CreatingThe Future

Strategy

Chicago, IL

Orange County, CA

WorkingFor Good

Impact

CREATIVE

OX Creative

Art Annual

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

WELCOME — PAGE 5

DESIGN CHAPTER ONE — PAGE 7

FILM CHAPTER TWO — PAGE 31

LIFE AT OX CHAPTER THREE — PAGE 45

MUSIC CHAPTER FOUR — PAGE 53

TO SERV

E & TO

CREAT

E WO

RKIN

G F

OR

GO

OD

OX Creative

Grander Visions

4

WE

LC

OM

E

WELCOME

Grander visions require grander visuals. The problem with pictures is that people don’t always like what they see. The future can be unfamiliar and people’s blink reaction to new things is generally skeptical. Like a new pair of shoes, a new vision can be painful at first. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need new ones.

There are things that have gone wrong in our world that need to be put right. For whatever reason, people don’t always do good on their own and sometimes require someone to lead them in the right direction. At OX, we partner with individuals and organizations working to do GOOD in the world. Great and difficult work that has nobility, courage, and brings a lasting and needed change.

Everyday our team’s number one task is to create inspiring metaphors. A picture of the future that will produce passion in someone who is focused on something else. We do this through music, design, film, branding, and creative direction. We like to

think of ourselves as the “special forces” of story-telling. A team of small giants you can call on for your most critical missions.

Many times our best work goes un-announced. Over the past year we’ve been working hard all over the world on projects seen and unseen. This ART ANNUAL is our way of sharing some of our finest work in branding, design, film, and music.

Many of our projects include integrated campaigns featuring a common metaphor and art direction which is implemented across multiple platforms. The impact of a campaign like this is keenly felt in the weight of a combined experience, but is difficult to quantitatively express on paper. This ART ANNUAL is our first attempt at that. Our hope is that by seeing this you will be inspired and take heart in the projects you are working on.

There are great things our world needs you to do. We’re here to help.

5

Jesse OxfordCreative Director & Principal

OX Creative

oxcreates.com

I’VE ALWAYS CARED ABOUT

WHAT I DO. CARED ABOUT

DESIGN. BUT IT WASN’T

UNTIL WORKING WITH OX THAT

I TRULY CARED ABOUT WHO I

DESIGNED FOR. DESIGN FUELED

BY A GOOD CAUSE HAS A

POWERFUL IMPACT.

Katie KickDesigner

OX Creative

6

To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry.

PAUL RAND

DESIGN

Design Fueled By A Good Cause Has A

OX CREATIVE

Powerful Impact

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1

8

WHEN A GOOD BEARD JUST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH.

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SIG

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STYLE IS IMPORTANT / SO IS DOING GOOD

STYLE IS IMPORTANT / SO IS DOING GOOD

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RIGHTEOUS BEARD BRANDING

RIGHTEOUS BEARD is a grooming and lifestyle start-up specializing in

facial hair care (beard oils, mustache wax, etc.). For Matt, founder of Righteous

Beard, it’s not just about the product. Instead, it is about “providing economic

opportunity for those living in global poverty”. He plans on sourcing ingredients from

developing countries around the globe.

At OX Creative, style is important, it’s what we do; but we also want to work with

companies passionate about doing good. When we came across a company as

enthusiastic about both things it lit a special fire under our feet.

GROOMING AND LIFESTYLE STARTUP

A S

PEC

IAL

FIR

E U

ND

ER O

UR

FEE

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PROCESSANALOG DIGITAL

CAMPAIGN DESIGN

We think of every campaign in terms of where it will live in both a DIGITAL and ANALOG space. Instead of starting the process in the digital world as a logo created on a computer, often it can be helpful to create a physical object

like an art installation or a film set to inspire your campaign logo.

Enjoy a glimpse into the OX design process. 

BEFORE ALL THINGS Imagine a moving sculpture made of individual panes of glass (plexi-glass). The panes are suspended from a track system so you can adjust

the space between them by manually sliding them along the track. Similar to how huge rugs are displayed in stores.

