Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #11

Sorting through 30 years of files and boxes of old design projects is a major undertaking. I've been doing it for several months now and I've only made a small dent in the archives of my work. I'm also archiving old project floppy and zip disks as I dig through the stuff in my home-studio. Still, I guess that it's a good thing I seldom throw anything away.

The other day I was going through a box of old papers and came across a page of media contacts. Many of the names had been crossed out. Phone numbers were scribbled all over the page. I couldn't imagine why I might have saved the piece of paper. I turned it over and discovered numerous phone messages, obviously transcribed from my old answering machine. There were some other messy mindless sketches at the top of the page. Doodled at the bottom was the image of a television set, a micro- phone and a newspaper - the beginnings of one of my favorite initial logo efforts.

In the early 90's I started doing contract design work for an independent public relations and marketing specialist by the name of Denny Shleifer. Shortly after starting our business relationship, he asked if I could design a new logo for his business - something that was more dynamic and fun than the image he was using at the time. Shleifer brought an energy to his work that I hadn't experienced in many people in his industry and he was a great deal of fun to be around.

The doodle above, surrounded by other notes, was obviously done while I was on the phone with someone else. The black ink of the drawing matches some other notations. It immediately captured the persona of Denny Shleifer.

Once in a while there are those logo concepts that I just know will be the identity to represent the client. This was one of those situations. I remember showing Shleifer the final concept and he responded with "Wow, this is me!"

The design provided me additional confidence in my logo design abilities when it was selected to be included in the Rockport Publishers book Letterhead & Logo Design 4. Years later it was featured in The Best of Letterhead & Logo Design.

In 1995 Shleifer incorporated his business and changed the official name to Shleifer Marketing Communications, Inc. The altered name required a few adjustments in the logo. I unsuccessfully tried to convince my client that "Inc." did not need to be in the new image. Still, it didn't seem to be too distracting in the revised identity.

The new Shleifer logo got additional exposure in the books International Logos & Trademarks 4, Letterhead & Logo Design 5, More Logos & Letterheads, and the Japanese offerings New Logo & Trademark Design and Logo & Trademark Collection.

In previous bLog-oMotives entries I took a look back at excavated artifacts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The W.O.W. of Identity Crisis!

In writing the book Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands I asked a variety of design professionals to contribute their "Words of Wisdom" (W.O.W.) about the process of redesigning a business or organization identity. Many were very gracious in contributing personal advice based on their past experiences.

The individuals providing input for the book included:

• Sean Adams of AdamsMorioka, Inc.

• Bob Domenz from Avenue - Marketing & Communications

• Tony Spaeth of identityworks

• Debbie Millman - known for her Design Matters podcasts (and many other things)

• Jack Yan of Jack Yan & Associates

• Robin Landa, author and branding & creative strategist

• Robynne Raye from Modern Dog Design Co.

• Mark E. Sackett of Reflectur

• ...and some guy named Jeff Fisher who writes about whatever seems to be on his mind at bLog-oMotives when he isn't running his own firm, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

All presented incredibly valuable advice to the design professional involved in identity re-design - and to the client having an "identity crisis." Unfortunately, you will need to wait until HOW Design Books releases Identity Crisis! in the fall of this year before you are able to take advantage of the great suggestions.

Keep up on the latest news about my upcoming book at my Identity Crisis! blog - where this post originally appeared.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

This is war! - Gardening nut vs. squirrel

Gardening is a passion - and my therapy. Nothing is better for getting the old creative juices flowing than to spend a few hours out playing the dirt. Once I'm away from the computer, the design "brain farts" seem to come at me from all directions. The added result of my therapy sessions is our home being referred to by many in North Portland with the comment, "Oh, you live in the house with THE garden." With help from our friends at Joy Creek Nursery our garden does literally stop traffic on the street in front of our house.

Since moving into the house, my partner Ed and I have been engaged in an on-going battle with the neighborhood squirrels. They tease us from the trees, fence and rooftops - and have been known to drop pinecones and other items on us as we walk outside. In fact, last night - while we were having dinner on the patio, a squirrel dropped a pinecone from a tree and it bounced off the patio table umbrella into Ed's lap. You could hear the creature laughing from above. One morning I looked out the window, while on the phone with Ed, to see two of the critters on the peak of our garden shed roof taking part in a mating activity that made it look as if we had a live animal whirly-gig. The varmints plant walnuts and acorns in my flower beds, and move bulbs wherever they wish. We have noisy squirrel races from our garage, to the dogwood tree, and with a flying leap continuing across the roof of the house on a path to the neighborhood park full of tall evergreen trees. Ed refers to it as the "squirrel freeway."

We do attempt to fight back - or at least tease the furry little beasts. Ed chatters right back, chases them with the garden hose at full blast, and shakes the dogwood tree in some kind of game he has with the squirrels. A couple of them will make all kinds of noise until Ed comes out in the backyard garden to play with them. This summer we have yet to get out the "super soakers" for squirrel target practice as they zip back and forth on the top of the fence bordering the back of our property.

