lower quality material, or in a way that’s less conducive to the application, it will end up being less crisp or doesn’t leave as clean of a line. Tina has such a high level of expertise in that area, and she will let you know if a combination is not going to work out as desired. She’s great about sharing alternate options that are still in line with your vision, but will have greater impact, often at roughly the same price point.

Jen: Color management, brand consistency, and overall experience are important to Thysse. Can you describe how Agrace evolved certain components or values into physical pieces and experiences with the box? The theme was self-care, but did some of the values of Agrace make their way into the box?

Liz: Our values as a nonprofit and a healthcare organization frequently revolve around compassion. That’s compassion for patients and families, but we took this as an opportunity to show compassion for our staff. They’re such a valuable resource to Agrace themselves, so we used self-care inspiration and quotes in the box to draw those feelings out in a way that was tied to Agrace but wasn’t simply our mission, vision, values plastered on the inside of the box. This was something created for our staff, so it needed to be fresh and a little unique application of our core tenets. The box was something a little different meant to engage in a fresh way.

“…what would make us feel valued and seen and understood and heard? We were invested in creating an experience that was relatable to our own staff as a target audience.”

Jen: What should companies know about when it comes to employee gifting on a large scale?

Liz: I think we were so successful in this project because our leadership team (CEO, another director and I) thought about what we’d like to receive in a gift like this. I put myself in the recipient’s shoes as I am an employee but I’m not a clinician providing hands-on care. That exercise of thinking about the emotions we wanted to evoke, what would make us feel valued and seen and understood and heard? We were invested in creating an experience that was relatable to our own staff as a target audience. You can typically do focus groups to understand these audiences and find out what they’d like. In this case, we wanted to keep this as a surprise to keep the mystique, so we didn’t really have that option. We did a bit of projecting, if you will. In particular, one of the quotes used was “talk to yourself as you’d talk to a friend.” Thinking along those lines of, what would you want to get that would make you feel valued?

Agrace custom gift box

Jen: Can you share some of the feedback received about the boxes?

Liz: It was so exciting to hear from the staff. They were surprised and so appreciative and emotionally touched by the gesture. There were some common themes which were:

  • It was clear each item was picked out with love and intent.
  • It was that the box arrived just at the right time. Some went on to describe the day they’d experienced and the ongoing challenges of providing care during a pandemic.
  • People felt it was speaking to them when it arrived at their home and felt like it was made just for them.

It was exciting to hear these things from my coworkers and repeatedly gave me chills. Hearing their comments and seeing how much it meant to people, there was a lot of tearing up over the shared emotion and people sharing their heartfelt gratitude.

A lot of the staff went directly to our CEO to share their gratitude. Some went to our internal forum, some shared to social media to unveil their boxes. To share how they felt, there were comments like “wow! That’s the reason you work for a place that appreciates you in this way!”

Jen: Are there any additional thoughts you’d like to share about the experience?

Liz: It was just something we were really proud to do for our team. People know I oversee the marketing department and assumed I had something to do with it. They would approach me to ask about it and say it was really well done. We heard this multiple times!

That was feedback I appreciated because we put out so many things each day and you don’t always hear the impact they have on people. That feedback was really meaningful to me. Not only did people feel appreciated but they felt like they were receiving something of quality.

Jen: That makes us feel great about the work too! Even if it had not been as collaborative, and was purely transactional on our part, producing the box and procuring the items, we would have been so proud to be a part of it. Knowing that we were able to also add input and help along the way, makes our staff feel so proud to have assisted with this effort too. We love being a partner to projects that help in this way because we can bring together multiple service. By combining the custom kit packaging, with the promotional items, and shipping direct to the team, we were able to have a greater impact and assistance to the Agrace team.

Liz: Your team was excited to work with us and that really shined through in every interaction we had with Thysse. Obviously this wasn’t the only project you were working on, yet it felt like we were given priority and we were the only project. They were very responsive and happy to talk with us about the project.

Introducing Thysse Bundles: A promotional offering with your brand at the center.

