Moving Ideas

DID YOU KNOW??? The distinctive hue that inspired the Blue Ridge Mountains' name comes from the incredible diversity of trees and other vegetation the range is known for.

Lower elevations offer deciduous forests of oak, sourwood, hickory, maple, yellow birch, yellow buckeye, American beech, and tulip poplar. At elevations above 4,500 feet, evergreens such as Fraser fir, balsam, and red spruce are more abundant.

These trees release volatile hydrocarbons such as isoprene, which interacts with other molecules in the atmosphere to create the distinctive blue haze that envelopes the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Check out the gorgeous color palette of blue shades featured in this photo, which was shared by the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Happy story! 🙂

The Story Of The 2nd Most Iconic Smile In The World.

Harvey Ross Ball, a graphic designer from Worcester, Massachusetts, is credited with inventing the iconic smiley face in 1963.
Ball came up with the image in 1963 when he was commissioned to create a graphic to raise morale among the employees of an insurance company after a series of difficult mergers and acquisitions. Ball finished the design in less than 10 minutes and was paid $45 for his work. The State Mutual Life Assurance Company (now Allmerica Financial Corporation) made posters, buttons, and signs adorned with the jaundiced grin in the attempt to get their employees to smile more. It’s uncertain whether or not the new logo boosted morale, but the smiling face was an immediate hit and the company produced thousands of buttons. The image proliferated and was of course endlessly imitated but according to Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, the authentic Harvey Ball-designed smiley face could always be identified by its distinguishing features: the eyes are narrow ovals, one larger than the other, and the mouth is not a perfect arc but “almost like a Mona Lisa Mouth.”

Neither Ball nor State Mutual tried to trademark or copyright the design.

Is it time for a brand assessment? The best brands build trust and connections which ultimately strengthens financial performance.

Council Post: The Importance Of Branding In Business There’s a huge amount of competition today, so businesses need to go the extra mile of ensuring they stand out in a crowd.

In marketing, you have to begin with the right thinking. This serves as a straight arrow to guide the direction of every initiative.

https://www.movingideasinc.com/work/strategy/

Fresh off the presses! This “bee campaign” for The Pennington Team is going to make their customers smile throughout the mortgage process. Not pictured are thematic gifts, text messaging and emails. 🐝

Cheers to the promise of a fresh, new year! The actions of a brand are what create value over time so plan with your goals in mind.

"God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy”

Refreshing a brand is often the right decision after years of being in business because the most successful companies evolve and grow. In partnership with , we created this revitalized brand logo, messaging and a new visual identity for Southeast Radiation Oncology, now SERO.

December is a good time to step back and assess your brand’s strengths and weaknesses over the past year. This is a key to harnessing brand equity for companies of all sizes, in all industries and markets.