logo love

One of the best ways to make a good first impression is to have a strong, memorable logo mark. Your company's logo, after all, serves as the face of your company when you can't be there in person.
Over the last 10 years, I've been entrusted to design or refresh many of my clients' corporate identity and it's always such a rewarding process to see a logo come to life, actively making concept sketches turn into computerized icons that blossom into full-fledged logo marks complete with typography and color.

I thought I'd share a few of the logos I've been fortunate to work on recently.

Ekko Workshop is a brand new division of Ekko Mobiles, which designs the most amazing large-scale mobile installations. Wanting to take their concepts to the wholesale market with desktop-sized models, Ekko asked me to create a mark that stayed true to their down-to-earth, "workshop" roots, so I chose strong, modern typography and developed a simple icon that feels somewhat industrial.

Powell Boulevard Veterinary Clinic has been my fur family's trusted vet since we first moved to Portland 10 years ago. So when they asked me to design a logo for their brand new Eastside Pet Rehabilitation Center, I jumped at the chance. They had done their research and already knew they wanted a very illustrative logo that incorporated iconic East Portland/outdoor imagery, a slightly retro/travel poster look, and oh, yes, a dog! Because of budget constraints, I used a combination of stock art (trees) and custom illustration (dog and Mt. Hood) with early 20th century inspired typography.

The 2012 Ski Summit is an in-house marketing event hosted by Harry's Fresh Foods that targets restaurant managers from high-end ski resorts across the country. Thinking back to my childhood experiences skiing (which weren't all that great despite taking place in the Swiss Alps), I decided to mimic those ski patches all my class mates were so eager to sew onto their parkas. Retro-inspired graphics and a sporty shield combined to create a memorable logo for this fun event.

 

When Cox Marketing asked me to help out with a logo project for her client, I was more than happy to jump in. Sologic was the new name of a company specializing in root cause analysis so I started with concepts for the iconography that would reflect their specific process. The end result is a series over overlapping fields that are grounded by a solid base. I combined modern typography that communicates their technological expertise with a simple yet fresh color palette, and the result is an intriguing mark that makes a lasting impression.

If you're an avid reader of my blog, then you already know that the University of Oregon's Annual Giving Program has been one of my clients for over decade. Every year I design their letters of appeal, and in the last few years we've tried to develop a visual theme that ties together all the different mailings they send out during the academic year. This year, the tagline stayed the same as last year, but I gave it a fresh new look by using a slightly futuristic type face and a twist on the traditional sunflower yellow and kelly green UO colors. The first two mailers recently went to print so stay tuned on examples of how this emblem "in action."

For more examples of logo design, please visit my portfolio or get in touch – I'm always happy to show you my work in person!

picnic time

Whether at home or at work, it feels great to know you're appreciated, doesn't it? It feels even better when they throw you a big party!

That's where the company picnic comes in: many organizations use the relaxed atmosphere of a casual summer get together to thank their employees for all their hard work.

Harry's Fresh Foods took it a step further by holding their picnic at Oaks Bottom, a local carnival-style amusement park that reminds you of the good old days.

So yes, when Harry's asked me to design the invitation postcard using the "got soup? got fun!" tagline, I could taken inspiration from the carnival location using color fanfare, stars & stripes and even clowns. 

Instead I chose to keep it simple and understated, only hinting at nostalgia through use of typography. Because as we all know, sometimes less is more!

gala invitation

Last year, I was asked to design the invitation and collateral materials for a gala hosted by the University of Oregon to honor local leaders (read more here and here) and everyone was thrilled with the results. So thrilled, in fact, that they asked me to incorporate elements from last year into this year's design. And I was more than happy to oblige!

 

Starting with the save-the-date postcard, I changed the format and updated the color palette and typography. While green is definitely a UO color, using a lime/chartreuse version of it instantly sets a more modern tone.

I also used a tone-on-tone damask pattern for texture and elegance and added a curved border to enclose the event logo, which they chose to reuse from last year's design.

The invitation itself was presented inside a custom die cut folder of metallic silver cover stock that had a sticker with the logo and damask pattern applied to the front.

Once opened, the folder revealed a die cut invitation that matched the shape of the logo's border. It was glued in place above the pocket, which contained an informational card with bios of both recipients as well as the reply card and envelope.

While the package as a whole was quite stately and elegant, the use of a sans serif font (Helvetica Neue Thin) and color (PMS 583) gave the invitation a distinctly modern vibe.

My favorite part? The little round sticker used to seal the folder! Such a simple little thing, but it's what gave this suite the final finishing touch.

wine tasting invitation

I love designing event invitations – it gives me a nice little break from the more corporate projects I usually am working on.

Often the event itself will help dictate the design direction, as was the case with the winery tour and wine tasting event that the University of Oregon recently organized for some of its donors.

I started by sketching out some design directions and presenting those to the client. Then I developed their chosen design on the computer and applied a couple rounds of revisions before sending files to the printer.

I used elegant typography, a two-color palette and a pinstripe pattern to set the tone for this somewhat upscale social event.

 

Electronic or phone RSVPs meant that no reply card was needed, which kept things simple in terms of design and printing costs.

The cursive font is one of my current favorites and was a perfect fit for this project, since the ligatures and embellishments nicely mimicked grape vine tendrils.

 

So the next time you're in need of a special event invitation, consider using a custom design for a little extra pizzazz – you know where to find me!

online printing – business cards

These days there are lots of options when it comes to printing. My favorite source remains using a reputable local print shop (nothing beats being able to walk in to view proofs, attend press checks or simply talk through your project with the folks who'll be running the presses).

But sometimes the best solution may be to use an online resource. I've discovered that the old adage "you get what you pay for" holds true here as much as anywhere. I won't call out the companies that I would strongly advise against (email me if you really must know) but I have no qualms about singing the praises of one particular shop: Moo.

Just take a look at these delicious cards I recently designed:

The colors printed exactly as desired, the paper is thick with a nice mat finish, and the overall quality reinforces the professional image my client wanted to capture.

They even offer tiny mini cards (which make great little product tags) and often have a discount code for free shipping or even free cards (the current code is "MINI20" for 20% off your order of minis).


PS: The size of Moo's business cards is slightly different from the standard size so make sure you use their downloadable templates or online design program. Or call me!

letters of appeal – part 2

As promised in my last post, today I'm sharing another letter of appeal for the University of Oregon's Annual Giving Program.

 

This mailer uses the same tagline and color palette established in the first mailer but expands on the use of photography, showing students engaged in various activities across campus.

 

The photo shoot for these mailers is always a lot of fun and usually encompasses one or two full days of shooting. It takes a lot of organization to scout locations, create a shot list, and manage a group of a dozen or more students (our models). But all that work pays off in the end when I get the hard drive filled with exactly the shots I need to make the designs really come to life.

 

letters of appeal – part 1

As I'm getting started on designing new letters of appeal for the upcoming school year, I realize that I haven't shown any of last year's letters that I designed for the University of Oregon's Annual Giving Program, one of my long-standing clients.

Well, let me fix that right now!

Since 2003, I have helped UO Annual Giving design anywhere from one to four direct mail packages that ask a variety of targeted demographics to help support students in their academic pursuits. Usually there is one central message around which I will then design all of that year's letters so that there's a cohesive look that is reinforced with each mailing.

Last Fall, we kicked off the academic year with this:

The converted #10 envelope introduces the "Every gift. Every dream. Every year." tagline with a specific typographic treatment that was used on all subsequent mailers, too.

To brighten up the standard UO color palette of green and yellow, I chose a fresh lime green that was used to emphasize the word "every" in the background of the tagline.

I also used a yellow line that angled into and out of the letter at the top and bottom, creating a bit of a 3D effect to entice the reader to turn the page.

On the back, the tagline is front and center, sandwiched between large photos of students enjoying campus life.

Working on these letters of appeal is always a fun challenge. The core message does not change so each year I have to find new ways to communicate the same basic idea: give now to help students achieve their academic dreams.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I'll share the second mailer in this series.

party Texas-style!

I just picked up these samples from the printer today and just had to share right away:

My task was to create an invitation for the University of Oregon, who is hosting an event the evening before their football team plays the season opener vs. LSU at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The event takes place at Billy Bob's Texas, a local landmark offering the full honky tonk experience.

After taking a peek at the venue's website, I took the bull by its horns (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!) and used a Western cowboy concept as the visual theme.

Adding a ten gallon hat and state outline to the Oregon Fighting Duck and combining grungy "saloon" fonts with a gritty, rustic background texture resulted in the exact look I was after.

I love the way this invite turned out – cheery and fun yet no mistaking what this event is all about!

in praise of helvetica

I've never liked the font Helvetica. I know, that's almost blasphemous, but I always thought it was just humdrum, so-so, boring, meh... well, you get my drift.

Then a couple years ago I watched the film Helvetica and my mind opened up a bit. Hmmm... yes, it's a ubiquitous font that's perhaps slightly overused but alright, maybe it is okay to use here and there, on occasion.

I've now been converted. I love Helvetica. Really! See, it all started while I was working on a brochure for the Oregon Bach Festival. For the last five years, I've designed all their season collateral, from their main season poster and ticket brochure to full-page magazine ads, postcards, billboards, banners, you name it.

So when it came time to discuss the look and feel of the 2011 season, the client wanted to show that the organization was headed in a new, modern direction, different from the way things had been for the last 40 years. The request came to use the font Helvetica.

My heart sank. Not the dreaded H-word... how could I possibly create something fresh and exciting with such a static font? But I accepted the challenge and I'm glad I did: I have seen the light!

Once I started playing with the various weights combined with color and size, I realized that yes, I could create an entire brochure using Helvetica for just about every bit of copy while still imbuing each page with variety and life.

I am quite proud of this brochure. It conveys a TON of content in an organized, visually pleasing manner with an informational hierarchy that helps the reader find what they're looking for.

So yes, I now love Helvetica. On occasion. For this occasion. And likely many more.