Let’s face it, sometimes the idea of sourcing branded items for your team or customers is easier said than executed. There’s an internet-load of options to choose from, shipping times, personalization options, and deciphering what each vendor means by “imprint.” It’s great to have a promotional products specialist to guide you along the decision-making process, but sometimes even that can be daunting.

Our promo team always works to make that process as smooth as possible. They weed out the poor-quality items, clearly lay out shipping costs, production times, and benefits of volume pricing. But this year, we wanted to take our efforts a step further to better meet changing needs of remote work and recognition.

Thus, Thysse Bundles was born.

Our first set of bundles includes a health/wellness component, a technology component, and opportunities for multiple imprint styles for brand exposure and flexibility.

We know that a single quality piece is memorable, but an entire gifting experience is unmatched. We also understand that these conversations typically start with a budget and roll from there. Our team of promo experts have created a series of branded items thoughtfully paired with price, quality, and maximum impact in mind. These are then hand-packaged, addressed, and shipped from our facility to your recipient’s front door. What could be easier?

Intrigued yet? Love the bundle, gift wrapping, and shipping but looking for a custom gift to suit your needs? No sweat, we can easily bundle a unique solution for your team too.

Drop Tina a line at tina@thysse.com to learn more and talk specifics.

Thysse Unveils New Campus and New Capabilities.

New Address, Same Thysse Culture.

Monday, July 27 marked the next chapter in the Thysse legacy. The company opened the doors on its new headquarters, a 95,500 square-foot building in Oregon, WI. The new campus, situated just a stone’s throw from the previous Netherwood location, is the third expansion in seven years to support Thysse’s enhanced services and growing lines of business.

The building itself is as functional as it is visually impressive; featuring 2 glass lined stories and triple the production space. The new location brings together a full in-house design suite for Thysse’s Experiential Graphic Design team, moves all production, specialty graphics, and fulfillment services to a single site, creating greater efficiencies for Thysse’s customers, and enhances the close team culture for its employees. For President Jason Thysse, this is the real measure of success,

“Since my grandfather started Thysse in 1941, this company has always been about the people. We designed the new campus with both client and employee needs in mind, and the result we’ve realized with the team of Thysse architects, designers, and assistance from OPN Architects is a dream come true. We are very excited for this next chapter in Thysse’s story!”

Fleet of Thysse delivery trucks at new campus

Director of Operations, Nick Brevik knows that the new campus will start showing a return on investment almost immediately,

“The move to a larger space that can house all our services in one location minimizes our logistical inefficiencies. We’ll be able to reduce travel time, particularly in fulfillment, and we’re able to increase our service offerings, adding on foil stamping and embossing capabilities starting in August. The bigger production space allowed us to bring in a larger format and faster press, as well as the prepress workflow to support it, effectively doubling our offset printing rate. The move also increased fulfillment storage by 30%. Thysse has always looked for the best way to meet our customers’ current needs, while simultaneously planning for their future; this move is a continuation on that promise.”  

Thysse’s new address, as of July 27th, is 780 Cusick Parkway, Oregon, WI 53575.

Production space in Thysse's new campus

Although the building was completed for Thysse, it wasn’t done alone. The project had many partners involved including: The Village of Oregon, Oregon Community Bank, Wisconsin Business Development, OPN Architects, Newcomb Construction, and Thysse’s very own Experiential Design Team. Thank you for your support and assistance along this journey!

To stay up to date with what’s happening at Thysse, stay tuned on our social channels and at www.thysse.com.

Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram

For more information, contact Jen Braga, Thysse, at 608.249.6951.

Color Sells Your Product: An Interview With Color Management Guru John Drew

An Interview With Color Management Guru John Drew

“I want ‘Color sells your product’ to be engraved on my tombstone,” says John Drew. Find out below why this color management guru is so passionate about choosing the right colors for your brand—especially your logo.