The foremost pane says “BEFORE ALL THINGS” and each pane behind is would represent something that needs to be put into

perspective...

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12ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

INSTALLATION CONCEPT

11

Each of those “obstacle” panes would have a monotone image painted onto it — semi transparent. When you view everything from the front, you read BEFORE ALL THINGS and the secondary panes just look like a colorful

backdrop…they are obscured and are secondary to pane 1. When you walk between the panes, and move them, you can see each obstacle individually. When you look at them this way, they seem large. Overwhelming. But viewing from the front, all of the secondary panes are calmed by the

massive text on pane 1. Panes could be visually tied to each week of the campaign or a product feature.

12

DATA ANALYSIS

FOR

SOCIAL GOOD

THE 2015 DO GOOD DATA CONFERENCE

What do unicorns, monkeys in New York City and data nerds working for good

have in common? All are elements of a recent OX branding, marketing and strategy 

campaign, and all added unique color to a unique event.

The Do Good Data conference is a yearly event serving data analysts working to do good

with numbers. The conference serves a unique set in the world of statistics and analysis -

those working to interpret these numbers to enhance the efficacy of organizations working

to serve the greater good.

Taking into account the unique demographic the conference serves, OX developed a unique

angle. Specially illustrated figures to appeal to this a special set - data nerds who don’t take

themselves too seriously and like a little fun. The characters filled everything from the

promo video to the Google ad words campaign to the event graphics, giving life to a subject

that can sometimes be dry and humorless.

But pretty visuals were not all that was needed to make this event work. OX also

provided a comprehensive marketing, strategic sales and membership plan to

set the Do Good Data conference up for success in 2015. It worked.

This year’s event outpaced the previous year by 85%.

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13UNIQUE COLOR / UNIQUE EVENT

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AUGMENTED REALITY

Whether it’s a book cover, a

TRANSFORMART DIRECTION + DESIGN

TAKE ROOTCAPITAL CAMPAIGN ART DIRECTION + GREEN WALL INSTALLATION

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LIES WE BELIEVEART DIRECTION + DESIGN

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DE

SIG

N

READY SETLOGO DESIGN

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17

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HOLISTIC COMMUNITY

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SIG

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A SpecialChemistryIs Created

NURU INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY REPORT

A special chemistry is created when OX and an organization working to transform

an under-resourced population join forces. Nuru is one of those organizations. Working

toward holistic community development, Nuru focuses on going deep into the communities

they serve in Kenya and Ethiopia, seeking to support its citizens through four areas of focus:

Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, Healthcare and Education.

Communicating the effectiveness of these programs was OX’s task.  Working to design a

visually beautiful, yet richly communicative report, OX’s team served Nuru with the tools it

needs to build out these reports internally in the future. By providing a visually

beautiful report template, OX created an appealing design flexible enough to serve the Nuru

team well into the future. Maximizing not just Nuru’s communication power,

but their bang for the buck as well.

WORKING TO TRANSFORM

20

SUMMER CAMP IS COOL

AGAIN

NEW WAVE NEXT WAVE

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21A BIT OF RETRO & A TOUCH OF MODERN

A U

NIQ

UE,

YO

UN

G, C

OLO

RFU

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ND

EN

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ETIC

EX

PERI

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SANDBLAST CAMP

Sandblast is an annual summer camp hosted by Student Impact, Willow Creek Community Church’s

high school ministry.  This year more than 2,000 students attended, representing 30 high schools from all over

the Chicagoland Area. This trip offers high school students a way to step outside their daily lives to regroup

and reconnect with God and their peers in an honest, intentional way. 

What we at OX Creative love about working with Student Impact on this project is the fact that they have

created a space where students from all different backgrounds can come and experience God and community

in an authentic way.  It is not cheesy or cliched, it understands its students and meets them where they are.  

