Branding Work
One of my favorite things to do as a designer is work with a newly branded company where I can absorb, expand, and interpret a brand concept to execute on various material. And while my unique combination of design/strategy/production skills keeps me busy on web-based projects, I probably spend an equal amount of time working on long-term campaigns and balancing a continuous flow of smaller, more urgent printed pieces. I do, however, enjoy the challenge of jumping into a completely new client and quickly developing a piece based on little more than a concept summary and a printout of a previous piece.
Below, you'll find a sample of some of the branding campaigns I've worked on. Thumbnails expand to full snapshots, as well as details on the particular project.
Latisys
Brand Concept
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
I developed a new brand logo, look, and all marketing pieces for this new data center solutions company, which had recently undergone a transformation from 3 separate companies.
Collateral
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
In addition to a new brochure, the company required a series of data specification sheets that spoke to each of their services and markets. I created a color-coded, templated system which made the process of understanding the categories of services much easier and more intuitive for both the customer and the sales representatives.
Tradeshow Signs
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
These tradeshow signs and pop up banners for use and reuse at various tradeshows was developed to highlight the high-level messaging of the company. This system made it easy for the client to mix-and-match the signs for each show, depending on the audience and the size of the booth.
ARRK Product Development
Brand Concept
My point of reference.
The original brand concept (not developed by me), and my only point of reference for developing the brand pieces.
Brochure
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
I took my cue from the original branding concept and developed this 8-page corporate brochure, which was received very well by the client. The main challenge was to tell a very high-level message in the context of their specific services, while giving examples of how their services executed in parallel with each other. So, in addition to expanding upon the visual genetics developed for this brand, I developed a structure for the brochure that was able to deliver both stories simultaneously. As a side note, other than the cover image, I did all the photo illustration for this brochure, including a high-res reillustration of the CAD drawing (originally a .5" screenshot).
Tradeshow Sign
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
An execution of the branding on a 10-foot tradeshow sign.
Datasheets
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
The goal of these datasheets
was to have service-specific one-sheets that could be used
either as supplementary material to the corporate brochure,
or as standalone pieces. Thus, the challenge was to come up
with a format that offered information that was neither redundant
to the brochure nor too high-level for independent consumption.
As a result, I designed a system in which the datasheets contained
the service overview, corporate overview, as well as more
detailed, technical information and specifications.
Advertisements
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
The goal of the ARRK advertisements
was to introduce the new branding to the public, as well as
compete for attention in publications that were overcrowded
with ads. The challenge was developing a unique look, while
still resonating with the publication's audience. After some
initial research, we discovered that almost every other advertisement
was either product or service-focused, so I designed these
ads to be end-user focused, highlighting the company's branding
"It could be" message.
eNewsletter
CONCEPT + DESIGN + HTML/CSS
While intepreting the brand concept more liberally, this eNewsletter stayed true to the original brand concept. It is now recognized within our company as one of the models of eNewsletter design.
Powerpoint
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Powerpoint presentations are often overlooked in marketing campaigns, while in fact they need just as much attention to copy and design as any brochure. The original company powerpoint we received was so outdated in look and message that I red-flagged this project before it went into concepting phase. Thus, we were able to address some key messaging and structure issues and developed an end-product was very well received by the client.
Gravograph
Brand Concept
My point of reference.
The original brand concept (not developed by me), and my only point of reference for developing the brand pieces.
Tradeshow Signs
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
The biggest challenge
in executing on this very strong and clever brand concept
was finding suitable image pairs that both told a story and
stayed true to the style developed in the branding. After
an extensive exploratory phase (about 2 weeks) I was able
to develop a library of images that we were able to use that
were just as strong and clever as the original brand concept.
Advertisements
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Drawing from the original brand concept and the library of image pairs I had developed for the tradeshow signs, I designed a series of magazine ads introducing the new Gravograph branding to the engraving market.
eNewsletter
CONCEPT + DESIGN + HTML/CSS
For this particular
project, the client wanted to be able to produce the eNewsletters
on his own. Thus, I designed the template around the new company
branding, and developed the HTML and stylesheet for maximum
ease of replication.
