Below is an article I wrote in 1996 for the company newsletter at Scholin Brothers Printing Company where I worked from 1995-1998. I came across this recently and was impressed with how timely it still is. It is a great reminder that as much as the tools of marketing evolve, the fundamentals remain the same: great marketing begins with a great Product.
Integrated Marketing
At Abra, we pride ourselves on the way that we approach marketing. Being a full-service marketing agency allows us to meet a variety of needs for clients, it allows us to create a consistent message throughout, and it allows us to help all of a client’s marketing efforts work together and compound results. But in addition to those benefits, having an integrated marketing approach allows us to build long-lasting relationships with clients, and that long term involvement with a client becomes another benefit in the way we approach their marketing.
Abra Marketing has a unique history as a graphic design agency in Santa Rosa. This article provides a glimpse into my early years as a graphic designer and my intensive design production background.
I started the agency in November 1999 with the arrival of a new Mac G3. As a graphic designer I founded the agency with a focus on graphic design and branding. From the beginning there have been a few things that have helped our clients’ design projects be successful. One of these is my extensive production experience.
Last week, we introduced you to the basic importance of using photos in your marketing. This week we’ll go over some of the ways at Abra Marketing that we use photos in our marketing to create interest, and have an impact.

I’ve logged many hours doing this
A bit of Abra Marketing history, founder Kurt Hoffmann learned graphic design at a St. Louis printing institution, Scholin Brothers Printing.
This experience was an important part of Abra’s foundation.
At Scholin I was fortunate to experience a fascinating time in the printing industry when things were shifting from years of traditional film-oriented production to digital (remember SyQuest disks, anyone?). Those were the days when you’d make a change in Photoshop and then leave to get coffee while you waited for it to process.