Thank you to our inspiration

With 8 hours of sleep under our belts and a meal that didn't include gummy bears, cupcakes, brownies, and coffee for the first time 30 hours, we have a clear head to look back at all that transpired during Createathon.

In 24 hours our team was able to complete the following:
(1) A complete web redesign and implementation for the ALS Society of BC.
(2) Web redesign for the Positive Women's Network
(3) Web content review / overhaul for the Positive Women's Network
(4) New brochure for the Pacific Parklands Foundation
(5) Complete holiday campaign for the Aunt Leah's Christmas Tree Lots fundraising campaign, including posters, flyers, booklets, HTML email, and more.
(6) Holiday appeal campaign for RainCity Housing including letter, donation form, and Business In Vancouver insert.

The projects this year were fun, challenging, in-depth, and inspirational.

When 8:00 am on Friday came around and our 24 hours were up, we were half eager with anticipation of our Createathon client reactions and half already asleep.

Then Bill and Fran from RainCity Housing showed up and we got our 2nd wind (or maybe it was our 6th).
We presented our holiday appeal campaign.
They smiled. Fran said "i love it". We sighed relief.

Bill and Fran were extraordinarily supportive during our event, even going so far as to bring us inspiration in the form of balloons, RainCity hoodies, and cupcakes at midnight. They are passionate people doing great stuff in the downtown eastside.

If you don't know about RainCity Housing, we encourage you to go online at www.raincityhousing.org and learn more.
Not only does RainCity provide emergency shelter, transitional housing, and affordable housing for the less fortunate, but they also work with them throughout their journey to help each individual achieve success on their own terms and break the cycle of poverty.

They look at people that the rest of us pass by on the street and "write off" as miscreants and they help them find their self-confidence again and rise above their troubles. It's tireless work. And we are proud to know them.

Here we are with Fran and Bill Friday morning, a few of us still in our RainCity garb!

We hope your new appeal campaign exceeds your expectations and succeeds at helping you do what you do best!

Next, the whole crew from the ALS Society of BC popped by to see their new website. Jamie and Jocelyn presented their incredible work and let the team "click through" their new user-friendly, modern site. It's a BIG change from the old site, but one that the Flipside team knows will help propel ALS to succeed even more in providing support to their patients, information to patients, families, and friends, and compelling information to potential donors.

The ALS Society of BC is staffed with an incredible team of go-getters. From the moment we met Wendy and started the Createathon discussion, we knew these people were special. Five minutes after our first meeting, Wendy sent a mass email to all of her team telling that (a) that Flipside was going to create a new site and they couldn't be happier and (b) let's see what we can do for Flipside in return. And boy! did they return the favour!

Thanks to the ALS Society, we were connected with The Butler Did It catering who delivered breakfast, lunch, and dinner and much appreciated coffee refills all day. They also hooked us up with printing company Pac Blue who kept popping by with deliveries, including one from Ethan Merner, a 6 and 3/4 year old who sent us a note, homemade thinking caps, and toys to keep the creative juices flowing. This show of support and solidarity for our team really helped keep our creative fires alive and push us to complete this big and complex project in just 24 hours.

Then, after our presentation to the team, the ALS Society surprised us with one more gift: tickets to their annual fundraising gala – $79 each! We feel honoured and privileged to have met this extraordinary group of people.

If you don't know about ALS, visit http://www.alsbc.ca. (The new site will be launching soon!). ALS is a rapidly progressing, neuromuscular disease that attacks the motor neurons that transmit electrical impulses from the brain to the voluntary muscles in the body. When muscles don't receive messages, they lose strength and die. Eventually, ALS patients lose the entire use of their body, with only their mind and their senses still in tact.

To be diagnosed with it is a frightening realization. And the ALS Society of BC is there to comfort, educate, reassure, and support those who have been diagnosed and their families and friends. The staff have almost all been affected by ALS – someone in their family or network of friends has been diagnoses or passed away from the disease. So their passion to support patience and the unwavering desire to find a cure runs deep.

Consider purchasing a ticket for A Continental Affair, a fundraising event for the ALS Society of BC in November. We hope to see you there!

Here we are with the ALS team (and Ethan's Thinking Caps) on Friday morning.

