All posts from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

In preparing a proposal for a potential corporate identity project client, I was going through my archives and came across one of the great blunders that occurred in a past effort. The 1992 project, for The Governor Hotel in Portland, was one of the last times I kept my mouth shut when within my head I was screaming "silly client, you're making a huge mistake!" It made me realize that the adage "the customer is always right" is not always true.My first visit to the hotel site required donning a hard hat to tour the historic structure, which was already being renovated. Director Gus Van Sant had recently filmed a scene featuring transients around a bonfire for "My Own Private Idaho" in what was to be the lobby and, for those who recall that movie scene, the building actually looked worse when I was touring it than it did in the film. I brushed the dust off the paneling on one dark,, dirty wall to get a better look at the beautiful Arts & Crafts bell ornament inlay. I mentioned that the shape would make a great icon for the logo and the response, from one of the hotel development team, was "Oh, no, we don't want to draw attention to the Art and Crafts elements of the building. Huh? Hmmm...after numerous attempts to create a logo the final selected identity incorporated the bell-shaped image I saw on the wall that first day.Lesson learned #1: The client is not always right.After a lengthy debate about whether the official name was "Governor Hotel" or "The Governor Hotel" it was finally decided, at the last minute, the drop "The" as an identifier. I've always felt that last minute elimination left a visual "hole" in the logo design. The project moved along fairly well after that. I ended up designing more and more pieces for the hotel over a period of almost nine months. The design assignments included the stationery package, coasters, notepads, pocket inserts for the bathrobes to be in the rooms, notecards, signage, catering and event planning marketing materials, computer paper to be used by the reservations department, print ads, brochures, grand opening invitations, press passes for the opening, the hotel restaurant logo and much more. It was a great deal of fun to select the unique mixture of paper colors and textures that would be combined to create a beautiful identity system for the hotel.It then came time to select the final colors for the logo and printing of all materials. The hotel's interior designer stepped into the picture and basically demanded that specific colors be used. The PMS colors being suggested would compliment many of the interior elements of the hotel, but I knew they would look horrible on the printed materials. I could also see I was losing the battle and soon gave in out of frustration. My rep at the print house even shook his head when he saw the ink color selection. The stationery package was printed - in quantities of up to 10,000 pieces per item - and delivered to the hotel. The General Manager was stunned when he opened the box and saw the end result. He looked at me and said, "It looks like the Taco Bell Hotel!" (see above)The manager recommended that all the printed materials be scrapped and the reprinting make use of the much more subtle color scheme I had originally suggested. We were able to salvage some of the letterhead stock to be used for printing the new half sheets. I grabbed a few samples of the "Taco Bell Hotel" stationery package before all the boxes were hauled off for recycling.Lesson learned #2: When the client is wrong they may be REALLY wrong and, when you hear "silly client, you're making a huge mistake!" bouncing around inside your head, you may want to open your mouth and let your thoughts escape.The identity project for The Governor Hotel lives on to this day in materials still used by the hotel, in the Japanese book American Hotel Identity Graphics, and in David E. Carter's volume The Big Book of Designs for Letterheads and Websites.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The recent HOW/Print DesignCast "'Using Social Media as a (Free!) Marketing Tool" is now available as a download for purchase from MyDesignShop. Presented by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, the DesignCast was described in a bit more detail in a previous bLog-oMotives entry.Fisher's books Identity Crisis!: 100 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success (now a PDF on CD), previous DesignCasts, and selected past HOW Design Conference presentation audios are also available at MyDesignShop.Special Offer: Purchase one HOW/Print DesignCast (archived or upcoming) valued at $69 or more and get one FREE! Use code HOWWB08A at checkout through midnight 02.28.10© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

(Clockwise from left)Hamburger Mary'sClient: Hamburger Mary'sLocation: Seattle, WA USAA hamburger takes the form of the Space Needle in this 1991 logo for the Seattle restaurant. The design is featured in the Japanese book New Logo and Trademark Design.CrossingsClient: Crossings at the RiverhouseLocation: Bend, OR USAThe resort hotel restaurant Crossings is located on the Deschutes River at the site of a historical cattle drive crossing. Lettering in the name is "off" a bit on purpose - to give the word Crossings the look of a hand set 1800's western poster. The logo won a Drake Award from the Central Oregon Ad Club. It also appears in the books Restaurant Graphics 2, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), LogoLounge, Volume 1 and Logo Design for Small Business 2.La PatisserieClient: La PatisserieLocation: Portland, OR USAThe identity for one of the first espresso establishments in Portland, OR. It appears in the book 1000 Restaurant Bar & Cafe Graphics.Pizza LunaClient: Pizza LunaLocation: Portland, OR USARestaurant logo incorporating the desired use of Tuscan colors and an Old World Italian look. The logo is featured in the books American Corporate Identity 15, The New Big Book of Logos and New Logo World (Japan)All logo designs © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

