keeping it together

When I first started working with RFM Seating last summer, they asked me to redesign their overview brochure of in-stock office chairs. Their direction was to keep it ultra clean and simple, almost minimalist in its design. The result: one big chair on the cover, lots of smaller chairs on each interior page. Easy to read, clear communication – mission accomplished!

So when it came time to redesign RFM's big binder that holds all of their product specs and sales collateral, we continued along the same theme and maximized the use of white space. A row of small product photos wrapping from front to back quickly communicates two key messages: (1) we sell chairs, and (2) we have lots of options.

The binders turned out beautifully and were well worth the long lead time the printer needed to produce them.

low budget, high ROI

Last spring I was asked by Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon to help them design a logo and some basic print materials for their new high-level giving society. I gladly accepted the challenge to create some pieces that would not look (nor be!) expensive to produce will still conveying a warm and personal touch to potential donors.

By using the iconic "P" and adding a glow radiating from the center, I created a logo that's unique to the Visionary Society, yet still relates strongly to Planned Parenthood's official logo mark. Typography was kept clean and simple and set the tone for all related print materials.

All the pieces were printed digitally in one color on recycled paper to keep costs down. To customize the pre-made kraft presentation folder, I designed a sticker to adorn the front and fold around the right front edge. This allows for a little graphic touch on the inside as well.

The glowing burst from the logo is repeated on all the printed elements, such as the brochure and note card shown here.

To learn more about PPSO, please visit their website.

blog love: illustration pages

Since I've been doing more and more illustrating these past few years, I've started exploring several sites and blogs for tips and inspiration. Illustration Pages is one of the blogs I've been following for a while now and thoroughly enjoy for the many featured illustrators and variety of styles and subjects.

And if you take a peek today, you'll see that they've featured some of my logo work!
Thanks, Lou!

the new big book of layouts

My goal as a designer is to make sure my clients are happy and my designs are effective.

That said, I'm always thrilled when I get some validation from my design peers, as happened last week, when I found out several of my designs were included in The New Big Book of Layouts (produced by Crescent Hill Books and published by Harper Collins).

I immediately ordered a copy and while I haven't had a chance to look through the book at my leisure, I did flip to the pages that included my work. All the greeting card designs shown below were done when I still had my paper goods company, Cecily Ink:

And this fun invitation was done for a style lounge at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival:

It was a bit awe-inspiring to realize that these invites were sent out to major stars like Dennis Quaid, John Legend, and Felicity Huffman (all of whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the event)! You can read more about it here and here.

happy new year!

I hope 2011 is off to a great start for everyone! Did you put all the decorations away yet?

One of my clients is keeping the holiday spirit going a little longer by sending out a happy new year card to all their business associates. For years now, Peterson Sullivan has avoided the traditional "season's greetings" card and instead sends out their best wishes in the new year. This a great marketing strategy since it avoids getting lost in the piles of holiday cards and instead kicks off the new year on a great note.

After showing Peterson Sullivan several concepts, I designed a horizontal card to fit in a standard #10 envelope (yes, I've done a lot of those lately!). Ideally, I would create custom art for all of my clients' projects but often, due to time and budget constraints, we end up including some stock imagery instead.

The card uses stock illustration for the snowy landscape and I then added red and green ornaments, with the largest ornament including the Peterson Sullivan logo.

I typeset the message on the inside of the card to follow the rolling hills, using different fonts and colors for the list of adjectives. To keep the printing costs down, I designed the envelope to be two-color (black and green) and repeated the tree image faintly in the background for continuity.

So here's to a healthy, happy, prosperous 2011 for all of you!

uo invitations part 4

The fourth invitation I recently designed for the University of Oregon Donor Relations department once again followed the format of fitting a #10 business envelope, but this time I designed the invitation to open horizontally.

I used the rather lengthy event name to create a label of sorts that, together with a brown color bar, mimics a gift-wrapped present. The photographic texture used in the background reinforces this idea.

Using a translucent paper for the insert adds an elegant touch to this invitation that was printed on a relatively smooth paper (Classic Crest).

I'm quite pleased with how all four of these invitations turned out. Each stands alone as being distinctly unique yet as a group they successfully convey a sense of unity. (view parts 1, 2 and 3)

uo invitations part 3

Similar to the design in the previous post, this third invitation for the University of Oregon Donor Relations department uses a horizontal format with an overlapping flap. To save costs, we actually used the same die line to create the curved front panel.

This time rather than using a sticker, the flap is kept closed by tucking it under a little thumbnail slit on the front of the invite.

The whimsical flower illustrations are hand drawn and create a nice visual contrast to the printed fabric background. The Sundance Felt paper reinforces this textural element.

The color palette consists of a dark green and taupe, an elegant interpretation of the official university combo of bright yellow and grass green. (view parts 1 and 2)

uo invitations part 2

This is the second of four different invitations I recently designed for the University of Oregon Donor Relations department.

To stay within the #10 envelope format, I designed this one to open horizontally and have an overlapping flap that is kept closed using a gold sticker blind-embossed with a little leaf motif.

This leaf design is repeated in the Ford Family Foundation typography that functions almost like a logo.

The warm yellow is similar to the official UO yellow. While the warm grey is an unexpected departure from the traditional UO green, it functions well here as a modern palette that still invokes the spirit of the UO colors.

The textured paper is Sundance Felt and lends a luxurious, tactile element to the invitation. (view part 1 here)

uo invitations part 1

A few months ago, I was asked to design a series of invitations for the University of Oregon's Donor Relations department. The invites are for receptions hosted annually for recipients of various different scholarships.

So while there was little overlap in the recipients, I proposed that all four invitations follow the same horizontal format to fit in standard #10 business envelopes. All other elements (with the exception of a shared die line for two of the invites) were purposely designed to be distinctly different from each other.

The design process was a lot of fun and the resulting invites successfully convey the tone of the events. Here are some photos of the first invitation – stay tuned for posts on the other three!

happy holidays!

Every year I like to thank my wonderful clients for all the work they've sent my way, so I present them with a small gift that I designed myself. For the past six years, I've been able to team up with Brown Printing and West Coast Paper (now WCP Solutions) to create something fun AND functional.

This year's collaboration resulted in another day planner, a collection of whimsical illustrations with weekly and monthly pages to help my clients stay organized in 2011.

The cover and monthly divider pages are printed on a heavy textured stock that are folded double for added heft. A nice bonus of this method: tabs for easy access to each month!

If you're not (yet?) one of my clients or would like to gift someone with one of my planners, I do have a few extras for sale in my Etsy shop.

Happy holidays, everyone!