#hillcreative

Villagio Resorts

Villagio is a premiere wedding resort in the DFW metroplex. They asked us to redesign a website for not only elevated functionality and design but also for security purposes. The owners of Villagio needed an agency they could trust to maintain the website on a regular basis. We also manage their Google Adwords campaigns—enhancing their marketing efforts.

Their sales team needed an efficient system to organize potential leads. We achieved this with a call-to-action button that directs users to a quick but thorough consultation form. This helps the sales team identify what leads to go after first.

We also integrated automated emailing into their consultation form. When potential leads submit the form, they immediately receive an automated email with a link to the pricing page.

Parsons High School Honor Flight

When we have time to help a small community non-profit organization, we do it. The Parsons High School Honor Flight needed a logo. We were happy to help, designing a professional logo and branding guide.

VIEW THE BRAND GUIDE

Motivational Monday: The 2-Minute Power Pose

What if we told you there was one simple thing you could do to improve your motivation this week? Interested? Yeah, we thought so.

Studies have shown the power of the mind-body connection, especially how physical posture and body language affects how we feel mentally and emotionally. Researchers are finding that having good posture not only makes you seem powerful to others, it makes you feel powerful yourself (and feeling powerful helps boost motivation).

So are you ready for the trick?

Broaden your chest. That’s it.

Think about it for a moment. There are two types of people:

1. People who put their hands in their pockets or cross their arms in front of their chest. They seem standoffish, timid, and unapproachable. They usually struggle with passivity and lack of motivation. They subconsciously try to become “small” in order to “blend in.”

2. People with confidence and purpose usually have an open chest. They don’t cross their arms over it. Their shoulders are back. And most likely, when they’re verbally describing a project to a client or telling a story while at a networking event, they use their hands. They’re a little animated (like a superhero).

During a TED talk, social psychologist, Amy Cuddy, explains how your own body language affects your mood, your work, and your interactions with others. WATCH IT HERE

Cuddy and her research team found that after holding a “power pose” (that broadens the chest) for two minutes, individuals were more likely to be assertive, proactive, and comfortable taking risks. These poses scientifically increase your testosterone and decrease your cortisol, which will help you become more motivated.

If you’re sitting, try this:

Cross one ankle over the other leg, creating a figure four. Put your hands behind your head and intertwine your fingers. Take your elbows out, broadening the chest. Lean back into your office chair. Breath deep and hold this posture for two minutes.

If you’re standing, try this:

Take your shoulders back by sightly squeezing your shoulder blades together, broadening your chest. Place your hands on your hips. Elongate your neck, taking your shoulders away from your ears. Breath deep and hold this posture for two minutes.

Font Friday: Star Wars

Have you noticed something different about the new Star Wars movie, Solo? Other than the fact that Harrison Ford isn’t playing Hans. For the first time since the original movie, Star Wars has used its stylized logo font for the title of the movie. But why?

Yeah, we’re doing this. We’re going to look at the fonts for every single Star Wars movie. You ready? It’s about to get really geeky.

THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” We all know the line. The sight of the yellow text disappearing into space gets any sci-fi enthusiast excited.

It’s the line that also found its way on the poster for the original 1977 movie (A New Hope). That tagline and credits were set in ITC Serif Gothic, while the first run of the Star Wars logo (it didn’t stick) was custom-drawn by Ralph McQuarrie in a blocky sans serif that corresponded with the perspective of the opening crawl.

By the time the Empire Strikes Back hit the big screen in 1980, the iconic Star Wars logo (that stuck) finally shows up on the main theatrical poster.

The logo was originally designed by Suzy Rice. Lucas told her he wanted “something that is very fascist,” would be “intimidating,” and that would “rival AT&T.” The night before, Rice had been reading a book on German type design. The Nazi designs of minister Joseph Goebbels inspired her and thus we have the iconic logo.

For the title, typographers guess it was probably hand-lettered, once again, to resemble German type design. The credits are set in ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

When the return of the Jedi came out three years later, there was a huge change in the typography. The designers turn to a serif font—the Times typeface with an elongated tail on the J, setting a new face for future film sagas.

THE PREQUELS

The second trilogy (prequels) were released heading into the 21st century. The Trajan typeface replaced Times for many film sagas, so its appearance on the posters is pretty self-explanatory. The supporting typeface is Albertus (a precursor to Trajan). Both typefaces have chiseled looks, enhanced by gradients and bevels. The logo got a metallic treatment in all three movies.

THE SEQUELS

Almost four decades after our the original Star Wars movie, we see the return of ITC Serif Gothic in the title for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The ‘70s stalwart will most likely tie up the trilogy with the final movie.

ROGUE ONE

The first stand-alone Star Wars story, Rogue One, uses Trajan again. We’re guessing the designers did this to help subconsciously distinguish the timeline of the story—after the prequels and before the original trilogy. It’s also a font that just works for films like these.

SOLO

All of these movies leading up to Solo have at least two fonts working together, one for the logo and one for the title. Sometimes there’s even three. But this time the designers chose to use the one stylized logo font for the title. A total game changer in Star Wars typography design! The first time they’ve done this since the original movie. But why?

We think it’s same reason ITC Serif Gothic was brought back for the sequels. To transport us back in time. To get back to the roots of the saga. To make an impact. It’s the nostalgia factor.

Not to mention, it totally fits the overall vibe of the movie. Lando's extravagant capes, Val’s afro, the grungy city and black markets of Correllia, the lucky dice, and the rebellious pilot we grew to love. It’s bold. Not subtle at all. Then again, when have Hans and Chewie ever been subtle?

Could it be because they wanted to use a “solo” font? As cheesy as it is, that could be a possibility.

What do you think?

Kale Kitterman | Mossy Oak Properties Video

Kale needed some help with editing his Mossy Oak Properties promo videos.

He shot his own footage using a drone and then sent it to us for post-processing. We chose music, added some map animation, cut a voiceover, etc.

Anthony for Joplin

Tony was running for Joplin City Council and needed a professional website, showcasing his platform. We collaborated with him and his campaign team on the “Why Joplin?” project and built the website quickly. When a client already has the assets and copywriting organized, we can easily have a small, custom-built website ready within a day or two.

Blush Boutique

We heard Julie and Bailey needed some help with launching their online store for their boutique. We were happy to help. It turned out to be a quick project.

They were already using Vend for their POS system, so we used the e-commerce side of it to build their website. It keeps everything in one place.

Taking some inspiration from big-box stores, we designed some custom front-page graphics using photography they already had. We wrote some general copy, trained them to add products to pages, and helped them set up the payment gateway.

Satterlee | 125th Anniversary Video

Honestly, we didn't know plumbing stories could be so entertaining.

Satterlee wanted a video for their 125th anniversary, so they contacted us to help them put together this "documentary short" showcasing their history and employees. 

WATCH THE VIDEO

From the time we had the initial production meeting, we had less than two weeks before the video had to be in their hands. Ambitious? Very.

We shot 25 interviews, 60 headshots, 5 group shots, and a lot of b-roll footage over the course of two days.

After completing the on-location work, we spent the next four days editing the video before showing them the first draft. Two of those days were spent solely on organizing and syncing the footage and audio—we had over five hours of footage.