Next, Denise from the Pacific Parklands Foundation popped by. It's the foundation's 10th anniversary this year and they are celebrating with a complete brand overhaul! So we worked with the new logo (just approved) and a mockup of a new website from another designer and created a new, slicker, photo-heavy brochure that would really compel donors to realize the beauty of Metro Vancouver's 25 parks and donate to help preserve them.

Although this was our smallest Createathon project, it certainly was not without challenge. We wanted to show off the new branding but also ensure that the beauty of Vancouver's parks was evident and the need to preserve them was front and centre.

the Pacific Parklands Foundation is doing GREAT things for nature in the city. As an avid hiker and trail runner, I have a personal connection to PPF's work. With a small team armed with big hearts and lots of conviction, Pacific Parklands Foundation works to protect local greenspaces, enrich communities, and encourage philanthropy. Their donations are used to embark on special projects in the community that benefit and upgrae our park and foster awareness of the regional park system. The team is inspired by the belief that the role parks and natural spaces play in the quality of community life.

Visit www.pacificparklands.ca to learn more about what the Foundation does, what projects are currently underway in your community, and how you can help.



Here is Bryan explaining how our new design came to be and a team shot with Denise and the new brochure!


When Theresa and Paul popped in to see their new campaign for Aunt Leah's Lifeskills Society, we were eager to show them what they came up with. Bryan, an accomplished illustrator, had spent nearly 7 hours creating an original illustration for their Christmas Tree Lot fundraising campaign. It was extraordinary. Internally, we were all amazed at the detail of Bryan's drawing and knew that Theresa and Paul would be blown away.

They were.

The new campaign includes posters, flyers, emails, booklets, and more. It is a large undertaking for any charity, and Theresa spearheads this every year with determination and a smile.

The Christmas Tree Lot fundraising campaign is a big deal for Aunt Leah's. The proceeds benefit disadvantaged youth in the lower mainland. What that means is that dollars are used to help children in foster car from becoming homeless and mothers in need from losing their children. Aunt Leah's supports children and mothers and helps then to become self-sufficient and contributing members of society by providing supported housing, job training, and skills coaching.

If you celebrate Christmas and are looking for a tree in December, Aunt Leah's Christmas Tree Lots will be in vancouver and Burnaby. Find out more information online at www.auntleahs.org and keep your eye out for their colourful new advertising around town.


Here are Bryan and Stacey showing off their great work and the team with Theresa and Paul.


Lastly, Miriam from the Positive Women's Network stopped by. We were nervous to see Miriam because our creative had deliberately ignored her instructions in the brief. We were supposed to provide some minor website changes but had eventually took the reigns and decided that the Positive Women's Network was doing too many awesome things to have a so-so site. We wanted it to be extraordinary. So we crossed our fingers and went for designing a new site.

I spent a good ten minutes prepping Miriam for the change before we actually showed her the creative. She was itching to see what was on the board – but I kept talking! When we finally turned it over, she said the sweetest thing "This is you exceeding all of our expectations." Jocelyn and I sighed relief.

Jocelyn went on to explain how the new interface design that she spearheaded would help PWN to increase awareness, use social media to their advantage, and provide their members and donors alike with a site that was easy to navigate, intuitive to use, and interesting to be apart of.

The Positive Women's Network provides education, support and resources for women living with HIV in BC and for service providers in health and social services across the country. They offer support and advocacy, as well as HIV education, health promotion resource, and community connection. They are a strong, motivate group of women who are optimistic beyond belief! They are inspiring just to be around.

For more information on what PWN is doing and how they are doing it (and how you can help), check them out online at www.pwn.bc.ca.

Here I am nervously presenting to Miriam and then a team shot as well.


To all Createthon clients: thank you for being a part of our event. We hope we served you well and that our small contribution can help you in BIG ways to achieve your missions. All of you are extraordinary and we feel privileged to have worked with you.

Until next year!

cheers
k

Ding ding ding - times up

And the team is p-o-o-p-e-d!

Hour 23: printing, mocking up, praying for sleep

Well, we're on the cusp of finishing Createathon 2010.

The good news: our 24 hours were fruitful. We came up with some solid stuff.
The bad news: we look like we've been hit by mack trucks.

