Toot! Toot!*: "Really Good Logos, Explained"features Jeff Fisher LogoMotives efforts

Designer Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has been recognized with the publication of two of his identity designs in the new Rockport Publishers book Really Good Logos Explained: Top Design Professionals Critique 500 Logos and Explain What Makes Them Work. Fisher's logo creations for Good Pig, Bad Pig and Shopping and F***ing are among the designs featured and critiqued in the volume by creative industry experts Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, Ron Miriello, and Alex White.

Owner Brett Bigham executed the original pig illustrations that were incorporated into the identity for Good Pig, Bad Pig, his Portland-based greeting card company. The logo previously appeared in the Spanish book Logos from North to South America.

Shopping and F***ing, a play by Mark Ravenhill, was represented by a graphic of a shopping cart, complete with the usual wobbly front wheel. The show was produced and presented in Portland by the triangle productions! theatre company, for which Fisher has designed over 100 logos in the past 18 years. The logo also appears in the The Big Book of Logos 4.

In Really Good Logos, Explained, the panel of internationally acclaimed designers critique and appraise over 500 examples of truly exceptional logos, and explain what makes them work. The insight provided by these four outstanding editors is - like the logos themselves - succinct, specific and effective. Their comments provide a rare and insightful glimpse into the inner workings of excellent design, and offer a new understanding that is immeasurably useful to anyone working within the creative fields today.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 600 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 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.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

SNAP Design laptop cases in TV spotlight

I'm always pleased when a Portland-based creative company gets national broadcast or print exposure. This morning it was an NBC "Today Show" spot for SNAP Design products. Designer Michelle Kline's colorful vinyl laptop cases, designed for a variety of PCs and Macs, were featured in a segment about "fun fashion for rainy days." The waterproof SNAP cases - for men or women - are a great solution for protecting one's laptop in the Portland climate.

Check out the cases, and other product offerings, on the SNAP Design website.

© Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher to speak at Creative Freelancer Conference

In addition to speaking at the 2008 HOW Design Conference in May, one of my upcoming speaking engagements will be as the closing speaker for the new Creative Freelancer Conference to be held in Chicago this August 27-29. The event, co-sponsored by HOW Magazine and Marketing Mentor, will provide independent designers, illustrators, copywriters, photographers and others with pricing strategies, marketing techniques and the best business practices for running a one-person business. I will be speaking on "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence."

For additional information, go the Creative Freelancer Conference website.

(Psst! - I still have personal issues with the word "freelance".)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Hospice of Humboldt

Throughout my career I've had long-time client relationships lasting as client contacts move from position to position in their own careers. I first met Paul Mueller in Seattle, when he was associated with the Seattle Men's Chorus and I was doing design work for the organization in our shared office space. Years after I had relocated to Portland, and was doing all the graphic design work for Our House of Portland, Paul became the Development Director for the residential care facility for people with HIV/AIDS. After working together for a while, he then left to become the Executive Director of the Hospice of Humboldt in Eureka, California.

In 1999 came the call that the Hospice of Humboldt was having an identity crisis. For some time the organization had been graphically identified by a one-color, simple image of a tree and a roofline (below left). No clean, original art seemed to exist and the over-photocopied, over-printed logo was beginning to look a bit worn and bitmapped.

The Hospice of Humboldt offers in-home care for people in the community who are in the last stages of life, allowing them to die in a familiar environment, surrounded by their loved ones. Mueller expressed a desire to have an identity that reflected the beauty of the geographic area, warmth, love, care and a "down home" feel. He suggested that retaining some tree image, and some graphic representation that would relate to the roofline in the old logo, would probably help in the approval process of a new identity.

The design I created (above right) presented a cheery, colorful and perhaps simplistic solution to the organization's identity issue. The light in the windows of the house elements, and rays of the sun, conveyed warmth and comfort. The tree, hills and mountain images conveyed a sense of the local region served by the the hospice group. The identity put a new face of the organization of the web presence, stationery package, collateral materials and wearables.

Many of the marketing and promotion pieces produced are featured in The Big Book of Designs for Letterheads and Websites. The logo also was honored with a Bronze in the Summit Creative Awards and appears in the Spanish book Logos from North to South America.

Somewhere along the line another designer has tweaked the logo to what is now used on the organization's website. I don't mind the new type treatment, but the new tree image really comes across as scrawny.

