The colors & images we developed are specifically focused on helping them to portray the warm, competent side of financial investing. They’re communicative, informative, experienced and professional. We went with 3 pantone colors on a bright white stock for their Corporate ID Package. They need to portray quality and this will help. The images I developed are to support the “harbor” feel with the seagull standing on a old piece of wood, which is specific to their location. The background image is a graphical interpretation of warm sun rays. And the client really wanted to have waves integrated into the design, which has also been achieved.

So far, we’ve designed a business card, letterhead & envelope which is known as a basic Corporate ID Package. This will get them started in their new venture and give them the professional edge they need in today’s competitive market place.

A business contact of mine introduced me to a great guy, the General Manager of South Tacoma Honda. He was in dire need of a new (but not too new) look for the South Tacoma Honda store. Until I had contracted this project, I never realized that each car dealership has the opportunity to develop his/her own “brand” for his/her particular dealership location.

I wondered if this was going to be an opening for major creativity or if we were going to be governed by a rigid system of corporate guide lines. I have worked with both before. I was happy to find out, it was a little bit of each. We got a copy of the official guide lines, then adapted them just enough to add our own look.

I did a lot of market research to get an idea of how much freedom was allowed in developing a car dealership’s logo design. I did a lot of font research to find a font with the right “look & feel” to it. I developed 3 different logo ideas and presented them to the South Tacoma Honda manager. He then took my designs and discussed them with his employees. We met up to discuss the results. We went through another round of logo revisions, and came up with a winner.

The next stage was to apply the new logo to the South Tacoma Honda business card, letterhead and envelope designs. Again, I presented him with two or three different business card, letterhead & envelope designs. And again he discussed them with his employees. We met up, made a few revisions and came up with the final rebranding of South Tacoma Honda.

I think it turned out great.

The logo, business card, letterhead and envelope designs were developed using Adobe InDesign CS4.

The Metal Magician contacted me because he had been looking for someone to help him design a new logo. He found my information through his wife, who works for an area mailing business. Apparently, I was listed in a directory for the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.  I was very happy he contacted me! One of my biggest challenges is connecting with my potential client base, so I am always interested to know how people find my contact information. I try to have a big web presence, but my clients don’t always seem to be surfing the web in search of designers.

Metal Magician has been in business for 3-4 years. He had been getting by with no logo, doing a lot of word of mouth work for larger companies in metal fabrication, and he’s been very successful. I think he has a lot of foresight in deciding he needed to be more proactive in giving his business a professional image. He has also branched out into doing custom metal work and making tables & interesting creative things.

The Metal Magician & I met at the Mandolin Cafe to discuss the scope of his project. We discussed his target market, his client base, his growth strategies and plans for the future of his business. We also discussed how he wants his business to appear to other people, the image he wants to portray. I like to do an intensive investigation into what makes a business owner & his or her business unique. The more information I am able to gather, the better the visual image will be for the client.

After our initial meeting, I sent him my estimate for a logo. Currently, I charge a flat rate of $750, with a 50% deposit to start. That includes 3 initial design options, 2 rounds of revisions and one final logo (available in a variety of digital formats). I also will include a color and a black & white version and a hard copy. In this case, the Metal Magician didn’t want a color version, but wanted a design he could adapt to get embroidered hats made, so he could give them out as promotional items. I helped him figure out hat pricing and what sort of file the embroidery people needed to achieve a successful hat design. I communicated with some embroidery companies on his behalf, then provided him with the files he needed to supply to them.

We came up with a great design that will serve his business well for years to come.

In doing some research on metal working tools, I came across some very interesting saw blades that I used as the inspiration for this logo image. The Metal Magician logo was illustrated & designed in Illustrator 4.