The best news: we'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

I am so proud of this team

They're hurting, big time.

Eyeballs singed from being open too long.
Bums numb from sitting too long.
Brains idle from thinking too long.
Fingers achy from typing too long.
Mouths dry from talking too long.
Hair amok from being frazzled too long.

But there isn't a single broken spirit in the room.

No one took a nap.
No one took a walk.
No one left for a "break".
No one went home for some rest.

They're all here, 100%, with slitty eyes and muted voices and big hearts.

It's the coolest thing.

B asked: "How long til doctors lose it?"
"36 hours and they're toast," said Jocelyn.
"So we're gonna be okay then" confirmed Jamie.

Oh yeah, we're gonna be just fine.
In fact, come 8 a.m. , I think we'll be flying high.

Thank you Team Createathon for being such a "team".

4 more hours to go!

The wild and woolly-ness of Hour 17.

"I keep seeing a silhouette of a man darting to the right of me." said Bryan.
"That's not good," said Joce.
"Maybe blink more," I advised.
"You guys are trippin'" said Catherine.
"I think I see a man in a turquoise shirt," said Joce.
"oh no. It's happening to you too!"

We've successfully made it 17 hours into Createathon.
We're fading.
The more we fade, the more we eat to stay awake.
Cupcakes. Coffee. Gummy bears. Well, except for Jamie who is embarking on a sugar-free Createathon.
I still have him pegged to crack at 3 ... the cupcakes from RainCity are really enticing.
But he's a tough nut to crack.
A talented and resilient bugger.
(envy envy envy).

We're rationing the pop.
We're sipping cold coffee.
And though our eyelids are heavy, we are carrying forth.

Our next goal: to finish everything by 5 a.m. so we can review, proof, print, mock up, and prepare our presentations.

We can do it!
Thanks for believing in us!

Thank you RainCity Housing!

Just when we thought we were in for the long haul – the catering had stopped, the visitors went to bed, even the dog crashed – Fran and Bill from RainCity Housing, one of our Createathon clinets popped by – at midnight! – to spread some creative cheer.

With balloons, cupcakes, and RainCity sweatshirts for all in hand, Bill and Fran gave us an extra dose of inspiration.
And when we waved good-bye, smiles ablazing, we were a trillion times more motivated then the ten minutes before.

Thanks Fran and Bill for popping by, spreading cheer, and making hour 16 so delightful!

We can't wait to show you your cool new Holiday Appeal campaign.



Check us out in our new RainCity Housing garb! Ultra-cool!

Hour 13 – It's getting loopy!

The sun is gone. The rain is coming down hard. And the Flipside Createathon team is still hard at work.
We toasted to hour 13 with a few Coronas, some fuzzy peaches (thank you Catherine's friend!), some impromptu dancing, laughing, joking, and cheersing.

With the hardest part of the Createathon still ahead of us and our bones growing weary, we're grateful for all of the visitors, all of the deliveries, all the laughs, and all the high fives.

We are really happy with the work and how it's shaping up.
And though our to-do list is still long, we feel confident that the last line will be scratched off just before 8:00 a.m. arrives tomorrow.

With jammies on, coffee brewing again, and a couple of cases of the giggles, we are trudging forward with conviction.
Go team!

Hour 11

As we near the halfway mark, we come to a few realizations:

1. We are way more efficient and creative today than we anticipated. We had no need to worry about "biting off more than we can chew." We're chewing steadily. The pace is good. The creative is rad.

2. We're digging deep and pulling up some of our best stuff.
Bryan just illustrated the COOLEST thing I've ever seen him do.
Joce made designing interfaces look easy.
Jamie got his nerd on big time and coded up a killer site.
Stacey is creating s colour storm.
Catherine became an instructional illustrator on the fly.
I just wrote a killer headline. Like killer, yo.

3. There is such a thing as "too much coffee". We are peeing lots.

4. Laughter makes the time pass faster and the ideas percolate better.

5. Bryan sings every song on the radio in a really soft pitch which I sometimes mistake for surround sound.

6. The dog "can" play by herself why we work. She's developed a method of tossing the ball up and catching it herself.
Then huffing and rolling her eyes. Because Createathon sucks for dogs. Who knew?

