The brochure has to convince the prospective client that All Pets offers great medicine and phenomenal customer service.

The All Pets Dental Clinic was founded about ten years ag ao by Dr. Jan Bellows, one of only about a hundred board-certified veterinary dentists in the U.S. The clinic is a state-of-the-art facility, with the latest in dental technology. “The second you walk in, you know you’re in a special place,” says Practice Administrator, Paul Camilo.

The clinic also tries to make it a special encounter for their clients. The waiting room provides Starbucks coffee along with snacks and has a big-screen TV. The doctors don’t wear lab coats and they introduce themselves by their first names. The treatment areas are scrupulously clean—“it looks and smells like a plastic surgeon’s office,” says Camilo.

Most of the clinic’s patients are household pets—dogs and cats—but they also sometimes treat exotic animals from local zoos. The clients generally come through referrals from other practitioners. The clinic produces a brochure that they provide to other veterinarians, who then give it to their clients when referring them to All Pets Dental. Other vets have to be aware of three things, according to Dr. Bellows: “One, the client will have a great experience here; two, the doctor knows what he’s doing; and three, I’m not out to steal their clients.” The brochure also has to convince the prospective client that All Pets offers great medicine and phenomenal customer service.

The current brochure is a simple trifold printed on matte white paper. They like the clean appearance of the front flap, but there’s a lot more they don’t like. They worry that it looks too busy on the inside. “We wanted to cover all the treatment areas,” says Camilo, “but clients may be overwhelmed by too much information. I’m into pictures, but I don’t know if the busy-ness of it conveys how clean we are.” And Dr. Bellows thinks the typeface for “All Pets Dental Clinic” is too “tough” and “military-looking,” where they’d prefer a warmer feeling.

AFTER

For me, everything starts with the logo; that sets the tone and feel for the entire brochure.

DESIGNER: Ihor Gernaga www.coroflot.com/1kreator/portfolio

My impression of the original brochure is that it misses the mark in presenting a professional image: there’s sameness of color, font selection, and usage throughout the brochure. The information feels like it was placed haphazardly, which is very confusing and unappealing.

Since this brochure is used as a referral that other veterinarians would give to their clients, the challenge was to create a design that would appeal to professional veterinarians and at the same time have it look nonclinical and inviting for potential clients.

For me, everything starts with the logo; that sets the tone and feel for the entire brochure. I decided to keep the overall format of the logo—two lines of centered text—because it was a good start for an identity and just needed some work to bring it front and center. I set the clinic’s name in Adobe Immi 505, which has a playful feel without being too juvenile or unprofessional. Instead of a tooth (which is somewhat overused for dental services), I decided to focus on the “all pets” part of the name. I incorporated paw prints of various animals as part of the logo and picked them up as an ongoing theme throughout.

I played around with the idea of using a different format instead of the trifold, but the existing format won out. It’s portable, easy to store, and provides just enough space to get your message across. I filled some of the panels with a background gradient that goes from blue to earthy brown because that color combination lends a calming and grounded feel, which works well with this particular brochure.

The next order of business was to organize the information into palatable bits. I used panels with a color background to highlight important aspects of the business, and I left the rest of the space white to focus on the specific services, location, and directions. I chose Dante MT and Myriad fonts for their subtle differences from more typical serif and sans-serif fonts. Those nuances give the whole brochure a more updated feel.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Ihor Gernaga www.coroflot.com/1kreator/portfolio
Ihor was born and raised in northeast Ohio, where he showed a keen interest in drawing and other creative activities from an early age. He eventually graduated from the University of Akron with a dual degree in photography and commercial art. His original goal was to design cars, but that all morphed into a whole different direction.

In his 15 years of designing, he has worked for in-house design departments in various industries. He started as a production artist setting up food containers and worked his way up to senior designer. Along the way he created a wide variety of corporate collateral, logos, brochures, event posters, and retail advertising. In addition, he has freelanced and worked as a contractor for local companies, nonprofits, and small businesses.

Ihor resides in North Royalton, Ohio, with his wife and three cats.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS4, Adobe InDesign CS4, and Adobe Photoshop CS4

AFTER

They had mentioned that the client had a “Disney-like experience,” so I made the logo into a small cartoon with a slight professional style.

DESIGNER: Jeff Carpenter www.whitewolfgraphics.net
The original design for the All Pets Dental Clinic brochure is very cluttered and unorganized, and the haphazard placement of the medical photos on the interior is distracting. It lacks the personal feel that they wanted to communicate to potential clients. There’s also a lack of color throughout, except for the photos. I believe that if a client is willing to spend the money on full-color brochures, a designer should use plenty of color.

My redesign started with the logo. They had mentioned that the client had a “Disney-like experience,” so I made the logo into a small cartoon with a slight professional style. The original tooth is subtly retained in the new mark.

After that, I moved on to font choice. I used Myriad Bold Condensed and Myriad Regular for the titles and body copy throughout the brochure. Myriad communicates a sophisticated, professional appearance, but it has a softer edge to it, which makes it more playful than Helvetica or Arial. Next, I wanted to give the brochure a comforting feeling and selected imagery of people enjoying their pets. The range of images also communicates the idea that all animals are welcome, including rabbits.

Choosing a color was more difficult. I wanted to use a refreshing, clean color and ended up using a green with a little blue in it. I also decided to go with full color throughout, mostly because having the full color helps to communicate the message.

Ultimately, my hardest decision was whether or not to keep the medical images. Having them there was helping to clutter the design, but do the images help the consumer decide whether or not to go to this dentist? My answer was yes, but I also felt that having so many of them was not the way to go. Therefore, I made them small and only used one per service.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Jeff Carpenter www.whitewolfgraphics.net
Jeff has always had a passion to be creative, and has dealt with many different types of clientele: construction, pond equipment, government, and the entertainment industry. He started his career as a graphic artist in a community arts organization and then moved on to an advertising agency. His dream of having his own business began with White Wolf Graphics in Saginaw, Michigan, in February 2004.

White Wolf Graphics has been meeting the needs of their clients in many different types of media: logo design, brochures, direct mail, multimedia presentations, and websites. Jeff has also served as a design instructor at a local community college, helping students to learn the field of graphic design and new software programs. One of his hobbies is learning new software, and he always gets excited when Adobe comes out with a new version of their software.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS4, Adobe InDesign CS4, and Adobe Photoshop CS4

AFTER

I eliminated the before and after photos in the original in favor of softer, friendlier photography showing doctor and patient interaction.

DESIGNER: Chris Owens www.dpicreativeservices.com
The image that the existing brochure projects is that of a business not nearly as renowned and professional as All Pets Dental Clinic. I felt that it was important for the redesign to convey those qualities, and that effort started with a new logo. I eliminated the detached tooth image and incorporated a simple, strong font with silhouettes representing a selection of the various types of animals they treat at the clinic.

The new cover retains the white space of the original brochure, but I added the summary of services at the bottom, which allows the reader a quick overview of the services All Pets provides.

I divided the interior of the brochure into two sections: one for the explanation of services and the other for Dr. Bellows’s bio. The vertical rules with the headers running along them and the use of initial caps draw the reader’s eye to each section. I eliminated the before and after photos in the original—frankly, I found them somewhat off-putting—in favor of softer, friendlier photography showing doctor and patient interaction.

An updated Location panel, also designated by a new vertical header, presents clearer directions to the office. I also included a photo of the building’s exterior as a visual reference for the customer driving to the office for the first time.

The color palette was chosen for its medical feel and subtlety, which will help the brochure to maintain a contemporary look for many years. I used Myriad Pro in the logo to project a feeling of stability and longevity, and I carried that font into the brochure’s headers. I chose Caslon for the body copy because it’s straightforward and readable, and as a classic face it also won’t go out of date any time soon.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Chris Owens www.dpicreativeservices.com
After graduating from Pensacola Christian College in 1996 with a Communications degree, Chris spent time as a member of the inaugural class at Virginia Commonwealth University’s AdCenter, studying copywriting before turning his attention to the world of graphic design. His career path has taken him from production artist to creative manager for national automotive retailer CarMax, where he leads a team of three art directors in producing a wide spectrum of both print and digital graphic design projects.

Concurrently, Chris is principal of dpi creative services, a burgeoning photography and graphic design business. Chris’s photography has appeared in local and national publications such as WORK magazine and Fortune online, and he has graphic design clients throughout the southeast.

Chris resides in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and their new baby girl.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS4 and Adobe InDesign CS4

Before

Most craftsmen can make an awesome-looking product, but marketing’s where many run into problems.

Crone’s Custom Woodworking of Fair Grove, Missouri, didn’t start out as a frame shop. Tom Crone started the business in 1982 as a builder of wooden accessories for limousines—the wet bar in the back seat, for example. On the company’s website, Tom claims to have built more than 2,000 limousine consoles over the years.

Tom’s son, Mike, joined the business in 1999 and the two branched out into the home furniture market. In 2004, the two men started making round and oval picture frames as a spin-off of the furniture business. “We just kind of fell into it,” says Mike.

The two tried to market the new business locally, but it didn’t attract much interest. At one point, however, they uploaded some sample photos to eBay, “just to have something to show people,” Mike says. And the orders started to roll in.

Unfortunately, that source of business started to weaken as well, so the two decided to try direct marketing over the Web. They launched www.cronescustomwoodworking.com in 2007 and now attract customers from all over the U.S. and even from Canada and overseas. Mike maintains the site and he’s happy with its success on search engines. “Our SEO [search engine optimization] is pretty decent,” he says. “A search for ‘picture frames’ on Google won’t find us, but one for ‘oval picture frames’ or ‘round picture frames’ will put us on the first page.”

He’s not as pleased with the look of the site, however. “Most craftsmen can make an awesome-looking product, but marketing’s where many run into problems.” He thinks the site is poorly organized and doesn’t really like the flyout menus at the left for the different frame subtypes.

The Crones want a site that communicates the custom, handcrafted nature of their wares. Mike says their competition is the “stamped-out factory stuff.” He’s also sensitive to the needs of their dial-up customers: He likes the fact that the current site is quick to load and that customers don’t have to hunt around for the pricing. At the same time, he points out that they don’t have, and don’t want, a shopping cart area. “All we do is custom,” he says. And nobody places an order without communicating with them directly by phone or email.

We asked three designers to build the Crones a new, custom website.

After

I chose warm, deep browns to give the site a weathered and cozy feeling, like that of a workshop with a rich history.

DESIGNER: Joe Akers http://brainchildcollective.com

The current Crone’s site contains great examples of their custom woodwork, but it lacks the kind of information architecture that’s important for any website, especially one that sells a product. I set out with the goal of providing a clean, organized site that the visitor could easily navigate, view images of the products, get an appreciation of their craftsmanship, obtain pricing, and start the process of placing an order.

Simplifying the navigation scheme down to the most essential elements was crucial. I consolidated the original’s column of 11 buttons (two of which had submenus) to six straightforward choices to provide a more streamlined user experience.

I chose Helvetica Bold for the navigation buttons and the body copy to maintain a clean and subdued appearance. Knowing that the owner wanted to keep the cross-sections of the frames as a visual aid, I turned them into clickable icons that would allow the customer to choose a frame profile and wood finish as part of the custom order inquiry. Because the owner follows up every inquiry with a phone call, I felt this simplification wouldn’t compromise the user experience.

To convey the handcrafted quality of Crone’s woodwork through both the feel of the site and the color palette, I chose warm, deep browns to give the site a weathered and cozy feeling, like that of a workshop with a rich history. I added a texture to the background color to continue the hand-rubbed, worn look throughout and to add depth to the design.

While the original’s concept of a carved wood logo makes sense for the subject matter, the logo itself is difficult to read. I designed a new logo that’s simple and legible and adds more character. The Adobe’s ITC Garamond Handtooled typeface gives it a raised and dimensional appearance. And I chose Creative Alliance’s Conga Brava Standard for the logo’s subline because its chunky serifs lend a “carved” appearance. Simple line work finishes the design and suggests its containment in a plaque that might be handcrafted and displayed in the Crones’ workshop.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Joe Akers http://brainchildcollective.com

As a former musician and trained chef, Joe has always embraced his innate creativity, and enjoyed sharing his talents with others. But after spending 10 years working on his feet in various kitchens, it was time for him to find another outlet for his creativity.

In 2007, Joe co-founded Brainchild Collective in Richmond, Virginia, as a way to bring together the cumulative talents of several friends to create awesome multimedia projects for a variety of clients. The idea behind Brainchild was to provide small-to-medium-size businesses a singular solution for graphic design, Web design, photography, and video. By offering all of these services in one studio, Joe and his fellow collective members can better control the integrity of the brand and the quality of the designs and materials they produce for clients.

Finally out of the kitchen, Joe is happy to be behind the desk and the lens full time. He’s also glad his wife is a wonderful cook.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS4 and Adobe Photoshop CS4

After

A white frame (or mat) lifts the site from the deep-brown background and a thin wooden trim (or molding) separates the header from the side panel.

DESIGNER: Stephen Chachere www.solaramedia.com

My first step when designing a website is to inventory and arrange the content in a coherent structure using Microsoft Word. For Crone’s Custom Woodworking, I was able to identify the text and images I wanted to highlight and, more importantly, I knew what the site navigation was going to look like before I considered the colors, logo, or layout.

For my second step, I work with the colors and logo, the elements that establish the feel of the site. In this case, I used Illustrator to set the company name in Bitstream’s Century 731, a bold italic, serif typeface; I framed the “C” to convey both the delicate curves and strong nature of the frames; and for readability, I used TheSans from LucasFonts for the navigational elements. I limited myself to three earthtone colors—brown, green, and beige—in addition to white, to complement the colors of the wood. I chose muted colors because I didn’t want to divert attention from the frames.

And my third step is to design the layout. Here, I used a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop to sketch out various formulas before deciding on left-side navigation. For the header and side panel, I created textured green panels with Photoshop lighting effects to quietly highlight the logo, title, and navigation bar. A white frame (or mat) lifts the site from the deep-brown background and a thin wooden trim (or molding) separates the header from the side panel. I wanted these elements to be subtle and elegant—the wall on which Crones’ frames would hang.

For site production, my first choice is usually Flash, but for Crone’s I’d recommend a hybrid site combining Flash navigation with HTML that Mike Crone can continue to update himself. The samples in each category (organized by shape, wood type, finish, etc.) are presented as thumbnails that scroll across the page. Clicking on a thumbnail opens a new window with a larger view. Because the content of each page is presented within the area framed by the header and side panel, the site visitor won’t have to scroll down to view content, and the site navigation will always be onscreen.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Stephen Chachere www.solaramedia.com

Stephen is co-owner of Solara Media Inc., based in the Hudson Valley (just north of New York City). He was introduced to digital media in 1991 when completing his MFA in photography at the State University of New York at New Paltz. During the 1990s, Stephen worked as a media designer, providing graphics and presentation services to various Fortune 500 companies. At the same time, he was an instructor in art history and digital media at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.

Stephen founded Solara Media Inc. in 2000. From inception, the company’s emphasis was on interactive multimedia and a less-is-more philosophy of design. Macromedia Director was the preferred platform until a matured Flash came on the scene. Stephen creates custom interactive designs for clients in the medical, consumer products, and nonprofit sectors. His medical education applications have been particularly successful in securing awards for his clients. Stephen is also the videographer behind the original digital video featured in many Solara Media projects.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop

After

…it made sense to somehow display their craft in the header so visitors would quickly get the idea of exactly what they do.

DESIGNER: Chris Pickey www.chrispickey.com

First, I created a workable logo for Crone’s: something simple and elegant, not too slick, but one that would scream, “We work with wood!” I pictured a logo in my head that used a silhouette of an Oak Tree along with “Crone’s” stacked on top of ”Custom Woodworking.” I tried a few combinations of that and finally decided the best had the tree on top, with “Crone’s” in a larger classic typeface and “Custom Woodworking” at the bottom. After twice going through my font library, I decided upon Castellar, a Microsoft font originally drawn for Monotype. There was something about its classic chiseled look that fit—it was strong and regal, yet organic.

With the logo taken care of, it was on to the overall look. Because Crone’s creates custom wooden frames, it made sense to somehow display their craft in the header so visitors would quickly get the idea of exactly what they do. Since I was working with pictures of frames, I decided to have them look like they were hanging on the wall.

I kept the left-side navigation, but made the categories more specific to shape—that way they wouldn’t need flyout menus. And instead of an Idea Page with just pictures, I created a fictional Create-A-Frame page. In the future, Crone’s might possibly allow users to start the design of their own frames through an online application.

I also wanted to give Crone’s an area to feature new offerings and special promotions, so I created a right-hand column for those; CSS would give the items a wooden-frame border with a slight drop shadow to carry through the “frames-on-a-wall” theme.

For the homepage, I focused on building the relationship between customer and company with a text explanation of what Crone’s Custom Woodworking is all about. Plus, the picture of the man holding the man-sized oval frame is priceless. On the product page, I kept the examples of their work but consolidated them into a slide show that people could flip through, which added more interactivity and helped to keep everything important above the fold.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Chris Pickey www.chrispickey.com

Pickey (that’s what he goes by) is one of those jack-of-all-trades; however, he does claim to be master of a few. He cut his design teeth in 2000 at the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he worked as a classified ad designer with no design degree. With the help of friends and hours of hard work, he quickly built up his knowledge, skill set, and experience.

In 2002, he and his wife moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. There he eventually became the graphic arts manager of Wild Birds Unlimited, the largest specialty retail franchise specializing in backyard bird feeding. At Wild Birds he got his hands dirty in every aspect of design: print, Web, audio, video, interactive, packaging, and so on.

After five years, Pickey left Wild Birds Unlimited to set up shop as a freelance designer. That not only freed up time for his family, it also enabled him to devote more time to his other primary pursuit: being the drummer for the Jake Brothers band (www.jakebrothersmusic.com).

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS3 and Adobe Photoshop CS3

Client: Terry Shaw www.musicpotential.com

Musician and music teacher Terry Shaw has an independent streak. “I like to do things myself if I think I can do them better,” he says. “I’d rather play solo than with lesser musicians.”

That’s why he plays all the instruments on his latest CD, Instrument of Choice. On his website, he describes the CD like this: “It’s plastic, round, 4¾” in diameter, silver on one side with pictures of me on the other.” Obviously, Shaw has a sense of humor; however, he also describes the songs this way: “They’re original compositions covering many styles—bluegrass, swing, waltz, gypsy jazz, Celtic, Latin, contra, and jazz. And if that isn’t enough, I even include my cat singing on his own track.”

“I don’t have ADD, but I like all types of music,” he says, “Irish to Balkan to swing. But it still sounds similar because I wrote it.”

Shaw’s musical career started with playing the trumpet in his school band. He took up stringed instruments when a friend in the fifth grade introduced him to the guitar; he has since expanded his repertoire to include the mandolin, banjo, dobro, and fiddle, all of which appear on Instrument of Choice.

Shaw sells the CD through his website (www.musicpotential.com) and directly at the venues where he performs. When we approached him about a redesign, he said he likes the current cover, though he’s not fond of the lettering. “It’s too common,” he says. “I’d like a font that’s a little less pedestrian—maybe even one that looks like hand lettering.” He also says he’d like to project the same kind of image as Mark O’Connor: that of a virtuoso player who can play multiple instruments. But he doesn’t want to lose the personality and warmth that the current cover captures.

CREDIT: ©2008 DAVE KENNEDY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.davekennedyphotography.com

AFTER

DESIGNER: Stephen Woltz (designer), Ben Capozzi (teacher) www.svhed.org

Employing images ranging from mandolins set aflame as a nod to Jimi Hendrix to collaged bluegrass fantasies, 19 Halifax County High School students in the graphic arts class at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center tackled the CD makeover with relish. We bought and listened to the CD, did a heckuva lot of individual and group ideation, and looked at Mark O’Connor’s branded material before beginning our designs. Unfortunately, the photographer’s request that we use the photo in its entirety removed from contention those designs that relied on isolating Shaw from the background (and frustrated those who had looked at Shaw’s website and seen his penchant for inventively placing his photo into improbable settings). Finally, just three choices remained. Two were by outstanding sophomores, but senior Stephen Woltz’s design is our final answer.

Noting that Shaw says his background is primarily in rock, Woltz wanted a “grunge” feel for his design, and to give it some personality without pretension. To achieve that look in Photoshop, Woltz built up layers of marbled paper as a background in warm earthtones and added coffee stains. An unrehearsed placement of instruments against the background gives the cover a handmade feel while suggesting Shaw’s virtuosic range and affinity for craft. The design walks that fine line between country and cornpone and still manages to capture the jazzy feel of Shaw’s music.

Woltz chose an edgy but strong font, Cracked from www.dafont.com, for the CD title. He picked another font from dafont, Joe Hand 2 for the signature and the song titles, and tweaked the paths to refine the handwritten feel.

Woltz simplified the weak layout of the original back cover and focused it on a boldly cropped close-up of a banjo. The final design is homemade without being homespun, a theme that seems to run throughout Shaw’s work and comments.

[ABOUT THE DESIGNER]

Stephen Woltz – Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
Stephen Woltz and his classmates are students in dual-enrollment courses at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center’s Business of Art & Design program, an innovative curriculum for Danville Community College students and Halifax County high schoolers.

In addition to developing his design talents, Woltz writes and directs his own films, competes for top honors in his graduating class, flings himself at opponents in the Allied Independent Wrestling Federation, and volunteers with the Ruritan Club.

Digital Art & Design curriculum coordinator Ben Capozzi has a degree in Studio Art from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and worked in the school’s InnovationSpace multimedia center. He’s now pursuing an M.A. in Education & Instructional Technology and works with Woltz and other students five days a week to develop Virginia’s creative professionals of tomorrow in a sweet lab outfitted with Adobe CS4 and Mac Pro towers. His job, like each of his students, rocks.

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop

AFTER

DESIGNER: Davin Sanchez www.behance.net/DavinSanchez
When I saw the original CD cover, my first thought was, “Whoa!” It feels like a rush project, and the generic font doesn’t live harmoniously with the overall imagery presented on the cover. Certain aspects of the cover are fun—the cat thinking of the song titles—but the execution makes the overall effect seem silly and hokey, miles away from the fun and intriguing nature of the music. But I knew that with a little TLC, Instrument of Choice could be a true eye-grabber.

I didn’t want to use the existing cover image because it tells the viewer nothing about Shaw’s music. I wanted to convey the feeling, emotion, mystery, and storytelling that is Terry Shaw. When I listened to his music, read his blogs, and checked out his website in an effort to familiarize myself with the artist, I realized that this music was far more complex than the cover led his listeners to believe.

I removed Shaw from the cover and focused on a more reflective and intriguing image that matches the breadth and depth of his music. I chose the image of the woods because this image, much like the music, wasn’t easily defined—you could get lost in it, and yet it could be your own backyard. In an effort to convey Shaw’s lighthearted nature, I chose to preserve the image of the cat and the curiosity that cats so readily symbolize.

The cover also needed some organic, hand-wrought imagery to reflect the individuality of this artist and his music. I handwrote the text and drew some illustrations. I thought they would complement the sincerity and uniqueness of Shaw, and I thought they would be fun.

[ABOUT THE DESIGNER]

Davin Sanchez www.behance.net/DavinSanchez
Davin has lived from coast to coast but now lays his head primarily in the City of Angels. He started designing in high school in Florida, laying out flyers for local bands, silk-screening T-shirts, and painting and drawing. Davin took his first major corporate job at a well-established company doing identity branding and Web and print design, as well as working on the side with local bands. The corporate print world became uninspiring after a few years, and he needed to move on.

Davin then came into contact with an Interactive Agency in L.A. He packed his life in his car and left for the Wild West a week later. Davin quickly became an Art Director, creating work for Scion, Budweiser, Bud Light, Pepsi, and Sony Pictures.

Davin has moved on and now does contract work in the Los Angeles area. His most recent work has been (on the Web) for Ford Models, Battle for Terra, and Bank of America; identity work for SanSu Solutions; and clothing for Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS4, Adobe Illustrator CS4, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

AFTER

DESIGNER: Laurie Davidsohn-Bienstock www.davidsohngraphics.com
Terry Shaw is a multitalented instrumentalist and composer with a wide array of music styles. Shaw clearly has a sense of humor, which adds to his personality and spills over to his music. My vision for the redesign of Shaw’s cover was to create something upbeat, magical, fun, fluid, and full of high energy, with a hint of whimsy, all while maintaining a serious side. Wow, that’s not a lot to ask for, is it?

I started with classic music symbols: the treble clef and musical staff. The treble clef serves as an anchor for the cover, and the lines of the music staff also represent the strings of Shaw’s repertoire of instruments. I built upon these elements with fun, colorful, and random string instruments. I created multiple layers in Photoshop with various textures and silhouettes of more instruments and generously included swirls and wavy composition lines for fluidity.

Since Shaw lets his cat “sing” on one of the cuts and has a picture of him on the original cover, I thought it was something personally important to him. I wanted to keep it in my redesign, so I added the singing black cat among the instruments.

For Shaw’s name, I chose Adobe’s Voluta Script, and I used Sam Wang’s free Harrington font for the CD title. Since Shaw’s music style ranges from bluegrass to Celtic to jazz and then some, it seemed fitting that the fonts would be so different from each other but somehow still work well together.

I toned things down a bit for the back cover. While I do like the photo of Shaw with all of his instruments on the original cover, it seems to lack a bit of style. I cropped the photo and gave it a sepia tone to blend in with the overall design. Finally, I added an excerpt from a favorable review on a popular industry website.

[ABOUT THE DESIGNER]

Laurie Davidsohn-Bienstock Davidsohn Graphics





Laurie Davidsohn-Bienstock continued her education in graphic design after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 1985. Over the following decade, Laurie refined her talents and professional qualities while working for some of the most prestigious design firms and advertising agencies on the West Coast. In 1998, Laurie launched her design firm, Davidsohn Graphics, and in March 2007, along with her husband Cion, purchased Town and Country Printing in Agoura Hills, California. Sometimes Laurie feels like a kid in a candy store, only she’s a graphic designer in a print and copy shop.

Laurie has an intense passion for graphic design, and since the purchase of the print shop, a love for different and unique paper and card stock. While she typically uses all three of the main programs in Adobe Creative Suite, her favorite is Photoshop, where she enjoys creating textures using multiple layers, filters, and masks. Laurie and Cion live in Granada Hills with their two daughters. Laurie also has five indoor cats and several outdoor strays.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign

…when people see the AMERS vehicles on the street, they mistakenly assume they’re ambulances for humans.

Animal Medical Emergency Response System (AMERS) operates vehicles that provide mobile care and transportation for injured and ill pets. In other words, they’re just like ambulances, except that they’re for animals rather than humans. And therein lies the organization’s design problem: the vehicles don’t successfully communicate what they’re for.

AMERS was founded in 2001. CEO David Watts tells the story of a friend of his whose beloved dog collapsed one day; she called 911 and an ambulance arrived, but the responders were unable to help because they weren’t trained in animal care. They couldn’t even transport the dog to a vet, Watts recalls, because government regulations forbid it. The dog died, but the idea of an animal ambulance service was born.

The service is based in Antioch, California—in the San Francisco Bay Area—but is available to provide assistance statewide. AMERS has what Watts calls a “Domino’s” service area, comprising four counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, within which they can respond to a call in 30 minutes or less. But they’ve sent an ambulance as far away as Los Angeles to pick up a dog and transport it to veterinary facilities near Sacramento, a total trip of nearly 800 miles.

The problem, Watts says, is when people see the AMERS vehicles on the street, they mistakenly assume they’re ambulances for humans. At least twice a month, he says, they get flagged down by police or citizens who want them to respond to an emergency. It’s not only awkward for the AMERS personnel, who have to decline, but a threat to public safety because it can delay calling for a “real” ambulance. So he requested a new look for the vehicles, one that would identify them as providing services for animals without diminishing the seriousness of their services. “We considered putting a picture of an animal on them,” says Watts, “but we were afraid it might look like a cartoon. He also wants to make sure the new design projects “compassion—that we’ll treat a pet like one of the family.” With that in mind, we asked three designers to come to AMERS’ rescue and give them a vehicle design that leaves no doubt as to their mission.

AFTER

DESIGNER: Quinton Wash www.nicheonline.net
My overall approach to this project was influenced by the fact that the vehicle would primarily be seen in motion, heading to an emergency. Because of that, I knew that an extremely detailed design would not be necessary. My design is intended to be printed onto a vinyl vehicle wrap, rather than being painted onto the vehicle.

I chose a dark green for the base color of the ambulance because you rarely see vehicles that color. The green would cause the vehicle to stand out on the road while also differentiating it from a human ambulance. In addition, I’ve learned that green is a motivating, action-oriented color. Once I chose the base color, I generated ideas for other colors that would work well with it using Adobe’s kuler website (http://kuler.adobe.com), which has been a lifesaver on many of my projects.

I decided to display images of animals along the side of the ambulance so that viewers would be able to get a clear idea of the organization’s services, even if they weren’t able to read the writing as the vehicle sped past. The variety of animals—besides being cute—shows the range of services provided, while the enlarged image of the doctor makes the nature of the services clear. I found the images I needed on iStockphoto.com through a simple search for “Animal Medicine” and “Animal Doctors.”

The only font I used was Silom, a system font that comes with Mac OS X. I wanted to make sure that the name and Web address were clearly visible because they’re both easy to remember and pretty catchy. I set the name of the organization in a different color to make sure it was perceived as a separate element, so viewers wouldn’t read the whole thing as one phrase (AMERS Animal Ambulance). The contact numbers were left on the lower end of the side panel and back door panel of the car.

The green would cause the vehicle to stand out on the road while also differentiating it from a human ambulance.

[ABOUT THE DESIGNER]
Quinton Wash NicheOnline.net
Dallas-based Quinton P. Wash learned from his father what it takes to become a successful and respected businessman. Working under his father’s tutelage in the field of concert promotions, Quinton realized that among the most important tools a businessman needs are honesty, integrity, and talent.

With an undying desire to follow in his father’s footsteps as an entrepreneur, Quinton founded NicheOnline.net. At the start of his career, Quinton’s projects consisted of company logos and custom pages for members of BlackPlanet, an online community aimed at African-Americans. Since then—still with no formal training or design classes—Quinton has had the pleasure of adding to his portfolio such high-profile clients as comedian Rickey Smiley (from the Rickey Smiley Morning Show), Doug Banks and DeDe McGuire (from ABC Radio Networks), Paul Quinn College in Dallas, and the University of North Texas.

His progress is built on the foundation of those who gave him a head start in life: God, his mother Cynthia Pierre, and his father Al Wash.

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop

AFTER

DESIGNER: Kat Sheldon www.pollencreative.com
The existing ambulance graphics are chaotic, plagued by a nondescript logo and a “tossed salad” of illegible fonts with no particular hierarchy or order. I approached the job like a branding project, not just the creation of graphics for an animal ambulance. I started with nomenclature—in the acronym of their name, AMERS, the S stands for “Systems.” I changed it to “Services,” since they’re primarily a service organization.

Developing the identity was the next step. My proposed design is a family of graphics including a logomark, the AMERS acronym, and the image of a Dalmatian. The logomark is a combination of a heart-shaped dog tag with a white cross. Rotating the logomark to a 15˚ angle adds personality and enables it to point to the prominent “ER” (for “Emergency Room”) in the acronym.
The Dalmatian graphic serves as a secondary element. Its posture is attentive, trusting, and caring. The Dalmatian is not instantly recognizable; its spots imply its outline. This graphic solution makes viewers think, then it makes them feel smart that they figured out what it is. From this point forward, they’ll always see the Dalmatian.

I chose the typeface Frutiger for their corporate face. The lowercase treatment for the acronym gives it a “living and breathing” quality without being stylized and sacrificing legibility.
The red, white, and black color palette creates a sense of efficiency and trust. When picking colors for the ambulance, I choose to make the top red and to differentiate it from the body of the vehicle. This color scheme streamlines the shape of the ambulance and gives it a custom look. My intention is to have the top painted and all of the graphics on the body to be applied as cut vinyl.

This proposed design has flexibility and can be adapted for use in various formats.

The red, white, and black color palette creates a sense of efficiency and trust.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Kat Sheldon Pollen Creative
In 1992, Kat graduated with honors from Arizona State University with a BFA in Graphic Design. She then moved to Denver to start her career as a designer. She worked for Genesis, Inc., on projects for Disney, Frontier Airlines, Schwinn, Scott USA, and the Quaker Oats Company. After relocating to San Francisco in early 2000, she worked for the firms Man Bites Dog and SMWM on projects including the San Francisco Ferry Building and Galleria Dallas.

In 2004, with 12 years’ experience in the field, Kat founded Pollen Creative. Her diverse client base includes ArtSpan, Keystone Strategy, Microsoft, and Steinberg Architects. In the last few years, Kat has been working with alternative energy clients including Recurrent Energy, Shai Agassi, and Tesla Motors. She commits to cultivating originality and thrives on the “Aha!” moment where client, designer, and campaign cross-pollinate.

Kat’s colleague, Susan Carter, collaborated with her on this project. Constructive criticism and pushing the design process is critical to an enriching design experience and a successful product.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

AFTER

DESIGNER: Drew Dunlap http://dunlapstudios.com
When I first began this project, I started creating an elaborate vehicle wrap filled with images and vectors. I soon discovered that the more I included, the less the result looked like an ambulance. So I decided to go back to the drawing board and play off of the typical ambulance style. I started again from scratch with three key factors in mind: simplicity, readability, and understandability. My intention was to create something that would be printed on vinyl and applied to the vehicle, so keeping it simple means the design will require fewer materials and less printing, thus keeping customers’ costs down.

I decided to go with a single-color approach, which is characteristic of most ambulances. But I wanted to steer clear from the typical red to help distinguish this ambulance from the norm, since confusion with human ambulances is the main issue AMERS is trying to address. I chose green because I think it’s a neutral color for both males and females, and I think it would catch other drivers’ attention. For ultimate readability, I chose the bold sans-serif font ITC Blair Medium, a revival of a turn-of-the-century engravers’ typeface. I not only chose it because it’s a great font, but also because I felt that its clarity and timeless elegance fit the piece perfectly.
To help viewers understand that this ambulance service is for animals, I included a couple of simple identifying elements. First, I played off the Red Cross symbol and placed a paw in the circle instead. Second, as an alternative to enclosing the text in a simple rectangle, I decided to use the shape of a dog bone. And finally, I traced an image of a dog and worked it into the ambulance bar. Once I had everything in place, I felt that it was, if anything, too simple. So I worked on the green center bar a bit more and made it wrap around into a large back piece with the paw print symbol boldly displayed.

I decided to go with a single-color approach, which is characteristic of most ambulances. But I wanted to steer clear from the typical red…

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Drew Dunlap Dunlap Studios
Drew is a 21-year-old graphic designer and illustrator based out of Gilbert, Arizona. He’s been using design software for almost a decade, and says he’s been drawing ever since he could hold a pencil. He’s currently completing the requirements for an Associate’s Degree and Digital Art and Illustration Certification at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Once he finishes, he plans to pursue a Bachelors Degree through Arizona State University.

Drew works full-time as a graphic designer for Group Imaging, a small- and large-format print company located in Mesa, Arizona. He also pursues several freelance ventures, one of which is Indie Web Studio, a progressive design studio focusing on indie music. (Look for www.indiewebstudio.com coming soon.) He also maintains a blog at his website (where he offers free Photoshop brushes of his own design).

When not designing, Drew spends time with his family. “I have a beautiful wife and a 1-year-old daughter that are my main priority,” he says. “I love what I do, and there’s nothing else I’d rather do.”

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop CS4

Client:
WS Photography – www.wsphotollc.com

While Wilson would like to maintain an open and friendly look, he’d still prefer something more professional.

Rio, Wisconsin, home to Roger Wilson and WS Photography, is a small town of fewer than 1,000 people located about 25 miles north of Madison. Wilson runs the business—now in its second full year of operation—with his stepdaughter Heather, who lives in a larger town nearby. According to Wilson, their customers are mostly local, from within 40 miles of Rio.

