A Tribute to Herb Lubalin

One of my favorite design time-wasters (and thoroughly inspiring sites) is the blog The Serif. This past weekend Serif master Jim posted a link to a visual Tribute to Herbert Lubalin. Since then I've been back to visit the images several times. Designer and typographer Peter Gabor has put together a great collection of designs from Lubalin. Many of the examples presented are those I would slobber over as a high school and college student while hoping to become a graphic designer when I grew up. (I never grew up, but I did become a designer!)

(Image "borrowed" from The Serif)

Great identity-related gift hits the mark

Last week I was given a fantastic gift by Liz and Nena the co-owners of St. Johns Booksellers (hosts of the Identity Crisis! book release party earlier this month). Their store sells new and used books - and they are always having a wide variety of books come in from estates, house cleanings and other sources.

Recently they came across a copy of the 1916 book Trademark Power: An Expedition into an Unprobed and Inviting Wilderness by Glen Buck. The book, published 91 years ago by Munroe & Southworth in Chicago, even contained its original sales sheet of promotional blurbs (below left); with the notice that the volume was "Not for sale at book stores. One dollar a copy." The shop owners both immediately felt the book would be the perfect gift for me.

Considering the age of the book, it is incredible to see so many recognizable brands and identities. Of course, some have suffered their own identity crises and evolved over time. Still, Heinz, Western Union, Nabisco, Sherwin Williams, Dutch Cleanser, Yale Locks, RCA, Paramount Pictures, Dutch Boy Paints, Lysol, Log Cabin Syrup, Firestone Tires, Eagle Brand, and many other identities appear throughout Trademark Power (one page of examples is displayed below right). There are also many logo examples for firms that have disappeared over the past century.

Chapter 32 of the book covers what constitutes a good trademark - and things to be avoided when designing the identity to be trademarked. The author's list of things which may be avoided is as follows:

First - Common and familiar forms do usually make good trademarks, for they lack distinction. The circle, the square, the crescent, the star, the diamond. the heart, the oval, the shield, the cross, all have long ago been usurped and are burdened with significances.

Second - If one is anxious to aquire legal title to a trademark her will not have it resemble any other trademark, nor will he put in it any descriptive phrase or name.

Third - Flags and emblems of all nations, the established devices of societies, associations and institutions should be avoided as not legally usable or protectible.

Fourth - Complicated and confused pictures or devices do not make good trademarks, because they cannot be seen and comprehended at a glance. As they lack simplicity they lack strength.

Fifth - A good trademark will not depend upon any color arrangement for its effect, at it will undoubtedly be necessary to reproduce it in many places where color cannot be used.

Sixth - It is advisable to avoid designs that are higher than they are wide. A "tall" trademark is often difficult to fit into attractive and harmonious layouts.

Seventh - A trademark should be capable of reproduction in all engraving processes, by zincs, half-tones, and the different offset and lithographic methods, that it may be well printed on all kinds of paper and other printable materials.

Eighth - If the trademark is not as simple as it can be made, and carefully proportioned in all its parts, it may be impossible to reduce it to small sizes without losing the design, or to increase it to large sizes without rendering it ugly.

Ninth - Care should be taken to evolve a design that will not print too black or too light, for undoubtedly it will be used with many styles of lettering and kinds of type faces.

Tenth - Designs that have only a temporary significance should be discarded. They may be meaningless, absurd, or quite impossible of use tomorrow.

Eleventh - That which is vulgar, repulsive, or ugly will never make a good trademark. Also one should be extremely cautious in the use of comic motifs.

Twelfth - It will save expense and trouble, and perhaps prevent disappointment, if the work of designing the trademark is put into trained and understanding hands. It is work that can't be hurriedly done in an idle moment by one who has not conception of the importance of the task.

This advice is nearly a century old and, with all the advancements in the design industry and technology over that period of time, it is surprising that almost all of the recommendations are still very valid for today's identity designers.

In closing his book, author Buck writes:

The new manufacturer who does not bring into being a good trademark at the time his venture is launched, even though it may not at once be conspicuously used, is neglecting a real opportunity to add to his tangible assets.

