A fun birthday package from my mother...

May 21 will be my 55th birthday - provided it is not actually the rapture, doomsday, or judgment day predicted by some. Although, we supposedly no longer exchange gifts in our family, simply because none of us need any more stuff, my mother does somehow find it necessary to send presents. I must admit the package that arrived this week was a very pleasant surprise.

Initially, when I opened the box, I found wooden coasters bearing the logo I created for the Oregon Department of Forestry when the agency's identity needed a makeover. The coasters were produced to celebrate the department's recent 100th anniversary. Celebratory banners have been temporarily added to my logo design. The box also contained two coffee cups noting the occasion.

The case study of the Oregon Department of Forestry logo appears in my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. I probably see the design more than any other I've created in my 33-year career. It is on display along highways throughout Oregon, often beautifully carved in wood, on signage designating state forest lands.

In addition, the box contained two mugs commemorating the Sisters Rodeo. According to my mother, although I designed the logo over a decade ago, the Sisters Rodeo Association recently produced the item and is offering it for sale in their gift shop. My partner Ed and I have decided the cups will be finding a home in our camping vehicle - the Get-Get-Get-Away van.

The identity was included when the Sisters Rodeo was inducted into the Library of Congress “Local Legacies" archive. The rodeo logo received an Award of Merit in the Central Oregon Drake Awards and a Silver in the Summit Creative Awards. It also is featured in The Big Book of Logos 3, LogoLounge - Volume 1 and Design for Special Events.

© 2011 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