I will admit I now get a great deal of pleasure repeatedly seeing distraught, confused squirrels, standing on their haunches on the new paver patio, looking all around for the lawn in which nuts had been buried the previous year. They kind of have an "Oh, my God - what's happened here? I know I buried the stash in this location" kind of look on their faces.

Ed proclaims to all that he hates the squirrels. However, truth be told, earlier this year he actually nursed one back to health. One night he arrived home from work, walked in the house and told me I had better shut the garage if door I didn't want a "furry rodent" setting up home in it. Closer inspection revealed that the young squirrel in question was injured, as if it had fallen from a tree. A bit later I ran into Ed as he headed out the back door with a dish of water, a couple small carrots and a handful of walnut halves. He was going to feed the thing!!! It had taken up refuge in a basement window well and for several days Ed made sure it was cared for properly. The next weekend we took a trip out of town and, upon our return, our new little patient had moved on. Ed has since told me he's seen the squirrel, with its unusual facial markings, around the garden.

Our squirrel situation has not gone unnoticed by friends. One in particular, Brett - the "evil devil pig friend from hell," has taken a great deal of joy in our squirrel battles. For several years we've received all kinds of lovely squirrel-related gifts that he has found at garage sales and thrift stores. A few years ago he started leaving little plastic squirrel statuary artistically located in our garden when we were out of town. Over the years I've left them in place - although I could only find four of them this morning to photograph for this bLog-oMotives entry.

Visitors always ask about the tiny garden ornaments and I have to tell the whole "evil devil pig friend from hell" story. I hadn't even thought about the plastic squirrels when Mike Darcy came to shoot an episode of his television show, In The Garden, in our garden. Of course, he zeroed in on the fake critters and an explanation was required.

This whole long story has been necessary to explain why I have declared war on the squirrels this Independence Day.

Four times in the last ten days I have walked outside to one of the plastic squirrels laying on its side on the driveway or paver path to the front porch. I think one of the local squirrels is trying to "violate' its counterpart of the resin variety. My drip water line has also been yanked out of the flower bed on each occasion, as has a poor battered Saxifraga umbrosa 'Variegata'. Compost is always scattered everywhere. It happened again this morning (see photo at top of blog entry) - and now I'm ticked off.

I repositioned the drip line and secured it with metal prongs. The soil was put back in place and a new Saxifraga replaced the now dead previous plant. My little plastic squirrel was put back where he belongs - and I then sprinkled cayenne pepper powder all around the area.

That should light up the damn squirrel's Fourth of July if he tries any funny stuff. Let the games begin...

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Identity Crisis! teaser No. 1

Here's the first sneak peek at my upcoming book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands

The above is just one spread of the Sheridan's Lattes and Frozen Custard identity re-design submission from the folks at Willoughby Design Group.

Future Identity Crisis! blog entries will include lists of other contributors selected to appear in the book, more visual teasers and related book news. The book is off to the printer. Look for it on your bookstore shelves later this year.

Image: Copyright © 2007 Jeff Fisher • Used with permission of author and HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc.

Cowboy Jeffie's Colorful Chuckwagon Cole Slaw

(Yep, that's me - Cowboy Jeffie - in the photo)

It's that family picnic or summer BBQ time of the year. We just got back from a beautiful outdoor party in Albany, OR to celebrate the 90th birthday of Ed's grandmother Neva and the 95th birthday of her sister Wilma. For the third time in about two weeks I was asked to make my colorful version of cole slaw for the buffet of summer salads. With the Fourth of July holiday approaching, I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Cowboy Jeffie's Colorful Chuckwagon Cole Slaw

2/3 cup sweet onion - diced finely
(You may use a red onion if you like your slaw spicier)
1-1/2 cups grated carrot
2 cups purple cabbage - diced to pieces smaller than 1/4 inch
4 cups green cabbage - diced to pieces smaller than 1/4 inch

Mix thoroughly in a large bowl until the colors are combined well. (Note: If I'm in a hurry I will use a food processor to diced all ingredients. However, I do prefer a rough cut with a knife.)

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix in a measuring cup or small bowl until smooth. Pour over your mixed slaw fixings and stir well to coat everything. Don't add any additional salt to season unless you want to do before serving - it will draw the water out of your cabbage and make your cole slaw soupy. Stir well before serving to mix things up nicely. It's best if your slaw sits in the fridge for a few hours before serving - and it's even better the next day.

You might also want to check out my recipes for:

• Cowboy Jeffie's Kickin' Caesar Salad Dressing

• Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad

• Cowboy Jeffie's Confetti Chicken Chili

• Cowboy Jeffie's Butternut Squash Soup with a Kick

Enjoy!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!:HOW "Future of Design" issue features Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is featured in an article in "The Future of Design" issue of HOW Magazine. The piece, "Plotting your course," written by creative industry writer Julie Sims, appears in the August 2007 issue of the publication.

