O Holy Craaa... I mean Night!

Merry Christmas!
This guy is the MAN! Enjoy!

Brand Identity: Studio 243

Studio 243 is a full-service architectural firm which seeks to create a sense of place that inspires creativity. The owner and top architect is heavily influenced by contemporary European design. After living there(in Germany) for a number of years, I guess he sort of took to their style.

Design Brief
Not all that familiar with European design, (Ok, ok. I know nothing of eauro-design.), Dwight was happy to school me. He encouraged me to look at the Avante Garde (the font I went with, go figure) and Bauhaus movements. We talked for about an hour and by the end I had a grasp of what I was going for. Functional art.
Specific keywords for the project were: simple(boy was I glad to hear that), clean, functional, and formal.

For the logo, I wanted to show some dimensionality and allude to some elements you might see in Avante Garde architecture. We chose to go with red as the color since it's pretty formal.

JULIAN SMITH - Techno Jeep (Original)

Keep watching; it get's better.

Piranha Pocket Tool

Like the fish for which it's named, the PIRANHA ($49) can help you get the job done quickly: tightening screws, loosening bolts, prying things open and popping the tops on your favorite beverages. The PIRANHA is a single-piece, multi-purpose pocket tool that is constructed from heat-treated and corrosion-resistant S30V Stainless Steel with a built-in neoprene double-ended driver bit holder. But can it dress a cow in under 2 minutes?

My Q made it into an Interview!

My question made it into David Airey's interview with Tom Geismar! (See Q #4.) Thanks Logo Design Love!

Sawmerifenchax? Haxifenchaw?

Whatever you call it, it's freaking awesome! I don't know jack about Brook & Hunter, but supposedly they made the Mo-Tool wood-inlay axe with hand crafted red oak wooden handle of the highest quality. Mo-tool axe includes screwdrivers, blades, knives, can opener, wire cutter, pliers, file and wrench! Despite it's lame name, it looks like a great tool for hammering, cutting, or killing around the home, car, boat or camper. Hunt. Fish. Camp. Survive. Good luck.

Citizen's Arrest!

These witty little notes will get you slightly less of an ass-kicking than keying someone's car.

See examples here. Buy here. Enjoy!

Brand Identity: Garrett Logo

A woman with the former maiden name Garrett (now Lilly. Hey wait a minute! That's my mom!), called a week or so ago and inquired about a logo. After a couple of phone calls (and finalizing the name), here's what we came up with. She was very happy.

Give H1-N1 the Shake

Sick poster! :-) Be safe! Don't vaccinate. Stock up on elderberry juice.

The entrance to Tomorrow Land! Hurray!!

Hopefully the bunny doesn't conjure up too many images and feelings form your childhood.

Up to the 3:30 minute mark this guy is dead on! It did strike me that the "W" actually was great for G.W. 43. Too bad the execution sucked -- royally! Cue sad trombone track: *Wah-Wah-Wah-Waaaah*.

Whittle, the Democrat logo can't even touch the Republican logo. The Republican logo (pun intended)kicks the Dems ass! The elephant, I would argue, is solid, clean, and professional. It's a good mark and a lot can be done with a mark like that.

Past the 6:00 mark, he goes off into more branding blah blah blah and shows off what he calls a "master-piece". Gag me! It's a far cry, IMO. The copy "Why so Socialist" is clever, but once again(like all conservative design I've ever seen) fails(miserably) in execution.

See how Liberals create engaging, memorable design here.

Battle for Milkquarious

A Uni-pega-cow just jumped to #1 on my Christmas list!
The first Rock-Opera I've ever seen -- and it was Zap-tacular(You'll see what I mean)!!

Know Your Environment

Cooliris(a kickin' site for browsing photos, etc) designed it's installation process to integrate with the already-existing installation process/graphics of FireFox = Brilliant! What a great user experience!

t 'n' i

Recently a co-worker was wondering when I would look over the design of an project we were sending out. Made me wonder, "What’s the design equivalent to 'crossing t’s and dotting i’s'"?

Cholesterol Logo

I have high Cholesterol(which you probably wouldn't guess by looking at me). It's sad. However, my dear wife has been poring over the world wide web in search of more health-conscious recipes. This logo was on one of the pages she left open. Pretty slick whoever did it. Love the way the stress (left curve) of the "C" looks like the walls of a blood vessel closing up. It's simple. It's effective. Love it.

