Making a logo design concept your own - Part deux

In a recent bLog-oMotives entry I wrote about identity designers making logo design concepts their own through the incorporation of graphic images as letterforms. Replacing a letter of type with a graphic element is a tool I often use to make a client's logo design unique.

One recent such example is the identity I created for a friend's startup interior design business, NoBox Design. In explaining her plans for the business, the friend told me that the name referred to the fact she didn't want clients thinking "out of the box;" she wanted them to realize that there was "no box" when it came to conceptulizing interior spaces. I immediately thought of round forms, especially the rounded shapes of a 1980's Donghia chair. Back in 1984 I produced a set of two silkscreen prints making use of a Donghia-like over-stuffed chair - one of my favorite furniture shapes. (The prints were sold in Portland galleries and made an appearance as set decoration on the soap Days of Our Lives.)

The two "O" letterforms in the word "NoBox" were prefectly placed to become the round arms of the chair illustration. With my friend's first name beginning with the letter "B," I felt a stylized graphic representation of a monogrammed throw, of blanket, made an appropriate centerpiece in the design.

This past year the NoBox Design logo was recognized with a 2006 American Corporate Identity Award and it appears in the book American Corporate Identity 2007.

The identity for Black Dog Furniture Design is one of my favorite logo projects. Brett Bigham, commonly known as my "evil devil pig friend from hell," provided me with a piece of paper covered with a collection of puppy footprint drawings and sketches of his little black dog, Adobo. He wanted me to create an identity for his startup furniture business of creating new pieces from found objects and old furniture. The font Very Merry, from Fonthead Design, was my first choice to compliment the primative quality of the dog illustration. For me, replacing the letter "o" with the tail "wag marks" was a natural consideration in making the logo unusual.

From the perspective of being recognized in the design industry, the Black Dog Furniture Design logo has been one of my most successful. The logo appears in the books The Big Book of Logos 3, Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, American Corporate Identity 2003, Global Corporate Identity, PRINT's Regional Design Annual, Logo Design for Small Business 2 and Graphis Logo 6. It also received an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design: usa magazine.

Over the past 16 years I've designed over 100 logos for the triangle productions! theatre company in Portland. Many have involved combining graphics and type to produce a concise and unique graphic symbol. Creating the logo for the theatrical production The Dream State was such a case. In playing with the shape of the letters on my computer screen I saw that star shapes would work to replace the "A" letterforms in the words "dream" and "state." I tried a couple different fonts in making the image light and playful; settling on Circus Dog, also from Fonthead. The crescent moon image was added as an afterthought to give the logo some balance.

The Dream State identity was also recognized with an American Graphic Design Award. It is featured in the book The Big Book of Logos 4 and the Spanish volume Logos from North to South America.

Principal Mike Verbout asked me to create a logo the James John Elementary School in a effort to boost student and community pride in the institution. He'd recently had some colorful flags installed on the school structure and hoped that I could include that imagery in the design. The school is located near the historic St. Johns Bridge, a major landmark in the Portland area. In my mind I saw one of the towers from the bridge replacing the "H" in the school's name - and banners could be attached to the spires of the bridge image. The result was a design appealing to children and adults, and an image that worked well on signage, T-shirts and other promotional items.

The James John School identity was honored with an American Graphic Design Award and a Silver in the Summit Creative Awards. The logo also appears in the books The New Big Book of Logos and Logos from North to South America..

By stepping back from logo design projects, and looking at possible graphic elements as potential letterform shapes, a designer can put their personal stamp on a creative identity concept.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Artist/prankster Danny Finegood loses cancer battle

This past June I posted an entry on bLog-oMotives about my friend David Batterson writing a song celebrating art student Danny Finegood's legendary 1976 alteration of the famous Hollywood sign - making it read "Hollyweed." This past week my blog was getting numerous visits through Internet searches for "Danny Finegood" and "Daniel Finegood." Late Thursday night I learned that Finegood passed away on Monday, due to multiple myeloma, at the age of 52. The Los Angeles Times posted an updated tribute on the paper's website earlier today.