In the article, industry experts give advice to designers for getting their professional life on track and steering it in the direction of desired results. Fisher is cited from the perspective of author of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. Others quoted in the feature include creative consultant and author Lee Silber; Tod Martin, owner of the firm Unboundary; and Jim Krause, principal of Jim Krause Design and author of numerous design books.

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 570 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. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

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

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

HOW Forum HOWies create HOWie wowie poster

The HOW Design Forum is one of my favorite online communities. I've been a participant for several incarnations of the cyber forum to date. Those who participate in the daily design networking activities are commonly known as "HOWies." If the name conjurs up a sense of some off-the-wall cult members, it's not far from the truth - the forum is kind of a design cult that sucks you in and will not let you be free to take care of your necessary daily work tasks.

Over the years the online community activity has occasionally strayed into the "real" world. HOWies have congregated at the annual HOW Design Conference (with special custom HOWie attendee I.D. badges), and in more casual gatherings around the country, to form real friendships. In a step beyond the normal forum avatar identitifications, The HOW Forum Member Picture Show A-Rama gave real faces to many of the regular visitors. There's even a HOWie group on Facebook, and a gaggle of HOWies can be found of Flickr and elsewhere on Internet social networking and design-related sites.

The forum participants have also moved beyond socializing to collaborating on design projects. In recent years there have been a series of HOWiezine projects, each with a different theme. Participants are responsible for designing, producing and submitting their zine pages, which are then compiled and distributed in complete magazine form by hard-working little HOWie elves. I'm usually too involved in writing or design projects to play with the other kids. However, I did participate in a HOWie cookbook project a couple years ago.

Late last year the HOWie poster project idea hit the pages of the forum. Through months of forum posts a theme was selected, forum visitors were able to sign up to participate, rough concepts were presented and all aspects of the project could be followed by all participants. HOWie poster diva (and that is meant in the best possible context) Jas Wabbington (Screen name: WabbingtonDesign) led the troops through the process and deserves a huge "thank you" for her efforts in herding 37 designers on one project. She also art directed and illustrated the poster in which HOWie participants show "Our True Colors" as color chips growing on a beautiful tree. HOWie poster project manager "jroz" deserves a tip of the HOWie hat, too. As does HOWie "mathias' for coming up with the initial concept. Ryan at Direct Edge Media deserves a "toot!" for the great printing job.

My HOWie poster arrived in the mail yesterday. The end result of the fun collaborative effort will find a special place on my studio wall - when the organizing of 30 years of design files/books is completed and I can actually find a wall.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Tel-Med

Over 25 years ago I began doing a lot of independent design work for the Multnomah County Medical Society. My client contact was then successful in tempting me with an offer to come in-house to create a design department for the organization. (She was one of the most incredible supervisors I've ever had.) My primary job was designing the Portland Physician magazine, the annual directory of members, and the tabloid size Portland Physician Scribe newspaper. Once in a while I got to be a bit more creative and design logos, publication promotional items, invitation, or projects for member doctors.

Tel-Med was a free medical help-line service of the organization, offering pre-recorded messages in answer to a wide variety of basic medical questions. The old logo consisted of an illustration of an antique-style phone next to the name. The phone image did not successfully convey the modern capabilities of the system and a new image was requested.

The new graphic identity for Tel-Med incorporated a stylized human form, as a medical professional, and the push buttons of modern phone equipment. The symbol was often used without text and still successfully conveyed the purpose of the service.

This re-design appears in the book Logos Redesigned: How 200 Companies Successfully Changed Their Image by David E. Carter. Watch for the release of my own book on identity re-design, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, from HOW Design Books in October 2007.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Thank you, Ken Collins

Last night I attended the memorial service for one of the most influential people in my life - one of the individuals who supported the seemingly unrealistic dream of a high school kid who wanted to have a career in some art-related field, and who encouraged me tremendously when I learned about this thing called graphic design. As ceremonies marking the end of someone's life go, this was truly a celebration of an incredible person. The music - a mixture of religious standards and show tunes - was uplifting, the selected speakers were articulate and witty, the large church was nearly full, and there really wasn't a lot of sadness. Admittedly, I teared up a bit as the beautiful rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was played. The ceremony ended with a slide show of beautiful photos the person being honored had taken of his amazing garden during various seasons.

Last Friday morning I got an email from my sister informing me of the death of one of my favorite McNary High School teachers - Ken Collins - and it really hit me hard. I immediately let my feelings be known in a post of the HOW Design Forum - one of my online familes.

You may have unknowingly read the name Ken Collins in the acknowledg- ments of my book The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success. He was one of my high school art teachers (OK, my favorite high school art teacher) and one of the people who was able to "see much more in my abilities than I was able to find within myself at the time." Ken was one of the educators I had to answer to as the first student to be put on independent study in art with our town's public school system (because I was such a pain in the ass after another art instructor told me I wasn't doing my painting "right").

