it's friday night...

Well... out of my frustrations comes a whole new concept. And this time, I feel really good about it. It may not be 100% yet, but I'm the most proud of this one than I have been about any other idea that I've had. I feel I've managed to maintain the retro-50's vibe, but give it a modern approach, and still manage to be playful. And for the first time, I think I really captured the feeling of being at the drive in. I was unable to do this before, but I think I am taking a step in the right direction. Plus, I still managed to sneak in my moon and car.


Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated. I really wanna push this idea as far as I can. Thanks!

even more ideas

I'm going a little insane with this car...
Before I retire these 'moon & car' ideas, here are a couple more...


Stan mentioned that I need to let go of my colors, and I think working in black & white is helping. I am being forced to arrange all the elements of the logo in an appealing way, but without the distraction of those colors. Plus, for whatever reason, I was only working on a black background.

still trying some different things

Almost feel like jumping ship with this client, but I'm still trying some new things...

slowly evolving

I'm still trying to push both of these. I agree now with everyone that said to simplify the type treatment in 'green sprout'. It gives the logo more of a focus. I'm feeling really good about this one.

I am struggling with the Starlight Drive-In. Here's why:

- I don't want to lose the sense of motion that the orbit line gives, but I don't want too many different elements in the logo.

- I want the type to interact with the imagery, but I don't want readability to be sacrificed.

wishing upon a star

Since I feel like I am starting to get somewhere with 'Green Sprout', I need to spend some more time with my second client. I was pretty happy with my logo from before, but I am trying to simplify it and make the text more prominent. I need to try some more things, but it's goin pretty well I guess. Here is some of my brainstorming...

starting to have fun with it

Over the next couple of days, I am going to rearrange and turn my logos inside out. I think this is the only way I will be able to find the best solution. Who would of thought that simply changing the angle of the skillet would make my logo come that much more alive? I feel this gives it more movement and it slightly playful, but not too much. I can also work the text much better. Now I'm looking forward to putting this on other things to see how it looks. Here are some different things I was trying with the type treatment. I'm just gonna keep pushin!!! :)

experimenting with my logos

These are nowhere near final, but these are my favorites so far. I'll explain why, and then show some of my experimentation.


- I enjoy the hole in the handle. It makes the gray object more recognizable as a skillet, rather than a spoon.
- I slightly raised the leaf/sprout to sort of make it 'float' in the skillet. I'm not sure, but I think this helps.
- I enjoy the way the green typeface looks with the image. Not sure about the gray text.
- I am not throwing out the giant green fork with a sprout on one end idea. I just think I would rather use it on some ads.



- I am almost certain these are the colors I will use.
- I made the text curve along with the moon, which I think definitely helps.
- I wrote it as 'six' instead of '6'. This made it a lot more unified.
- I like the typeface for 'Starlight Six', but I am worried if it is not bold enough and may get lost in the illustration. I think it definitely gives a 1950's feel, but it isn't too outdated.
- Rather than use all the same typeface, I want to use a different one for the word 'drive-in'. Not really sold on the current one, but I like the contrast between the two.

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Here are some of my trial and errors...

First, I played with the shape of the leaf and skillet. Then, I played around with different typefaces.




Some different typefaces and then trying different colors. The teal and purple are definitely a keeper in my opinion.

where i'm at so far...

still pushing client #2

Before I go back and post my additions to the Green Sprout logos, here's what I've been working on for the drive-in theater. The ideas aren't flowing as easily as with my other client, but I think I might be starting to go somewhere...

still struggling

I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head and seem to be having trouble getting things started. I know once I get going I'll be fine, but these beginning stages is where I always have problems.

I am still working on my drive-in theater idea, but I've put it one the back burner for now. I am currently brainstorming on this place in midtown called 'Green Sprout'. I see it all the time, but had forgotten about it. The main thing with this place is that they serve traditional meals like 'mandarin chicken' and 'beef and broccoli', but it is all vegetarian. I want to show the carnivorous side of being vegetarian in the logo.

As you can see their logo needs HELP.


Here are some of my first sketches put into the computer...


