bLog-oMotives: 2007

Toot! Toot!*:
Jeff Fisher interview featured on FreelanceSwitch

An interview with designer and author Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is currently featured on the web presence FreelanceSwitch. In the piece, "Veteran Designer Embraces Identity Crisis and Casual Fridays," written by Kristen Fischer, the designer discusses his 30-year career and recently released book Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands.

FreelanceSwitch is an online resource for all independent creatives, offering advice, articles, podcasts, a job board, and a community forum for designers, writers, illustrators, photographers, web developers and others.

Kristen Fischer, an independent copywriter and editor, is also the author of the book Creatively Self-Employed, in which designer Fisher was featured.

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 in 2004 by HOW Books, also the publisher of Identity Crisis!.

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

What were they stinking?

The other day the last of my holiday online shopping arrived from Amazon.com. I was thrilled that the box was delivered with time to spare before our scheduled Christmas Eve gift exchange, as it had been difficult to find one of the items enclosed.

I opened the box and was immediately hit with a good dose of a strong sweet cinnamon apple scent. My eyes, skin and nose reacted instantly to whatever was in the package. I know that a friend of mine, experiencing the same situation, would have reacted so strongly a hospital visit would have been necessary.

Over the years I have developed increasing strong allergic reactions to scents. When going to department stores I need to plan a route around the perfume counters and I always avoid candle or potpourri retailers. Magazines that arrive with scent samples pages must have the offending pages removed, and the publications aired out for several days, before I can read the issue. I'm even allergic to the scent of the ink used to print The New York Times - but still read it; scrubbing myself down afterwards as if I am going into a sterile surgical procedure. I have a limited selection of laundry detergents, bath soaps and deodorants I am able to use without reactions. When we have dinners, or parties, at our home we remind guests that these are "fragrance free" events. These are all situations I have learned to be prepared for in advance over time.

I was not prepared for an unexpected Glade scent promotional bookmark to be shipped in my package of purchases from Amazon. The congestion in my nose, constriction in my throat, headache and itchy skin were not in my plans for the day.

The little protective "condom" over the scent patch on the bookmark appeared to have been partially removed in shipping, causing the box to fill with the gaggy odor.

Far from being "A Little Holiday Joy," the advertising insert was a major annoyance and health issue. One the back side of the bookmark was the text "We'd love your opinion" - and both Glade and Amazon got mine.

I went to the Glade website and filled out the survey sharing my feelings. I also wrote to customer service at Amazon to explain the situation and suggest that they consider other methods of dealing with such promotional efforts in their packaging. From Amazon I got the following response:

I'm sorry for the problem you faced with the promotion we sent to you. I hope your health is fine now. Thank you for suggesting that we don't send promotions which may lead to customer health problems. Customer feedback like yours is very important in helping us continue to improve the selection and service we provide. I appreciate your thoughts and I will be sure to forward your suggestion to the concerned department. Rest assured that we won't be sending such type of promotions to you.

(To scan the promotion I had to handle it with gloves and be careful to not inhale while it was out in the open.)

What were Amazon and Glade thinking? I guess I'm surprised that a scented promotion would be sent in such a manner in the first place. It might have been wise to have it sealed in a secondary plastic bag - rather than loose in the box. I can't be the only person negatively impacted by the smelly promotion. Several days later my body is still a bit tweaky following a chain of allergic events started by the scented bookmark. Possible reactions like mine need to be a consideration when planning similar marketing or advertising pieces.

Update - 12.30.07: As Mark commented below there is always the danger of a "magazine ambush" in regards to scent. On Saturday the new Bon Appetit magazine arrived in my mailbox - with a scent page for Calvin Klein's Eternity fragrance. Huh? One of the most offensive colognes is always the first thing I think of when it comes to fine cooking. The magazine is banished from my reading materials until it airs out.

Happy holidays...

...from my "au natural" designer gingerbread cookies to yours...

Best wishes for the holiday season and the new year!

DesignerToday reviews Identity Crisis!

Online magazine DesignerToday has posted a review of Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands. The complete critique, by designer and writer Jake Van Ness, may be read on the DesignerToday site. Van Ness sums up his comments with:

This book is a wonderful source of inspiration and I think it is a must have for any designer interested or currently working in the field of identity design.

