Des Moines is enjoying a very mild summer this year, in fact, it was the coolest July on record. That has been good news for the state fair folks who usually are very hot when the fair rolls around in mid August. This year’s fair was pretty typical except for a few new additions to the everything on a stick menu. This year, I saw someone selling bacon dipped in chocolate on a stick…very creative indeed. Speaking of creative, the AIGA conference for creatives is coming up October 8-11 in Memphis, Tennessee. We will be there and have on hand some of the latest innovative and sustainable designs from Corporate Image, which includes custom binders, folders, tabs, boxes, and corrugated packaging. We invite you to come by our booth to learn how we’re helping to green the planet with our line of 100% recycled binders. FYI...Below is an original creation of a cow made from butter at the Iowa State Fair. Every year, the artist creates a new butter sculpture often based on someone or something in the pop culture. Over 1 million people attend the fair each year.

The production of our 2010 Corporate Image catalog has kicked off, which is always a monumental occasion for our marketing and design team. About every other year, our group sits down to brainstorm new design ideas to refine the catalog, so it is the most outstanding research tool available. Other years, we update it with new photos and the latest and greatest products. Always on our minds is the goal to help make it easier for our customers to find the best presentation options for their projects. That starts with what they are telling us. Throughout the year, our sales representatives feed back to our team suggestions and comments which we use to improve the look and functionality of the catalog. This year, we heard how line drawings are a valuable tool in helping designers realize the wide range of presentation possibilities. Look for more line drawing to be added to the new catalog and our website. One of our advantages is we can easily customize an existing product to accommodate size differences or help create a unique solution for a folder, binder, sales box, or tab divider. Stay tuned for the 2010 Corporate Image catalog coming soon and the start of the football season.