And alongside the newly launched Choose Meridian project, Graphic Zen also completed the redesign of the Meridian Chamber of Commerce website. This is continuing with the goal of the Chamber’s 5-year plan, and one step of that was completed a couple of years ago when we created the new logo for the Chamber. This new website continues with the branding elements that were created with the new logo and is a cleaner and easier to navigate site than the previous version. It also integrates with the Chamber’s member management software (Chamber Master) so that the Chamber staff can continue to utilize that software without having to reinvent the wheel and learn something new. Additional info and images about the project can be found at this link.
Creative Process
Choose Meridian Logo and Website Project
Welcome to the interwebs Choose Meridian! This project was a logo and website to benefit the Meridian Chamber of Commerce and the City of Meridian, Idaho. We collaborated with the Meridian Chamber of Commerce to create an identity that would complement the Chamber brand identity we designed a couple of years ago. The goal of the website is to be a tourist/relocation resource that showcases the tourist attractions and events that are in Meridian and also details the resources that are of interest to businesses and families that might be looking to relocated to Meridian. School information, hotels, rental and real estate information are all located in an easy to navigate website. You can check out more about the project at this link.
We’re Only Just Beginning To Understand How Color Impacts Users
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3063124/evidence/were-only-just-beginning-to-understand-how-color-impacts-users
Graphic Design: Meridian Writes Program Medal
Projects sometimes come with no set of guidelines or creative brief. I can be free to explore and develop concepts without feeling like I’m straying from a set of rules. That’s cool. This was the case with a recent project from the Meridian Library District, and their Meridian Writes program.
This program was created to highlight the talent and work from Meridian authors. Authors who live in the Meridian city limits or library boundary district can submit work for review by library staff. The staff will select three finalists and then ask select members of the Meridian community to choose a winner.
I initially started creating a traditional “medal” award type of graphic, complete with gold or silver accents and somewhere in the process I thought, “Why does it have to be round like a coin?” So after thinking about some shapes, I decided to go with something different, yet still “roundish”. For the center graphic, I experimented with different type styles and images, including a tree and the calligraphy nib you see here. I decided to add the digital-like element as part of the calligraphy pen to represent the fact that we now live in a digital age where books are often created and read via computer and tablet or phone, yet the art of writing began and still continues with putting pen to paper.
Of the five designs submitted, the Library choose the one you see here. I hope the participants of this new program continue to work and enjoy their creative craft, much like graphic designers do. 🙂
What Color is Your Logo?
So you’ve got your company name for your business and are ready to meet with a designer to get all those logo ideas down on paper so you can launch your business to the world.
Have you considered how important color is when establishing your brand/logo?
You see, if you’re in a competitive industry (and you are), then what color your competition uses for their brand should influence what color you use. You certainly don’t want to use the same color for your logo, because you want to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Let’s use cell phone service as an example. This is a fast paced and very competitive industry that is vying for the attention of the consumer. Here are some of the major players and their colors:
Can you imagine how confused or conflicted consumers would be if these companies all used the same colors? Now, I’m not saying that choosing a color will make or break your business, but you do want to start off on the right foot.
Let’s say your just starting your company name which is called Yates Painting and your director competitor is Bates Painting, a company that’s been around for 20 years. Already there’s a problem because the names are similar. Now imagine you compound this confusion by choosing the same color that Bates uses, which is red. In effect when your employees are driving around red Yates Painting trucks, in the mind of the consumer they see BATES Painting. Why? They are used to seeing Bates Painting red trucks – you did nothing to distinguish yourself visually from your competition. Confused? So are your clients, because in their mind they’re already thinking of a company that’s been around for 20 years driving red trucks.
When you hire Graphic Zen to create your logo, we are also researching your competition to see what colors and other visual elements they are using. We do this so we can set you apart from your competition. Logo colors, fonts, and layouts all play a role in establishing your brand.
Sometimes all that’s needed is a refresh. Take Google’s recent change for example, by changing the font and colors, they have created a buzz and injected more energy into their brand.
Ready to distance yourself from your competition? Is it time to change or refresh your existing brand? Contact Us to find out how we can help.