It was an honor, in 2003, to be invited by Ken to speak to art students at my high school as part of an "Art Careers" program, which actually recognized that the arts were a viable future career path for those in high school. Yes, nearly 30 years after I had graduated from high school, Ken (he was one of those teachers who wanted some students to call him by his first name) was still educating and inspiring students who had a dream of pursuing art and the performing arts as a profession. Although he was only seven years older than me, he had aged much more than his years since I had seen him last, in part due to an injury that left him in chronic pain. Even so, that spark of enthusiasm about teaching was still brilliant in his eyes and that smile conveyed the joy he got from his work, his art, his family and his life.

There are those people in your life who REALLY make a difference in helping you become who you are. Ken was one of the biggies for me. I'm so glad I got to thank him in my book - and in person - for his contribution in helping me realize so many of my dreams. I'm so pleased I was able to return to my home town of Salem and attend his memorial gathering. It was kind of a flashback of memories and familiar faces. At one point during the service the pastor asked that those associated with Ken through the McNary High School family stand - and probably a good third of the hundreds of people in attendance stood.

In my original post on the HOW Design Forum, I asked that "in his honor I would hope you could all take a good look at who you are today. Who helped create the designer/artist that you are? If possible, track down those important people in your life and say 'thank you.' I'm lucky, I got to do it in a very public manner and see their reactions when I handed them my book. Expressing your appreciation will mean a great deal to these incredible people." Do take the time to personally thank those in your life who have made a difference.

Yesterday, in a bout of email ping pong, I mentioned to the editor of a design website that I would be attending the memorial service in the evening. This individual doesn't know me personally, but she took the time to send me an email with the following quotation:

"We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; and God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides." - Saint Thomas Aquinas

I printed out the email, folded it and kept it in my shirt pocket the rest of the day and evening. It was such a lovely gift from someone I don't even know - and a great tribute to my teacher, Ken Collins.

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:

Feedback: Direct and Interactive Marketing
(Index Book - Spain)
No specific deadline posted
No entry fees charged

Design for Special Events
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: June 21, 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

CA Advertising Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: July 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

Really Good Logos, Explained
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: July 5, 2007
No entry fees charged

CA Design Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: July 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

Graphis Logo 7
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: July 2, 2007
Entry fees charged

Graphis Letterhead 7
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: July 2, 2007
Entry fees charged

UCDA Design Competition
(University & College Designers Association - USA)
Deadline: July 6, 2007
Entry fees charged

The Create Awards
(Create Magazine - USA)
Deadline: Entries accepted until July 6, 2007 with late fees
Entry fees charged

A Book of Postcards
(Laurence King Publishing - UK)
Deadline: July 10, 2007
No entry fees charged

Marketing Effectiveness Awards
(Summit Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: July 11, 2007
Entry fees charged

HOW Interactive Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: July 16, 2007
Entry fees charged

Dynamic Graphics Re:Design Competition
(Dynamic Graphics - USA)
Deadline: August 6, 2007
Entry fees charged

Creativity 37
(Creativity Annual Awards - USA)
Deadline: August 15, 2007
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

HOW International Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: September 4, 2007
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

Toot! Toot!*:JumpUp.com spotlights Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The design firm Jeff Fisher Logomotives is featured as a new Small Business Spotlight on the business resource website JumpUp.com. JumpUp, "the place to start a business," allows members to post a business profile, make use of a variety of site resources, and interact with other businesses owners. Jeff Fisher LogoMotives uses the web presence to promote identity design services to potential clients, as a business research source, and in networking with other companies.

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland, OR design firm, is featured in regards to the business challenge of the sense of isolation felt by many home-based business people. The spotlight includes a photo of Fisher working from the "summer office" of his garden. As noted in the feature, the Internet provided solutions to the challenge through graphic design industry networking forums such as the HOW Design Forum and the community at About.com Graphic Design. The website CreativeLatitude.com also introduced the designer to other creative professionals around the world. Fisher found an opportunity to network with other business owners through the site StartupNation. A fairly recent addition to his resource list is BoDo: Business of Design online. Designers Who Blog has provided an additional outlet for interacting with others in the design field.

JumpUp.com was created by Intuit - the maker of Turbo Tax, Quicken and QuickBooks - to help new businesses and business owners get up and running quickly and successfully. The site provides a wide variety of resources and methods for entrepreneurs to connect with other business owners. Membership and participation on JumpUp is free.

Fisher makes use of Intuit products in the operation of his own business.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 570 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 first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

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

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

"Reativity" graphically evolves into "Creativity"

Last year when I received email notification of the Creativity Annual Awards, the first thing I noticed was the new swoosh-o-licious identity that seemed to read as the "Reativity Annual Awards." I certainly wasn't the only one who noticed, as comments soon appeared on Internet design forums and blogs around the creative world. Introducing such a public logo with major readability issues (and I'm not even addressing the swoosh issue here), especially with target market of design professionals, seemed like a silly thing for such accomplished creative people to do.

I felt kind of bad picking on the annual awards competition last year - but there was that misstep of conducting a speculative "contest" to create the book cover. However, other designers did a good job of picking on them as well. To the credit of the Creativity Awards, the book cover "contest" was canceled with a very public apology to the design community and all was right with the world.

