13thirtyone Will Be In Logo Lounge Book 5!

I just found out over the weekend that two logos I designed will be included in the fifth book by Logo Lounge. This is an extreme honor and I'm very excited about it. Logo lounge chooses logos based on industry trends, excellence in typography and overall concept. The two logos that were chosen are as follows:




Ironically, both logo options were not chosen by the client. They both were presented as options, and others were chosen. I designed the top one (The Modern Woman's Divorce Guide) to reflect your modern day woman in bright pink, an very feminine color. The symbolism of her walking over the text shows a longing to move on from the divorce; something the guide is all about.

The Ambiance logo is a fun and flirty mark I created for a small business owner in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The logo can be taken quite literally, in that the text itself is surround with an "environment." On another note, the bright green is taken from a color the store owner had painted her walls with. The playful font is representative of the unique tone of the store, while the floral elements add a feminine touch.

I find that the Logo Lounge series is a great source of inspiration and also helps designers to stay on top of what's going on in the design industry. Previous versions are available from Amazon.com.

Hudson Star Observer Press Coverage

Since I'm a member of the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, I've scheduled an office ribbon-cutting set for later in the month. As such, they're kind enough to notify the press. Long story short, the Hudson Star Observer decided to run a story about 13thirtyone Design shortly before the event.

The story was written by Margaret Ontl and was a featured segment in the business section of yesterday's paper. To see the article, click the screen-shot below.

I'm In An Article!

I was asked to do an interview with WorkHomeYou.com's writer Susan Johnston. We chatted about staying busy during the slow summer month's when it comes to clients and projects.

Unfortunately there is no direct link, but I can tell you how to get there, in case you're interested.


1. Go to WorkHomeYou.com
2. Click on "In This Issue"
3. On the table of contents page, underneath "July/August 2008" in bold type, is the feature article titled, "The Heat Is On". Click there.
4. Click past the cover artwork. My quotations are on the second and third pages.

Thanks to Susan for writing a great article and for the opportunity!

A Little Exposure

I celebrated the long holiday weekend by going to Vegas with some friends. I had a great time and now it's back to work. I came home to find some exciting news though - I have both an interview and an article of mine now published on Freelance Switch, a blog dedicated to freelance professionals of all types. If you have the time, take a look here for my interview and here for my article (very similar to an old blog post). Thanks for taking the time!

I can't stress how much writing articles and submitting them to article banks, blogs, etc. works for increasing your site traffic. Not only do these new site visitors give your site more impressive web stats, but they also gain you a lot of exposure. Maintaining a strong web presence is key to gaining prospective clients and self-promotion.

Green Graphic Design

I wrote another article for All Graphic Design's blog on the subject of being a green designer. Check it out if you have time. Otherwise, the article itself is below:

Why Green Design?

“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.”1

Both our individual lifestyles and the way we run our businesses contribute to this rapid decrease in resources. If we as small business owners or freelancers can control our services easily and lessen their harmful effects on the environment, why wouldn’t we? Many people are under the impression that running an environmentally friendly operation at work or at home costs loads of money and time. This isn’t necessarily true at all. In my experience, going green has helped me to reduce costs on utilities such as electricity and water and keep less paper in my printers (which means more money in my bank account). It’s also helping my clients save money as well. They’re no longer paying for the printing of single-sided, countless brochure inserts; they’re using double-sided pages instead or moving their information online entirely. But this isn’t the portion of the article where we discuss the “how-tos” of going green; that’s later.

On a global scale, going green is good for the earth. It joins the worldwide effort to save our planet and to preserve the resources we have for generations to come. In a business sense, it can work to your marketing advantage. It can also keep your expenses down all while giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling. And finally, in terms of design, it uses the skills we have for the greater good. We can use our knowledge of self-promotion to help our clients to market themselves in a more eco-friendly manner. Imagine how much paper could be saved if all designers thought this way!




Going Green: Starting With Your Work Environment

Before we start talking about ways to “green your design,” we must first visit the office space in which you’re working. I feel it’s important to practice what you preach. For example, if you’re telling your clients to use less paper, don’t keep your trash can filled with old print-outs while your recycle bin is empty.

Paper
Start by evaluating how much paper you use versus how much paper you really should be using. Printing out endless mock-ups for client approval is not the most tree-friendly option. Send your proofs via pdf in an email. Keep paper out of it all together if you can. But what about client signatures? What about having them sign off on a project? According to the American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-tutorial.html), digital and electronic signatures are fully adequate. Furthermore, computer software providers such as Adobe now have programs that are entirely created for Digital Signature recording and security (if you’re interested, check out Adobe Digital Signatures here.

