bLog-oMotives

Eliminating geographic boundaries toyour personal creative independence

2008-07-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Why do so many "creative types" create geographic boundaries for themselves when it comes to working independently? I'm constantly amazed by email, phone call and speaking engagement questions and comments from solo creatives related to what are perceived as the limitations of their local geographic markets.

Huh? I don't think I got the memo about the Federal government building walls around local communities to keep designers, writers, photographers and others trapped in their hometown environments.

Admittedly, when my initial Internet presence went live in 1998, my website was intended to primarily serve as a portfolio for a predominantly local clientele. I wasn't expecting email requests for information about my services from potential clients across the United States - and then from around the globe. Suddenly there were no restrictions to the target market for my business. In the decade since, 80-85% of my business has been for clients outside of the State of Oregon.

Most of that work has been accomplished cyberly. However, some has involved travel, and an even greater escape from the self-imposed boundaries of one's home studio or independent office. I enjoy travel and make the most of taking my portable "office" with me. Advancement in communication technology has resulted in added creative freedom. - whether working from a backyard garden or anywhere in the world.

So, set your mind - and body - free! Eliminate the geographic boundaries, or personal excuses, that may prevent you from true creative independence.

This piece was originally posted on the Creative Freelancer Conference blog. Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will make his presentation "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence" at the Creative Freelancer Conference, to be held August 27-29, 2008 in Chicago. The deadline for "early bird" registration has been extended until July 31 - so register now!

Jeni Herberger helps "design your reality"in HOW's Career-Planning Webinar series

2008-07-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

In another edition of the publication's continuing Professional Growth Webinar Series for those in the design profession, HOW Magazine will feature my HOW Conference pal Jeni Herberger in a webinar this Thursday, June 24, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The one-hour webinar, "Designing Your Reality," will assist you in recognizing your unique priorities and designing a path that turns your fantasy to reality.

Cost of the webinar is $69 - but those using the promotional code DESJN24 will save $20 and be able to register for only $49. You may register for the event on the webinar site. All sessions are archived, so you can register and view them any time. (If you registered for the live event, you'll also have online access to the webinar for 12 months afterward, so you can watch it again and again as a refresher course.)

Jeni (aka "The T-Shirt Lady" due to her webinar ad photo - above) is one of the most popular speakers at HOW's events, having spoken at the Mind Your Own Business Conference, HOW Design Conference and In-HOWse Designer Conference. With more than 15 years experience in the creative industry, Jeni is often featured as a speaker at national events and partners with design firms nationwide to improve hiring practices.

Re-Design: B.A.S.I.C.

2008-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the early 1990's. my very first design project for the Portland Trail Blazers was the re-design of the identity for the Blazer/Avia Scholastic Improvement Concepts program, commonly referred to as B.A.S.I.C. Blazer Clyde Drexler was chairman of the effort, a statewide literacy project sponsored by the Trail Blazers, Avia and - at that time - Seafirst Bank. The program offered hands-on help for children to improve their academic achievement.

The logo I was asked to improve upon (below left) was a confusing conglomeration of a book, the Blazers icon, the Avia logo with tagline, the Blazers logotype and the text spelling out the B.A.S.I.C. name - all within a circle. Then the Seafirst Bank identity was dropped in below to add to the sensory overload.

I was very pleased with my simplified treatment for the identity (above center). The design was primarily made of up collegiate looking letterforms that I had drawn myself to give them a kid-friendly appearance that would appeal to the young target audience. I replaced the "I" with a stylized human figure reading a book - after all, this was a literacy program. What most kids zeroed in on immediately was that the figure was wearing athletic shoes. Across the bottom of the illustration was the name of the organization in simple and tasteful type - with the word "Blazers" plural.

Everybody loved the design - and then it was time to stick in the Blazers' fancy schmancy, new slanted icon and type treatment - and the Avia logo (thankfully without the tagline) - and the Bank of America identity (above right). Suddenly, my clean and simple design didn't appear so clean and simple. When major corporate sponsors want their logo bigger within a design, you make the logo bigger. However, I do think it was still an improvement over the design used previously.

'Just Out' in my beautiful North Portland garden

2008-07-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, by way of my Facebook profile, LeAnn Locher kind of invited herself over to my home to take a look at my garden. It's not like I didn't know her - we met briefly several years ago when I was asked to design the logo for the Portsmouth Neighborhood Association and she was present at the selection process meetings. I was looking forward to visiting with her and arranged a date for espresso drinks in my garden.

