Swag Grab Bag
Swag, merchandise, collateral, materials. We use these terms to describe items that support or add to an advertising campaign— items that can run the gamut from branded wrapping paper to cartoon characters brought to (plush) life.
It’s part of our goal as an agency to create brands, logos, campaigns, and more that resonate with an audience or a specific customer base. The ultimate compliment is a customer repping a business, showing their support through a hat, a shirt, or a poster on their wall. Free advertising, sure—but more so, a sign that we’ve been successful in capturing the spirit of a brand.
Used in giveaways, at trade shows, sold in stores, and more, tangible branded items provide ongoing advertising for a business and a dose of fun for the customer who relates to the brand enough to want to bring a piece of it home.
Here are a few of our favorites over the years… have you seen any of these in the wild?
Black Fly Challenge t-shirt
In designing a shirt for this local bike race through the Adirondacks, the course map had to be front and center, showcasing the rugged, strenuous nature of the route. The result is a modernized version of the course, with the shirt providing well-deserved bragging rights to all those who participated.
City of Oneonta wrapping paper
Created as part of a rebranding campaign for Oneonta: City of the Hills, we imagined this wrapping paper for use in downtown businesses to help link the campaign with the heart of the city, and the customers frequenting it.
Ski resorts posters
Skiing culture and posters go hand-in-hand. Celebrating the spirit of each mountain through illustration allows people to showcase their love for the sport and the mountain(s) they frequent in their homes or offices. Custom posters and collateral lifted these mountain brands higher.
Boats by George t-shirts
Trampoline designed custom illustrations linking the BBG brand to specific areas of the lake, mostly well known to locals. Using these illustrations printed on shirts, we created a way for a boater to represent their favorite spot on the lake. With this merchandise, we put a focus on high-end garments for their logo wear so that their full offering, from the boats all the way down to coffee mugs, has a certain level of both elegance and elevated quality.
Lake George RV Park Lily plush toy
We collaborated with Lake George RV Park to create “Toasty,” a marshmallow mascot who represents the park everywhere from collateral materials to Twitter (@Toasty_LGRV). Seeing the enduring success of Toasty, we added to the gang and introduced Lily (seen below), Frank, Arvie, and Grammy, all of whom help enforce park rules in a friendly way and weave even more fun into this unique, family experience. Visitors can take a piece of their summer memories home with branded merchandise geared toward all ages.
Crotched Mountain race bib
Originally based around a poster we had done for the resort combining their space theme with night skiing, we reformatted the design to include race gates and atmosphere. The intention was to combine the fun space imagery with a classic ski-race aesthetic that could be specific to the Crotched Mtn Race Team.
Trampoline staff t-shirts
Sometimes, we design just for ourselves—creating merchandise for our staff to wear and represent. Our designers get the opportunity to take a stab at ideas reflecting our work, our day-to-day, and the rest of us get to wear them with pride. It’s a win-win.
Ultimately, swag is only as good as the spirit in which it is created. At Trampoline we want people to be excited—about a garment, having a sense of belonging, or just at the satisfaction of experiencing a great idea brought to life. The next time you have the chance to offer or accept swag, make sure it’s worth it.