All posts from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The identity for Portland design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is one of the new typographic images illustrating the recently released third edition of the book Type Rules!: The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography, by educator and expert Ilene Strizver of The Type Studio. The volume was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Type Rules! is a practical guide to understanding type and how to use it effectively. It is intended for beginners and advanced professionals alike, and covers a broad range of topics. The new edition includes:• New information on OpenType, font management utilities, font web sites, and interactive typography.• An expanded history of type and an updated glossary of key terms.• Exercises throughout to help reinforce the concepts presented in the book.• A wealth of tried-and-true as well as recently developed type tips.• More in-depth type issues, including scaling logos.The featured logo was selected after author Strizver made use of her Twitter account @TheTypeStudio to request "type-centric images and design" examples for the new edition of her book. Fisher contacted Strizver, provided a link to a Flickr gallery of his identity work, and the author selected the identity representing the logo design firm.The Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity also appears in Letterhead and Logo Design 5, American Corporate Identity/14, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), the 1998 PRINT Regional Design Annual, The New Big Book of Logos, PRINT’s Best Logos & Symbols 6, Logo Design for Small Business 2, The Big Book of Business Cards, Logos from North to South America (Spain), New Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan), and The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success.Fisher, a 30+ 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: 200 Best Typographic Logos from Around the World Explained, 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 140 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

[Over the 30+ years I've worked professionally as a designer, interesting side stories have come up about my identity designs. This is one of an ongoing series of "Logodotes" - anecdotes about my logo designs.]In 1980, my first year out of college, ad agency owner Al Bauer asked me to design a logo to identify his firm. Bauer had been toying with the idea of using an abstract image to represent the company. In fact, he'd even considered making use of an abstract painting created by his daughter, artist Marlene Bauer. The pre-digital printing expense of reproducing a four-color image led to the client quickly changing his mind about the possibility.The initial concept (above left) evolved out of my interest in the minimalist logo imagery I studied in school during the 1970's. Many logos of the time were simple, somewhat heavy, and involved geometric forms. The client almost immediately selected this particular design. I was told that he appreciated its abstract representation of how advertising was often a very orderly discipline - until something went completely out of whack.A couple of weeks later an excited Bauer called me, having just realized the design was in actuality very abstract lower-case a and b letterforms (visually defined above right).© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Over the past 15 years, my work, writings and comments have appeared in nearly 140 books. I try to keep track of such things; making others aware of great design and business resources in the process. However, once in while I will come across published surprises in bookstores, online or even through the use of the Google book search tool.It was through a Google book search, a couple of months ago, that I first became aware of my inclusion in the book The Art of Self Promotion, written by marketing expert Ilise Benun. I had not previously seen or heard about the book at all.Benun and I do have a history of using each other as a source in books and articles, and speaking at the same conferences. She used me as a resource in her books Self Promotion Online and The Designer's Guide To Marketing And Pricing (written with mutual friend Peleg Top), in the HOW Magazine article eSelf Promotion, and in her Art of Self Promotion newsletter. Benun provided valuable information for my first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success (now available as a PDF on CD).The two of us have been able to keep in touch over the years through multiple invitations to speak at the annual HOW Design Conference. I was also honored to make a presentation at the first Creative Freelancer Conference, an event coordinated by HOW Magazine and Benun's own firm, Marketing Mentor.It was a real pleasure to see Benun at the recent How Design Conference in Denver. Seeing each other also gave me an opportunity to ask about the book The Art of Self Promotion.It turns out that the book is a compilation of past articles from The Art of Self Promotion newsletter, published by Benun's own Marketing Mentor Press. The Art of Self Promotion is packed with valuable self promotion suggestions and examples. My own inclusion is in regards to the use of my "Toot! Toot!" press releases in marketing my design and writing efforts.Benun was kind enough to give me a copy of the book when we last met. I would strongly recommend that all creative professionals get themselves a copy of The Art of Self Promotion - a great tutorial in marketing and promotion tactics.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