And the established manufacturer who has not now a good trademark stands in pressing need of one.

The trademark is not a panacea for every business ill. But it is a fundamentally important part of the business equipment that is to serve efficiently in the new order.

Thank you Nena and Liz, for the incredible gift of yet another interesting and historical perspective on identity, branding and trademarks. It's a great addition to my personal design library of nearly 400 volumes.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives showcased in
Spanish book Eating & Designing

The design work of Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is included in the newly released book Eating & Designing from Spanish publisher Index Book. Logos designed for the Seattle Hamburger Mary's and Celilo - the former restaurant in Portland's Governor Hotel - appear in the book by designer Marta Aymerich. The volume is a collection of restaurant identities from around the world, and the use of those images in menus, signage, advertising, websites and interiors.

A hand holding a raised hamburger takes the form of the Space Needle in the logo for Hamburger Mary's. The design was previously featured in the Japanese books New Logo and Trademark Design and Logo and Trademark Collection.

The Governor Hotel interiors; and marketing and promotion efforts created by designer Jeff Fisher; made use of imagery associated with the Pacific Northwest exploration of the Lewis & Clark expedition and the 1905 Portland exposition celebrating the centennial of the trek. Letterforms from the handwritten journals of Meriwether Lewis were used to create the identity for the Celilo restaurant when the eatery and the hotel originally opened.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 575 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands, was recently released by HOW Books. His first volume, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, appeared on bookstore shelves in late 2004.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Create Magazine features
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity designs

The recently released November-December 2007 issue of the industry publication Create Magazine features two logo designs from Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. The identities for the Irish web development firm DesignEire and a self-promotion piece honoring designer Milton Glaser are highlighted in a feature on the magazine's online Create Network logo Image Battle competition.

Membership in the Create Network, on the publication's website, is free. Members may post blogs, share creative news, participate in an online forum, present a limited portfolio of work examples, and participate in activities such as the Image Battle. Paid memberships provide visitors additional resources and information.

The Image Battle creates a competition between two pieces of work in a variety of classifications. Members may then vote for favorites in each category. The Create Magazine Network section article shows the seven highest ranked logo designs. Two of those identities are by designer Jeff Fisher.

The DesignEire logo was produced for a web development company located in Dublin, Ireland. The design won a Summit Creative Award (Silver) and appears in the books The Big Book of Logos 3, New Logo World (Japan), Graphically Speaking, Global Corporate Identity, and Logo Design for Small Business 2. It was also once critiqued by the UK newspaper The Sunday Times.

Create Magazine erroneously notes that the Milton Glaser image was designed for the design icon. In fact, it was created for, and will appear in, the upcoming book A Tribute to Celebrities from author Pedro Guitton and Spanish publisher Index Book.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 575 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. This past month, his book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, was released by HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released in late 2004.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Calls for entries:

Upcoming design competition deadlines

All of the following competitions deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Graphex 2008
(GDC - Canada)
Deadline: 23 November 2007
Entry fees charged

ADI Design Award: Graphic Design Annual
(Art Design Institute of China Academy of Art)
Deadline: 30 November 2007
No entry fees to foreign entrants

The Design Green Project
(Area of Design - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 December 2007
Entry fees charged

Best of Brochure Design 10
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 30 November 2007
No entry fees charged

A Tribute to Typography
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 1 December 2007
No entry fees charged

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 December 2007
Entry fees charged

Creativity+Commerce
PRINT’s International Art and Commerce Design Review
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 3 December 2007
Entry fees charged

American Corporate Identity 24
(David E. Carter - USA)
"Blue Plate" Deadline: 7 December 2007
"Last Call" Deadline: 21 December 2007
Entry fees charged

American Package Design Awards
(Graphic design:usa - USA)
Deadline Extended: 10 December 2007
Entry fees charged

Just For You - Designs Made By The Heart
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: January 2008
No entry fees charged

Identity - Best of the Best 2008
(Identity Magazine - Russia)
Deadline: January 15, 2008
No Entry Fees

D&AD Awards 08
(D&AD - UK)
Deadline: January 16, 2008
Entry fees charged

The Art Director's Club 87th Annual Awards
(The Art Director's Club - USA)
Deadline: 18 January 2008
Entry fees charged

Summit Creative Awards
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline: 28 January 2008
Entry fees charged

I.D. Student Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 February 2008
Entry fees charged

2008 Gold Quill Awards
(International Association of Business Communicators - IABC)
Early-bird deadline: 5 February 2008
Final deadline: 12 February 2008

Entry fees charged

PRINT’s Regional Design Annual 2008
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 3 March 2008
Entry fees charged

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites. A list of design competition links appears at the end of the article.

