I've worked with Caroline Reehl Boykin for over 4 years now and am so SO proud of her and her amazing work. We recently updated her branding and she launched her new website: www.caroline-boykin.com. And HUGE thanks to 5A Multimedia for the beautiful website design. Check it out. She's one TALENTED artist and beautiful momma in every single way...
2015 ADDY Awards
First of all, I can't believe it's taken me over a month to share this exciting news. I've been in babyland for 5 weeks now and am just now coming up for air. That being said, it's weird typing on a keyboard again and trying to come up with words that make sense. My brain is mush, so please bare with me. I had to miss the ADDY Awards ceremony this year because I was literally giving birth to our son when the event took place. I know that's a terrible excuse, but it's all I got.
That being said, I am so excited to be included in the 2015 ADDY Winner's Reel. View the video below.
What an honor it was to receive two American Advertising Awards this year: A Gold ADDY for the Local Goodness Farm-to-Table campaign for USA Children's and Women's Hospital and a Silver ADDY for the "Mind, Body, Spirit Campaign" for UMS-Wright Preparatory School. What a treat it was just to work with these wonderful clients. I poured my heart and soul into both of these projects, and am so proud of how they turned out.
Click here for more details on the Local Goodness Farm-to-Table campaign for USA Children's and Women's Hospital.
Read my previous post about this project here.
And I'm thrilled that we received a Silver ADDY for the "Mind, Body, Spirit Campaign" for UMS-Wright Preparatory School. View the videos below or on the UMS-Wright website. A huge thanks to the AMAZING and TALENTED Cari Searcy with All Good Creatives. Without her, none of this would have been possible. We tried our best to capture the heart, soul and spirit of this wonderful school (which is not an easy task to do in 60 seconds), and I'm so proud of how it turned out. We absolutely LOVED working with the fabulous team at UMS. Seriously one of the most fun projects I've ever been a part of...belly laughs every day.
Read more details from my previous post.(Can you tell I want you to read my previous posts when I had more of a brain?!)
Click Here to read more...
And finally, here is my post from last year's ADDY Awards. This is one of my favorite posts on this blog so far because I focused on what really matters when it comes to my career, what awards like this really mean to me, and what it took for me to get here in the first place. I wish I had time to reflect more on this, but since my feelings really haven't changed since last year, this post is still so true and real today.
I'm loving this time with my babies right now (kissing those chubby cheeks never gets old), but I'm also looking forward to returning back to work in May. Adjusting to TWO kiddos is pretty much what I expected (and much more!) — definitely double the work and double the fun. And I repeat, double the work. I'm trying to soak in every moment because they really grow up too fast. I could cry (and do often) just thinking about it. I'm grateful to work with such wonderful people and that I love what I do. So much to be grateful for...God is so good.
Welcome to the World Baby Mack
We are thrilled to announce the birth of our son, Mack Bruner Binion V on February 26, 2015. Mack weighed a whooping 8 lb, 13 oz and was 22 inches long. We are SOO in love and Calder has been such a wonderful big sis. THANK YOU LORD for blessing our family with precious baby. Here are some random snapshots from the past few weeks. We're loving and soaking up every minute as a family of four. Sorry in advance for the photo overload.
Three generations of Mack Bruner Binion These two cute cousins had a blast together! Calder. Was. Here. (peppa and olaf trance) These expressions are so Calder. I love the one below even though there are no smiles. I definitely think these two look alike. I start working again at the first of May...and until then I'll be doing a lot of this... ....and this Love, love, LOVE my babies.
Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. - Psalm 40:5
Praise be to GOD! We are so incredibly thankful, tired and in love.
Happy Mardi Gras y'all
Happy Mardi Gras y'all! This Mardi Gras is definitely a little different with a baby on board, but here's to last year's FUN. I'm gonna miss it this year, but I keep reminding myself there will MANY more to come, and to soak up this sweet time.
We did get to make a few parades this year and Calder LOVED every minute of it!
The 10 day countdown has begun for baby Mack's arrival!!! No words can express how excited I am to hold that precious baby and to see that little boy's face. Now, I just gotta make it through the next week...one day at a time!
Thames Batré Ad Campaign
I just finished this new ad for Thames Batré Insurance. See previous ads below. Sometimes you just get it right when it comes to an ad campaign, and that has been the case with this one. I have loved working on this campaign and we have MANY more in store so stay tuned!
All photos by the fabulous Devin Ford Photography
Christmas Time
This Christmas was a special one! Calder loved every minute of it... Maybe next year we'll follow the instructions Daddy's home!!!
And now we're just waiting on baby Mack. Less than 6 weeks to go. Hang in there buddy!