(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.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designreceives 2008 Summit Creative Award

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives has been awarded a Silver in the 2008 Summit Creative Awards, in the category of PSA Logo, for an identity concept for the Cat Adoption Team. The awards were created 14 years ago to recognize and celebrate the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative companies throughout the world with annual billings of under $25 million. Thousands of entries, from 25 countries, were submitted for consideration this year. Since 1998, Fisher has received 17 of the Summit Creative Awards honors, in a variety of categories.

The design for the Cat Adoption Team - a facility offering cat shelter, adoption, foster, hospice, and veterinary services - was a pro bono concept effort created as a replacement for the organization's original logo. Unfortunately, in the end, it was not adopted by the group; being deemed not "warm and fuzzy" enough as a representative symbol.

The 2008 panel of Summit Creative Award judges includes professionals from Oglivy & Mather, LXB Communication Marketing, brandUNITY, Wayne State University, Pizza4all, Mfx Interactive, Inc., Saatchi & Saatchi, The Halo Group, Upshot, EvoLogue, Gorman Consulting, Velocity Designworks, Paragon Marketing Communications, Stellar Debris Creative Studios, and Elevator.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 600 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 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.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives workfeatured in 'Design for Special Events'

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 Design for Special Events: 500 of the Best Logos, Invitations, and Graphics from Rockport Publishers. The logo designed for the Sisters Rodeo appears in the volume by designer Peleg Top, of Top Design. Design for Special Events features a vast collection of designs for fundraisers, entertainment galas, private parties and conferences from around the globe.

Working with his sister Sue Fisher - then Creative Director of TriAd, her own advertising and public relations firm - designer Fisher created the first identity in the 60-year history of "The Biggest Little Show in the World." The annual Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event is held in Sisters, Oregon; the adopted hometown of the Fisher family.

The Sisters Rodeo logo was previously inducted into the Library of Congress “Local Legacies” archive. The logo was also honored with an Award of Merit in the Ad Federation of Central Oregon's annual Drake Awards and a Silver Award in the Summit Creative Awards. In addition, the design was published in Logo Lounge: 2,000 International Identities by Leading Designers and The New Big Book of Logos.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 600 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 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.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

GD:USA issues annual logo design trend report

My copy of the April 2008 Graphic Design USA magazine arrived today. The major feature of the issue is the annual logo design trend report from Bill Gardner, of the identity design portal LogoLounge and Gardner Design.

It is always interesting to read Gardner's reflections (Web 2.0 and otherwise) on the trends he has seen uploaded to the LogoLounge site, and selected for inclusion in the design book by the same name, during the previous year. Unfortunately, many designers seem to feel that the annual report offers license, inspiration and guidelines for adopting the trends in their upcoming work for the remainder of 2008. I appreciate the fact that Gardner's piece, "More Clean and Less Green," includes the following statement in regards to the trends showcased:

Please remember that they are gathered here to chart long-term movement or change, not to offer design suggestions. It's a living history. The key is to study the trends, then evolve forward - as far forward as you can leap - from them.

Graphic Design USA is a publication offered free to those in the industry. Sign up for a subscription on the magazine's website.

The 2008 trends report is also posted on the LogoLounge site - as are links to the 2003 through 2007 reports.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeffism #9

"I look at other designers as 'peers' rather than 'competition.' If you take the 'competition' position you will always be looking over your shoulder with concern - and perhaps a dose of panic. Adopting the 'peers' attitude brings about sharing, collaboration and inspiration - combined with a focus on the future and moving forward - to better yourself, others and the design industry."

- Jeff Fisher on an online forum

Dexigner Newsletter: A favorite industry resource

One of the design industry resources I most look forward to receiving via email each month is the newsletter from the site Dexinger. To subscribe, or check out the archive of past newsletters, visit the website. I just received the latest issue and it may be viewed online.

I do appreciate the fact that Dexinger promoted my book Identity Crisis! in an issue last fall.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

No garden "tinkle box" for now

Since my partner Ed and I moved into our North Portland home over a decade ago our garden has been a constant work-in-progress - and my best therapy in escaping from my home studio. Last year a major garden renovation took place with the removal of the last bit of lawn, the installation of a new patio in front of the house, the creation of an area that will eventually become a finished outdoor kitchen, and more.