Designer Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, recently received an email from an editor at textbook publisher Pearson Education South Asia. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Singapore, an art curriculum text for elementary school students was being produced and inclusion of Fisher's logo design concept for the Cat Adoption Team was requested.As a result, the logo appears in the textbook Perfect Match Art Primary 5, by Prisca Ko Hak Moi. The C.A.T. logo appears in a section titled "Wordplay," with lessons on logos, what different fonts convey, computer manipulation of text, and the replacing of letterforms with objects. The Cat Adoption Team design was previously recognized with a Silver Award in the Summit Creative Awards. It is featured in the books Killed Ideas, Vol. 1, Letterhead & Logo Design 11, American Graphic Design & Advertising 25, and For a Good Cause (Spain). The yet to be published volumes LogoLounge Master Library Vol. 2, Logolicious and Logo Nest 01 (Australia) will also include the design.Fisher, a 32-year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. He is currently writing the book Logo Type, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled 2011 release.The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 130 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher - the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives - was recently the guest of longtime friend, "Speakers Gone Wild" pal and "conference wife," Jeni Herberger for the live broadcast of "Talk Story with Jeni." The archived interview is now available at the link for listening or download.In addition, Herberger reflects on the recorded discussion in her blog entry "Doing What You Love To Do."Previous "Talk Story" discussions - with riCardo crespo, Worldwide Group Creative Director of Mattel, Inc; RDQLUS Creative's Steve Gordon Jr.; and Michael Lejeune, Creative Director of LA Metro - are also available at JeniHerberger.com.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) is proud to announce the release of “Coming Together”, a font created exclusively for Font Aid IV to benefit the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. The font consists entirely of ampersands, to represent the idea of people coming together to help one another. Nearly 400 type designers, graphic designers, and other artists from 37 countries around the world contributed artwork to the font.The ampersand contribution of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives (above right) was inspired by traditional Haitian art hand-cut from discarded steel drums. The vines and leaves coming from the roots in the art, signify regrowth; while the bird taking flight represents hope for the future.The font is being be sold for $20US and is available through font distributors Ascender Fonts, Veer, FontShop, and MyFonts. All proceeds from the sale of the font will go to Doctors Without Borders, to help with their relief efforts in Haiti.The “Coming Together” font contains over 400 glyphs and is supplied as a single, cross-platform OpenType font. All glyphs are accessible using OpenType-savvy applications, Unicode-savvy utilities, the Character Map utility on Windows, and FontBook on Mac OS X.Proceeds from previous Font Aid efforts have gone to UNICEF to help war and disaster refugees, benefit the victims of the September 11 tragedies in the US, and raised funds to expedite relief efforts in countries affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis. In the 2005 Font Aid III initiative, a combined program of SOTA and Building Letters, designer Jeff Fisher submitted an icon that became part of the the collaborative Fleurons of Hope typeface.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The new released book Designing for the Greater Good: The Best in Cause-Related Marketing and Nonprofit Design, by Peleg Top and Jonathan Cleveland, features an identity design by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. The designer's logo concept for the Cat Adoption Team (C.A.T.) appears in the Rockport Publishers volume.Designing for the Greater Good features interviews with leading designers who do cause-related work for all kinds of organizations. A wealth of eye-catching full-color examples include notable and memorable designs from social service campaigns and organizations around the world. Also featured is a valuable Q&A with influential designers from both government-funded and private non-profits which explores the design ideas employed, the designers' inspirations, materials, and the financial results that effective cause-related design work can achieve.Fisher's Cat Adoption Team design won a Silver Award in the Summit Creative Awards. It is featured in the books Killed Ideas, Vol. 1, Letterhead & Logo Design 11 and American Graphic Design & Advertising 25. The yet to be published LogoLounge Master Library Vol. 2, Logolicious and Logo Nest 01 (Australia) will include the design. The logo also appears in the textbook Perfect Match Art Primary 5, by Prisca Ko Hak Moi - a collaborative project of publisher Pearson Education South Asia and Ministry of Education Singapore.Fisher, a 32-year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. He is currently writing the book Logo Type, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 130 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