Still, in the back of my mind, there was the issue of that "Reativity" logo.

This morning I received an email announcing the 2007 Creativity Annual Awards. Yes, you did read that correctly - the logo now says "Creativity" Annual Awards. I guess the powers-that-be did realize there might be a readability issue. The simple addition of a "C" makes the logo much easier to read. The swoosh, which is now almost a background element almost isn't noticed as much any longer. Almost. And then I clicked on the email link and was taken once again to the Reativity Awards.

OK, admittedly that may be a cheap shot. The roll-out of a new, or revised, identity is a process and that complete evolution does take time in some situations. I did get a bit of a giggle out of the find.

By the way, entering the Creativity Awards may result in design work being honored and published in the best-selling annual - an often needed "pat on the back" for a designer and an excellent self-promotion opportunity. Good luck to those who participate.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives featured in Fashion Identity

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 Fashion Identity from Spanish publisher Index Book. An icon for Walk Your Talk, an urban clothing company projecting a positive message through their product offerings, appears in the book by Pedro Guitton. (Note: The image also appears on the webpage marketing the book)

The book is a collection of innovative designs used to market and promote the identity style of more than 100 different fashion companies from around the world. Ads, illustrations, direct mail pieces, point-of-purchase displays, toys, unconventional identity items, and more are presented in the 395-page volume.

The logo for the Maryland-based sportswear company was also featured in Guitton's previous book Logos from North to South America.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 570 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 first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

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

Update 08.01.07: "Fashion Identity" is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Identity Crisis! blog debuts

With the completion of writing for my upcoming book, Identity Crisis!: Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, I have initiated an Identity Crisis! blog to specifically deal with news, notes and announcements related to the book. Identity Crisis! is scheduled to be released by HOW Design Books in October 2007.

The new blog will officially announce those whose work appears in the book in the near future. Books signings, scheduled speaking engagements and other Identity Crisis! related topics will find their way to the new resource as well. Occasionally, postings related to additional aspects of identity re-design and rebranding will be featured as well.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

A sneak peak at BODY WORLDS 3 -opening today at OMSI

Last night my partner Ed and I attended a private reception for at Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) for Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the creator of the exhibit BODY WORLDS 3 (opening at the museum today). It was an incredible opportunity to get a sneak preview of the amazing exhbition that will be in Portland at OMSI until October. Nearly 20 million visitors in 35 cities across Asia, Europe, and North America have seen BODY WORLDS since its debut in Japan in 1996, and more than 6800 donors including 208 Americans have bequeathed their bodies to von Hagens' Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany.

My friend (and client when working on past Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks and Action Sports Media design projects) Sara Perrin is the Portland Marketing Manager for BODY WORLDS 3, so I had recently learned a lot about the exhibition from her. I'd also heard very positive comments from others who have viewed the displays in various U.S. cities. Still, I really didn't know how I would react to the graphic presentation of real human bodies - and organs, bones, nerve systems and more - preserved through Dr. von Hagen's process of "Plastination."

After schmoozing with guests (including Sara, her husband Rick, and long-time friends - and OMSI staffers - Brenda Jacobs and Andrea Middleton), having a couple glasses of wine, and noshing on a plate of great "poo poos," Ed and I were ready for our appointed time to start viewing the exhibit. I was immediately impressed by the artistic beauty of the displays. Juxtaposed against wall-mounted two-dimensional presentations of artistic and science anatomy images from throughout history, the three-dimensional sculptural beauty of the various human bodies presented was fascinating to me. Ed, being a self-confessed "science geek," was repeatedly saying "cool!" as he took it all in from his own geeky perspective.

It was great to hear the very postive comments of others as they toured the exhibit - especially from the kids present. As I was standing by an artistically dissected javlin thrower, I overheard two young boys discuss the piece as they viewed it with intensity.

"It would be really freaky if these were real human bodies," said the first boy.

"They are real human bodies," the second boy responded.

"Freaky!" was all the first boy said in reply, as the two continued to investigate all aspects of the human form before them.

One of the highlights of the evening for me was actually meeting Dr. von Hagens. I thanked him for bringing the exhibit to Portland and told him I thought it was incredibly beautiful. He was very gracious in expressing his appreciation of my comments and said he hoped many others felt the same way.

As our BODY WORLDS 3 visit came to an end, after about 90 minutes, I was feeling some regret that I couldn't view the entire thing again. I mentioned this to Ed and, in agreement, he told me that he'd already made plans to borrow our "rental children" (the kids of some friends) to bring them to OMSI to see the exhibit - which would allow us another look as well.

I highly recommend that everyone make plans to see this incredibly beautiful and educational exhibit. Tickets for the exhibition, predicted to be one of the most attended in Portland history, are available through the OMSI website.

Illustration: Front panel of OMSI invitation

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

2007 In-HOWse Designer Conference site goes live

Yesterday HOW Magazine launched the site for the 2007 In-HOWse Designer Conference, to be held at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas this September 9th through 11th. I heard great things about the previous In-HOWse event and would highly recommend this industry gathering for those creating design within organizations, businesses, agencies and corporations. Having been an in-house designer in my past life, I know that such design professionals often need all the inspiration and cheerleading they can get.