Just over a year ago things looked a little torn up in our back yard (above), as a crew from Joy Creek Nursery extended the patio and formed new flower beds. Since then a pile of leftover sand has marked where I hoped a basalt pillar water feature would be installed - with a steel "tinkle box" buried below ground level to amplify the sound of the flowing water. The entire fountain/dribbler project was estimated to cost about $1000.

With other house projects taking priority - and there are always other house projects with a 1929 home - and the need to reign in unnecessary spending like everyone else, the water feature was easily eliminated from our household budget this spring. I was tired of staring at a pile of sand outside of the back door - even though neighborhood cats were enjoying the makeshift "kitty litter box" in the middle of our garden.

This past weekend, when we actually had some spring-like weather for a few hours, I was out shoveling sand and distributing it around the yard. I found a few appropriate rocks in the supply piled on the driveway and placed them in the bed. Some bare-root plants - displaced by the recently planted aucuba - required a new home, as did the beautiful Brad Messinger pottery birdbath. Throughout the garden some "editing" of overcrowded beds was necessary, as was the dividing of other plants.

A few hostas, a black mondo grass, a hardy gardenia, and a fuchsia all found their way to the new garden space. They were joined by a black fern, a saxifraga, a Veronica ground-cover, an ornamental thistle and some later-blooming bulbs, including my favorite calla lily, Flame. One of our plastic squirrels and a piece of frog garden art made by Ed's father even found a place in the bed.

In a period of just over two hours I transformed the naked space (above) - without spending a cent. Actually, I felt as if I'd just saved myself the $1000 it would have cost for my water feature. In the afternoon I planned to make use of a couple nursery gift certificates to fill the bed in with the addition of some colorful annuals. However, with snow and freezing temperatures still in the forecast, I think I'll wait until spring finally decides to hang around for a while. The electrical outlet - in part for for the use of my PowerBook when out in my "outdoor office" - still needs to be installed, and plant growth will soon fill in the new garden bed. Still, the view from the kitchen window (above right) was greatly improved in the short period of time I was playing in the dirt.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #18

The cleaning out of old files, and archiving of past design projects, continues - and I haven't even touched a four-drawer filing cabinet and several boxes of files stored in my basement. My collection of project elements from the past 30 years is a bit overwhelming. I seem to have enough "excavated artifacts" and "before and after" project examples to fill an entire book - perhaps I should write one on those specific topics.

I just came across my rough concept for a publication called The Reel Scoop (below left). While living in Seattle in 1987, I was contacted by a potential client who was initiating a new monthly newspaper, which was to provide parents with the information they needed to know about movies their children might might want to see. The identity for the paper needed to appeal to both kids and adults.

My rough concept is actually a little more detailed than many of my "excavated artifacts." The design, in black felt pen on a now yellowed piece of tissue paper, shows a piece of film incorporating the words "THE REEL" over the word "SCOOP," created from hand-drawn letterforms and the graphic image of movie camera. Prior to presenting the idea to my client, as a photocopy, I attempted to clean it up a bit with the Liquid Paper and white tape seen on the original design.

This one and only concept shown to the client evolved into the final logo with no major alterations (above right). It was easy for readers to find the movie review publication on newsstands and bookstores with the attention-getting logo used as the nameplate across the top of the front page.

Due to the incorporation of the art as letterforms in the name, David E. Carter used The Reel Scoop identity as an example in his book Bullet-Proof Logos: Creating Great Designs Which Avoid Legal Problems.

My previous "excavated artifacts" are posted on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design:Portsmouth Community Development Corporation

Originally the Portsmouth Community Redevelopment Corporation, a nonprofit housing organization, was very simply identified with a rough illustrative treatment of the acronym PCRC, in a formation suggesting the roofline of a home (below left). The type associated with the logo was never consistent. However, the font Optima was used quite often.

With a change to the name Peninsula Community Redevelopment Corporation, the organization wanted a new identity, but wanted to retain some element of the old image. The previous icon was tucked into the “roofline” of an illustration of a house and the font most often used for the text was retained. The new image (above middle) conveyed a much clearer message of the organization being involved in the housing business. As a circular logo, the image was also much easier to incorporate into a wider variety of collateral, marketing and promotional items.

A later name change, to the Peninsula Community Development Corporation, resulted in another logo update (above right), and a change of the colors to be used by the organization. A little less emphasis was placed on the original logo acronym treatment by using a lower percentage of the new color. The color change provided a greater opportunity to reintroduce the nonprofit's revised imagery and made it easier to distinguish newer written communications from those sent during the "blue period."

