A New Direction for a Geologist

I have a client who is a geologist in the San Francisco Bay Area, but her career is expanding into policy and consultation work. A new direction calls for a compass or so I thought. What the client liked in the roughs above was the ice blue palette—a nod to her time in Anarctica, but the compass was too playful. We turned to the planet instead to underscore her work in climate change monitoring. Below is the finished mark in a business card.

PS. I love comments. To make a comment here, click on the Post a Comment link below, but look fort the Submit button—labeled Create Post—at the top of the comments page along with a Preview Post button. 

Studio Update: Needle mania ensues

My Favorite Thimble is a little company with an unusual product. They manufacture Blackthorn DPNS—double pointed knitting needles, hand milled from military-grade carbon fiber composite. What these modern needles have going for them is strength.

Some knitting needles are sized ultra thin for fine gauge work like lace. Unfortunately the thinner the needle the more chance it will snap in the hand, unless it's made from steel, but steel is slippery and stitches slide off when you don't want them to. Blackthorns have a fine ridge with a smidge of grip and they weigh less than steel which can be a plus for marathon knitters. 

If I sound like a salesperson, it's because I've spent the last three weeks immersed in Blackthorn facts so I could design their logo. It was crucial that I know how the sets would be marketed. My client, Chris Hanner, proved to be an excellent guide. Chris was in a hurry though. She wanted a packaging design ready for print by the end of August. Gulp!

Pictured left are two sets of  exploratory roughs. I love the little blackbirds paired with Berenicia, a playful font designed by Dave Nalle at Fontcraft. Dave licenses his work for commercial use at a reasonable rate and has several beautiful collections worth having in any library. Fingers were crossed that Chris would like this design. I really wanted to purchase this font for her marketing program.

The second design featured the font Crane Gothic, another Nalle creation this time paying homage to Arts and Crafts era designer Walter Crane, known for his children's book illustrations for printer Edmund Evans. 

Chris emailed back that she loved the blackthorn flowers in the first set and the flower type ornaments in the second set. The birds were a no-go and would I please use the font Harrington in the next round. 

Harrington first appeared on a printer's foundry list in London in the late 1800's. It was redrawn by Sam Wang in 1991 and acquired by Microsoft for its Microsoft Office font bundle. It's a problematic crafts period lookalike in one weight only, but it fit the client's budget and there was no talking her out of it. So, off I went with Harrington in hand.

With the print deadline looming, it was time to begin prepping Chris for the packaging stage. Along with two new directions, I included a possible color coding system to mark needle packages ranging from size 1.75mm to 3.00 mm.

Below is the pdf as Chris saw it. Next update I'll show you what happened next. I'd love to know what your choice would be over the full range of offerings. 

P.S. I love comments. To make a comment here, click on the Post a Comment link below, but be aware that the Submit button—labeled Create Post—sits at the top of the comments page along with a Preview Post button. Why is that? I don't know…but no amount of begging has moved that button any closer.

Studio Update: A New Flock & Some Symmetry

I've been doodling these bird folks for weeks while thinking about an illustrated banner for Kate Designs. With a wink to Despiccable Me, I've come to think of the bird people as my minions. No worries. My flock isn't out to steal the moon. They're content to work for extra feathers. 

Meanwhile back in the world, two nice guys have bought a few acres up in Lake County, California. Their purchase isn't big, but three ravines cut through the land, so the owners have decided to call their property Trés Ravenna, a pretty name for a magical place. Their plan is to grow some small crops, plant a fruit grove, and distill a bottle or two of lavender oil in this new kingdom. And there is plenty of native oak moss—a lovely scent used in perfumes.

The guys have asked for a design that can be used as large as a gate sign and as small as a cologne label. It can be done! I took my camera along to the property.  

Trés Ravenna has a marsh area banked by native Blue Oak groves. This little slice of heaven was made even more heavenly by the large goblet of ice tea my hosts served me on their wrap-around porch. The drink was garnished with a sprig of lavender from their garden. I sat in the porch swing and felt like a princess!

Back in the studio I drew a rough mark incorporating elements from the woodlands and marsh. The clients love the dragon flies that patrol the reeds. I added one to the design for good luck. 

Everyone liked the first pass, but I had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right, even though I had met their expectations. Sometimes the best solution remains elusive until you're given a chance to step back. Suddenly I knew just what to do.