The design concept for this years collection is a photo-based beach lifestyle aesthetic with sun-washed

page textures and hand brushed lettering. Using new-wave minimalistic design, and 60’s sportswear as

inspiration we combined a bit of retro and a touch of modern design to create a unique, young, colorful

and energetic experience.

O-CEDARPRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

(STILLS + MOTION)

24

HEY NEIGHBOR!

RENEWAL CHURCH LOGO

Renewal Church is a brand new church who beleives the best way to transform a

community is to be a good neighbor.  They intend to pour into the community by focusing

initially on low income, “red zone” neighborhoods. Their hope is to create a church

notorious for being safe, unpretentious, with a sacrificial love for one another, and preaching

the full message of the Gospel. 

We set out to create a brand with a pervasive sense of neighborliness and acceptance

without pretense. We wanted their community to understand that the church is not just

about being welcomed but they understand the rich message of the Gospel and the power it

can play in our lives when we let it renew us.

INT

ENT

ION

AL

SLOW

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/ CREAT

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HOLIDAY CARD

CUSTOM SILK-SCREEN & FOIL

This last Christmas we were asked to create a one of-a-kind holiday card.  It was an

important opportunity for our client to show their gratitude and appreciation for their team

and clients with more than the standard holiday fare.  The card we created has as much care

given to the print production process as it does to the design itself. The card is printed on

custom triplex card stock (bronze stock sandwiched between two pieces of navy)

with bronze leaf debossed details and white silk-screened text.  

From custom card stock to hand-lettered type, we love to deliver a completely custom,

personally curated product for all our clients. In a season that can so often fly by - it was an

honor to slow down and create something so elegant and intentional.

ELEG

AN

T

SLOW

DO

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/ CREAT

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LEGACYSERIES ART + TEE SHIRT

27

OXCreates.com

28

YO-YO MA

PA SSION IS ONE GR E AT FORCE TH AT UNLE A SHES CR E ATIVIT Y.

CREATING A FILM IS A LOT LIKE

FOOTBALL. WHENEVER YOU FEEL

STUCK, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO

LEAN INTO THE SKILLS OF OTHERS

TO MOVE THE BALL DOWN THE

FIELD. AN INDIVIDUAL CAN ONLY

TAKE A PROJECT SO FAR, BUT

A GREAT TEAM CAN MAKE ANY

PROJECT SAIL.

Corry WiensDirector & Editor

OX CreativeArt is the closest we can come to understanding how a stranger really feels.

ROGER EBERT

30

A Great Team Can Make Any

OX CREATIVE

Project Sail

31

FILM

2

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2015 GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

I remember Jesse inviting me (Corry) and Jonny into his office last winter. He said he had this great

new idea for the Summit promo this year. We already had a few ideas brainstormed for what to do, but they

were all “safe” ideas. Ideas that we knew we could tackle and do a great job on. The idea that Jesse proceeded

to pitch to us was not one of these ideas. It was a big idea. A scary idea. I can imagine the look Jesse probably

saw on mine and Jonny’s faces as he told us the idea: excitement with a hint of terror. This was something new,

something we had never done before, but once we caught the vision, we knew we had to do it.

Artists are pioneers in a way, and if you want to grow, you need to explore the dark areas of the map

that you haven’t visited before. Otherwise, you can get complacent and stuck creating the same thing over and

over again. It might be stretching, and even a little scary at times, but in the end,

you’ll be a better artist because of it.

FIL

M

33DO WORK THAT SCARES YOU

IF Y

OU

WA

NT

TO

GRO

W, Y

OU

NEE

D T

O E

XPL

OR

E T

HE

DA

RK

AR

EA

S O

F T

HE

MA

P T

HAT

YO

U H

AVEN

’T V

ISIT

ED B

EFO

RE.

13 SPEAKER INTRO VIDEOS

5 PROMO VIDEOS

4 SESSION FEATURES

ALL FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE.

I’D SAY THIS CALLS FOR SOME SLO-MO.GLSnext App Commerical

I’D SAY THIS CALLS FOR SOME SLO-MO.