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

The high cost of saving money on your business image

Not too long ago a potential identity design client requested information about the estimated cost of creating a logo to represent a new start-up business. The business was about to be launched and the identity creation costs had not been considered in the business plan budget.

I wasn't surprised when, after receiving the information, the business owner contacted me to explain that the price range quoted was much higher than anticipated and that they would most likely consider branding the company with a logo design that was "adequate" at the present time. It was explained that they later hoped to hire me to redesign the corporate image to better reflect their desires for the public persona of the business?

Huh?

In nearly 30 years as a professional designer I often hear this justification for initially scrimping on one of the most important advertising, marketing and promotion elements for any business. Many new business owners simply do not plan for the possible costs involved in the creation of the image with which their business or product will be introduced to the target market.

In cutting corners, such business owners are seldom saving any money. In fact, much greater business identity costs over time are usually the result. When "settling" for a less than adequate logo design, the costs of stationery packages, storefront and vehicle signage, print advertising and other promotional items are still incurred. Being less than satisfied with the early graphic image of the business often means that all of those expenses will be duplicated until the owner has achieved the desired end result through a series of re-designs.

A client once came to me after having a business identity re-designed five times in five years. The owner admitted to "settling" for a new logo each year due to an impending print or advertising deadline reminding him of the lack of satisfaction with the image being used at the time. Each new identity effort was rushed;, and then required the reproduction of every piece of material used to market and promote the business. Over five years the process had become a very costly endeavor.

The business owner finally budgeted time and money for hiring a professional designer to create a logo to properly represent the firm in question. As a designer specializing in identity design, I researched the business's target market, local competition and specialized industry before even starting the design process. Several logo concepts were presented to the client and, within a few weeks, the company had a new and improved identity. In this case, the logo was used successfully for a period of 10 years - until the business was purchased by a larger industry entity.

When entering into the process of starting a new business, or revamping the identity of an existing company, the business owner needs to do their research and budget adequate time and funds for the project. This is a "must" when creating an initial business plan. The spur of the moment decisions to go with a discount online logo design resource may not provide the knowledge, expertise, and unique end result that will best suit one's business. The successful branding of a business most often requires much more than slapping a clip art image up next to a type treatment of the business name as a last-minute solution. Instead, the businessperson should research a variety of designers, or design firms, to find a good match of talent, skill and understanding of the business's very specific needs, before embarking on the process of establishing a strong business identity.

In my new book, Identity Crisis! 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands (HOW Books, October 2007), Robynne Raye, of the Modern Dog Design Company in Seattle, suggests the business owner "find a designer you can trust, and then trust them."

An identity design process that is well planned, realistically budgeted early on, researched thoroughly, and utilizes the services of a professional designer with a proven track record of collaborative efforts, may initially be a bit more expensive than originally expected. However, the realistic investment in the image, and future success, of one's business will be more than worth the cost when done right the first time.

This bLog-oMotives entry originally appeared on my "Designs on Business" blog at JumpUp.com.

HOW Magazine releases 2007 digital archive

The latest news from the HOW Blog is the upcoming December 17th release of the digital archive of all 2007 HOW Magazine issues. The searchable DVD includes a full year's worth of ideas, information and inspiration about staying creative, running a successful design business, surviving in-house and managing your design career, and the 300+ winning entries in the 2007 HOW design awards.

The digital HOW archive retails for $39.96, but may currently be pre-ordered for $29.96.

Maybe such digital archives will help me with my design magazine storage issues. I've got issues of HOW Magazine going back years. It will be nice to have a digital record of the 2007 issues in which Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was featured ( August and December).

Look who's making news in our household

I've got to admit, when it comes to media coverage in our household, my other half of 17.5 years - Ed Cunningham - usually stays out of the limelight while doing an incredible job as Business Manager in the Portland office of the nationwide law firm Holland & Knight. I'm usually the one being interviewed by some magazine or having my photo taken for a newspaper. So much so that Ed usually refers to me as the "media ho."

However, yesterday was his turn - and I couldn't be prouder and happier for him. Just Out, the statewide newsmagazine for the GLBT community, published an article about the fact that Holland & Knight was recently honored by the Human Rights Campaign with a perfect score of 100 points in its annual Corporate Equity Index. The law firm was recognized for its actions and policies toward sexual minority employees, as well as consumers and investors, making it one of the "best places to work for GLBT equality" in the nation. Just Out writer Teresa Coates interviewed Ed about the recognition.

