I’ve worked for clients across the United States and even in Canada, but the majority of my clients find me locally, as a freelance copywriter, Albany, New York, and Berkshires, Massachusetts. I enjoy working on projects for local businesses and helping to support and grow the economy where we live and flex our creative muscles every day.
For this project, a brand book for The Annie Selke Companies, a fresh, sassy tone was key to expressing company’s distinctive brand personalities. Each spread has been created around punchy two-word headlines and descriptive text.
This brand book won a 2012 design award from NOW.
Good Clean Fun
Hello, Sunshine.
I believe your home should make you happy. The best way to achieve that happiness is by surrounding yourself with people, pets, and products you love. For nearly 20 years, we’ve applied our spirited, design-driven approach to creating bedding, rugs, sleepwear, and home furnishings for you (and us) to love—stylish pieces that stand out and stand the test of time. We are committed to quality—beginning with the initial design and choice of materials to our fast and friendly delivery, topped off with our exceptional customer service. We are defined by and take pride in each step of the process and the people who make it happen.
Welcome to our world. Here’s to creating happier homes, one product at a time,
Annie
***
“Of Color . . .
Lively designs that are playful, polished, and practical. Pine Cone Hill is all about luxury mixed with livability, function perked up with fun. Explore our bedding, sleepwear, and table linens in Annie’s signature fresh, accessible design worlds.
And Comfort”*
Are your floors over the ordinary or pining for personality? Dash & Albert Rug Company to the rescue, with a happy selection of hooked, hand-loomed, handwoven, and tufted rugs.
(*From a Washington Post profile on The Annie Selke Companies)
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Good Night
Sleep Tight
From snuggly pajamas and robes to sassy sheets, quilts, matelassé coverlets, duvet covers, blankets, throws, and bed skirts, we’ve got hundreds of reasons for you to go to bed early and hit the snooze button in the morning. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell your boss.)
***
Rise . . .
And Shine!
Sleepwear isn’t just for sleeping, so we’ve designed our pajamas, robes, nightshirts, dresses, and separates with all-day ease in mind. We choose only the finest, longest-lasting cotton, linen, bamboo, and fleece in an imaginative array of juicy solids, seasonal stripes, and playful patterns that will make you the artful lounger.
***
Eat
If the kitchen is the heart of the house, then we think the table is its soul. Give your table the attention it deserves with a wardrobe of fresh, palette-pleasing Pine Cone Hill table linens.
And Run
We get it: you’re super busy. We created our bold, splashy Dash & Albert totes with your lifestyle in mind! These tough-as-nails bags, made of cotton or polypropylene, will haul your office paperwork, gym clothes, kids’ supplies, dog toys, and groceries with equal aplomb.
***
Enjoy
Love your sofa but hate that old, dated fabric? Take a ride on the colorful side! Annie Selke Home by P. Kaufmann—available at fine fabric sources nationwide and in selected patterns through Pine Cone Hill—offers a line of star-quality , upholstery-weight fabrics for every furniture face-lift you can conjure up.
The Ride
So kick back, relax. Armchair traveling encouraged.
**
Play
You can’t go wrong with designs that make you happy! Our products make it easy for you to have fun with color, layer luxuriously, find your prints charming, and create a beautifully exuberant abode.
Ground
***
Options
The best part? Our rugs, linens, fabrics, and decorative accessories all play nicely together, making for almost endless mix-don’t-match combinations. So go ahead. Explore the possibilities!
Abound
***
Wearable
We believe linens and rugs should be beautiful, but never so precious that they can’t stand up to typical traffic, the occasional “oops,” or a blog of pet slobber. Our products are made of the finest materials, which allows them to weather years of loving use . . .
Washable
. . . and lots of regular washing! So go on—toss them in, soap them up, and enjoy them for years to come.
***
Family-Friendly Fibers
For All Kind of Paws
***
Beyond
Stuck in neutral? Not when Pine Cone Hill offers so many white wonders, tempting taupes, sumptuous sands, and beautiful browns! Looking for an eye-popping pattern? We’ve got that. How about touchable textures? Got those, too . . .
Beige
. . . And did we mention the exquisite dressmaker details, like pintucks, pleating, and trims? Layer away, and you’ll create a sophisticated neutral room that’s anything but colorless.
***
House
Proud
***
Design That Lasts . . .
Is Worth Every Penny.