Comedy Makes Anything Interesting

36

STYLE&

SUBSTANCE

MAKING SPACE FOR MILLENNIALS

We’ve all seen it before. A film or a video that we thought was going to be amazing.

The trailer or still frame looked incredible, but by the end of the video, we were left with

a feeling of disappointment. This is normally caused by a disconnect between two very

important aspects of film: style and substance. One without the other could create a decent

piece, or something that may get a lot of interest, but when you have both working together,

that’s when a project can really sail.

Last year, we were honored to work with the church-building design firm, Aspen

Group, on Making Space for Millennials. Aspen Group had recently done a study through

Barna Group on what millennials are looking for in a church building. The findings were

incredibly interesting and highlighted things that some of the millennials on our team even

had been thinking, but were unable to verbalize. With the findings from this study as the

backbone for the content, we were able to bring our unique style to the table to create a

piece that we are truly proud of. 

FIL

M

37SUBSTANCE & STYLE

27

CREATING THE UGANDA WE WANT

It’s a hot, muggy day in Kampala, Uganda. We’re sitting in the dark lobby of a hotel,

waiting for Jaffar Amin, the son of Idi Amin. Flashback to two nights prior: We wheel a

cart towering with film gear up to the customs desk at Uganda’s international airport. The

customs officers ask us what we are doing with all that gear. When we respond that we are

planning on filming the son of Idi Amin, they laugh out loud. You can tell by their facial

expressions that they don’t think we know exactly who Idi Amin was. They don’t think we

know about the atrocities that were committed during his presidency in the 70s. Or the fact

that over 300,000 Ugandans were killed or went missing during this time. Their reaction

shows us how the scars left by Amin’s dictatorship are felt even to this day.

FIL

M

JAFFAR AMIN

KAMPALA, UGANDA

THE PEARL OF AFRICA

Back to the hotel lobby: We’ve never met Jaffar Amin, and we can’t help but wonder what he

will be like. A few people walk in and go straight to the front desk. Then, the shadow of a large figure

darkens the door of the lobby. He walks in… “OXFORD!” he shouts as he walks up to greet us with a

giant smile. He asks us how our visit has been and quickly pulls out his phone to show us pictures of his

latest conquest up Mt. Kilimanjaro. His boisterous and friendly spirit invaded the room. After spending

several days with Jaffar, it became clear that this man was not the same man as his father.

You see, Jaffar has been traveling across all of Uganda, attending reconciliation events to personally and

publicly apologize to those affected by his father’s reign.

39

PUBL

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POLO

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SRECO

NC

ILLIATIO

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The man behind these reconciliation events, or convocations as they call them,

is Bishop Joshua Lwere. Inspired by the Global Leadership Summit, Lwere has devoted

himself to bringing healing to his nation. Uganda has 56 different tribes, many of which

have been at war with each other for decades. The purpose of these convocations is to

bring tribes together to seek forgiveness for wounds created in the past. We had the

great privilege of attending a convocation in the Ugandan countryside, and what we

experienced there blew us away. To find out more, make sure you check out both parts

of Creating the Uganda We Want on our website (oxcreates.com).

40

HEA

LIN

G IN

TH

E PR

ESEN

TWO

UN

DS IN

TH

E PAST

FIL

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A GOOD HARVEST DOES NOT GROW WITH EASE / THE MORE DILIGENT THE FARMER, THE MORE BOUNTIFUL THE CROP.

UGANDAN PROVERB

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31

CHIC

YOUTH CO

NFEREN

CE INTRO

VIDEO

This Summer, we had the privilege of working on a series

of session intro videos for a massive youth conference

called CHIC. The topic of the conference was SHIFT, so

we crafted three different stories of students experiencing

internal and external shifts. The videos followed a

drummer, an all-star, and a breakdancer.

BEHIND THE SCENES

YOUTH CONFERENCE INTRO VIDEOS

This Summer, we had the privilege of working on a series

of session intro videos for a massive youth conference

called CHIC. The topic of the conference was SHIFT, so

we crafted three different stories of students experiencing

internal and external shifts. The videos followed a

drummer, an all-star, and a breakdancer.