At a local level, Ed has played an active role in promoting diversity within the Portland office. In fact, he was recently honored as the inaugural recipient of Portland office's Diversity Supporter of the Year Award and was honored by the Native American Youth and Family Center last year. Ed has been a member of the local office diversity committee, initiated a Native Youth Internship Program, and is surrounded by little kids each month through the office adoption of a Head Start program class. I'm thrilled that he's getting a public "pat on the back" for his efforts - although that's not why he does any of the community work.

More than anything else, I have always appreciated the support that Ed has given me in my design work, writing and other activities. For 17.5 years he's been an equal partner in the public and private efforts of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #16

In the late 1980's, while living in Seattle, I shared offices with several entities that were clients, or later became clients. The Seattle Men's Chorus, the Pride Foundation, City Guide Magazine and Alice B. Theatre were the other tenants in the combined space in what was an energetic, creative and fun working environment.

Alice B. Theatre was founded in 1984 in conjunction with the first Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival in Seattle. The theatre company name is a reference to Alice B. Toklas - the confidante, lover, cook, secretary, muse, editor, critic, and general organizer of writer Gertrude Stein. In 1933 Stein published her memoirs under the title The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. Toklas released her own book, The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook, in 1954. A memoir containing a collection of recipes, it is probably best known for its instructions on making cannabis brownies (which later played a role in the plot of the 1968 Peter Sellers movie I Love You, Alice B. Toklas). In old photos Toklas is often seen wearing a big floppy hat.

My workspace next door neighbor, Alice B. Theatre, made use of my design services in creating print ads, flyers, posters and other items for the live theatre performances presented in the local community. The one thing the group was lacking was a strong graphic identity. At some point I suggested to the organization's director that it might be worthwhile to put some time and energy into creating a logo for the group.

As my present day office cleaning attests, I began doodling my ideas for the image on just about any paper surface I came across. The first was a a pencil sketch on a page from a memo pad given to me from a printer in Lynnwood, WA. On a scrap torn off a yellow, lined legal notepad was another rough concept done in a think black felt pen. Yet another idea was executed in India ink on a piece of tracing paper. (Yes, I've saved these things for two decades!)

Each concept included a reference to the floppy hat once worn by Alice B. Toklas. Another common element was at least one evident triangle shape, creating a bow, as a symbolic tip of the hat to the primarily gay and lesbian target audience of the performing arts group. The font University Roman, which had been used on some previous theatre marketing and promotion materials, was the typeface given the most consideration throughout the process.

As I fine-tuned the concept from the legal tablet I decided the logo was a bit too flat, long and skinny. I felt as if the hat needed more weight and presence in the identity. The treatment of the font related back to my earliest doodle on the printing company memo sheet.

I've always liked the final logo design and the image it conveyed for the the theatre company. Unfortunately, I moved back to Portland before any kind of full-fledged branding effort could be introduced. According to documentation in the Special Collections of the University of Washington Libraries, Alice B. Theatre disbanded in the spring of 1996 and reorganized as Alice B. Arts in September 1996. It then ceased operations completely in 1997.

In reviewing the 20-year-old logo today, I might have designed one portion of the image differently. The big and small caps, used in the organization name, may have been replaced with the cleaner, more simple, all caps treatment displayed in the concept making use of the long, thin hat graphic. It always bugged me that the tagline was broken into two elements in my final design. It would have been read much more easily as one complete line under the Alice B. Theater name.

Other projects excavated as I have gone through boxes and files in my archives can be found in past bLog-oMotives entries.

Re-Design: Smith Freed

In the case of the Portland law firm commonly known as Smith Freed, the old logo - for what was then the company name Smith Freed Heald & Chock – was actually a new identity that had been approved and implemented by the company. There was one serious problem. The letters representing the names did not really read in the order they should, due to awkward placement in the design. The dimensional shading of the letters also presented reproduction issues in some applications. Prior to dedicating money for a cast bronze lobby sign the partners in the firm decided to have the logo redesigned.

Ampersands are always odd design elements in “alphabet soup” company identities representing a number of named partners. It was decided to eliminate the symbol completely and just include the initials of the partners in a simple logo. To keep the costs of reproducing all printed materials to a minimum the logo was limited to a one-color treatment at the time. I always liked the "happy accident" of the interesting shape in the design, where all the letterforms came together.

