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It was difficult for me to take myself seriously as a logo designer without having my own logo. Logo work requires a step back, examining the business and the goal from an outsider’s perspective. It’s simpler to design a logo for a company that is not mine, as I discovered in this long process.

The first thing I did was take a good look at what I wanted from my business and what my business represented. When I originally came up with the idea and brand of “True Northe” it was older, more traditional, with a spinning compass that represented finding the right design direction. Continue reading

When I tell clients that a logo is important, one of two things happen: they’re completely on board and excited to get started on creating a graphical representation of their company or organization, or there’s head-scratching and ho humming.

This post is for both types of clients. Continue reading

Two years ago, when I was a fresh, budding freelance designer, I was hired to recreate the web site for Issac Anderson’s law firm. For the rest of the article I’m going to refer to my client as Isaac instead of Mr. Anderson. Those in the pop culture know can probably guess why.

Isaac’s web site was originally built in Flash, and while it was certainly interactive, it did not allow for easy updating and wasn’t search friendly. It was my job to create a site that fit with his existing brand, but also gave web viewers a sense of trust and friendliness that Isaac’s firm exudes. Continue reading

I’ve been writing for years, sometimes when I should have been listening to my professors, doing homework, conducting research, or sleeping. When I first started, like starting anything new, I wasn’t very good. I thought I was good, but looking back at the things I wrote (published on the internet under a moniker) I cringe.

All of my free time was spent writing. During my college years I wrote two novel length stories (one exceeded 500,000 words), and right after college I was hired as a technical writer. Through all these years of both personal and professional experience, I have learned a few things that I need to share.

The biggest lesson: don’t try so hard. Continue reading

One of the most common requests from clients is “we want something clean and professional.” It’s an understandable request, because all businesses want to portray themselves as a professional entity. After all, graphic design is all communication.

But sometimes being “clean and professional” comes out boring. Fear of misinterpretation by their customer base drives the need to be the norm, to not take risks. What results are a lot of companies that look the same, that have the same brand message of we’re safe, we’re normal, we’re the average. What I have learned in being a graphic designer is how much passion people have for their businesses. They want to stand out, they want to be different, but they hold back. Continue reading

In my FAQ section, I say that web sites are different, like cars, so they are not priced the same. That’s not to say that a smaller web site is going to cost the same as a cheap car, or a large, sophisticated site will set you back a few hundred thousand bucks. Some web sites are very small, just a few pages, with very simple functionality, while other sites are larger, with fancy dash clocks, more horsepower, and flappy panel gearboxes. That being said, there is a price range. Continue reading

Ever see a brochure, business card, or web site with a lot of boxes? Maybe they have rounded corners, maybe they don’t. How did it look to you? Did it feel a bit crowded?

Boxes aren’t necessarily a bad thing. When done correctly, they help to call attention to elements, contain information that is different from the rest, and help to organize. A good example of boxes gone right is the Apple web site. Everything is well organized, proportioned, and clean. The rounded boxes create order and hierarchy, making it one of the better web sites out there. And I’m not just saying that because I love Apple products (though I really, really do). Continue reading