A sample of many lettering treatments I created for the Mini-Wheats brand mark redesign in 2005.

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invitation package to the forth annual lemon ball -- benefiting the alex's lemonade stand foundation. this year's design is inspired by alex's adoration of butterflies.

. . .

lemon ball gala

saturday january 9, 2010

philadelphia marriot downtown

presented by volvo

. . .

during the past 3 years the lemon ball has raised nearly $1.5 million towards achieving alex's dream to cure childhood cancer. if you're interested in a meaningful and fun night of cocktails, dinner, dancing, live and silent auctions -- consider buying tickets to this wonderful cause.

2 little butterflies to help hold the stamp in place.

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My rough sketch for the Right Bites project was created with a marker on parchment paper. Out of a dozen quick sketches this version had the best rhythm and flow. The sketch was scanned and used as a template layer in Illustrator to create B/W lettering sent to the project designer. This marker sketch is an example of one method I use to crete script lettering for consumer packaging. I spend more time and effort refining the lettering in Illustrator than I do sketching a rough marker or pencil.

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Today saw the launch of London’s 2012 Olympic logo.The jagged emblem, based on the date 2012, comes in a series of shades of pink, blue, green and orange and will evolve in the run-up to the Games.It shows the numbers 2012 in a design aiming to appeal to today’s Internet generation. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London’s 2012 organising committee, said: “It is an invitation to take part and be involved.”




The brand identity was designed by Wolff Olins. Given how they were chosen as the designers over a year ago, I find the results disappointing.
Quite a few others are showing their dislike of the new logo too. .
What do you think?

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These people are reknowned for many disciplines, not just logo design.

Herb Lubalin

Born 1918. Died 1981.

Herb’s Families logo was designed in 1980 and the Marriage logo in 1965 (both above).
Read more about Herb Lubalin here.

Paul Rand

Born 1914, New York, USA. Died 1996.

Rand is responsible for the ABC logo (American Broadcasting Company) from 1962 and the IBM logo (both above).
Read more about Paul Rand here.

Milton Glaser

Born 1929, New York, USA.

Since founding Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, the work produced at his manhattan studio has encompassed a wide range of design disciplines, including identity programs for corporate and institutional marketing purposes and logos (among them the ‘I love New York’ logo for the New York state department of commerce, that became the most frequently imitated logo design in human history).
View more of Milton Glaser’s identity projects here.
Read more about Milton Glaser here.

Saul Bass

Born 1920, New York, USA. Died 1996.

Saul Bass’s long and prolific career has influenced legions of designers. Bass studied at the Art Students League with Howard Trafton and at Brooklyn College with Gyorgy Kepes. After working in New York for a number of years, he moved to Los Angeles and founded Saul Bass & Associates in 1946.
Bass was a design innovator, in the corporate world with logos for AT&T and United Airlines (both above) and working with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese and Otto Preminger.
Read more about Saul Bass here.

Walter Landor

Born 1913, Munich, Germany. Died 1995.

What is probably Landor’s most famous logo is that of Fedex (shown above). The negative space ‘arrow’ has been well documented. The peoplepc logo (also above) is another that I enjoy. However, today Landor Associates don’t always get it right, such as their awful attempt at Italy’s national logo.
Visit the Landor website here.

Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar

Chermayeff born Chechen Republic. Geismar born New Jersey, dates TBA.

Design is directed toward human beings. To design is to solve human problems by identifying them and executing the best solution.
Ivan Chermayeff

Chermayeff and Geismar designed the famous Mobil logo (shown above) and developed a complete corporate identification program with continuing consultation for 35 years. The program was built around the logo, a specially designed alphabet, a clear policy for colour, and a comprehensive design approach that integrated new graphics with new architecture. It included design of product packaging, vehicle markings, print material, posters and all design, packaging and sign standards for facilities throughout the world.
Read more about Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar here.

Bob Gill

Born 1931, New York, USA.

In 1962, Gill, Alan Fletcher and Colin Forbes established Fletcher / Forbes / Gill design studio, the forerunner of Pentagram (design studio).
LogoMania, his latest book, sets out to prove that there are unlimited good solutions to any problem. Gill designed thirty two logos for the same client.
Graphic Design as a Second Language is a superb book that details Gill’s design process. Highly recommended.
Read more about Bob Gill here.

Wally Olins

Born in London, England.

According to Wikipedia, Wally Olins is generally recognised as the world’s most experienced practitioner of corporate identity and branding.
Wally was awarded a CBE in 1999. He was nominated for the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 1999 and received the Royal Society of Arts’ Bicentenary Medal for his contribution to the design and marketing industry.
Read more about Wally Olins here.

Minale Tattersfield

Founded 1964 by Italian, Marcello Minale and Yorkshireman, Brian Tattersfield. Today there are many partners.