LeAnn was coming to visit in her capacity as the "Sassy Gardener" columnist for Just Out, the statewide newsmagazine for Oregon's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. Today the article resulting from our afternoon of garden therapy, and glasses of white Italian wine (coffee or wine ended up being the options), was published in the print edition. You will also find "Humor in the Garden" online

The fun LeAnn and I had while discussing my garden on a beautiful sunny afternoon comes through clearly in the piece. The recent addition of my home-made hose guides is mentioned, as are the copper trellises I designed and constructed. My unintentional plastic squirrel collection even gets some press. The article does a great job of conveying my passion for gardening, and how it has become yet another personal creative outlet.

One of the additional benefits of the afternoon was the opportunity to learn more about LeAnn. We have quite a bit in common. She and I are both almost rabid supporters of our North Portland neighborhoods - and she often writes about her home's location, garden and a wide variety of other local topics in her popular blog Lelo in Nopo. In addition to a commonality as writers and gardeners, we are both graphic designers and branding specialists. Her business website exhibits some well-designed logo creations. I'm already looking forward to a future visit to LeAnn's garden to discuss plants, design and the neighborhood.

The publication Just Out and I are not strangers. Over the years I've designed several projects for the paper, including the Just Out identity. Recently I altered that logo a bit to reflect the newsmagazine's 25th anniversary. Back in 2000, Marc Acito wrote an article about my design business for Just Out. In December of this past year the publication also featured my "better half," Ed Cunningham, in an article about the law firm where he is employed. I really appreciate today's article focusing on my gardening.

Clickety-clacks along LogoMotives' cyber tracks

2008-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Several online postings have been sending traffic to bLog-oMotives throughout the day. The first was an entry on the Creative Freelancer Conference blog from my friend Ilise Benun.

Benun, one of the co-founders of conference sponsor Marketing Mentor, wrote about the fact that the site DesignHide recently posted an interview with me - the closing speaker for the Creative Freelancer Conference.

The conference will be held in Chicago, August 27-29. The deadline for a $60 "early bird" registration has just been extended until July 31.

Yesterday the Spanish publishing house Index Book announced the European release of their latest design volume, A Tribute to Celebrities, by Pedro Guitton. According to the webpage for the book:

Almost 1,000 graphic tributes to celebrities from a variety of fields such as cinema, arts, television, music, sports, cartoon and other famous personalities.
Get plugged into some 500 graphic designers and agencies from all over the world, each with their own unique style: Akihiro Sai, Cocobongo Artworks, Jeff Fisher, Gianni Rossi, Guilherme Marconi, Hausgrafik, Musa Collective, Nick/Leyp, Noma Bar, Quickhoney, Serial Cut, eBoy, Tracy Sabin and more.

From the search results bringing people to my blogs, more than a few people were wondering who that "Jeff Fisher" guy was. Many examples of my work is showcased in other books by Guitton. One design is included in the new volume - but more about that when the book is released in the U.S.

The site of the free eBook download Winners and Losers in a Troubled Economy was also sending visitors to bLog-oMotives. The London digital agency cScape, publisher of the ebook, listed my recent blog entry "Why my design business is at its best when the national economy is at its worst" on the "Useful Links" page of the book promotion website.

Not a bad day for the marketing and promotions department at Jeff Fisher LogoMotives (that would be me).

Logopond Awards winners announced

2008-07-14T17:47:00.001-07:00

The identity inspiration site Logopond has announced and posted the winners of the first Logopond Awards. It was a pleasure to serve on the initial judging panel and have the opportunity to review the incredible logo designs submitted.

Distractions in my summer office

2008-07-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

On beautiful sunny days I often work from my summer office - the patio table in my backyard garden. Yesterday was gorgeous and - in shorts, a T-shirt, flip-flops and sunglasses - I was working outside on my PowerBook during the morning hours to get out of my cleaning lady's way. Then I got distracted by all around me for a while. Gardening is a passion, my best therapy and a great creative outlet.

The first thing that drew my attention away from work was the sun shining on the white bloom of a leek, with lavender in the background (top image). To check out what else is currently blooming in my garden, visit this image gallery.

Toot! Toot!*:Portfolio site DesignHide interview shinesspotlight on Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

2008-07-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

The design industry portfolio site DesignHide is currently featuring Jeff Fisher LogoMotives as its Designer Spotlight for the month of July. Fisher is interviewed about his 30-year career, his major considerations in initiating identity design projects, advice for others starting a design career, and more. DesignHide is defined as an online resource for "creative media producers, including web designers, graphic artists, videographers, print media producers, photographers, artists, and ad managers, to display their work with the end goal of attracting new business opportunities."

