Press Release

DHL DELIVERS THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON TO U.S. TROOPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Express Delivery Company Partners with New York Communities for Annual Trees for Troops Charitable Program    DHL is partnering with local communities in New York to deliver live holiday trees and decorations to U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East through DHL's annual Trees for Troops charitable program. This program has collected and shipped thousands of holiday trees, lights, ornaments, menorahs and messages of support to the brave men and women serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain and Kuwait since 2004.    Local businesses, organizations, private citizens and nurseries have joined forces with DHL in donating and delivering 750 trees and holiday decorations overseas. THE NEW YORK official send-off events hosted by DHL in New York was on December 3rd.    Some of the companies that teamed up with DHL for this send off included Dee's Nursery in Oceanside, New York, the New York State Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and other members of the local New York metro community who donated hundreds of trees and holiday decorations to the program. "Santa Sacks" filled with thousands of holiday cards written by local school children were sent along with the shipment. The December 3rd send-off began at Dee's Nursery followed by the movement of the shipment to DHL's gateway at John F. Kennedy International Airport.  The event moved inside to a room adorned with Holiday Decorations.  WL Concepts & Production, Inc. a Signage, Graphics and Display firm provided full holiday regala for this event.  Their expertise in visual merchandising paid off with a beautifully decorated Large Christmas Tree.  This one large tree was decorated with specially displayed Teddy Bears, unusal ornaments, and an attention popping display of DHL Trucks with loads set up on a track around the tree to highlight DHL.  Five smaller trees included DHL model planes as part of the decorations.  Several Wreaths and Garland also adorned the room.  These visual displays and holiday decorations are just one of the many projects completed by the gifted and talented team members of WL Concepts & Production for DHL. DHL launched its annual Trees for Troops program in December 2004, when Jim Adelis, a New York businessman whose son was stationed in Iraq at the time, reached out to DHL to assist in transporting a shipment of trees to the Middle East. In November and December 2004, with the help of the U.S. Army Reserve 77th Regional Readiness Command, Dee's Nursery and the local New York metro community, DHL delivered two shipments featuring a total of 135 trees and holiday decorations from JFK to troops stationed at Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq.

Highlights, Excerpts and literary license taken from DHL press release Written by:  Marian Keilson of WL Concepts & Production, Inc

Visual displays produced by WL Concepts contain design elements that convey more complex information than any words that might appear on them. Different designs can create very different feelings in customers. You want your interior graphics to send the right message.

The Psychology of Color

In our many years in the industry, we've read countless discussions of the effect of color in customers. While no color has the same effect on every single person, there are some trends that are important when designing interior graphics. For example the red end of the spectrum tends to make people energetic while bluer hues are calming. Heavily saturated colors have a stronger effect and softer, pastel colors create more gentle images.

A great example of this can be seen in the fast food industry. Red and yellow are very common in the interior graphics of fast food restaurants. These colors tend to make people hungry so they order more at the counter. However these colors also stimulate people to want to get moving and not linger in the restaurant when finished eating.

What Mood Do You Want?

Before sending us your designs for interior graphics, ask yourself what mood you want to create in your establishment.

Stores that want fast customer turnover would prefer bright reds and yellows as in the fast food restaurant above. A business that wants customers to linger or wants to calm nervous feelings would choose a cooler palette of blues and greens. A health spa or dental office could benefit from these calming decors.

Color isn't your only option to set a mood with interior graphics. Images send messages as well. Pictures of smiling people enjoying people can increase sales. Illustrations of nature have a proven calming effect similar to colors. Stylistic choices such as simple vs. busy graphics create strong feelings as well.

Know Your Customers

When choosing the best design for interior graphics, consider who the business is designed for. Graphic choices for a toy store would be aimed at children, incorporating bright colors and images such as smiling teddy bears or simple geometric shapes. It's safe to assume these graphics wouldn't work for an auto dealer or sporting goods store.

Customers should feel comfortable in your business and graphics should create that feeling in your desired clientele. A decor that works for young white-collar professionals might not be as well-received by a retired blue-collar population. A store catering to women probably won't use the same design as a store with a predominantly male customer base. Factors such as age, income level and profession can affect how customers will respond do a store's interior graphics.

Designing effective graphics doesn't have to be difficult. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Visit competing businesses to see how they are designed. With a little thought and with our help, you can create graphics that will improve your business.