Sinta PWD ShowSight Ad
Client: Kerstin Weinberg, Seattle, Washington, USA
Project: ShowSight and Canine Chronicle Magazines, Full Page Color Advertising
“I *truly* enjoyed working with you as well – thanks again SO MUCH for everything! And you’ll DEFINITELY be hearing from me again soon!” -Kerstin Weinberg, Owner of Sinta
It’s Westminter or bust for one West Coast PWD this February. Sinta, CH Vindouro’s By All Means, is trading the docks of Seattle for the mean streets on NYC for a chance at the big time. As part of his move to the Specialty scene Sinta was in need of an introduction by way of advertising. The following ad will be included as part of the Westminster issues of ShowSight and Canine Chronicle magazines. You can read more about the creation of this ad in my Portfolio. Best of luck to Sinta on the green carpet!
This ad was done last minute as the deadline for one magazine had already passed (permission was granted from the magazine for late submission) and the deadline for the second magazine was less than a week away. First we reviewed the available photos of the dog and determined that we needed something more so Kerstin got in touch with a local photographer, Bruce Weber of NorthWest Dog Shots, who was able to fit in a last minute photo session. I worked with the dog’s owner and the photographer to determine what properties we were looking for in an image as well as a backdrop for the photos on the water.
It was a dreary day and the rain didn’t make the last minute photo session any easier, however, several viable shots were taken. During the shoot they bumped into a fisherman who owns Sinta’s half-brother and he let them take some addition shots on his boat. The fisherman is the one pictured with the dog in the one of the smaller overlay images in the ad.
After narrowing down the images we would be working with to three Bruce sent me the RAW images to begin editing. The background image of Sinta on the dock required extension of the dock portion at the bottom in order to allow for enough spacing for additional ad elements as well as significant cloning in order to remove rain drops from a large portion of the image. Some raindrops were left in the final image since it was obvious in the overall image that it was wet on the scene. The extension of the dock at the bottom was tricky due to the spotty wetness and texture of the surface as well as the shadow of the dog with particular attention paid to detail so that it did not appear artificial.
After the background image was finalized I moved on to the other two images from the shoot. The image with Sinta and the fisherman needed significant editing in the background in order to remove several out of place items. It was then resized as a smaller overlay images. After playing with the three images the client wanted to work in a win photo from AKC/Eukanuba so we dropped the third image from the photo shoot.
After the layout was finalized the copy was added over the background image. The client wanted to keep the text as minimal as possible choosing simply to introduce the dog and thank those judges who had already recognized his attributes.
Several drafts were sent to the client for approval and finalization of particular elements. This was a fully composed ad which involved the use of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Acrobat. The ad was formatted and sized to allow for bleeding to the edge of the page when printed without a page border around the ad image.
The final product:
2010 Airedale Puppies Calendar
Back by popular demand, we have created 2010 Airedale Terrier Calendars which are available to purchase now at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store.
We have taken our favorite photos from the past year or so and combined them in these two completely original 2010 Calendars. The Airedale Terrier Puppies 2010 Calendar features puppies mostly from our 2009 Max x Kadie litter and our 2009 Nitro x Porsche litter. The Airedale Terrier 2010 Calendar features several of our dogs doing what they do best, mostly goofing off. You can view the photos for each month of both calendars at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store. All images are originals and copyright Rose Atwood of Woodcrest Airedales and Woodcrest Kennel LLC, all rights reserved.
We have also added several other items to the store which feature our Airedale photos including notecards, postcards, greeting cards, journals, etc. We are happy to add your favorite image to any item, just please let us know by emailing.
30% of the proceeds from all items in the DoggedDogdom CafePress store will be donated to National Airedale Rescue.
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
2010 Airedale Terriers Calendar
Back by popular demand, we have created 2010 Airedale Terrier Calendars which are available to purchase now at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store.