7. When the sun goes down you realize how crazy bright your computer screen is. Like iris-burning bright.

8. New ideas can be hatched any time, any where.

9. The best part about getting "stuck", is having five other amazingly talented folks looking over your shoulder offering suggestions to make it the best.

10. There's only so many cookies a girl can eat before she has to change into her jammie-pants with an elasticized waistband.

Createathon ho!
13 more hours to go!

Hour 8 and all is well

We're three minutes away from being 1/3 of the way through Createathon and we've got a seriously buzzin' vibe going – and it's not just the coffee – it's the creative! the inspiration! the passion of the people we've met! and the goosebumps we get from the work we're doing.

Our littlest (but BIGGEST) fan, Ethan (the super cool "thinking cap maker") just sent us an email.

He wrote:
"Hi guys,
I just got home from school. how was your day? I am glad you liked the thinking caps. are they working ? have you played finger soccer yet? I like the pictures you posted.
Eeeeettttttttthhhhhhhaaaaaannnnnnnn
ps – I don’t have an account so I could not post my message on your blog. Maybe you can. I am sending you my picture so you see what I look like. I am 6 and 3 quarters years old."

Well, Ethan, our day is GREAT, thanks for asking.
Now that we have some extra-awesome thinking caps that are DEFINITELY working, we are doing some great work.
Wait 'til you see the new ALS website. Wowsers. It's gonna be radical.
Or the Rain City holiday campaign. It'll knock your socks off kiddo!!

We haven't played finger soccer yet (but we're planning to have a dinnertime tournament). We've broken out the slinky though and it's providing LOTS of fun!

Here we are – with you – wearing our thinking caps and having fun.

Next year, we're recruiting you for the Createathon team. You are so creative!!

Brain food arrives! And it is AWESOME!!!

Just as our brains were starting to fade, our sentences were becoming broken, and our ideas slightly ludicrous, Matt from the Butler Did It catering stopped by with lunch – salad, sammos, pop, and chocolate treats! Three minutes later, Pac Blue popped by with a delivery from Starbucks – A couple liters of Pike Place Roast (mmmm) and some banana loaves.


We chowed down and chatted about where we are (now more than a quarter way into Createathon).
Things are looking good, the ideas are coming together on screen, and it looks like we're en route to creating some pretty killer stuff.

Now that we're refueled, it's back to the drawing board!

A new Createathon team member arrives!

We were all deep in thought and design when Oscar Graham and his mom Jennica showed up to visit web dev master Jamie Graham. After a few minutes of oohing and aahing, we put Oscar straight to work. He failed miserably at drawing, writing, and web development, but showed much promise in looking cute, gurgling, and grabbing things. He is a Createathoner in the making!

Thanks Jennica and Oscar for visiting Flipside Createathon headquarters!
We love visitors!
It was a nice break and good time for us to reconvene, check our priorities, and get re-inspired!

Busy busy busy!

We're three hours in and we are hopping! Everyone is hard at work – well, everyone but our mascot Harley who believes our time would be better spent playing ball.

ps. we just ooohed and aaahed over the first ALS Society of BC website composites – wow, the new site is going to be INCREDIBLE!

Scrumptious breakfast = fuel for great ideas

The Butler Did It catering came by promptly at 8:30 this morning with a scrumptious breakfast that we devoured so quickly that we forgot to take a before picture.

Here are the remnants of our killer brekkie - coffee, croissants, muffins, fruit salad – oh my!

Just what 6 creative brains need!

We can't wait to see what's for lunch!

Thinking caps = success

Seriously, Ethan, we LOVE our thinking caps. We are coming up with the BEST ideas.

Brainstorming!

Just finished our preliminary brainstorming session. Holy AWESOME ideas!!!
Rain City, Positive Women's Network, Aunt Leah's Life Skills Society, ALS Society of BC, and Pacific Parklands Foundation.
We are inspired and full of ideas.
Can't wait to make all of these materials come to life!

Ethan Mernier sends a surprise gift!

What a great surprise!
Ethan sent us a note, some personalized thinking caps, and some toys.
THANKS Ethan!!!
These caps are going to help us come up with the best ideas EVER!