Some of my favorite people are speakers for the event - in particular the dynamic Kevin Carroll of The Katalyst Consultancy, the divine Jeni Herberger of Design Matters, and those wild and crazy HOW Editors Megan Patrick and Bryn Mooth.

Need another excuse to attend?: Austin is a kick-ass place to visit...

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: American Telecom

When I was approached by this communications company, back in 1997, the identity in use had many negative attributes. The major issue was that the odd shape didn't work well in many applications. The flag, which was not well-executed, seemed to simply be slapped up next to the name and did not reproduce clearly in small sizes. The letterforms appeared to be inconsistent in shape and size, and the kerning was out of whack. The star above the "I" letterform was too close to the letter and the two became a blob in printing usage, especially in one-color newspaper ads. The identity was just not a cohesive unit.

The major goal of the new logo was to create a tight, clean symbol that would work well in any application. The client was adamant about maintain- ing a flag element, stars, the patriotic color scheme and a reference to their business classification. I was able to incorporate all the client's desires into a symbol that did not take the design elements as literally. The flag became more of an abstract image that also subliminally conveyed communication through implied sound waves imagery.

The logo received an American Corporate Identity award and also appears in the books New Logo: Two (Singapore) and The New Big Book of Logos.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Enjoying the outdoor office...

The past few days have been beautiful in Portland. As the annual Rose Festival event schedule begins many locals head out of Dodge or find a way to hibernate in their neighborhoods to avoid the parades, extra traffic, and bridges going up and down on "the moat" as the ships arrive/depart for the festivities. I will not leave the home studio much this next week - but, with the nice weather, I have moved out to the "summer office."

Yesterday, on The Serif - one of my favorite blogging "side tracks" - Jim and the gang were having some Friday fun posting shots of their work spaces. I sent over a photo of mine and succeeded in making eveyone a bit jealous. They even ended the day with a photo of Al Gore's office. (On the HOW Design Forum there's also been an ongoing workspace thread.)

The only drawback to working in my outdoor space is that I'm often distracted and end up playing in the dirt. Not a bad thing for digging up a little creativity...

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Logo Notions article listed on"Top 50 Logo Design Tutorials"

A lot of website and bLog-oMotives traffic has been coming my way recently as the result of one of my Logo Notions articles, on the design industry site Creative Latitude, being listed on the "Top 50 Logo Design Tutorials" by the folks at E Logo Design. There, highlighted by my own Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity, is a link to the article "Using, fusing and abusing “the rules” of logo design." Some great resources are among the other interesting posted links, too.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:The Big Book of Letterheads featuresdesigns from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Two stationery package designs by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the design firm Jeff Fisher Logo- Motives, appear in the recently released book The Big Book of Letterheads. Designs for the VanderVeer Center and Pearl Real Estate are among over 330 examples featured in the volume from author David E. Carter and the publisher Collins Design.

The letterhead design for the VanderVeer Center, a Portland- area provider of anti-aging medicine and cosmetic procedures, is just one element of the total rebranding of Dr. Elizabeth VanderVeer's medical facility. The creation of a new logo led to the design of print ads with an immediate publication deadline, followed by stationery, signage, outdoor advertising, the website format and specialty items. The stationery package will also be featured in Fisher's book, Identity Crisis!, when it is released by HOW Design Books in 2007.

The letterhead, envelope and business card for Pearl Real Estate, another Portland firm, are also presented in the book. Ironically, since submission of the designs for possible inclusion in the book, the residential real estate company has been rebranded by another firm. The company's business card also appears in The Big Book of Business Cards.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 570 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 first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

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

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

My nightstand is buried with books

On the HOW Design Forum, a couple days ago, HOWie "kimburgerly" started a thread about summer reading lists. There's always a stack of books next to my nightstand for reading before I sleep each night. I posted my current selections on the HOW forum and thought I'd share it here as well.

Now that I'm finished writing Identity Crisis! I'm really in reading mode. I just devoured Suffer the Little Children, by Donna Leon. With all her books set in Venice, I feel like I'm walking the streets of the city while I'm reading the books. Right now I'm in the middle of Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods - it's one of the Stone Barrington books that I find to be mindless pleasures.

For my birthday last week I got several books that moved to the head of my upcoming reading list:

• A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini - I thought The Kite Runner was incredible and I'm really looking forward to this book.

• Come Alive!: The Spirited Art of Sister Corita, by Julie Ault

• The Grail: A year ambling & shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wild world, by Brian Doyle. Brian is a friend of a friend - and the editor of the college magazine at University of Portland

• The Overlook, by Michael Connelly - another of my mindless, guilty pleasure authors

Still in the pile next to my nightstand:

• My Life in France, by Julia Child

• Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide, by Dario Castagno

• Comfort Me With Apples, by Ruth Reichl - her other books were all great.