THE B_BOY THE DRUMMER

B-BOYS

43

LIVE EVENT

THE ALL STAR

CHIC | SHIFT

NOTHINGGREATGROWS

IN A COMFORT

ZONE.

Jesse OxfordCreative Director & Principal

OX Creative

Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

STEVEN PRESSFIELD

44

LIFEAT OX

A Great Team Can Make Any

OX CREATIVE

Project Sail

45

3

46

LIFEAT OX

PUT ON A POT OF COFFEE

CIRCLE UP AROUND THE WORKTABLE

APOSTLES FOR EAST DUNDEE

320 North River Street stands in a row of small town American storefronts that retain the spirit of an 1890’s

Western or a Hollywood backlot set from Meet Me in St. Louis. An old train depot. Piece-a-Cake bakery. The Anvil

Club. And an old red Caboose doling out gourmet hot dogs to bicyclists passing though on the Fox River Trail.

For the last two & a half years OX Creative has called the old thrift shop at 320 home. Previously, we’d worked out of

the first floor of my home, but after taking up three entire rooms, the lady of the house decided it was time we move

out - or she would. Years before, we had visited the thrift shop at 320, which was right down the hill from were we

live. Then it was in pretty rough shape, but Tom Roeser had recently purchased the building and was completely

restoring it. Tom is president of OTTO Engineering - which manufactures headsets for American fighter pilots - has

taken an interest in the town and begun purchasing classic buildings and restoring them beautifully. When we first

talked about leasing the space, I was on location filming in Palm Springs and Tom called saying he was looking for

people who would be “Apostles for East Dundee” spreading “good news” about the town. We said we’d be happy to

do that.

LIF

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47

So on Feb 16th, 2013 we moved into the space. I like to say that it’s so close to my house that

you could roll a quarter out the driveway and down the hill and if you could just get it to turn left at the

bottom it would roll right into the back door at 320 N River. This has yet to be attempted.

Each morning we unlock our doors at 9am, put on a pot of coffee, and circle up around the worktable at

9:05 to share what we’re each planning to work on that day and what we need from each other to make

that happen. The team is generally extremely busy so its nice to be in a small town with a slower feel so

you can step outside on the street to gain some perspective on the busyness occurring inside the office.

Our building is built with Haeger bricks which were fired right here in Dundee around the turn of the

century. Mud was dredged from the Fox River and formed into bricks to rebuild Chicago after the Great

Fire and much of the town was built using the same material. But good luck finding any more of it if you

break one - these days its pretty hard to come by.

WE MOVED INTO THE SPACE ON FEBRUARY 16TH, 2013

SOM

E PE

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INSI

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Jesse plays Farmville.

OX Creative

48

WE CA N ’ T TA KEA NY CR EDIT FOROUR TA LENTS.

IT ’S HOW WE USE THE MTH AT COUNTS.

MADELEINE L’ENGLE

Jonny working on his masterpiece.

49

Alexis hard at work.

Jonny working on his masterpiece.

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CREATIVE SPACE

THE TEAM & THE TEAM MASCOT

Hanging on the wall in the first floor is a world record Sailfish Jonny acquired from a local antique shop.

“You wanna buy that?” the shop keeper said - appalled. “Its been hanging there for over 6 years!” He

called to the back of the shop to share his disbelief with a co-worker. According to them, the 11 foot king

sailfish was caught in the 50’s by the Burpee seed company magnate down in the Gulf but due to strin-

gent rules regarding catch-and-release of gamefish was dis-allowed from official credit despite its gener-

ous size.

Ignoring the lack of paperwork, Jonny purchased that fish and hung it proudly on the wall of our first

floor. It goes by the name “Burpee” and its the official mascot of our team. He even has a voice we use to

endow him with the gift of speech from time to time.