You rule!

Createathon is on!

8:00 a.m and the Flipside Createathon team is raring to go!

Late night noodle fest!

The fantastic people at The Noodle Box in Kitsilano have donated a meal to the Createathon team. We're going to take advantage and order out at around 9 pm to help curve our late-night munchies.

If you've never been to the Noodle Box, you MUST go.

I recommend the Terayki Bowl with Prawns and medium hot sauce (it burns! In a good way!)

Everyone there is so friendly, so talented, and so humble.

Thank you to Kylie and her team at the Noodle Box for supporting our Createathon and helping to fuel our creativity late into the night when we'll need it most. The sauce along will shock us back to life when we start to feel weary.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and the pits of our bellies too!)

Coffee Coffee Coffee!

Staying up for 24 hours straight requires a little resiliency, a bit of determination, and a LOT of coffee!
So our Createathon Team is VERY lucky to have two coffee sponsors.

The Blenz Coffee at the Maple and Broadway location in Kits has kindly donated coffee from 8:00 a.m. Thursday until they close at 11:00 pm. Cul and her team there are uber-friendly, always smiling, and just about our favourite people on earth.
THANK YOU. Your ongoing caffeine donation will keep us wired and wily so we can do the best work possible.

When our 24 hours is up Friday morning, the amazing people at the Starbuck Montreaux location (led by Ann Marie Lee) will be donating coffee and treats to help suustain us through our Createathon Client presentations and to give us just enough "zing" to make it home to bed.

THANK YOU Cul and your team at Blenz and Anne Marie and your team at Starbucks.

We are jazzed about our overflowing pots of java.
You're making it possible for us to do our best work.

With love and thanks,
Kim and The Flipside Createathon team.

Pac Blue delivers awesomeness

Not only is our team receiving free food from the Butler Did It catering but we are also getting it delivered right to our doorstep by the fabulous people at Pac Blue Printing. What service!

If you don't know about Pac Blue, you'll want to get to know them. They have big business solutions and even bigger hearts.

Thank you, Pac Blue, for spoiling us and being such an integral part of our Createathon.
Thanks to you we can spend more time creating!!

Your donation means the world.

Many thanks.
Kim and The Flipside Createathon Team

The Butler Did It donates food to Createathon Crew

It's so humbling to realize that when other people hear of you doing something good for the community, they step up and help out in astronomical ways. And the only gift they receive in return is a Thank You.

We are amazed by the generosity of The Butler Did It catering in Vancouver.

As soon as we mentioned what we were doing, Darryl Ray and his team of gourmet geniuses stepped up to the plate.
The Butler Did It will be catering a surprise menu – breakfast lunch and dinner with coffee from Starbucks too – to our team onsite as we plough away to produce some excellent creative for our charitable clients.

To Darryl and the rest of theButler Did It team: THANK YOU!
Your nourishing meals will help us stay focused, keep creative, and create some of the best marketing materials these charities have ever seen.

xo

Kim and the Flipside Createathon Team

Maids Gone Green cleans up our creative mess!

Fabulous news for the Createathon crew: The incredible, eco-friendly, generous folks at Maids Gone Green have kindly offered to come into our donated space after Createathon and clean it top to bottom free of charge. That's not an easy task given that 6 creative minds are spending 24 hours in one space with multiple cups of coffee, Red Bulls, gummy bears, and more.

Maids Gone Green is an incredible local business with big aspirations. They are thorough, professional, and downright amazing.

They clean your home cleaner than you've ever seen it before without a stitch of impact on the environment (and a minimal impact on your bank account). They are affordable, professional, and downright lovely.

THANK YOU Maids Gone Green Team for your generosity during Createathon.

We are very grateful.

Team Createathon - Meet Kim!

When we tell people about our 24-hour Createathon, they often say "You're insane!" or "That's crazy!". Something along those lines. But what they don't know is that it is, hands-down, the most enriching experience any of us have ever had. It's a career highlight for most designers, writers and developers. And we often walk away feeling like we've taken more than we've given. Because the passion and gratitude that participating Createathon charities share with us is so rich.

That's why we do Createathon.