Professor John Drew
Professor John Drew

Drew takes logo colors about as seriously as anyone. A professor of graphic design at California State University, Fullerton, Drew has co-written multiple books on the topic, in addition to teaching courses on logo design for nearly 30 years.

We spoke with Professor Drew on a number of topics related to logo colors. If you’re a designer or a marketer, the following Q&A will help you understand (or remind you) just how important logo colors are. We’ll cover key areas like:

  • Why careful color selection is so crucial
  • How to ensure logo colors perform well across platforms
  • How to work more effectively with your printer
  • How to re-evaluate your logo colors   

Q: What does color management for logos mean?

From a graphic designer’s point of view, color management for logos refers to what needs to be done to accurately reproduce logo colors across all platforms, including print, screen, and 3D environments, both indoors and out. 

And that’s just for starters. Color management for logos also means considering the learned and/or psychological effects of color on people. Those are critical factors for logo design. 

It also happens to be the name of a graphic design text book I co-authored with my wife [a graphic design professor at Cal Poly Pomona]. That book is a comprehensive treatment of color issues involved in logo design and gives designers the technical know-how—and inspiration—to design logos effectively. 

Q: What are the most important design elements of a logo?

When I teach logo design, we cover the three major signifiers for how humans make sense of what they see. The first is the form or silhouette of something. Humans most often recognize an object by this signifier. Then there’s tone and texture. For example, think about seeing a shag rug. 

And then there’s color, which I believe is the most important element of a logo. 

Q: Why is color selection so important when it comes to logo design?

First, the hue and color combinations you choose will affect how well they can be seen from a distance. I’m not only talking about distance in terms of recognizing a logo on a billboard or something like that. I’m also talking about the distance from, say, a viewer’s eyes to a smartphone or computer screen or a brochure. 

Logo color selection is crucial when considering that about 1 in 12 men is colorblind, with red/green colorblindness being the most common. Now throw in another small percentage of women who may be colorblind. In addition, there are roughly 246 million people who are visually impaired or have moderately low vision.

Logo color selection is crucial when considering those who are colorblind, vision impaired or have moderately low vision.

Do you really want to create a logo where it’s possible that around 13% of the population may not be able to distinguish your logo colors—and by extension not recognize your brand? 

You also have to consider the power of color in terms of how you want people to feel about your product or company.  

Q: Can you explain what learned effects of color are?

Basically, those are the ideas about color that people absorb from the culture they grow up in. Designers and marketers need to consider the connotations that colors have in a given culture, especially in relation to the form you place the color in.

For example, I had a student who designed a beautiful red and gold color combination in a dollar bill-like form for a book cover. Another student, who happened to be from China, pointed out that the colors and design resembled paper money that Chinese people burn—during rituals for the dead.

Be aware of possible associations your logo may have.

There’s an important lesson there: You need to be careful that your logo doesn’t carry associations that are off-topic, distracting, or worse, offensive in some way. And this is really crucial if your brand’s reach is international—or you want it to be. 

Q: Can you give an example of the psychological effects of color?

Research into this is ongoing, but some hold that red, for example, has a stimulating effect on our metabolism, which among other things, can increase our appetite. 

Now think about that in terms of all the fast food restaurants where red is an integral logo color—McDonald’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., KFC. It’s a long list, and there’s a reason for that.  

Q: What’s a common mistake that companies make when it comes to their logo colors? 

Let’s say you have a logo mark or symbol that’s one hue and then you have the company or abbreviated company name underneath it in another color. Probably the most common mistake I see is not having enough color contrast between those two logo colors. 

The combination may look fine on a computer screen, but once you go to print it, the contrast may not be great enough to see at any kind of distance. 

Q: What can designers/marketers do to help ensure that their print vendor ultimately produces colors accurately? 

Well, to set the record straight, most of the problems that happen between designers and printers are the designer’s fault. They don’t set up the document correctly in the first place, so the printer either has to call them and tell them that they’ve got to make some changes, or they’ll do it for them.

Designers should probably use an ink-matching system. And that way the printer can pull the needed colors. Let’s say it’s Pantone 123. The file says 123, so the printer will then pull 123. So, it should be accurate. 