(Clockwise from upper left)Rob Buckmaster FundClient: Rob Buckmaster Fund/Equity FoundationLocation: Portland, OR USAThis logo was created in honor of an actor friend who died of AIDS and a scholarship fund was established in his name. I've always been very happy with the comedy/drama mask image within the identity - and kind of frustrated with the heart/letterspacing of the text elements. The logo appears in the books American Corporate Identity 14 and The New Big Book of Logos.Peninsula Clean TeamClient: Peninsula Clean TeamLocation: Portland, OR USAThis logo for a neighborhood clean-up organization needed to appeal to children and adults. It appears in the books The New Big Book of Logos and Logos from North to South America (Spain).Esther's PantryClient: Esther's PantryLocation: Portland, OR USAA graphic representation of my own great-grandmother gave the Esther's Pantry logo its personality. The image appears in the PRINT Regional Design Annual.Hospice of HumboldtClient: Hospice of HumboldtLocation: Eureka, CA USAThis identity represents an in-home hospice care organization in the Humboldt region of Northern California. The design won a Bronze in the Summit Creative Awards and appears in The New Big Book of Logos, The Big Book of Design for Letterheads and Websites, and Logos from North to South America (Spain).All logo designs © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

Six identity designs by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, are included in the recently released book LogoLounge Master Library, Volume 2: 3000 Animal and Mythology Logos. The volume, produced by the web presence LogoLounge and Rockport Publishers, features over 3000 logo design examples from around the world.The selected logos include images for the triangle productions! theatrical presentation When Pigs Fly, Portland company Black Dog Furniture Design and a Fall Thesis celebration for Reed College. One of the designer's first logo creations, created for the Chinese Student Association while a student at the University of Oregon, is also highlighted in the new volume. In addition, designs for greeting card firm Good Pig, Bad Pig and a multi-award winning concept for the Cat Adoption Team are featured.Fisher, a 30+ 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 LogoType, 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 140 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

This year HOW Magazine sponsored the first HOW Logo Design Awards competition. I was honored to be asked to judge the magazine's first event of this kind.Over 800 student and professional identity designs were submitted to the competition. It would be my responsibility to choose ten logos to be honored. Thankfully, the Editors and staff of HOW Magazine initially reviewed and selected about 350 logos for me to judge personally. The winning designs have been announced and posted on the HOW website.Here's a bit of a recap, with my brief comments:• Hayneedle (Design by: Lippincott - USA) - "Simplicity at its best—in type treatment and graphic elements."• Thomas & Gray (Design by: 22squared - USA) - "Hitting the mark in creating a logo meant to convey 'distinction, tradition and timeless elegance.'”• Dirty Ice Cream (Design by: Dirty Ice Cream Design - Phillipines) - "A beautifully executed, retro type treatment that beckons the viewer deeper into the design."• Thomas & Gray (Design by: Willoughby Design - USA) - "A major player in identity design shows how it's done—all while taking a chance on a non-traditional logo treatment to represent itself."• New Sheridan Hotel (Design by: Urban Influence - USA) - "The history, culture and Western sophistication of Telluride, CO, are communicated in a crisp, modern presentation."• Airplot (Design by: Airside - UK) - "This is a unique and intriguing, modular logo that allows for multiple uses and adaptations as needed."• Lan Su Chinese Garden (Design by: Sockeye Creative - USA) - "This is an eye-catching, designerly twist on traditional Chinese imagery."• Bronx Zoo Student Project (Design by: Carrie Madigan - USA) - "Inviting child-like imagery is in this logo, but there’s much more to be seen when taking a second look."• Michael Bach Gastroenterologists (Design by: Josef Stapel Design - Germany) - "Never has the human digestive system been portrayed so elegantly—very clever letterform play."