Design competition calendars are also available at Icograda and Workbook. DesignTaxi and Dexinger post competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

For the perspecctive from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a recent bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

DesignerToday cites Jeff Fisher in spec work article

Writer Adrienne Thibodeau has quoted me in her most recent DesignerToday Magazine article "Spec Work: Then and Now." The writer presents a historical perspective on spec work - and gives designers examples of the various forms of spec work to avoid. Links to several articles I have written are provided.

DesignerToday, an online magazine, has been providing industry professionals the most current design news, product reviews, related articles, tutorials by subscription and more, for nearly a decade.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Portland Graphic Designers' Coffee Club to "meetup"

The initial gathering of The Portland Graphic Designers' Coffee Club will be this Friday, November 16. The new Meetup group will meet at Costello's Travel Caffe - 2222 NE Broadway in Portland, OR - beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Designer Michelle Schneider, Creative Insomniac, formed the group as a networking opportunity for designers in the Portland metropolitan area.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

design:related™ features Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is currently the Featured Designer on the homepage of the creative industry networking site design:related™. A social-based website, design:related™ brings together creative people from different disciplines (and world locations) of the design world. With the integration of portfolios, inspirations, job postings, and community, the site serves to motivate designers to share ideas, inspire, and be inspired.

Designers are able to create a professional and personal profile, upload a project portfolio, post a resume PDF, share inspiration resources, link to news items, create a network of designers, and interact with others through private messages. Employers are also able to create creative industry job postings.

Designers should take the quick tour of the site's capabilities, posted on the homepage, and consider participation in the social and professional network created specifically for creatives.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Balloons on Broadway

The original logo for the balloon delivery service (below left), and gift/card retailer, Balloons on Broadway had served the company well, but did not convey much about the business itself. As more customers began to refer to the company by its initials, B.O.B., the owners decided to have a new identity created.

The new logo (above middle), with the inclusion of a balloon graphic, projected much more of the fun and energy of the business - and the individuals running the company. The colors for the firm remained black and white.

With a later move to a new location, and introducing the business to the Internet, I was contracted to create yet another update of the company image was in order (above right). An unrelated local business had started using a “BOB” advertising campaign so Balloons on Broadway opted to move away from that reference while maintaining much of the previous logo’s appearance. Color was added, which could also translate well to a web presence and neon signage. The colors could be manipulated to signify various holiday promotions. Animation was also introduced to the image. The logo is still often presented in black and white, tying into the previous branding of the business.

The logo currently represents the balloon delivery and event planning business only. The retail operation has been renamed to better represent the products sold.

The Balloons on Broadway logo received a Bronze in the Summit Creative Awards. The identity is featured in The Big Book of Logos 3, New Logo World (Japan), Logo Design for Small Business 2, Logos from North to South America (Spain) and Logos Redesigned.

(Note: My new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Signed Identity Crisis! copies available
from St. Johns Booksellers in Portland

Last night I had a very successful Identity Crisis! book signing event at St. Johns Booksellers in North Portland. Owners Liz Dorman and Nena Rawdah hosted the fun evening at their store, located at 8622 N. Lombard in the St. Johns neighborhood.

Following the event, I signed numerous copies of Identity Crisis! and the store now has the books available for purchase. Unfortunately, they don't have website ordering. However, you may visit the store in person, email them at info@stjohnsbooks.com, or call (503)283-0032, to place an order or get additional information about the book. As other Portland area bookstores have limited quantities of the volume in stock - or have not yet received orders - St. Johns Booksellers is a great independent bookstore option.