On the other hand, there are a lot of printers that may not take the kind of pride they should in the outcome of their printed work. 

I’ve experienced scenarios where the initial printed items looked great. But then the run continues, and maybe while the press person takes a break, the color starts to get a little lighter. That’s why printers should have good color management practices as well. 

Q: What can a printer do to help the designer in terms of color management? 

Any design firm or printer I’ve worked with usually has documentation that clearly lays out how they want you to create a file, store the file, name the file, etc. 

A file prep document from the printer is crucial.

Based on my experience, a good file prep document from the printer is crucial. When you’re told specifically how to set up a file for the printer, it can make it so much easier to hit the target the first time around, which obviously saves time and money, to say the least. 

If it’s not provided, a designer should always ask for one.

Q: What should companies know about when it comes to printing in house?

When companies opt to print materials in house, say on an inkjet printer or even on a laser printer, they should know that those printers aren’t really meant to match colors. They sort of simulate the color that you’re trying to get.

If they have really high standards and tight tolerance levels, they’re probably not going to adequately match their logo colors when printing in house on this type of equipment. 

Q: What technical steps can be taken to make sure a logo’s colors will perform well across different platforms?

First, begin by recognizing there are better and worse ways to design for logo colors across platforms. People often don’t realize that matching from one medium to another isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do.

This is really important to consider if you have a client say something like, “We’re a web-based company, so we just want a logo mark for the web.” But what if further down the line, they determine they want to add brick and mortar?

Designers should assume they need to match colors for print and screen-based experiences.

If you’re a designer, start with the assumption that you will need to match logo colors for various print and screen-based experiences. In fact, I would recommend you build colors for print first so that they match within the CMYK color spectrum. 

The process will be a lot easier than doing the reverse and starting with RGB for screen colors. CMYK is the smallest color spectrum, and if you choose your hues from this color space, you’ll be able to guarantee that the hues selected will match within the Pantone and RGB color spectrum.

Q: What should a company do if they want to re-evaluate their logo colors?

Well, I can give you a basic checklist for re-evaluating your colors: First, are the colors inclusive? Do they physically work for everybody? Or, for example, have you chosen colors that the majority of colorblind people won’t really be able to see at a distance?  

Second, are you maximizing the distance by which you can see the logo by the choice of your colors? The third is, are you maximizing the psychological effect of these colors for the culture in which it’s going to be used? 

And then fourth is, do you have enough color contrast between the colors you’re using so that it could be seen by people who are visually impaired?

These would be the top four questions I would ask. If your colors do all of those things, then you’re probably in good shape. But if a couple of those questions are problematic, you may want to consider altering your colors. Obviously that requires careful analysis because changing your logo is nothing to take lightly. 

To learn more about color management and logos, check out Drew’s book Color Management for Logos: A Comprehensive Guide for Graphic Designers

For more information on color management in printing, see Why Is Color Management Needed in Print Projects?

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Who Trusts Thysse With Their Brand? – The Digital Ring + Milio’s

“Where you go with your brand” is not only Thysse’s tagline, but our mantra. We take it very seriously, and it’s ingrained in our culture. It can mean anything from the guidance we provide to the quality of the product that we produce.

The Digital Ring needed to find a print partner for a Milio’s Fresco Italian Trio campaign that could diligently manage and monitor all touch points of the process. From making recommendations for better performing and cost-effective substrates to color consistency and the packaging and delivery of the final product kits. Thysse proved that attention to detail was a part of our DNA and we delivered above expectations on all accounts.

From backlit signage to bag stuffers, window clings to sidewalk posters — our challenge was managing color across a variety of substrates and printing processes. We pride ourselves on our detail-driven production and can hold color matching between our large format and digital printing capabilities. Through cross-departmental teamwork and a quality assurance process, we successfully produced seventeen items for the Milio’s launch.