As noted on the DesignHide Spotlight page, "Every month we choose a design company from within the DesignHide community that characterizes the qualities of "creative, attractive, effective design." We base this evaluation on the website of the designer, their portfolio, and their work on DesignHide. We look at hundreds of designers, many of whom have incredible portfolios, but we think that the designers featured in our Spotlight represent the best of the best." Fisher does have a portfolio posted on the DesignHide website. The designer recently included DesignHide as an online showcase possibility for designers in his blog article Marketing logo design efforts with online resources.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 600 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in over 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and served on the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board,. His book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands, was recently released by HOW Books. His first volume, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, appeared on bookstore shelves in late 2004.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

Why my design business is at its bestwhen the national economy is at its worst

2008-07-07T22:54:00.001-07:00

My design business is "crazy busy" right now - smack-dab in the middle of all the news about the horrible U.S. economy. I could currently be working night and day - everyday. In fact, I'm now scheduling projects at least a month out on the calendar.

Such has been the case with each economic downturn (wouldn't want to use the word "recession," would I?) since I started working officially as an independent designer in the fall of 1980. What's going on?

Historically, each time we've experienced a "speed bump" in the economy throughout my 30-year career, the following have taken place:

1.) Corporate downsizing of design departments
Often, with a bad economy comes the laying off of in-house design staff. However, there's still design work to be done. With limited, or no, in-house design support the corporation or larger business finds the need to outsource their design efforts. That's when the emails and phone calls start coming in to my home-based studio.

2.) Smart businesses respond with marketing smarts
Smart businesses will have been marketing regularly prior to a "slowdown." With business perhaps a bit slower than usual, these companies will take advantage of the time to pump up marketing and promotion efforts. Often those projects will include a new, or updated business identity - something that may have been put off during periods of busier day-to-day operations.

3.) Laid off workers suddenly become entrepreneurs
Individuals who have lost their traditional jobs, and have become frustrated with a job search, may suddenly take the leap into entrepreneurship. With the cushion of a good severance package, or a "rainy day fund," it may be time for creation of one's own business. If a person can't find a job, creating their own is often a realistic possibility - and new businesses need the services of graphic designers.

4.) Somewhat secure employees plan for the future
Many people, although they feel their traditional job my be secure for the present, are planning for that future leap from the corporate cubicle world. It's often easier to be getting everything together for a future business while the monthly bills are being covered with a salary. I work with many such clients. However, the numbers do seem to rise in uncertain economic times.

The potential clients mentioned in the above scenarios contact me as a result of my own self-promotion efforts. I am marketing and promoting myself ALL the time - even when I am my busiest - to guarantee that work will constantly be coming in the door. I always encourage other creative types to be doing the same. Too many designers wait until no new work is at hand before starting to market their talent. In doing so, the panic of no projects will add a sense of desperation and stress to the quest for new contract work.

Re-Design: The Sentinel

2008-07-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the result of my latest identity redesign project arrived in the mail - the July issue of my local neighborhood monthly newspaper, The Sentinel.

A few weeks ago "scrappy" (Note: admittedly an inside joke reference) Managing Editor and Publisher Cornelius Swart contacted me in regards to possibly redesigning the paper's identity and assisting in the establishment of a color palette for the news vehicle. Swart, who I originally met several years ago when he was working with the Portsmouth Community Development Corporation - another local identity re-design client, was familiar with my wide variety of past North Portland logo design clients. In addition, over the past 30 years I have designed identities for several publications.

The Sentinel was going through a total redesign, including a change in page size as a cost-saving measure and to allow for greater unfolded newspaper rack placement in local businesses. Art Director Colleen Froehlich was creating the still evolving page format. St. Johns web designer Andy Nelson was - and is - working on the yet to be unveiled new web presence for the paper.

In meeting with all the players, in person and via email, I got a good sense of the direction in which they hoped the public persona of the publication would go. There was a desire to have "the look" be unique, fresher and bolder, while maintaining some elements of the common appearance of a newspaper or tabloid publication. The current image seemed to be fairly traditional to me (above top).

Initially I presented type treatments of The Sentinel, with an image of an eye replacing the dot over the letterform "i" and revamped sun rays as a background, making use of the fonts Unicorn, Boca Raton Solid, Blue Blate Special and Rockwell Extra Bold. I also toyed with adding some emphasis to the "n" and "ne" letters in "Sentinel," as references to "north" and "northeast" Portland, with overly complicated results. I maintained the placement of "THE" as a element of continuity, and historical perspective, to the existing identity.

