A glimpse into the design process and approval processes of Saul Bass and Stanley Kubrick for The Shining poster. I can’t imagine Kubrick would have been the easiest guy to work with. If you haven’t seen the BBC Documentary “Boxes”, it is a great insight into the Kubrick’s obsessiveness. Check out the trailer.
I recently had the pleasure of working with the team at Deen Construction providing the development of a new logo for the first phase of their new brand update.
While there are many visual approaches available to a designer for a construction firm, the strategy we chose was to develop a logo which would visually define Deen Construction as a leader in the large scale commercial industry.
The idea behind this approach was to create a visual that would align itself with the aesthetic tastes of architects, engineers and commercial development firms. By using strong type, bold color and simple yet smart design, the logo provides reference to the building aesthetic and commercial leadership Deen Construction embodies.
Successful companies turn to design studios that focus on quality design for the solution to their marketing, strategic graphic design and web design needs and many other companies follow suit in an economic downturn. It’s critical for businesses to maintain the company image they have worked hard to create, especially in a tough economy.
Companies have many options to consider when researching what type of establishment to use for their graphic design needs. Many turn to independent design houses that focus on high-end strategic design.
Personally, I have used my 16 years of experience to develop a strong team of outstanding business associates; we design everything from logos to catalogs to e-commerce websites. Our clients receive exceptional quality design services, resulting in unique and effective products every time.
Throughout its life span, a company invests large amounts of money, time and research to create a solid company identity and its components, including logos, websites, catalogs and all other marketing collateral. An investment in good design creates strong customer confidence and instant company credibility with existing clients, potential clients and competitors. Cutting corners on quality design inhibits customers’ confidence by raising questions about a company’s stability. The price companies’ pay in an attempt to recapture customers’ confidence far outweighs the costs of doing it correctly the first time. Resilient companies maintain their industry lead through effective marketing and excellent design.
As most designers and design firms are well aware of…our work always comes last. My personal mission was to spend as many weekends as it takes to finally finish up our new business cards, letterhead, envelopes, and logo update, and now I’m proud to say, “they are done”.
A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of working with David and Mariah McIntyre on the brand development for their new stylish restaurant in San Diego called Crescent Heights. After meeting with David and Mariah and discussing their vision for their new restaurant, I immediately had a clear idea of one of the logo options I wanted to present to them.
David is very much an artist and his new restaurant was going to be contemporary in its look and feel, but I wanted to also capture the artisan touch of the chef. To best accomplish this visually, I decided on contemporary type married with a brush stroked monogram done by hand.
So there I was, at my desk, with my brush, ink, and a few sheets of paper ready to knock this logo out. As I began, it didn’t take long to realize, it wasn’t going to be that easy and I was already far from the point of “knocking it out”. After the first 25 or so throw away monograms, I was thinking to myself, “that’s ok, these are just some warm-ups” but by the time I was at somewhere around 150 throw-aways, I felt as if I were 2 more failed attempts from karate chopping my desk in half. Needless to say I was ready to move on and had just told my wife that I thought I was going to have to find another direction. As I said this to her, I absently drew one more monogram while barely looking at the paper. Wahla! There it was.
The lesson I learned on this project was that creativity comes from the care-free part of all of us. But when we become too structured, ridged, and have a narrow vision of the way things are “suppose” to be. We put up walls against our self, which ultimately keeps us from reaching our creative goals.
Final Logo Design
For each ubiquitous logo, there is often a quiet designer behind it. I’ve always admired the Maersk logo for many reasons. Primarily because it is clean, simple, and modern, even when it’s painted on the side of an old rusty shipping container. In 1973 Danish designer and architect Acton Bjørn created Maersk Line’s seven-pointed star logo. It’s initial goal was to signal the build up of Maersk’s new business era. Today, it is nearly impossible to miss once you have noticed it for the first time.
image courtesy of transpressnz.blogspot.com
Acton Bjørn studied architecture and urban design and began working as a designer during the Second World War. In 1950 he founded together with Sigvard Bernadotte design firm Bernadotte & Bjørn Industrial A/S . One of Scandinavia’s first consultants for industrial design. The head office was in Copenhagen with offices in New York and Stockholm. Cooperation between Bernadotte and Bjorn lasted until 1964. During that time, created many design classics such as stainless steel cookware for Modernum (1954) and plastic bowl Margrethe of Rosti Bakelite Factory (1950), which is still produced. For clients belonged among others. a Husqvarna, Bang & Olufsen, Facit, AGA, General Electric, and Electro-Helios .
In 1965, Bjørn opened his own office in Copenhagen, specializing in household appliances, office furniture and packaging. The same year he designed a transistor radio for Bang & Olufsen, Beolit 500. The design represented a simplification of the radio using comparable to the phone. 1966, Bjørn a Danish design award for this work. Acton Bjørn managed to combine practical function with a simple sculptural form.
These files can be handy to use when you have designed a logo for a client. By laying your designs out on real world objects, it helps the client visualize what their end product will be. Files are 3000x3000px, feel free to use in your upcoming presentations.
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Over the past 17 years, owner Roger Cline has been involved in every aspect of the design process. He understands how busy day-to-day business is, that is why at CLINE&CO, we do everything in our power to make our client’s life easier by simply doing what we do best. |
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