• Renaud Merle (Blackbird) (Design by: Renaud Merle - France) - "A graphic smile delivered through two “r” letterforms creating a subliminal “m” with the extra treat of a fun blackbird image."In addition, I wrote: "Over all, I was very pleased with the originality, execution and attention to detail exhibited in the hundreds of logos reviewed. Many designers submitted excellent showcase pieces that successfully conveyed their illustration talents, design skills and type treatment expertise."If I have any general criticisms, they are that a number identity designers need to break away from following current trends to create logos that may have greater longevity as an identifying symbol. And as entrants were given the opportunity, a short description or explanation of the logo submissions would have been very helpful as a judging tool for quite a few examples."Three of the final logos selected caught my eye on my very first review of all of the submissions. Narrowing the entries down to 100 logos was difficult; to 50 a real challenge; and to 20 was nearly impossible. I feel the 10 final logos selected represent the best of the best. After making my final selections, I was pleased to learn that five countries, large and small firms, and a student designer were represented.”© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The Stumptown Clowns identity, by Jeff Fisher - Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives - has been recognized with Silver honors in the Summit Creative Awards. The awards honor and celebrate the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative companies throughout the world with annual billings of under $25 million. Thousands of entries, from 25 countries, were submitted for consideration this year. Since 1998, Fisher has received 18 of the Summit Creative Awards honors, in a variety of categories.After attending Clown School in 2009, and becoming a member of the Portland Rose Festival Amtrak Cascades Character Clown Corps, the designer and several clown pals opted to form the Stumptown Clowns troupe for non-festival public appearances. When the name was adopted, Fisher immediately visualized a graphic clown face within the needed letterforms.Judges for the 2010 Summit Creative Award were from both large and small-size companies including J. Walter Thompson USA, Inc.; Promoseven McCann Relationship Marketing; Pixel & Co.; Bates Ukraine; Wieden & Kennedy; Hal Riney and Partners; Strategy & Beyond, Turner Studios; Grey Advertising; MWW/Savitt; TBWA/Chiat/Day; Young and Rubicam; Leo Burnett; NYU; Turner Studios; Mfx, Inc.; Ogilvy; XM; and Saatchi & Saatchi.Earlier this year the Stumptown Clowns logo received an American Graphic Design and Advertising Award.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 in 2011.The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 140 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 SentinelClient: The SentinelLocation: Portland, OR USAA logo redesign for a monthly North Portland neighborhood newspaper involved combining letterforms from two typefaces, Boca Raton and Rockwell, to create a unique type treatment of the word "Sentinel." A third typeface, Helvetica Neue, was introduced for the line of location text. The design appears in the book American Graphic Design & Advertising 25.Read more about the redesign of The Sentinel identity.Chorus QuarterlyClient: Seattle Men's ChorusLocation: Seattle WA USAFollowing my design of the logo for the Seattle Men's Chorus, I created the identity and format for the organization's quarterly membership publication, CQ. Bodoni FB Bold Condensed was used for the large letters, with some customization on the "Q." The name was spelled out in Avant Garde.Just OutClient: Just Out NewsmagazineLocation: Portland, OR USAThe redesign of the identity for this statewide newsmagazine, for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities, gave the publication a fresh, contemporary look. The type used was Gill Sans. The logo won an American Corporate Identity 22 award. It also appears in The Big Book of Logos 5, 100's Visual Logos and Letterheads and Basic Logos (Spain).Read more about the Just Out logo.Multnomah Monthly MagazineClient: Multnomah Monthly MagazineLocation: Portland, OR USAThe typefaces Italia and Souvenir Outline were used in the early 1980's to create the identity for this art and literary publication. Dry transfer lettering was used at the time.All logo designs © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

[Over the 30+ years I've worked professionally as a designer, interesting side stories have come up about my identity designs. This is one of an ongoing series of "Logodotes" - anecdotes about my logo designs.]Jane Winks Kilkenny passed away, at the age of 98, in December 2009. For nearly five decades she managed the day-to-day operations of a Portland institution W.C. Winks Hardware. I first met her in 1996, following her retirement, when daughter Anne Kilkenny hired me to design an identity for the business, which had been without a logo throughout its previous 87-year-old history. In one of our early interactions, Mrs. Kilkenny bluntly informed me that she didn't like the new logo at all.W.C. Winks Hardware was established in 1909 by William Caldwell Winks and his daughter Jane stepped in to run the business upon his