Now THAT'S a Knife

The guys Ethan Becker of BK&T and John Benner of TDI put their heads together to create the KA-BAR Becker(Poor Benner couldn't get his name in there? Maybe if he'd had on of these strapped to his side he could have.) Tac Tool. It smashes! It bashes! It prys! It hammers! And, yes, it even cuts – assailants in half

Top This

Jar Tops are the latest and greatest thing to hit food jars since Bandana's Banditos Jalapeno Mustard. Waite ... I don't think I've ever tried that. In fact I'm not sure how it got in my fridge. A set of Jars includes long-handled cap, an oil and vinegar cap, a cocoa shaker(?) cap, a creamer cap, and a sugar shaker cap. You can even buy the from the MoMA store.

Chicago Beating Video | **SHOCKING** Derrion Albert's DEATH

Wow.

Looks like Chi-town needs some more community organizing.

Now we're gonna have to outlaw splintered railroad ties.

100 GREATEST HITS OF YOUTUBE IN 4 MINUTES

I think I've seen it all now.

Bookmark II

Great idea! I think I'll make my own with a giant rubber band and a sharpie.

Beer Bellty

If I liked the taste of alcohol and/or was an alcoholic(and was sober enough to do so) I'd buy/wear/use this.

Magnets for Dummies

This is brilliant! From what I gather just by looking at the photos, one would use the bottom half of the magnet hold an item in place. You would initially place the magnet in the "off" position. When you want to stick an object to a surface, (1) insert from below the magnet, then (2) press "on". And it sticks -- on the surface! When you want to take it off, flip to the "off" position. Clever! Love the functionality.

Chair Furnace

At first glance, I thought this was a chair; don't make the same mistake. It's an ethenol furnace.

Piet is a chimney-free indoor stove by Fredrik Hyltén-Cavallius that burns ethanol instead of wood. With a brass reflector, this stove gives off no smoke or soot and can be placed wherever convenient. There is a layer of rock wool fire insulation between the reflector and the outer ceramic shell, so Piet can be placed near walls or furniture.

Thanks MoCo Loco!

Student/Ninja Kills Burglar/Idiot

Probably shouldn't lunge at a sword-wielding vigilante, moron. Baltimore Mayor(Sheila Dixon) says that she's "concerned that the students ... will call 911". I'm glad she realizes that ninjas can take care of themselves -- and clean up the streets. Maybe the cops need some ninjas. Read the full story here: baltimoresun.com

It's Lights-out for Threadless

In a good way. Their Rock On, Rock Off T-Shirt glows in the dark = awesome!

Hands On Logo

Here's my latest logo design for the Hands On missions conference at my church. I was looking to focus on touching so I went with the obvious hand symbol. However, I didn't want to go with the cliched hand-print that's overused and I've never seen executed well--ever. Here's how it turned out.

Ebay wicked sick BMX

It's an art to be able to do this without being lame to the power of sales-y!

Southwest Airlines Recruits Kids for Child Labor

I've posted about Southwest before, because their the best airline IMO. And now I think I know why their able to get the edge on their competition. And at this point, I'd put nothing past them! Do you see what they are doing to these kids! As a pair of little girls walked the aisle passing out treats, I was able to snap a shot of one of them. Oh, the audacity! (Did anyone even know what this word meant before Obama got into politics?)

What a great way to get the kids involved in your airline(and just in general giving them something to do), out of their parent's hair, and make a buck for SW. I wonder what airline these two little girls will want to fly next time they travel? It's a shot in the dark, but I'd guess SW.

Might be a good way for SW to recruit too! :-)

Eggciting!

Probably way to many egg jokes out there, but I was so excited to see these after almost giving up all hope that our two chicks(we'd raised since Easter) would ever begin to lay. I'd pretty much written them off and only "checked" for eggs whenever I'd change their hay -- not that they needed it for any reason. I was really beginning to resent them. It had been about a week since I'd changed their hay so I thought I should probably change it while I was down there feeding them. And when I opened the door ... surprise! Ten of 'em! Ten eggs right there! Jackpot! I couldn't believe it! After five months and 16 days, those two little babies laid 10 eggs in a week. It was a fine morning on Monday.