This afternoon I had a very nice email from his daughter Natalie, asking if I would post the sad news. She said that her father "was an awesome guy." In responding to her email I wrote: "From everything I've read and heard about (your father), he was a man with an incredible spirit and an individual I would have thoroughly enjoyed knowing personally."

Finegood coordinated the alteration of the Hollywood landmark three other times. Once the sign was changed to read Holywood for Easter. In 1987, during the Iran-Contra hearings, it was altered to read "Ollywood" to protest the hero worship of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. Another brief change was made by Finegood in 1990 when the sign read "Oil War" before police removed the plastic draping the structure.

In a 1983 letter to the Los Angeles Times, Finegood and his cohorts wrote: "We broke no laws and did no damage to the sign. An artist's role throughout history has been to create representations of the culture he exists in. By hanging four relatively small pieces of fabric on the landmark, we were able to change people's perception of the Hollywood sign."

For many, that perception will include fond memories of artist and prankster Danny Finegood. Posters of the Hollyweed image may still be ordered at Hollyweed.net. Donations may be made in Finegood's memory to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, 9201 W. Sunset Blvd., Suite 300, West Hollywood, CA 90069.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

'The ditch between white trash

and trailer trash is called hope'

"My momma always used to say, 'The ditch between white trash and trailer trash is called hope.'"

So reads a line from the book Crumbs of Love: And That's All You're Ever Going To Get, by Donnie (the pseudonym of my friend and long-time Portland client Don Horn). I want to congratulate Horn for writing and publishing his memoir, which publisher iUniverse describes as "an unforgettable story of love, betrayal, and one father’s need to always be in control."

Don Horn, a playwright and theatrical producer, has been a friend and client since I met him opening night of his first play nearly 17 years ago. Over those years I've designed over 100 logos for his triangle productions! theatre company, in addition to posters, ads, playbills, T-shirts, an occasional prop and more. I even designed a paper doll book called Dressin' With Divine for the company. A decade ago, he trusted me enough to allow me the opportunity to spend a summer directing the play Party!, with its cast of a gaggle of nude men (including Peter Paige who went on to fame as Emmett on Queer as Folk.). He has always been a great friend and for about six years we've had a Thursday morning theraputic "koffee klatch" with several others. Horn also played host for the wedding of my partner and I at his theater in 2004.

Years ago I read the rough draft of Horn's memoir. The man has led an incredibly fascinating life. I really look forward to reading the book in its final form.

Crumbs of Love is available in book form from Amazon and from iUniverse as an Adobe eBook download.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Corita Kent - artist, designer, activist - gets her due

In my college years, and after first moving to Portland in 1980, my favorite artist, graphic designer, political activist and wise woman just happened to also be a Roman Catholic nun. Corita Kent blended her faith, political beliefs, art, graphic design, typography and sometimes the headlines of the day into some of the most recognizable, and unsung, imagery of the 1960's, 1970's and early 1980's. Now, over 20 years since her death in 1986, she is getting the attention I always personally felt she deserved as a female graphic communicator in what was primarily a good old boys' club.

Much of the renewed interest in Corita Kent comes with the release of the book Come Alive!: The Spirited Art of Corita Kent by Julie Ault. I was thrilled to learn of the book from a recent entry at UnBeige. That blurb led me to Lorraine Wild's piece, Sister Corita: The Juiciest Tomato, at Design Observer and Mark Kingsley's Speak Up article, Corita. (This is a fascinating woman who ended up on the cover of Newsweek back in 1967.)

With the London release of Come Alive!, from Four Corners, there was an exhibit of Corita's work at the Between Bridges gallery, which got the attention of The Guardian newspaper. Nun Like Her was the Creative Review response to the exhibition and book release. The exhibit, Sister Corita: The Joyous Revolutionary is currently available for touring and I do hope it gets more exposure in the U.S. Six Corita prints are part of the exhibit DISSENT!, on display at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum through February 28, 2007.