We have taken our favorite photos from the past year or so and combined them in these two completely original 2010 Calendars. The Airedale Terrier Puppies 2010 Calendar features puppies mostly from our 2009 Max x Kadie litter and our 2009 Nitro x Porsche litter. The Airedale Terrier 2010 Calendar features several of our dogs doing what they do best, mostly goofing off. You can view the photos for each month of both calendars at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store. All images are originals and copyright Rose Atwood of Woodcrest Airedales and Woodcrest Kennel LLC, all rights reserved. **Special thanks to the Gates family who supplied the February coverdale photo of Dutchess and Duke, both Woodcrest Airedales, and one of my personal favorite photos.
We have also added several other items to the store which feature our Airedale photos including notecards, postcards, greeting cards, journals, etc. We are happy to add your favorite image to any item, just please let us know by emailing.
30% of the proceeds from all items in the DoggedDogdom CafePress store will be donated to National Airedale Rescue.
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
Thornton MCKC Catalog Ad
Client: Lynn Sobin-Comstock, Thornton Terriers
Project: Montgomery County Kennel Club, Dog Show Catalog Advertising, Black and White Full Page Ad
“Thanks for your GREAT work, Rose. You do a wonderful job. LOVE IT!” -Lynn
I had the pleasure of designing a really fun ad for Rhett, a lovely Wire Fox Terrier, to be placed in the Montgomery County Kennel Club dog show catalog. Lynn had seen some of my other ad work and was looking for something beyond the standard dog show win ad. The request was for a simplistic ad, but with an artistic flair, that also took inspiration from the dog’s registered and call name. Little did the client know that I work with a vintage Gone With The Wind poster hanging nearby, which made this ad in particular quite a bit of fun.
From a half dozen or so photos I was provided I selected the striking front shot you see as the main focus in the ad. I layered the dog’s outline on top of the oil painted flames similar to those in the background of the GWTW poster. After the main image was complete the text was layered on top in a movie credits style along with a smaller image of the dog’s head in profile at the bottom. The fonts were selected for their simplicity with the exception of the western style font for the dog’s name that mimicked the font on the poster.
This was a fully composed ad created using vector imaging in Adobe Illustrator which allows for dynamic resizing of the image without loss of quality. The photos were manipulated using Adobe Photoshop to remove the background leaving out the outlines of the dog. The ad was formatted to allow for bleeding to the edge of the page when printed without a white border around the image. Since the final ad is printed in Black and White the ad was created in this color scheme also in order to ensure the correct contrast at printing (so often the washed out or too dark ads you see were simply a b/w print of a color ad which does not always work because the contrast is very different for color versus grayscale).
The biggest challenge for this project was the fact that we were past the first deadline for catalog ad submissions with this particular club. There was some trouble locating who was in charge of late submissions and various reports as to whether any more ads could be included. In the end I worked with the client to submit the ad directly to MB-F and well within the final catalog deadline.
The final product:
Dog Fancy Sept ‘09
I was contacted by Roger Sipe back in June 2009 with regard to an article he was writing about the Airedale Terrier. Roger was looking for general breed information as well as the breeder’s perspective on the breed. In addition to several quotes I also provided two of the three photos that were published in the article.
The Airedale head shot is CH Woodcrest Penaire Porsche Road Rage (“Porsche”) who finished her championship at a single show circuit with three 5 point majors. She is also the mother of our current litter. The show shot is CH Woodcrest Midsummer Nights Dream (“Dreama”) winning her class at Montgomery 2008, both photos taken by Rose Atwood. Both girls are Striker daughters (BIS Amer & Can CH Penaire Star Struck at Woodcrest).
There are quotes from Rose Atwood and beautiful descriptions of the breed’s conformation by Mareth Kipp along with quotes from two pet owners of Woodcrest Airedales, Robin Pollard with Timber (2005 Trooper x Kadie) and Josie (2007 Striker x Summer) and Anne-Marie Gates with Dutchess (2008 Max x Tory) and Duke (2009 Striker x Kadie).
It was a pleasure working with Roger Sipe, author of this article. We are very pleased to have the Airedale to wonderfully represented to the public. Originally Roger was looking for three photos including a show shot, a head shot, and a puppy photo. The puppy photo was dropped for the standing photo of the fluffy Airedale, but here is the photo we submitted along with the other two that were used in the article.