Work-wise I've been reading:

• The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing, by Barbara Janoff and Ruth Cash-Smith

By the way, kimbugerly's posted suggestion of Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, is a good one. I had been told it was a "chick" book. Still, I found her writing about travels to Italy, India and Bali fascinating.

Happy summer reading!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #10

The sorting through backed-up digital files, filing cabinets and boxes continues in my home studio as I archive over 30 years of design work. Recently I came across a somewhat mangled photocopy of a page from an old PRINT Regional Design Annual. In looking over the images on the page, I had no idea why I might have made a copy of this particular selection of design images. However, when I looked on the backside of the piece of paper, two pencil sketches of what would become the logo for the Seattle restaurant Glo's Broiler were evident.

When living in Seattle in the late 1980's, I developed a personal connection with the Capital Hill eatery. The late Glo Raineri, the founder of the breakfast and lunch cafe - and the mother of one of my closest friends - was also my roommate. I was one of a number of young men who, at various times, rented rooms in her house, which was sometimes referred to as "Glo's Home for Wayward Boys." Her restaurant became a natural extension of that life and I ate many meals in the place. That I would eventually design the logo for the place was no surprise.

I especially enjoy designing restaurant identities. There's often an incredibly creative challenge in capturing the essence of an eating establishment in an eye-catching and concise logo image to represent a business entity that conveys a very specific theme or food style. In the past, I wrote about such design projects in the Logo Notions article Designs on dining: Restaurant logos as a graphic invitation to a meal and an experience.

For me, Glo's Broiler had the feeling of an old-fashioned diner and that type of imagery came to mind as possible logo elements - neon, sytlized illustration, chrome, a checkerboard tablecloth, and red vinyl upholstery. My first pencil sketch (above) tilted a square border into a diamond shape, and introduced a steaming coffee cup as a replacement for the "o" in the word "Glo's;" while a plate of a common breakfast entree became the "o" in "Broiler." The second doodle (at right) eliminated the confining border and hinted at the type treatment - which I already knew would make use of the font Frankfurter Highlight. It's interesting that in the revised concept the addition of a checkerboard base can barely be seen on the paper. I erased it from the drawing whole working on the logo creation.

As the identity design developed, the bacon, eggs and toast graphic took inspiration from a similar image in a silkscreen print I had produced, and sold through several galleries, years earlier. In a "happy accident," the placement of the coffee cup and plate created a lower-case "g" - a secondary representation of "Glo." The checkerboard imagery then returned to give the logo some balance and weight.

With the completion of the logo, it was decided to do T-shirts to market the restaurant. A snide comment from a guy in a bar, referring to me as one of "Glo's boys," resulted in an additional "Glo's Boys" logo being creating and it became the identity for a bowling team the restaurant sponsored.

Glo, given the name of "Mother of Capital Hill" by Seattle newspapers, passed away in October of 2005. The restaurant remains open, although the logo has not been used for some time. Still, the image lives on 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).

Note: In previous bLog-oMotives entries I took a look back at excavated artifacts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designto appear in LogoLounge, Volume 4

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has been informed his personal logo design for hairstylist Micki King will be featured in the upcoming book LogoLounge, Volume 4. While working at the Chameleon Salon in Portland, King commissioned the designer to create the identity incorporating the reptile, a yin yang reference, possible swirl imagery and Celtic letterforms. The selected design was the result of that unusual list of creative ingredients.

An international panel of judges, including Louis Lygo of Wolff Olins, Jerry Kuyper of Jerry Kuyper Partners, Jason Schulte of Jason Schulte Design, Gaby de Abreu of Switch Branding & Design, Haley Johnson of Haley Johnson Design, Neville Brody of Research Studios, Janet Martin of Communication Arts, Inc., and Chris Campbell of Interbrand selected the designs to be included in the winter 2008 book release, to be produced by Rockport Publishers. Over 28,000 logos were judged; with 2,000 being chosen for the new volume. The membership website LogoLounge allows designers to easily share their ideas and concepts with peers and clients through logo design uploads to the site. The logos are categorized, providing members ease in researching design concepts, and viewing the work of designers and firms from around the world. Submissions are then judged for inclusion in future LogoLounge volumes.

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was previously represented with a total of 11 logo designs published in LogoLounge, Volume 1 and LogoLounge, Volume 2.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 550 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 85 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 first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

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

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Tilikum Center forRetreats & Outdoor Ministries

Over the years I've executed several logo design projects for various programs of George Fox University. The most recent was for the Tilikum Center for Retreats & Outdoor Ministries, located in the backwoods of Oregon's Yamhill County. The facility offers retreats for all age ranges, including summer camps for kids and elderhostels.

While the client, and those making use of the retreat, didn't necessarily have an aversion to the old logo, it was felt that the identity was beginning to appear a bit dated. In addition, "official" colors had never been selected for the design and it was often presented in black only.

The free-form natural of the original logo tended to cause layout problems in some uses. That was eliminated by enclosing the image within a rustic, square frame.