(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.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Sigma Chi has 'Identity Crisis!'

Actually, the Sigma Chi Fraternity itself is no longer having an "identity crisis." The identity of the organization, as redesigned by by the Chicago firm Brainforest, is a case study in the book, Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands. The rebranding effort also included The Magazine of Sigma Chi - which is featured in the HOW Books release.

Editor Susan Lorimor shared that the Spring 2008 issue of The Magazine of Sigma Chi has a mention of Identity Crisis! on its "Books by Sigs" page. As noted in the publication:

Identity Crisis! gives readers a detailed, illustrated behind-the-scenes look at how 50 businesses and organizations, including Sigma Chi, reinvigorated their public images through redesigns of their logos, Web sites and promotional materials and other publications.

When writing Identity Crisis! I was pleased to get the Brainforest submission. As an active member of the Beta Iota chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, while at the University of Oregon (back in the late 1970's), I was very familiar with the "before" designs of the organization.

Read more about my book on the Identity Crisis! blog.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

illypads showcases and inspires illustrators

For some time Logopond has provided identity designers - from students to seasoned professionals - a venue to display logo design work, have images critiqued by site members and find inspiration in the work of others. Literally thousands of logos are archived on the site.

The same folks have now launched illypads, offering opportunities for illustrators to showcase their efforts, comment on posted illustrations and be inspired by the work of their peers. The gallery site - a great self-promotion tool for any illustrator - may be in its infancy, but some incredible work is already on display. Check it out.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Let the gardening begin...

Maybe spring is coming to Portland this year. At least my garden, sometimes a topic on bLog-oMotives, seems to finally think so. Still, in the last two weeks we've had snow, hail, frost, thunderstorms and a lot of rain (Above - blooming euphorbia, rosemary and tulips in the snow). A few things are starting to bloom or poke their way out of the soil. Perhaps it is time to "play in the dirt" - my favorite form of therapy and inspiration.

Our garden has taken quite a beating this past winter - especially through the windstorms. However, we got off lucky compared to some neighbors. The back of our North Portland home had been fairly private until one of the November windstorms. With the house shaking, and power flickering off and on, I walked through our kitchen and glanced out the back window. I did a double-take because I could now look directly into our neighbor's kitchen and family room. Three of the trees in our neighbor's yard, which had previously obscured the view, had been snapped off about five feet up from the ground by the wind.

Our neighbors suddenly had a great view directly into our kitchen, bedroom and backyard hot tub as well. We were not sure of the solution, but knew something had to be done - and soon. The situation was discussed with our friend Mike Smith of Joy Creek Nursery and he thought he had a solution. In the stock section of the nursery he had a plant that had been rescued from another client's garden renovation. He took us to see the huge Aucuba japonica 'Picturata'- and Ed and I both agreed the leafy plant with vibrant green variegated foliage would be a great "fix" in our garden.

A Joy Creek crew showed up today with the plant filling the back of the truck. It had taken five people to load the thing into the truck and our crew of two had quite time unloading and getting it into position. We had to lend a hand getting the Aucuba set in place. Of course, installing such a large plant meant a few existing plantings needed to be relocated - a few are still out there needing new homes elsewhere.

The best thing is that we're no longer looking directly at our neighbors and they don't need to see all we are up to either. I'm looking forward to the new garden resident settling in and my other plants growing up around it. It's kind of funny; in doing a little research on the Aucuba I noticed that it is often described as slow growing, with a mature size of 4 feet to 6 feet in height and width. Someone needs to tell this to the plant in our garden - it's over 8 feet high and just about as wide. I suppose there's not need for it to be any different than many of the other over-performers growing in my garden.

The center set of photos show the view from the deck off our bedroom, before and after the arrival of the Acuba. The lower set show the same from our kitchen door. It does look as if I should get out into the garden and get a bit dirty.

Great job Joy Creek!