BURPEELIF

E

- FROM THE DESK OF JESSE OXFORD

51

During especially busy seasons, the team goes into “stealth mode” where communication is limited

to specific 90 minute intervals which minimizes competitive distractions from the work of creating.

We’ve found that for a creative, any period of work-time shorter than 30 minutes on a specific taska

is useless. So we try to protect sustained periods of work by limiting questions, “pop-by” s, and

unnecessary interruption.

Wednesdays are OX Community Lunch days, where the whole team goes out to eat together at a

local restaurant. With all the running around, its nice to take an hour in the middle of the week to go

out together and answer questions like: “If you had to open a restaurant that only served one thing,

what would it be?” (Tuna, according to J.J.). Or “If you could own a house anywhere in the world,

what style of house would it be and where would it be located? (Cliff-side house on Hanalei Bay,

reported Corry. ) “How would you be woken up on your perfect day?” (Being licked by a pack of

puppies, said Jonny.) Questions like these are important to answer for any creative agency.

There are many other anecdotes about daily life at OX - but some are better seen in person. Drop us

a note. We’d love to give you the penny tour and walk you over to the red caboose for a hot dog.

WORKING AT OX IS LIKE

STUDYING, INTERNING AND

WORKING ALL AT THE SAME

TIME. THE CREATIVE WORLD IS

VAST AND HERE WE ARE

ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE IT.

Jonny MendezArt Director & Music Producer

OX Creative

Music in movies is all about dissonance and consonance, tension and release.

QUINCY JONES

52

The Creative World

OX CREATIVE

Is Vast

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MUSIC

4

54

MUSICAN IMPORTANT COMPANION TO FILM

Music has always been an important companion to film.

The first silent film was accompanied by a live guitarist and Thomas Edison

screened his first silent film with a full orchestra. In a time where there was

no dialogue to hear, music was used to create mood and give the film another

layer of emotion. That tradition continues today, horror films use music to build

suspense and create tension just before a jump scare.

MU

SIC

CREATE A MOOD

At OX Creative we create orignal soundtracks for our filmed pieces to draw the audience

into the emotional reality of the film. It is important to us to create a score as unique

as each of our clients. That is why every video that we produce gets its own original

composition. The people we do business with are people passionate about the work they

do, so it is important for us to capture that passion and endow the work that we do with

that same sensibility. Independent of each other, you have an interesting short film and an

interesting piece of instrumental music, but when combined they create a complete - and

hopefully compelling - cinematic experience.

THE PEOPLE WE DO

BUSINESS WITH ARE

PEOPLE PASSIONATE

ABOUT THE WORK

THEY DO

55COMPLETE & COMPELLING

Q&A WITH

56

1 IS YOUR

PROCESS ALWAYS THE SAME?

Generally, I start with a walk down the street. It helps me reset. From there I almost

always start with drum tones.

2DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST FILM SCORE THAT

STUCK WITH YOU?

Star Wars, The Man From

Snowy River, and The Sandlot.

LO

VE

WH

AT

YO

U D

O /

DO

WH

AT

YO

U L

OV

E

JONNY MENDEZ

JONNY MENDEZ

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3WHAT IS ONE THING

THAT ALWAYS APPEARS IN AN OX SCORE?

The “RV7000 Advanced Reverb” on the “Tree Tops”

setting. I put this on everything.

4WHAT HAPPENS WHEN

YOU’RE NOT INSPIRED TO WRITE MUSIC?

When I hit a wall I change the light bulbs in my office to colored ones.

HIT

A W

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L / C

HA

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MELANGE 1

THE

FIRST OX

MUSIC

RELEASE

MU

SIC

FRESH / FRESH / FRESH

MELANGE 1

WE SCORE ALL OUR VIDEOS IN-HOUSE. LISTEN TO 15 ORIGINAL TRACKS.

FIND US ON SPOTIFY:

OXCREATES.COM/SPOTIFY

MU

SIC

FO

R T

HE

HE

AR

T A

ND

TH

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EA

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OX Creative

Gratitude

TH

AN

K Y

OU

See more at OXcreates.com