Secondly, for those times when we do need to print off directions from Google Maps for our next client meeting, try printing on paper that is already using a percentage of post-consumer content. Then, use it again. In other words, save sheets of paper that have been only used on one side. Reprint on the back-side and you’ve just gotten twice the amount of printing paper for your buck.

Finally, invoicing takes up lots of paper. I send my statements once a month using pdf files via email. While this may not work in certain instances, it certainly saves on paper, envelopes and postage. PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) also has an electronic invoicing tool for credit cards. Check out the Merchant Services portion of their website.

Lighting
Designers need adequate lighting when it comes to looking over those Pantone swatch books. But do costly fluorescent light-bulbs really do the trick? Lucky for me, I’m able to position my desk under a skylight. On sunny days, I use absolutely no electricity to light my workspace! Don’t have a window? Try investing in Compact Fluorescent day-light light bulbs. They require far less energy and won’t make your own skin appear green.

Recycling
Being that graphic designers do use so much paper, it’s important to look at our recycling methods. Did you know that “for every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months”?2

Try to be better about recycling old mock-ups, client print-outs, and even mail. Nothing is a greater distraction than flipping through those beautiful full-color stock-photo catalogues, but at 20 pages a piece, a lot of trash can be created. If you’re not interested in receiving those offers or notifications all together, be sure to get your name removed from their list as opposed to just throwing them out and calling it good.

Website Hosting
Most designers and design firms have websites. Some provide web design services and offer hosting as a service to their clients. Move both to an eco-friendly hosting company next time your contract is up for review, if you can. I’m about to make the switch myself and have found a lot of great companies out there. Some run entirely on solar and wind energy while others buy carbon credits and “pay back” the carbon emissions they create. The preference is up to you, but either way, there are many green providers out there. The list below is just a few that I’ve come across in my search for a greener hosting alternative:

• ThinkHost: They plant a tree for every new customer!
• Sustainable Websites
• Elfon.com

The list can go on and on about how to have a more eco-friendly office. A great podcast that I’ve listened to is hosted by GreenLivingIdeas.com. Their Green Talk Radio host Sean Daily has uploaded several podcasts where he discusses green office ideas with actual consultants. Check out the podcasts directly on itunes to download previous episodes. Otherwise, the direct link is here.



Going Green: Greener Graphic Design Solutions

Obviously all design projects and clients are different, so telling you that your brochures should be of a certain size and be only a one-color job won’t really work. However, there are some definite points to keep in mind when assigned to a particular project. Thinking in terms of creating a more eco-friendly design solution tends to keep the end-result more in mind. Asking yourself, “What will happen when the user no longer needs this piece? Can it be turned into something else? Is it something that people would want to hang on to? Can be recycled?” become routine questions.

Below is a list of several possible design projects and some eco-friendly alternatives I’ve come up with. I would definitely recommend throwing some of these ideas in your “save for later” box as they can make great self-promotional ideas as well.

Email Campaigns, Not Postcard Campaigns
As said previously, one of the best ways to help the environment overall, is to create less trash. As graphic designers, we can contribute largely in this area. Direct mail campaigns may be effective, but they're also costly. Between design services, printing and postage, the dollars really begin to add up. Furthermore, having a 7% response rate, on average, is considered "doing well." That means 93% of the postcards or direct mail pieces create little or no response at all. Where do you think they've ended up? Yep, most likely in the trash.

Not only are email campaigns paperless, but they've been proven to create better results. It's delivered directly to one's email inbox, it creates easy viewing, and there's a level of convenience. If the viewer wants more info, all they need to do is click and they're at your website. That's instant gratification, and consumers love that. Try convincing your client that this may be a more cost-effective and sustainable way to go.

If You Have To Print, Print This Way
So you're client’s all about making postcards and they seem to get great results. Great, but if you have to print, do it wisely. Print the quantity the client will really need; not enough to store on their bookshelves in boxes behind their desk, nor enough to leave you with 400 “samples.”

Talk to your printer about paper options that are created from post-consumer content; options that also won't hinder your design or the project objective. Find out if your printer can use soy or vegetable-based inks. Sometimes, some printers only have these inks in specific colors. Make sure you find out these color restrictions, if applicable. If your printer isn’t into the “green thing,” you can try out a few of my resources:

*On A National Level: Greener Printer
Very eco-friendly and easy to work with online.

*On A Local Level: Graphic Design, Inc.
Located in Hastings, Minnesota. A full print shop with many green capabilities.

*On An International Level (label printing): Metro Label Group, Inc.
I've never worked with them personally, but understand they actually run their business in an environmentally-friendly building. Located in Canada, this company offers label printing solutions.


Better Banners
If you or your client has decided to do a tradeshow, the most typical signage pieces are banners. There are actually printers out there that specialize in printing not only with environmentally-friendly inks, but on eco-friendly, durable banner materials as well. A good example of such a printer is Green Banners.