If I sound a bit excited about the March release of this book, I am. As a designer new to the profession in the early 80's, I received a signed Corita as a gift and was able to purchase another from a gallery that would later end up selling my own silkscreen efforts. Each morning I wake up to the graphic representation of the Corita Kent quote, "Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed." There's a bit of irony that my other Kent piece, Yes #3 (a large red heart over the word "love"), went to the other party when I got divorced in 1985.

Today the Immaculate Heart Community is the home to the Corita Art Center. The center's online presence includes an archive of Corita Kent's serigraphs and pieces for sale. The U.S. release of the book Come Alive! is currently available for pre-sale.

Update - 05.22.07: I just got the book for myself with a birthday gift card. It's an incredible resource for anyone interested in the work of Corita Kent. I would highly recommend it.

Print image © The Corita Art Center

© 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:

Brochures from North to South America
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: No specific date published
No entry fees charged

Hungry Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: No specific date published
No entry fees charged

Packaging Identity
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: No specific date published
No entry fees charged

CA Interactive Media Design
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline Extended: January 26, 2007
Entry fees charged

TDC53 - Typography
(Type Directors Club - USA)
Deadline Extended: January 23, 2007
Entry fees charged

Summit Creative Awards
(Summit Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: February 19, 2006
Entry fees charged

The Art Directors Club Annual Awards
(The Art Directors Club - USA)
Professional Deadline Extended: January 26, 2007
Student Deadline: January 31, 2007

Entry fees charged

Identity: Best of the Best 2007
(Identity Magazine - Russia)
Deadline: January 31, 2007
No entry fees charged

American Inhouse Design Awards
(Graphic Design: usa - USA)
Deadline: February 28, 2007
Entry fees charged

European Design Awards
(Europe)
Submission period: January 1 - February 28, 2007
Entry fees charged

PRINT Regional Design Annual
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: March 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

The Best of Business Card Design 8
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: March 1, 2007
No entry fees charged

1000 Music Graphics
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: March 1, 2007
No entry fees charged

365: AIGA Annual 28
(AIGA - USA)
Deadline: March 2, 2007
Entry fees charged

50 Books/50 Covers
(AIGA - USA)
Deadline: March 2, 2007
Entry fees charged

CA Illustration Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: March 13, 2007
Entry fees charged

CA Photography Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: March 13, 2007
Entry fees charged

HOW Promotion Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: March 19, 2007
Entry fees charged

LogoLounge 4
(LogoLounge - USA)
Deadline: March 31, 2007
LogoLounge membership required

HOW InHOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: April 13, 2007
Entry fees charged

Grids: 100 Creative Solutions for Designers
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: April 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Print & Production Finishes for Packaging
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: June 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Print & Production Finishes for Sustainable Design
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: June 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Communicating with Pattern: Signs & Symbols
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: August 31, 2007
No entry fees charged

Squares, checks & grids
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: August 31, 2007
No 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.

Good luck!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

"My Kid Could Design That Restaurant Logo!"

That odd headline, from a recent entry on the New York Magazine blog Grub Street, popped up on my Internet radar this morning. When I checked out the link I was thrilled to find the work of Louise Fili (a designer whose restaurant identity work I truly admire) featured in a blurb about her designs being included in the Society of Illustrators' current exhibition at the Museum of Illustration in New York. You need to hurry if you want to see the exhibit in person as it ends on January 27th. I'd previously read about the exhibit, but had done little to check out what it was all about (I've been a little busy writing a book in recent months...).

Luckily the exhibit "Letter As Image,Image As Letter," described as "six designers reinventing lettering and creating new vocabularies of design," also has a great online presence. Check out the incredible restaurant logos by Fili - including the design for one of my favorite restaurants, The Pink Door in Seattle. The site also allows you to view the beautiful illustrative efforts of Michael Doret, Gerard Huerta, Tom Nikosey, Daniel Pelavin, and Tom White.