Thirty-five Milio’s stores across three states were counting on us to deliver these kits damage-free and not every location received the same items. Meticulous spreadsheets allowed our teams to pack the assortment of quantities, sizes and substrates carefully, padding and wrapping everything to protect during the shipping process.

“Working with Thysse is such a wonderful experience. We were really looking for a partner with our printing needs, not just a vendor. We found a great team who not only managed the complexity of shipping large orders with varying designs, quantities, and materials to all of our stores, but also printed the highest quality pieces with outstanding color consistency at a great price. We couldn’t be happier with Thysse!”
– Nicole Ledoda, Account Executive, The Digital Ring

Finding Inspiration in a School Bus

Nelson’s Bus Service has come to rely on Thysse to provide the “cool wow factor” for their branded collateral. Thysse has developed everything from business cards and pocket folders to giant bus-sized banners.

Most recently, Thysse completed a signage project for their facilities in Whitewater and McFarland, Wisconsin. Thysse began with a site study, identifying needed signage messaging and installation locations. We then amassed an overall signage inventory, designing a sign family that fit within the established Nelson’s Bus Service Visual Branding. We direct-printed the designs to aluminum panels with UV ink that would hold up to all weather conditions. Areas of raw aluminum was strategically left unprinted to catch the ambient light, creating a visually striking sign piece.

Who Trusts Thysse With Their Brand? – WEA Trust

Introducing a new product to the marketplace is often accompanied by uncertain anxiety. Market research is no guarantee. The best thing you can do is communicate your message. Effective communication of your message can mean the difference between immediate interest and the lack of … and immediate interest makes eventual adoption much more likely.

Where do you go? How do you begin?

WEA Trust went to Thysse for assistance with their new product launch. Thysse provided WEA Trust with creative, experience-driven ideas and guided their in-house designer through the large-format file development and production process. From creative concept to brand deployment, WEA Trust’s product launch was a success.

“My team at WEA Trust started working closely with Thysse when we began planning a big product launch. The product was new and different and we need to make a splash in the marketplace. The plan was to create an interactive experience that our guests would go through before the product launch presentation. And if that wasn’t enough, the whole thing need to be both mobile and re-usable.

Thysse’s expertise, creativity, and attention to detail were essential in bringing our vision to life. The event was a huge success and I can say without hesitation that without Thysse’s partnership, it would not have had the spark and energy that gave it life.

The team at Thysse is one of the best in the industry and I would highly recommend working with them on your next project. Very few agencies are producing the kind of truly experiential design that Thysse has been doing for years. They make incredible results and brilliant innovation look easy.”
– Dan Rose, Content and Branding Specialist at WEA Trust

Who Trusts Thysse With Their Brand? – Oregon Community Bank

The need for a corporate rebranding is usually a realization that comes from within the organization. Perhaps it starts with a logo that has begun to feel dated – a mark that doesn’t translate well to modern website and social media platforms – a mark that doesn’t properly reflect the company’s self-image. Perhaps it starts with an evolution of the company’s message and direction. Perhaps it starts with a new, energized vision of the company’s future. For Oregon Community Bank, all of these things occurred at about the same time and in 2014 they wondered …

Where do you go? How do you begin?

Oregon Community Bank turned to the branding team at Thysse. We began with a thorough examination of the existing visual brand elements, and OCB’s future plans. We then organized a series of Thysse-led employee charrettes in which we guided internal discussion focused around exposing the existing company culture and visions for the stakeholders’ outward messaging.
Thysse used this information to develop a complete rebranding that better fit an overall “Feel Good Banking” message and community mission. The finished deliverables not only included all visual identity assets (logo, typeface, color palette, print collateral, interior and exterior signage), but established the brand family for future OCB community branches.

“We were not only impressed with the end result, but the process in which Thysse employed during our rebranding process. They made it a truly collaborative effort by coming to us and leading sessions that drew out our thoughts, wants and needs. Thysse then took what we said and made it real. In the end, they effectively encompassed who we are as a bank and who we are as a brand. Simply put – success.”
– Elyse Smithback, Vice President at Oregon Community Bank