The photographers specialize in portraits of graduating seniors from area high schools; they also do family and maternity portraits. “We don’t do weddings,” says Wilson. Most of the work is on location, in the customer’s house or yard, though they do have a small studio in Wilson’s garage. Promotion is mainly by word of mouth; they also run some ads in the local free shopper paper, maintain a small portfolio on SmugMug, and send out business cards with their finished work.

Wilson says that what distinguishes WS Photography is its fresh approach to senior portraits, which he credits to his stepdaughter’s youthful sensibility. At the same time, he says, they’re more than willing to throw their own ideas aside and go with the customer’s point of view. “We want to do what the customer wants,” he says.

Wilson has made two business cards himself, the first in Broderbund’s PrintMaster and the second in Adobe Photoshop. He prefers the second because “it’s a little more elegant, less cluttered, and more refined.” But, he thinks the background texture is too distracting and he’s not really fond of either of the attempts to turn “WS” into a logo. Most of all, he thinks both just look homemade. While Wilson would like to maintain an open and friendly look, he’d still prefer something more professional.

We asked three designers to create a more flattering portrait of WS Photography and use it on a new business card.

AFTER

DESIGNER: Scott Robertson

The client was fond of the old business card’s elegance, so I decided to base the redesigned logo on another script font. The “WS” is done in Kon Tiki Enchanted from JAW Fonts; I used Adobe Illustrator to join the two letters together. The result is elegant but still personal, rather than a slick and corporate one, which is just what a small-town photographer needs.

My approach to the business card started with the color scheme. Since the client’s specialty is photos of graduating seniors, I called up the local high school and found out that the school colors are red and white. That’s perfect: I could now make this a budget-friendly, one-color job. The deep red is very readable, and picking up the school colors will give Wilson a slight competitive edge with the local students.

I liked the slogan from the original (“Your Life, Your Images…Your Story”) and elected to keep it. I decided the best thing to do was add visual interest when implementing it, and the idea of a filmstrip came to me. That addition adds character to the business card.

The layout relies on a strong left-right balance, though it’s not immediately apparent with the large logo in the upper left. The contact information at upper right is placed even with the top of the logo—this adds tension and keeps the eye moving. All the non-script text is set in Geo Sans Light, a free Avant Garde imitation. The word “Photography” contains a lot of round shapes in the p’s and o’s, and choosing a font with the roundness of Geo Sans let me bring out that shape in the g and a, as well.

This new business card is much more attractive and personal than the original. It’s a card Wilson can hand out without looking like a celebrity photographer, but rather a talented member of the community who is at your service.

“Photography” contains a lot of round shapes in the p’s and o’s, and choosing a font with the roundness of Geo Sans let me bring out that shape in the g and a, as well.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson is a computer graphics major attending school in South Jersey. He was introduced to graphic design in 10th grade while taking a graphic communications course, and was soon designing everything from the school calendar to honor roll certificates to graduation programs. While he enjoys all things print, his passion is T-shirt design.

While still attending college full-time, Scott recently began freelancing, working on building an ever-stronger portfolio. He currently oversees some computer graphics labs at his college—helping students with software and assisting with design. After completing his studies at Camden County College, Scott plans to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia. Then after college, he hopes to run a small clothing line, silkscreening in his own small shop. And besides running the clothing company, he’d like to work his day job as an art director or graphic designer for an ad agency. Scott says he’s “a true graphic design nerd, a fan of Helvetica, and he can’t stand poorly designed menus.”

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Illustrator CS3

AFTER

DESIGNER: Elizabeth Rose – www.elizabethrosestudio.com

WS Photography needs a look that represents the company and speaks to their target market. Their current cards look homemade and don’t convey the image of a professional photography business. In the more recent version, the marbled background is a distracting element and the typography is fussy, making the company name hard to read. Overall, the card feels more like it belongs to a wedding photographer than a business specializing in portraits for high school seniors.

The bulk of WS Photography’s business comes from students, so the logo should be fresh and appealing to young people while not being so funky that it scares away other potential customers. As a starting point, I took a look at their website to get a feel for their work, then I created a clean, simple logo, using color to give it a more youthful vibe. The circle represents a camera lens without being too literal an interpretation.

Once the basic logo concept was done, I tested out a variety of fonts: Highway Gothic and Adobe Jenson Pro gave me the balance of modern sans serif and classic serif that I was looking for. For the color scheme, I chose to use black as a neutral and to pair it with a bolder color. The greenish-yellow has a nice bright feel without being overpowering—it gives the design some punch. Also, the logo can be updated with a different second color in the future, allowing the company to refresh its look without changing its branding. I included the tagline from one of the original cards because it adds a nice marketing element to the logo.

In designing the business card, I wanted to continue the clean, fun feel that the logo established. The color bar at the bottom helps ground the card and offers a nice contrast to the black-and-white text. I used only Highway Gothic to set the text, so that it would continue the clean, contemporary feel of the logo.

…the logo can be updated with a different second color in the future, allowing the company to refresh its look without changing its branding.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Elizabeth Rose – Elizabeth Rose Studio
An independent graphic designer with 12 years of experience in the field, Elizabeth Rose has a dual degree in communication design and social history from Carnegie Mellon University. She’s worked as an in-house designer and agency designer in a variety of industries involved in projects ranging from traditional print design to tradeshow booths, and even some simple product design.

In 2007, she started her own business, focusing on working with small businesses and nonprofits to create “great design work on an affordable budget.” Her clients range from food-related businesses and restaurants to colleges. Specializing in print design—logos and branding, brochures, ads, and posters—and the occasional website project, Elizabeth also creates and maintains email marketing campaigns for clients. She’s creating her own email newsletter that focuses on design issues for small businesses. Elizabeth lives in Natick, MA, with her husband and dog, and in her spare time, she’s working through a drawing and painting program at Rhode Island School of Design.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS2 and Adobe InDesign CS3

AFTER

DESIGNER: Paul Kazmercyk – www.granitebaydesign.com

To see the natural relationships that occurred between the letterforms in the logo, I experimented with a variety of old-style and contemporary faces and found a few interesting possibilities in some scripts. In each case, however, I felt the results were too old-fashioned or too ornate. I thought that Roger and Heather’s small-town photography business called for something warm and inviting without being overly ornate. I found exactly the right balance in Montoype’s Colonna typeface: The openness of the letterforms and the fact that these two characters actually contained five distinct forms inspired me to experiment with adding color to the logo. I wound up with a spectrum: colors starting with cool blue on the left and moving to warm red on the right. (The dual colors can also be a metaphor for two distinct people/personalities).

The words “Photography LLC” as well as the balance of the text on the card are in Adobe’s Hypatia Sans Pro. I like the way this friendly typeface works on its own and nicely complements the logo type. Placing “Photography LLC” in a 35% black bar with rounded edges not only serves as a soft base for the “WS” letterforms but also draws more attention to the word “photography,” which is, after all, what Roger and Heather are selling. My design is intended to be printed on white stock with subtle fiber and fleck inclusions to enhance the feeling of warmth.

One final note about their existing cards: Neither said anything about the type of photography one could expect. The slogan on one card (“Your Life, Your Images…Your Story”), while interesting, still didn’t address their specialties. My final design retains that line of text but is followed by “Portraits by…” One of my earlier drafts (perhaps a better alternative) instead read “Graduation, Family, Senior, & Maternity Portraits at Your Home or Our Studio.” I’d probably advise the client to consider that as a possibility.

Placing “Photography LLC” in a 35 % black bar with rounded edges not only serves as a soft base for the “WS” letterforms but also draws more attention to the word “photography”…

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Paul Kazmercyk – Granite Bay Design
Paul was born and raised in Connecticut and, though he loves to travel, has remained there—now in his 23rd year as a home-based, self-employed, graphic designer. His company, Granite Bay Design, is named after his Branford shoreline neighborhood.

Blessed with creative genes from both parents and inspired by Bewitched’s Darrin Stephens, Paul thought from an early age that a career in advertising looked liked fun.

He obtained his BFA in graphic design with a minor in printmaking from the University of Bridgeport in 1976 and learned design and production in the days of mechanical boards, Rubylith, Rapidograph pens, and metal type. He was quick to adopt digital production methods when the Macintosh II appeared in 1987 and was among the first designers in New England to begin four-color production exclusively from digital files.

Paul lives with his wife, Donna; daughters Melanie and Jamie; and dog, Gracie. He can be reached at paul@granitebaydesign.com.

APPLICATION USED: Adobe InDesign CS4

Client: Mikee – www.mikee.com

There’s nothing wrong with having a history, but you don’t want to be stagnant either.

Mikee makes sauces. According to current VP Sales Adam Kaufman (representing the fifth generation in the food business), the line started in his father’s butcher shop in Queens, New York. The elder Kaufman loved Chinese ribs and was determined to come up with his own recipe. When he delivered food to local Chinese restaurants, he’d peer around their kitchens and make note of the ingredients he saw on the shelves. Then he’d buy the same ingredients and start experimenting with different combinations.

Once he came up with a recipe he liked, he started selling meat already marinated in the sauce. His customers began asking if they could just buy the sauce, and the light bulb went off. He started bottling the sauce, designed a label, and named the new company Mikee, after his nickname. Since that time—about 30 years ago—the line has grown to include more than 30 items, from the original sauce through other Asian sauces (the number one seller is their terriyaki sauce, says Adam Kaufman) to more standard marinades and barbecue sauces. In Adam Kaufman’s words, “It took us 30 years to become an overnight success.”

The product distribution is still primarily retail, but about five years ago, Mikee started selling their sauces over the Web. The purpose of the website, however, is less to build up a mail-order business than to continue to serve loyal customers who may have moved out of their retail distribution area but still want their Mikee marinades. Nevertheless, Kaufman says, he recognizes that the site has to be attractive and functional even if it’s just serving repeat business.

The main thing Kaufman likes about the current site (designed by his wife, who is a designer but not a Web designer) is the underlying concept of a “family” of sauces: Asian, Fisherman’s, Terriyaki, and Specialty. But the site is incomplete, he says, and he’s not sure that it really communicates the nature and character of the business. He’d like a site that’s interesting, fresh, and modern: “There’s nothing wrong with having a history,” he says, “but you don’t want to be stagnant either.” With that in mind, we challenged three designers to whip up a new site to meet Mikee’s tastes.

AFTER

DESIGNER: Ryan Sorenson -www.bozell.com
The main focus of our redesign was usability. There’s nothing worse for a consumer than running into difficulty finding the information they need. Besides the functional problems (much of the navigation didn’t work), the original site is hard to navigate, the homepage only shows portions of the product labels, the images on the product pages are all very small, and the layout distracted from the goal of purchasing. We set out to create a site that’s easy to navigate and puts the product first.

First, we moved the navigation bar to the top of the site, where customers can find it easily, and added a tab to tell visitors exactly where they are. Because the consumer’s first encounter with the product is through the packaging, we featured the bottles large and on a background that complements all the various package designs. We updated the site’s color palette, using a yellow that combines the old yellow and orange and adding a teal to replace the dated bright green. This new palette of yellow, teal, and grays gives the site a more modern feel, complemented by the use of the clean Frutiger font.

We highlighted a few areas with gradients to add to the energy of the design and added a subdued stripe pattern to break up the solid gradient.

Our vision of the product page continues to focus on the sauces and buying. To update the product page, we clearly identified the families of sauces and added shadows behind each product area to give dimension. With a clean design that also shows a little “sauce” of its own (via the vector graphic of a splash in the background), the new Mikee.com site showcases the product—which is what people are looking for.

Because the consumer’s first encounter with the product is through the packaging, we featured the bottles large and on a background that complements all the various package designs.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Ryan Sorenson – Bozell
Ryan has always been a winner. At the early age of seven, his soccer team made it to the semifinals of the 1986 Cornhusker State Games. And then in high school, his mom gave him a ribbon proclaiming him “World’s Best Son.”

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska and is currently putting his winning attitude to good use as an Art Director for the worldwide advertising firm Bozell in Omaha, Nebraska. He has held several previous art director positions, working for national clients such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sue Bee Honey, Gateway, Compact Power, Leupold, First National Bank, and countless regional and local clients.

Ryan’s hobbies include wasting time, playing Nintendo Wii, solving his Rubik’s Cube, and looking through paper sample books. He loves his job, his mom, and tiny puppies.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

AFTER

DESIGNER: Beth Berst-Gregory – www.sunberst.com
The overwhelming black color of the current site dominates the beautiful packaging design of the product. Additionally, the homepage doesn’t convey that there are four main product lines, each with a distinct theme. Overall the site feels heavy, unbalanced, and without a focus.

My first goal was to create an immediate recognition of what Mikee is: award-winning kosher sauces from Long Island. I also wanted to bring a clean and modern look to the Mikee brand and really let the product stand out against a predominantly white backdrop. I placed a map of Long Island behind the simple product shot to serve both as a design element and a reference to the company’s roots.

The secondary goal was to make it easier to find and buy the product. I highlighted the four main lines within the Mikee sauce collection and added direct product links under each category. Each category is color coded, using colors that harmonize with the product packaging. I set the family names in Present, a font similar to the one used in the logo. Too much Present can be overwhelming, so for my secondary typeface I chose the beloved sans serif Helvetica. Everyone loves Helvetica (just watch the documentary film by Gary Hustwit), and it displays well in most browsers.

For a bit of interest and elegance, I added a subtle Chinese lattice pattern to the background, a nod to Mikee’s predominantly Asian flavor. The new site feels gourmet and modern. More importantly, it communicates what Mikee’s award-winning sauces and marinades are all about.

I wanted to bring a clean and modern look to the Mikee brand and really let the product stand out against a predominantly white backdrop.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Beth Berst-Gregory – Sunberst
Born and raised in Illinois, Beth has embraced her artistic journey in life. A graduate of the American Academy of Art Chicago, she received her Associate’s in Commercial Art and has designed and illustrated for a variety of companies, appearing in both Web and print. While she enjoys the thrill of the digital world of graphic and Web design, she counterbalances that with old-school art techniques such as painting and printmaking.

A lover of texture, detail and imperfection, Beth recently received a Diana toy camera and has been trying her hand at experimental lo-fi photography. When she’s not designing, she’s busy cooking, drawing, crafting, and fixing up her tiny Italianate home with her art teacher husband Chad and Blaine, the super mutt.

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3

AFTER

DESIGNER: Ryan Wagner www.visualrush.com
My goal for the Mikee redesign was to give the website some unique character and make it fun. After hearing about how Mikee got started in the family-run butcher shop, I felt the company history could provide a rich backdrop over which to feature their sauces. Several hours of brainstorming and concepts eventually led to a rustic wood surface with dripping sauce. The deep red, gold, and black color scheme was sampled from Mikee labels across all the lines, and it helps pull the various members of the family together. Actual Mikee bottles were traced in Illustrator to create the silhouette menu running down the left, which offers the visitor a quick, visual way to jump to the four varieties of sauce. I chose to set the main navigation items in Trajan Pro for its sleek condensed look.

Integrating a show/hide menu at the bottom of the homepage that slides up and features all the Mikee sauces gives the site some Web 2 usefulness while gaining SEO points with Google and other search engines.

An occasional newsletter is a great way to communicate with customers, so we added an easy signup box. The photo is part of a rotating Flash banner that would feature delicious dishes made with Mikee sauces, then links to the Recipes area. In this part of the site, customers can upload their own recipes made with Mikee sauces.

The product page was simplified to feature just the sauces. Users can jump directly to any category in the slideout menu to the left, or move through the sauces individually by clicking on the smaller photos. Mikee’s current Zen Cart shopping cart system could be revamped and integrated using a custom CSS template that matches the rest of the new design.

The deep red, gold, and black color scheme was sampled from Mikee labels across all the lines, and it helps pull the various members of the family together.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Ryan Wagner – VisualRush
Ryan Wagner is the owner and creative director of VisualRush website and design solutions, a graphics and Web design studio located in Evansville, Indiana.
Using his degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from Murray State University, he has gained diverse graphic experience in newspaper print advertising, Web design, magazine publications, logo design, billboards, and identity branding. His strength lies in keeping his clients focused on maintaining their brand integrity.
After working in the corporate world, Ryan realized his potential as a freelancer and pours every ounce of his creative energy into VisualRush where he helps clients promote their services all over the world.
Owning his own successful company at 32 has allowed him the freedom to spend more time with his wife Heidi and their four beautiful girls.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

BEFORE

The voice mail at Apostle Construction Company greets callers with a cheery, “Could your project use a miracle?” That question encapsulates both the Christian underpinnings and the can-do attitude that Apostle would like its logo to project.

Apostle Construction was founded as a roofing company in 1996 by Robert Brooks, a minister who wanted to create more than just a business. According to Brooks’s wife, Monica, he wanted Apostle to be a business that operates with integrity and honesty and that gives back to the community. Now licensed in six states, the Maryland firm takes on such jobs as doing all the roofing and siding for a school or a hotel; the company also handles complete construction jobs, such as houses.

Apostle’s current logo was put together by the sign company that made the signs for the company trucks. Brooks specifically requested they use the familiar praying hands picture and his favorite color is blue, so the design of the logo pretty much took care of itself. Monica Brooks says the logo works in that it catches people’s eyes and starts a conversation, and it gives the business a chance to convey their belief system along with their competence.

There are issues with the current logo, however. For one, its appearance and presentation is inconsistent, as a comparison of a business card to one of the company vehicles will show. For another, the praying hands image is so familiar that, by itself, it doesn’t uniquely identify Apostle Construction. So we asked three designers to perform a minor miracle and create a logo that would maintain a religious connotation while still communicating the other qualities that distinguish the company. According to Monica Brooks, it’s not too big to give personal service, but not too small to take on a big job; the attitude that “the job’s not done until the customer is satisfied;” and a commitment to do what they say they’re going to do.

AFTER

DESIGNER: Jeff Cook
My primary goal in reworking the Apostle logo was to not only update the concept but also give it a sleeker, less bulky appearance. My issue with the original logo was that all the words had the same weight—nothing pulled for attention. When I designed my updated version, I made sure that the word “Apostle” was a primary graphic, while the word “Construction” played a secondary role.

I also swapped religious graphics, as I felt that the praying hands image was the most outdated element of the logo. I updated that graphic with what seems to me to be the most recognizable imagery when it comes to religious items: a cross. I placed the cross graphic inside the “o” of Apostle, where it’s contained within the overall structure of the logo—unlike the praying hands, which were floating loose on the side. This new element gives the logo a polished and finished appearance, without looking dated.

The original logo used the same font for all text, but mixing serif and sans-serif fonts in logos with multiple words is a treatment that’s always more appealing to the eye. The word “Apostle” obviously has a religious connotation; therefore, I decided to use a serif typeface (Aviano from Insigne) to convey a professional, yet historical look. The word “Construction” should have a masculine quality, so I set it in the sans-serif version of Aviano. The sans-serif version lends a strong appeal, while remaining sleek and refined.

For reasons of personal preference, the main color choice for the original logo was blue, so I stayed on the same path for my redesign. Instead of the flat royal blue of the original, I opted to use a more slate-like blue and applied a gradient effect. Taken together, the approach helps modernize this new logotype.

I placed the cross graphic inside the “o” of Apostle, where it’s contained within the overall structure of the logo…

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Jeff Cook –Jeff was born in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago in 1981. As a young child, he loved to color and constantly won community coloring contests. As he grew older, he recognized that he was fascinated by logos, so he started studying layout and composition. A 2003 graduate of the Illinois Institute of Art, Jeff holds a degree in Visual Communications. Shortly thereafter, he gained four years of graphic design experience at Brian Keith Advertising, the midwest’s largest and most respected real estate agency.
He currently resides in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and works as a graphic designer for the in-house creative department of Camping World, a nationwide chain of camping and outdoor stores. He also strives for greatness with his at-home, freelance company, JC Design. Jeff also loves spending time with his niece and nephew, who love to color just as much as he does. He can be reached at Jeffcook88@yahoo.com.

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Illustrator CS2

AFTER

DESIGNERS: Don and Amy New –www.newslandingdesign.com

NewsLanding’s brand redesign methodology always starts with a client survey of the existing mark. We want to know what the client likes about the current logo and why they’re motivated to change at that point. Graphically speaking, the client expressed only one requirement—that the final treatment clearly portray the owner’s faith—and one preference: the owner’s favorite color is blue. It’s a wise design principle that if the guy writing the checks prefers the color blue, at least one iteration in your presentation should use blue.

Our next step in the re-branding process is usually to write a creative brief with the client. For this makeover, we just used the notes provided us from a conversation with the owner’s wife.

After all that, we go someplace quiet and simply write out words. With Apostle, we created categories and under each, listed as many words within those categories as we could come up with before hitting the old Google button or going to our favorite online thesaurus. In our “religious icons” category, we ended up with such terms as cross, Star of David, crucifix, olive branch, fish, dove, robes, candles, halo, praying hands, steeples, and so on.

Armed with the list of words, we selected several candidates that could be treated graphically. Next, we began combining appropriate typestyles with sketched icons—the dove was a combination of several dove shapes I had in my scrap files. Everything at this point was being done in black and white. Once all the assets are in digital format, we can work very fast with combinations, overlays, transparency, typography, and color.

With Apostle Construction, we ultimately rendered the dove in Adobe Illustrator and selected a font that reinforced the fine craftsmanship so important to the client. We set “Apostle” in Linotype’s Herculaneum and used Adobe’s Orator Std for “Construction Company” and other text. The result was a ligature/icon that would show as well on the side of a construction trailer as on a golf ball.

Armed with the list of words, we selected several candidates that could be treated graphically.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Don and Amy New NewsLanding Design
As a graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Don founded his first firm, Graphic Media, in 1980. This company grew to a fulltime staff of 65, held the top position for marketing communications firms in Portland for 10 years, and during that time, Don was the runner-up for Inc.’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific Northwest region.

Don sold Graphic Media to his partners in 1995 and in 1997, joined Portland’s Creative Media Development (CMD) as Corporate Creative Director. He was named Chief Creative Officer the following year. In 2001, CMD garnered more than 30 regional and national creative awards.

In 2004, Don and his wife Amy formed NewsLanding in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Their current clients, who consider NewsLanding to be an extension of their marketing staff, range from real estate firms to a biofuels refinery. NewsLanding is also committed to pro bono work for several nonprofits and a great little Christian-based orphanage in El Salvador.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator

AFTER

DESIGNER: John Webb –www.jweb3d.com

In re-creating the Apostle Construction corporate identity, I wanted to maintain the religious aspect of the logo but give it a more professional look. The sketched praying hands have been overused, so I didn’t feel that image offered the individual identity a company would benefit from. They also had two different variations of the logo, so I wanted to give them a consistent brand mark that can be used on all of their collateral. I felt the font was very plain and that the black and blue color choices weren’t aesthetically pleasing.

The first thing I wanted to do was find a Christian symbol that was powerful, could relate to the company, and wasn’t seen on every Christian building and book. That ruled out a fish, cross, sacred heart, etc. Through my research, I came across the winged lion, which is a symbol for Saint Mark, representing faith and a connection to God. The wings represent a messenger of God, which I felt was symbolic of a company that does charity work, such as offering aid to Hurricane Katrina victims (as I read on their website). I also thought the winged lion would be a strong, trustworthy mascot (for lack of a better word) to represent a Christian construction company. I found a photo of a winged lion statue online, traced over it in Adobe Illustrator, printed out the sketch, drew over it by hand to add detail and modify some of the shapes, scanned my drawing back in, and manipulated it until I was satisfied with the result. The final image looks something like a gargoyle, which suggests the roofing aspect of the company’s services.

For the word “Apostle,” I chose Clairvaux LT STD Roman from Linotype, which has a biblical look. And for “Construction Company” and any text that would accompany business material, I chose Adobe Garamond Pro because it’s easy to read, fits well with Clairvaux LT STD Roman, and is a professional-looking font.

To top it off, I felt a cool gray and an eye-catching blue gave it a nice modern color scheme.

I also thought the winged lion would be a strong, trustworthy mascot (for lack of a better word) to represent a Christian construction company.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

John Webb John is a multifaceted artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offering a wide range of services—from graphic design to fine art and airbrushing. Born in 1980, John has been drawing since childhood, using mostly pencils, pastels, Pantone markers, and ink. To this day, much of his work is inspired by graffiti and by the comic books he enjoyed as a child. During his high school years, he excelled in art classes, which led him to pursue a career in this field.

In 2001, John began airbrushing and creating T-shirts and tattoo designs for his friends. Then he started creating and selling custom T-shirts in a store he partially owned in West Philly. The following year, he began to try his hand at fine art, with a focus on acrylics. His work in computer arts, primarily graphic design, began in 2003. At present, John is refining his knowledge of the Adobe Dreamweaver, After Effects, and Flash programs. He attained his Associate’s degree in Graphic Design in June of 2008.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

The corporate image Nanergy would like to project is informal and friendly, but at the same time polished and high tech. “More Apple than IBM.

The company also sends representatives to trade shows and overseas trade missions where they distribute sell sheets describing their products. Typically, several sell sheets will be inserted in a folder with a cover letter. Eva Csige, Nanergy’s Vice President of Marketing, asked if Layers could come up with a more effective design for the sheets.

Csige likes several things about the current sell sheets: the layout is neat and clean, and the angled rules makes them look modern. But they’re inconsistent and not terribly eye-catching. One problem is the color scheme. Because the current logo is red and blue, she says, they had a hard time coming up with a background color to work with it. They decided against green because it’s such a cliché in the renewable energy field; the yellow they settled on is meant to suggest sunlight, the source of the power for their products.

The corporate image Csige would like to project is informal and friendly, but at the same time polished and high tech. “More Apple than IBM,” she says. We gave three designers a pair of spec sheets and the cover of a four-page brochure and asked them to generate a new look that could represent Nanergy’s efforts across the entire product line.

After

DESIGNER: Gregory Wostrel www.gwcreative.com

Graphic design is about organized communication. In the case of commercial design, it’s vital that information is clear and accessible. The challenge is to distill simplicity out of complexity and reduce detail to the essentials.

I started with the Solar Home Systems brochure cover. It needs to entice viewers to investigate further—to make them interested in the product and to draw them in. I decided to take a magazine-cover approach, using large images and treating the product features as bold “story subjects.” As for the design details, I tried to pull together elements that subtly suggested the product and the brand: the translucent blue of photovoltaic panels, with bits of the logo swirl in the top bar echoing the logo at the bottom. I set the type in Avenir Black, Medium, and Light for its modern feel and clean, easy-to-read characters.

My approach to the Always Light data sheet was to repeat elements from the brochure for consistency, to soften the stark feel of the original, and to organize the information and highlight the important details. Placing all the information into one vertical space, starting with a list of product features and ending with the tech specs, makes it easy for someone who is scanning to find the most important points quickly. The background has a subtle grid pattern over a gradient tone that softens the look while adding a “technology” feel. This was my attempt to address the slight conflict in the client’s request for a warm, casual image and a modern, high-tech look.

Nanergy makes some interesting and relevant products. I wish them good fortune with their business.

About the Designer: Gregory Wostrel gwcreative

Greg started as a photographer in 1990. He worked for agencies and design studios shooting images for ads, annual reports, lifestyle marketing pieces, and catalogs. The years of crafting images honed his eye for the important details. He found himself drawn to the entire design process, and a combination of self-instruction, trial by fire, and a Design and Advertising Certificate program at Rhode Island School of Design enabled him to expand his skills and services.

Going into business as gwcreative in 2000, Greg began to design and produce appealing, user-friendly, and effective websites, print projects, and photography. He now stays busy with freelance work, wedding and event photography, and a day job as the lead Senior Graphic Designer for GTECH Corporation’s Sales and Product Marketing Department in Providence, Rhode Island.

He lives in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, with his wife and two teenage children, who are his favorite people in the world.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, and Adobe InDesign CS3

After

DESIGNER: Cristy Vallee www.valleedesign.com

Nanergy’s current look is not only inconsistent among their marketing materials, but also in communicating a clear brand message (which starts with a suitable and successful logo). The original logo’s brush stroke effect makes it look either artistic or handmade, and the colors are harsh and misleading. I set out to create a mark that illustrates the main characteristics they use to describe themselves: high-technology, environmental, polished, and people-focused.

My revised logo uses crisp lines that suggest energy being dispersed as rays of light. The combination of bright green (representing both the environment and the vibrancy of the sun’s energy) and blue (symbolizing the sky and solar panels) evokes a feeling of freshness. I set the company name in lowercase Futura to complement the icon and provide a friendly but sophisticated tone. The rays-of-light theme is carried through on the brochure cover where the use of ample negative space communicates an overall feeling of expansiveness and clean energy.

Besides inconsistency, I thought the sell sheets suffered from lack of hierarchy, poor interaction of elements, and weak use of photography. Nanergy’s mission combines compassion for humanity with environmental awareness, and this became the force behind my concepts.

I decided to use typography and negative space in a very pure and simple manner to communicate an overall feeling of expansiveness and clean energy. I wanted the product sheets to organize the information, but have some dimension and hierarchy. I did this by establishing a grid, assigning levels of importance to type through size treatment, and bringing out specific features in bold sidebars. The type in the sidebar sits between parentheses and remains lowercase, maintaining the techie-yet-friendly nuance. Different colors selected from the same overall palette distinguish one product from another. I added images that evoke feelings of well-being and attention to the environment and the betterment of humanity.

About the Designer Cristy Vallee vallee:design

Fueled by her passion for designing the art of meaningful communication, Cristy Vallee established her own design studio, vallee:design, in 2003.

Cristy received her Masters of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Boston University and worked as a designer for a number of design studios, an advertising agency, an exhibit design firm, and as a freelancer. Her experience covers a wide range of media, including branding, print and marketing collateral, and large-scale experiential design projects. Cristy also enjoys teaching graphic design at Bridgewater State College, where she’s continuously reminded of the importance of meaningful and fresh design.

“What I enjoy most about design is the creativity and collaboration, but even more the point at which successful design does
more than simply attract a viewer, but reaches out to inform and inspire. It’s at this point that I believe design shows its true strength and power to ignite change and growth.”

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, and Adobe InDesign CS3

After

DESIGNER: Andrea Jensen and Michael Olson www.dykeman.net

hile reviewing the existing Nanergy marketing collateral, several issues became very clear, most notably that the company wasn’t capitalizing on aesthetic communications for green energy, the product capabilities, or the refinement of solar technology. When you leave any piece of material with a potential customer it should always be eye-catching and clever. The new design needed to be modern, sleek, and refined, communicating to a market of sophisticated customers with the interest and funds to invest in clean, green energy for their homes and lifestyles. To accomplish this, we took a minimalist approach, drawing on Swiss Modernism, and reduced the color scheme to shades of gray and sky blues. The resulting design is modern and elegant.
The Always Light sell sheet was challenging if only for placing so much information in too small of a space. Our team decided to transform the page into a two-sided one sheet; the front displays the simplicity of the product and the back details the product specifications. We capitalized on the fact that the product emits light to make the top half of the front of the sheet (starting where the light is) a pale gray, while the bottom part of the sheet is dark to create contrast and ground the design.

The previous Solar Home Systems brochure cover also contained too much text. Continuing the clean and simple presentation established with the Always Light sheet, we removed all the product information from the front of the brochure and simply showcased the product. The information inside the brochure is presented in a similar format as the back of the Always Light one sheet. The design should remain consistent in this way between all collateral items, creating a standard design for the brand.

About the Designers Andrea Jensen and Michael Olson DYKEMAN: Graphic Design Services

DYKEMAN’s Graphic Design Services, located in Everett, Washington, provides clients with print, Web, and environmental design services. Notable clients include Safeway, ICON, Krispy Kreme, Top Foods, and Housing Hope.

Andrea Jensen has worked in the design industry for the last four years as a copywriter, marketing manager, and graphic designer. Her myriad skills assist DYKEMAN Graphics in design, as well as business development and marketing ventures. Andrea has worked with the Washington State Ferries, PEMCO Insurance, and the Urban Mobility Group.

Michael Olson has worked in the design industry for the last eight years as a graphic and Web designer. As a graphics director at DYKEMAN Graphics, Michael contributes his award-winning talent and entrepreneurial experience. Michael has worked with PEMCO Insurance, Ignite Analytics, and the Diocese of Olympia.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign

BEFORE

Client: Timeless Finishes — www.timelessfinishes.com

Stanley Rachwal started his Venetian plastering business about three years ago, after doing the work on a part-time basis for two years before that. “I started my plastering business at the tender age of fifty,” he says, “because I wanted to do something different.”

Rachwal describes Venetian plastering as “the latest faux-finish craze,” one that’s been popular in the United States for about seven years. But the technique itself has been around for thousands of years—long before Venice was an important city. Evidence of the method has been found in ancient sites in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and, of course, Italy.

Venetian plaster starts with mined limestone that’s heated, dried, and crushed. The rock powder is then mixed with water, and after some time it becomes a sort of putty. Different substances (sand, ash, ground marble) can be added to the mixture to change the appearance of the putty. When a plasterer such as Rachwal applies the putty to a wall, it dries into a hard, marble-like surface.

Any plasterer can use the material, says Rachwal, but the trick is in learning to apply it to achieve the desired effect. Some of the finishes require him to apply up to three different kinds of putty in just the right way.

After three years, Rachwal has confidence that his business will survive and he’d like to replace his original logo, which he just slapped together quickly to have something to put on a business card. He likes how the current logo, based on a photo of a Roman column he found on the Web, suggests the antiquity of the process. But he doesn’t feel that it really portrays what he does. He would like a new, hipper logo that communicates the idea that Venetian plastering is an actual work of art, not just a faux finish. We asked three designers to come up with a logo and business card that say “hip” and “today,” as well as “timeless” and “Old World.”

AFTER

Designer: Russel Hempel — www.DaringEscape.com

When I design a logo, I always begin by doing a black-and-white version and then add color later. My feeling is that a logo needs to look great in grayscale as well as color, since a logo gets used in so many places, not all of which use color (such as invoices, newspaper ads, etc.). Working this way also helps to keep the design simple.

I decided to combine a slab-serif or “Egyptian” font (Mido) with an intricate ornamental flourish to convey the skill and Old World artistry used in the work. The organic tones of the colors I selected, a rich chocolate brown and a deep orange, suggest the natural materials used in the process. I decided to dispense with the tagline “yesterday’s wall finishes…today” to further simplify the logo.

I elected to create a vertical business card to keep the layout clean and modern. With the exception of the logo, I kept all the type (set in Adobe Minion) left-justified for a more professional look and took the liberty of adding the title of “artisan” underneath the name. I think adding this title helps communicate the immense skill and training that it takes to master the Venetian plaster technique. I incorporated a textured background from a stock photo house, similar to the effects achieved with the plastering technique, to add depth and interest. An oversized, screened-back version of the flourish from the logo rounds out the design on the back of the card.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

After serving as the senior designer for an in-house design department, Russel Hempel left to start Daring Escape Designs, a small studio committed to helping small businesses succeed. Russel has done work for a variety of clients, ranging from a website for a punk rock band to a catalog and marketing material for a high-end barbecue grill manufacturer. When he’s not cranking out fantastic design work, Russel can be found spending time with his wife, Dena, and their two sons, Noah and Hayden, in the beautiful southern California sun; playing guitar; or working on his 1921 Craftsman home.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

AFTER

Designer: Reynaldo Gonzalez

The old logo looks more like a slogan than a proper logo, and it’s not as upscale as the client’s work product. Furthermore, there’s no balance or consistency between the version on the business card and the version on the website—the latter is almost playful, which I don’t think represents the client’s artisanal techniques.

I wanted to create a logo that would reflect the look of materials used in a “timeless finish.” For the background, I scanned a piece of paper and applied different filters in Photoshop until I got a mottled effect reminiscent of the walls commonly seen in Rome and throughout the Mediterranean. I added a classical architectural image taken from the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, built around 470 B.C.E., depicting the Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs.

The font for the company name is Michelangelo BQ, a Venetian-style font designed by Hermann Zapf to be a titling font for Palatino. It goes well with the architectural image. For the tagline, I chose Herculaneum, which made me think of Rome and Roman orthography. For the rest of the business card I used Optima Regular and Bold. Optima is clean, fresh, and easy to read, which is very important when you want to send a message to clients. It also doesn’t call attention to itself and away from the type in the logo.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Born and raised in Mexico City, Reynaldo Gonzalez came to the U.S. when he was 21. In 1994, he met an illustrator who introduced him to the field of design. Inspired, he began his quest to become a graphic designer: in 1998, he received an Associate’s degree in graphic design, specializing in print design, from Platt College in Cerritos, CA, and he has continued his studies in the field at Santa Monica College.

As a freelancer, Gonzalez has worked for many sizes and types of companies and ad agencies, including Deutsch and Guess. He credits his cross-cultural experience with his versatility and ability to view tasks from varied angles. He loves his work and is still inspired by the creative process.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Illustrator CS2

AFTER

Designer: feliciA chamberlain — www.felicia.us

The current logo design for Timeless Finishes could be improved, in my opinion, for a variety of reasons. The graphic treatment of the column on the website feels more anthropomorphic than architectural, causing a disconnect between the intended purpose of the image and the message it’s trying to convey to prospective clients. The tagline, extending into the photo, disrupts the balance of the graphic treatment, and the wide tracking of the company name (also on the business card) doesn’t seem to have a clear purpose.

I wanted to make the business card and website work together to make a branding statement with at least one consistent element, especially since this is a relatively new business. I also wanted to evoke the modern with the historical, the new with the traditional.

The ancient Italians used to plaster their walls and paint them in distinctive styles. Most of the paintings are lost to antiquity, but some remain, like those preserved at Pompeii under the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. Using the Pen tool in Illustrator, I drew a female figure in the style of some of those preserved paintings. Hopefully, the woman will provide a talking point for Timeless Finishes’ owner and customers.

I thought a more Italian- or Roman-inspired font would be suitable, so I set the company name in ITC Mona Lisa Solid. The rest of the type is in Myriad Pro for a modern contrast.

The new cards contain personality and history, and in turn will create a lasting memory that should put Timeless Finishes at the forefront of a prospective client’s mind. Reaching for the card will be easy because it’s distinctive and the information is clearly outlined.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

feliciA started her career at an early age, winning numerous art and writing contests. They afforded her the opportunity to study illustration and design with Alan E. Cober and Anita Kunz while earning her BFA with honors at State University of New York at Buffalo. She later went on to earn her MFA, magna cum laude, at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in Computer Arts: New Media.

feliciA describes herself as a visual communicator and technologist because she combines her skills as an illustrator, designer, interactive designer, and programmer to create complete packages for a variety of clients. She actively engages in sketching, illustrating, and visual journalism. She continues to draw on the computer using Adobe’s Creative Suite and one of her Wacom Tablets as if it were her artbox.

APPLICATIONS USED:Adobe Illustrator CS2

BEFORE

Client: Israel Philatelist — www.israelstamps.com

[Jake Widman is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. He’s been covering the intersection of computers and graphic design for about 20 years now—since back when it was all called “desktop publishing.”]

The Israel Philatelist is the membership journal of the Society of Israel Philatelists, an organization of stamp collectors who have a particular interest in the Holy Land. Founded in 1949, the society, based in the U.S., has no connection with the State of Israel, though its logo is based on the logo of the Israel postal service. It’s open to anyone—the only requirement is an interest in the subject matter.

The society’s 1,500 worldwide members receive The Israel Philatelist by mail. The journal is printed on high-quality white paper in full color; a typical issue is 40 saddle-stitched pages long. According to the editor, Don Chafetz, the journal has three purposes: to educate members, to retain existing members, and to recruit new members.

But Chafetz thinks the journal could do a better job, especially at that last task, if it were redesigned. When he became editor in 2003, he also became de facto designer, and while he thinks the magazine looks a lot better than it did then (when it was black and white, and the cover just featured the name, issue number, and logo), he says, “I’m frustrated that I can’t make the covers pop more.” He usually uses several images on the cover relating to the stories inside and the background is always the same blue. He says the membership is happy with the current look, but he’s not.

“I’d like it to look lively and attractive,” he says. “I want it to make people say, ‘Boy, I want to read that.’” He particularly wants potential members between the ages of 40 and 60 to read it because that’s the ideal time to catch someone who’s thinking of starting a hobby. Chafetz also wants to make sure the journal doesn’t make stamp collecting look like an old man’s activity.

With that in mind, we gave three designers the cover and an interior page from The Israel Philatelist and asked them to make it look like it would be fun to be a member of the society.

AFTER

Designer: Ari Miller — www.perceptionarts.com

The existing cover shows the effort to produce a professional look, and the interior pages are clean and easy to follow. The editor has also done well in laying down the foundation of branding by being consistent with both the Old English font logo and the use of what I call “Hebrew blue” in the cover design. What the magazine needed was a face-lift to bring the look up to date.

The first thing I addressed was the logo, which felt dated and had no real tie to Israel or stamps. I chose Herculaneum, a font that feels more “Middle Eastern” while avoiding the cliché of mimicking Hebrew. I also brought the tag lines up from the bottom and incorporated them into the logo. The second tag line introduces the font used throughout the publication—Helvetica Neue. The clean sans serif helps to modernize the look of the publication.

In calling out the main stories on the cover, I tried to maintain a clean, professional feeling. The “wet-floor reflection” effect used on the envelope and Star of David, together with the gradient background, adds depth and softness. The sombrero/yarmulke adds a bit of light-heartedness, and the daffodil was turned so that the petals suggest a Star of David.

For the interior article page, I wanted to take the design to the next level. Each page wouldn’t have to be this heavily graphic, but you must give the reader a visual reason to stop and taste the article. The value of the content takes over from there.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Ari Miller is a graphic designer and photographer operating Perception Arts in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He has been a graphic/Web designer for eight years and in business for himself for just under three. He has also been teaching digital photography classes for the past couple of years and has had more than 100 students so far. His photography has placed in numerous local and national competitions. He has 48 pieces on permanent display in the local main branch of First Charter Bank, as well as the local cultural center.

Ari says, “One of the greatest things about my job, other than having the opportunity to express myself creatively, is the freedom I have to be very closely, if not continuously, involved with raising my young girls, Karyna and Dylyn.”

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe InDesign CS3

AFTER

Designer: Alison Dovidio — www.sugarfishcreatives.com

Don Chafetz, the editor and designer, stated, “I’m frustrated that I can’t make the covers pop more.” For that reason, my main objective was to create a look with rich color and design. For the magazine cover I used graphics with a tasteful, modern edge in hopes of generating excitement and attracting people to the magazine who might not typically be drawn to the hobby.

The magazine has been around for many years, so the redesign needed to incorporate some of the old elements to allow users to easily form a connection between the old and new designs. I included the cyan color that was originally used in excess and applied it as an accent color. Additionally, I used an Old English-style font—Anglo-Saxon Caps—but with a slightly modern twist, and I kept the original logo. I turned the logo white, put it against the dark gradient background, and added a reflection to give it that pop that Chafetz was striving for. The other cover font is the clean, modern Trebuchet MS, also used for the folios inside.

I also thought about the magazine’s subscribers and decided that like most avid hobbyists, they probably kept their past issues. So I added the bright blue slice of color in the top-left corner of the magazine displaying the issue’s date, volume, and issue number. This will allow the members to easily search through stacks of archived magazines and find the specific issue they desire.

On the inside page, I organized the Sharon article so it was more inviting. I divided the article into three columns so each line would be short and easy to read, and I added a little bit of variety to the grid by inserting images at an angle. I feel this added a bit of interest in the design to draw the attention of the reader. The text font is good old Times New Roman.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Alison grew up in Hubbardsville, New York, and now lives just north of Boston in Stoneham, Massachusetts. From a young girl who loved to draw, paint, and create arts and crafts, she now finds herself in a corporate environment at Osram Sylvania where she works as an e-marketing specialist responsible for maintaining the company’s 10,000+ webpages, managing the content, and having full creative responsibility.

Alison graduated in 2006 from Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, with a degree in marketing and a minor in digital media. She’ll also receive a master’s certification in graphic design and Web development from Clark University in Woburn in May 2008. Alison continues to take on freelance work; expand her knowledge within the creative industry; and embrace any experience, adventure, or opportunity that comes her way.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Illustrator CS2, and Adobe InDesign CS2

AFTER

Designer: Josh Jackson — www.906graphics.com

My redesign is meant to be easy and functional, allowing the editor to produce a crisp, consistent-looking edition on short time or notice. I used three standard Adobe fonts throughout: Felix Titling (nameplate), Myriad Pro (all sans-serif text), and Adobe Garamond Pro (all serif text).

I started by replacing the nameplate font with something more modern and increased its size to give it more prominence. I also took the original circular logo and fashioned it to look like a stamp. Not only is the logo now a part of the nameplate, but it also can be used in company collateral.

To get that “pop” the editor is looking for, it’s key to pick one thing that rules the cover and make everything else secondary. Here, I bumped up the cover story headline, making it the dominant text on the page. I framed the text and aerogrammes on a giant postage stamp, complete with vector postmark created in Illustrator, and reduced the opacity in InDesign. The contrast of using such a normally small item so large is sure to catch the reader’s eye. The secondary stories on the cover were each given equal weight and color, and I added an extra element by using the byline for each story.

For the inside page, the redesign was a bit trickier. The approach focuses on a typographical hierarchy that I would carry throughout the rest of the magazine: byline above headline, spaced intro text, and color subheads. I used a stock photo of the area described in the story and paired it with the Hebrew text to further draw the reader into the story.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

Josh received a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Alabama and has worked for newspapers as a reporter, copyeditor, and designer. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Savannah, Georgia, where he works at the Savannah Morning News.

He has twice won an award from the Society of News Design for outstanding page design, and for consecutive years has been awarded first place for page design among all papers in the Morris Communications chain.

When he’s not designing news pages, Josh is busy reading up on the latest design trends, studying various design texts, and teaching himself CSS and HTML using Dreamweaver—everything he has learned about design has been self-taught.

Josh is looking to take on freelance print design and logo opportunities, and is always looking for new projects to sharpen his skills and diversify his portfolio.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS2 and Adobe InDesign CS2

BEFORE

Client: Gravnetic Production, Inc. — www.gravnetic.com

[Jake Widman is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. He’s been covering the intersection of computers and graphic design for about 20 years now—since back when it was all called “desktop publishing.”]

Gravnetic provides multimedia content of all sorts, from streaming Flash videos for the Web to broadcast graphics for local TV stations to DVD material. Owner Jake Hawkes says he came up with the name by combining the words “magnetic” and “gravity”—the latter reflecting the fact that the Idaho-based company is frequently called upon to work with material involving skiing and mountain biking.

The biggest problem with the current website, says Hawkes, “is that I have two homepages—the initial one with the movie marquee, and then the Flash Video page.” The bare URL takes a visitor to the first page, even though the second page has all the navigation links on it and is even named “Home.” Not only that, the two pages don’t look anything alike; there isn’t even a consistent logo treatment tying them together. Ideally, Hawkes says, the first page would be a simple gateway that offers clear access to the other main areas of the site, although he wouldn’t mind visitors having direct access to the video player on the front page.

Overall, he’d like his site to look fun, colorful, and creative. Hawkes cites the well-known series of Sony Bravia commercials as examples of the combination of fun and creativity he admires. Another goal is for the website to encourage distribution, so that some of his videos could get viral exposure. He’d like there to be some kind of “call to action” after you look at his stuff—if people see something they like, they should be able to do something with it. “Perceive it however you will,” he says, “but then share it.” We asked three designers to take on the complicated task of providing consistency, creativity, and action in the same makeover.

AFTER

Designer: Tyler Thompson — www.workwithjob.com

My goal for the Gravnetic website was structuring the content in a way that would come across as approachable, professional, and creative, while finding a balanced mix of structural elements and visual consistency. Lack of consistency was foremost among the many ways I thought their current website falls short.

For the homepage, I wanted to keep the video area the main focus so I decided that giving access to five videos at a time was an ideal way to keep the user interested but wanting more. I added a little News section to help give the homepage a fresh feel and provide a reason for people to come back for updated information.

For the overall look of the site, my inspiration was to mix technology with the outdoors. I chose a subtle, natural color scheme and tried to mimic a pixelated forest treeline in the header. I really resisted getting too creative with background graphics and headers—I felt that their content was the creative element and that it should have a neutral stage to perform on.