If someone would like a personally inscribed copy, provide the store with the necessary information and I would be happy to stop by and personalize the book before it is shipped out.

For any order over $25 St. Johns Booksellers will ship by USPS media mail for free to Oregon, Washington, and California. (They don't recommend trying media mail for longer distances, because it can take an unreasonably long time and the additional handling is hard on the books.) The UPS ground fee is $6 for the first book, $1.50 for each additional item.

You will find much more information about my book on the Identity Crisis! blog.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!:

HOW "Designer's Good Business Guide"
features Jeff Fisher start-up advice

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is featured in an article in the "Designer's Good Business Guide" issue of HOW Magazine. The piece, "Start Smart," written by Esther D'Amico, appears in the December 2007 issue of the publication.

Fisher is one of nine industry experts giving advice to designers who may be considering quitting their day job and striking out on their own. Others cited in the article include Justin Ahrens of Rule 29, David C. Baker from ReCourses, Nicole Block of NicEvents, and Sayles Graphic Design's Sheree Clark. Cameron Foote from Creative Business, Keith Pizer of One Trick Pony, Christine Sullivan from The Creative Economy Association of the North Shore of Massachusetts, and Tortorella Design's Neil Tortorella also provide input.

HOW Magazine provides graphic-design professionals with essential business information, covers new technology and processes, profiles renowned and up-and-coming designers, details noteworthy projects, and provides creative inspiration. Fisher has been a member of the publication's Editorial Advisory Board since 2004.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 575 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. This past month, his book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, was released by HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released in late 2004.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

"Identity Crisis is a rare book" - Chuck Green

One of the blogs I check out on a regular basis is PagePlane, an online presence of design industry expert and author Chuck Green. His site Ideabook.com, the tutorials he offers, and his Jumpola design links are incredible resources for anyone in the profession.

On PagePlane Green has posted a review of Identity Crisis! under the headline Identity Crisis is a rare book. In part the review reads:

If you are a graphic designer who has real-world clients—I suggest you add this book to your toolbox. If you are a business owner or marketer who wants to see how others make over and leverage their identity—Jeff Fisher’s Identity Crisis is a good place to start.

The entire review is available on PagePlane.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher book signing
at St. Johns Booksellers - November 8th

1 November 2007
For immediate release

St. Johns Booksellers, the neighborhood bookstore of North Portland graphic designer and author Jeff Fisher, will be the location of a presentation and book signing for his new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, on Thursday, November 8th at 7:30 p.m. Bookstore owners Liz Dorman and Nena Rawdah will host the event in their store, located at 8622 N. Lombard in the St. Johns neighborhood - about 15 minutes north of downtown Portland.

Identity Crisis!, a HOW Books/F+W Publications release, takes a fresh look at 50 before and after case studies, from designers and firms from around the world, by exploring the process of redesigning existing identities to help businesses refine their image, communicate with customers, and find success. Designers seeking inspiration - and any business considering a graphic makeover - will be presented an inside look at the challenges of redesigning identities and visual examples of creative and strategic thinking in achieving the desired results.

The work of Portland design firms Fullblast, Inc., Sockeye Creative and Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, and Salem company Glitschka Studios, is featured in the book. Jack Anderson, of the Seattle firm Hornall Anderson Design Works wrote the foreward for Identity Crisis!

Title: Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands
Hardbound: 216 pages
Publisher: HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications
Release: September 2007
ISBN: 1581809395
Price: $35.00

St. Johns Booksellers is a full-service, independent neighborhood bookstore offering new and used books. Anyone having questions about the Identity Crisis! book signing event is encouraged to contact the store at 503.283.0032, Tuesdays through Sunday.

For more information, visit the Identity Crisis! blog. A downloadable PDF file of some teaser spreads is also available on the blog of publisher HOW Books.

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has received nearly 575 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, design education, and small business marketing. In addition, Fisher also writes for CreativeLatitude.com, HOW Magazine and other design resources; and speaks about the design profession to high school classes, college students, and at international design industry conferences.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004

(* If I don't "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives