The Payoff

Sometimes, as a graphic designer, your artwork doesn't always turn out as you'd hoped. Sometimes you are happy with your artwork and the client is not. Sometimes you can feel like you aren't really contributing to your client's overall business health. And then, sometimes you have a client that turns all that around.

Ron Heiskell at ReducedEffort was an encouragement from the beginning. He was a wonder to work with. He appreciated what Crop Marks does before he and I ever met. A referral from another client, he saw that we could facilitate his design needs and not hold him over a barrel on the cost.

Ron needed branding design for his changeover (efficiency assessment) business. His business model and ours meshed exceedingly well and the branding design process worked like a well-oiled machine (no pun intended).

Since ReducedEffort and Crop Marks worked together, it has been wonderful to see the many ways Ron has found to further his brand identity. Recently, Ron asked me to send him the logo to be put on a race car. I asked him to repeat himself. I was sure I had misheard. I'd heard correctly. I sent the logo and didn't hear much for a while. Right before the holidays, however, Ron sent me an e-mail with some photos attached. These photos made my day.

I'm "glad" to have contributed...

Bethany Keeley is whip smart. She is a student, a blogger, a dedicated Christian woman, and is now famous for making fun of others' misuse of simple grammatical indicators — and rightly so. The level of competence with which the average American handles their native tongue is nigh criminal. Maybe the stocks are a bit harsh, but a healthy spot of snark is no less than they deserve. I am happy to have "contributed" to the cause.

Project Management Program - Clockingit.com

Here at Crop Marks, our focus is on more than just making art. Yes, we do make art, but we make art that is for our customers' businesses. We specialize in print advertising design, branding, signage design, etc. If we just wanted to draw pretty pictures for our own enjoyment, we'd be out of business.

With that being said, it is important that we create art with certain boundaries. One of the most important boundaries for us to consider when working on these projects is time. Deadlines are an integral part of graphic design because without them, all the beautiful design in the world is useless. Time management (and its spawn, GTD) is essential to successful graphic design because with out it, you end up missing deadlines and you fail as a graphic designer.

Personal time management is one distinct process, but when you've got other employees or collaborators, you step into the realm of project management. There is a myriad of software tools to assist with project management. Each individual business has its own needs, so the trick is finding the right tool for your business.

In my search for the perfect project management tool for my business, I ran across several that were the industry standards for different kinds of business, but most of them didn't fit my thinking style or my budget. I began my search for the perfect tool for my business with high hopes - but that didn't last very long. It seemed that every tool I came across either did not have the features I sought, or was more costly than I could afford. I had just about given up when I found clockingit.com.

I've now been using ClockingIt for a little over a month and I'm quite impressed. I can easily input new clients, create new projects (with tasks and to-do's), gauge progress through milestones and even estimate completion dates with an interactive GANTT chart. I can log time worked on any task to ensure appropriate invoicing and link those tasks to a particular milestone for a segmented-billing job.

Collaborating is made easy through a variety of methods, such as wiki-like forums, notes, and even a built-in chat program. The tech savvy will be happy to see FreeBSD and Ruby on Rails architecture as well as Ajax, and drag-and-drop compatibility.

I can keep my projects from being sent off into the void with RSS feeds and a number of available widgets. There's even one for igoogle.

Really, the only question in my mind is how all this functionality can be free. Actually, maybe I better not ask. I'll just donate when I can.

If you're looking for a way to organize your small-to-medium sized office, ClockingIt is an amazing utility - and you can't beat the price.

Yay for New Toys!

We've been able to update our portfolio recently with the completion of several new projects that have really given us a chance to show that we are a graphic design force with which to be reckoned. Vacaville has been very good to us for quite a while with many of our projects originating from there, however, of late we've had some jobs come in from our very own Dixon as well as Fairfield. The Dixon project was a logo for a new (authentic) Italian café and wine bar. It is a branch off of the local Accardi Vineyards winery. The goal of the design was to both echo the winery's existing branding and also differentiate the café, thereby making it a separate entity. One of the three ideas we presented was a take on the same script as the winery's logo with a few minor tweaks. The above logo was chosen over that version instantly. I happen to be rather proud of that fact, given the market prices of winery branding. (So, if you happen to own a winery, this is your hint.)

Aaron the Intern had a hand in one of the logo ideas and his was almost chosen. Props, Urn! The logo that was settled on was originally penned by Jen, our illustrious illustrator and then tweaked by yours truly into the final version. Thanks to Cinzia Accardi for all the fun design meetings as well as the amazing gelato. Yum!

In other news, I want to talk about some of my new toys. (A note to the FCC: No, I have not been paid by the creators of the programs I am about to plug. Back off.)

The first toy that I am endorsing is the wonder that is Launchy. Launchy has changed my life. My workflow is so much smoother now that I just can't imagine not having Launchy with me at any computer terminal - which is ok, since it comes in a mobile version as well. Launchy is so much more than just an application launcher and file indexer, it's like having a personal assistant that runs around your terminal and obeys your every whim (except one - I'll discuss this in a moment). I now use launchy to update my Google Calendar, access my Chrome favorites, search Google Images, and a myriad of other tasks that I am frankly too lazy to take my fingers off the keyboard to accomplish. So, if you are interested in streamlining your workflow - I say get launchy now! Now, back to that one thing I can't make it do yet; I have not found a way to have launchy search and bring up a virtual business card for all my Thunderbird contacts. Still working on that. The good news is that I can program launchy to do a whole host of things ... once I figure out HOW to do it.

The other new toy is a program called Winsplit Revolution. This program is for us lowly "mono-tors" out there that don't have the XP to dual-wield 21" wides. It may work for dual, but I'm not sure. I just know that with my limited acreage, if I can resize and move a window with a keystroke, I'll do it. Actually, if I can do just about anything with a keystroke, I will.

In the upcoming months, I am going to begin a new segment on this blog that focuses on GTD (Really? Get with it.) tools and workflow management. I seem to have an unhealthy tropism for work tips and the musings of Gina Trapani. This blog will become my group therapy. Maybe next time we can all talk about the apparent uselessness of Google Wave.

Adjustment

Graphic design is a business that defies prediction. Never in a million years would I wake up and say to myself "Self ... I hope we are asked to create a retro-clock-for-a-head-guy-logo today," but we were asked that very thing just a few weeks ago.

The client (Merchant and Main - a local restaurant) described an old marketing tool they had used in the past and wanted us to recreate the "clock guy" and mesh it with the current branding. The push was for the "Attitude Adjustment Hour" - their on "happy hour" - campaign. The "Attitude Adjustment Hour" logo would appear on a pair of signs that would back the existing bar.

I have to say that I was initially skeptical about the project, but once the ball got rolling and the illustration department started cranking out sketches, I decided that we could, in fact, rock the retro-clock-head-guy-logo world. And we did.

We delivered the project last week and are all excited that the logo and the signs came out as nice as they did. The full signs can be viewed at our Picasa portfolio site under "signage."

Special thanks: TJ at Vacaville Sign*A*Rama, Lenore Lenscap and Jen, our own Septima Xenobia of illustration.

Let's also welcome our new intern, Aaron. We will be seeing some of his work pop up here and there. One day I might let him out of the cage - but no promises.

...and previews as well.

So ... get out there and drum up some business for us. What are you waiting on?

We've been really proud of some new work that we've done, including the logo and the poster for the Art, Wine and Brew Festival in Downtown Vacaville (see portfolio links) as well as a new secret project that I will hint at below. However, it's summer - and summer means many people are in-and-out of town and it's not really advertising season. That's where you come in, my loyal minions! Get out there and pound that pavement! Daddy needs a new pair of ... somethings.

The great news is that we can work on some oft-neglected long-term projects that have been patiently waiting in the wings. We will keep you all posted in the coming days. Meanwhile, THE HINT!