I added the ability to share any video or picture to help people spread the word for Gravnetic. I chose to tie the headlines in to the header graphic by using a pixel font (Frucade Small Extended from Semplice), while the navigation and video player font (Interstate Bold Condensed) was chosen for its bold, compact form. I cleaned up Gravnetic’s logo by setting it in a sleek, modern font that I manipulated only slightly. I wanted the logo to be simple and strong, yet plain enough that they could impose it on their other work without it taking away from what they were applying it to.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

In late 2006 while working at 7-Eleven, Tyler Thompson found himself alone one night shift. While stocking the hot dogs, the layout of the packaging grabbed him, and he thought, “I can do better than this!” And so began a love story, a love story set in a world where hard drives are huge and floppy drives don’t exist.

In addition to campaigns for Safeway, Redhook, and others, Thompson has created a logo for his cousin’s softball team, a flyer for a rave, and two menus for a highly successful Mexican restaurant in town. Tyler would like to take this opportunity to thank his amazing wife, Amanda, for all of her support during his long, long nights behind the computer, and his son, Scout, for all his cool coyote sounds.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator

AFTER

Designer: Taylor Zimmerman — www.xpdesigns.com

With the client’s personal background and preferences in mind, I opened Photoshop with a newfound vigor. I planned to keep some of the organizational and design choices; however, the lack of consistency and identity were the major items I wanted to change and enhance.

I began by using more modern design elements, adding gradients, bold colors, and glossy highlights to the first page. With the client’s wish for activity and the history of the Gravnetic name, I used a more traditional approach and gave the layout a mountainous landscape background.

I kept the magnet because it’s the client’s best representation of what his site is about. I manipulated it, however, and used it as the n of the logo to create a feeling of simplicity and boldness. I reproduced the new logo on the front page to add stronger identity and more uniformity. The selection of Lucida Sans Unicode and Myriad Pro as the fonts for the section titles and logo, respectively, adds an aura of professionalism.

Moving on to the video page, I focused on interactivity and simplicity. I converted each text-titled video to a simple glossy button organized on the right-hand side. To achieve a more distributive website, I included interactive sections to enable video exchange. I created an alternative video player with a more user-friendly interface and one that conformed to the sleek and traditional design of the layout.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

A Web designer for two and a half years, the 15-year-old Taylor Zimmerman is a sophomore in high school in Tennessee. While attending high school, he has created assorted graphics for his school and its many clubs. His work has also been featured in the Tennessee Art League.

Because his father was a member of the Armed Forces for 20 years, Taylor has lived in numerous places around the world. He began Web designing in 2005 and created his website, Xpdesigns, shortly after.

Taylor enjoys hanging out with his friends, freelance PHP and MySQL programming, and jamming to his favorite alternative rock band. He plans on attending the Art Institute of Chicago to obtain a degree in Audio Production, Graphic Design, and Interactive Media.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3

AFTER

Designer: John McCann — www.efuturemedia.com

The immediate need for the Gravnetic website was quite clear from the beginning: there was no continuity. The splash page was designed as a flashy theatre marquee, but the subsequent pages made you feel as if you were leaving the site altogether. Not only do they not look like the opening page, but they contain links to pages (Promo Reel, About, Contact) that aren’t even mentioned on the splash page.

I started by tackling the splash page. Unless your site is product-focused and your homepage is introducing a product, an image-based splash page isn’t a great idea. I wanted the homepage to present basic information on all of Gravnetic’s services, as well as give an idea of what can be expected on the rest of the site. Each content area is clearly defined and has a clear heading as to what belongs to that section. I included samples of photography, direct links to videos, and a list of services, and gave each listed service an identifying icon.

On the subsequent pages, clear content areas with clear headings again give users a very clear and concise method of accessing the content. And I reinforced each service page with the icon used for that service on the front page, so it’s very clear to viewers where they are on the site. I used Penumbra HalfSerif Std for the logo and section headings and various weights of Myriad Pro for everything else.

The overall look is based on the original theater theme. In the final product, the marquee and lights around it are animated to bring the site to life, but not too much to take away from the content. It’s important to remember that the content is what’s important, not so much the design.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER:

John McCann, 27, works at VanKomen Media (www.vankomenmedia.com), an online marketing firm based in Draper, Utah. VanKomen provides marketing services such as list management, media buying, and campaign management.

Before VanKomen, McCann worked on websites for companies doing business with HBO and the Discovery Channel. He has also worked on projects involving corporate customer relationship management and content management system design, as well as on sites designed to sell children’s toys.

McCann moved to Utah with his wife when she was in the Air Force; he says, “We absolutely love it. We used to live in Florida, so my four children, Ian, Ashton, Kyleigh, and Shealeigh, had never seen snow. They’re having the time of their lives.”

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3

BEFORE

Client: Great American Publishers — www.greatamericanpublishers.com

Sheila Simmons worked for 20 years as an assistant publisher at another company before finally deciding to launch her own publishing operation. Great American Publishers (GAP) got underway in the summer of 2006, specializing in niche or regional cookbooks. Simmons is quick to note that GAP is a traditional publisher, not a vanity press or a print-on-demand service: Authors approach the company with a manuscript or a proposal. If it’s accepted, GAP takes on all the development tasks (and expenses), handling the editorial and design end themselves.

GAP’s books are sold in standard bookstores, but they do most of their business through gift shops catering to tourists. What better souvenir than a cookbook reflecting the cuisine of the place you’re visiting? Simmons sends out seasonal brochures to her retail customers highlighting the new line of books that are available. But she’d like to see a few improvements in the way her brochures look.

When asked what kind of look she wants, the first word she says is “professional,” followed quickly by “fun” and “interesting.” And when she says “professional,” she doesn’t mean slick or squared off. She wants to maintain the down-home feel that goes with the cookbooks themselves, but she thinks the brochure needs a more cohesive look—“to look as though it’s designed as one piece,” in her words.

The main thing she likes about the current brochure is the copy—it’s friendly and inviting. She especially points out the way it includes a recipe: “Recipes sell cookbooks,” she says. So we asked three designers to come up with a “down-home professional” brochure that would tighten up GAP’s image without buttoning it down.

AFTER

Designer: Richard Hanley — www.hanleydesign.com

“Down-home professional” made me think of country gravy, and that stuck in my mind throughout the entire design process. When I looked at the original, I wasn’t quite sure which page was the front and which was the back—what was on the inside and what was on the outside—and my eyes were going nuts trying to find somewhere to start. So I set one major rule for my redesign: break it into sections (with country gravy).

I started by creating a new logo, based on the brace symbol (}) turned on its side to look like an open book. The brace symbol became a motif for the entire design, dividing the two sections of the cover flap and setting off the contact information on the bottom of the back panel. Blown up very large, it also provided the curved shapes that define the areas on the inside of the brochure.

Besides organizing the content, I wanted to simplify the colors as well. While trying to pick a color that said “publishing,” my Eyedropper tool drifted down to the Dock and picked up the purple from the InDesign icon. Playing around with the Hue slider led me to the red and orange, which brought in the fun aspect. The third color is a variety of browns, and the final design uses tints and shades of those three.

Last, I wanted to find fonts that could be used in any design material the company needed. I chose ITC Goudy Sans for titles and headers and ITC Cheltenham Std for the body copy. With all the weights and styles in both of these font families, the company could use them for just about any material. They’re also both OpenType fonts—the possibilities are endless!

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: RICHARD HANLEY

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Richard has been pursuing design since he could pick up a crayon. He originally studied programming in college, little knowing what was ahead. He took a couple of classes in Web design and found his passion. With help from Lynda.com and several Kelby, White, and Kloskowski books, before he knew it he was an art director for a design firm, working on websites, logos, the whole nine yards.

Currently working as an interactive designer for Graham Group (www.graham-group.com) in Baton Rouge—a company he has always admired—he continues to expand his knowledge in animation with Flash and After Effects. He also does freelance work on the side, including publishing a magazine from start to finish. “I’m not intent on being the biggest thing out there, I simply strive to be the best,” he says.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3, and Adobe Illustrator CS3

AFTER

Designer: Caryn Leschen — www.auntviolet.com

The first thing I noticed about the original brochure was that the folds didn’t match up, and the space was divided without any relationship to the folding pattern. The result was that the real estate was distributed unevenly: areas were either overused or underused. Overall, I thought the brochure needed to reflect the fun of cooking.

I started by playing with different folded pieces of paper in various sizes until I came up with something that felt right, inspired partly by the Mad fold-in. Then I blocked out the areas on the folded paper with colored pencils. I decided it should open with the cake recipe, so that’s the brochure’s entire front image (when folded).

When you open the brochure, the folds define the space, and the two edges of the cake image become dividers. As you proceed to unfold the brochure, new “pages” organize the large amount of copy into sections that can be easily digested. The scalloped border along the bottom also helps unify the space as well as lending a “kitchen curtain” effect.

The original’s colors are all over the spectrum, while the dominant cream color is tedious rather than unifying. I picked a color scheme based on old-fashioned cooking brochures and on good-old-American red, white, and blue. I used large dot screens and colored drop shadows to suggest off-register printing and further give the flavor of old-fashioned pamphlets (and by extension, traditional foods).

The script font is Confection—a font that, appropriately, looks like cake writing. The recipe and book descriptions are in American Typewriter Regular, which evokes old-fashioned recipe cards, while the catalog info is set in Times New Roman for its invisibility. Last, I used the Art Deco font Lionel Classic for the all-caps headings.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: CARYN LESCHEN

As a child, Caryn Leschen made paper dolls and her own private renderings of Seventeen magazine. She graduated from the California College of Art in Illustration, and blossomed into a famous cartoonist who changed the world with her bodice-ripping stories in Wimmin’s Comix and Twisted Sisters, and her nationally syndicated cartoon advice column, Ask Aunt Violet.

Around 1996, she was selected to write scripts and design characters for the Web, and began specializing in e-greetings and witty Web copy. As the dust settled on dotcomland, Caryn added print design to her repertoire as Aunt Violet Productions. Passionate about obliterating the line between “fine” and graphic art, she’s lectured widely on visual communications and taught at UC Berkeley and other colleges. Caryn looks forward to leading brainstorming sessions internationally with her new venture, CreativeJumpstart.com. She’s also working on her first graphic novel, Mandelbread.

APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe InDesign CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, and Adobe Illustrator CS2

AFTER

Designer: Hannah Schrag — www.hannahschragdesign.com

The original brochure had an unclear hierarchy, which created confusion and a sense of disorganization; no apparent brand identity; and a lack of uniformity. My objective for the new brochure was to attract the reader’s attention, generate interest and desire, inform, and ultimately compel the reader to action. But first, the photos, illustrations, type, and white space needed to be arranged and designed in an effective and unified manner. This would set the tone of the brochure and create a favorable impression of the company and the products it offers.



I started by re-creating the company logo. The new logo uses a traditional typeface (Adobe Garamond Pro) to avoid trendy fonts that could become outdated. Adobe Garamond is also the primary text face, while Myriad Pro is used as a secondary typeface for titles and headlines. Only two font families are used throughout the entire brochure to keep a clean appearance.



A color palette of warm, happy, and inviting reds and yellows makes an ideal choice for this friendly design. The outer panels of the brochure use dark, light, and medium tones to visually differentiate them from each other. Each panel serves a different function. The cover panel incorporates close-cropped imagery of open books on a counter to catch the reader’s attention. The back panel provides a quick, at-a-glance summary of the company’s products, along with ordering information.



Floral embellishments and curves are incorporated into the brochure design to keep the layout from looking too “boxy” or rectangular and maintain a warm, inviting appearance. I also included some close-up photos of food to support the brochure text.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: HANNAH SCHRAG

Hannah currently resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she’s a graphic designer at The Williams Companies, a Fortune 500 energy company. She specializes in interactive, identity, and print design. As a designer with more than six years’ experience in art direction and graphic design, she has worked with both formal and informal institutions. She enjoys thinking strategically to go beyond what’s expected to meet the clients’ needs.



As an advertising student, her future aspirations include helping clients in the execution and management of marketing and public relations campaigns. She finds photography and international travel to be instrumental in her personal outlook as well as her business perspective. Her interests outside of design include music, psychology, and a passion for any animal in need of rescue.






APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator