click photos for a few more pics.
It’s that time of year again to sit back and admire some of the best vehicle advertising in the industry. This year’s Sign and Digital Graphics magazine’s Auto Art Contest featured more than 500 entries of some of the most creative and interesting designs on the road. As in years past, this year’s contest was divided into five categories: Commercial Vehicles, Shop Vehicles, Trailers and Buses, Pro Racing and Street Art.
We also received an honorable mention in the buses and trailers category for the Game Truck’s mobile gaming trailer.
To communicate their “farm fresh” approach Sony recently recycled cast-off advertising banners into a collection of jeans. Called the “Recycle Project Jeans,” the concept used ads which were displayed on the side of their building, in turn hanging and selling the upcycled product on that same wall.
Sony, recognizing that (much like wine or sushi) some things are just better at their point of origin, makes a point about locale with the project. Hanging the jeans on the building where the fabric originates emphasizes the repurposing concept, reinforcing the roots of the brand’s idea.
Each of the 120 handmade completely unique pairs sells directly from the wall. Passersby and potential customers peer at the jeans through supplied binoculars and once selected, someone rappels down the side of the building to remove the pair of colorful pants.
The project not only cleverly experiments with recycling, but all of the money from the sales supports World Heritage sites.
To see the spectacle in effect, check out their video .
Personally, I prefer my pants on the ground rather than hanging from a building.
Next time give bluemedia a call… we have some scrap banner material for use 
On April 16th – 18th, 2009 Mike Tovar, bluemedia Install Manager, along with Ingram Johnson, our senior bluemedia Installer, travelled to Las Vegas to compete in the 1st Annual Lowen Certified Wrap Off. Mike and Ingram competed against 46 other installers from all over the world in a 3-day, 5 round event judging the installers speed, technique and quality of install. Ford provided six 2009 Mustangs to be used in the event. Sweet! And so it began…
Rounds 1 through 4 consisted of wrapping the drivers side front fender and door. The 5th and final round consisted of 3 finalists wrapping the entire driver’s side and competing for all the marbles. First place took home a 2009 Ford F-250 XL, an HP Touchsmart tx2-1020us Notebook PC, a truck tool box and wrapper’s tool set from Mac Tools, Cyrious Control OOB Gold system and a free Lowen Certification for the Installer.™ Second place winner took home a cool $5,000 cash (not chump change by any stretch), with 3rd place receiving a complimentary custom wrap for their vehicle designed by the guys at West Coast Custom.
The Results:Dustin Shelley of Atlanta took 1st place and the sweet truck. Nicely done Dustin. We heard you did an amazing job. Here’s where the story gets good though!… Our very own Mike Tovar came in just behind him in 2nd place and pocketed the $5,000!!!! Way to represent Mike! bluemedia could not be more proud of your performance in this event. We also need to give a big shout-out to the 3rd place winner Rob Miller of Laid Vision, a Phoenix based install crew. Rob is a great friend of bluemedia and has wrapped many vehicles for us in the past. Congratulations Rob! Well what about Ingram, you say? While he didn’t make it to the final round, he made it all the way to the final 12 so kudos to you as well. We had a feeling our guys would go out there and make some noise. You can bet we’ll be there again next year. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
After working at bluemedia for over two years; I have always wondered why our clients respond to us the way they do…. A recent study broadcast on NPR helped me fill in a few of those blanks.
The study explains why previous research has produced conflicting results about how red and blue affect thinking, Mehta says. Either color can provide an advantage, he says, but only if it’s matched to the right kind of task.
read more here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100301582
PHOENIX, Jan. 26, 2009 – The NBA unveiled the first-ever wrapped METRO light rail trains today during an event at the METRO Operations and Maintenance Facility in Phoenix. A special NBA All-Star-themed design, highlighting the images of six 2009 NBA All-Stars and printed on HP digital printing technology with 3M Control-tac Material, will be featured on two trains from the new mass transit system beginning today and lasting through Monday, Feb. 16.
click on image above for more photos.
The METRO light rail train was unveiled by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, members of the Phoenix City Council, NBA Senior Vice President of Events and Attractions Gail Hunter, Phoenix Suns President & COO Rick Welts, and the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, the team mascot.
The wrapped METRO light rail trains feature an NBA All-Star 2009 thematic, which includes the All-Star Game logo and images of 2009 All-Stars Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers, Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavilers, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Amar’e Stoudemire of the hometown Phoenix Suns. Four separate light rail vehicles, paired into two-car trains, feature the special NBA All-Star design.
click on image above for more photos.
