I hate Under Construction pages...

As much as I dislike Under Construction home pages, some clients still insist. These holding pages take away the impact of a new site, dilute the brand and lose potential customers looking for your service; especially when the site is eternally under construction.
When you HAVE to create one, ensure you perk the interest of the visitor by giving visual cues to what to expect from the site remodel. Create relevant searchable text that build optimization in advance of a new launch. Smashing Magazine provides helpful tips  to add flair to the "Coming Soon" page. Certainly something is better than the default domain name provider gives (eww). Here is a "Coming Soon" version for Treat Paine Acupuncture.

If you are excited about having the new site, remodel, or idea, take a moment to put some thought behind it.

Paul Rand was never called an Asshole

Paul Rand created some of the most memorable brandmarks in the USA.  His playful style was thoughtful, simple, sophisticated and continues to be timeless. In Design, Form, and Chaos, Rand shares “some thoughts and despair about the design of a logo". All I can say is Wow!
PS:
I never knew he did ENRON logo. Just proves that it's not the logo that shapes the company.

Question: Does corporate america currently invest in thought provoking design?
What are the latest corporate rebrands new you've seen? Certainly not the GAP!

Here's how my head works:

1. Facebook friend posts you tube videos of Led Zepplin
2. Rockin' out, I notice Jimmy Pages' cool rocker Wizard outfit
3. Google Jimmy Page Costume brings me to a blog all about Rocker fashion, wow!
4. Then finally to a book called The Look Adventures in Rock & Pop Fashion

I get sucked into checking this rocker fashion blog for a good hour. It's quite a history that I knew existed, yet never seen chronicled until now. It is part of the brand for sure. It is stage, it is bigger than life, it is showmanship, rocking that bling and something flashy and colorful a fan can see from the top row of a sold out stadium.

Give Elvis The Brand a listen - and remember to wear your rockin’ shoes!

Stationery Case Study

Evolution of 50 Corporate Brand logos

Richworks has posted a nice collection corporate logos, their evolution and the story behind each.
I pose this question: When is the tipping point for change?

Please design a logo for me. With pie charts.

Fresh Baked Brand

The imagery for this one came easy, but as with any image development, the process was deliberate and methodical. The principles of logo design are simple, and with that in mind can be hard to achieve. Without that part of the process, you might as well go and get yer clipart, or better yet do it yourself!

What’s Your New Plan B?

The clever use of brand logos to reflect our current situation. The New York Times article suggests to even think about plan C?

Let the Rebranding... Begin.

As predicted, there is much rebranding to do here. On their announcement of filing for chapter eleven Here is General Motors TV ad with their calm and sober steps to rebuild. And directly from their website: Creating A Stronger New GM.

This is brilliant.

Good article on CreativePro.com about Spec Work and Crowdsourcing. Though I have thought about doing this, I agree with the writer that it doesn't pay off. I have been a graphic designer long enough to know that my knowledge is worth the time and effort developing real and meaningful design. Both the client and their customers benefit in the end. Professionalisim and business sense are as much a part of the equation as the final design.

The Year of the Tarnished Brands

PR Week has an article about the year of the rebrand. It seems like there are a few tarnished businesses out there besides Blackwater now “Xe”. (Pronounced “Z”).
Name Wire covers the matter and gets into the delicate balance and strategy it takes to rebrand a tarnished business. I have a feeling there are more to come.

Happy Friday!

http://www.yourlogomakesmebarf.com/

Central Coast Cycling Classic (C4)

I finished the logo design for the Central Coast Cycling Classic (C4) brought to you by cencalcycling.com.
Below is the process in getting this illustration Just so:


The Parameters:

1. It should reflect the classic spirit of the race
   
2. It should hold up well in a variety of promo material from website, garments, street banners and posters for the Fourth of July event weekend.
3. It should suggest the familiar and memorable "C4" moniker so promoters don't go hoarse repeating such a long name.
   

This is bound to be a great event and will set a precedent for future races and civic involvement in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Thanks to Shaba for her visionary plan to make cycling more than it is currently perceived.