Swart and his staff narrowed the type selection to the Boca Raton and Rockwell treatments. They liked the "sexiness" of Boca Raton, but thought it might be a little too "magazine-like." Those providing input felt that Rockwell conveyed the "seriousness" needed for a newspaper, but the uppercase "S" letterform was too heavy, "clunky" and distracting. I was asked to finesse - or change - the "S" in the Rockwell treatment, to tweak the eye imagery, and play with "i" letterform a bit to make it possibly more lighthouse or "sentinel-like."

In literally going back to the drawing table, I worked on the "S" element for quite some time. I kept returning to the fact that everyone involved liked the "S" letterform from the Boca Raton font a great deal. In what was a bit of an "a-ha" moment I simply took the "S" from Boca Raton and dropped it in front of the Rockwell treatment of the remaining letters in the word "Sentinel." It seemed to work beautifully - and the newspaper crew agreed.

With some emails back and forth, in tweaking the eye element in my logo concept, the final new identity was approved (above bottom). The rays of light coming from the eye imagery seemed to become less and less important as the project progressed and eventually disappeared.

One of the things I really appreciated about working with the individuals involved in this project is that they really knew their "stuff." The design process for The Sentinel was much more of an actual collaboration than efforts with most of my clientele.

In our first meeting, Swart arrived with his copy of the Jim Krause book Color Index. Numerous Post-It notes marked color combinations he liked and was considering as possible palettes for future use in the newspaper. Once the logo design was finalized in black and white, Swart, art director Froehlich and I met to discuss the pros and cons of the various color options. From our discussion the suggested colors to be used were determined (above). While a blue and orange-ish color combination had been used previously, the new selections were richer and more intense. If used, the added suggested color options of the green and purple will give the paper an even greater visual richness.

It was great to receive the newly formatted paper (old design above left; new design above right) in the mail just days after completing the identity design. I appreciate Swart's column, and blog, mention that, "Thanks to local logo guru Jeff Fisher, The Sentinel has a spiffy new brand identity and logo."

(Note: My book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)

Calls for entries:Upcoming design competition deadlines

2008-07-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

All of the following competitions deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

The Create Awards 2008
(Create Magazine - USA)
Extended Deadline (with late fees): 7 July 2008
Entry fees charged

No Rules! Logos
(RotoVision - UK)
Deadline: 7 July 2008
No entry fees charged

TypeGallery 2008
(Society of Typographic Aficionados - USA)
Deadline: 9 July 2008
Entry fees charged

2008 Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award
(Summit Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: 14 July 2008
Entry fees charged

2008 UCDA Design Competition
(UCDA - USA)
Deadline Extended: 18 July 2008
Entry fees charged

Really Good Packaging, Explained
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 25 July 2008
No entry fees charged

Call for Aspiring Creatives
(CMYK Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 28 July 2008
Entry fees charged

Creativity Annual Awards
(Creativity Annual Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 August 2008
Entry fees charged

HOW Interactive Design Awards 2008
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended - with late fees: 1 August 2008
Entry fees charged

Letterhead & Logo Design 11
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 8 August 2008
No entry fees charged

2008 Re:Design Competition
(Dynamic Graphics - USA)
Deadline: 15 August 2008
Entry fees charged

Like Colors: A Compendium of Prized T-shirt Designs
(Oxide Design Co. - USA)
Deadline: 15 August 2008
No entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards 2008
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 September 2008
Entry fees charged

For a Good Cause: Solidarity Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 September 2008
No entry fees charged

A Homeage to Typography
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 30 September 2008
No entry fees charged

Toilets - PictoSigns
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 30 September 2008
No entry fees charged

H2O
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 20 October 2008
No entry fees charged

Diagrams
(RotoVision - UK)
Deadline: 30 October 2008
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 16 January 2009
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Illustration Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 6 March 2009
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Photography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 6 March 2009
Entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards 2009
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 20 March 2009
Entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites.

Design competition calendars are also available at Icograda and Workbook. Lürzer's ARCHIVE also has an impressive online list of competitions sponsored by international magazines and organizations. DesignTaxi and Dexinger post competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

For the perspective from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

Design Dump has drawing for "Identity Crisis!"

2008-06-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

The design industry resource Design Dump is currently having a drawing in which two site visitors will win autographed copies of my book Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands.

Enter the contest now through July 30, 2008 at the Design Dump website. Earlier this year Design Dump posted a review of Identity Crisis!.

Oregon Historical Society Museum showcasesCurry's "Puppetry: An Out of Body Experience"

2008-06-27T23:52:00.001-07:00

Several years ago I had the pleasure of briefly meeting master of puppetry and kinetic theatrical design Michael Curry when we were introduced by a local theatre producer. Curry is probably best known as the creative genius behind the incredible puppets used in the Broadway musical production The Lion King.

This week the Oregon Historical Society Museum - in Portland, OR - premiered a retrospective of Michael Curry's work in the form of the exhibit Puppetry: An Out of Body Experience. Pieces displayed include representative works executed for such global entertainment brands as The Walt Disney Company, Cirque Du Soleil, Universal Studios and The Olympics, as well as international opera and stage companies. The headquarters of Michael Curry Design is about 30 minutes from downtown Portland.

The exhibit will run from now through October 19, 2008. The Oregon Historical Society's Museum and Research Library are located in the SW Park Blocks across from the Portland Art Museum at 1200 SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland.

Re-Design: Sunriver Preparatory School

2008-06-25T22:37:00.001-07:00

Back in 1997, while doing work for the TriAd advertising agency my sister owned at the time, I was asked to re-design the identity of the Sunriver Preparatory School outside of Bend, OR. The previous identity (below left), made up of fairly abstract calligraphic letterforms, really didn't say much about the prep school itself.

The "grocery list" of possible items to be included in the new logo included the nearby geographic landmarks of the Three Sisters Mountains, the ski slopes of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top mountain and the Deschutes River. I was also asked to work in a reference to the school's wolf mascot if possible.

Once the graphic representation of the five mountains was created, it seemed natural to incorporate the river imagery as an "S" letter shape flowing through the design and to add the wolf silhouette viewing the scenery from atop a hill.

Although not a huge fan of the now over-used font Papyrus, the type seemed to work very well, over a decade ago, with the illustration style I had made use of in the logo design. However, I did smooth out the rough letterforms a bit to make them text seem a little less "bumpy."

The Sunriver Preparatory School is highlighted in the book American Corporate Identity 2001 and the Japanese volume Logo World.

Takin' it to the streets

2008-06-23T21:28:00.001-07:00

We had a great time participating in Portland's Sunday Parkways event. For six hours, this past Sunday, approximately 150 city blocks of streets in North Portland were closed to automobile traffic. With "street closed" signs in front of our home, drivers started parking cars in our neighborhood, with numerous bikes in racks, in the light pre-8:00 AM drizzle. Within a short period of time the sun broke through the clouds and literally thousands of people took to the streets - on bicycles, tricycles, roller blades, unicycles and a few more unusual contraptions. Many others were running, walking or pushing baby strollers. (Check out the great short film, by Clarence Eckerson, Jr., about the successful day.)

The Sunday Parkways event was based on the similar weekly Ciclovia event held in Bogota, Colombia where 70 miles of roads are closed. The Portland event was paid for by a variety of local and corporate sponsors, with the added bonus of an $87,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The City of Portland Office of Transportation and Portland Parks & Recreation did an incredible job of coordinating the activity. Traffic control was conducted by the Portland Police (who must have enjoyed participants repeatedly yelling "thanks yous") and event volunteers posted at each intersection.

A couple weeks ago, my partner Ed - and friends Lisa and Bev - got me a new bicycle for my birthday. With my previous vertigo issues it had been nearly five years since I had been able to ride a bike. It was a real treat to be able to go to our friend Steve's St. Johns bike shop, Weir's Cyclery, to pick out my new form of neighborhood transportation. I was really looking forward to the Sunday Parkways.

We began the suggested six-mile route for the event at Arbor Lodge Park, just a block from our home. The festivities at the park - live music, food vendors, information booths, free valet bike parking and more - were mirrored at Kaiser Permanente near Overlook Park, Uthank Park with the fantastic Beaterville Band, and Peninsula Park where the amazing Rose Garden is in full bloom.

We saw several friends and neighbors riding along through the great neighborhoods of North Portland. It was also great to see people sitting on their porches watching the "live entertainment" passing by, little kids having curbside lemonade sales, the well-organized "Bake sales for Obama," busy garage sales, a bike-riding Santa, the thousands of smiling people, and all of the media covering the event.

At one intersection, while we were waiting for police to stop traffic allowing us to cross a major road, I heard someone say, "I love Co-Motion Cycles." I turned to see a couple next to me sitting on a beautiful Co-Motion tandem bike. On the frame of the bike was the Co-Motion logo I designed back in 1998, with my friend Jerril Nilson as Creative Director for the project.

I smiled and said, "I designed that logo."

As they rode away the guy on the front of the bike said, "And a very good job you did, too."