(Clockwise from upper left)The Food ChainClient: triangle productions!Location: Portland, OR USAThis logo for a theatrical production has been featured in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), The New Big Book of Logos, Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge - Volume 1, and New Logo: One (Singapore).Two Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter's NightClient: triangle productions!Location: Portland, OR USAThis logo for a play is one nearly 100 I have designed for one theatre company over the last 16 years. The logo appears in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), The New Big Book of Logos, Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan) and Logolicious.The Dream StateClient: triangle productions!Location: Portland, OR USA"The Dream State" is another theatrical production idenity. It won a 2002 American Graphic Design Award, and appears in the books The Big Book of Logos 4, Logos from North to South America (Spain) and 100's Visual Logos and Letterheads.triangle productions! 14 Years of Tears and CheersClient: triangle productions!Location: Portland, OR USAStylized images of the traditional drama and comedy masks make an appearance in this anniversary logo of a theatre company. It appears in the book 100s Visual Logos & Letterheads (UK).Check out other theatre logos by Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.NOTE: Many of the logos designed for theatre presentations are available for licensing through the Theatre Logos Agency.All logo designs © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

Throughout history two masks have come to symbolize theatre and its two major dramatic categories of comedy and tragedy. Such masks have played an important part in the history of drama since the time of the ancient Greeks, originally allowing actors to clearly convey emotions such as anger, joy, or sorrow to the entire large audience. Masks also made it easier for the performers, limited to the male of species, to portray female characters.During that same theatrical history the mask images were used in architecture, art, design and printing as graphic representations of stage venues, performance groups and plays. The result has been the overuse of mask imagery, in recognizeable forms, again and again.As a designer who has created theatre graphic images for over 30 years, it is a challenge when being asked to use common elements in related graphics - especially in the design of logos for theater spaces, production companies or theatrical events. When creating such identities, it is necessary to move beyond the literal to produce fresh imagery making use of ancient themes.In 1995, I was asked to design the logo for a San Francisco nonprofit using comedy performances to raise funds for AIDS organizations. The identity for Laugh Line Productions (below left) incorporated a interpretation of the comedy mask as the "U" letterform in the word "LAUGH." Today the logo looks a bit too basic and literal to me - but it is where I began to think about alternative treatments of the masks for future designs. The Laugh Line image is featured in the books Letterhead and Logo Design 4 and The Best of Letterhead and Logo Design.One of my favorite theatre logos is my design for the former Main Street Playhouse (above right) in Portland. The space was located in the old Masonic Building, designed by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi. (The building has since been completely renovated and is now part of the Portland Art Museum complex.) Outside of the building, lining the streets along the city's South Park Blocks, are beautiful cast iron street lights. While standing near the theatre one night, I realized that the globes of the light fixtures could easily become the masks of comedy and tragedy. The graphic treatment, with the human imagery almost coming across as reflections in the glass, is so subtle than many people have missed the meaning completely. Still, the design was recognized with an American Graphic Design Award and publication in the PRINT Regional Design Annual.Following the death of Portland actor (and acquaintance) Rob Buckmaster, I was asked to create a logo for the foundation established in his honor. It was a very sad time for the local theatre community, but still, thinking of Rob could immediately bring a smile to anyone's face. Once again I felt the masks of comedy and tragedy could provide a graphic solution to the design challenge. In the design the masks became a bit more graphic than in previous designs, and I purposely placed the sad image upside down to focus on the happier element within the logo. It was a widely accepted identity for the foundation. The Rob Buckmaster Fund logo appears in the books American Corporate Identity 14 and The New Big Book of Logos.Much of my logo design for the theatre has been during my relationship with the triangle productions! production company, which began back in 1990. Each new season of plays and musicals has required the creation of an anniversary logo image to be used on ticket brochures, the website, posters, ads and playbills. When it came time to design the 14th anniversary identity, I immediately saw the numeral "4" as an abstract human form that could take on the characteristics of one of the historic mask forms. With my creation of the tagline "14 years of tears & cheers," placement of the the tragedy and comedy masks was determined within the design. I have mixed feelings about the fact that most people see either the "14" or the two masks in the logo - but not both design elements. The few that do "get it" have an "aha!" moment that is very gratifying to me. The identity appears in the book 100s Visual Logos & Letterheads (UK).I wanted to present these examples to show that with a little creativity, and effort, a designer can avoid the "easy out" of just slapping very common imagery up next to some text. The result can be a unique design solution that attracts the attention of the viewer and, in some cases, draws them in for a closer second look.