Minale and Tattersfield met while working at the advertising agency Young & Rubicam. Here they gained invaluable experience in broad-based commercialism, marketing and research which, combined with the deeper culture of their training as designers, gave them a tremendous advantage over others in their field when they set up their own practice.
You can view some of the Minale Tattersfield agency’s work by clicking on the client names below:

• Harrods corporate identity
• Eurostar corporate identity
• Sydney Olympic Bid campaign

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between phillies post-season, flu-season, and danielle's own wedding season we have slacked a bit on blogging. we have so many new projects to share!

we've been on some inspiring field trips as well. below are some shots from our studio tour of two paper dolls -- the well-known design group, based out of wayne, pa, who specialize in custom invitations. we had the honor of hearing the oh-so-inspiring owner + creative director, vanessa, tell her story of how she got where she is today. we left there with some big dreams...

check out their amazing studio and work...

meeting area.

the most delicate + beautiful laser cut we've ever seen.

assembly area.

demo on their original vandercook press.

this is the end result of that demo -- a little graphic design humor.

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Tonight!  Sacramento Magazine's "Best of Sacramento" big bash is tonight!  Visit their blog for details and ticket information.  You can still get tickets at the door!

I had the pleasure of creating some dessert bar tags for Carissa with Sugar and Spice and ....  She is creating, what I hear to be an amazing display of literally thousands, mini dessert bites including ... cupcakes, caramel cream puffs, sugar cookies, haute chocolate mousse, spicy ginger-lemon mousse, pb&j's, strawberry pate de fruit and a wedding cake!  Carissa's desserts are gorgeous - a must see.

The dessert bar tags I created turned out super-cute!  Right?  At the event they will be placed in shot glasses filled with hot pink sugar.  Can't wait to see pics!  But could not wait for event pics ... I absolutely had to share how adorable these little babies came out!

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Arik Mergi is a Graphic Designer from Tel-Aviv. His works includes Photo Illustratons, drawings and 3D elements. Here are some of his most famous artworks. Arik Mergi talks about his fantastic works and his design life. Let's have a chat with him!

1. Welcome to Think Smart Designs please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you're from and how you got started in the field?

My name is Arik Mergi, born, live and create in Israel. After completing my design studies at Vital, the Israeli branch of Middlesex University, London I went on to ESAG, Paris for an additional year.


As a little boy I was always interested in painting and colors. Then one day, sometime in my teen years, I went to see a dance performance by Israel's best dance group - Bat-Sheva. The show was called "Anaphaza" and I had no idea what I was about to see or hear. The show incorporated dance, music, video, text, poetry, images, and rhythm; it was a mesmerizing experience that took my breath away and left me with a sharp message. Over the years I've learned that combining several elements into one experience in a creative way was called design.

2. How was your first experience with Photoshop? And tell us how you have evolved as an artist since then, what lessons have you learned that stuck with you all these years?

My first experience with photoshop was before I was 15 and since then I always discover new things. After working with this program for so many years I understand that before starting to work with photoshop or any other program you must have an idea-concept, and just after that you can execute your design on the computer. Programs are great tools to help you express your creativity, you must not let the programs lead you - only the idea and your brain can lead you.

3.Can you please walk us through how you created your pieces and what exactly you intended the message to be when you created them?.
Since completing my studies five years ago, I have been working as an art director for an agency that specializes in branding and design for a commercial sector. While working, I started looking for my own language, a unique way to express my thoughts and ideas about the many issues that preoccupied my life and mind on a daily basis. The use of collage came from my attempts to pull apart metaphors and images and then put them back together into one intriguing new image. From a creative standpoint, connecting elements from different worlds into one collage expresses the meeting points that happen all around me.

4. Your design style varies from piece to piece, it could go from typography, to photo manipulation. Why do you experiment with so many different styles instead of sticking to one and mastering it?

I live in Tel-Aviv, a visually and culturally intriguing city. Tel Aviv is the center of culture, creativity, business and leisure, in Israel, and one of the most obvious things about it is the impact and influence of other large cities in the world. A lot of my work captures restless moments, and feelings of alienation I feel around me every day. I also feel the work touches on the meeting between the people who live in the city and the endless mechanism which is the urban environment.
From a creative standpoint, connecting elements from different worlds into one collage expresses the meeting points that happen all around me.

5.In your opinion what would be the best way to market yourself as a designer to attract clients?

In our world after every designer has his own website where he can share his portfolio, the market and clients look for something more...they want to know who is the person that stands behind the designs, what are his thoughts about many subjects...so from my opinion every designer must have a blog where he can express his thoughts and opinions about many things..And if you are consistent with it, and keep it interesting, it will be worth it for you. On these days I'll be working on my blog and it will be on the web soon...

6.What programs do you use? And lastly walk us through a typical session as a graphic designer.

The main programs I use are my brain and my hands,, before jumping to use the computer I start making some simple sketches with a pencil and a sketch book..After I get the idea of what I want to do...I go to my beautiful Mac and let it flow by using: Illustrator, Photoshop , InDesign...I recently started working with friend of mine on some 3D elements...So, I import them into illustrator and play with them...

