Home | Traction
  • Brand System
  • Campaign Creation
  • Print Collateral

Capital City Film Festival A Home for the Wild and Wonderful

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Highlighting a festival’s inclusivity and flexibility.

Lansing, Michigan’s annual, multimedia showcase of independent films and live touring bands grew to include screening of more than 150 films. As a founding and ongoing sponsor, we’ve led CCFF’s branding and marketing activities, providing brand-new and original, award-winning campaigns each year since 2010. CCFF was recently named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine!

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  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Identity System
  • Package System
  • Environmental Design

Franklin Fields Free Your Mind

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Friends With Cannabis.

This large-scale cannabis cultivator needed an adaptive and expressive identity that helps them stand out from others in their market and beyond. Benjamin would be proud of their crops.
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  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Print Collateral
  • Digital Design

Alzamend Neuro Making Alzheimers Just A Memory®

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Committed to Prevention, Treatment and Cure of Alzheimer’s Disease.

It is difficult navigating the five stages of Alzheimer’s, and Alzamend strives to provide hope to find a cure through the commercialization of existing patented intellectual properties.

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  • Campaign Design
  • Illustration
  • Print Collateral
  • Advertising

Lansing Symphony Orchestra 92nd Annual Season Campaign

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Reinvigorating the brand of a time-honored symphony orchestra.

We’ve partnered with this cultural cornerstone of Mid-Michigan for over a decade to grow attendance for and celebrate its broad and respected body of work, including its MasterWorks Series, Pops Series, Chamber Ensembles and Jazz Ensembles.

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  • Naming
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Illustration
  • Advertising
  • Campaign

The Botanical Co Enhancing Lives Through Cannabis

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Making cannabis approachable for Michigan residents.

In an industry that can be intimidating for newcomers, The Botanical Co. has developed many locations to embrace the curious and the well-versed. Our flexible identity helps people find their fit for euphoria, focus, rest or more.

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  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Print Collateral
  • Advertising

Martin Commercial Building Business Communities.

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Reintroducing a family name to Mid-Michigan.

Chosen to reposition Lansing’s real estate leader and one of its most visible companies, which was founded in 1962, we helped Martin create and adopt a new strong and highly differentiating brand.

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  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Package Design
  • Environmental Design

Cravings Everything is better covered in chocolate

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If scratch made fudge, oversized ice cream servings and hand dipped everything doesn’t scream love, then nothing does. Served up in historic downtown Monroe, this little joint is sure to please.

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  • Brand Identity
  • Campaign Design
  • Digital Design

Wieland Excellence In Construction.

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Highlighting the “Big Gold W.”

Wieland builds projects across the US and beyond. We built the brand that travels with them, because they don’t trust us to pour the concrete or weld the building frames.

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  • Brand Identity
  • Environmental Design
  • Digital Design

Klavon's Pizzeria and Pub Handcrafted, Artisan Pizza

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Differentiating an upscale sports pub and pizzeria.

People flock to their nearest Klavon’s for the incredible pizza and other delicious, scratch-made offerings. Oh – and their staff? Nicer than a room full of kindergarten teachers.

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  • Naming
  • Brand Identity
  • Digital Design

Marana Group Data. Documents. Distribution.

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Reimagining a 42-year-old logistics brand.

Headquartered in southwest Michigan, and serving clients worldwide, these problem solving folks can deliver 16,000 fresh apples around the country in days or get that dangerous car off the road faster than the apples can hit the ground from the tree. Almost.

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  • Brand Identity
  • Print Collateral
  • Digital Design

Virid Group Cannabis Staffing and Training

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Crafting visual language for a cannabis consulting firm.

Leave the cannabinoids and terpenes talk up to the experts at finding high quality candidates for growing businesses. From growers to budtenders, this training, staffing, and consulting agency for Michigan’s growing cannabis industry will hand pick the right fit.

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  • Book Design
  • Editorial Direction
  • Publishing

Flower House Detroit Art Installation, Photography Book

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Recreating a once immersive and fragrant art installation.

Flower House Detroit is the visual and personal journey of project photographer Heather Saunders. Highlighting the project’s inception, preview, exhibition, and aftermath, this Michigan made book celebrates the gift of finding beauty everywhere – even in the most unexpected places.

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  • Naming
  • Brand Identity
  • Exhibit Design
  • Digital Design

FLOW Exhibit Impression 5 Science Center

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A creative exercise in simplifying fluid dynamics.

FLOW, a brand new exhibit at Impression 5, explores fluid dynamics with two stories of hands-on, interactive components and activities. Kids and parents alike can study the science of a vortex, power a giant water-shooting flywheel, play with water jets, and much more!

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  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Website Development

American Plumbing Craftsmanship Installed with Pride

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Positioning a service firm to fly above the rest.

Craftsmanship and classic American workmanship are foundational tenants for this growing service business. Developing an identity around a strong forward facing eagle differentiates this proud workforce.

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Brave and creative.

Founded 25 years ago, Traction is a leader and expert in brand positioning through strategy and thoughtful design. We have crafted a process to help companies differentiate their identity and use a voice truly reflective of their organization. We’re a passionate group of creators who believe in both celebrating individuality and the great power of community. And eating dessert. We love dessert.

Our Capabilities

  • Research
  • Brand Strategy & Story
  • Naming
  • Brand Identity
  • Brand Activations
  • Campaign Strategy
  • Digital Design

Our Team

  • Camron Gnass, Principal, CD
  • Gerald Westlund, Associate Creative Director
  • Lindsey Schober, Client Services/Strategist
  • Maggie Noble, Designer
  • Irina Balyan, Designer

Select Clients

Updates

Thanks, Judge!

“I may be the only person in Denver who doesn’t regularly use cannabis, but Franklin Fields made me want to.”

03.10.2022 — Awards
See and Hear

Back to Back to Back

Awarded the most Gold ADDYs for the third year in a row, and a Judges Choice to boot. Onto the next stage of the largest creative competition in the US. 

03.01.2022 — Awards
Peek at the work

Chicken Driving the Bus?

Don’t let it! Watch this webinar Camron hosted by SBAM loaded with insight on leveraging your creative and innovative mindset as a small business owner.

07.29.2020 — Giving Back, Webinar
Facebook Video