Brandmark Case Study

Final Version

Project:Synchro provides organizational performance enhancement through consulting and coaching. Clients include technical and manufacturing companies and organizations wanting to develop systems and processes to create a unified workplace and support lasting cultural change.

"The owner wanted to create a timeless graphic reflecting her business model in a visual way. She had a triangle and gears in mind and wanted to use it in the design.
After interviewing her and the way she conducts business, I could sense that flow was important, something dynamic and moving; she said her husband was into motors. My first thought was Wankel engine ;) exploration, then focused direction. I looked into the rich history of the triangle in different cultures, and looked for interesting patterns to explore."

Version 2

"Ths version is based off the pattern found on the Borromean triangle with colors that mix to create a luminescent quality. The idea that everyone brings something to the table and adds to the final idea."

Version 3

"I had to entertain the triangle and gears she initially conceived. We all agreed it was too heavy and didn't speak to her business model."

The version approved turned out to be a great balance of both analytical skills (Fractal triangles) and intuition (sumi brushstroke) to get to the solution, whatever that may be. It is open and unconfined which also speaks to her business and clients.
Everyone was happy with the final solution.

Special thanks to Susan at Big Ears Strategic Marketing for bringing me into this project.

The Pepsi media blitz continues...

Arnell Somehow Equates Pepsi to the Sun's Gravitation among other things. Part of the reason one does a redesign is to create a buzz. Why not do it in a grand way? My take on it is less about the design and more on a fascination with the social impact it has.

"It goes way beyond reasonable. ... It's preposterous and extreme, and kinda layered with bullshit," said Charles Rosen, founding partner of New York ad agency Amalgamated. "But I understand the reason they went as far as they did with it.

Read more on Advertising Age, then read about PepsiCo profit drop, thencheck out this awesome redesign of the Pepsi redesign.

There is a good discussion going on about the new Pepsi logo and its connection to Obama logo at DTG design by Fred Showker. I stay neutral, since I am not a carbonated soft drinker and have little allegiance either Pepsi or Coke. I'm always amazed at the time and money spent on this magical craft.
Interesting reviews of beverage marketing here at BevReview.com

Shepard Fairey Media Blitz

Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant fame has been in the media swirl lately for good or bad. Either way, it is a great way to mark up your hourly rate;) It's hard to keep track of all the flurry but here is what I have come up with lately:

Shepard Fairey arrested in Boston
Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand show opens ICA Boston
AP wants credit for Fairey's Obama image

I want to stand back from all this and let you consider the following:
Art is a powerful tool and can take many forms from the hyper-nostalgic Thomas Kinkade to the art sampling of Shepard. Both reflect our society and current culture in perfect clarity.
Where do you stand on this?

Raymond Loewy Designs are just "Cool"

Modern design was shaped by Raymond Loewy; best known for such American design icons as the Coca Cola bottle, Air Force One, Lucky Strike, Greyhound Bus, Pennsylvania S-1 Locomotive, Exxon and Shell logos, NASA interiors for Sky Lab and the Space Shuttle along with the Avanti.
A bold self-publicist, Loewy published his autobiography Never Leave Well Enough Alone in 1951. He recounted that his start in industrial design came when, at sixteen, he designed and sold a successful model airplane. Over the course of his career he created some of the most enduring images of the mid-century industrial design.

www.raymondloewy.org

Michael Hart's " Marketing & Media Network"

There are better ways to get your word out.
I'm usually one to shoot down online web casts. It's not the information presented but in the past, but the delivery method. There's a solution that is easy to sign up, get your reminder, and bring professional presentors that deliver the subject in an entertaining package as it should be. PLUS the best part - it's free. It's called brighttalk.com. I'm tuning in tomorrow for this one: Six ettiquette rules to avoid office holiday faux pas I'm not attending any, and have seen enough "faux pasises" to know what to avoid (is jamming with the rental band considered a faux pas?) Anyway, it will be my entertainment tomorrow morning and should get me in the holiday spirit. Look up Michael Hart and catch his next delivery.