jdhumphreys.com | Work: Battle of the Bands

Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands

Since 2006, McKinney has hosted and created advertising campaigns for the Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands which has raised more than $380,000 for various causes in the Triangle. Corporate bands compete in this one-night event and all proceeds go to that year's chosen charity.

2011: A Story of Love, Reverb & Glory

ART DIRECTOR: J.D. Humphreys, Rachel Marshall | COPYWRITER: Brian Murray, Alex Saiz | CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Philip Marchington | ECD: Jonathan Cude | DIRECTOR & EDITOR: Nick Adcock | BROADCAST PRODUCER: Brian Fox | INTERACTIVE PRODUCER: Andy Ives, Jesse Wright, Ben Eckerson | PRINT PRODUCER: Carolyn Petty | STUDIO: Wade Lewis, Emily Forsberg, Bliss Alexander-Smith, Karla Mickens, Gail Marie, Kevin Grealey | AGENCY: McKinney, Durham | CHARITY: NC Arts in Action

The Battle Characters
We chose to focus on the "Glamabellum"-era (yes, we made that up) fantasy stories of the Triangle. Through various characters, events and communications we created a story of The Battle – A Story of Love, Reverb & Glory.

"Ready for Battle" :30 TV Spot

Battle Logo
A limited budget prompted the need for in-house illustration for nearly all campaign materials. Logo was created with the penmanship of that era in mind as well as it's abstract shape resembling a cannon cloud. Logo was hand-drawn and enhanced with Illustrator.

The Battle Observer
We created an online and mobile-friendly news site and newspaper dedicated to covering The Battle and served as a resource for participants, vendors and sponsors.

The Glamabellum Ball
We hosted a series of mini-Battle events to publicize the upcoming Battle of the Bands and to acquire more community support, awareness and donations. The Glamabellum Ball consisted of masquerade, childrens' activities and games, performances by the children dancers of North Carolina Arts in Action and live music by Bibis Ellison (fresh from auditioning for "The X-Factor").

Logo

Glamabellum Ball Poster
Our study of period typography and graphic design led us to a collection of typefaces that we used throughout the entire campaign. We intentionally used a color palette that would clash against the formality of the design.

Poster

Signage Art

Band Posters, Buttons & Flags
We created posters for each band based on the overall look of the campaign. Each band received their own color palette. The color palette was kept consistent for each band for their button and band flag.

Main Event Poster

Photo Op & Cutout Props
Participants to The Battle and other events were invited to have their picture taken with the characters. We created various props to make each photograph unique – because you can't get more unique than a pet reptile sporting a wig and heels.

Event Signage

Program Booklet

Awards

The Battle
The day began humid and eventually torrential downpours during rehearsals up until the guests arrived. Much of the preparations had to be done indoors. Ponchos and umbrellas became rock star victuals. Thankfully, no delays and a large turnout gave way to a memorable night in Battle history and for North Carolina Arts in Action.