TNC MCKC Catalog Ad
Client: Tina Wooldridge and Karen Gunter, TNC Airedale Terriers
Project: Montgomery County Kennel Club, Dog Show Catalog Advertising, Black and White Full Page Ad
“Beautiful. Thank you again, it looks great!” -Tina
“You’ve out done yourself. I love all of the ads you’ve done for us “last minute” women !! Thank you -Thank you -Thank you !!!!!!” -Karen
“You deserve a medal on this one!” -Wendy
This was a last minute request for a dog show catalog ad just hours before the submission deadline. For this ad the client provided a preferred layout and the three photos they wanted incorporated into the final ad, but was open to any suggestions.
I rotated the layout 90 degrees counter clockwise which allowed for more room in the vertical layout. The images were of different quality and resolution, so I selected the highest quality photo for the background and used a softened portrait styles for the lower quality images. The client wanted the focus of the main image to be on the dog and suggested that the handler be trimmed out. However, in order to make the dog stand out from the cluttered indoor dog show candid I used several filters to create a softened cutout style look, but left the dog in the natural look of the original photo. From there the text was added.
This was a fully composed ad created using vector imaging in Adobe Illustrator which allows for dynamic resizing of the image without loss of quality. The photos were manipulated using Adobe Photoshop to remove the background leaving out the outlines of the dog. The ad was formatted to allow for bleeding to the edge of the page when printed without a white border around the image. Since the final ad is printed in Black and White the ad was created in this color scheme also in order to ensure the correct contrast at printing (so often the washed out or too dark ads you see were simply a b/w print of a color ad which does not always work because the contrast is very different for color versus grayscale).
The final product:
Woodcrest Website Design
Client: Woodcrest Kennel LLC, Dog Boarding, Grooming, and Day Care in Orford, NH, USA
Project: Website design and maintenance, this site is refreshed yearly and currently under it’s 9th design revision
BleuAire MCKC Catalog Ad
Client: Wendy Stehle, BleuAire Airedale Terriers
Project: Montgomery County Kennel Club, Dog Show Catalog Advertising, Black and White Full Page Ad
“Wow, what a nice ad, I was immediately drawn to it. I love this pic you chose. Everything is perfect! Thanks a bunch!” -Wendy
“Rose’s ad for you came in and printed out well. The ad is lovely.” -Bonnie Peterson, ATCA Member in charge of collecting MCKC ads
Wendy requested an ad for her young Airedale that was going to be shown in puppy classes and sweeps at Montgomery. With a friend she was able to get a few great candid shots of the dog outside with great lighting. From those I selected a head shot that I thought really captured the dog’s personality and suggest that we work into the background a movement shot of the puppy’s sire that I had seen previously.
First I converted the images to black and white being sure to retain proper contrast. The background of the head shot, a hedge and siding, was softened and extended a bit to make room for the other ad components. The sire was layered on top of the hedge background, but behind the head shot, and given some opacity as if the puppy is dreaming of being a great show dog.
Having previously worked with Wendy on her logo design I knew that she enjoyed a whimsical style which is how I selected fonts for the ad. For the call name I sent several font choices to the client from which she chose her favorite, baby blocks with letters. The text was layered on top of the images along with the BleuAire logo to produce the final ad.
This was a fully composed ad created using vector imaging in Adobe Illustrator which allows for dynamic resizing of the image without loss of quality. The photos were manipulated using Adobe Photoshop to remove the background leaving out the outlines of the dog. The ad was formatted to allow for bleeding to the edge of the page when printed without a white border around the image. Since the final ad is printed in Black and White the ad was created in this color scheme also in order to ensure the correct contrast at printing (so often the washed out or too dark ads you see were simply a b/w print of a color ad which does not always work because the contrast is very different for color versus grayscale).
