erica velis

Nissan: Journey to Zero

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:44:07 +0000

Nissan: Journey to Zero

After discovering my portfolio online, a creative recruiter from TBWA\Chiat\Day contacted me about a social media focused freelance gig for the agency’s Digital Arts group. Working on-site in the New York office, I managed social media messaging for two major accounts, one being Nissan. Set to unveil the world’s first mass market electric vehicle, the LEAF, Nissan has launched a “zero emission movement” to spread the word about the car and start a branded conversation about zero emission mobility.

The initiative, called Journey to Zero, uses interactive and social media to engage the public, encouraging ordinary people to tune into the dialog and participate in the zero emission discussion. Staying true to the positive, thoughtful voice and character of the Journey to Zero movement, I answered questions, shared information, recruited followers and fans and helped further a larger conversation about climate change, reaching the “zero carbon” target, energy conservation, technological innovation and the future of transportation.

Click on the samples below to see a few snippets of the conversation.

Journey to Zero Twitter

Journey to Zero Facebook

A closing note for those who want to know more:

Even car companies realize the grave challenges posed by resource depletion, pollution and climate change can’t be solved by technical innovation alone. We need a cultural shift to accompany the technological shift. To get involved, visit the Journey to Zero website or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Tassimo: Substitute Tweeter

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:24:33 +0000

Tassimo: Substitute Tweeter

In addition to the Nissan account mentioned in an earlier post, I also briefly handled social media messaging for Tassimo at TBWA\Chiat\Day. In case you are not familiar with the brand, Tassimo is a fast, fuss-free brewing system that makes it possible to whip up a variety of cafe style hot beverages at home. Happily filling in for an absent copywriter, I substitute tweeted for the “Tassimo Taster”, a man of taste, apparently, who really knows his hot beverages, has a great sense of humor and laces his brewing hints and indulgent recommendations with songs you should listen to (while sipping a hot beverage) and assorted links featuring photos and products that are sure to tempt your average hot beverage enthusiast.

As one of those “instant human, just add caffeine” people myself, I had no problem assuming this role, despite the fact that I’m not a man. Fortunately for all involved, I have good taste (generally) and could accurately be described as an enthusiastic, if unofficial, hot beverage connoisseur. Using my temporary influence to introduce swanky yet serviceable products like this and drop a few pro-caffeine articles citing the latest studies suggesting that caffeine is somehow good for your health (because all coffee and tea lovers desperately hope this is true), I did my part to keep Tassimo’s Twitter community buzzing happily through the day.

Click on the sample below to read a few tweets.

Tassimo Twitter Feed

Donna Karan’s Urban Zen: Woman to Woman

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:07:21 +0000

Urban Zen Brochure Cover

Everything I love begins with C. Creativity. Consciousness. Community. Urban Zen is a new paradigm of retail, where philanthropy and commerce work in harmony to create change. - Donna Karan

I can only say I was thrilled to copyedit this beautiful brochure promoting Ms. Karan’s Urban Zen initiative. Empowering and elegantly executed, the brochure, entitled Woman to Woman, profiles inspiring women who have, even in the face of severe illness, found reserves of unknown strength and paths to inner calm. Designed by New York City boutique agency, CoolGraySeven, the brochure exudes style and perfectly captures Donna Karan’s clean, modern aesthetic. I have included those pages that received the most extensive edits. Please click on the images below to enlarge them.

Woman to Woman Intro

Journey of a Woman

Inner Peace Exudes Beauty

Urban Zen Mission

Finding Calm in Chaos

The New Luxury

Bio: Faisal Azam, Film Editor

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:42:43 +0000

Faisal Azam Bio

Bio: Yuko Takahashi, Make-up Artist

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:03:58 +0000

Bygan Jeans Premium Denim Brand

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:42:53 +0000

Stepping into the fashion ring with a solid product and a seriously stocked warehouse, all this Philadelphia based company needed to take flight was enough demand to get the supply moving. Longing to position their brand as a hot new label in the high-end denim market, the company partners approached me about developing the brand-defining, Lifestyle section of their website. However, when I asked them what their brand stood for and what made it distinct from other denim labels, I got only vague answers. Bygan, they told me, was derived from the name of a folk hero who has been revered throughout China as a god of wealth and prosperity for hundreds of years. They took their inspiration from this deity because they believe “everyone deserves to be happy and have a good, prosperous life.” Vague and unrelated to fashion as it sounds, I managed to develop this germinal concept into a fully-realized brand identity that reflected the company’s Asian roots and upbeat, you-can-be-anything-you-want-to-be (in the right jeans) philosophy. By creating meaning where little meaning existed, the right copy turned a brand that could easily be perceived as a run-of-the-mill knock-off into something uniquely buzz-worthy.

Bygan Lifestyle Page 1

Bygan Lifestyle Page 2

Rue 57 NYC Parisian Brasserie & Sushi Bar

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:36:40 +0000

Coming on the heels of successful work we had done together previously, Lora Appleton of Edge Lab Design Studio approached me about refreshing web content for popular midtown restaurant, Rue 57 Parisian Brasserie & Sushi Bar. Edge Lab’s design team had already given the restaurant’s website an inviting Moulin Rouge inspired makeover but needed some fetching copy to really woo and entice prospective clientele. Playing up Rue’s rich Parisian ambiance and unique East-West cuisine, I used highly descriptive (dare I say, edible) language to create tantalizing menu summaries and luxurious content that, even on-line, would convey this restaurant’s certain je ne sais quoi.

rue 57

about rue 57

rue 57 menu

Rue 57 website: www.rue57.com

Bio: Frank Luna, Digital Artist

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:59:03 +0000

Artist Bio: Frank Luna

Imaginative and refreshingly weird, Frank Luna is a talented digital artist and motion graphics designer based in NYC. Forever experimenting with various methods of “making cool stuff,” Frank discovered a novel way to create arresting photographic portraits using an ordinary flatbed scanner. Not long after he began building up his collection of images, Frank got a job assisting modern master of the nude spectacle, Spencer Tunick, with an installation in Miami Beach. On-site, Frank met a well-connected art curator who responded enthusiastically to his work. She advised him to put together a portfolio and have someone write a compelling and provocative artist profile. Impressed by some writing samples a mutual friend had shown him, Frank asked me to write his bio. The sample shown above summarizes Frank’s artistic background, describes his creative process and articulates the meaning behind his work.

KD Designs

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:04:22 +0000

KD Designs

Life is a canvas. Make the details matter.

With a broad artistic repertoire spanning from whimsical interior murals and hand-painted theatrical backdrops to specially commissioned artwork, commemorative keepsakes, and wedding extravaganzas, Katie was struggling to find the right language to describe her multi-faceted business. Also, like so many women, Katie felt shy about playing up her very real accomplishments and talents. When she contacted me, she already had a rough bio and content describing her services—but her copy, unfortunately, did not do her (or her services) justice! Highlighting Katie’s sensitivity to her clients’ needs, her many skills and her unique flair for helping people put a “personal signature” on events, objects and environments—I crafted a rich personal bio and engaging, heartfelt content that I imagined Katie’s audience would respond to emotionally.

Click on the samples below to see why Katie said:

“Oh Erica - you are truly gifted. This is all absolutely wonderful! I love everything you wrote. I can’t wait to get the site all put together. You have been such an amazing asset to this process - your words gave me the confidence to pull this off. I cannot thank you enough. Well done.”

To read Katie’s bio (listed in the bios category) please click:

http://ericavelis.com/?p=896

KD Home Page

KD About

KD Event Planning

KD Murals

KD Fine Art

KD Custom Design

Newport Painting & Restoration

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:47:45 +0000

For over thirty years, Newport Painting & Restoration has worked with the best of the best in New York City. With big clients like Crate & Barrel, Victoria’s Secret, and American Airlines—and a slew of impressive restoration projects under their belts—Newport is one of the top high-end painting and restoration firms in the tri-state area. Though their reputation alone gets them far in this world, looking to the future they were feeling some pressure to build a more formidable presence on the web. They had a website that functioned well enough, but wasn’t up-to-date, had some organization problems, and had one glaring issue that surprised me a bit given the caliber of their clientele—they had no identity. Their portfolio shots were amazing, but in terms of telling me who they were or how they approached their work, their content was vague, overly general, and generic with a capital G.

After gathering information in person and over the phone from key people in the company, giving myself a bit of a crash course in intumescent fireproofing and all manner of high-tech special applications, I figured out who Newport is, what they do, and why they’re like no one else. Distilling this knowledge into a new tagline and mission statement, a tight firm profile, principal bios, a core values section, detailed case studies of big-budget projects and more, I crafted copy that differentiated Newport from their competitors and gave them a distinctive identity that lives up to their glowing reputation.

Please see newportgroupny.com to read the site’s full content and to see more examples of Newport’s stunning work.

Newport Landing Page

Newport Firm Profile

Newport Services

Newport Showcase Victoria's Secret

Newport Showcase Crate & Barrel

Newport Showcase Brooklyn Museum

Newport Showcase New York Public Library

Newport Showcase American Airlines