Gravostore
CONCEPT + DESIGN + HTML/CSS
The Gravograph
Gravostore was a new online store for engraving materials,
products, and tools, available for purchase engraving shop
owners and other engraving-related companies. It was also
one of the first points of contact Gravograph's audience had
with the new Gravograph rebranding. The site had to appeal
to the small, private owner looking to buy an engraver as
well as the large corporations looking for the perfect engraving
materials for their signage. Because it was programmed using
a third-party product, the site needed to be designed with
a consideration for ease of production as well as user-friendliness
and brand-cohesion.
The Men's Center
Identity System
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
I designed the logo, branding,
and identity system for this small practice in Davenport,
Iowa. The client requested a look that was both striking and
inviting, and possibly incorporated a modern "zen"
vibe. I used colored circles to symbolize the clinic's tagline,
"Healing. Mindfullness. Possibilities", and large
swatches of cool, bold cyan. In terms of typography, the Futura
font was used to reinforce the circle theme, such as in the
letter C in Center.
Advertisements
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Ad execution of the brand genetics.
Brochure
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Beyond carrying through
the brand genetics for this brochure, the main challenge became
fitting a lot of copy onto 1 1/3 pages of an 8.5" x 11"
sheet without seeming overcrowded. The client received rave
reviews over the brochure (and the whole look in general),
and many of his clients commented that the brochure drew a
lot of attention among a sea of other pamphlets.
Web site
CONCEPT + DESIGN + HTML/CSS
The main goal for The
Men's Center web site was to create an informative, dynamic
site that users felt truly addressed their concerns and made
them feel secure in coming forward to seek counseling and
therapy. To create this experience, the site used a zen-inspired
theme that very clearly spoke to their concerns and detailed
the company's very targeted service offerings. News and press
releases, upcoming seminars, and white papers reinforced the
credibility and sincerity of this small practice. Through
the web site, the practice has gained a large number of clients
and recognition from news organizations such as NPR.
Conveyor Accessories
Brochure
PRODUCTION
Without any official re-branding process, the brochure and its accompanying price catalog acted as the brand concept for this industrial company. This was my point of reference for the development of the catalog and other corporate material.
Catalog
DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Taking my cue from the
corporate brochure, I worked with the art director to design
and develop a look and structure for this complex catalog.
The main challenge for this piece was to understand the categorization
system for these products, and to develop a system when one
was not clearly defined. In addition to updating product pricing,
the goal for this catalog was to reinforce the brand look
from the brochure: the strongest, longest-lasting, most reliable
product in the industry. The use of close-up beauty shots
coupled with clear, systematic charts elevated this piece
from a pricelist style to more of a magalog style.
Web site
DESIGN + HTML/CSS
My role in the
project was to advise the lead designer on basic web
design principles, to rollout the main designs onto the
internal pages, and do the HTML production. One characteristic
of the site was how its product categories distinguished
themselves from each other. In the catalog, different
categories were defined by different color schemes. The
site implemented this technique by incorporating a dynamic
stylesheet switcher that changed selected colors on the
page to match the category.
Closet Organizing Systems
Brochure
PRODUCTION
Without any official re-branding process, the brochure and web site acted as the brand concepts for this company. These were my points of reference for the development of all subsequent company material.
Mini-brochure
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
The goal for this
project was to create a condensed, abbreviated version of
the standard corporate brochure for use in tradeshows and
direct mail pieces. The challenge was to reproduce the spirit
of the original design — that of uncluttered and open
design — while fitting in a good deal of copy and photography.
Datasheets
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
The purpose of these technical onesheets was not only to provide measurement and product specifications, but also to be stand-alone sales pieces that could be mailed or distributed at tradeshows. Additionally, the backsides of the datasheets were also the product orderforms, so on both sides the challenge was to fit a great deal of information on one sheet, while keeping true to the uncluttered look of the brand concept.
Advertisements
CONCEPT + DESIGN + PRODUCTION
I was originally given one
layout of a half-page advertisement, and over the past 2 years
I have created at least 50+ versions of the ad. Each new variation
required something as minor as size adjustment to something
as major as layout redesign. The ads had to be flexible enough
to work in publications as varied as ValuPak to Pink Magazine,
so by swapping photos and updating headlines, these ads were
able to adapt very easily to their varying publications.