Sarah Cyr - The Cheshire Herald Newspaper

The Cheshire Herald Newspaper has been Cheshire CT's #1 local source for community news since 1953. Working in the Production and Advertising department has exposed me to a vast variety of industries such as automotive, real estate, restaurant and beauty. My 10 years at the newspaper have truly been invaluable as it has established the foundation of my advertising experience.

In-house branding for the Herald has evolved throughout the years including my involvement of re-imagining their beloved mascot, "Harold the Cat". Harold's original debut was in an editorial cartoon depicted as a house cat. When illustrating Harold, I took my inspiration from 1920s animation. The anthropomorphic re-design allowed the character art to appear in in-house advertisements as well as newspaper contests such as yearly kids Easter coloring contests.

One of the best-selling product derived from the 2017 ornament. While working with the pewtersmith, the ornament was designed to display the front cover of the newspaper while keeping in mind the limits of the etching process. Line thickness was considered to retain the most detail and the ornament's reverse side was mirrored appropriately.

The Cheshire Herald in-house ad with Harold the Cat

Print Advertisements

Print advertisements were created to meet each customer's needs; from an entirely original design to editing existing brand templates. Throughout the years it was exciting to work on print designs from vastly different industries. Regardless of the type of advertisement assigned, what remained consistent for each advertiser was showcasing standout photos from the company and displaying their logo for brand recognition. Adhering to brand standards with color and typography was also a central focus with each design.

Park Central Tavern Restaurant Advertisement

Layout Design

In addition to creating advertisements for customers I was responsible for the layout of different sections of the newspaper. This included ad placement per color plate ratio to determine the best cost-cutting measures as well as the number of columns and pages the classifieds section needed each week. For seasonal centerfold advertisements such as the Summer Sizzler, unique headers and backgrounds were created to further complement the accompanying advertisements.