Quote | Scott Adams + The 'Work-From-Home-Together' Party

This morning I'm having a 'Work-From-Home-Together Party'. I've invited all of my local friends and colleagues who are self-employed, like me, to come over and play office at my house. We all lead pretty isolated work lives - which is not always a bad thing - but I thought it would be interesting to make mistakes into art together. There are going to be cinnamon rolls, lots of coffee, get-to-work sort of music, snacks and shop talk. Regardless of how much work we get done (keep in mind we are women and we work alone most of the time which means CHIT CHAT!), we will have a small work community for the day. And I'm definitely looking forward to that. See you soon, ladies!

Mark Terry | Identity System +

Well, we're getting there! Mark's MFA Thesis Exhibition is quickly approaching. And we're just ahead of the game with all of his identity system pieces and gallery graphics - produced and ready to roll. Here's a quick glance at what we've been working on: an official wordmark, stamps of this wordmark to use in on a variety of materials (one with his address, one with his tagline), business cards and show cards....there's more, but you'll have to wait until the show's up for those shots. It's going to be beautiful.

I love stamps. They're super versatile and really fun. There's something so satisfying about inking some rubber and branding it all over the place. Letters, labels, packaging, note cards, even forearms and foreheads...!?

The image on the business card (and his blog header) is one taken at a Noble Hill Anagama firing. It features Mark instructing a student - the story of his life! If a picture says 1,000 words, this is it.

The show card features one of the 13 ceramic sculpture pieces that will be a part of the show: Alchemy | Born of Fire.

You can read more about Mark in this previous blog post. Or on his blog. Cheers!

Bakery D'Amour | Sneak Peek

There's something new and exciting coming from the same people who brought you French Press in Salem, Oregon: a bakery! It's going to be the best bakery on the West Coast. For. Sure. When we started the logo-creation process, I had the team give me a list of adjectives they would use to describe what the bakery will be like. (It's currently under construction.) This is what we ended-up with: French (obviously), Delicious, Quality, Creative, Classy, Top-Drawer, Family-Inspired, Tucked into the Neighborhood, All Made From Scratch, Friendly and Fun (and we knew we wanted a bakery bike in there somewhere). What a great list. I used these adjectives along with lots of research to inspire me along the logo-creation road. And inspired I was! As you can see below, we've got a lot of options. Some are very similar; all are rooted in the business goals and objectives. This is more than I usually show a client for the first round, but seriously, how could I cut any of them from the running!? Any one of them could be successful, but the challenge is choosing only one to take us forward. So.....tell us what you think! What's your vote? (You'll probably have to click on each set so it enlarges to really examine them enough to decide.)

I am so honored to be working with the French Press + Bakery D'Amour team. They've got a exceptional vision for some extraordinary additions to Salem. I can't wait to see Bakery D'Amour come to life. Stay tuned....and cast your vote! (If you'd like to see more identity work from StudioM, visit www.studiompdx.com)

Malarie Ann Capell | Art on Peoples' Heads

My sister is an artist. With color and cuts, that is. She's a super stylissimo. So, it only makes sense for her to have a super promotional piece she can use when on the hunt for a new job. And that's what she's got! We sat down yesterday and pumped this out and it turned out great. It's being printed as we speak...I can't wait for her to take it out on the streets! Go, Mal-Mal!

Happy Birthday, Shanty!

Shanty is turning one! Hip-hip-horray!

And there's more to cheer about because Maggie, the lovely owner of the quaint boutique (and my client) has decided to throw a party to celebrate. Tasty treats, special deals on special drinks and a gift with purchase. July 1. All day long. (Although the garden party starts at 4pm.)

What's more: Visit www.shantyboutique.blogspot.com - Once you see the anniversary post, comment on it to have your name entered in a drawing! Happy Birthday, Shanty - Happy Day, Everyone. Maggie, you have given all of us such a great place to shop, party and play. We're celebrating you just as much as the shop on July 1!

You can read more about Shanty here and here.

Wind Power is the coolest thing ever.

I’ve been learning a lot about this renewable energy resource and I’m just enthralled. Wind power is a conversion of energy. Turbines are used to harness the power of the wind and convert it into usable electricity. A piece of property with numerous turbines strategically placed across it is called a wind farm. Wind farms are typically connected to an electric power transmission network which allows the electricity to be accessible to consumers. Wow.

The northern crest of the Columbia Gorge in the Northwest is lined with turbines. They look like countless little white pinwheels. In reality, they’re about 442 feet tall from the base to the tip of the rotor. And they're amazing! Modern wind turbines are equipped with high-tech computers that process over 200 types of data - from wind speeds and oil temperature to voltage dips on the grid.

About 85,000 people are employed in the wind industry today. As of May 2009, eighty countries have implemented wind power. Wind energy is a growing industry. This isn't news to Windlab Systems. They are a global wind energy development company based in Australia and they've been identifying, securing and developing sites since 2003.

I was connected to Windlab Systems through Alisa Patterson, their Regional Director for the Western United States. Since they’re in the business of leasing land for the construction of wind turbines, they needed some communication materials to help them do their job. That’s where I came in. We’ve been working on establishing a style for Windlab and applying that style to several printed communication pieces. The first is a presentation folder.

This is the job you may have seen on press here last week.

Windlab will now be even better-equipped to continue as an international leader in the wind industry. Thank you for involving me in the process - I heart wind power!