Put Catalogs Online
If your client prints and distributes product catalogs, there's never been a better time to inspire them to sell products online. E-commerce websites can be pricey and time-consuming to initialize, but once they’re up and the products are listed, it will take less time to manage and advertise them, than it would to redesign and print them however often. Sounds like you just got an opportunity to put a client on retainer and gain a little security.

E-Coupons, Not Paper Coupons
Coupons are great and they tend to be very effective. You can help your clients cater to their lazy customers (and to the earth) by not printing and mailing paper coupons. This creates work for the customer (they have to cut!) and trash. Instead, feature coupons on the client’s website or in an email campaign with a promotional code. Your client now has an effective coupon with no paper and no cutting.

Again the possibilities are endless. But it’s not about having a check-list of what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to being a green designer. It’s about determining the so-called “after-life” of a project and thinking about its affect on the environment up-front.

Make the Commitment
If you’re really finding that green design is a new passion for you, there are several organizations you can join to mingle with your Green Designer counterparts. Some of these design groups can make great resume builders and others are just great networking opportunities

Design Can Change: Graphic Designers Unite to Address Climate Change
Make the pledge here to be a more sustainable designer and to do your part when it comes to the welfare of the environment.

Co-Op America: Economic Action for a Just Planet
Join Co-Op America and if your green membership is approved, you’ll be placed in their National Green Pages, a directory of environmentally friendly business nationwide. You also get a nifty approval badge to display on your website.


AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
Not necessarily a green organization in itself, but they host conferences on green design. Check out the sustainability section of their website: http://sustainability.aiga.org/


Minnesota Green Pages Directory
For the locals – become a member of Do It Green Minnesota and you have the option to be listed in their directory.


Renourish
An online resource for green graphic designers. Contains links to blogs, the ability to share case studies and tools for the environmentally concerned designer.


1 Go Green Initiative’s website, http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/
2. Go Green Initiative’s website, http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/

Article Published

I know I already mentioned this below, but I'm very excited about this! My article is now up and running at AllGraphicDesign.com's blog. Click here!

Logo Design Creation: Step-by-Step Process

I was recently asked to guest-author an article for AllGraphicDesign.com's blog. They had found my site on the Internet and wanted me to write an article about my logo creation process. Of course, I was thrilled to even be asked to write something! The article, to appear later this month or in early May, is as follows:



Logo Design Creation: Step-by-Step Process

There are times when creating a logo can seem overwhelming. But in an industry where efficiency is key, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me to create logos that are effective, meet my clients’ objectives, and are portfolio pieces that I feel proud of. What better way to walk you through my process than by using a client case study? Meet kick, a shoe boutique from La Crosse, Wisconsin.






Step 1: Getting to Know Your Client
When I first started working on kick’s logo development, the first thing I did was research. Because the logo is one of the single most important visual elements for a business, it is imperative that plenty of discussion is done. I always ask the same four questions:
1. What are the values of your business/company?
2. Can I see any current/previous marketing materials you have?
3. Who is your target audience?
4. Do you have any bits of inspiration for me to work from? In other words, paint swatches of colors you like or are currently using? Photos of your business or products? How about patterns/images that really identify with your business?

kick responded as follows: “We are a chic women’s boutique with a throw-back glam décor. We are located in a progressive and growing downtown area… We aim for the distinguished in tasted and in style. A woman who wants a stylish shoe that won’t hinder her daily activities; whether it be work or leisure… We have bright pink paint on our walls and we also like gold and black.”

At this time, kick also provided me with several pieces of artwork that really spoke to them and identified with their business. So now I had all the info I needed… What next?


Step 2: Generate Imagery
One of the biggest mistakes a designer can make, I’ve found, is to go straight to the computer and start plugging away at logo designs. Sure you may be feeling inspired after a chat with your client, but without really thinking, you’ll just be wasting time. Whether you’re stumped or you already have a few ideas floating around, this step has helped me out time and time again.

Sit down, grab some paper and a pen, and make a list. Title it anything you like, but the list should contain words that pertain to your client. For example, in kick’s case, I think of words like shoe, fashion, girl, woman, feminine, vintage, etc. You want to do this quickly and be sure to write down anything that pops into your head. By jotting down this list (whether they be nouns or adjectives), you’ll begin the process of generating visuals. These visuals can produce some pretty amazing logo designs. Take a look at my list for kick below.




Step 3: Logo Conception
Some designers prefer to sketch on paper. I may do this occasionally, if I have an idea that I have to put down right away. Most of the time, though, I go straight from creating my imagery list to my computer. I like to experiment with different fonts and colors on screen so I can quickly duplicate ideas and adjust them slightly if need be.

