new name / new business-y stuff

Oh, change. It's exciting, always. But let's be honest: It also almost always looses it's charm before long. Once I incorporated the studio under a new name, I had to got to tackle the colossal chore of updating all of my business communication documents (that's just a fancy word for things like business cards, letterhead, invoices, envelopes and other business-y stuff). Let me tell you: a dirty chore it is.

Happily, I've waded all the way through and things are looking pretty darn bright from this side of the to-do list.

See those business cards? They're just one of the pieces I'm proud to unveil for Clark & Co. (You probably saw the website placeholder last week.)

Studio Olivine so kindly partnered with me to letterpress the cards; I can now turn my logo loose in the real world. Next time you see me, ask for one. Then, you can turn it into a keychain, necklace pendant, hang tag, gift tag, dog tag or any other kind of tag you'd like. It's ridiculous fun, right? (Read about the luxury and awesomeness of letterpress from some previous client work while you're here.)

Friends and clients, thanks for bearing with me through this transition. Even if we don't work together, I'm (sadly) certain you've been subject to a look and/or word that contained a tinge of my self-inflicted suffering. Being self-employed is hard work! Fortunately, it's also completely worth all the work that's hard. As for the work that's not hard....er....well....that's conversation's for another day.

:)

Clark & Co.

The studio site placeholder's finally up, people. Hallelujah. Who remembers when I had a full portfolio site? Yeah, me either. That day will come. For now, I'm still working through the adrenaline rush of getting my new logo finalized. I'll be moving everything over to clark-and-co.com and theexceptionalcreative.com, but will be sure to announce it all here, too, so you can follow along if you'd like. Until then, let's not let summer run away from us. Go!

Hiatus

I'm in the thick of a studio re-brand, a rhino-sized personal project (or two or three or four) and what feels like a bazillion other exciting things with my clients, so until I can paddle my way up and resurface with the tide, I'm taking a blog break. You'll still hear from me now and again, but not with the rhythm you normally would. (If you can't bear the thought of my silence - ha - I will still be posting over at hi, friend.) As much as I have disdain for bloggers commenting on their post frequency or infrequency, tardiness and rational for that tardiness, I feel like 1) this little alert is owed to those reading and 2) I won't actually be able to free myself from the compulsion to post unless I make a statement here. Whew. So there it is.

My sincere apologies for those of you who, like me, hate this flavor of commentary.

Now it's over and you can move on with your day.

Oh, but one more thing. That's my new logo up there.

Sincerely,
mc

New Studio Client: Freedom Fashionistas

I'm happy to announce a relatively new client here at StudioM/Clark & Co: Freedom Fashionistas! There's no website to direct you to yet, as FF is a freshly-born idea from Rose Corazza and Niecy Locricchio out of Denver, Colorado. After many logo renditions through the logo development process, we landed on a flair-filled wordmark (using a typeface called Satisfaction by Andrew Leman) as shown above.

Here's an excerpt from the creative brief, created by Jim Terry, owner and copywriter at The Mother Ship:

"Freedom Fashionistas is an organization started in 2010 as a vehicle to provide economic opportunity and stability for women in need by bringing their products to the marketplace. Our goal is to make a difference in the world by focusing on women – particularly women freed from or at risk for Human Trafficking.

Our first project is a sewing center with a product line of pajama pants. FF will provide the fabric and necessary materials to sew the product. The women will receive a fair-wage price for each piece, with an additional amount set aside in a bank account. These funds will be disbursed to the woman upon completing the program being provided by our partner agency – and can be used to help a woman start a business, pay for school, or find housing.

Through partnerships with like-minded organizations, Freedom Fashionistas will collaborate to meet the spiritual, emotional and economic needs of women to offer hope, so that each woman, along with her children, will experience what it means to be truly free."

Several other logo options that came from the exploration:

Simple Identity Design Showdown on Facebook

Friends!

Remember that little shoe company logo I was working on? Okay, so maybe it's not so little. It's actually a really big deal. Round 2's wrapped up and all the logo submissions are officially up on Simple's facebook page.

Visit their "You vs. Agency" tab to peek at them and 'like' your favorite. Enjoy!
(Read more about the competition here, if you'd like.)


Sincerely,
Megan

Simple Identity Design Showdown

The last 6 days have been consumed by Simple. I'm still saying, "Are you kidding me!?" but am happy to announce that I've completed my response to Simple's brief. You can find it posted on Behance, (along with the other contestants' entries) or view it below. Let me know how successful you think my final submission is in the comment section, here or on the Behance project page. Remember to click to appreciate it while you're there! If you do appreciate it, that is.

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Simple is exactly what it claims to be: simple. As we all know, Simple has always been understated, classic and straightforward. But that doesn't mean they're not creative. They were the trailblazers for the "green" shoe, but they're not the type to get miffed when others followed their lead; they're more concerned about planet than copycats.

Consequently, the logo that I've designed for Simple is approachable and kind. It says, "We're serious about what we do, and we have some serious fun while we're at it."

I was really inspired by this attitude as well as their "less is more" mantra. Therefore, the type is direct, minimal and modern. There are no excess elements. In the icon, the opposing markers not only mimic the treads found on Simple's recycled tire soles, but they communicate the company's movement, progress and enthusiasm. It is also a visual reminder that what you give is what you get. Isn't that what sustainability is all about? (And, if you really want to see it, the brand's initial is in there, too.)

It's a versatile mark that works well large and small. The wordmark and icon are successful together or alone.

Creating something simple is harder than it appears. Using less is more challenging than using more. The process I went though creating this mark is a reflection of the Simple mission. Don't settle. Use less. Do better. Be simple.

Read more about the competition here.

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Are you kidding me!?

