Carnegie-Stout Public Library: Something for Everyone

This past spring, we partnered with Carnegie-Stout Public Library (CSPL) to create an awareness campaign centered on the library’s menu of incredible, state-of-the-art resources and…

This past spring, we partnered with Carnegie-Stout Public Library (CSPL) to create an awareness campaign centered on the library’s menu of incredible, state-of-the-art resources and services. The gauntlet, thrown down by Susan Hendricks, Library Director, went a little something like this:

 

“Too many people think of libraries as old, stuffy, and only offering books. When people hear the name Carnegie-Stout Public Library, I want it to immediately resonate as Dubuque’s most vibrant, modern resource for learning, events, and entertainment—and a place that literally offers something for everyone.”

 

Challenge accepted.


Like any successful campaign, this one started with some ambitious, albeit, tangible goals:

 

  • Create fun, unified, and engaging brand awareness capable of resonating with multiple audiences.
  • Promote the library’s wide array of services and offerings.
  • Identify and emphasize the factors that make CSPL special to the community.
  • Position CSPL as a local, state-of-the-art resource for education, entertainment, and resources.

 

The end result is a campaign that demands attention while being both entertaining and informative. Showcasing the range of offerings from CSPL, each ad features a subject you’d expect to be offered from a library contrasted with one you would not. (Side note: this made for fun brainstorming.) Bright colors, bold typefaces, entertaining imagery, and engaging messages and headlines all combined to make this a memorable project we are grateful to have helped with.

 

One can expect to learn about musical masterminds from their library, but did you know CSPL has its own aptly named beer, the Carnegie Stout?

 

With how much the CSPL van travels around Dubuque, we knew the campaign had to leave its mark on this mobile billboard.

Taking the services offered by CSPL and making unexpected combinations produced ads that appeal to all audiences.

 

The campaign even made its way to CSPL's book drop boxes, and added excitement to often over-looked fixtures.


A few radio spots were also written and produced to get the campaign's message on the air waves.

 

If the goal of a pop-up display is to catch people's attention, consider the mission accomplished for CSPL.

What better way to round out the campaign elements than to dress up the actual library building? We not only designed and printed these banners in house, but also designed and fabricated the mounting system used to hold them in place.

Now that you’ve checked out the campaign, be sure to checkout all the great services and programs offered at Carnegie-Stout Public Library — recently named one of the 5 Must-See Libraries and Bookstores in Iowa!