The World's Smartest RV

An Idea is Born

After building Welcome to College an awesome site, it was time to help them spread the word, and we wanted to make sure everyone was as excited about the site as we were.
We, of course, appreciate a creative and original idea like Welcome to College, so when we were brainstorming a marketing campaign for their kick-off, we felt it should be just as fantastic. And, the idea of MARV was born. What is MARV? A Mobile Automated Research Vehicle, or in this case, a promotional vehicle used to connect students and their parents with universities across the country.

The Strategy Behind MARV

A road tour was always in the back of our mind. But not just any road tour. One that would be somewhat of a spectacle. We needed a fun and unique way to get in front of the target audiences and to generate as much media coverage as possible.
How does one accomplish this? By creating an RV that is not only the smartest one around, but also has a personality as big as the RV itself. And that's exactly what we did when we turned a 1973 GMC RV into MARV.

Why Everyone Loves MARV

We made sure MARV was safe and looked awesome, but we also gave him some features that would make him hard for any college student to resist:

• Sight: An X-Box Kinect system allows MARV to call people over, play dancing games and record interviews with college students. 
• Personality: By using Flash and Arduino to connect digital interface interactivity with real electrical and mechanical interactivity, MARV is able to engage with each user based on their individual interactions with him.
• Interactive Display Screen: MARV's rear windshield doubles as a projected monitor. 
• Prize Door: Every interaction with MARV is a chance to give away a prize. When you win, all you have to do is reach behind his license plate to retrieve your spoils. 
• A confetti cannon, lights, a fog machine, and rear airbags are just a few ways MARV likes to show he is having as much fun as the students who are visiting him. 

Getting MARV into the Spotlight

We began getting the buzz out about MARV and the college tour through existing social media channels and partner school channels. We also created a microsite that allowed visitors to select MARV's destinations, track Marv's whereabouts and keep connected to the team while on the road. In the end, we knew MARV would create plenty of buzz about himself all on his own.

We Are Now Hiring.

Real Art is now accepting applicants for a number of positions including project managers, multimedia designers, interns, and burrito couriers.

If you're interested, contact us. For more detailed job descriptions, visit the links on our blog below.

First Year on First Street

In June 2009, more than two years of planning and building came together as we left our workspace in Dayton's historic Oregon District and moved into our brand new digs on First Street. This marked one of the biggest landmarks in Real Art's history, representing not just a physical change of location, but also a mental shift into a more open, creative atmosphere with room to grow, play and think.

The move was substantial. Our creatives, who were used to being packed into small spaces now had separate rooms in which to meet, brainstorm, relax and unwind. We unpacked and started working. We threw a party. We began stretching our legs and finding uses for our many unique spaces. We decorated. We threw another party. And all the while, we continued doing what Real Art does best — creating great work with great people.

Now that we've settled in and worked through four seasons in the new space, we found ourselves hardly noticing our 1-year anniversary passing us by. However, we didn't forget entirely, and we decided to put together a short video as a reminder to ourselves, our friends and our clients that this has indeed been a landmark year for us. But above all, looking back at the great work we've done in the last year confirms what we've known all along: Real Art is much more than a building. It's a group of people dedicated to doing great design. Cheers to our first year on First Street!

Real Art Stories Episode 1: Hermes Awards 2010

Every year, Real Art participates in the GDAA Hermes Awards, which are the local level of the national AAF Addy Awards. We never really know how our work will be judged, but we always know we’re in for a fun evening. This year’s show, on February 20th, was no exception. Fortunately, we won an unprecedented 29 awards, including nine gold awards. It’s always great when the team’s hard work and talent is recognized within the Dayton community.

But this year, the true competition in the weeks leading up to the event was the Real Beard Awards. This was Real Art’s second employee beard-growing competition, and it was a heated race. At our Hermes after-party, we announced the Real Beard Awards “Best-in-Show,” which went to Mark Kargl’s dapper beard. That very same beard had also previously carried Mark to victory in the “Most Unrecognizable Face” category. We also had a “plus one” at the show. We were accompanied by Kenny Mosher of Showdown Visual. He brought his camera along and captured the essence of the evening. As you can see in the video, the team has lots of fun any time we get together, and we’re certainly proud of our accomplishments and humbled by the awards.

Want more? Subscribe to Real Art’s video podcast or visit to our vimeo channel.

what we do

Creative design, strategic decisions and solid results–expect nothing less from the work that we produce.

Our broad range of clients includes everyone from retail and entertainment industries to technology companies and nonprofit organizations.

Consequently, our portfolio is just as diverse. We produce design for annual reports, direct mail pieces, branding, product packaging, marketing materials, websites and much more. And regardless of the medium, you’ll see and experience the difference that more than 20 years of experience can make on your project. Our seasoned staff is always available to give you the customer service you want and the expertise you need.