I spent most of my time at Prime helping to update and develop new organizational strategies for the company. From filing ad agreements, to updating price-list verbiage, to emailing clients their prospective ads, I’ve done it all. While this work may not be alluring to most, I’ve come to appreciate its value. Without such efforts to organize, a system falls behind and important information gets lost in the cracks. Only by getting organized and setting a standard to uphold can a consistent productivity be achieved—a lesson well-learned from my mentor, Penny Monse.

At the same time, I supervised the front-desk/reception-area. This allowed me to be Prime’s official welcome-woman; essentially, I was the first impression new customers received of the company. With such a responsibility, I tried to convey to each customer Prime’s dedication to growing their business and its willingness to work hard to achieve that goal. Getting to interact with clients and help promote Prime’s professional image were my highlight experiences.

Most interesting of all was Prime’s climate. That’s not to say its temperature, (because as we all know that fluctuates between a sauna and a refrigerator) but rather the emotional temperament of the group. All the employees at Prime are dedicated to fulfilling their customers’ needs. I’ve seen the long hours they pull, striving for perfection, only to do the same for another client. It’s truly inspiring, the creativity and effort they put into their work. Their passion for their jobs reflects in their positive natures. Prime is its own family and one I feel welcome to be apart of.

Luckily for me, my time at Prime has not yet reached its end. I have been offered and have taken a fall position for after-school work. I am pumped to continue working with everyone and seeing what sort of projects Prime will send my way. This was definitely a learning summer, and with what I learned, I hope to make this fall, and this coming year, an equally educational one.

I was looking for a demanding internship in web design/development but I underestimated how rewarding the experience was going to be. The hands-on experience and knowledge that I have gained are valuable tools that will build a strong foundation for future opportunities. I have also furthered my awareness of the importance of web design and development in today’s society. A website is an online identity of a company or individual and needs to be well designed, easy to navigate, and search engine friendly.

The position was supervised by Shauna Smart, the Web Project Manager at Prime. I worked closely with the Web Designers and Web Programmers in preparing customer sites for go live. Projects for the internship included daily meetings and tasks assigned to me by Shauna. My internship at Prime predominantly focused on building and maintaining websites for numerous clients. I contributed to all phases of the process, and learned aspects of building a website that I had little experience with prior to the internship. I gained experience from the beginning of projects at the customer estimate phase through the final phase of go-live.

An aspect of web design that I had not been introduced to previously, was the use of a content management system (CMS). At Prime, I was able to work with the company’s in-house CMS called Element Z.  Becoming familiar with Element Z taught me how to place content within a site, edit HTML code, upload files/photos to the file manager, and also use the dashboard to navigate around the system/site.

While I am excited to get back to school and finish out my senior year, I am sad to be leaving my internship at Prime Advertising & Design. I have enjoyed working with the staff and learning to apply my education in the work force. I appreciate all of your time and guidance these past three months. I cannot thank you all enough for all that you have taught me and for making my internship such a rewarding experience.

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As a member of the Maple Grove community since 1993, Prime Advertising & Design was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the Maple Grove Days festival this year, and donated over 800 official event T-shirts to volunteers, committee members and 5K race participants.

In addition to the parade, Prime participated in the charity “bed race” benefitting the 40 Winks Foundation – a group that donates beds to various charitable organizations. Several Prime clients placed well in the competition including Slumberland (1^st), J Brothers Construction (2^nd), Rose Arbor (Most Creative), and J. Cousineau’s (Most Enthusiasm).

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Everyone had a great time, enjoyed the summer weather and loved seeing many of our clients participating as well in this successful community festival.  All of us here at Prime can’t wait ‘til next year!

Enjoy the below video of the Maple Grove Days fireworks finale.
Maple Grove Days Fireworks Video (requires QuickTime)

The choice of Comic Sans as a font for what can only be described as an angry rant demonstrates that Gilbert (or the person who posted on his behalf) is clueless about the impact fonts have on audiences. What was intended to rally the troops and unite Cavs fans behind him in a “who needs LeBron James anyway?” movement, backfired terribly and opened Gilbert up for an onslaught of criticism. Using Comic Sans was akin to writing a note and dotting every “i” with a smiley face – it just didn’t convey the outrage he felt after hearing James’ decision.

This episode illustrates how readers and viewers can see something and have an opposite reaction to what was desired – simply because the wrong font was chosen by someone who didn’t take the time to consider its impact. It’s a cautionary tale for companies who are marketing their services to specific audiences – and it applies to much more than just fonts.

If you’re trying to attract young families to your restaurant, use photos of parents and children – not seniors and singles. Looking to lure the 20-something crowd to your bar? Steer away from illustrations showing teenagers and middle-aged couples. Or if older folks are a demographic you’re trying to capture, you should probably keep the point sizes larger and use fewer words.

Always keep in mind that your logo, the colors you choose, fonts, point sizes, photos used in print and on the web, and anything you may link to from a blog or a Facebook or Twitter page,  will be instantly associated with your business. If it doesn’t fit with your brand and conflicts with your intended objectives, don’t do it.  And if you ever find yourself the owner of an NBA franchise and want to get something off your chest, have someone else double-check your post before sending it off.

Prime Advertising is proud to have played a part in this year’s USA Cup. Working directly with one of our clients, CL!X Sports Photography, official photographer of the USA Cup.  CL!X came to Prime looking to update the theme of this year’s USA Cup photo merchandise for the teams and players.

Prime’s graphic design team created a fresh new look for a variety of products available to the players of the tournament.  Prime designed three new photo and poster background options for teams and individuals, sure to excite any soccer enthusiast.

The hot new item this year is the Personalized Trader Ticket. The Trader Ticket is customized with each player’s photo as well as personal information – team name, jersey number, country, etc. This option offers a fun and unique way for youth from around the globe to trade tickets amongst themselves and remember their USA Cup experience.  Prime also helped design a customizable soccer ball, which is sure to be a hit. Who wouldn’t want a soccer ball with their very own photo on it?

With these new designs, we have armed CL!X with products that are sure to grab the attention of these young athletes. Prime greatly appreciates the opportunity to offer our assistance on this project and we congratulate CL!X on being chosen for such an exclusive event!

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Cory from Stellar Keys and Remotes has been a vendor at the event before, but this year he wanted to take his display to the next step. Prime Advertising worked with Cory to help add more items to make his display larger, which included two more custom canopies, four additional custom table covers and some new items. Prime designed two new flying banner displays and new inserts for Stellar’s sidewalk sign. As a part of the new design, Prime introduced “Chip” for the first time!  Chip is an illustrated mascot that will help Stellar Keys promote its services.

For additional promotional items, Prime helped Stellar Keys with giveaway items. Prime updated the design on the brightly colored lanyards and calendar magnets.

With the larger display and increased visibility, Stellar Keys increased its sales by 40% over last year!

Hope to see you at the “Back to the 50’s” next year!

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Welcome to a brand-new online home for Prime Advertising & Design!

All of us here at Prime are very proud of the new website and how it fits so well with our new branding and look – but we are most excited about how the site will serve our clients and better explain our services.

Many of the changes you will see came following numerous conversations with our customers. Prime listened and heard what you wanted to see when you visit us online. With a home page designed to quickly direct the user to their area of interest, I believe we succeeded in maximizing the efficiency of our site by minimizing search time.

An important note is that the site is not only intended to let people know what Prime can do for them, but to assist clients and prospective customers as they imagine what can be accomplished for their own business.

Perhaps you feel your company’s website is long past due for a new look? Or your business’ logo is showing its age? Maybe you’re not sure how to effectively market your company, but know it’s time to do something? Our site will start your creative juices flowing and “spark the energy” your business needs to get back on the right track.

We are confident you will like Prime’s new online identity. Feel free to spend some time, take a look around,  and give us your feedback on this “soft launch” of the site. Check back often as we will be continuing to add new features and updated content!

I’d love to hear what you think, so please contact me with any questions or comments.

Wishing you continued success and prosperity,

Mark J. Murray
President/CEO
Prime Advertising & Design
Mark@PrimeAdvertising.com
763-315-6450

The team here at Prime has caught Minnesota Twins fever this spring! On the occasion of the Twins’ home opener at Target Field, and at the unofficial request of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, several Prime employees decided to celebrate on April 12 by wearing official team garb.

Our team spirit is also featured on the KARE-11 website’s Twins’ photo gallery!

We’re excited to welcome the Twins back to outdoor baseball and wish them the best this season as they make a run for the playoffs and World Series!

We encourage everyone who either lives or works in Maple Grove to get involved, regardless of your training or photographic experience. Photos must have been taken in Maple Grove in 2006 or later and can feature any part of the community in one of the four seasons.

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Submit your favorite photos in the following categories:

* Great People (people talking, working, learning, playing, living, volunteering—e.g., kids in the backyard, birthday parties, shopping, eating out, working in the garden, students getting on the school bus, neighbors talking in front of their home).

* Great Community (events/activities—sports, community celebrations, plays—e.g. National Night Out block parties, Maple Grove Days events, farmers market, concerts, baseball/soccer game).

* Great Outdoors (parks, landscapes, plants, animals, sunsets, weather).

Photos received by April 30, 2010 will be reviewed, and there will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize awarded in each of the three categories. First-prize winners will receive $100 each, 2nd place $50 each, and 3rd Place $25 each. Winners in each category will receive their prize and certificate of appreciation at a Maple Grove City Council meeting.

Winning entries will be published in the Summer 2010 City of Maple Grove newsletter (designed and published by Prime) – all photos submitted also will be online at www.myprimeguide.com. In addition, as many submissions as possible will be displayed at the Government Center for public viewing Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from early April through May.

The City of Maple Grove is proud to partner with Prime in sponsoring the contest. Photos submitted may be used on city websites as well as in area-wide publications such as city newsletters, Parks and Recreation brochures, and Prime’s Official Community Resource & Residents’ Guide among others.

Please share your photographic skills and snapshots of your community! For detailed rules, entry form, and additional information visit www.MyPrimeGuide.com/photos, the City of Maple Grove website, call 763-494-6002, or pick up a photography contest packet at the Maple Grove Government Center, 12800 Arbor Lakes Parkway.

Keep in mind, when the contest is over, the city is still looking for good Maple Grove photos for use in city publications, on the city website, and in other promotional items. If you would like to donate the type of photos outlined above to be used for City of Maple Grove publicity purposes, you may submit them to admindept@ci.maple-grove.mn.us. Your contributions are appreciated!

HR Examiner said Buss’s blog “is a constant and useful flow of commentary and information designed for the HR/Recruiting community. It’s no accident that he is the top-ranked person on our list of the Top 25 Online Influencers in Recruiting.”

Prime is proud of Jason’s personal career accomplishments and his commitment to helping businesses find quality staff members. To read more about him, check out his blog at: www.thetalentbuzz.com.