Crowdsourcing is a hot topic these days. (Here's a cool infographic that explains it and offers lots of examples.) Many have abused it, and continue to do so, particularly in it's manifestation as community-based design. Is it really evil? In my opinion, it is if it requires spec work, or work done for free before a work agreement is established. But, there are good ways to crowdsource, too. For instance, Simple Shoes recently put out a call via Behance for designers to submit logo portfolios (work previously done) to compete for a paid opportunity to design the new Simple logo. The exclamation used to title this post isn't because I'm frustrated with Simple's crowdsourcing tactics. No, not at all. But we'll get to that. Back to the competition...

It's called the Identity Design Showdown. 

The judges select five designers from the pool to proceed to Round 2 of the competition where they design and submit logo comps. From there, the judges select the final Simple logo. 

The top five were chosen from 700+ entries. 

I'm one of them.

(See my tiny name on that list above?)

One of the original five had to bow out. I'm the lucky alternate.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? 

I'm stunned. Shocked. Scared. Honored. Thrilled.

It's me vs. the other designers and the company's agency of record. 

Holy smokes.

Wish me luck. 

If I don't answer your call or respond to your email this week, you know what I'm doing. Because the finals are due Monday.

Yikes.

Stairway Media Logo Comps

Happy Wednesday! I've got some logo comps to share with you today. They were created for a media company called Stairway Media through a creative agency here in town: Mind Lightning. We had a good time trying to figure out if we could combine film with a stairway and tried lots of ideas including some that were very M.C. Escher-esque. The two executions shown below were those I was charged with digitizing. I've shown both a large, grayscale version as well as a smaller black and white version to illustration how each mark would scale and be readable at almost any size.

You'll just have to wait and see where Mind Lightning takes it from here....a full website revamp is on the schedule, too. Stairway Media, you've got lots of good design in your future. Cheers to that!

Second Glance Sneak Peek

The Glancing Girls and I have been whirring away on their logo redesign for the last couple of weeks. We're making excellent progress, but the big reveal isn't ready quite yet. To satiate all you curious souls, here's an official sneak peek of all eight (yes, 8!) Round One options. Which one says smart, saavy, fun and ecologically-friendly most to you?

Melissa Tomeoni. A new identity > Follow-up

On Wednesday of this week, Melissa Tomeoni announced something exciting: She's officially launched MelissaTomeoni.com! She and I have been working on some super secret and very cool branding that has debuted with her new website. This is the logo she chose, based on several we reviewed in early April:

The goal was to create a mark that represented a new branch of her current work, focusing on newborns, children and graduating high school seniors, that communicated modern luxury. Same Melissa, same stellar photography, new business name.

Stay tuned for more from me and Melissa. We've got some great stuff still in the works. Until then, a virtual toast to Melissa and her business acumen - clink! clink!

Melissa Tomeoni. A new identity.

Melissa Tomeoni is a dear friend of mine and the creative mind behind Soul Mates Photo. Don't take the post title the wrong way; Melissa is very much in touch with who she is and where she's headed. As a result, she's decided to branch her portrait business out from her current brand, Soul Mates Photo, which will be used solely for wedding and engagement work from here on out. That's where the new identity comes in and where my work began. We're nearing the end of the logo development process, but here's where we started:

The mark we're finalizing is a variation on one of the options above. I just can't tell you which one yet. Which would you choose? Keep your eyes peeled from more from Melissa on her blog and mine.

Greenleaves, LLC | Logo Options

Greenleaves, LLC was recently started in Arizona. The company's founders have a few directions in mind for the venture and understand the importance of branding. But, until they reach the implementation stage, the varied branches of their business can't be specified. Therein lies the challenge: create an attractive mark that doesn't disclose the business' industry...rather, industries. What I can say is that although the initial branches of Greenleaves (no pun intended) aren't directly associated with each other, the overall goal is the same: Do good. Facilitate growth.  I can work with that. Each of the below options was presented in Round 1 communicate professionalism, efficiency, creativity, usefulness, quality and kindness.

The company name was inspired by a Bible verse: Psalm 1:2-3 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers."

Suzanne Peters | Logo Work

With a background in buying and selling soft goods via two of the most outstanding companies in existence (Nordstrom and Nike), Suzanne Peters is now setting out to buy and sell something a little different: homes. Growing up she would always draw houses, pick out her favorite decorating photos from magazines and dream of the house she would live in. Seems that just might have been a little foreshadowing! She's one of the classiest and most energetic ladies I've met;  I can tell she'll take both of those traits plus some extra zes into her new career. 

As Suzanne says, "Pair my love of home with my acumen for great service and a good deal, and I think it's a perfect fit for me!" Now, we just have to find the perfect logo to match. Here are a few I've presented. Which is your favorite?

Once the logo is finalized, we'll be tackling Suzanne's website (just a placeholder there for now)! Oh, and to see where she had her portraits done, visit the Soul Mates Photo Blog.

Willcuts Partners | Logo + Business Card

Happy Friday! And Happy Tax Season! I know just as well as anyone that tax season can be something to celebrate or something to bemoan each year. Either way, you need a good go-to guy or gal for all those tax questions and concerns. This year I got to work on some branding for my go-to guy, Kyle. We went to George Fox together and because he married my lovely roommate, Katey, we've stayed in touch since. He and his partner, Troy are venturing out as Willcuts Partners - providing businesses and individuals with tax and financial services. Here are the logos I presented to them at the beginning of the logo development process:

And this is what we ended up with:

I sent their business cards to print yesterday. Don't wait until you can get a hard copy of their contact info in hand; if you're scrambling and still need tax help this season, call Kyle (503-610-8291) or Troy (503-715-0223). April 15th is just around the corner...