Devin Ford Photography
Devin Ford with Devin Ford Photography recently took these photos of Calder. She did an amazing job and I can't recommend her more! Check out her website and give her call today. You will NOT be disappointed!
Wednesday Words
Wow. It's been a long time since I've posted anything on here. When life is busy the blog is the first thing to go. I don't know where to start with updates on our growing family and my business, so I'll keep it short and sweet: Life is good. God is amazing—and we are beyond blessed. What a fun time of life this is for us and I hope to post more updates soon! I was just looking over my Pinterest boards for inspiration and wanted to share some of my favorite "Words to Live by" today...
Exciting News!
Calder has some exciting news to share! We're so thankful and beyond thrilled for baby B #2 to arrive in early spring! Still in shock and not sure what to think about it... And Calder's getting plenty of practice in the meantime with baby Sally, Lucy and Kate. She's obsessed with her babies and I know she'll make one amazing big sis!!!
Throwback Thursday
Two throwbacks this Thursday. One's work-related and one makes me dream about our upcoming week at the BEACH. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="http://hadleybinion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Finding+Your+Dreams+a+Home-HD-2.mp4"][/video]
Sure seems like yesterday that this little girl was learning to walk. This TV commercial for Roberts Brothers will always be one of my all-time favorite projects.
We're loving every second of our THIRD summer with Calder. Crazy how times flies. There's nothing better than summer beach trips. CANNOT WAIT for our upcoming week-long beach trip. The collage above is a flashback to last year and the year before that. No place I'd rather be than with my boogie at the beach.
I have so many new projects coming up and can't wait to share them with you soon! Now just to find the time...
Calder-bear
Calder and I were saying our prayers the other night and while we were praying for our family members, I started thinking about how special it would be if she could see and point to each person as we prayed. It was one of those sweet nights...and believe me not all are! She spends a lot of time staring at these walls, so why not fill them with happy memories and people she loves. That's far more meaningful than a print or painting could be.
Yeah I know, I'm a huge dork, but I'm pretty proud of this last minute creation. I duck taped 2 foam poster boards together, wrapped the fabric around it (note: this was a curtain from Walmart that I had in college), added the nail heads and drilled a little hole in the back for hanging...and wholla! Here you have...Calder's bulletin board! Yes, it's rigged and took less than 30 minutes, but Calder LOVES it and it makes our prayer time that much more special. Plus it makes my heart happy to know our fam is close by all the time.
It's hard believe she was ever this small.
I filled another wall with her artwork. She makes something new at school every day, and as soon as she gets home we run into her room, grab some tape, and she proudly hangs it herself. I love that these are such great ways to teach her too. I absolutely LOVE this age. I think it's my favorite age so far (I've said that about each age). The terrible twos are not terrible...yeah we've had more tantrums and potty training has been challenging, but she's SO FUN and my best liI girlfriend.
I may have blogged about many artists over the years, but never have I seen THIS kind of talent. Calder Binion is my favorite artist of all time!
And I'll end with these PRECIOUS pics of Calder and her sweet friend William. These two had a blast playing the other night and are too cute for words.
#ispytrouble
New Branding: #LOVMOB
Love Mobile is a movement of people showing radical love & grace in our city. Share, tag and post here about those who are making a difference. Read this recent article about Love Mobile: From the Pulpit: How to love your neighbor right here in Mobile
"This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other." - John 13:35
New website coming soon, but for now, like the Love Mobile facebook page.
And thank you to Brad Goode for your incredibly kind words. Brad is the genius behind LovMob and our wonderful preacher at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church.
"Working with Hadley has been amazing from start to finish. We had an extremely tight deadline and Hadley was able to deliver the perfect design without compromising quality. She met with us personally and took the time to really understand what we wanted, not just what was easiest for her. I have worked with many designers who expect me to know as much about design as them, Hadley was able to speak in terms we understood and brought our vision to life perfectly. We had a very small budget for our project and our investment in the right branding upfront has been worth every penny spent. Hadley is a professional with grace, humility, patience and a first-class eye for design"
beautiful words
Handwriting always wins
When in doubt, handwriting always wins...
springtime
Happy Monday everyone. It finally feels like spring here and I can't tell you how grateful we are for that. This is pretty much what our weekend looked like. We played outside, worked in the yard and replanted the herb garden. It. Was. Perfect. And full of much needed downtime.
Here's to the start of great week...
Mardi Grassssss
Whew. It's been a fun and crazy few weeks here. We had a blast but looking forward to some much needed down time. Here are a few snapshots of our fancy and not-so-fancy moments this Mardi Gras. Believe me, I prefer the not-so-fancy ones.
My favorite pic of them all is Calder devouring the king cake...although I think I think ate 3/4 of it!
#thereisadollinmycake #weird #ikindaloveit
New Branding: Chapel Farm Collection
I just finished this branding board for Chapel Farm Collection. Chapel Farm Collection is a carefully curated assortment of antiques, jewelry, and vintage gifts discovered by a mother and her two daughter-in-laws. Many more details coming soon about this project and lots of surprises ahead.
As a designer, there's nothing more rewarding than stepping back from a project and thinking, Wow, this is so them. After a lot of hard work and several rounds of concepts, that's exactly how I feel about this branding board. I think we finally nailed it. The "Chapel Farm" font was designed by one of the Pilot's close family friends years ago, who has since passed away. It was very important to them to integrate this font into the new design. The steeple is a replication of the beautiful steeple at Chapel Farm (see below). There are many other hidden meanings throughout the entire design, which makes it that much more special.
Check out how gorgeous Chapel Farm is. The entire time I was there during our first brainstorming session, I couldn't help but feel the Lord's presence there—in a very strong way. It only seemed right that He was represented in the identity of this new business. I'm truly honored to work with this fabulous Pilot trio, Jeanna, Jordan and Brooke. Website coming soon, but for now check out their facebook page.
More on this fun project and new business coming soon. Word is that they'll be hosting a show at their fabulous barn the weekend of March 14 during Fairhope's Arts and Crafts weekend. We will be some busy, busy bees until then!
ADDY Awards
Exciting news: Hadley Binion Designs won two ADDY® Awards last week at the AAF Mobile Bay Advertising ADDY® Awards. One award was for a print brochure and one was for a TV commercial. See this post about the commercial I produced for Roberts Brothers—what a special project this was to be a part of. The pretty gal to the right is Karen Sullivan with RSQ. Don't let her single award here fool you—Karen and the RSQ team took home dozens of these bad boys the other night. Check out their site. They are the real deal, no doubt about that.
Sorry if I get a little nostalgic here, but Hadley Binion Designs has been my baby for as long as I can remember. I have learned—as cliché as it may sound—that if you dream big and work your tail off, your dreams can come true. I feel an unbelievable amount of gratitude to be here today DOING WHAT I LOVE. I am by no means the picture of "success" (whatever that is). Lord knows I have A LOT to learn, and have NOT mastered the life of a balanced working mom. At the end of the day, my family comes first, and if I miss a deadline or a meeting gets pushed back, life goes on. I may have to work crazy hours to get my to-do list done, but I also appreciate the flexibility of my job. If I want to take a day off just to play with Calder, I can and I do. That was one of the main motives (among many others) behind pursuing this dream.
That being said, the road to get here has not been easy. At. All.
Flashback: A little over three years ago I was working a full-time/8-5 job as a graphic designer/marketing director for a real estate company. After a long day + a 30 minute commute, I would come home and and continue to work until the wee hours of the night on my freelance design work. I did this for YEARS. My desk was the dining room table. I ate. slept and breathed this dream for many years.
I have definitely learned along the way, and could write a novel about "what I wish I had known." I do hope to post some freelance design/business tips here someday soon. Of course, I don't have all of the answers (not even close), but if I can help one freelance designer out there, that is far more meaningful to me than any award out there.
In the end, awards don't matter at all. What matters is creating work that you're proud of and that you BELIEVE in. It's all about helping people and businesses grow, and being passionate about your work and loving what you do. So to everyone out there with a big dream, I encourage you to follow and pursue it wholeheartedly—even if it requires some sacrificing along the way. It's won't be the easiest road as it requires giant leaps of faith, but looking back now, I wouldn't change it for the world.
Super Commercials
I love me some Super Bowl Commercials. Last year, I found some great inspiration for this commercial I produced for Roberts Brothers, during the Super Bowl ads. I cannot believe that was one year ago. Any favorites here? How can you not get goosebumps watching any commercial honoring our troops, like the Budweiser "A Hero's Welcome" ad?
I liked the Chobani Bear commercial..but was it just the good Bob Dylan song choice? Not sure, but I like it regardless. I also thought the RadioShack ad was pretty clever and funny, given that their name has "Radio" in it. And maybe I'm just a bit emotional tonight, but the "Long Live Dreams" ad from AmFam got my attention. My husband loves Stephen Colbert, so I'll have to mention this commercial too. And I'll end with Coca-cola's "It's Beautiful" commercial...not everyone speaks english, alright?
But, I must admit, I have yet to watch them all! :)
New Branding: Mobile Pediatric Dentistry
I've had so much fun working on the branding for Dr. Stephen Greenleaf's new practice: Mobile Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Greenleaf has been such a joy to work with, and I know Calder will be visiting him as soon as I can get the courage to schedule her first dentist appointment! Check out the website for more info.