The final product:
AgapeHeir MCKC Cat. Ad
Client: Carol Black, Agape Heir Airedale Terriers
Project: Montgomery County Kennel Club, Dog Show Catalog Advertising, Black and White Full Page Ad
“Both Stehle and Black ads have been downloaded and they look wonderful.” -Bonnie Peterson, ATCA Member in charge of collecting MCKC ads
This ad was composed for Carol Black of Agape Heir Airedale Terriers in Florida. Carol had a female that she was showing at Montgomery that she wanted to do an ad for in the dog show catalog. She sent me several images from which I selected my two favorites. First I worked with the front facing image to remove excess background clutter and extend the fencing and grass in both directions (quite tedious). Next I removed the background on the handler-side view and layered this on top of the fence. I did some scale adjustments per the request of the client to get the dog in both images to about the same size.
Then the text was layered over the background images. We tried a couple different fonts settling on a script style for the name. In order to balance some of the text I created a logo-like section for the breeder’s kennel name (the client did not have a formal logo). Carol preferred to work mostly over the phone. I sent drafts of the ad as it progressed via email and we would discuss the details and revisions on a call.
This was a fully composed ad created using vector imaging in Adobe Illustrator which allows for dynamic resizing of the image without loss of quality. The photos were manipulated using Adobe Photoshop to remove the background leaving out the outlines of the dog. The ad was formatted to allow for bleeding to the edge of the page when printed without a white border around the image. Since the final ad is printed in Black and White the ad was created in this color scheme also in order to ensure the correct contrast at printing (so often the washed out or too dark ads you see were simply a b/w print of a color ad which does not always work because the contrast is very different for color versus grayscale).
The final product:
Penaire Website Maint.
Client: Joan Clarke, Penaire Airedale Terriers
Project: Website design and content maintenance including regular updates for recent wins and news, litter announcements, and new dogs.
2009 Airedale Terriers Calendar
At your request we have created 2009 Airedale Terrier Calendars which are available to purchase now at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store.
We have taken our favorite photos from the past year or so and combined them in these two completely original 2009 Calendars. The Airedale Terrier Puppies 2009 Calendar features puppies mostly from our 2008 Max x Tory litter. The Airedale Terrier 2009 Calendar features several of our dogs doing what they do best, mostly goofing off. You can view the photos for each month of both calendars at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store. All images are originals and copyright Rose Atwood of Woodcrest Airedales and Woodcrest Kennel LLC, all rights reserved.
We have also added several other items to the store which feature our Airedale photos including notecards, postcards, greeting cards, journals, etc. We are happy to add your favorite image to any item, just please let us know by emailing.
30% of the proceeds from all items in the DoggedDogdom CafePress store will be donated to National Airedale Rescue. The remainder of the proceeds will be put toward the cost of website upkeep at DoggedDogdom.com including hosting and occasional mobile internet service which enables us to post ring side updates and photos like those from Montgomery.
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
2009 Airedale Puppies Calendar
The 2009 Airedale Terrier Puppies Calendar features…you guessed it, exclusively puppies! At your request we have created 2009 Airedale Terrier Calendars which are available to purchase now at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store.
We have taken our favorite photos from the past year or so and combined them in these two completely original 2009 Calendars. The Airedale Terrier Puppies 2009 Calendar features puppies mostly from our 2008 Max x Tory litter. The Airedale Terrier 2009 Calendar features several of our dogs doing what they do best, mostly goofing off. You can view the photos for each month of both calendars at the DoggedDogdom CafePress store. All images are originals and copyright Rose Atwood of Woodcrest Airedales and Woodcrest Kennel LLC, all rights reserved.
We have also added several other items to the store which feature our Airedale photos including notecards, postcards, greeting cards, journals, etc. We are happy to add your favorite image to any item, just please let us know by emailing.
30% of the proceeds from all items in the DoggedDogdom CafePress store will be donated to National Airedale Rescue. The remainder of the proceeds will be put toward the cost of website upkeep at DoggedDogdom.com including hosting and occasional mobile internet service which enables us to post ring side updates and photos like those from Montgomery.
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
BleuAire Logo Design
Client: Wendy Stehle, BleuAire Airedale Terriers
Project: Logo Design
“You did a fantastic job, I enjoy it more and more each time I see it! Thank you!” -Wendy
Your logo serves as the identification of your brand or business and as such is a very powerful visual symbol of what you do. We live in a visual society and the appearance of your logo will effect how your business is viewed by others. It is the first thing your clients see and it should elicit a feeling of professionalism, trustworthiness, and confidence in your products or services.
A good logo is also memorable (in a positive way) and should stick in the mind of potential customers so that they remember you in the future even if they don’t need your products or services right now. Think of some of your favorite brands. I bet that you can immediately recall their company logo and that logo elicits positive feelings about the product or services they offer.
In the pet industry there is a distinct lack of logos at the small business level and in particular with breeders. If you browse the advertisements of the top show dogs for example you will find some pretty impressive designs. However, most of these lack the one distinct feature that is key to being memorable, a logo. Maybe that is fine if you only have one dog, however, most breeders aspire to having a top breeding program that will include multiple top dogs and several advertising campaigns. A logo is the one element that will not only enhance your advertisements, but allow people to recall your past advertisements for top dogs which will create a stronger positive response for you kennel. People will remember you and your kennel and the success of your efforts more when there is a common element of a logo that brings together all of your marketing strategies.
Your logo should be used in every visual representation of your business from your business card and advertisements to your website and signage at your physical location. Your logo is your stamp of approval and as such your customers will know that anything containing your logo is a reputable venture that they can feel comfortable with.
A logo should be simple enough to be easy to read and quickly identifiable, yet it should be distinct at the same time. I had the opportunity to design a logo for another Airedale breeder recently. With just two guidelines of the kennel name BleuAire and a simple point and shoot photo of a dog we worked together to create a logo that is going to set this breeder apart from the other breeders in their region and nationwide. You might note the spelling of the kennel name. This breeder is right on the money. By changing the typical spelling of a simple word Blue to Bleu they have already captured your attention. This, combined with an effective logo, creates a memorable visual representation of the kennel.
The final product:
Dog World Oct ‘08
That’s right, just in time for Montgomery, the October 2008 AIREDALE issue is on stands now! …and we’re quoted in it!
It was a great pleasure speaking with Jan Mahood, the author of this piece, and helping with information for the article. We think it turned out great. The piece has a 6 page spread in the magazine complete with history, versatility, facts, look, photos, and the only breeder quote is from us! The Airedale also graces the cover of the magazine, as he should.
Heart of a Champion
Earlier in the summer we shared about a very special photo shoot for a Here in Hanover magazine article we were a part of. The article is finally out and I am just stunned at how great it turned out. Katharine Britton is the author of this beautiful 6 page spread that goes so far beyond describing what goes into showing dogs to create a striking narrative that warms the heart, or at least it warms mine. The title says it all, “Heart of a Champion.”
Thank you Kathy for including us in this project and creating a lasting memory for us at Woodcrest, Striker, Tory, and Tory’s twelve with Max (our April Fools).
An excerpt from the article:
…
Another local celebrity is aptly named Best in Show Canadian American Champion Penaire Star Struck at Woodcrest. Thankfully, he answers to “Striker.” If you call at Woodcrest Kennel you will most likely get a glimpse (or at least an earful) of this handsome fellow, as he’s often in the alcove behind the desk and likes to alert owner, Jay Atwood, that someone has arrived, in case Jay didn’t notice the person walking in the door.
Woodcrest offers boarding and grooming, most of which Jay handles and neither of which he intended to do professionally. “We built a small kennel for our own dogs – we never planned on boarding – but we had people knocking on our door asking us, because of our reputation with our own dogs, to board theirs, and then people who were bringing dogs to board asked if we could groom their dogs. Airedales have extensive grooming so they knew we were capable.”Â
Rose Atwood, Jay’s daughter and a web designer by trade, does the Woodcrest website, most of the show grooming, and shows the dogs when they’re not with a professional handler. She occasionally drafts her mother, Colleen Atwood, who grew up with Airedales, to help, but Colleen is mostly retired from the ring now and prefers to stay home and watch puppies. Who can blame her?