A change in the name of the firm, to Smith Freed Chock & Eberhard, required that the logo be changed to incorporate the acronym SFCE. A new two-color palette was introduced to set the image apart from the previous incarnation.

Yet another name change a short time later resulted in additional alterations to the logo – and the reintroduction of the ampersand. Even with the second and third name, and logo, changes the public image of Smith Freed remained somewhat constant.

The redesign process of the logo appears in the book Logos Redesigned: How 200 Companies Successfully Changed Their Image by David E. Carter.

(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.)

A Tribute to Herb Lubalin

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

(Image "borrowed" from The Serif)

Great identity-related gift hits the mark

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

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

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

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

First - Common and familiar forms do usually make good trademarks, for they lack distinction. The circle, the square, the crescent, the star, the diamond. the heart, the oval, the shield, the cross, all have long ago been usurped and are burdened with significances.
Second - If one is anxious to aquire legal title to a trademark her will not have it resemble any other trademark, nor will he put in it any descriptive phrase or name.
Third - Flags and emblems of all nations, the established devices of societies, associations and institutions should be avoided as not legally usable or protectible.
Fourth - Complicated and confused pictures or devices do not make good trademarks, because they cannot be seen and comprehended at a glance. As they lack simplicity they lack strength.
Fifth - A good trademark will not depend upon any color arrangement for its effect, at it will undoubtedly be necessary to reproduce it in many places where color cannot be used.
Sixth - It is advisable to avoid designs that are higher than they are wide. A "tall" trademark is often difficult to fit into attractive and harmonious layouts.
Seventh - A trademark should be capable of reproduction in all engraving processes, by zincs, half-tones, and the different offset and lithographic methods, that it may be well printed on all kinds of paper and other printable materials.
Eighth - If the trademark is not as simple as it can be made, and carefully proportioned in all its parts, it may be impossible to reduce it to small sizes without losing the design, or to increase it to large sizes without rendering it ugly.
Ninth - Care should be taken to evolve a design that will not print too black or too light, for undoubtedly it will be used with many styles of lettering and kinds of type faces.
Tenth - Designs that have only a temporary significance should be discarded. They may be meaningless, absurd, or quite impossible of use tomorrow.
Eleventh - That which is vulgar, repulsive, or ugly will never make a good trademark. Also one should be extremely cautious in the use of comic motifs.
Twelfth - It will save expense and trouble, and perhaps prevent disappointment, if the work of designing the trademark is put into trained and understanding hands. It is work that can't be hurriedly done in an idle moment by one who has not conception of the importance of the task.

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

In closing his book, author Buck writes:

The new manufacturer who does not bring into being a good trademark at the time his venture is launched, even though it may not at once be conspicuously used, is neglecting a real opportunity to add to his tangible assets.
And the established manufacturer who has not now a good trademark stands in pressing need of one.
The trademark is not a panacea for every business ill. But it is a fundamentally important part of the business equipment that is to serve efficiently in the new order.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calls for entries:
Upcoming design competition deadlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck!

DesignerToday cites Jeff Fisher in spec work article

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

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

Portland Graphic Designers' Coffee Club to "meetup"

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

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

design:related™ features Jeff Fisher

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

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

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

Re-Design: Balloons on Broadway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Identity Crisis is a rare book" - Chuck Green

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

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

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

The entire review is available on PagePlane.

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

1 November 2007
For immediate release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing like a slap in the face
to wake up a design community in the morning

Yesterday the discussion on the About.com Graphic Design forum was primarily about the poor ad placement on the Graphic Design home page. Mutiny was being discussed - and, to be honest, I don't know if I want to be supporting a site that obviously has little concern or respect for their professional graphic design community. It's unfortunate, especially as I have been an active member of the valuable discussion forum for nearly a decade. The rotating ads were popping up again on the site this morning:

Even odder, and on the same general topic, was the email I received a few weeks ago from a marketing representative of HP. She explained that following a visit to my website she was wondering if I would be interested in a link exchange with the recently acquired "logo design" division of the HP company.

Huh?