Fudge-covered Pretzel Sticks -- Yum!

Where could there possibly be an innuendo!? I couldn't eat this with a straight face!
Whaaaaaat??! :-)

Read why B&J's decided to do it here.

Moving Brands/Moving World

Kinda makes me want to run away to the mountains … and not just b/c of Obama :-) What an overwhelming video. I think I just had an epileptic seizure! Wow! I hope we can disseminate the useful information in today's day-in-age. There's so much out there. Fwew.

Glad I Use Protection!

I think I now have to swear by iSkin. This is the second time it's protected my iPhone. My pics were a bit blurry compared to a friend of mine's pics he took with his iPhone. So I decided to take a close look at my lens cover. Dusty? No.

Scratched? See for yourself.

This would be my camera lens would it not have been for the iSkin's lens cover.

So Much Work, So Little Time

Oh wait ... it doesn't take only 2 minutes to design a logo and brand identity? :-) Wow! What an awesome show of performance. What a TON of work! May we all put in this much effort into what we do. Not effort for effort's sake, but for the good of our clients.

Stained Chimney Reputation

Saw this sign exiting the highway onto Broadway. It's, what appears to be, one of Ambassador Painters' yard signs that a disgruntled customer spray-painted on an orange warning triangle and affixed an 8.5"xll" sheet of paper that reads "STAINED MY CHIMNEY!"

I love seeing stuff like this. Guerrilla marketing from the consumer -- I mean, I don't think ad agencies can come up with this stuff! Unless an agency did(for one of Ambassador Paintings' direct competitors), in which case, that's really smart! In either case, it's awesome!

The next time I need my house painted, I know just who not to call. And if enough people have that same experience, do you think they'll survive for long? I don't. Good luck Ambassador, and I hope your PR dept is taking notes.

Oh Snap that license plate!

I saw this on a walk through my hood the other day. It was parked in front of a rental-house occupied by (what i can gather/hear) a death metal band...zikes!

You play ball like a GIRL!

Golly. There's no denying that Obama throws like a girl. But does anyone know WHY? I can't figure it out. He doesn't step with the same foot he throws with which look very awkward and is pretty common, I guess. Any baseball pros out there care to weigh in? I examined both Obama and Bush and can't nail anything down. I found a few things that would make one's throw awkward-looking, but Obama doesn't violate any of these:

1. Trying to throw a ball with your body facing the target, rather than rotating your shoulders and hips ninety degrees away from the target and then swinging them around in order to accelerate the ball.

2. A throw looks bad if your elbow is lower than your shoulder as your arm comes forward (unless you're throwing sidearm).

3. A throw looks really bad if, as the ball leaves your hand, your wrist is "inside your elbow"—that is, your elbow joint is bent in such a way that your forearm angles back toward your body and your wrist is closer to your head than your elbow is.

4. Slow-motion film of big-league pitchers shows that when they release the ball, the throwing arm is fully extended and straight from shoulder to wrist. The combination of these three elements—head-on stance, dropped elbow, and wrist inside the elbow—mechanically dictates a pushing rather than a hurling motion, creating the familiar pattern of "throwing like a girl." -- Thanks to The Atlantic

Is it the follow-through?

'Bout the Sweetest Anniversary Logo I've Seen

I was doing some research today for an anniversary logo I'm doing, and I came across this.

Why I Love Apple

They make things simple.

Space Invaders on Builing

Dag-Blasted Teenagers! That's awesome!

Milky Way Galaxy Over Texas

Everything's bigger in Texas; that's right, even the Milky way. Watch a time-lapse video of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy rising over Texas. Beautiful!

Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO Collection

I bet that Wright would have killed to have LEGOs to do mock-ups with. Oh well, he didn't do too shabby with balsa-wood and foam-core.

The Guggenheim model is available now but Fallingwater is yet to be released.

Thanks Wired.

Take the Power Back

On Memorial Day I think a lot of us tend to think of American soldiers from the recent past. Let me encourage you to remember soldiers who died before Iraq, before Vietnam, before even the Civil War(or War of Northern Aggression), all the way back to the American Revolution — where we took the power back.

Happy Memorial Day!

MakeTheLogoSmaller T

I love it! So irreverent.
Available in Men's and Women's.