I'm glad that headline caught my attention this morning - although I'm now distracted checking out the work of some fascinating designers and illustrators. It's very satisfying to know that some kids do grow up to create restaurant logos the calibre of Louise Fili's work.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Sign your rights away for fame and glory

Over the past week the MyBlogLog stats for bLog-oMotives have shown a large number of visitors from Craigslist users around the United States. As I don't use the community classified ad site to promote my work I thought I would investigate a bit. In each case the Craigslist postings are to artists around the country criticizing the magazine design cover "contest" currently (?) being conducted by American Artist magazine. (To be perfectly honest, due to the conflicting dates on the website and downloadable PDF entry form, I can't tell if the "contest" is current or just on-going and the publication has not corrected the specified dates - it really doesn't alter the issue) The messages include the text of a past bLog-oMotives entry, which also appeared on the NO!SPEC site, regarding a somewhat similar arts industry situation and how it was resolved.

It annoys the hell out of me when the organization conducting the "contest" is an arts organization, design industry group, art publication, or some other related entity that should know better. The American Artist magazine cover competition is (was?) an example. While this "contest" is not necessarily a request for speculative, or "spec," work - unless, I suppose, an artist chooses to create new work specifically for submission - it does bring up the rights issues of so many "contests." In part, the "rules and regulations" state:

As consideration for being permitted to enter the contest and win a prize, you hereby grant to American Artist, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their successors and assigns, an unlimited, royalty-free license to use your name, images, and artwork in any print, electronic, or other medium now existing or developed in the future including, by not limited to, use on the www.myAmericanArtist.com website, without restriction as to the frequency or duration of usage.

That alone should be enough for any professional artist to be insulted and angry. I'd be really pissed off if I was one of those submitting artwork for consideration with the additional requirement of paying $50 per entry to sign my rights away.

I would hope that artists would contact the publication (and other entities attempting to take advantage of artists/designers in similar situations) and (to quote a favorite movie line) let them know they are "mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" now and in the future.

Note: Illustrative element from American Artist call for entries.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Building Letters Three: Tsumani Edition available

Following the devastating Indian Ocean tsumani of December 2004, many in the design and typography communities felt the need to do something to help those impacted by the natural disaster. The immediate response was the coordination of an effort by Building Letters and the Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) in creating Font Aid III, a project uniting the typographic and design communities in raising funds to expedite relief efforts in the affected countries.

More than 220 designers worldwide submitted over 400 glyphs for a collaborative charity-ware typeface, Fleurons of Hope, which has since been available for a minimum donation of $20 at MyFonts. My own design (below left) was included in the Font Aid project result. In early 2005, 35 foundries donated proceeds from sales of their top-selling fonts through MyFonts for a 30-day period. More than $18,000 was raised through the Font Aid III effort.

This past fall the second phase of the project, the publication Building Letters Three: Tsunami Edition, was released at the ATypI Conference in Lisbon as part of the continuing design industry response to the tsunami. The publication includes articles by Tom de Gay, Nick Shinn, Max Kinsman, Fiona Ross, Donald Beekman, a piece on the Fleurons of Hope project, and a CD of 25 fonts by designers Tomáš Brousil, David Březina, Veronika Burian, Stefan Hattenbach, Richard Kegler, Ludmila Lorenz, José Louis Coyotl Mixcoatl, Bram Pitoyo, Pieter van Rosmalen, José Scaglione, Jürgen Weltlin, and Seonil Yun. The Fluerons on Hope font is also on the disk.

All proceeds from the sale of the publication go to Direct Relief International for distribution to those most in need of the continuing aid. Order your copy from the Building Letters website.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Making a logo design concept your own

In a previous bLog-oMotives entry, and Creative Latitude article, I wrote about designers creating truly unique identities. The process involves so much more than just slapping a graphic, or icon, up next to a block of text or a word. With the vast majority of my logo designs I try to envision a graphic element, appropriate to the message to be conveyed in the design, as a possible letterform representation within the name. Combining the two often results in an incredibly individual and memorable symbol to identify the client.

One of my personal favorites has always been the logo I designed for the Seattle breakfast establishment Glo's Broiler. It's a good example of a well thought out concept coming together with a "happy accident" to produce a strong identifying image. In designing the logo, I knew I wanted a coffee cup and plate to represent the "o" letterforms in the name. Then, as I rotated the coffee cup illustration a bit, a lower-case "g" appeared within the design.