So now that you've met Jocelyn, Catherine, Stacey, Bryan, and Jamie, here is a little bit about me and why Createathon is near and dear to my heart.

The countdown is on. Two more days.
We are riddled with enthusiasm!!!!

Who are you?
I am Kim McMullen. I am the principal and creative idealist at Flipside Creative, a graphic and writing studio with heart.
We strive to do great work for great clients. Essentially, we like to use our talents for good, not evil. It is a wildly rewarding experience every day.


What do you do?
I am a copywriter and graphic designer with an affinity for big ideas, strategic thinking, and giving back.

Why do you love what you do?
I get to come up with ideas, be the voice of a brand, and design pretty things ALL DAY LONG.
What's not to love?

Why are you so pumped about participating in Flipside's Createathon?
I'm pumped because from the very first time I embarked on Createathon 6 years ago, I knew it was something special. I always tell people that it was the highlight of my career. And I mean it. Marketing can be a greedy business sometimes, and it's nice to step away from the gluttony and do good work for good people so that they can be empowered to do more good. It just makes sense. And it gives me goosebumps all over – the good kind.

I am excited to be working this year with a talented team of creative individuals who I am certain will not only WOW our Createathon Clients but will inspire me, wow me, and compel me to do my best.

I am excited beyond measure.

Let's get to it!!

AWM Alliance donates space

With Flipside's 2010 Createathon fast approaching, we were itching to find a bigger, better space to spend 24 hours in. Don't get us wrong, we LOVE our office. But it's the size of a postage stamp, with no air flow, and it's a tight squeeze for 6 people for 24 hours.

So we approached the AWM Alliance folks at my condo in Kitsilano. They have an outdoor room in the courtyard separate from the building with a shower, bathroom, kitchenette, fireplace, couch, tables and tons of room to be creative!

This room usually rents out at $50/6 hours. Our CreateAThon budget is nil.

So we stated our case and the folks at AWM were more than happy to help!
In fact, they were downright eager.

So thanks to AWM, we have a bright, open, airy spot to be creative for 24 hours. We can't wait to set up our temporary shop and get to it!

For CreateAthon recipients, this is where you'll meet us for the "final reveal" on Friday morning.
2528 Maple Street in Vancouver.

It's going to a blast.

HUGE thanks to AWM for saving the day (and the Createathon).
We are overwhelmed by your generosity.

Meet Bryan!

Bryan is inspiration wrapped up in one ginger package of awesome.
He is smart. He's talented. He saves the day.
He's too humble to admit that he's one very amazing illustrator and one very inventive creative mind.
I think the world of him. And when you see what he comes up with at Createathon, you will too.

Meet Bryan Stuart!

Who are you?
I am Bryan Stuart, Principal and Creative Director at Sprout Creative. I graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2005 obtaining my bachelor of design and have been working professionally as a graphic designer and illustrator for 5 and a half years. I have had the opportunity to work for a large interactive agency for a number of years as well as at small local Ad Agency. Currently I do a lot of work for my own list of clients as well as provide overflow assistance to larger agencies here in Vancouver, Calgary and in Toronto as well.

I live in Vancouver's west end with my wonderful husband Greg, our beautiful siamese cat Kanika and our happy little Jack Russell Chihuahua cross Oliver.

You might see me riding my longboard along the seawall or swimming in the ocean, or performing with the Vancouver Men's Chorus a few times a year. You may even see me practicing my backflips in the park or at UBC's adult drop in gymnastics.

What do you do?
I am a graphic designer, working with a variety of media including print, package, branding, motion / interactive, web and even some front end web programming/development. I am also a closet illustrator who incorporates illustration in many of my designs.

Why do you love what you do?
The main reason I love what I do is the satisfaction of creating something from nothing based on creative problem solving for a visual purpose. I love to work conceptually and create end products and communicate a message through visuals. When I was a kid my career choice was to be an “inventor” I guess in many ways I am doing that now through the design process.

Why are you so pumped about participating in Flipside's Createathon?
I’m pumped about being involved in Flipside’s CreateAThon because it gives me a chance to give back to my community and contribute my skills to a variety of great causes. It’s also quite incredible to work in a creative setting with other creatives with a common goal at the end. This will be the 3rd CreateAThon I have participated in.