Being a manager means that most of the time I don't get to stick my hands into the designing pie, but make sure that all the ingredients are there and that it does not burn in the oven. So many times I will handle quotes from the vendors, running interference and asking the tough questions - why? when? what?! That allows my team to focus on the task at hand, be productive and churn out good looking deliverables. But all of this can't happen without a good project management system. After 6 months of research and countless demos and new system was selected and we are in the home stretch now.
The logos on this page are a small sampling of the pieces created for internal stakeholders that wanted to be tied to Lincoln Electric, but without the use of actual logo. So sticking with brand colors and approved fonts the first two pieces were created. The bottom two logos are for newly acquired companies as they start their transition to becoming a Lincoln Electric Brand. An element was taken from their logo and incorporated into this transitional logo.
Located at Lincoln Electric’s headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, the Lincoln Electric Welding School has instructed more than 250,000 men and women in theory, techniques and practices of welding safety and arc welding processes since 1917.
Earlier this year, they moved into a new home - a newly built addition to one of Lincoln Electric's existing properties. With this new building came fresh, clean walls and a need for consistent wayfinding throughout the 100,000+ sq. ft. of classrooms and training labs. The project entailed many hours of research on the right fonts, proper ADA compliance and of course keeping it within the look of Lincoln Electric. A clear, cohesive system of room, directional and informational signage was created and installed for the new school.
Branding is very important to a company, in 2014 it was decided to update our standards to make our presence globally easier to manage. A simplification and clarification of colors, especially the main red that we are known for in our industry. A font that could be utilized by more countries and simple art elements that when used properly and consistently helped strengthen our brand. It took a little over a year, with input from all the global marketing counterparts and was implemented in 2015. It continues to be a fluid document as we expand and adjust as needed.
Lincoln Electric attends many trade shows throughout the year. With a lot of help from the two dedicated trade show gentlemen and our fabulous exhibit house, I don't always have to sweat the small stuff.
This past year we attended the OTC show and tried a new concept that had never been done before - no product or demos were shown in the booth. So how does one fill a 1200 sq. ft. booth if there is no product? Well how about a coffee bar and conversation area set behind large image walls with simple messaging. This new look booth was well received by the sales team. Phew!
Towards the end of the year was the mother of all trade shows for the welding industry - FABTECH. Last year we had two large booths, totaling over 18,000 sq. ft. of booth space. That is a lot of sq. ft. to organize! Working with internal stakeholders on messaging and presentation, 11 new walls were created - over 8,000 sq. ft. of graphics, showing 40+ videos and requiring 13 semis to deliver everything to show site. Overall, the booth received top marks from attendees and analysts alike.