***
The Book
Inspiration is everywhere, so Annie corralled a lifetime of ideas in Fresh American Spaces, a celebration of five distinctly American decorating styles. Using palettes, fabrics, key design elements, and easy-to-follow steps, the book demonstrates how to create spaces that are uniquely you.
The Blog
Building on the tips and tricks of Fresh American Spaces, the Fresh American blog follows Annie and her team as they talk style, offer original how-to’s, track down great products, and demystify design. Food, travel, personal stories, practical guides, inspired interiors—read all about it!
***
We Get
A favorite of interior designers, Hollywood stylists, and home-decorating aficionados alike, Dash & Albert, Pine Cone Hill, and Annie Selke Home fabrics have garnered rave reviews nationwide and are handpicked for more than 300 magazine features and columns, newspaper articles, blog posts, online chats, and TV segments per year.
Thousands of readers have also fallen in love with Annie’s yearlong makeover series with Women’s Day magazine, and her 2010 column in House Beautiful on the renovation of her own home.
Around
[listing of magazines and blogs that have featured Annie Selke Companies product]
***
Social
At the Annie Selke Companies, we know that one of our keys to success is you! We love answering your questions and hearing your ideas, and welcome you to our lively (and opinionated!) online community. Chime in anytime—we love hearing from you.
Life
So whether you’re a design professional, a retailer, a member of the media, or a causal style fan, we encourage you to visit our Facebook pages, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, and read our blog. It’s the best way to keep in touch—and keep the ideas flowing!
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Office
Space
We’re proud to be an employer of choice in the Berkshires, one of the most awe-inspiring natural landscapes on the planet. Headquartered on a 200,000-square-foot campus that includes a renovated 1863 textile mill, we have an all-star staff of more than 90, plus an additional 40 employees in our Indian office. We source globally—manufacturing our products in fair-labor venues in multiple countries—and believe in making decisions that are ethical, fiscally sound, and socially responsible, both locally and worldwide.
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Culture
Our staff is what keeps us going every day, and we honor their commitment through professional and personal development opportunities and help to facilitate the ever-elusive balance between work and home life. As a part of our wellness program, we offer an on-site fitness center, yoga and other classes, medical screenings, biweekly summer cookouts, fresh fruit deliveries, and more.
Community
At its core, The Annie Selke Companies’ office culture is about fun and mutual respect. We nurture a lively and dynamic environment where people are encouraged to be imaginative, collaborative, and responsible, and feel upbeat, optimistic, and engaged.
***
Click,
Like what you see? Then let’s go shopping! Visit our company websites anytime for a wealth of fresh picks and favorites, or stop in to one of the thousands of fine retail stores nationwide that carry our products. And don’t forget to join our social media community on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
Holla,
For us, customers are an extension of our family. We believe that nothing less than the friendliest, most prompt, and most knowledgeable customer service will do, and we’re always ready to lend a hand or offer design advice. So don’t be a stranger!
Or Visit!
***
Want More?
ABOUT ANNIE
Color, comfort, and approachable elegance—these are the hallmarks of visionary designer Annie Selke. A consummate traveler and flea-market treasure hunter, Annie gathers inspiration wherever she goes. She distills her ideas into a variety of fabulous and functional products for the home. The 2010 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year, Annie, with the help of her talented staff, designs all her products from company headquarters in the Berkshires.
PINE CONE HILL
Established in 1994, Pine Cone Hill is a sensational collection of bedding, sleepwear, window panels, table linens, and decorative accessories. Whether you’re building a beautiful boudoir or a rustic retreat, Pine Cone Hill has everything you need, in top-quality fabrics and imaginative designs. Sold at over 2,000 fine retailers in North America.
DASH AND ALBERT RUG COMPANY
Dash & Albert Rug Company, founded in 2003, offers a happy selection of hooked, hand-loomed, handwoven, and tufted rugs. Spirited and well-bred, these rugs are the smart solution for floors pining for personality. The collection includes coordinating throws and pillows, and practical yet cheerful tote bags. Sold at over 2,300 fine retailers nationwide.
THE OUTLET AT PINE CONE HILL
Good design never goes out of style, so take advantage of fabulous steals on discontinued Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert classics! Whether you’re in search of playful patterns, simple solids, or captivating colors, the Outlet offers an array of bedding, sleepwear, rug, and accessory choices at 50–80% off retail prices.
ANNIE SELKE HOME
Annie Selke Home by P. Kaufmann is a collection of richly colored and patterned fabrics by renowned designer Annie Selke. The collection is available at fine retailers across the country and online. A limited selection is also offered through Pine Cone Hill’s website.