While many members the associations thought to be web-positive, surveys found that at the end of the day many of these computer-savvy professionals simply did not want to look at their computer to get information when they had been on their computers all day. Others, due to alternative factors, were not in fact as computer savvy as hoped.

While it is unquestionably more cost-effective for the association to provide their communications electronically, the goal of the association should be to provide desirable value to it’s members – thereby maintaining member renewal. In economic times such as these, associations need to really prove to their members that they are listening to what the membership needs all year round, and not just at renewal time.

Also important when preparing information for web posting, is that just because you are creating a PDF and not a printed piece, it still needs to have a well thought-out design, be visually attractive and have a professional appearance that maintains the brand and image of the association. Also, don’t give into temptation to over inform – just because your aren’t paying to put ink on paper, that does not lengthen your viewer’s attention span. A poorly presented electronic file will be sure to discourage your members.

Our summary: When deciding to cut back on your printing budget make sure your members support the decision and when creating materials for web download and email, make sure to maintain the professionalism and quality of presentation that represents the image of your association.

Thank you to all of the association professionals that gave me 20 minutes of their day to meet with me in person to assist me in my research!

Kris Brinker
President

We are done! We are thrilled! We are tired! AND, we are happy to welcome you to the unveiling. Please have fun and become informed as we post useful tidbits of knowledge and experience that we have gained over our 20+ years of serving clients.

As the TRUE alternative to other ad agencies, marketing agencies, and graphic design and website design firms, we want our site to not only be a marketing tool, but also be a resource for information for our clients and associates. We also hope that we can be an occasional source of levity and smirks. Please check back in to peek at our blogs and visit our frogs. (OK, levity, smirks, and maybe some groans and eye-rolls).

Christie-Adam Salon & Spa, a Northern Virginia salon and spa with multiple locations, approached us to implement the graphic design for their new marketing strategy. We started with store signage and table-top displays to give them a new, upscale image – more in line with their target market. We then applied the new feel and message to their corporate brochure and an exciting direct mail campaign. We will soon be translating the new image and brand to the Website and Email campaigns.

We were asked by FindWhere, a Northern Virginia-based technology company that specializes in advanced GPS, satellite mapping, and wireless communication for consumers and businesses with precision tracking and location services, to create a series of magazine ads for their company to run in a national publication. We designed bold, eye-catching imagery and highlighted their top selling points.

The Carifo Group’s clients utilize their services for executive, sales, marketing and merchandising meetings as well as incentive travel and fund-raising events. They also assist in the coordination of specialized corporate events. TRUE creative services designed and developed a unique and eye-catching Website utilizing Cold Fusion at the client’s request.

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Futures Industry Association, a Washington DC based trade Association, provides a forum for futures and options professionals from around the world to share information and concerns about the global futures industry as well as serving as an effective liaison between the industry and Congress. It was important that they have a striking, yet highly user-friendly calendar to distribute at their annual conference. The calendar provides details on upcoming events and conferences as well as multi-national holiday observances.

TAM is the official membership division of the Council for Exceptional Children that works to promote the availability and effective use of technology and media for individuals with exceptional learning needs. We have been creating various marketing and educational materials for them in conjunction with Warger, Eavy & Associates, a full-service communications firm that specializes in publishing support to private and public sectors. Projects include: Educational tools such as fans, journals, monographs, readings, planners and other materials. We also design their communication collateral and designed and developed their Website.

Portrait Playtime photography, located in Vienna, VA and serving Northern Virginia, Metro DC and Suburban Maryland, offers location and studio portraits of babies, children, individuals and families. The owners of Portrait Playtime chose us to develop creative branding and to design and develop a search engine optimized, user-friendly Website that they could easily update and add to themselves. We created a site that expresses the unique creativity of the company and their passion for their work. We created their site on a Wordpress platform giving them the flexibility to update and add portfolio samples themselves whenever they need. We also created their identity brochure, business cards and magnets.

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USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. TRUEcs was approached with the honor of designing the Patrick Leahy War Victims Fund Brochure in order to bring attention to the accomplishments and effectiveness of the fund over the past 20 years. Our goal was to design a compelling, dramatic presentation while maintaining adherence to strict existing branding guidelines set forth by USAID.

Owned by Forest City Enterprises, The Shops at Northfield Stapleton and The Promenade Bolingbrook are 2 open air shopping districts featuring specialty shops and restaurants. The client asked us to maintain a high-profile advertising campain consisting of both web and print marketing collateral.