I will post some more ideas, and some more logos for the drive in later tonight. Enjoy your holiday everyone!

just playing around

I whipped these up really quick just to get more of a feel for it. I'm still trying to grasp my concept and the direction I want to head with the logo. I need to definitely work on the colors and the type treatments. These are simply brainstorms to just get my feet wet.

I've got some BUZZWORDS floating around in my head:
1 - retro / nostalgic
2 - fun / playful
3 - dreamlike
4 - smooth / 'cool'
5 - classic

some research...

Trying to get into this retro way of thinking, I have been reading a lot about drive-ins. Some things I have learned:

- the sound of the movie was once projected through a simple speaker hung inside the car window, but is now broadcast to be picked up by your car's radio

- the drive in theater was patented in 1933 when a man decided it would be a good idea to nail a screen to some tress in his back yard and play a movie with a Kodak projector placed on the hood of his car

- the first drive-in slogan was "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are"

- drive-ins reached their peak in the 1950's (will probably play up to this in my design)

- drive-ins were considered the ideal place to go on a date and 'neck' (something else I will play up to in my design)

- drive-ins had a serious decline in popularity, but have seen a significant revival since 2001 (luckily for me)

possible re-branding clients

Choice 1

Searching for a client to re-brand, I think I have narrowed my choices down to these 3.

I found the first one right at my doorstep. At the front of my apartment complex there is a plain black & white sign that doesn't draw much attention.


With a name like 'Serenity Lakes Wellness Center', I always thought this was some sort of senior citizen living place. It didn't help that the building looked a lot like a house.



Doing a little research I was amazed to find this place is not what it seems at all. It offers massage, yoga, meditation circles, reiki, tarot readings, and hypnotherapy... just to name a few. Going inside I saw this place is really a diamond in the rough.


This place is screaming for a re-brand. Rather than looking like an old folks home, it needs a new 'Elite Buckhead Spa Facility' facelift. I think a name like 'Serenity: Wellness' of just simple 'Serenity.' would make this place stand out a bit more and raise curiosity. As it is now, I'm sure most people just drive by.

When I visited this place, the staff was very excited to hear about my project and was very supportive of my ideas. They gave me a tour and told me to keep in touch.

Here is their business card, a pamphlet, and their website. All of these are in desperate need of new life with their tacky and boring text and simple graphics.


Choice 2

My second, and probably favorite choice, is the Starlight 6 Drive-In on Moreland Ave. For such a unique and popular place, the branding is not very appealing at all. While it would be wise to stick to a 1950's design scheme, it could be made a little more fresh and creative.


As you can see, the marquee hasn't changed very much at all over the years. The colors are disgusting and dingy. There is nothing memorable about this marquee whatsoever.

The website is a little better, but could still use an overhaul.


To sort of get the juices flowing, I did a couple of very rough sketches for a logo. I'm liking where the last one could maybe be going...


Choice 3

I haven't done much research on this place, but it could definitely use some help. It is a seafood restaurant and bar.


This place is supposedly very popular. With such a clever name, I think it could be rebranded to be much more unique and have more personality. Ironically enough, it is located across the street from a huge cemetery, so I think it needs to be re-branded to give a little more of a lighter atmosphere. All of the reviews I've read on it have said at first they were scared to go in, but were surprised to find it is a very good restaurant.

Here is the inside view and their website.

Poetry in Motion

Objective: Create a poster that illustrates a poem and the feeling it gives you when you read it.

I chose...

DEATH STANDS ABOVE ME
By: Walter Savage Landor

Death stands above me, whispering low,
I know not what into my ear
Of his strange language all I know
Is, there is not a word of fear


This poem made me feel like something big is happening to you that you have no control over, but you are at total peace with it. I felt like maybe I was floating. I wanted something dark and yet graceful and elegant.

I actually hand drew each and every letter out so I wouldn't have to decide on a font.

Book Jacket

I chose one of my favorite books of course. The pattern on the jacket came from some fabric I scanned in and the girl is one of my friends. I illustrated the word 'Geisha' since I couldn't find a typeface that I liked.

Movie Poster

We watched a short documentary about paperboys. The one thing I picked up from each of the boys in the movie was that they were all very dedicated. To be able to buy their own things of interest, they would save up their money from their paper routes. That is where I came up with the tagline 'Building an empire... one mailbox at a time'.