7. Which would you say is your favorite illustration that you have created, and why?

I'm teaching myself , not to fall in love with my works...So, I always hope that the next work will be better than the previous ones.

8.Thanks for providing Think Smart Blog with this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?

what is thought to be the edge is only the beginning.

9. Where can we find you on the web?

http://www.arikmergi.com/

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Believe it or not, the most important part of logo design happens before the designer even starts to sketch. The power of any logo comes from the original logo concept. This concept is the image you envision the logo representing for your business. First, think of a simple thing that relates to your industry. It may be a computer for a software company, or a vacuum for a cleaning service. Or it could be more abstract, like a blurred image for speedy service.

Don't just go with the "in" style of the day. Changing your logo in the future can be a costly expense, so try to imagine something that will look fresh in 10 years. You don't want to have to reprint all your stationary and business cards just because bubble letters went out of style.

Think about the style of your logo. There are several of these out there, which you've probably never thought of, so here's a primer:

Iconic logos: These are some of the most common you'll see out there. They're simple, usually just one graphic element, icon or design. They often include the company name on the bottom or to the side of the graphic element. When utilizing and iconic image, the best figures to go for are usually symmetrical geometrical shapes. That way, they can be placed anywhere and they'll still look balanced in the layout.

Logo types: These words are graphic in themselves. Think of Sony, Kellogg's, Coca-Cola and IBM. There are no drawings, per se, but these words express as much in their design as they do in their meaning.

Illustrative: You'll know an illustrative logo simply by its eye-catching design. This is probably the most impressive (and also expensive) kind of logo to create, as they are detailed and try to represent the company's business using just a graphic.

Integrated: This is the combination of illustrative and logo type. The words and pictures work together to create one solid logo. These are a rarity because they are the most expensive to create.

To wrap up, logo design is one of the most demanding areas of graphic design. Logos have a big job to do: they represent your company, convey your image, and greet customers on the face of your stationary and business cards. Choosing the right company logo design, and the right design firm, is one of the best things you can do to help your marketing efforts.

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Sooo, this past wedding season really took a toll on my eating habits.  If you constructed a food pyramid of what I was eating - Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups would have been its own food group.  {right, M?}  Therefore, to get myself back on track I have limited my calories to 1200 a day and eating salads for at least two of my daily meals.  I am {surprisingly} enjoying coming up with creative combinations to keep me interested in my salad meals.  

Thought I would share today's lunch and my recent salad infatuation ... 2 cups of spring greens, a sprinkle of feta, 3 strawberries and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette.  

Any good salad ideas out there that are super-tasty with just a few ingredients??  If I have to think beyond 4 ingredients - I'm grabbin' the Reese's!

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Firefox is the browser of choice for most web designers. Not only does it display websites the way they should be displayed, but it also gives users the ability to add tons of functionality and customization through add-ons or plugins. Since Web designers spend most of their day working in a browser it makes since to be able to do things like make edits to css without switching to a different application.
If your a Firefox user, but have yet to try any extensions, here are 10 of the most popular among web designers. You should really give them a try. They may just make your life a lot easier.

Firebug

Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of web development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.

Web Developer

The Web Developer extension adds a menu and a toolbar to the browser with various web developer tools. One of my favorite features of this extension is being able to edit css of any web page and see the results in real time.

ColorZilla

ColorZilla assists web developers and graphic designers with color related tasks – both basic and advanced. With it you can get a color reading from any point in your browser, quickly adjust this color and paste it into another program. You can Zoom the page you are viewing and measure distances between any two points on the page. The built-in palette browser allows choosing colors from pre-defined color sets and saving the most used colors in custom palettes.

Codetch

Codetch gives you the feel of Dreamweaver in a Firefox extension. Edit your documents right next to your web pages as you surf.

Window Resizer

Window Resizer is useful tool for testing different screen sizes. It accurately resizes your browser so you can test to see if the web page you’re working on looks right in all of the standard resolution sizes. It supports the 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1600×1200 resolution sizes.

Pixel Perfect

Pixel Perfect is a Firefox/Firebug extension that allows web developers and designers to easily overlay a web composition over top of the developed HTML.

Pencil

Pencil is a free and opensource tool for making diagrams and GUI prototyping that everyone can use. Some of the key features include: multi-page document with background page, on-screen text editing with rich-text supports, and PNG rasterizing.

FireFTP

FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers.

FireShot

FireShot is a Firefox extension that creates screenshots of web pages (entirely or just visible part). Unlike other extensions, this plugin provides a set of editing and annotation tools, which let users quickly modify web captures and insert text annotations and graphical annotations. Such functionality will be especially useful for web designers, testers and content reviewers.

MeasureIt

MeasureIt allows you to draw out a ruler to get the pixel width and height of any elements on a webpage.

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