On the second round I mirrored the reedy R and doubled the oak leaf for symmetry. While I was in the file I also took a look at color. Blue Oak moss has a beautiful range of soft greens. I choose one and applied it. The result is below. I think it's right handsome, fit for a label and a gate.

Next week, we'll look at stationary for this woodland kingdom and I'll show you how I sampled that moss for color.

 P.S. I love comments. To make a comment here, click on the Post a Comment link below, but be aware that the Submit button—labeled Create Post—sits at the top of the comments page along with a Preview Post button. Why is that? I don't know…but no amount of begging has moved that button any closer.

Studio Update: Embellishing, Coloring, Mailing

Summer is officially here. Client files are flying over the net even as packages of knitting merit badges are posted overseas. Heady stuff with many stops for coffee along the way. Lucky me to be located in the epicenter of great coffee bars, with names like…um…Coffee Bar!

Last week, Maria Sanchez of Custard Heart Vintage settled on a final look for her custom business mark. A flower-studded scarf and zippy dots were in the final mix. The mark is destined for a rubberstamp used in CHV packaging, a full-color business card, and an Etsy web banner.

Each of these situations carries its own demands, but the rubber stamp required immediate attention as Maria had orders waiting to mail. Unfortunately the new embellishments become more and more cluttered as the design is reduced to stamp size. I sent the client a pdf showing a simple solution. 

For the fun of it I included a second pdf showing how the a single-color stamp could be enhanced using marking pens, since Maria likes her packaging tags to have a handmade touch. A little tag on a colorful ribbon with a heartfelt message goes a long way towards letting customers know she's thinking of them.

Next step was to settle on a primary 4-color treatment so we could move on to the banner design. I sent over a pdf with 5 variations. I'm curious, which one would you choose? 

I am partial to D, but if you chose E you'd be right in line with Ms. Sanchez. A pdf of banner designs went out to Maria yesterday. More about her choice in the next update. 

The rest of this week was spent polishing a new story in the Eiderdown series and posting kindhearted knitter merit badges to 13 new nominees including a toy designer in Spain, a community organizer in Wales, and a soft-hearted knitting coach in Australia. The USA was well represented with knitting teachers for the homeless, ESL heroes for new immigrants, and a fabulous college student who brightens up hospital stays with knitted hats and toys. I'll post links (as soon as the packages reach their recipients) for the wonderful programs these kindhearted folk are a part of. It's been fantastic to watch the badge-holder list grow and to know that Miss Eiderdown is making new friends everywhere.

Psss-s-st! I have 23 badges left. If you know a kindhearted knitter in your community nominate them here.

P.S. I love comments. To make a comment here, click on the Post a Comment link below, but be aware that the Submit button—labeled Create Post—sits at the top of the comments page along with a Preview Post button. Why is that? I don't know…but no amount of begging has moved that button any closer.

P.P.S. I love vintage clothes. If you love vintage clothes I recommend checking out Custard Heart Vintage's Summer Sale. A bombshell of a silk wiggle dress for under $30? Total buy. Perfect for the cocktail hour.

Studio Update: Packaging on a Budget

This week the owner of  Merry Makin’s picked her butterfly mark and signed-off on a business card design in taupe and rose pink. A short print run of 250 cards is in to Modern Postcard—an affordable way to print both the front and back in color. True, a color backing seems like a luxury, but in this client’s case it’s a flirtatious fit that makes customers smile.

The discussions this week revolved around affordable packaging systems. Building an inventory of branded boxes and bags is not a smart strategy until Merry Makin's gains more momentum in the marketplace, but we can still extend the brand with three elements that fit in a standard postcard format for printing. Packed within a single postcard is a necklace display card, earring hang card, and four mini-tags with ties. These items work with lines that are already selling and the system can easily evolve as the business grows. Pictured here are the three elements trimmed and ready for packing. The postcard layout follows.

An edition of 250 postcards is large enough to test the concept in the market. An intern handy with an X-acto knife is saving the client the cost of die-cutting and the box of flat cards takes up little storage space in an already packed workroom. Products can be mounted as needed and slipped into clear acetate bags.

All in all the cost of manufacture comes in under budget, but the brand still travels with the item. A short print run also allows for seasonal color changes. Some recommendations are pictured to the right above in hot pinks and golds for a summer line using an earlier version of the butterfly logo. 

I love comments. To make a comment here, be aware that the Submit button—labeled Post Comment—sits at the top of the comments page along with a Preview Post button. Why is that? I don't know. Maybe they like being above it all. Some buttons just have a mind of their own.