©2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will present the live DesignCast "Using Social Media as a (Free!) Marketing Tool" on February 18, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT. The one-hour session is sponsored by HOW and Print magazines. The registration fee is $69. Online registration, and more information, is available on the MyDesignShop.com website.Learn how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogging and more to grow your business, build networks, and reach out an international community of design peers and potential clients. Designer and author Jeff Fisher will sort through a variety social networking/media options and teach you how to use these FREE promotional activities.Jeff Fisher, author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands (HOW Books, 2007), is a 30-year design veteran. He has been honored with over 600 regional, national and international design awards and is featured in over 130 books about logos, the design business, and small business marketing. His first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success was released in 2004 and has been reissued as a PDF on CD from MyDesignShop.com. Fisher is currently writing a new volume, Logo Type: 200 Best Typographic Logos from Around the World Explained, on the topic of typography in identity design.More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The Japanese book Works in Progress: Graphics for Visual Presentations features a portion of the logo design process for Balaboosta. The following example of a logo re-design project by Jeff Fisher LogoMotives goes into a bit more detail.Local chef and restaurant owner Lisa Schroeder was opening a new traditional delicatessen on a city block where she owned two other eating establishments. Initially the new eatery was also going to display and sell artisan furniture made from reclaimed products. A polished identity was needed to represent the new business.Furniture designer Brett Bigham had created an initial image for use in promoting the establishment which would also showcase his creative efforts (above). A more stylized and finished business identity was desired by the owner of the business. Retaining the image of a waitress in the graphic was discussed, as was the incorporation of some retro restaurant imagery.With "Balaboosta" being a rather unique word, I first presented the client the word in a wide variety of typefaces - both upper and lower case for each font presented (above).The initial concepts (above) incorporated waitress imagery, a retro-like checkerboard pattern and all of the text elements desired by the client. The first two logo concepts included an oval shape - an element used in the identities of the client's tow other eating establishments.Feedback on the initial concepts led to the elimination of the waitress image. The client suggested that I concentrate on promoting the food offerings of the delicatessen within the logo design.I then decided to incorporate a cup of coffee and a bagel as replacements for the "O" letterforms in the word "Balaboosta." In addition, concepts were presented that conveyed a restaurant tabletop with coffee cups, bowl, plate and pitcher. (above) Again, one of the designs involved the inclusion of the oval shape.The oval resonated with the client and I was asked to move forward with that shape as a graphic element. The coffee cup remained within the design; while the bagel was replaced with a half sandwich and a dill pickle slice. In simplifying the design, the name Balaboosta Delicatessen was the only text retained. A variety of background treatments were presented (above).The client, who had a great understanding of design and typography, then suggested that I take a look at the font Serific/Serifa as a possible primary type treatment. Baskerville was discussed as a complimentary type selection for the word "Delicatessen" (above).The simplification of the logo design continued with the elimination of all illustrative elements. The diamond pattern background of previous concepts brought my attention to the tile pattern on the floor of the historic building housing the delicatessen. I then brought that tile pattern - and the colors of wood, paint and tile within the restaurant - into the design (above).The oval shape was a consistent element from the beginning of the process to create an identity for the Balaboosta Delicatessen. Through the process of distilling the design down to a simplified image, a final sophisticated logo was created.The client was very pleased with the final identity image and how it complimented the logos of her other restaurants. Unfortunately, the design got little use, as the eating establishment was reconcepted shortly after opening.In addition to appearing in the Works in Progress: Graphics for Visual Presentations, the Balaboosta design lives on in The Big Book of Logos 5, 1000 Restaurant Bar & Cafe Graphics and 100s Visual Logos & Letterheads (UK). It also received an American Graphic Design Award from GD:USA.Check out some other Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity re-design projects.(Note: My book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

(Clockwise from upper left)Deschutes PlumbingClient: Deschutes PlumbingLocation: Bend, OR USAThe identity for a plumbing contractor located in the resort community of Bend, OR - near the Deschutes River and the Three Sisters Mountains. It is featured in the book New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan).PavelCommClient: PavelCommLocation: Portland, OR USAA 2008 identity redesign for PavelComm, a customer service focused organization specializing in complete communications and technology solutions. Read more information about this logo design project.KIOTIClient: KIOTI Tractor, Inc.Location: Portland, OR USAIn 1985, I participated the naming process for a tractor company, importing an equipment line manufactured by Daedong of South Korea. Once the name was confirmed, I created the initial identity for the business.Buttonberry BooksClient: Buttonberry BooksLocation: Lebanon, NJ USALogo for a book publishing company. The identity appears in the books New Logo World (Japan), Logo Design for Small Business 2, and Logos from North to South America (Spain).Check out additional Jeff Fisher LogoMotives business logo designs.All logo designs © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.