death in 1945. In 1996, his grand-daughter Anne Kilkenny provided me with one of the few existing photos of the founder (above left) as a possible centerpiece for the first logo for the hardware store.In designing the symbol I hoped to convey a historical perspective for the retail establishment. Making use of ovals with banners, to showcase a stylized representation of Winks, graphically hinted at the turn-of-the-century founding of the business. The typefaces Horndon, Copperplate Gothic 33 and Copperplate Gothic 31 added to conveying a look of the time.When the finished logo (above right) was presented to Anne Kilkenny, she was very pleased, and told me "it looks like the logo that would have represented the store when it opened in 1909." Shortly thereafter, at the Winks Hardware annual holiday party for customers and staff, Jane Winks Kilkenny told me, "I don't like the logo at all; it doesn't look anything like my father."In 2001, Winks Hardware moved from its long-time Pearl District location to a much larger building in the city's Central Eastside Industrial District. The logo was prominently displayed on the front of the building as signage. Anne Kilkenny and her husband Jon Naviaux drove her mother by to see the completed new location of W.C. Winks Hardware. "The logo looks really good," was her first comment.The W.C. Winks Hardware logo became an element of an anniversary image in 2009 when the store celebrated 100 years in operation (above).Since its introduction the Winks Hardware logo has appeared in the books American Corporate Identity/14, New Business Card Graphics 2 (Japan), Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge - Volume 1, Logo Design for Small Business 2, Logos from North to South America (Spain), 1000 Retail Graphics and The Best of Letterhead and Logo Design.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is cited as an expert in the new book Design Matters: Portfolios 01: An Essential Primer for Today's Competitive Market. The volume, released by Rockport Publishers, was written by Maura Keller of Keller Ink.Design Matters: Portfolios 01 defines the core elements of self-promotion and portfolio creation and provides the insights graphic designers need to showcase their work in unique and creative ways. Case studies demonstrate the different techniques designers use to create successful portfolios for different audiences and measure the results of those efforts. The book also details how often portfolios should be updated and distributed and determine workable budgets to produce a great portfolio.Fisher offers recommendations for portfolio creation and presentation in a book contribution titled "Portfolio Must Haves: Knowing when to stop and when to go." His expertise is recognized as the author of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career, now available in a PDF format on CD from publisher HOW Books.In addition to freelance writing for more than 50 publications for the past 10 years, author Maura Keller was a marketing communications writer for the award-winning design firm, Yamamoto Moss in Minneapolis. She has also written extensively on marketing and business-related topics for regional and national consumer and trade publications.Fisher, a 32-year design industry veteran, is also the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. He is currently writing the book Logo Type, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release in 2011.The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 140 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

Recently, I took another look at a fantastic gift I received from Liz and Nena, the co-owners of St. Johns Booksellers and hosts of the 2007 Portland book-signing for the release of my book Identity Crisis! Their store sells new and used books - and they are always having a wide variety of books - from estates, house cleanings and other sources - being added to their inventory.Among books coming into the establishment was a copy of the 1916 book Trademark Power: An Expedition into an Unprobed and Inviting Wilderness by Glen Buck. The volume, published 94 years ago by Munroe & Southworth in Chicago, even contained its original sales sheet of promotional blurbs (below left); with the notice that the volume was "Not for sale at book stores. One dollar a copy." The shop owners both immediately felt the book would be the perfect gift for me.Considering the age of the book, it is incredible to see so many recognizable brands and identities. Of course, some have suffered their own identity crises and evolved over time. Still, Heinz, Western Union, Nabisco, Sherwin Williams, Dutch Cleanser, Yale Locks, RCA, Paramount Pictures, Dutch Boy Paints, Lysol, Log Cabin Syrup, Firestone Tires, Eagle Brand, and many other identities appear throughout Trademark Power (one page of examples is displayed below right). There are also many logo examples for firms that have disappeared over the past century.Chapter 32 of the book covers what constitutes a good trademark - and things to be avoided when designing the identity to be trademarked. The author's