© 2008 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:

Tempus Fugit - World's Best Calendar Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: No deadline published
No entry fees charged

2008 Design and Design Book of the Year
(DesignAndDesign.com - France)
Deadline: Ongoing at this point
No entry fees charged

STEP Best of Web Design 2008
(STEP inside design - USA)
Deadline: 15 April 2008
Entry fees charged

1000 Handmade Greeting Cards
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 April 2008
No entry fees charged

INHOWSE Design Awards 2008
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline with late fee: 30 April 2008
Entry fees charged

UCDA Campus Violence Poster Project
(University & College Designers Association - USA)
Deadline Extended: 2 May 2008
No entry fees charged

The Big Book of Self-Promotion
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 2 May 2008
No entry fees charged

Plenty of Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 5 May 2008
No entry fees charged

Market Smart Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 9 May 2008
No entry fees charged

Recharge Your Design Batteries
(RotoVision - UK)
Deadline: 16 May 2008
No entry fees charged

Worldwide Logo Design Annual 2008
(Wolda - Italy)
Deadline: 20 May 2008
Entry fees charged

The Create Awards 2008
(Create Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 30 May 2008
Entry fees charged

Sappi Ideas that Matter 2008
(Sappi Fine Paper North America - USA)
Deadline: 30 May 2008

Behind The Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 June 2008
No entry fees charged

Growing Graphics - Graphics for Kids
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 2 June 2008
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Advertising Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 2 June 2008
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Design Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 2 June 2008
Entry fees charged

HOW Interactive Design Awards 2008
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 June 2008
Entry fees charged

LogoPond Awards
(LogoPond - USA)
Deadline: 15 June 2008
Entry fees charged

Really Good Packaging, Explained
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 16 June 2008
No entry fees charged

The BEST Ads You've Never Seen
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 30 June 2008
No entry fees charged

LogoLounge 5
(LogoLounge - USA)
Deadline: 30 June 2008
LogoLounge paid membership required

2008 Re:Design Competition
(Dynamic Graphics - USA)
Deadline: 15 August 2008
Entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards 2008
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 September 2008
Entry fees charged

For a Good Cause: Solidarity Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 September 2008
No entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

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.

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.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

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

Good luck!

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Creative director/author Paul Arden passes away

Paul Arden, the former executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi who worked on some of Britain's most memorable advertising campaigns, has died at age 67.

In 2003 Arden took on the "self-help" book market, publishing It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be. The book has sold more than a million copies worldwide, despite its author's cheerful admission: "I can't write... I read as much George Orwell as I could, just to learn how to keep it down, take out the adjectives, make it as simple as I could."

I quoted Arden, and referenced the book, in my own 2004 volume, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career.

The passage in Savvy Designer is from Arden's chapter "Do Not Covet Your Ideas" in which he recommends that designers "give away everything you know, and more will come back to you. He explained, "The problem with hoarding is that you end up living off your reserves. Eventually you'll become stale." In my book I suggested that a copy of It's Not How good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be should be on the desk of every designer.

Arden was also the author of Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite (2005) and of God Explained in a Taxi Ride (2007), which attempted to explain the meaning of life in 125 pages. The author accepted that some would see the work as "a bit of fluff", but said that such critics had "tunnel vision" and that "the tunnel goes right up their arse."

Toot! Toot!*:Fisher to speak at 2008 HOW Design Conference

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will be a speaker at the 2008 HOW Design Conference to be held May 18-21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. This annual creativity, business and technology conference for graphic design professionals will feature nearly 50 speakers and wide variety of topical sessions and workshops.

Fisher's session, Planning, Packaging & Promoting Yourself as the Product, will take a look at the challenges faced by graphic designers in marketing their own services. On Tuesday, May 20, the designer/author will have a book signing in the How Conference Bookstore.

Attendees can choose from more than 50 sessions in a variety of tracks, including Creativity & Inspiration, Design Disciplines, Career Development and more. Optional events include pre-conference workshops, a networking lunch, Boston design studio tours and more. The Conference will also host a Design Resource Center with exhibits featuring paper, stock photography, computer hardware and software, and products from other industry vendors.

More than 3,000 graphic designers, art directors, creative directors and illustrators are expected to participate in this year's Conference. The 2008 HOW Design Conference is presented by HOW Magazine, the creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers. HOW is published by F+W Publications, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH.

For additional information, and to register, visit the HOW Conference website and the HOW Conference blog. (The semi-early bird deadline, for conference registration savings, is Friday, April 11.)

Jeff Fisher has received over 600 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 100 publications on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing. In late 2007 HOW Books published his latest book, Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands. Fisher's first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success, was released by the publisher in 2004.

Fisher, is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council.

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

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives