Logo – Graphic Zen

Willingham’s World Champion BBQ

December 17, 2023April 26, 2021 by Rudy Vaughn

Oh man, do I love barbecue. To me, a good day is a pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce and slaw, with a good beer (optional). I don’t always have a beer with my BBQ – don’t judge me. So when the chance came to do a brand refresh and a new website for Willingham’s World Champion BBQ, of course, I said yes. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Willingham’s has been making barbecue sauces and rubs for over 40 years and winning major BBQ competitions as well. The new logo design reflects the winning history of the brand and is designed to work on all packaging, bottles, t-shirts and other merchandise. The website has a cleaner look and features an easier ordering process. If you’re a fan of barbecue and love to cook, I urge you to give Willingham’s a try – you won’t be disappointed.

SteinCraft Logo Project

October 21, 2024March 12, 2020 by Rudy Vaughn

We just finished this new identity for a custom cultured marble and solid surface company in Idaho. We’re having fun creating the marketing message and strategy that will accompany the forthcoming website.

A great logo is just the first step in creating an all-around brand strategy that will attract clients, get them to engage with you and commit to buying your product or service. When you don’t have a plan for your marketing, you drain your resources and waste time and money.

If you’d like to see what we can design for you please contact us.

Tu Es Belle Skin Studio Logo

December 19, 2023November 15, 2019 by Rudy Vaughn

I had the pleasure of working with this new business out of Federal Way, Washington, and creating their new logo. I’m often asked how I can collaborate with clients that I’ve never met “face-to-face”. Well, technology certainly helps with that – video conferencing, Zoom, etc., but in this case, it was simply speaking a couple of times on the phone, the rest was communicated via email. Most importantly, the client did a great job of communicating in the early stages of the project. First, by filling out the logo questionnaire, and second, by communicating changes during the first two rounds of concept designs.

Listening to the client (and reading the answers provided in the questionnaire) makes it easier to understand what the client wants to achieve. Then, as a designer, it’s my job to interpret that into concepts that work across all areas of the business. Super fun project and a great client to work with.

If you’d like to see what we can design for you, please get in touch with us.

Hydro Drilling logo design

October 21, 2024September 30, 2019 by Rudy Vaughn

We recently created this identity for Hydro Drilling Company as they get ready to launch their new business. This was a simple type treatment utilizing color to achieve some depth and texture. Welcome to the business world Hydro Drilling! If you would like us to create a new identity for your business, please fill out an application and we’ll get in touch.

A logo is used for identification, not communication. A logo is the period at the end of the sentence. It’s not the sentence itself. – Sagi Haviv

Most clients need more than just a logo produced. Additional materials such as business cards, letterhead, signage, banners, and promotional materials need to be planned for when considering a logo. In addition, a brand or style guide should be considered so employees and vendors follow appropriate usage.

Meridian Moves Logo Project

October 21, 2024September 6, 2019 by Rudy Vaughn

Super excited to reveal the new logo we designed for the Meridian Moves initiative, which is managed through the Meridian Library District. Meridian Moves is a city-wide health and wellness initiative, to encourage folks to move more.

The logo is designed to represent the physical and active movement of the citizens of Meridian. It was a great experience collaborating with the project committee at the Meridian Library District. If you live in Meridian and haven’t been to the main library branch on Cherry Lane, you should definitely stop in. It’s so full of people and energy that I’m excited to see where they take the Meridian Moves project.

Meridian Chamber of Commerce Website Project

September 6, 2019November 20, 2017 by Rudy Vaughn

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.

Choose Meridian Logo and Website Project

September 6, 2019November 20, 2017 by Rudy Vaughn

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.

Stroth General

October 21, 2024December 15, 2016 by Rudy Vaughn

Continuing work with a new client, and we just finished their new logo. Meet Stroth General, a commercial and residential contractor that is licensed in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Colorado. In addition to the new logo we are in the process of building out a new website for them, which should be online by the first part of 2017. This project was typical of most logo design projects, in that after an their initial logo intake, we met to discuss needs, wants and desires. From there we created a few rounds of concepts, and the client selected one for refinement, which in this case was only minor color adjustments.

TallBoy and Daisy J

October 21, 2024November 9, 2016 by Rudy Vaughn

Just finished up a new logo for a blogger and adventure traveler: TallBoy and DaisyJ. This couple travels the U.S. and internationally on exciting mountain bike tours, and Daisy J loves to write about it. In her words,

Years ago when I was working long hours and filling my time with work hours instead of ‘anything other then work’ I found that I worried more, felt worn out and daily could feel my light within diminishing. I was not of much value to myself or anyone else. When I found time to stop and get quiet I heard a sweet, soft voice whisper, “Be true to yourself. Write more, express more, be adventurous and above all love more.”

My job was to create a new logo for her upcoming blog, something that showcased her love for the outdoors and mountain biking. Fun project, awesome client.

Nagel Foundation

October 21, 2024February 14, 2016 by Rudy Vaughn

Our latest project is done and live on the interwebs! Extremely grateful to the entire Nagel Foundation Board of Directors, for collaborating on the process of developing a new brand identity mark and website.

The Nagel Foundation story started with a German immigrant who bought a soda-water company for $700 in 1895 that serviced ten saloons in downtown Boise, and turned it into a thriving business.

In 2009 after the Nagel family sold their business, they established the Nagel Foundation with the mission to support human needs such as medical treatment, food needs, and youth education.

Graphic Design: Meridian Writes Program Medal

May 3, 2016December 10, 2015 by Rudy Vaughn

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?

January 31, 2016October 22, 2015 by Rudy Vaughn

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.

Meridian Chamber of Commerce Logo

December 22, 2023January 21, 2015 by Rudy Vaughn

I’m extremely proud that Graphic Zen was chosen to create the new brand identity for the Meridian Chamber of Commerce. The project was very rewarding to work on, as I live and work in the Meridian community, and love my city. After initial concepts were created about 4 months ago, and in conjunction with direction from the logo selection committee, the final design is presented below:

The Chamber wanted to incorporate bold, dynamic colors, to reflect the change in the organization, and the “M” shape reflects the diversity and agility of the new Chamber. Additionally, the “ID” in Meridian is highlighted to identify the Chamber’s location in Meridian, Idaho, as opposed to the other Meridian cities in the United States.

The cityscape below the name was designed to honor the Chamber’s past, as a small agricultural community, acknowledge the present as we see new growth and change coming to our city, and the faded layer in the background represents the vision of the future of the city. It’s not used as a primary part of the logo – it was designed as an additional element to use when size and space permits. As an unexpected surprise, I see that the City of Meridian Police Department is utilizing the cityscape artwork as part of their branding for their police vehicles.

The logo was launched to the Chamber membership on January 20th at their noon luncheon. Very humbled and honored to be selected to create something for a great Chamber and great city.