list of things which may be avoided is as follows:First - Common and familiar forms do usually make good trademarks, for they lack distinction. The circle, the square, the crescent, the star, the diamond. the heart, the oval, the shield, the cross, all have long ago been usurped and are burdened with significances.Second - If one is anxious to aquire legal title to a trademark her will not have it resemble any other trademark, nor will he put in it any descriptive phrase or name.Third - Flags and emblems of all nations, the established devices of societies, associations and institutions should be avoided as not legally usable or protectible.Fourth - Complicated and confused pictures or devices do not make good trademarks, because they cannot be seen and comprehended at a glance. As they lack simplicity they lack strength.Fifth - A good trademark will not depend upon any color arrangement for its effect, at it will undoubtedly be necessary to reproduce it in many places where color cannot be used.Sixth - It is advisable to avoid designs that are higher than they are wide. A "tall" trademark is often difficult to fit into attractive and harmonious layouts.Seventh - A trademark should be capable of reproduction in all engraving processes, by zincs, half-tones, and the different offset and lithographic methods, that it may be well printed on all kinds of paper and other printable materials.Eighth - If the trademark is not as simple as it can be made, and carefully proportioned in all its parts, it may be impossible to reduce it to small sizes without losing the design, or to increase it to large sizes without rendering it ugly.Ninth - Care should be taken to evolve a design that will not print too black or too light, for undoubtedly it will be used with many styles of lettering and kinds of type faces.Tenth - Designs that have only a temporary significance should be discarded. They may be meaningless, absurd, or quite impossible of use tomorrow.Eleventh - That which is vulgar, repulsive, or ugly will never make a good trademark. Also one should be extremely cautious in the use of comic motifs.Twelfth - It will save expense and trouble, and perhaps prevent disappointment, if the work of designing the trademark is put into trained and understanding hands. It is work that can't be hurriedly done in an idle moment by one who has not conception of the importance of the task.This advice is nearly a century old and, with all the advancements in the design industry and technology over that period of time, it is surprising that most of the recommendations are still very valid for today's identity designers.In closing his book, author Buck writes:The new manufacturer who does not bring into being a good trademark at the time his venture is launched, even though it may not at once be conspicuously used, is neglecting a real opportunity to add to his tangible assets.And the established manufacturer who has not now a good trademark stands in pressing need of one.The trademark is not a panacea for every business ill. But it is a fundamentally important part of the business equipment that is to serve efficiently in the new order.Thank you again, Nena and Liz, for the incredible gift of yet another interesting and historical perspective on identity, branding and trademarks. It's a great addition to my personal design library of nearly 400 volumes.© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The newly released book For a Good Cause, coordinated and written by design firm Cactus Disseny, 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 volume from Spanish publisher Index Book.For a Good Cause is a collection of the best socially conscious design from around the world. Index Book originally set out to produce a book of only pro bono projects, but later decided to expand the concept to any design done with a good cause in mind. The projects featured were created to show that it is possible to make a better, more beautiful world and simultaneously convey the message of a cause-focused business or organization. The 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, Designing for the Greater Good: The Best in Cause-Related Marketing and Nonprofit Design 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. Fisher is currently writing a new volume, Logo Type: 200 Best Typographic Logos from Around the World Explained, about typography in identity design. It is scheduled for a 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.Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Board of Advisors, HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and Art Institute of Portland Professional Advisory Council, and is a past member of the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. The designer also writes for HOW Magazine, other industry publications, and many webzines and blogs. In addition, Fisher is a nationally-recognized speaker, making numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups. Graphic Design USA magazine named Jeff Fisher one of the design industry “People to Watch” in 2009.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