Identity Crisis! travels country with
QuickBooks "Just Start" campaign

This past week, while I was on vacation in Italy, Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks Simple Start 2008, held their initial "Just Start" event in Seattle's Westlake Center (above) to announce the free distribution of the product. My business, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, and my newly released book Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, are featured in the "Just Start" Gallery of proven entrepreneurial businesses for the event (below). The product rollout, and the traveling exhibit, will also be seen in Chicago's Union Center - Great Hall (November 1-2), Grand Central Terminal - Vanderbilt Hall in New York City (November 8-9) and Boston's South Station (November 13-14).

As a QuickBooks user, I joined Intuit's JumpUp online networking community this past year. This past June JumpUp.com did a spotlight on my business efforts. I was recently asked to occasionally write a blog entry for the JumpUp site and Designs on Business was the result. This relationship with JumpUp.com resulted in being asked to participate in the "Just Start" event series.

Already trusted by more than 300,000 small business owners nationwide, QuickBooks Simple Start is full-featured accounting software. Known for its drop-dead ease of use, Simple Start focuses on the essentials of tracking "money in" and "money out," as well as keeping key business data organized for tax time. With this free accounting software, entrepreneurs can now easily establish the financial habits that will help them get their business successfully off the ground. The small business financial software, with previous versions valued at $99.95, is available for free download at www.simplestart.com.

Further supporting entrepreneurs, Intuit also announced its nationwide "Just Start" campaign with a chance to win a $50,000 business startup grant. The campaign is designed to empower the many Americans who aspire to run their own business to take the next step and "Just Start." Along with a contest for $50,000, "Just Start" offers the encouragement and guidance aspiring entrepreneurs need to get started via the events in Seattle, Chicago, New York City and Boston. Go to www.IWillJustStart.com for more information.

Still time to enter Holli Conger's
First Annual Pumpkin Junkin' Contest

Holli Conger has been one of my favorite illustrators for quite a few years now. I always enjoy getting her emails, as I never know what they may bring. Today I got a reminder message from her about the First Annual Pumpkin Junkin' Exhibit & Contest. The deadline of October 31st is fast approaching. Artists around the world are encouraged to use and abuse a pumpkin with found objects, creating a masterpiece to share in the 2007 Pumpkin Junkin' Gallery. All the rules are on the official site.

Worldwide exposure of your pumpkin creation is not the only benefit of participation. There's a grand prize of one of Holli's great original Junk A Doodles illustration pieces. She's even lined up illustrators Paige Pooler, Robyn Fabsits and Andi Butler as judges.

By the way, be sure to check out Holli's fun illustration work.

Buona sera from Segromigno in Monte

There hasn't been much on the bLog-oMotives front lately because we've been in Italy for the past week. Home base is a beautiful house in Segromigno in Monte outside of Lucca in Tuscany. Last night we got back from three days in Venice - and I'm the third member of our four-person travel group that has come down with some kind of flu-ish bug. I'm glad we're going to be hanging out at Casa Mennone the next few days and seeing just how much of nothing we can accomplish. Hopefully we will get out to explore a bit more in the coming week. Now we're enjoying reading, home-cooked meals, great wine and napping in the sun.

I've posted some of our photos from the past week on my Flickr page.

Arrivederci!

Dizzy no more

Thanks to all the people who have asked about my recovery from three plus years of dealing with vertigo issues. I've been getting asked about my improved health on forums, via email and even on the street. I hope that the information I have shared has been helpful to those seeking relief from their own vertigo issues, or of assistance to those seeking additional information for love ones, friends, neighbors and co-workers experiencing chronic vertigo or dizziness.

Tomorrow it will be five weeks since my last treatment at Dr. John Epley's clinic, and since then I've had no vertigo issues at all. I still have one weird thing happening ever since the treatment. Almost every day, I get a really bad headache between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. The suspicion is that it is due to eye strain as my vision has to re-adjust to being in balance once again.

I can now get out of bed without feeling like I am immediately going to fall over. I am able to shampoo my hair without holding on to the wall and keeping my eyes open. I no longer get disoriented in shopping malls or stores. I can drive on the freeway without having a panic attack, and go over high bridges without being nauseous - however, I do get this weird feeling of anxiety in my chest waiting for what no longer happens to happen. When I stop the car at a stop sign/light, or to park, the vehicle doesn't feel as if it continuing to move forward. I can parallel park again. There is no longer any dizziness associated with my allergies, heat or movement. Elevators and escalators done bother me much at all now. I don't lose my balance in the dark - or feel as if I am spinning while laying in bed. In fact, my night blindness issues seem to have gone away. I recently drove at night - for the first time in about five years - and could see very clearly. I no longer feel as if I am trapped in my own house - because, in the past, I never knew what might happen in regards to the vertigo (or panic attacks) if I went out into the world.