I want to put out a special thanks to Brian Irwin for working on the Art, Wine & Brew festival website and really respecting the artwork we created for the event. You, sir, are the man.

New Backgrounds

A personal project got through! I've been wanting to do this for a while and I finally got a few minutes to put it together. Our illustration department has done so well over the last year that I thought it was time to boost morale. No one likes a grumpy illustrator. So, everyone give Jen a big hand for making Crop Marks Illustration a success! Just so you don't miss out on the fun, you can download the backgrounds too! 1440x900 (ish)

800x600 (ish)

...and Image is Everything...

I ran across an article in an online magazine recently that said exactly everything I've been saying for years concerning logo/branding design errors. It pains me to see these mistakes made by those calling themselves "graphic designers" and it pains me even more to see business owners become the victims of designer ignorance/ineptitude. A part of me wanted to use examples from local businesses that have unknowingly taken part in these mistakes (as I know of more than a few perfect candidates), but I just couldn't make myself do it. It is unfair. A business owner doesn't have the training that a designer should. It is not their job. Their job is to make and sell widgets. So, I will post the main points and a link to the article in the hopes that the businesses that use logos that make these easily avoidable mistakes will call Crop Marks for a consultation or a quote and we can rectify the "logo mistake."

Please click the link and read the whole thing.

{/caveat}

10 Common Mistakes In Logo Design

1. Designed By An Amateur

A professional business should look professional. New business owners often invest a lot of time and money in property and equipment, but do not often match it by investing suitably in their logo.

2. Relies On Trends

Trends (whether swooshes, glows or bevels) come and go and ultimately turn into cliches. A well-designed logo should be timeless, and this can be achieved by ignoring the latest design tricks and gimmicks.

3. Uses Raster (pixel) Images

Using raster images for logos is not advisable because it can cause problems with reproduction. While Photoshop is capable of creating very large logos, you never know for sure how large you will have to reproduce your logo at some point.

4. Contains Stock Art

A logo should be unique and original, and the licensing agreement should be exclusive to the client: using stock art breaks both of these rules.

5. Designing For Yourself (the designer) Rather Than The Client

You can often spot this logo design sin a mile away; the cause is usually a designer’s enormous ego.

6. Overly Complex

When printed in small sizes, a complex design will lose detail and in some cases will look like a smudge or, worse, a mistake.

7. Relies On Color For Its Effect

Every business owner will need to display their logo in only one color at one time or another, so the designer should test to see whether this would affect the logo’s identity.

8. Poor Choice Of Font

When it comes to executing a logo, choosing the right font is the most important decision a designer can make. (AMEN, BROTHER! -ed)

9. Has Too Many Fonts

Using too many fonts is like trying to show someone a whole photo album at once. (This is the only one for which there exist some exeptions. -ed)

10. Copies Others

Copying others does no one any favors, neither the client nor the designer.

Original Article: Smashing Magazine

Portfolio Update

Well - who knew that I'd never get around to posting? Oh ... everyone.

Well, I bring good news. We have been taking advantage of the break in constant business to work on some marketing tools, such as the new look for our portfolio page.

Also in the works is a mailer piece and a co-op brochure with Roman Printing.

Another bit of good news is that we have finally contacted a web designer that may work well with our firm to create custom websites based on our graphics. We are very hopeful that this relationship will turn into real work. If so, web work will be one more service that we can provide for our clients. As we have print design and print production down to a science, web remains as the most notable missing component.

We have a very exciting project in the works that we can't yet unveil. I promise that once we are able to "show and tell" that it will be well worth the wait. Ah, why not a tease?

Medieval Fantasy Festival '09

So, here we have the images of the Logo and Poster for the Medieval Fantasy Festival 2009 edition. The sketch was done, as always, by our lovely illustrator, Jen Hodges. I took the sketches and built up from them in Illustrator (the Adobe one) using the Bezier Pen tool. This is the first year that we did not use any trace program to render the logo. There are a few photoshop effects on the logo in the poster, but I felt that they were warranted and not overly gaudy (Goudy?).