this ring
this stamp
this necklace
these buttons
this zombie coloring book
this print
this cut-out
this dress
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Drooling on Etsy
this ring
this stamp
this necklace
these buttons
this zombie coloring book
this print
this cut-out
this dress
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
These Logos Are Making Me Thirsty!
First appearance on my companies blog!
These Logos Are Making Me Thirsty!
Last week Strabucks unveiled their new logo and the blog reels were rolling! Sarah Alexander, designer at Zocalo Group, hopped on that band wagon and put her two cents in, here. Now that all the hype has cooled down a bit, a highly esteemed corporate and brand identity blog, Brand New, recently posted an article asking their readers to name their Top 5 Logos of all time. Stemming from the Creative Review's April issue focusing on the Best 20 Logos Ever. The logos to be collected would be really interesting to see, but I am assuming the usual suspects (i.e. apple, nike, fedex, etc.) to be on that list. Being a human, and having my own opinions, I decided to "drink the kool-aid" and make my own "Best Logos Ever" list of familiar marks in our society that I find fascinating and hopefully will end up being on the Creative Review's prestigious list.
In no particular order, let's begin:
1. Dunkin' Donuts
What I like about the Dunkin' Donuts logo is how well it conveys the company's overall attitude. Oh, and how gosh-darn cute it is! C'mon, donuts are just as cute as they are tasty. The round and candy colored font illustrates the company's main product immediately, which makes it so successful and memorable. The addition of the coffee cup symbol conveys its other famous product, their no-fuss coffee. The delightful illustration doesn't detract at all from the text; in turn, it enhances the wonderfully simple elements of the text to great sophistication. There is a lovely balance in the logo that many other companies have trouble achieving and Dunkin' Donuts has truly accomplished that.
2. Target
The Target logo is its clean and simple. Similar to Starbucks (which is now embedded in all Target stores), they dropped the word target all together. (SYMBOLS, SYMBOLS EVERYWHERE!) The logo itself is very recognizable and correlates to how one feels when they are in a target store or purchasing a target product. They feel they are getting the best product for the best price, which is a "target" consumers try to achieve in their daily purchasing lives. That is the message I get from the logo and is incredibly effective.
3. I <3 NY
Not the official logo of NYC, but one of the most recognized and mass produced images of, probably, all time, (except for the Mona Lisa) the I <3 NY logo is everything a good logo should be. It is direct, simple, and has a strong emotional element. Those three things make for an iconic and timeless logo and that is why I find it fascinating.
4. Intelligentsia
I love the Intelligentsia logo! Not because I enjoy supporting local businesses and deeply love coffee, but because it is elegant, sophisticated, and holds no "bells and whistles" just like their product. The elements work very well together and each piece serves a purpose. The star either represents their roots in Chicago (stars on the Chicago flag) or it could be interpreted as the North Star (pointing the way to where you should go to get your coffee). The type is bold, but isn't heavy enough to take away from the symbol of the clever hybrid of a coffee cup in the middle of a set of wings. The wings are a brilliant and simple way of communicating this idea that Intelligentsia coffee will make you fly, figuratively of course. Maybe I am looking too much into all these symbols and searching for meaning, but all in all, the logo is beautiful and has presence competitors like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee cannot compete with.
These four logos may not end up on the Best Logos list or even be considered good by "top" designers, but as an up-and-coming designer, in a world were logo designs and re-designs make national headlines, I feel like sharing my opinion on logos is just as important to express as someone with an Masters Degree in Design from Yale. In the end it is all subjective, so please, "drink the kool-aid" with me and share your thoughts!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Remembering Nick Solsman
photos by Kate Sweeney
My very good friend, Danny Solsman, came to me this summer with an idea for a tattoo to memorialize his brother, Nick Solsman, who passed away back in March of 2010. Danny came up with this idea of a film strip placed with photographs of his brother from when he was a baby to the most recent of him and Danny. It was asked of me to begin an illustration of this idea. With the amazing addition of local, Columbus, OH tattoo artist, Scott Santee the tattoo truly came to life.
It was truly an honor to help memorialize a dear friend's brother with something that will be part of him for the rest of his life.
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