I have more energy than I've had in years. I've also lost just over five pounds this past month - probably because I can get up and move around much more without fear of falling over.

In the past, traveling has been a bit of a challenge due to the vertigo - but I never let it stop me completely from one of my greatest pleasures. I suppose I am feeling a bit of anxiety today as we leave for Italy for two weeks. Hopefully the trip will be one great dizzy-free adventure.

I have my life back. I actually sat down one day and wrote a thank you note to my doctor for giving me life back through his treatments. I was so lucky to be a patient of one of the leading experts on vertigo - and to have him be here in Portland.

How my partner Ed put up with me the past three years, I do not know. I suppose it would be best if I didn't question it, and was just grateful that he did.

Calls for entries:
Upcoming design competition deadlines

Symbols: Silhouettes - Icons - Pictograms
(Index Book - Spain)
No specific deadline posted
No entry fees charged

STEP design 100
(STEP inside design - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 October 2007
Entry fees charged

Helvetica NOW Poster Contest
(Linotype)
Deadline: 24 October 2007
No entry fees charged

Print & Production Finishes for Sustainable Design
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 31 October 2007
No entry fees charged

Best of Brochure Design 10
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2007
No entry fees charged

1000 Package Designs
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 November 2007
No entry fees charged

Creativity+Commerce
PRINT’s International Art and Commerce Design Review
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2007

cause/affect
(AIGA San Francisco - USA)
Deadline: 9 November 2007
Entry fees charged

American Corporate Identity 24
(David E. Carter - USA)
"Early Bird" Deadline: 19 November 2007
"Last Call" Deadline: 21 December 2007
Entry fees charged

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

American Package Design Awards
(Graphic design:usa - USA)
Deadline: 30 November 2007
Entry fees charged

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

The Design Green Project
(Area of Design - USA)
Deadline: 30 November 2007
Entry fees charged

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

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2007
Entry fees charged

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

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

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!

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #15

The bit of my design career past I found this past week is different than most of my previously posted excavated artifacts. In addition to filing away examples of past logo design projects, I've been going through a stack of old articles written about my work and archiving them. I came across a clipping, from the U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times, in which a logo I designed is critiqued by Lisa Godson. In my entire career it is the only piece of my work reviewed by a major publication

The logo was created for a web development firm in Dublin, Ireland by the name of DesignEire. The project was one of the first international projects I had done entirely by way of the Internet. The review appeared as part of Godson's regular column "Designer Ireland" on June 6, 2004.

No. 237: DesignEire

The most impressive item in DesignEire’s portfolio is themselves — or rather their logo. It has won international awards, been featured in graphic design manuals as an example of excellence and is utterly distinctive.

The logo is a representation of the D and E of the company name, and plays on visual perception. The letters are placed back to back, this snugness an allusion to their part in a composite word. The E is a curved Celtic uncial, and so at first glance the design appears to depict two back-to-back semi-circles.

It seems almost abstract, with the negative space formed by the two curves emphasised visually by being rendered in white. As the brightest element in the composition, the eye is drawn first to this non-signifying abstract shape — the leftover part of the design forming the central focus, in a subversion of the norm.

Another unusual aspect of the design is the use of dark colours. The shape enclosed by the D is in indigo, and that of the E in a dark leaf green. The allusion here seems to be to cosmopolitanism on the one hand and the local on the other. With a name like DesignEire, it is clear the company wants to be associated with Ireland, but it also works for international clients. The logo is certainly more subtle than the cheeky name — the use of the terms design and Eire make it sound like an official state design organisation rather than a small commercial firm.

The appeal of the logo is not just a cerebral one of optical illusions and allusions but an emotional one. The letters and shapes of it are all marked out in thick black line, and coupled with the strong colours gives it a hand-drawn, child-like air. It is designed as much as an illustration as a corporate trademark — in fact, it is more suggestive of the work of Roger Hargreaves, creator of the Mr Men books than that of a contemporary graphic designer.

