DESIGNING LOGOS SINCE 1982

One of my first jobs as a graphic designer was as a work study at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. It was then, back in 1982, that I was asked to update the college’s emblem. The image chosen is shown here. I used a modified version of a font by type designer Alan Carr called Busorama. The font and the shape of the logo reflected the architecture of the campus. All of the buildings were round and arranged in a circle around a central building—the library, whose pinnacle is represented in the center of the logo. Back then, artwork like this, and the proposed catalog cover design shown below, was drafted completely by hand onto illustration board with pen and ink. Things have changed considerably since then. 
        To see my more recent work, click here: http://sample-portfolio.blogspot.com/p/logos_18.html.

MASTERPIECES IN MINIATURE

I like to think of business cards as paintings in miniature reflecting the personality and aspirations of those who possess them. Business cards are a particular joy to create. They incorporate all the salient elements of good design: balance, proportion, color, contrast, repetition as well as typographical considerations. Aside from their beauty, they should flatter the carrier and advance the goals and objectives of the person or business they represent. A well-designed business card will reflect well upon its owner—and it’s something recipients are apt to store away among their belongings like tiny treasures.
     See how such pocket gems evolve by going to the business card tab, or click here.

 http://sample-portfolio.blogspot.com/p/business-cards.html.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

You’ve heard old adage “if you build a better mouse trap, people will beat a path to your doorstep.” There’s just one flaw in this reasoning. How can they come if they don’t know you exist? While word of mouth remains arguably the best means for drawing in long-lasting customers, sometimes you have to build critical mass or relate a time-bound message. Sometimes it pays simply to promote goodwill and brand awareness. Whatever the reason, I can help put your business in a positive and professional light as I did with this award-winning ad. To see other ways I can make advertising work for you, go to the advertising tab, or simply click http://sample-portfolio.blogspot.com/p/advertising_24.html

HANGING OUT A SHINGLE

One of the more creative jobs I’ve taken on was the designing of this mall kiosk. The purpose of the kiosk was to hang Consolidated’s “shingle” in a shopping mall near Houston, Texas where by acquisition they had recently acquired new customers. The investment was considerable. This kiosk was designed to house two 42” flat screen TVs, a professional-grade DVD player and two sets of backlit posters. This was bound to generate a good deal of heat. To solve this problem, I created a convection cooling system by incorporating vents along the bottom footing and two ultra-quiet ventilation fans to blow the hot air out through the top. After a flawless two-year stint in Texas, the unit was shipped back to Illinois where it now resides with new messaging in the window of Consolidated’s corporate headquarters. 
       See other ways I’ve turned my love for interiors and furniture design into winning solutions for home and business by clicking here: http://sample-portfolio.blogspot.com/p/advertising.html.

HOW ART SOLD OUR HOME

They say necessity is the mother of invention. This is no less true for those of us whose talents lie in the area of art and design. Case in point. Several years ago my wife and I made the decision to sell our starter home and move to the country. The housing market was already taking a turn for the worse. The problem was how to make our home stand out from similar properties in our area. Solution? I designed and printed a handful of 12-page booklets as giveaways to everyone who toured our house. I tried to incorporate all the information a would-be home-owner might want to know about a prospective property. The first spread (shown below) showed a detailed floor plan of our home complete with room-by-room dimensions. This I followed by pages with interior and exterior shots of our home. Next I dedicated a page to showing the monthly electric and gas bills over the last year. I noted our yearly property tax rate, a list of upgrades we had done to the property and finished off with a full-color diagram of our entire property, detailing the placement of everything from shrubs to the shed. The result? Within 15 days we got a winning offer from a couple whose husband at the time was stationed on a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. As his wife later related, the booklet cinched the deal helping him feel confident in the decision to buy even from the other side of the world! 
       The sky is the limit when it comes to ways I can turn my design talents into a means for achieving your goals. See more examples by clicking: http://sample-portfolio.blogspot.com/p/custom-projects.html.