A simple garden hose guide and plant protector

2008-06-21T22:45:00.001-07:00

One of my greatest passions, and best forms of therapy, outside of work is my garden. Although the entire garden is most often watered by a timer- operated irrigation and drip system, occasionally there is a need to do extra watering using the garden hose. I always hate to be dragging the hose across the driveway, sidewalk or patio and have it attempt to decapitate plants in the garden.

I've looked at various hose guides at garden stores and I'm just too cheap to pay what is asked. I'd heard of people making the guides using lengths of pipe with ornamental lamp finials on top. Again, most lamp finials I like are too expensive for me to use in such a manner. A few weeks ago at Lowe's I found some aged bronze swirl drawer pulls on sale for $1.28 a piece - and I'd discovered my hose guide ornaments. So, with a 37-cent copper cap, a $1.42 piece of rebar, and about $1.00 worth of copper pipe, I had my hose guide materials for just over $4.00.

The materials needed for one hose guard (shown above) are:

• 1 piece of 1/2 inch copper pipe cut to 10 inches in length

• 1 copper cap for 1/2 inch pipe

• 1 piece of 3/8 inch rebar cut to 24 inches in length

• 1 ornamental brass or bronze drawer pull

• 1 metal screw (comes with drawer pull)

The tools needed include:

• a tape measure

• a handheld pipe cutter (available at the hardware store)

• a hacksaw (to cut the rebar and screw)

• an electric drill

• the necessary solder and soldering equipment

• steel wool, sandpaper or a tool made for roughing up the pipe surfaces to be joined

• a container of flux and the necessary brush for "painting" it on the copper tubing

• a pair of gloves with a non-skid palm surface for assistance in holding the pipe while it is being cut

The project process was actually fairly simple. The most effort was required in cutting the rebar and copper pipe to the proper lengths. It was also necessary to cut the screw that came with the drawer pull to about half of its length.

I used an electric drill to create a hole in the copper cap to screw on the drawer pull. Once the drawer pull was tightly screwed onto the cap, Ed soldered the screw in place within the cap to prevent movement (you could super glue the screw in place if desired). He then soldered the copper cap to the 10-inch length of copper pipe (again, you could super glue it on for ease).

I then stuck the piece of rebar into the ground, at the corner of the flower bed, until 10 inches of the rebar was left above the surface. The copper pipe fit over the rebar and my "designer" hose guide was in place. In a little less than an hour I had three custom hose guides completed and installed in my garden.

Note: You might also want to check out my copper garden trellis project.

Helping Midwest designer and artist flood victims

2008-06-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

The television reports of the flooding in the Midwest have been amazing. I was stunned when I saw the coverage of the amount of water in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Four years ago I was the recipient of incredible hospitality from the local design and advertising community when I was a speaker at a creative conference in nearby Waterloo. My hosts went above and beyond the call of duty in entertaining visiting speakers in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Yesterday one of my online acquaintances from the design community in Cedar Rapids, Andrew Kidd of Kidd Graphic Design, posted a series of photos (one is shown above) on his Facebook profile showing the major damage to his design office. I immediately sent off an email asking Andrew if there was any way I could help. I got the following message in response:

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the email. It really means a lot that people I have never met are being so nice to me. I emailed Veer yesterday saying I had failed to back up a font I purchased, and they responded right away and got that font right to me. Little things like that mean so much right now.
Thankfully, I have a portable hard drive and have most of my files from my computer. Pretty much everything else is gone except 2 "Logo Lounge" books and your "Identity Crisis" book, my camera, portfolio, iPod and bag that I had taken home. They told us to get everything off the floor, because there might be a little water coming in. So everyone did that, and some how, they were off about 10 feet. The water was about 1.5 feet from going over the roof. Some of the wooden furniture like my drawing table, desk, small round table, and chairs might be salvageable if they are refinished.
There is an artists relief fund at Legion Arts, (also referred to CSPS locally because it is an old Czech building) that is taking donations for artists in the area. That would probably be the best way to help local artists. The area I am in is a new cultural district called New Bohemia from the rich Czech culture here in Cedar Rapids. Because of that, it is the unofficial arts district in the city, and there was a lot of artwork lost from the flood. Their website is: www.legionarts.org
Thank you again for caring about us over here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. :-)
Andrew Kidd

You've got to love a guy who saves his copy of Identity Crisis! in the middle of a natural disaster.

Anything others in the design community can do to assist industry peers impacted by the Midwest floods would be greatly appreciated by those who have lost so much. If bLog-oMotives readers know of other assistance resources, in Iowa or other states affected by the flooding, please post the information as a comment. I also started a thread on the HOW Design Forum where information may be posted in regards to assistance resources - or design students, designers or design firms that may be in need of some help.

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina the design industry came to the aid of their own. It's time to do so once again.

A new favorite: The Charles and Ray Eames stamps

2008-06-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in Santa Monica, California, the Postal Service™ issued a commemorative sheet of 42–cent stamps recognizing Charles and Ray Eames. Honoring the husband-and-wife design team, this commemorative sheet of 16 stamps was designed by Derry Noyes - Art Director and designer for the USPS - and represents the breadth of their extraordinary body of creative work, which includes architecture, furniture, film and exhibits.

A long-time fan of the Eames' work, I was able to pick up a couple sheets at my local post office this morning. The stamps are also available for purchase through The Postal Store online.

To learn more about the extraordinary Charles and Ray Eames, check out the site of the Eames Foundation. The Chairman of the Board of the Eames Foundation, and the Director of the Eames Office, is Eames Demetrios - grandson of Charles and Ray Eames. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the University & College Designers Association conference a few years ago. In fact, I almost had to fill in for him as the keynote speaker when he was late due to being stuck in traffic. With an audience expecting the multi-talented bearer of the Eames family legacy, I would have been a huge disappointment to the conference attendees.

HOW's Career-Planning Webinar forDesigners features Jeni Herberger

2008-06-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

As part of the publication's continuing Professional Growth Webinar Series for those in the design profession, HOW Magazine will feature my HOW Conference pal Jeni Herberger in a webinar this Thursday, June 19, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The one-hour webinar, "Planning Your Design Career," will assist you in discovering your career goals and charting the course of your professional dreams.

Cost of the webinar is $69 - but those using the promotional code desjn19 will save $20 and be able to register for only $49. You may register for the event on the webinar site. All sessions are archived, so you can register and view them any time. (If you registered for the live event, you'll also have online access to the webinar for 12 months afterward, so you can watch it again and again as a refresher course.)

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #19

2008-06-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

As I continue to sort through boxes of past project files, I've found some excavated artifacts other than my own doodles. I recently came across a file of faded thermal paper faxes of client concepts for their own logos.

One such effort was a 1995 project for a Bend, Oregon client, Deschutes Plumbing. I was provided with three rough sketches and color suggestions for the plumbing contractor's business (above). The client wanted snow- capped mountains, trees, and a river flowing down the mountainside with a drop of water coming out of a faucet - or possibly two faucets. I was also given the directive "Colors: blue (water), forest green (trees, lettering)."

I don't know about the rest of you, but my first impression was a very clear image of a woman's breasts in the doodles - and knew that would not represent the business well. Still, within the rough ideas there were bits and pieces that could make up a much more concise, clean and usable identity design.

I immediately eliminated the idea of small tree elements, as they would most likely add too much detail to the design. I was able to incorporate graphic elements to represent the nearby Three Sisters Mountains and the Deschutes River. The letterforms "D" and "P" where drawn to resemble pipes, complete with a drip of water coming from the tap imagery. The color requests of the client were implemented as well. All of the elements were incorporated in a circular shape for ease of use in ads, collateral materials and vehicle signage.

The resulting image is still in use by the business 13 years later. It was also featured in the Japanese book New Logo & Trademark Design; later released in paperback by PIE Books as Logo and Trademark Collection.

R.I.P. Create Magazine

2008-06-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as on any given business day, I went to log in to the site of the U.S. design industry publication Create Magazine - and it was gone. In its place was the home page of Graphics.com with the following posting:

Create Magazine Joins Graphics.com Network
(Posted on 2008-06-12 16:03:39)
A few weeks ago, Create Magazine merged with Dynamic Graphics magazine. Beginning with the July/August 2008 issue, this new magazine will feature the best collection of news, tips and insights for creative professionals. (Paid subscribers will continue to receive the magazine, without interruption.)

I'd heard the rumblings of the merger, and of the layoffs of Create Magazine staff, in recent weeks - so the merger wasn't a complete surprise. What is a major disappointment is the death of one of the better online design magazine presences. Create Magazine did it right. With over 13,000 online members, the publication's website provided its readers with online portfolios, the posting of an article each day from its archives, a job board, online chat, image battles, a true sense of community, online versions of the current issue for paid members, and so much more.