Recognizing the economic and community benefits associated with NBA All-Star 2009, the METRO Board of Directors, which currently has a “no advertising” policy, voted to allow the NBA to wrap METRO light rail trains as a pilot project.
The NBA utilized digital printing technology from HP to produce the first-ever branding for the METRO. The NBA and HP’s wide-ranging marketing partnership will also include utilization of HP’s printing services throughout the NBA All-Star 2009 footprint, including at the US Airways Center, at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, and in downtown Phoenix. The league selected bluemedia, a leading provider of large format design and printing for use in vehicle, large format and environmental graphic applications, to produce the wrapping, which was printed on an HP Scitex TJ8300 printer using 3M Control-tac.
click on image above for more photos.
“Light Rail and the NBA All-Star Game are two extraordinary feathers in our City’s cap,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. “This is where they come together for the very first time. They’ll meet again, of course, as thousands ride the METRO to all the All-Star events.”
“Phoenix has been a wonderful host city and this is another example of how it is working to spread the excitement of NBA All-Star in innovative ways,” said Gail Hunter, Senior Vice President, Events and Attractions
National Basketball Association. “METRO light rail is an exciting addition to the Valley of the Sun and we are thrilled to take part in this unique promotion to build anticipation for the league’s marquee event.”
click on image above for more photos.
“NBA All-Star 2009 will put on display to a global audience why Phoenix is such a great place to live and to do business. The NBA does a terrific job branding their marquee event and the addition of the wrapped METRO light rail is just another example of that,” said Rick Welts, President & COO, Phoenix Suns.
click on image above for more photos.
About NBA All-Star 2009
NBA All-Star 2009 in Phoenix will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. Among the many events that will reach fans in more than 200 countries in more than 40 languages are the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, PlayStation Skills Challenge, Haier Shooting Stars, McDonald’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, and the 58th NBA All-Star Game, played on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the US Airways Center and broadcast on TNT for the 24th year. This will be the third NBA All-Star in Phoenix. The city also hosted the event in 1975 and 1995.
(Courtesy of Phoenix Suns Public Relations)
Congratulations to the bluemedia team for completing the first ever wrapped Metro Light Rail for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game! This was a truely amazing project for the dedicated staff at bluemedia to be a part of. We look forward to more attention grabbing projects with the NBA and HP.
Other Articles on the Light Rail Wrap project:
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/01/19/daily66.html
This is the 2008 holiday card we sent out to our clients. I wouldn’t have bothered posting it but we have gotten so many emails telling us how funny they thought it was so I decided to share it here as well. Happy Holidays and a prosperous 2009 to you all!
Click picture above for the full party Photo Set
Another year, another ugly sweater. They keep getting better every year although it is getting tougher to find that ugly sweater at your local Savers. Yes i have outdone myself AGAIN with the christmas lights IN THE SWEATER!! Don’t know what i’m going to do next year but this year was a blast. Thanks to TJ, Tommy, and Willie for throwing another kick ass party with Beer Pong, Flip Cup, and Johnny burning up the tables. Here’s to a great 2009, keep it rockin Blue!!!!!!!!!
Click image above for more pictures.
Slednecks was born a decade ago, when a group of friends living in Jackson, WY, decided to record their snowmobiling prowess on film. Their movies created a buzz in the extreme-sports subculture, and Slednecks capitalized on this momentum by introducing apparel in 2002. In 2006, Paul Thacker, one of the team’s riders, executed a world-record snowmobile jump of 248 ft. and augmented its fame. (The banner that decorated the jumping ramp appeared in ST’s April 2007 International Sign Contest gallery – see page 117.)
Last year, Slednecks bolstered its cache by developing a live show, which Monster energy drink sponsors, that features snowmobile and dirt-bike stunts, as well as onsite concerts. To optimize its branding, Slednecks hired bluemedia (Tempe, AZ) to build the brand through edgy vehicle graphics. Brandon Boetto, a bluemedia designer, created the design using Adobe Photoshop CS3. A base layer of camouflage-green and taxicab, checkered-yellow vinyl is decorated with a second layer of decals that features the Slednecks logo and those of other corporate sponsors.
Using its Mimaki USA Inc. JV3-160SP printer, bluemedia produced the wrap using 3M Graphics Market Center‘s IJ 180-10C cast vinyl with air-egress adhesive and an 8519 luster-finish overlaminate.
Read the Full Article HERE