We all know I'm a fan of Mark Terry. But I'm not the only one!

I've already dedicated a post to the ravings about Mark Terry, but he deserves another. (Or a hundred. At least.) He was just named the 2010 Oregon Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the Oregon Art Education Association. He was shocked, but none of us were the least bit surprised. You can read more about it in the George Fox News Releases. I've had the privilege of learning from and working with Mark over the last 8 years. He certainly deserves the official recognition. Hats off to you, Mark!!!

You can learn more about what he's up to on his blog: www.markterryalchemist.blogspot.com

And I'll be posting lots more as his MFA Thesis Exhibition Show in Azusa approaches. We've been working on all of the promotional materials and signage...it's going to be so cool.

Can chicken tweet? Absolutely.

Twitter is taking over the world. Even the wonderful world of Kentucky Fried Chicken...at least in Clark County. The local franchisee, Scott Dickinson, asked if I could help him make his Twitter profile page more snazzy. 'Sure!' I said. Sad to say, at that point I hadn't even hatched into the land of Twitter. I know, I was so behind the times. So I spread my wings, signed myself up (@megjoyclark if you want to follow!), and figured out how to customize a profile. Now, Dickinson Northwest is the coolest tweeting franchise on the block (@kfcdnw). It's pretty easy when you're armed with vintage photos of the Colonel himself. How cool is that!?

Scott, thanks for keeping me hip. Tweeting is sweet. But it's especially sweet when a client tweets some love my way! I honestly didn't realize @megjoyclark was getting world-wide kudos until long after I snagged this screen shot. Thanks again! Now all of you go eat some chicken. Or at least follow one.....

Weber-Capell Wedding | Signage

Just like any event, a wedding requires signage. It helps things go smoothly, foot traffic flow freely and the wedding coordinator stay happy. Plus, it's just plain fun to create. My sister got married this past weekend; the venue was my parents' home, so signage was a must. We made little signs, big signs, long signs and square signs. For everything. They were cheeky, informal, fun and reflective of the couples' personality. And of course, it all matched the previously printed wedding pieces (that you can see here if you'd like). The real reason the bride and groom were grinning ear-to-ear is because they were so happy with how all of the wedding design work turned out. (I wish. But not really.)

It was more like: 'This was sangria.' 

Brown Printing + Windlab | Press Check

This morning Alisa Patterson of Windlab Systems and I got to press check a project we've been working on for the past few months. I don't want to give too much away, so you'll have to wait until the project's done and I can post more to learn more about Windlab and the part they play in the amazing wind power industry. Meanwhile, I want to share some shots from today's press check. We're working with Brown Printing in Portland, Oregon. I go to them for many of my projects - especially those with shorter runs. Brown consistently offers above-average quality - from customer service to craftsmanship.

L: Isn't color a beautiful thing? This project is being run with 5 colors. 4-color build + a spot color.

R: It's running on Brown's new Komori press. Pretty + clean.

L: That's what 1,000 sheets of paper looks like all stacked up.

R: Since I can't show you the finished piece yet, here's a little peek at one of the plates. Believe it or not, Brown uses a chemistry-free process for plating. They're one of only a few who do in the Portland area.

And I just had to share these so you can see the contrast between the new press and the old presses. 

L: There's a father-and-son pressmen team working on letter press.

R: The Heidelberg letter press is dirty, old, loud and smells like years of ink and paper. I love it.

Brown gets a blue ribbon from me. Call them next time you need something printed.

And if you like learning about the printing process and are craving more, you should check out Pocket Pal, a little handbook produced by International Paper. It's the perfect 'handy book of graphics arts production'. No wonder it's currently in it's 20th edition! 

Boone Bridge Books | Logo Facelift

My dear friend and business partner, Jennifer Mele, brought a wonderful client to the ad agency we previously worked for. It's an online book retailer called Boone Bridge Books. They came to us with a newly designed logo that they were all very excited about. We were happy they loved their logo, but there were several issues with the graphic that had to be addressed:

1) Firstly, they're a web-based company. Therefore, their logo is seen in a digital format more often than not. Drop shadows and small type are typically hard to use in that medium; readability is king. 

2) Also, there was a lot of repetition: 3 large 'B's, 'Boone Bridge Books', and 'boonebridgebooks.com'. It was sort of like three logos in one. Don't get me wrong, I really love repetition. It's a crucial element of design. I just don't love it in a logo. Simplicity is key.

3) Finally, they had experienced some confusion coming from their clientele about the 'L' in the logo. Do you see it? It was never intended to be perceived as an 'L'. But people would ask, "What does 'LB' stand for?" Confusion should be prevented by a logo, not created.

So, we took a deep breath and asked if they would mind us taking a crack at a few new renditions. They said, "Um....sure. Why not!" And off we went. After countless versions, this is what we presented and Boone Bridge Books chose to represent their company (it happened to be my favorite, too - love that) :

What we kept:

- Red color (PMS186 if you were wondering)

- Typeface choice 

- Book icon

What we changed:

- Drop shadow was extracted

- The repetition was eliminated (Instead of including the entire url, simply added '.com' below the company name)

- The final type was finessed

- The book icon was simplified to an elegant chevron-like shape

Boone Bridge Books was really happy with their logo facelift. That made Jennifer and I happy, too. And it gets even better. We were able to produce an entire identity system based on the adapted logo. Beautiful. 

Next time you need a book, visit boonebridgebooks.com!