Obama's Web Campaign

A quick word from the guy behind the Obama web campaign. Brilliant! But not rocket science. Any organization CAN do this. The question is WILL they? Will they see the value in it?

United Everywhere

Who says the airlines are in a pinch!? Their advertising on the flatware even in a middle eastern restaurant here in Denver. So they can't be that bad off. :-)

I guess this just shows the importance of an easy/quick to identify logo.

iPhone/Kindle Similarities

Not even Amazon can resist the influence of Apple design. Notice the striking similarities between the back of the iPhone and the KindleDX. Not the following:
1. both are made of two different materials: silver and, what appears to be, plastic (bottom of iPhone, top of the Kindle)
2. both have logo at the top center
3. both have the device's additional info at the bottom center

IF MODE Folding Bike

What a sweet design! It was always a pain getting my bike through the doorway at work – and up the stairs...

See specs and get it from AREAWARE.

In Address Book Map Of...

I was shocked to find that my address book(running OS X Tiger) opens maps of my contacts in MapQuest. But here's a sweet pluggin to open maps using Google Maps!

Survival Straps

A real man bracelet is made from military-issue 550 paracord. Survival Straps ($18-$25) have a tight braid work that fits 15' to 20' of cord into a bracelet. If you find yourself in an unexpected emergency requiring strong rope, this could save you. If/when you do use your Survival Strap, send it back, with your story, and they'll braid it back to new for you, for free.

Starbucks Cup Icon

I noticed this in Maui on the front door of a Starbucks as I walk in. Has Starbucks' cup icon raised their brand identity to the same level as CocaCola? Maybe not, but they are pretty well on their way there as far as branding themselves, I think. Will they ever be as big or have the presence to get there? Probably not; I’m not sure how many latte drinkers there are in Ethiopia.

Can you see the similarities between Coca Cola's bottle icon and Starbucks' cup icon?

Underline + Bold = Improper

In the days of the typewriter, because there was no such thing as bold(nor italic) character keys, the method for providing emphasis was to simply underline. Here's how that worked: Let's use "example" as an example. You would type "example" then backspace 7 spaces and hit the "_" key to underline beneath each letter to get "example". Then you would continue typing your document. You could sometimes get a bold look to a word by typing a letter and backing up and striking the same key again – this would make it a little darker but not necessarily bold. So the proper style for writing was either use the "_" key to underline or retype the same letters to "bold" the characters – but not both.

Thus to bold and underline is redundant and not proper style for writing. (Keep in mind this is for standard writing, such as reports, letters, white papers, etc.) For flyers, copy, other marketing material, this may not necessarily apply as a rule.

In fact, most people do not understand or remember the origins of much of the writing style usage and tend to simultaneously use italicized, underlined, and bolded text for their writing. While there are no style police that will come and lock them up, this still can look pretty hokey.

Thank you, Phil!

Spec Work. Ugh.

David Carson looks like he's about to either start punching people in the face or curl up into the fetal position on the floor; I'm not sure which.

There is great creativity out there and there are some ideas that I myself will never think of. But some one might. Like a mom in Kansas might have the perfect solution for a client I'm working for, but maybe she just #1. can't reach the client or #2. doesn't know how to execute her solution in the best fashion. I wonder, could Spec designers and Professional designers collaborate?

I wonder if a company would be open to getting specwork done, then run it by an experienced designer? But if there are changes, or the spec designer misses the mark, you might have to start back at square one. So it might not be worth the runaround. However, if the spec designer has a good IDEA, it might be worth showing it to a qualified/trusted designer to see if it's executed well. Thoughts?

Specter Last Resort Belt

Besides covering you ass, this thing could save it too. The next best thing to a bat-belt – but probably what the dark night carries all of his gadgets on. Check out the Specter Last Resort Belt ($25-$32). made from Mil-Spec parachute webbing, the belt can be used to fully support one's body weight for rappelling or harnessing, and you can easily attach a carabiner and/or grapling hook.

Logo and Website ReDesign for AGE

Akron Gear is a gear manufacturing company based in Akron, OH. They initially hired me to redesign their website, however after looking over their materials, I noticed that their logo could use some finessing. Since they've been around for a number of years, and the owner was quite fond of the current logo, we decided that a simple update was a good move. After some back and forth, we able to simplify it to it's current form. Here’s how this project went.