The canoe, tree and forest images of the old logo were retained an incorporated into the new format. The font PanAm was selected to give the name a more traditional appearance. Rich blues and greens were chosen as colors for the identity - reflecting the natural colors found at the Tilikum retreat.

The logo has been selected to appear in the upcoming books The Big Book of Logos 5 and Branded.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Identity Crisis!: It's reality!

It's been just about a year since I started writing my new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. Yes, it was originally to be "100 redesigns that..." - but mid-project it was decided to reformat things a bit, limiting the book to 50 case studies that would be given even greater attention in the volume.

Writing a book is a frustrating, exhausting, exciting, and incredibly rewarding experience. "Herding" designers from around the world, in such a collaborative process, makes that process even more challenging and interesting.

For me, this project has meant many long nights, many weekends spent writing, too many emails to count, and working vacations - or even more work on business trips - to numerous locations over the past 12 months.

Today the proof of the book layout arrived via UPS. It was a great feeling to open the package and see the labor of the past year in a real book format. My editor Amy Schell has done a great job in fine-tuning the text, helping to select the redesigns that are included, and keeping me on track when necessary. Book designer Grace Ring has turned that text, and over 500 graphic images, into a book that should be an excellent resource for any designer taking on a rebranding effort or the client considering a design makeover for their business, organization or product. The book will feature solutions to the identity crisis issues of Mom-and-Pop businesses to major corporations - exhibiting the creative efforts of one-person design shops to some of the most recognized larger firms in the industry.

Over the next week I will be checking, and double-checking, the book content. Through that process many of those who have contributed projects for the book will learn that their work is in the final volume. I do appreciate both your contributions to the book and your patience through the process of writing, editing and designing the book. My pesky emails, questions about text content and requests for addition images have all been in the hope of creating a great book - and putting the work of the featured designers in the best light.

Following this next week, the book will be off to press, with a target release date of sometime in October. Once my review of the book is returned to HOW Design Books, for final edits and changes, I will make an official announcement of the designers, firms and projects that will be featured in the published book.

Thanks again to all who have contributed time, energy, words of wisdom, and case studies for Identity Crisis!. It's almost time for me to go into design book author "rehab" to recover from the process!

(Note: Thanks to UnBeige for the mention.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Theatre Logos Agency gives designertheatrical images a new high-profile life

Throughout my career, the logo designs I have been asked to create for live theatre presentations have been my favorite creative exercises. From designing for my high school's theatre performances (over 30 years ago), through an on-going 17-year relationship with playwright, director and producer Don Horn and his triangle productions! theatre company, the opportunity to put a graphic face on plays and musicals has never failed to get my creative juices flowing. I previously wrote about topic in my Logo Notions article The logo’s the thing – identity design takes the stage, on the Creative Latitude website.

One of the unique aspects of creating identities for live theatre is that the logos often have a lifespan as short as the run of the show - usually a few weeks or, at the most, a few months. Luckily, from being recognized with design industry honors or being published in various graphic design books, many of my theatre graphic images have experienced some longevity.

The Theatre Logos Agency is giving new life to the work many designers have created for live theatre, through the sublicensing of the designs to other theatre companies.

Just over a week ago, I was contacted by Michael Q. Fellmeth, the founder of Theatre Logos Agency (TLA), after he read the Logo Notions article mentioned above. Fellmeth expressed interest in taking on Jeff Fisher LogoMotives as a client for the sublicensing of some of the theatre logos I have produced over time. After doing some reseach, getting the blessing of my client, and reviewing the agreement sent to me by TLA, I have opted to enter into a business relationship with TLA.

Theatre Logos Agency was founded in 2006. This past month the company "officially" opened with their web presence going live, and it's a valuable resource for designers interested in participating in the effort - in addition to being a great destination for the theatre production company seeking high quality designs to promote productions. In defining TLA, the following is posted on the website:

"Theatre Logos Agency (TLA) was established to service the growing demand from producing organizations for high-quality artwork. Prior to the formation of TLA, no central clearinghouse existed for the rights to use original artwork from Broadway, Off-Broadway, West End, and regional productions. TLA is pleased to bring together our clients' artwork with producing organizations that can utilize it in the promotion of their productions. TLA associates, made up of experienced theatrical-licensing professionals, are ready to service both the needs of our clients and producing organizations."

TLA has selected a number of my designs to include in the offerings to theatre production companies. Some of my favorite images (above) are among those to be presented for licensing. The theatrical logos have served my client, and myself, well in the past.

A few of the chosen logos have been recognized with awards from the PRINT Regional Design Annual, American Graphic Design Awards and Summit Creative Awards. The theatre logos have also been featured in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), The New Big Book of Logos, The Big Book of Logos 3, and The Big Book of Logos 4. Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge - Volume 1, Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan), and New Logo: Two (Singapore) have also showcased some of the designs.

It will be fascinating to see if the images are given even greater exposure through the efforts of TLA. I encourage other designers, who have created logos and other promotional materials for live theatre productions, to take a look at what the Theatre Logos Agency has to offer.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives