Continuing work with a new client, and we just finished their new logo. Meet Stroth General, a commercial and residential contractor that is licensed in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Colorado. In addition to the new logo we are in the process of building out a new website for them, which should be online by the first part of 2017. This project was typical of most logo design projects, in that after an their initial logo intake, we met to discuss needs, wants and desires. From there we created a few rounds of concepts, and the client selected one for refinement, which in this case was only minor color adjustments. After providing the finished logo, we began the process of building the site, which is currently in the development stage so if you happen to visit strothgeneral.com you’ll see a nice landing page that displays their new logo and contact information. If you’d like us to help build your new logo, please visit our logo page here.
Logo
TallBoy and Daisy J
Just finished up a new logo for a blogger and adventure traveler: TallBoy and DaisyJ. This couple travels the U.S. and internationally on exciting mountain bike tours, and Daisy J loves to write about it. In her words,
Years ago when I was working long hours and filling my time with work hours instead of ‘anything other then work’ I found that I worried more, felt worn out and daily could feel my light within diminishing. I was not of much value to myself or anyone else. When I found time to stop and get quiet I heard a sweet, soft voice whisper, “Be true to yourself. Write more, express more, be adventurous and above all love more.”
My job was to create a new logo for her upcoming blog, something that showcased her love for the outdoors and mountain biking. Fun project, awesome client.
The Iron Maidens
Last year we created a logo for Rock Canyon Amphitheater in Twin Falls, Idaho. This year we got to create a poster for one of their upcoming events, for an Iron Maiden tribute band. Now, you may be thinking, “Why would I go see an Iron Maiden tribute band?” I thought of a few different ways that I could describe the band to you, and the one that kept shouting loudest was a younger version of myself, say early 20’s. That version of me was shouting, “THIS IS SO COOL! THIS IS A BAND OF TALENTED HOT CHICKS THAT PLAY IRON MAIDEN!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!? Indeed, it is cool. The Iron Maidens can shred with the best of them, and on June 25 the city of Twin Falls will be rockin’. So if you’d like to treat your younger self to an Iron Maidens concert, I suggest that you get yourself over to www.rockcanyonamphitheater.com for tickets and more info. And if you want to check out the poster for the event, it’s there to the left, because I know that you read this before you looked at the poster, right?
Nagel Foundation
Our latest project is done and live on the interwebs! Extremely grateful to the entire Nagel Foundation Board of Directors, for collaborating on the process of developing a new brand identity mark and website.
The Nagel Foundation story started with a German immigrant who bought a soda-water company for $700 in 1895 that serviced ten saloons in downtown Boise, and turned it into a thriving business.
In 2009 after the Nagel family sold their business, they established the Nagel Foundation with the mission to support human needs such as medical treatment, food needs, and youth education.
To read more about the project and view before and after images, visit the project page here: //graphiczen.com/nagel-foundation/
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. 🙂
Logo Design: Dream Possible!
The latest client logo is for Jorene Batali, an Independent Scentsy Consultant. Scentsy is direct selling company that offers a variety of home and personal fragrance products, including scented wickless candles and decorative ceramic warmers, which together provide a safer alternative to burning wicked candles.
To create this logo I concentrated on a few core elements that Jorene suggested – bright colors, and her team name (Scentsy consultants and their downline, or team members, like to create unique and inspirational team names to distinguish themselves from other teams). Jorene’s team is known as Team “Dream Possible!” because she says when you dream your big goals, you should dream possible. In addition a butterfly was suggested as this is a personal symbol that holds importance to Jorene, because it symbolizes, change, growth, beauty, and freedom.
The butterfly icon/wings symbolize both the “dp” for her team name, “Dream Possible!” and can also be her initials, “JB”. This logo can support a wide range of colors, and still be identifiable, making it extremely flexible. As you can see by the sample images below, the logo can work as a single color logo, or as part of a multi-color design and is still effective. You can find out more about Scentsy by visiting Jorene’s website at //jorene.scentsy.us/.
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.