The same treatment then worked in a secondary image for the restaurant. The owner wanted to have a complimentary logo to represent the athletic teams the eatery sponsored and the "Glo's Boys" imagery was the second "happy accident" in the branding process.

The Glo's Broiler image appears in the books Bullet-Proof Logos, Logo Design for Small Business 2 and the Japanese volume New Logo and Trademark Design (which was recently re-released as the paperback Logo and Trademark Collection).

While archiving logo design work I have done over the past 30 years, I've been coming across many other projects where I have used graphic elements as substitutes for letterforms with a variety of results. One of the earliest successes was the logo design for hairstylist Jeff Maul. By just taking the time to look at hair-cutting scissors in a different way, I was able to see possible letter shapes in the holes used for fingers.

The St. Johns Window Project is a local event where North Portland artists are asked to create works of art to be displayed in the windows of area businesses. When asked to create a logo for the annual event, I immediately visualized window frames as replacements for letters in the name - before the organization's contact could even finish explaining what they hoped for in an identity. The effort received a 2003 American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design: usa magazine.

Personal chef and caterer Jim Crabtree wanted a simple and distinctive identity for his business. In researching catering logo images, I kept coming across graphic representations of dinner plates, waiters, picnic baskets, fruits and vegetables, serving trays, bottles of wine, and other fairly common items. None of the examples gave me the impresson of being unique to the industry. Jim himself was one of the most unique aspects of his business - with his spiky hair and angular features. That's when I realized a "W," the first letter in his company name, could easily be adapted to represent a portion of a man's body. The final design resulted in many of the owner's friends and clients saying "it looks just like him."

The "What's For Dinner?" logo is also featured in the Logo Design for Small Business 2, New Logo and Trademark Design and Logo and Trademark Collection.

When tackling logo design challenges, designers should take into consideration that letterforms may resemble applicable graphic imagery - and graphic elements may be excellent replacements for particular letter shapes. By expanding on an initial concept the result may be a truly unique design solution. Other such examples will be highlighted in future bLog-oMotives entries.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Gastronomical orgasms in a pretty purple gift box

I was very flattered when I got an email from a design industry peer (you know who you are!) thanking me for my mentions and support of their design firm over the past year. I was even more surprised to read that a gift of appreciation was on its way - and that "for optimal flavor, the items should be consumed by the suggested date."

OK, now I was really curious. I anxiously awaited the "clank" of the lid of my mailbox each day. When the package arrived I opened it to a beautiful little purple folded envelope containing an even more stunning tiny purple and white self-promo piece. That envelope was sitting upon a gorgeous purple box, wrapped with a purple satin ribbon, and on top the box were the words "Vosges Haut-Chocolat." (The entire presentation was fan-frickin'-tastic!)

I honestly think I started to salivate - or perhaps I was foaming at the mouth.

I'd been told all about Vosges chocolates when in Chicago for the 2005 HOW Design Conference - and previously read some of founder Katrina Markoff's great press. However, with my crazed schedule I didn't have the time visit the Michigan Avenue boutique.

The chocolates were truly multiple orgasms in a purple gift box. I received an Exotic Truffle Collection box of amazing variety. My gift included the delectible Naga (sweet Indian curry powder, coconut and milk chocolate), Black Pearl (ginger, wasabi, dark chocolate and black sesame seeds), Absinthe (Chinese star anise, fennel, pastis, dark chocolate and cocoa powder), Ambrosia (macadamia nuts, Cointreau and white chocolate), Chef Pascal (kirsch, dark chocolate and dried Michigan cherry), Gianduia (crunchy hazelnut praline, milk chocolate and praline bits), Wink of the Rabbit (caramel milk chocolate and organic New Mexican pecan), Woolloomooloo (Australian macadamia nut,coconut and milk chocolate), and Budapest (sweet Hungarian paprika and dark chocolate). I'm drooling on my keyboard just remembering the unbelievable sensations and flavors.

