All Articles http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/allNews_viewer/rss jon 2008-05-21T19:28:09Z Press: 10 Rules of Logo Design Masters http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newsMention_10rulesoflogodesignmasters It's always nice to get a little attention, and ohTwentyone is proud to be included in a recent article by Chris Spooner: 10 Principles of Logo Design Masters . Chris focused on an article that has recently been republished on AllGraphicDesign.com, in which I discuss the design of the Alliance Business Insurance logo and offer some advice on considering your client's industry when designing for them. Really, it's one of those things you shouldn't have to tell people, but you do. Mostly I'm proud to be included as a "Logo Design Master" alongside David Airey , a fellow designer and logo design pundit, and Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, a designer and author that I admire greatly (and coincidentally, probably one of the most published solo designers in America today). jon 2008-11-04T17:59:38Z New Client: Joshua Expeditions http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newClient_joshuaExpeditions Joshua Expeditions has engaged ohTwentyone to design their 2009 Catalog. We're really looking forward to helping Joshua Expeditions reach out to their customers and promote their service-based adventure trips more effectively. jon 2008-09-29T20:00:38Z New Work: CMB Logo http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newWork_CMBLogo CMB Construction is a steel/hybrid construction contractor based in Fort Worth, TX. The challenge in designing this logo comes from the client's need to include some subliminal messaging into the mark. CMB is a Christian-Owned company and is named for a specific piece of scripture. Because of that the client wanted to use colors somehow affiliated with the Catholic calendar during the period of the epiphany, and wanted to somehow incorporate the mythical star. Although we worked with lots of different versions of stars, and lots of different ways of incorporating them into different typefaces, we ended up going with a version that substitutes the "Steel Star" (or hypocycloid) from the American Iron & Steel Institute's SteelMark™ for the star of the epiphany and integrated it with a custom drawn M. jon 2008-09-29T19:12:05Z New Work: walkerWellness.com http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newWork_walkerWellness Walker Wellness Clinic is an eating disorders treatment center located in Highland Park Village (a big swanky shopping district in downtown Dallas, akin to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills). We're very proud to announce that their new website is up and running, and looking pretty darn nice if we do say so ourselves. When Philip Walker approached us originally it was to take their existing site and recode it into a standards compliant version so that it would be compatible with browsers other than Internet Explorer. In its original configuration (produced using the perennially evil FrontPage) it was completely unreadable in any non-IE browser, and it was getting complaints from the growing number of people who use compliant browsers like Firefox, Safari or Opera. What evolved in the long run was a new design based on the old site, built on a content management system (hosted by KeepOpen.com ) and completely standards compliant; not to mention designed for easier reading, smoother navigation, and clear and concise communication. We congratulate Walker Wellness Clinic on their new site. jon 2008-09-29T18:19:27Z Awards: Logo Lounge 5 http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/logoLounge5 We're really pleased to announce that two of the logos from our portfolio will be included in Logo Lounge 5! Logo Lounge is a website community for logo designers, and also a series of publications cataloging the best logo designs in the world. The collection is juried by an international panel of respected designers, and fewer than 10% of the logos entered are included (approximately 6% this year). Each book contains 2000 logos, and having two included in this year's book is a tremendous honor. With no further ado, here are the award winning entries: http://ohtwentyone.com/pages/portfolio/Logos/artofOpera.html http://ohtwentyone.com/pages/portfolio/Logos/tidyToms.html jon 2008-09-12T20:01:15Z New Client: Wilks Masonry http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newClient_wilksMasonry Wilks Masonry of Aledo, TX has engaged ohTwentyone to design their new website, and printed marketing material. Wilks is a masonry contractor that works frequently with school districts and wants to expand their business to focus on high-end home builders. We look forward to helping Wilks define their marketing message and packaging it in a way that appeals to their new target audience. jon 2008-08-20T21:49:03Z New Client: Longhorn Fabrication http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newClient_longhornFabrication Longhorn Fabrication & Design as selected ohTwentyone to design and develop their new logo, stationery package and website. We look forward to helping Longhorn Fab. transition to a unique and valuable new identity system. jon 2008-08-20T21:38:40Z New Client: CMB Construction http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/newClient_CMBconstruction We're very pleased to announce that CMB Construction has commissioned ohTwentyone to design their new logo. CMB Construction is a contractor/supplier of metal and hybrid metal buildings based in north Fort Worth, TX. We're looking forward to the challenge of designing the keystone of their identity. jon 2008-08-20T21:32:56Z Process Essay: Alliance Logo http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/allianceLogo_processEssay I was recently commissioned to design the logo for Alliance Business Insurance and, as luck would have it, haven't accidentally destroyed my notebook yet, so I'm presented with the golden opportunity to document my logo design process. I feel it's noteworthy that although I do have a general process for logo design, it changes on every project. First, I am always trying to improve it. Second, every client is different. Third, I think design is about discovery, and you have to go where tha process takes you. Although design is a process, it does have a result, and the service of that result needs to be the ultimate goal. Okay, so now that I am down from my soap box, here's how I designed this logo. I start by interviewing the client. I have a questionnaire that I use, which I got from one of those "Forms for designers" books and modified, but I prefer use it as the basis of an interview rather than having the client merely fill it out. I get more juicy info from them that way. jon 2008-06-27T20:19:58Z Process Essay: The Dracul Logo http://blog.ohtwentyone.com/blog/draculLogo I was recently asked to design the logo for a new comic book based on the real life childhood of Vlad Tepes, aka Vlad "Count Dracula" the Impaler. It's the first logo in a really long time that I have done where I hand-lettered the type and developed a custom logotype without using an existing font, so I thought it would be an interesting case for a process essay. Now, let me begin at the beginning: In order to design the logo I started out by reading the script for the first issue. It introduced me to the main themes and historical context of the storyline. I then took some of the reference material that the author (Steve Snyder) sent to me and the artist and used them as a springboard for my own research. As it turns out, Vlad Tepes lived from 1431 to about 1476 or so, which was also a pretty interesting time in the history of typography/calligraphy. It was during this period that the movable type printing press was invented and put into use for the first time in Europe. The story takes place during the period in which the Ottoman Turks were invading, like, everything. That means that gothic typography as well as turkish calligraphy is in play for a historically accurate logo. jon 2008-06-25T02:43:11Z