My primary goal was to simplify the site. It was incredibly busy and cluttered with info, some of which was outdated. They wanted something that would communicate exactly who they are and clearly display the products and services they offer. They wanted something customers could easily navigate, leading them to do one of 3 things: fill out a form, call, or e-mail. They wanted this to work in a manner as quickly and easily as possible.

View the site here >

Note: Dryclean Books

A friend Paul Merrill, commented a while back on vague icon usage. He found the wash/dry icons pretty nebulous. As did I. I never would have even noticed this icon had he not pointed it out. I happened across this little icon on a book my wife was reading. And apparently you can’t just throw your dirty book in the washing machine.

Why is Brand Identity Important?

In one paragraph:
As consumers we buy based on our perceptions. This perception (what people think about your organization) is known as your brand. And our perceptions are shaped by the way we experience (through our senses) organizations via their materials known as their brand identity. These materials include everything we can sense: What we see, like brochures. What we touch. What we smell. What we taste. What we hear, like radio advertisements or the way you answer the telephone to the way you phrase your mission statement.


So, to sum up:
Brand Identity(business materials) shapes Perception and Perception determines sales(or buy-in, etc.).


Thanks Alina Wheeler.

Hybrid Hummer

Ha. A hybrid Hummer(see below left tail light).

I like it, man!

Zoo Scale

I just thought this was a great way to represent comparative weights on a scale.

Ethiopia Jacket

I designed the graphic beneath “Ethiopia” for a church’s youthgroup who went there to help out on an orphanage in 2007.

Armageddon! It’s the End of the…

Jesus?? He didn’t come this evening, but man what an amazing sky!

Happy 420 Day! (Please, Nobody Go Psycho)

I'm no hippie – or druggie. I simply believe that the government should stay our of our lives. If someone wants to smoke "the marijuana", so what? What business is it of yours or mine? Now, if that person harms me, then it's my business. And if all that person is doing is getting brain damage, that's his/her choice. Just, don't make me pay for his MedicAid because that person is too stoned to get a job.

Nice Logo

Can't remember where I found this, but whoever you are, "Nice work! Keep it up!"

Contrast

What a cute little vintage mini – for this monster truck to smash!

Man Grows Tree Inside Lung!

Talk about becoming one with nature. Pocahontas would be proud!

iSkin Saved iPhone from Serious Road-rash

Since I didn't have another camera on me, I had to re-staged this. But this is where(on the roof of my Corolla) I found my iPhone after driving .9 miles to the library. Apparently in the shuffle of getting the fam in the car, I'd set it up here and forgotten about it. iSkin(along with the Almighty) had my back. Thanks!

New MuteMath Spotlight Video

MUTEMATH - Spotlight
So bad! As in to the bone! Is he having to sing extra slow and time it just right!?? And I guess they'd have to be clapping slow too. Slow funny. These guys are amazing!

Kinkos Poster

Kinkos seems to be stepping up their game! I love environmental graphics like this! Sorry FedEx, though I'm a loyal devotee, I don't think I'll ever break the habit of calling your retail stores Kinkos. Maybe my kids will.

Car = Dust

Wow! Was that real!?? I thought for sure this was CG. I had no idea the Mythbusters were capable of breaking the sound barrier! Watch the side shot of the car (what appears to be)...I won't give it way! Just watch it.

Create an iPhone Icon

As more and more cellphone users join the apple side, you may want to think about creating an iPhone icon for your website. I did b/c I have so many readers who(not only are cool and therefore have an iPhone) have to read and re-read my blog just about every second of every day. To make it easy on them, I've created a icon they can put on their home screen. I'm not sure if your readers are that dedicated, but mine are. Here's how it's done:

1. Create an image 57 x 57 pixels (apple will round the corners and gloss it for you)
2. Save your image to photobucket, picasa, or some other photo hosting website
3. a.) Save it as apple-touch-icon.png and add it in the root of your server, so in my case:
OR
b.) Place a link to your image between the tags <head></head> of your site.

Thanks Ian

iSkin Port Cover

I wish iSkin would have just kept this little port hole cover attached. I lost my first one, so they kindly sent me a new one(or two) to experiment with. So as not to loose them again, I connected them with fishing line(passed through with a needle), tied it in a knot, and melted it together.