The print version of Create Magazine was a great example of a true news publication for the creative industries. The geographic regional editions provided readers with a true perspective of local news and events - something lacking in most design industry magazines. I was privileged to have Jeff Fisher Logomotives news published in the magazine on numerous occasions. I was sometimes quoted in articles in the publication, and the editors were kind enough to plug my book, Identity Crisis!, earlier this year.

It will be interesting to see how the merger with Dynamic Graphics evolves. I've always been a fan of Dynamic Graphics - in fact, my marketing packet is featured in an article in the current issue. Unfortunately, the web presences of Dynamic Graphics and sister publication STEP Inside Design, are not match for the late, great Create Magazine site. I personally feel that design industry professionals deserve, and expect, better from representative industry journals. I do hope that the Graphics.com network takes that fact into consideration as they move forward. Some of the plans - and immediate implications of the merger - are addressed on the Graphics.com site.

Jeff Fisher to speak at APNBABusiness District Association Conference

2008-06-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll be one of 14 speakers at the Business District Association Conference sponsored by the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA). Conference participants will hear the "best practices" of their fellow business districts, plus speakers from the business community, as they share insights into building, growing, and maintaining a thriving organization. The APNBA is an alliance of the 30+ business district associations (BDAs) in Portland. BDA members are the merchants, property owners, and employees in the commercial districts surrounding the downtown area of the city.

The topic of my presentation is "Projecting a professional association image." I'll be discussing making use of graphic design, and the services of professional or student designers, in presenting a professional, consistent public image for organizations and their sponsored events. Having an effective identity will be one element I will cover in my presentation. In part, that will include the need to sometimes redesign an identity, while taking into consideration aspects such as the emotional attachment to an existing logo, the historical perspective of the current design, and maintaining the essence of the message being conveyed by an image.

The APNBA presentation is a great example of how a designer can use a speaking engagement to promote one's work while educating a potential client base. Business conferences, Chamber of Commerce meetings, local business organizations, and other business-related events present great opportunities for a "creative type" to preach what one practices. The added bonus of a potential client may be an immediate result - I already have one before tomorrow's APNBA conference even commences.

Creative Freelancer Conference blogprovides a preview to what to expect

2008-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

The official companion blog for the first annual Creative Freelancer Conference is now up and running. Colleen Wainwright, aka the communicatrix, is the fearless blogmistress, and will also be a speaker at the event. Readers will be able to peruse blog entries from Wainwright, HOW Magazine editor Bryn Mooth and other speakers, to be posted between now and the August 2008 design industry activity.

The Creative Freelancer Conference will be held August 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. The event, co-sponsored by HOW Magazine and Marketing Mentor, will provide independent designers, illustrators, copywriters, photographers and others with pricing strategies, marketing techniques and the best business practices for running a one-person business.

Speakers for the conference include Ilise Benun and Peleg Top of Marketing Mentor; cartoonist, artist and writer Lloyd Dangle; and PR and issues management specialist Joan Gladstone of Gladstone International. Author, speaker, trainer and entrepreneur Lee Silber and Dyana Valentine, founder and principal of Creative Consultancy, will also be making presentations. Closing speaker for the event will designer and author Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives with his session, "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence."

Check out the latest conference news, and some of what to expect from the speakers, at the Creative Freelancer Conference blog.

Associated Press business card storyincludes Jeff Fisher LogoMotives mention

2008-06-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last week Jackie Farwell, an independent writer for the Associated Press, interviewed me - and other business professionals - for a news story about the use of the traditional business card as a self-promotion tool in today's non-traditional networking world. With the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives business card being an odd shape and size, she was wondering if I got much negative reaction to its use.

This morning I'm starting to see various formats of the story on international news sites. So far I've seen references on the sites for The Canadian Press, The Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, MO, o8sis.com, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA, WRAL.com, and the Chicago-area publication The SouthtownStar. Don't be surprised if the story pops up in a publication, or on a site, in your neighborhood.

My business card has served me very well the past six years. I recently wrote about it in another bLog-oMotives entry.

Designers Who Blog to be featuredin "Blogs: Mad About Design" book

2008-06-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, over at Designers Who Blog, my friend Cat Morley - the force behind DWB and other design industry Internet entities - made it be known that the Spanish maomao Publications was including a number of the blog's designer banners in the upcoming book Blogs: Mad About Design. According to Macarena San Martín, editor of the book, the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives/bLog-oMotives banner will be included.

I'll be in good company - with the likes of Armin Vit, David Airey, Eric Karjaluoto, Emily Chang, Seth Godin, Stefan G. Bucher and others.

I'll post additional information about Blogs: Mad About Design as the release date nears. The book becomes one of over 100 volumes in which my work is represented or Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is written about.