Once I got my elements and colors how I liked, I just had fun with it. I wound up doing 3 versions pretty quickly.
-Version 1: inspired by the way a mailbag feels crossing over your chest, which coincidentally sort of became a map of streets
-Version 2: inspired by the wheel of the bike
-Version 3: a blend of my other 2 really...

Word Pairs

Objective: To choose two words with different meanings, that when put together take on a whole new meaning.

Type Specimen Poster

I chose a fairly new typeface that came bundled with CS3 called 'Arno'. My main goals were to show that this font is a modernized version of classic Italian typefaces, and to somehow represent the bridge/river the typeface is named after.


My main inspiration came from these vintage Italian posters. They are classic Italian, but still feel fresh.


I noticed they had common features, which I also included in my type specimen poster.
- a thick border around the edge
- a central figure/object
- large font towards the bottom for the title

Food Package Redesign Project

So, we had to redesign some sort of existing food packaging. I had a lot of fun with this one. I knew from the beginning I wanted to do something playful and colorful. I picked Starburst because I felt I could do a lot with the flavors and colors.

I asked around and a lot of people seem to have their favorite flavor of Starburst. I got to thinking of what type of people like what type of Starburst and I got an image of each flavor as it's own character.

I also wanted something kids would see in the store and say' mommy, i want THAT!'.

Here they are flat:

(I've scaled down these images some so the ingredients and nutrition facts aren't quite legible.)



I don't know how obvious it is, but to get the candy out you grab their tongues and open up their mouths in a sliding motion (sort of like a garage door). Here are the 3D mock ups. For some reason, the blog uploads the colors a little jpegy, but you get the point...



Once you slide open their mouths, the candy just pops right out! :)

the good, the bad... and the just plain nasty

As a way of sort of warming up for the semester, let me show some examples of what I think works and what doesn't as far as logos go.

Let's go ahead and get the bad ones out of the way...

---------------BAD LOGOS---------------

I've always hated this one. Not only is their Ice Cream mediocre, but this logo is awful. I don't really see the significance in the cherry and why must it split their company name right in half? This makes me think you are supposed to pronounce the cherry as a sound.

Husbanken is a Norwegian bank... but from this logo I would think it is some sort of house of melting zombies. Why are they all deformed and piled on each other like that?

Four Point is some sort of movie production company. The logo wouldn't be half bad if it didn't make me think of an axe murderer. The red doesn't help either. It just looks like some psycho killer about to stab you to death... and well, I don't think that would attract new clients very well.



This company is a gym that uses energy efficient, solar powered equipment (umm... huh?). The logo is so sloppy and busy, it takes a while to recognize the figure on the bike. And does anyone else see something a little... how can I put this... phallic?

Where do I even start!? The colors are hideous, the typeface is amateur, and the Earth looks like it's been swallowed up in a giant net! Could this logo get ANY worse?

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Ok, now that we've suffered through that, here are some logos that I really love.

---------------GOOD LOGOS---------------

I love this store, their imported tea from all around the world, and their logo. I love the simple us of colors, the curves, and the motion it implies. I also think the type treatment works very well. If you visited the actual store, you would see their logo suits the atmosphere of the place very well.

Nomao is an interactive website where users can create a free account. I won't go in to depth about what the site does, but their logo is very cute. The bee character is repeated throughout the site in different ways. He is animated and is your 'guide' of sorts. I also like how they didn't over-do the globe and made it very subtle. If viewed at a large scale, the logo is very crisp and neat with great details and texture.

Maybe it's because I love their clothing, but the Puma logo has always struck me as fresh and appealing. Or maybe it's because I have a black cat named Kuma... but anyways, it is simple, sleek and easily recognizable. It also looks good on their clothing in a variety of colors and at various sizes.


I'm much more of a Nintendo/PlayStation fan. In fact I've never even owned an XBOX. But I feel both their old and new logos have great depth and texture. The colors are great and I love the little extended line on the 'B'.

I may be a bit biased because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these games! But, I really enjoy the colors and mood of these logos. On their own they may not be anything extraordinary, but as a group they work very well together. The type is pretty simple, but it makes you immediately recognize them as a game from the franchise. The illustrations are all very beautiful and somehow relate to the particular games storyline.