And alongside the newly launched Choose Meridian project, Graphic Zen also completed the redesign of the Meridian Chamber of Commerce website. This is continuing with the goal of the Chamber’s 5-year plan, and one step of that was completed a couple of years ago when we created the new logo for the Chamber. This new website continues with the branding elements that were created with the new logo and is a cleaner and easier to navigate site than the previous version. It also integrates with the Chamber’s member management software (Chamber Master) so that the Chamber staff can continue to utilize that software without having to reinvent the wheel and learn something new. Additional info and images about the project can be found at this link.
Creative Process
Choose Meridian Logo and Website Project
Welcome to the interwebs Choose Meridian! This project was a logo and website to benefit the Meridian Chamber of Commerce and the City of Meridian, Idaho. We collaborated with the Meridian Chamber of Commerce to create an identity that would complement the Chamber brand identity we designed a couple of years ago. The goal of the website is to be a tourist/relocation resource that showcases the tourist attractions and events that are in Meridian and also details the resources that are of interest to businesses and families that might be looking to relocated to Meridian. School information, hotels, rental and real estate information are all located in an easy to navigate website. You can check out more about the project at this link.
We’re Only Just Beginning To Understand How Color Impacts Users
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3063124/evidence/were-only-just-beginning-to-understand-how-color-impacts-users
Graphic Design: Meridian Writes Program Medal
Projects sometimes come with no set of guidelines or creative brief. I can be free to explore and develop concepts without feeling like I’m straying from a set of rules. That’s cool. This was the case with a recent project from the Meridian Library District, and their Meridian Writes program.
This program was created to highlight the talent and work from Meridian authors. Authors who live in the Meridian city limits or library boundary district can submit work for review by library staff. The staff will select three finalists and then ask select members of the Meridian community to choose a winner.
I initially started creating a traditional “medal” award type of graphic, complete with gold or silver accents and somewhere in the process I thought, “Why does it have to be round like a coin?” So after thinking about some shapes, I decided to go with something different, yet still “roundish”. For the center graphic, I experimented with different type styles and images, including a tree and the calligraphy nib you see here. I decided to add the digital-like element as part of the calligraphy pen to represent the fact that we now live in a digital age where books are often created and read via computer and tablet or phone, yet the art of writing began and still continues with putting pen to paper.
Of the five designs submitted, the Library choose the one you see here. I hope the participants of this new program continue to work and enjoy their creative craft, much like graphic designers do. 🙂
What Color is Your Logo?
So you’ve got your company name for your business and are ready to meet with a designer to get all those logo ideas down on paper so you can launch your business to the world.
Have you considered how important color is when establishing your brand/logo?
You see, if you’re in a competitive industry (and you are), then what color your competition uses for their brand should influence what color you use. You certainly don’t want to use the same color for your logo, because you want to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Let’s use cell phone service as an example. This is a fast paced and very competitive industry that is vying for the attention of the consumer. Here are some of the major players and their colors:
Can you imagine how confused or conflicted consumers would be if these companies all used the same colors? Now, I’m not saying that choosing a color will make or break your business, but you do want to start off on the right foot.
Let’s say your just starting your company name which is called Yates Painting and your director competitor is Bates Painting, a company that’s been around for 20 years. Already there’s a problem because the names are similar. Now imagine you compound this confusion by choosing the same color that Bates uses, which is red. In effect when your employees are driving around red Yates Painting trucks, in the mind of the consumer they see BATES Painting. Why? They are used to seeing Bates Painting red trucks – you did nothing to distinguish yourself visually from your competition. Confused? So are your clients, because in their mind they’re already thinking of a company that’s been around for 20 years driving red trucks.
When you hire Graphic Zen to create your logo, we are also researching your competition to see what colors and other visual elements they are using. We do this so we can set you apart from your competition. Logo colors, fonts, and layouts all play a role in establishing your brand.
Sometimes all that’s needed is a refresh. Take Google’s recent change for example, by changing the font and colors, they have created a buzz and injected more energy into their brand.
Ready to distance yourself from your competition? Is it time to change or refresh your existing brand? Contact Us to find out how we can help.
Empower Boise Logo & Website Rebrand
Recently completed a logo and website rebranding for Empower Boise, an experiential training and effectiveness seminar located in Boise, Idaho. Their old logo had many elements going on, and was intended to capture the story of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean (if you don’t know the story you can look it up). Our job was to create a cleaner, more effective logo that would be used on their website and marketing materials. We chose a stronger font for “empower” and then incorporated the starfish into the “o” to create a cohesive logo that projects the image of “empowerment”. Take a look at the before and after, and if you’re interested in the training, visit www.empowerboise.com.
Logo design: Stand Up America Campaign
Thanks to Derrick Boles and his Stand Up America campaign for choosing us to create the new logo for their marketing and branding efforts.
Stand Up America has a primary mission to challenge, educate, inspire and mobilize community based organizations and leaders to “Stand Up “for community empowerment. Our goal is to provide collaboration opportunities, training, technical assistance and funding opportunities for underrepresented populations across America.
Graphic Zen’s job was to take the elements that Derrick envisioned for the Stand Up America logo, (map of America, organization name, Christian reference and “the pinkie) and incorporate into a logo that could be used for their ongoing awareness campaign. The pinkie is the first of five fingers that represent concepts in the Stand Up America campaign, in this case the pinkie represents “Courage”, as it only take the effort of raising your pinkie to take action and make a difference in your community.
After sketching a few concepts, I gradually developed this logo, using the elements described above to create the map of America. The rough font for “Stand” represents that we must stand where we are (circumstances/location) and be who we are. It also includes the Christian reference in the cross-like “T” in Stand. The five stars represent the five fingers that will be defined as the campaign goes on. The pinkie logo is represented and takes the place of the northeastern part of the U.S. while the rest of the organization name takes on the shape of the U.S.
A challenge to create, and very well worth the time!