Why Airedales? “Fun loving temperament,” says Jay, who’s known Colleen since high school. “I had to have one.” The Atwoods now have “”around eleven.” It’s an imprecise number because, like Hauri, they generally keep one puppy from a litter, and then “grow them out” for a year to know whether they’re show quality. If not, they place the dog, preferably in the home of someone who’s owned one of their puppies before. They take deposits when the puppies are born and, after seven weeks, when they’ve decided which one they’re keeping, they take great pains to find the best fit for the rest. “We take into account the personalities that each buyer wants and any other qualities that they specify,” says Rose. “That’s our priority.” Rose puts photos and updates on the website daily [woodcrestkennel.com/].
Striker has attended Westminster, but not won (few do). According to Jay, “Margaret, who was winning Best in Show everywhere that year, took the breed,” meaning she was chosen as the best of all the Airedales at the show, and subsequently went on to represent Airedales in the Terrier Group. “When you’re campaigning ‘a special’ [a dog with real potential] … timing is a major consideration,” says Rose. (I can think of a few political candidates who’d agree with that statement.) Striker did win Best in Show at Trillium Dog Fanciers in Toronto, and he “went Best of Opposite Sex” to the ubiquitous Margaret at the American Kennel Club Eukanuba Championships in 2006.
When you have a special a professional handler is also advisable if you want to win. “Handlers have spent their whole lives [showing] and it’s hard to compete,” says Rose. “We routinely go up against one of the best handlers for terriers in the country. It’s difficult, but really rewarding when you do win.”
The dog lives with the handler and hits the campaign trail full-time, traveling all across the country until the dog has its championship, typically three months. But sometimes the dog is “out” much longer, gamering awards and titles, which help when you go to breed the dog. (The more wins you have, the more you can charge for puppies and stud fees.) Multiple Best in Show CH Everymay’s High Performance (“Max”), the sire of a recent Woodcrest litter of twelve puppies with their bitch “Tory” (Champion Woodcrest Torrential Envy), has fifty-two Best in Shows. “They campaigned him for two solid years. That dog was out every weekend with a professional handler.” marvels Rose, who goes to approximately fifty shows each year.
For the most part the Atwoods do their own handling (Rose was a Junior handler at fourteen) but use professionals when they want to show more than the two dogs they can transport in their SUV – “packed to the gills” – or when the dog requires it. “Tory always lived with me,” says Rose. “I was her person. She acted out when I handled her. She needed a handler who she would listen to and co-operate with.” She adds with a chuckle, “She never really respected me.” Tory finished her championship in a single weekend at dog shows in Boston.
If you’re thinking about getting into dog breeding to make money, think again. The expenses – for hotels, entrance fees, grooming supplies, and handler’s fee – far outweigh the income one might get from puppies or stud fees. “I don’t know of anyone who breeds dogs responsibly and makes money. If you broke even you’d be lucky, because to get to the point where you’re going to breed the dog there’s so much that’s gone into it that the money you get back from puppies is negligible,” Rose says.
So why do it? Rose likes the traveling involved in showing. “Half the time you’re sleeping in the car because who knows where you are. It’s fun.” For Jay, “I love the dogs, the different personalities. It’s something I thoroughly and completely enjoy.”
…
And further into the article under “Some advice for those thinking about hitting the campaign trail with their dog.”
…And get the right handler.
“You can have a superior dog and the wrong handler will ruin it,” says Rose Atwood. “It’s grooming and training. Showing is all about presenting the perfect picture and making that dog the absolute best it can be.”
And don’t think it’s not political.
…
Woodcrest Ladies Cat. Ad
Client: Jay Atwood, Woodcrest Airedale Terriers & Joan Clarke, Penaire Airedale Terriers
Project: Ladies Dog Club, Dog Show Catalog Advertising, Full Page Ad