Lisa Godson is tutor in Critical and Historical Studies at the Royal College of Art. She was previously a lecturer in the Department of the History of Art, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology and elsewhere, wrote a weekly column on Irish design for the Sunday Times for six years, and worked as a curator and consultant to the National Museum of Ireland. Godson also wrote the limited edition book Stealing Hearts from a Travelling Show: The Graphic Design of U2.

As mentioned in the review, the DesignEire logo did receive its fair share of additional recognition. The design won a Summit Creative Award (Silver) and appears in the books The Big Book of Logos 3, New Logo World (Japan), Graphically Speaking, Global Corporate Identity, and Logo Design for Small Business 2.

It's interesting to look back on the critique of the design. The simplicity of the finished design has always made it one of my personal favorites. Once again, I'm glad I never throw anything away.

Re-Design: TraveLady Media

Pacific Northwest television personality Cheryl Hansen is known as the “TraveLady” due to her reports and video segments on the travel industry. For many years she used an illustration of a woman carrying luggage as a personal identity (below left).

With plans to move into television and video production, focusing on travel options and opportunities for women, she wanted to update the old illustration with a transformation into a strong logo for branding purposes. The illustration was converted into a silhouette and one of the bags evolved into a graphic representation of a television (above right). Sophistication was added to the design through the use of a specific font for “TraveLady.” Movement was suggested with the human form overlapping the name and the gradation of the “Media” banner. The actual word incorporated into the banner may change with specific needs or usage.

The design was honored with a 2003 American Graphic Design Award, and is featured in the book Logo Design for Small Business 2.

Toot! Toot!:
Jeff Fisher is having an Identity Crisis!*

25 September 2007
For immediate release

(Portland, Ore) -- Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, the new book from Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has been released by publisher HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc. The book is currently available from all major online booksellers and will soon be on bookstore shelves internationally.

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

Jack Anderson, of the Seattle firm Hornall Anderson Design Works wrote the foreward for Identity Crisis! "Words of Wisdom," throughout the book, were provided by Sean Adams/AdamsMorika, Inc, Bob Domenz/Avenue, Tony Spaeth/Identityworks, Debbie Millman/Sterling Brands, Jack Yan/Jack Yan & Associates, design educator and author Robin Landa, Robynne Raye/Modern Dog Design Co., Mark E. Sackett/Reflectur, and the author.

Case studies presented in the volume include projects from the following firms: 3 Dogz Creative Inc. (Toronto, ONT, Canada), Advertising By Design (Clermont, FL USA), angryporcupine*design (Park City, UT USA), Avenue (Chicago, IL USA), b-design (San Diego, CA USA), biz-R (Totnes, Devon, UK), Brainforest, Inc. (Chicago, IL USA), Breathewords (Caldas da Rainha, Portugal), CC Graphic Design (Salt Lake City, UT USA), Common Sense Design (New Hamburg, ONT Canada), Connacher Design (Stamford, CT USA), Finamore Design (Brooklyn, NY USA), Fullblast, Inc. (Portland, OR USA), Glitschka Studios (Salem, OR USA), Graphicwise, Inc. (Irvine, CA USA), Hornall Anderson Design Works (Seattle, WA USA), and Identityworks (Rye, NY USA).

Other firms represented include: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives (Portland, OR USA), John Silver Design Bothell, WA (USA), MasonBaronet (Dallas, TX USA), Mayhem Studios (Los Angeles, CA USA), Modern Dog Design Co. (Seattle, WA USA), MyBrand (Lisbon, Portugal), nHarmony, Inc. (Muncie, IN USA), Octavo Designs (Frederick, MD USA), Paragon Integrated Marketing Communications (Salmiya, Kuwait), RDQ - Rdqlus Design Quantum (Omaha, NE USA), Round2 Communications - R2i (Baltimore, MD USA), Sayles Graphic Design (Des Moines, IA USA), Shapiro Design Associates Inc. (Irvington, NY USA), Shine Advertising Co. (Madison, WI USA), Sockeye Creative (Portland, OR USA), Studio GT&P (Foligno, PG Italy), Subplot Design Inc. (Vancouver, BC Canada), and Willoughby Design Group (Kansas City, MO USA)

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

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

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

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

Mailbag

Whistle Stops

Get on Track!

Tootin' the Horn

Connections

Destinations

Identity Design Tracks

Side Tracks

The Lounge Car

Booking Adventures

Previous Engagements

Competition Judging

Engineer of Creative Identity