Meet the Designers

"Knock, knock!"

We’ve introduced you to the interns and our bosses, now we want you to meet some other groupies! This week we talked to some of the creative force behind Price Group, the designers. This trio can create some crazy stuff, so we wanted you to get to know them a little better.

Meet Annalee, Kaci, and Rebecca!

Annalee

Q: How many years have you been at Price? 

A: Almost 2

Q: Position?

A: Art Director

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: The cohorts.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: David could MacGyver his way outta there.

Q: What's your go-to lunch? 

A: Brown bag and youtube in the board room with the cohorts.

Q: If you weren't working in advertising what would be your dream job? 

A: Miscellaneous crafter.

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: The Killing & Raising Hope (gotta have a balance)

Rebecca

Q: How many years have you been at Price?

A: A little over four years, including my internship.

Q: Position?

A: Senior Designer

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: It sounds cliché, but the people. I love working with people that know know what they’re doing, dream big, and (most importantly) look out for each other. I love learning from them as well. We work and play hard together. I also like having the opportunity to create and work on unique projects.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: Ha ha! Entertainment-wise, I would take any of the groupies. If we’re speaking practically, I would take David. I believe the answer on my last survey was, "That guy could build a working helicopter out of a crate of coconut fibers and one banana peel.”

Q: What's your go-to lunch? 

A: Depends on the day. Usually somewhere close, if it’s a weekday. I visited the BackDoor Diner with some friends recently (had never been before), and really enjoyed it. So good.

Q: If you weren't working in advertising what would your dream job be?

A: As a kid, I had many career aspirations (actress, adventurer, singer, counselor, CIA agent (I liked being sneaky), Supergirl (I wanted to help people…and fly), girlfriend of Superman...).

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: I’m not really binge watching any one show right now (not enough time). I’ve always liked Gilmore Girls, though. New Girl can be inappropriate, but is really funny, too. As far as new shows go, the Grinder is pretty great. Love Ben Savage’s character - bless his heart.

Kaci

Q: How many years have you been at Price?

A: .25

Q: Position?

A: Designer

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: We work as a team to get a final project to a customer and we aren’t in competition with each other. I also get to laugh a lot at work and that makes all my days better.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: I’m pretty introverted so I would kind of like to just be by myself. I might take some of the Communication Arts annuals for some light reading material though. (I also hate hurting peoples’ feelings and this question really stresses me out.)

Q: What’s your go-to lunch? 

A: My mood greatly affects my appetite so it changes daily. I can almost always go for a gyro and baklava though.

Q: If you weren’t working in advertising what would be your dream job? 

A: I would travel the world and take photos of cool places, so kind of like a national geographic photographer but with FAR less pressure. Or be a racecar driver.

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: Parenthood. I just finished season 3 and they played my all time favorite song in a really sad part and I’m still not ready to talk about it yet.

St. Patrick's Day

There are several beloved traditions, like St. Patrick's Day, that we continue to celebrate without knowing the purpose or meaning behind. Born in 387 A.D, Saint Patrick served as a Roman-British Christian missionary in the 5th century and continues to represent the Irish nation in more ways than one. He is not only known as the “Apostle of Ireland” but is the official patron saint of Ireland as well.

Here’s a look at a few of the most iconic traditions we continue for the luck of the Irish.

1. Corned Beef and Cabbage: As a substitute for bacon, the Irish-American immigrants used corned beef in the late 19th century as a variant of the Irish dish for bacon and cabbage.

2. Leprechauns: Unlike the adorable redhead who has graced the Lucky Charms cereal for decades, leprechauns, or “lobaircins,” are actually male fairies from Irish mythology who are said to have inhabited the nation before the Celts arrived. They serve as cobblers or shoemakers who are notorious for mischief, and according to legend, if you hold eye-contact with him, he cannot escape your presence until the gaze is broken.

3. Shamrocks: Commonly referred to as three-leafed clovers that are native to Ireland. Therefore, it was chosen as the national emblem because St. Patrick used the emblem to represent the doctrine of the biblical Trinity.

4. The Pinching: Did you forget your green shirt or accessory on March 17th, only to find yourself being pinched all day at work? Well, this tradition originated from the Irish immigrants who believed that wearing green made you invisible to leprechauns, who would pinch anyone they could see. So pinching those who weren’t wearing green would remind them the leprechauns might sneak up on them!

So until next St. Paddy’s Day, “May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.”

Groupies In Space

Scott Kelly returned this week from his year in space and it got the groupies thinking, that's 8160 hours in space! Scott Kelley spent a lot of his 340 days in space doing biology experiments but he also floated around in a gorilla suit and created water ping pong. He even appeared on Jimmy Fallon, making him our new favorite astronaut.

So we asked our groupies, what would you do with your year in space?

AnnaLee is going to run NASA's cutest set of experiments yet.

“I would totally have to experiment on a bunch of cute fuzzy kittens and how they play with catnip laden crocheted mice and balls of yarn and how they react in space… can they still jump nimbly from space tree to space tree? I foresee lots of cuteness uploaded to the youtube featuring space kittens.” 

Brooke needs to make sure she stays busy.

“I’d probably end up going crazy like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. “All work and no play, makes Brooke a dull girl.””

Crystal is going to make some new friends.

"I am not much of a reader but I guess with all that time on my hands, I could be now. I am also a talker so I would need to find a loved object and carry one long in depth conversations with it to keep me sane (kinda like a Wilson).” 

Expect some mail from Rebecca.

“I’d probably do a lot of catching up with friends via email. Ha!…They do have email out there, right? 

Okay, I just looked it up to be sure. We’re good, guys! (*Friends and family beware.)"

Kaci is taking lessons from Mark Watney.

“I would probably grow some potatoes and teach myself how to ration properly and maybe learn some handicrafts.”

Pam is doing the peoples choice, binging Netflix.

“If I had a year in space and no terribly demanding science jobs I would read and watch all the movies I never seem to have time to do here on earth!!!”

Tj is going to become Youtube famous and eat a lot of M&Ms.

"I would spend a lot of time playing my guitar and making a YouTube channel of song covers, Chris Hadfield style. I would avoid alcohol at all costs because the idea of getting drunk in space sounds terrifying. I would probably end up spending most of my time catching M&Ms in my mouth in zero gravity."

And Natalia really has her priorities straight.

"If I had a year to myself I would probably sleep A LOT.  I would also do some flips since I’ve never been able to do that on land or trampoline."

Shell Yeah!

It’s National Pistachio Day and at The Price Group we are going nuts. We’re so excited about it, we’ve been cracking down on work so we can celebrate like we’ve got Saturday nut fever. To honor the Pistachio in all its glory, we have picked some of the nuttiest pistachio commercials that will leave you saying, “SHELL YEAH!” So sit back, pull out a bag of pistachios, and enjoy these videos, because nut-thing goes with advertising more than America’s favorite tiny, green nut.

Meet the Interns (Part 2)

Last week you got a chance to meet our Account Service Interns, so this week we want to introduce you to our two stellar design interns!

Tj Vining, Senior Advertising Major from Allen, TX

After Graduation:

After graduation, I hope to become an Art Director at one of those big, hip advertising agencies with beer carts and bean-bag chairs. If that doesn't work out, I think I would make a pretty awesome Uber driver.

What I like about TPG:

​The culture of the agency is what makes TPG a fun place to work at. Sure, there are days when work is piling up and we are cramming to finish pieces before a deadline, but it is all overshadowed by good people, great discussion, and killer work. Also, how many times have you had the chance to have a Nerf gun war in the office with you coworkers? 

The work experience is nice too.

Favorite Campaign: 

​My all-time favorite spot is Audi's 2013 Superbowl ad. VB&P had viewers vote on their favorite version of 3 spots in the week leading up to the Superbowl. Check out the spot (it's dope)

Another ad that I absolutely love (strangely enough, it's also a car ad) is Honda's "The Other Side." 

Fun Fact:

​Outside of school, I like to play the guitar, piano, and drums - but I mostly just sit alone in my room and play Wonderwall. I'm also big into snow-skiing and scuba diving, however there is rarely enough snow and not nearly enough water in Lubbock to do those things.

Breanna Velasquez, Sophomore Disgn Communications Major from the city with horrible weather also known as Lubbock, TX

After Graduation:
I’ve delved a little into various fields in the graphic design world, and I can say that I honestly don’t know where I’ll end up, but I do know that I want to be some place where things happen on a grander scale for my career. Small places kill me, so I’ll most likely end up somewhere like New York or Washington, perhaps even California. I’d like to work in an environment where there’s a ton of creativity and other individuals that understand my struggle with fonts and other graphic design problems.
What I like about TPG:
Oh man, I love everything about this place! Being around other people in this industry means that they understand a lot about what you do, so we can sit around and talk about how amazing some design is, how aesthetically pleasing one font is, or even how awesome a certain paper is (I realize how bizarre that might sound.) It’s great getting to be around people who care about kerning and other designer related things. I also love how creativity is everywhere, and how something so simple can evolve into something amazing when a bunch of imaginative people get together to brainstorm. Everyone is passionate here, and it’s something that I find enticing to witness. They inspire me, and have really helped me grow as a designer, which is what I set out to do when I first started working here.
Favorite Campaign:
How could I possibly decide on one? I usually love the ones that integrate 2 images together, because they’re usually incredibly clever, but I have one that resonates with me: The Duracell lightsaber ad that shows Darth Vader trying to power his lightsaber with the battery and it’s the, “Most powerful battery in the universe."
Fun Fact:
I once was trapped in a caffeine cocoon and emerged as a high strung sleep deprived espresso addicted butterfly. What I’m trying to say is that I love coffee.

Superpower: Witty/ridiculous answers to questions that I’m asked.

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Our interns, they keep us young. Interested in becoming a Price Group Intern? Send a resume and cover letter to brooke.blackwell@pricegroupinc.com

Throwback Thursday: HALLOWEEN EDITION

It’s #throwbackthursday here at The Price Group! To get in the spirit of the season, we decided to go around the office to see some of our Groupies’ favorite Halloween memories.

“I’m guessing I was about 12 or so. Obviously, I was too cool to dress up for Halloween that year but oddly enough, this was pretty much my everyday look in Middle School. Don’t judge, chest hair was really in back then so I flaunted that as much as possible. I can only assume that around this same time was when my fascination for vests and facial hair came into play as well." - Jared

Melissa was about a year and a half in this picture. According to her Mom, she found that hat and wouldn't take it off. So she put her in a dress and some costume jewelry and she became 'a little lady'.

“I was about 4 in the picture. I told my parents I wanted to be a princess, so they had my aunt make me this dress. I played dress up in that outfit all the time." 
- Brooke

"I loved little heels, costume jewelry, and anything shiny or feathery. My mom once made a 'Cinderella' dress for me for my birthday, and I wore it until it fell apart. The only thing I really remember about this costume was the set of long rainbow eyelashes. I thought they were fabulous." - Rebecca

“This is only a throwback to 2013, but I still think it’s one of my favorite costumes. As for my age, old enough to know better than to set my head on fire—but young enough to figure out how to do it!” - Mike 

“That’s me in the middle. I was 5 years old and Rainbow Brite was my hero. My favorite costume ever!”- Natalia

“Zombie Amy Whinehouse. umm…. Halloween 2012." - Annalee