When beginning, I work my way down my imagery list. I may have an idea that utilizes just one word; I may have another idea that encapsulates a combination of them. Either way, having my list handy is a great reference and keeps the ideas flowing.

It is my policy when working on a client’s logo that I present them with three concepts. I try to create three entirely different looks while utilizing the three different types of logo formats: just type, image only, and a combination of both. Just because my client sees three logos though, doesn’t mean that’s all it takes. With kick’s logo conception, I literally created 35 different logo ideas.





Above is a random sampling of some of the logo ideas I created for kick. You’ll notice that several are type only, some combine both imagery and text, and one is imagery only. Now that I have my concepts, it’s time to decide which logos I will present to kick.


Step 4: Logo Presentation; Which Ones Do I Show Off?
In choosing the logo designs for kick to consider, I first have to decide which ones I truly feel are my best work. It is important that I present clients with pieces that I’d feel happy about showing in my portfolio. Work that is published is work that will be seen by prospective clients as well. Therefore, I must be sure each concept given to the client is of the utmost quality.

After weeding out the “weaker” options, I then refer to the information that kick initially provided me with. Do the logo concepts meet the client’s objectives? Do they communicate to the targeted audience? Are they legible and will they reproduce easily on a wide variety of materials? If not all of the questions are answered with a “yes,” then the logo gets tossed out.

The following are the final three logos that I presented to kick:



When formatting the logos for presentation, I am always sure to duplicate each and reduce them in a size. This shows the client how well the logo appears when minimized. This is also the time to provide any additional color options the logo may have (such as with the circular shoe logo).

Should the client have any tweaks or revisions that need to be made, I include two additional “rounds” of design work. However, in kick’s case, no additional changes were necessary. The client chose the following logo:




Details, Details
So what was my exact concept when creating the chosen logo? I chose a metropolitan, Sex In The City-esque font to convey the modern look kick was going for. Keeping the text black was important because not only did it create a more contemporary feel, it’s also a very sleek and fashionable color choice.

The shoe that serves as the dot over the “i” is one I illustrated myself. To incorporate a slightly Victorian or vintage appearance, I looked at several shoe designs from the 1920s and 1930s. I illustrated this shoe to represent those of the time period. I also added a bow on the shoe to play up the femininity of the design.

Finally, by adding a splash of pink as a circular shadow underneath the shoe, the “dot over the i” idea is reinforced. Furthermore, it puts a sort of spotlight on the shoe itself, emphasizing the store’s product.

If you’d like to see how I’ve carried over these design ideals into kick’s other marketing materials, some of their collateral is featured in the portfolio section of my website at www.13thirtyone.com. You can also visit kick’s website, designed by yours truly, at www.kickonmain.com.

13thirtyone is in Create Magazine!

I have very exciting news today... 13thirytone is in the September/October 2007 issue (currently on newsstands) of Create Magazine twice! You can find me on page 25 under the Midwest news section. This blurb is simply about news and events. 13thirtyone received a mention for being featured in next month's HOW Design Magazine. Very exciting.

Even more thrilling (and jumping to page 37), the 13thirtyone website is one of only five featured websites for excellence in design and usability! They even have a screenshot of the site! Find blurb below:

13thirtyone is a design firm out of Hudson, WI. The site provides an excellent example of the company's Web design capabilities. A fast-loading Flash site that transitions well and quickly displays sample design work, 13thirtyone.com does not get bogged down by the typical lags that make visitors want to click away from a Flash site seconds after entering it. Simple navigation and well-highlighted hot points help visitors find what they're looking for and keep the interest of those with short attention spans. Designed by 13thirtyone Design.

Now, when I saw the call for businesses to enter their websites for recognition, it was purely for design. Little did I know that they'd be commenting on the efficiency of the site loading. With that said, 13thirtyone is solely responsible for the design and navigational structure of the site. However, credit must be given to a dear friend of mine, Gabe Morton-Cook who helped me to finish building my site as a wedding gift. You can visit Gabe's website at http://www.morton-cook.com/. Thank you so much for your help, Gabe!

13thirtyone is Getting Published!

I just received great news! My business card design for 13thirtyone is going to be a feature card in an upcoming issue of HOW magazine. For those of you who don't know HOW, shame, shame. Just kidding.

HOW is a graphic arts magazine you can find here: http://www.howdesign.com/

I'm so very excited about this! I'll let you know when it comes out!

We're in the Paper!

Good news! Recently I sent out a couple of press releases, hoping someone would bite. And sure enough, there we are - in our local news. It's not as impressive looking online, but we're the first link on the page! If you've visited our website at all, then it's pretty much a summary of our "go green" section. Enjoy!