From Health Care to Hamburgers to Hydraulic Fracturing

Jan. 25, 2012
By Kathleen Anthony, account supervisor

Standing on an oil and gas rig tucked into the rolling green farmland east of Canton not long ago, I had to stop and ask myself  —“Wow! How did I get here?”

This experience got me thinking about the twists and turns my career has taken throughout the years — from an internal communications coordinator in health care to a fast-food-restaurant-chain spokeswoman to the hydraulic-fracturing expert at FrazierHeiby. What a long, strange trip indeed!

When I graduated from The Ohio State University with my bachelor’s in journalism, I didn’t have a clue of what to do next. So, I packed my bags, said goodbye to my hometown of Columbus and hit the road. My destination? Beautiful San Diego, California — land of sun, sand, beaches and perpetual flip-flops.

When I got to the Golden State, I pounded the pavement and began knocking on the door of every PR firm and corporate office I could find. After a couple of internships (more like indentured servitude) I got my first big break as an internal communications coordinator for a large hospital group where I spent two years churning out newsletters.

Hungry for more, I went to work for a real clown — “Jack,” the head of the Jack in the Box restaurant chain. I spent 10 happy years with Jack and gained valuable knowledge about food safety, marketing and media relations.

But after the birth of my daughter nearly three years ago, coming back to Ohio for my family seemed like the right thing to do.  It didn’t hurt that the economy in central Ohio was a bit stronger than in California, which was teetering on the brink (California was broke and we voted for a bullet train. Really?).

After moving my native-Californian husband and baby girl back to the Buckeye State, I balanced caring for my daughter with freelance writing gigs. Though I loved the flexibility (i.e., shower-optional days, afternoon naps and wearing yoga pants to work) of working for myself, I missed the action and camaraderie you can only get with a full-time job. So here I am at FrazierHeiby.

I’ve had an interesting career. I’ve worked with some amazing people, seen lots of stuff (including a taco factory in Kansas) and have learned so much. It just goes to show that you never know where your career will take you. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Tangerine Tango

Jan. 18, 2012
By Wesleigh Mowry, graphic designer

Fashion designers watch the runways to see what clothing trends the next season will bring to life. For graphic designers, design trends work much the same way – we look to the collections of work by other designers to see what is popular and what we’re competing with. And just as fashion comes and goes in waves, with prevailing themes, color schemes and influences, so too does graphic design. In fact, design and fashion often go hand-in-hand, as both are expressions of culture at a given time. Think about the psychedelic posters for bands like The Grateful Dead in the late 60s and the “hippie” clothes of that era – they include the same bright colors, the same paisley-like patterns, even the same free-spirit feel. But does fashion drive graphic design or is it the other way around?

The two camps could probably argue all day about which has the most influence, but there is one thing fashion and graphic designers alike can get inspiration from – the Pantone “Color of the Year.”

Pantone, the self-proclaimed “global authority on color and provider of professional color standards, ” has announced a Color of the Year annually since 1999 as a reflection of the current state of mind. The Color of the Year for 2012 is none other than Tangerine Tango – a bright reddish orange. A polar opposite of zen-like Cerulean Blue – the official color of 2000 – Tangerine Tango is full of energy, adrenaline and warmth. The year is projected to be a bright and ambitious one, as can be seen in the amount of tangerine on the runways of upcoming spring fashions.

You can buy all sorts of things in Tangerine Tango, from coffee mugs to paint to Sephora beauty products. Check out pantone.com for all of the Color of the Year products and information.

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A New, Grand View

Jan. 11, 2012
By Doug Frazier, Chief Creative Officer

It has been one of the most hectic winters in the history of our firm. All of our clients are cranking at full speed and we are working lots of extra hours and weekends. Luckily, our new offices make it a bit more comfortable — and the views are calming as well. While chatting with Tom about 6 p.m. yesterday, we both simultaneously stopped as a beautiful orange sunset began to blaze out his window. At this time of year, if the clouds have waned at all, we get to see both sunrise and sunset — a tiny offset for the long, dark work days of winter.

Our many windows offer a third-story view of the world around us. During the summer, we see nothing but calming green treetops with songbirds, heron and other woods-and-water fowl. There is no sign of civilization in site. One evening, Tom saw a bald eagle cruising the river. As the trees change color and drop their leaves, the trunks of white birch and Sycamore can be seen lining a long stretch of the steady Scioto River. Eventually, the busy thoroughfares of Riverside Drive and Fifth Avenue are revealed alongside homes and businesses on the crest of Grandview Heights — a reminder of our work and busy clients. Spring will arrive in a few months and the calming green will slowly return.

For now, it’s winter and January and the start of an exciting new year, and I invite you to visit our “grand view.” Meanwhile I wish you all the best in 2012.

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