I must compliment Vosges Haut-Chocolat, and their designer(s), for the beautiful packaging and company literature contained within. Additional thanks go out to the design professional who sent me the wonderful gift. It was enjoyed with many "oohs," "aahs" and assorted moans while following the "see," "lick," "snap" and "taste" instructions from the "How to eat a truffle" booklet.

I think I will follow the advice from the Vosges Haut-Chocolat website and my New year's resolution will be to "Eat Chocolate" - much more chocolate - in 2007.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The Pentagram Papers packaged and released

For years I've always been a big fan of the work - and writings - of the design industry powerhouse Pentagram. Since 1975 the firm has issued the Pentagram Papers, a limited edition series of booklets that examine “curious, entertaining, stimulating, provocative, and occasionally controversial points of view” related to design. Published once or twice a year, the Papers have been distributed exclusively to friends and clients. In recognition of the company's 35th anniversary, the Papers have been collected and make their public debut in a new book, The Pentagram Papers, recently released by Chronicle Books in the US, and to be followed by a February rollout from Thames & Hudson in the UK.

Each Pentagram Paper explores a unique topic of interest—from the lights of London’s famed Savoy hotel to the pop architecture of Wildwood, New Jersey; from the mailboxes of rural Australia to the classroom aids of Mexico. The Pentagram Papers includes a detailed discussion of the series’ origins, reproductions of the 35 entries so far, and tucked in the back, a complete new paper, Marks of Africa, number 36 in the series. The book was conceived and designed by Pentagram partner Kit Hinrichs.

Note: Photo courtesy of Pentagram

I'm so dizzy...but hopefully not forever

Many bLog-oMotives readers are aware of the fact that I have been dealing with vertigo since being diagnosed with an inner ear virus about two and half years ago. A couple months after having the virus I literally just fell over in the shower one morning, breaking several ribs in the process. I knew I hadn't slipped - I simply fell over.

Since that time I've had many issues with the vertigo. I have difficulty driving over bridges without feeling nauseous, heights of any kind are not my friend, and I've developed agoraphobia when it comes to being in large groups or public places where visual over-stimulation is a possibility. Watching some television shows or movies will cause me to feel ill. At times it's difficult to work while being dizzy and sitting at a computer for a number of hours. When driving and coming to a halt at a stoplight, or stop sign, I usually have the sensation that the car is still moving. Many times I've reached for the emergency brake to stop a vehicle that is actually not moving. Twice recently, while driving on the freeway, I've had panic attacks - something I had never experienced before. This condition can be somewhat debilitating at times and frustrating because, as my doctor told me, I am a very healthy sick person.

The vertigo has been controlled a bit by medications (some which have the side effect of dizziness), ear candling, and acupuncture. My love of travel has not been hampered too much by my dizziness. With motion-sickness medications I have been able to travel in cars, planes and boats. On a recent crabbing trip I was fine on the boat having taking Meclizine, but visually my brain saw the body of water standing still and the land moving. I could not focus on the horizon at all. Actually being in water is very disorienting - I sometimes can't tell which way is up - so I have avoided swimming or snorkeling.

For some this condition just disappears one day with no known or reasonable explanation. However, I recently talked to a woman who has been dealing with chronic vertigo for over 30 years. I know I don't want to lead that life.

Over that past couple years I've heard of a local doctor who has dealt with this issue successfully with many patients. This past Sunday our local newspaper, The Oregonian, had a lengthy article about Dr. John Epley and his work with those dealing with vertigo. Dr. Epley has developed a treatment, known as "The Epley Maneuvers," that repositions chalk-like particles collecting in the fluid-filled canals of the inner ear, and it seems to eliminate the false sensations of movement. Several alternative medicine professionals have suggested that perhaps the "crystals" in my inner ear need to be realigned - so this does make sense to me. Epley's own invention, the Omniax chair, is used to tilt and rotate the patient in a precise sequence of moves and the newspaper's website has a video demonstration of the equipment.

As I told my partner Ed, I'm willing to try anything at this point. Hopefully, I'll soon be able to get on the schedule for an initial consultation with the clinic to see if I qualify for the treatment. It would be so nice to no longer feel as if I was just going to fall over all the time.

© 2006 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives