graphic design

Wisconsin Artistry and our 2018 Octoberfest Brewery Tour

I’m of the opinion that Wisconsin has the best selection of Oktoberfest beer and, admittedly, I’ve done my share of sampling since it hit the shelves two months ago. Here are a few of my favorites. To top it off, when the Oktoberfest comes out my husband and I get quite a thirst for our Octoberfest Brewery Tour. It’s truly our favorite time of year.

Even though our tour has become an annual getaway, this year’s arrangements are rather last minute. True, I usually begin planning the next before we’ve even finished the last. But sometimes life brings us detours. My beloved father died recently and our hearts just weren’t into the extensive trip I’d originally planned. Instead, we’re taking a few days in the comfort of familiar places.

Our Itinerary

Wisconsin celebrates the artistry of October like none other. It’s all about brilliant color, outdoor adventure and hearty festivals. Here’s our to-do list:

  • Fermentation Fest: This year the Farm/Art DTour is back better than ever. With a sparkling lineup of artists, musicians and food carts, it can’t be missed! Not officially part of our brewery tour, we’re using it as a day-tripping intro.
  • Fall Art Tour: Baraboo, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Mineral Point have developed into an inspiring art community and on this weekend it’s doors wide open! My favorite studios are those tucked inside repurposed, historical buildings and rugged, country barns.
  • Driftless Cafe: Food, Sustenance, Love, as they say. My kind of place, especially since it gleans ingredients from local organic farmers.
  • Trempealeau Hotel and Monarch Public House: We loved these locales four years ago and the area’s quiet simplicity is calling us back.
  • Long Lake Canoe Trail: It would be divine to explore these waterways—think fall colors, migratory birds, and flat waters (this is a brewery tour don’t forget, so there’s a necessary emphasis on “flat waters”). Other possibilities are Perrot and Roche-A-Cri State Parks.
  • Sand Creek Brewing Co: Before clicking into this company’s website, check out Google’s image of it’s building. I swoon!
  • Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center: Wisconsin is the largest producer of cranberries, yet I know so little of this industry. Time to see how those Thanksgiving berries are grown!
  • Knuth Brewing Company: Artisan beer and pizza by husband and wife entrepreneurs, perfect pairings.

Hot Off the Press

What’s Octoberfest Brewery Tour without some promo? I know you’re bubbling with anticipation and here it is…my 2018 poster!

Family and friends, if you’re in these areas, let’s get together and share a beer! Probst!

Octoberfest Brewery Tour promotional poster by Adunate

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Going the Extra Mile

When it comes to promoting my clients, I love getting out and shouting the good word. It’s easy because I design for clients I totally love and they give me great things to shout about.

There’s something to be said for promoting one’s clients. Their success is my success, after all. But even more, it means I believe in them and I value their product. It means I know their industry. Because I target clients who share my passions, we talk the same talk, walk the same circles and, together, know what brings optimal success.

My Current Project

These days I’m promoting Fermentation Fest, an annual event for which I design a 48-page guide. It bubbles over in my list of personal interests—food, art, agriculture, travel—so, of course, it’s one of my favorite projects of the year. And delivering guides to fascinating people and places throughout southern Wisconsin is as much a perk for me as it is for my client.

Come early October, you can bet I’ll be attending Fermentation Fest. I love the more than 50 interesting classes, hands-on workshops, tastings and more, taught by fermenters, artists, bakers and brewers. I love touring the rolling hills of Sauk County and finding art, performances and music in the Farm/Art DTour.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? It truly is and it’s an event the whole family can enjoy.

Fermentation Fest 2018 guides

#GetYourFermFestGuide2018Here

Listed in order of cities are venues where you can find Fermentation Fest guides. If you’re not in these areas, check out the Fermentation Fest website or join the mailing list.

Landmark Creamery, Belleville (Paoli)

SchoolGrounds Coffee House, Cottage Grove

Milwaukee Street Traders, Delafield

Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg

2 Rivers Bicycle & Outdoor, Fort Atkinson

Café Carpe, Fort Atkinson

Brickhaus Cafe, Jefferson

GetCulture, Madison

Ground Zero Coffee, Madison

Jordan’s Big Ten Pub, Madison

Madison Sourdough, Madison

Regent Market Co-op, Madison

Sequoya Public Library, Madison

Willy Street Co-op East, Madison

Willy Street Co-op North, Madison

ZuZu Cafe & Market, Madison

Willy Street Co-op, Middleton

Roots Coffeebar & Cafe, Oconomowoc

Firefly Coffee House, Oregon

Good Harvest Market, Pewaukee

2 Rivers Bicycle & Outdoor, Watertown

Tribeca Gallery Cafe & Books, Watertown

 

 

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It Takes Grandparents and a Full Flock

The Instagram rule of poultry is if you’re going to raise layers, you must produce a rainbow of egg colors. Given that—and because I have grandchildren who, in my mind, rate much higher than Instagram—I choose breeds specifically for their color of eggs. My chick order this spring consisted of Ameraucanas for their pastels, Marans for their chocolate (I usually forget and say chocolate covered instead of colored, haha, wouldn’t that be nice), and the gentle, very pretty Lavender Orpingtons for their brown.

Add these to my white-egger Leghorns from last year and you get a full spectrum in every dozen. All for the grandchildren.

flock of chickensRecently my husband was perusing the Abendroth catalog and noticed Lavender Orpingtons were $9.95 each. Oops, I guess I never checked prices. And…Lavender Orpingtons only come as a straight run, meaning they could be male or female. Oops, I didn’t check that either. They’re for the grandchildren, after all.

Isn’t it funny what we do as grandparents?

Fermentation Fest event guide 2018

Last week I wrapped up work on the Fermentation Fest event guide and sent the final draft to press (put the paper to bed, to be jargonly correct). Because this year’s guide is to be a reversible (half of it printed upside down), I went to the print agency to verify it was laid out correctly. Look at this, not only was I provided with individual proof pages and a full size mockup, I also got a cute, mini mockup. I feel like a beloved grandchild.

I’m thinking my favorite businesses are like grandparents; they give more than their all without a second thought. And just as it takes a full flock to produce that colorful dozen of eggs, so it takes a multitude of grandparently businesses to produce a successful event guide. Donna Neuwirth, founder of Fermentation Fest, is a brilliant visionary. Cricket Design Works illustrated the gorgeous front covers—both of them! Badger Group is the dedicated agency doing our professional printing. I can’t put into words how honored I am to work with each of them.

2018 Fermentation Fest event guide

Lastly, Fermentation Fest is made possible by a long list (can we say full flock?) of sponsors, funders and partners. Be sure to check them out in this year’s event guide, which will soon be out in various locations. Watch for it!

Lavender Orpington rooster

And now…drumroll…here’s a Lavender Orpington update. One, and only one, is a rooster. He’s developing his comb, learning to crow and is violaceously beautiful (men have all the luck). If he’s gentle enough, maybe we’ll keep him and hold back a few eggs for hatching.

You know, for the grandchildren.

 

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February Randomness

Wisconsin beehives in winter

Happy February! So what do you think my honeybees are up to these days? From what I’ve read, they’re not hibernating. Even in cold Midwestern temps—and we’ve had plenty of that this year—those little sweethearts are busy in their hives clustering together, fluttering their wings and energizing themselves with honey, all in the name of protecting the queen. Amazingly, bees keep the inside of their cluster a toasty 80-90°F.

Of course, I can’t open the hive because cold air would immediately zap them all. Instead, I go out each day, brush away the occasional dead bee that’s been kicked out and wait until spring to know if my community has survived. For me, only a second-year beekeeper, this is the quiet season.

My Clients

I work with many people who are also in the quiet season. Seemingly so, anyway, because they too are busy behind the scenes. My farmer clients are hunkered down with seed catalogs and educational conferences, like the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, for which I was again proud to design. It definitely isn’t the quiet season for the MOSES team—not with their big event coming in just three short weeks. They put on the largest conference of its kind in the U.S., so if you’re into organic and sustainable agriculture, be sure to attend. It’s over the moon (an apt but pun-ish descriptor in light of last night’s Super Blue Blood Moon).

My Wormfarm Institute clients, Donna and Jay, are currently in Mexico, researching exciting food and art for this fall’s Fermentation Fest (last year’s mezcal class and dinner were huge successes). Both these non-profits could not exist without continuous outreach for funding and exposure. It’s hard, skillful work and Donna is a master. Her efforts were recently rewarded with recognition in an upcoming publication by Americans for the Arts.

Adunate

It’s the quiet season for Adunate too. Quiet, but, again, busy behind the scenes. I’ve been marketing, marketing, marketing—a fact of life for every business. One of my goals for 2018 is to target the female ag industry. In her book Soil Sisters, author Lisa Kivirist describes the growing number of women farmers and how they’re changing the face of American agriculture.

“New women farmers are primarily starting small-scale, diversified, locally focused and family-run operations, bucking the corporate agriculture trend of fewer small family farms and more consolidation,” says Kivirist.

For the most part, those USDA-subsidized corporate farms are producing just corn and soybeans for animal feed or fuel. Contrast that with women farmers who raise a diversity of crops going directly from their farm to a family’s table. Or a school cafeteria. Or a senior health community. They’re sustaining their land and giving back to the soil. Can you see the nurturing going on here? These are the caring people with whom I want to work.

Books I'm reading in 2018

Speaking of books…

Here’s what I’m reading these days (and yes, I’m dabbling in all four—it’s the quiet season, after all). Some of them are great reads about food, land and business. Others will help me to help you market your products. Give me a call!

  • Braiding Sweetgrass: This one drew my attention because it it melds the spiritual and scientific aspects of nature. I’ve long been a proponent of both, like say, gardening by the moon (there’s that moon again!). God created an awesome earth and, of course, every part of it is connected.
  • Articulating Design Decisions: Many times the customer doesn’t understand the designer’s reason for a design. Often designers, ahem, me, have trouble articulating their reasons. This book is well-written, easy to read, and in many ways is applicable to anyone who talks about their product. I wish I’d read this twenty years ago!
  • An Unlikely Vineyard: I want to take a road trip to Vermont! This is both a life story and how-to for restoring the land and building an eight-acre vineyard. She beautifully speaks of terroir, essence of place, and the meditation of cultivation.
  • Gastrophysics: Did you know there’s a science to enjoying your food? Things like what color plate it’s served on or what sounds are playing in the background? This covers our five senses and how they affect our perception of food. One reviewer named it a manual for restaurants. I think it’s great for anyone who markets food.

So there you have it, some happenings in this seemingly quiet season. Stay warm, be healthy and keep busy!

Finalizing Our Octoberfest Brewery Tour

Octoberfest Brewery Tour 2017Autumn is here! That means Oktoberfest beer has been out for weeks and we’re finalizing plans for our Octoberfest Brewery Tour. With that…drumroll… comes the release of my Octoberfest poster!

The great thing about personal projects is that they can be just that—personal. Yes, commonly graphic design is communication to a full audience, but these Octoberfest posters are meaningful mementos of what’s become our annual tradition. Unique tours. Unique posters.

And…did you notice this year’s stork?

This October we’re minimizing our travels to within a 200-mile radius of home. As you might guess, we’re expecting a baby in the upcoming month —grandbaby, that is. Sipping beer may be fun, but nothing beats the arrival of a new child of God. One mention of contractions and we’re heading home faster than beer foams from a tap.

Our Lake Michigan Itinerary

Pending no news of labor, here’s our shoreline excursion. We’ve often vacationed in these parts of Wisconsin so I explored the internet for things out of our ordinary. Added to our to-do’s are Grafton Stone Mill, White Cliff Fen and Forest Nature Preserve and Rock Island’s Pottwatomie Lighthouse.

But hey, this is a brewery tour, is it not? Wisconsin’s got a brewing boom going on and new crafters are opening their doors everywhere. Here are a few we aim to sample:

  • Thumb Knuckle Brewery just opened this spring and seems like a perfect welcome into the Door County peninsula.
  • Ahnapee Brewery is a throwback to the original 1800s Ahnapee Brewery except now it’s a tap room in a garage—a tiny garage—how cool is that? Plus Von Stiehl Winery is right next door.
  • The Fermentorium—love the name—received good reviews from Milwaukee Magazine. It’s just outside of Cedarburg, always an interesting town.
  • St. Francis Brewing Company: Their beers are showing up in several area restaurants and one of my favorites is the brown ale Sloth (which is definitely what I’ll be after this tour).

Any more suggestions for this area? Let us know! We love the serendipity of life!

The Power of the Story

MOSES conference 2017

Last weekend we did a getaway to the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse. I had done some design work for them earlier this year and was anxious to really be part of this great event. It was so much fun! Think hobnobbing with 3,500+ farmers, academics and friends; learning lots from any of the 65 workshops, 23 roundtables and two keynote speakers; and networking with two floors of ag-related business owners. And, oh, the food…it was deliciously diviiiiine.

My husband and I are not organic farmers by trade (we are at heart!). Even so, at the MOSES conference we felt inspired, wiser and excited about the many people who do make their living providing the world with good food. As a marketing professional, I couldn’t help notice a dominant lesson repeated throughout the weekend—the power of the story.

Stories Create Connection

There were two keynote speakers—Mas Masumoto and Liz Carlisle—and they were both captivating storytellers. They shared heartfelt narratives of themselves and farmers, and they emphasized the importance of telling your own story. Masumoto asked each of us to turn to our neighbor and share the story of how we got into organic food. It was slow going for about five seconds and then the conversation took off in an excited hum. What a great way for everyone to realize they have a unique story, all the while meeting other people and hearing theirs.

Organic farmers—well, any business for that matter—can tote facts and features all day long, but in the end, emotions are what really motivate people to buy. This was true decades ago when Dale Carnegie said “we are dealing with creatures of emotion.” It’s even truer today in this “experience-economy,” as Masumoto explained, where consumers are looking for a personal connection to the things around them. When you share your story with others, you allow them an emotional ownership in your farm, your brand and your product.

The World is Waiting to Hear Your Story

So what is your story? As Masumoto asks, “What is your story of significance?” Maybe you have difficulties figuring this out. Or maybe you feel uncomfortable telling it, like on your website or in a brochure.

Here’s where I’m your gal. As a trained journalist, I excel in the interview. I ask lots of questions and get to the heart of who you are. I listen. I take notes. And then I take all this wonderful stuff about you and weave it into a meaningful story, one that captures the emotion of your consumers and motives them to action.

If you need help telling your story, whether in design or in words—I’d love to help.

Supporting One Another with Pro Bono

balancingrocks

I must admit the political chaos of recent weeks has me daydreaming for the serenity we enjoyed on our Octoberfest Brewery Tour. We did a lot of slow-paced beach time, both on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and there’s nothing more calming than the ebb and flow of waves washing over the sand.

We came upon this idyllic scene while hiking the Sleeping Bear Dunes, near Traverse City, Michigan. Such a simple formation, isn’t it? A few stones balancing one upon the other. While the rest of the world was arguing over who belongs where and whose individual rights are more important, these four stones quietly supported one another amid a strong lakefront breeze.

Support Enables Balance

Author Thomas Merton said “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” This thought can also be applied to success, whether it’s success of a business or a non-profit organization. For that, we need to work together. We need to support one another.

In thankfulness for all my clients do for me, November is the month I pass it forward. Each year Adunate accepts two pro bono projects for greatly reduced or no cost. These are projects I strongly support and believe will positively impact God’s creation, his people, or his ministry.

My interests include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Agriculture & Animals
  • Architecture
  • Arts
  • Children
  • Environment
  • Faith
  • History
  • Humanity
  • Food & Drink
  • Sustainability

If your organization needs creative support in the coming year, click here for an application. Then, to guarantee your project’s success, be sure to click here!

My deadline for submissions is December 31, 2016. I will let applicants know of my decision in January.

Packing Our Bags for Octoberfest 2016!

Octoberfest Brewery Tour 2016, promotional posterThe days have been on fast-forward lately and I’m working feverishly to wrap up several projects. On top of that, I’ve been doing some creative work for myself. As you can see, our annual Octoberfest Brewery Tour is just around the corner!

I’ve Perfected My Google Map (layer upon layer)

Octoberfest Brewery Tour 2016

This year our roads will follow the downpours of beer taps and waterfalls. It didn’t take much research on my part to find there are plenty of both along the shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior. The falls have been long been nature’s gift. The breweries? Well, it’s über exciting to know the handcrafted beer industry has spread to even the remotest peninsulas of U.P. Michigan. Prost! To those crafters who go forth with entrepreneurial (and tasty!) gusto, you have our love!

And to the Lake Express ferry: We’ll see you bright and early for a 6 a.m. sail. Heading into an eastern sunrise will be a glorious start to this year’s tour!

Stay tuned and catch my pictures on Instagram.