My Manifesto
I think it’s amazing sometimes that people in the same line of work find themselves on a similar path. Kim Doyal, aka “The WordPress Chick” recently posted her manifesto after experiencing some “creative frustration” (my interpretation). She inspired me to create my own manifesto, which I’ve added here. It doesn’t matter if you’re the creative type or not, if something resonates with you like it did with me when I read Kim’s, then I encourage you to create your own.
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My Manifesto
by Rudy Vaughn
I AM a Strong, Confident, Creative and Compassionate man. That’s who I was CREATED to be.
NO FUN, NO WAY.
I will CHOOSE the projects and clients that I want to work with.
I will CULTIVATE and DEFINE my purpose…and that’s how I will receive my income.
Being compensated for my talents is not asking too much. I am WORTH it.
I will always try to GIVE more.
It surprises people and makes them HAPPY.
LAUGHTER is much better when shared.
I ACCEPT responsibility for my circumstances.
If I don’t like it, I can CHANGE it.
My CREATIVITY increases when I share it with others.
I will SHARE more often.
I will SEEK THE GOOD in all situations, even if I have to look really, really HARD to find it.
Ambition, passion and creative fire need GASOLINE from time to time.
Alarm clocks have NO place in my life.
Exercise = energy.
I KNOW there will be days when I don’t feel like it.
There are 24 HOURS in a day.
I will NOT take that time for granted.
Nor the PEOPLE in my life.
LIFE is not a competition, I allow myself to be the BEST I can be.
I will never stop LEARNING and setting GOALS for PERSONAL GROWTH.
My COMPASSION and GENEROSITY is not a sign of weakness.
I will find the ZEN in projects I am involved in.
I will express my APPRECIATION to family and friends for who they are in my life.
It’s OKAY to cheat on the diet once in awhile. That’s why chocolate tastes good…and pizza…and ice cream.
I will keep an OPEN MIND so that new OPPORTUNITIES I have not yet DREAMED about can find me.
I will FORGIVE those that have wronged me, because SOMEDAY I may need to be forgiven.
SOMETIMES it will hurt. I will get stronger.
FAITH and TRUST will guide me on this journey.
Being “STRANGE” can be normal. It depends on your point of view. I’m OKAY with that.
I BELIEVE
In myself, in my wife, in being INSPIRED by others (thanks WordPress Chick), it’s okay to CRY, there’s no such thing as TOO MUCH Monty Python, people are generally good, MASKS are only for Halloween, without CREATIVITY I am nothing, that a COLD BEER with friends in the summer creates memories, that I WILL get better at golf, I MAY have to edit this from time to time, I will RUN a four hour marathon, letting go of fear EMPOWERS me to succeed, that I really CRACK myself up at times, I am a “10”, in reading BOOKS with PAGES that are PAPER and not on a screen, that I will watch an F1 RACE in person, FAITH carries me when nothing else will, “Big Trouble In Little China” is a CLASSIC MOVIE, in TEACHING others, leadership is defined by two words, “FOLLOW ME” and YOU should create a manifesto of your own.
Design inspiration
Was asked by a friend the other day over coffee how we get ideas for clients, or what is the process that leads us to create a design for the client. This quote below from Paul Rand is a great summary and description of what I sometimes call ‘creating order out of chaos.’
“The designer does not, as a rule, begin with a preconceived idea. His idea is the result of subjective and objective thought, and the design a product of the idea. In order, therefore, to achieve an honest and effective solution he necessarily passes thought some sort of mental process … Consciously or not, he analyzes, interprets, translates … He improvises, invents new techniques and combinations. He coordinates and integrates his material so that he may restate his problem in terms of ideas, pictures, forms, and shapes. He unifies, simplifies, eliminates superfluities. He symbolizes … abstract from his material by association and analogy. He intensifies and reinforces his symbol with appropriate accessories to achieve clarity and interest. He draws upon instinct and intuition. He considers the spectator, his feelings and predilections.” ~ Paul Rand
Or we could sum it up in one sentence from Michelangelo, “I am still learning.”