Beyond winning.

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 08:05:57 -0800

Logo and Brand Design for Rise Above Sports.

We recently completed this logo and brand platform for an established business looking to create a new brand in the Sports Apparel Industry and now are rolling with the 2011 catalog and other collateral.

It took numerous sketches and many revisions to get the final logo just right. The idea of using and Eagle came from the client and after we did a bit of research it was a bit overwhelming. There are zillions of companies that use the Eagle in their designs and a Google search of images yields every option/design imaginable.

Another interesting problem in the design of this logo was that mark and type may be used as small as 1/4” and reproduced without any supervision. So it had to be simple and hold up well in numerous sizes.

To add a unique point of view I enlisted the help of Kevin Cox, local owner of the famous Aces Tattoo, to help with the illustration.

On of my favorite notes from Paul Rand taken from his “Logos, Flags, and Escutcheons” is that a logo is primarily and instrument of pride. In this case this tremendous design is a success, just ask the client.

Client: Bob Rowe, Rise Above Sports
Design: Stan Byers
Illustration: Kevin Cox, Stan Byers

Julie Ardito Public Relations Stationery

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:27:39 -0800

I completed this job last Spring and I forgot how much I like it. Simply two colors of ink on French Specktone ® paper with a couple of surprises in the layout. (You will have to ask Julie for one of her cards)

It used to be that French Papers were very difficult to get a hold of and use in small quantities. At least here in the boonies. Now, it is easy to purchase and use in small quantities. They are also great people to work with. Check out their website:  http://www.frenchpaper.com/

Client: Julie Ardito Public Relations
Calligraphy: Janey Saavedra, Stan Byers
Printer: Registered Ink
Paper: Speckletone, French Paper Company

Julie Ardito Public Relations

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:17:39 -0800

Logo and Brand Design for Julie Ardito Public Relations.

The signature (based on her real one) is a promise to clients to personally take care of their business and does a nice job of echoing Julie’s personality. Classy, stylish, and a little bit bold. The serif type face hints at the traditional and does the utility work in communications.

It took numerous sketches and many revisions and the final touches of the expert hand of Janey Saavedra to get it just right. I hate nothing more than a designers vain attempt to fool the audience using a Font for a signature. Not sure where I picked up that pet peeve…

I will get up sample of Collateral soon. Maybe even a Case Study. The work was completed in Spring 2009.

Client: Julie Ardito Public Relations
Calligraphy: Janey Saavedra, Stan Byers

Of note to all designers

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:20:19 -0800

Hey, I am really glad someone out there is lookinkg out for my (our) best interests. Here is an excerpt and a link: 
Design contests and crowdsourcing sites have been marketed as the "future of graphic design", a "new reality", call themselves "disruptive" and their stated goal (as per Forbes magazine) is, "to slash the cost of graphic design work and democratize a snooty business". Critics have been called "Dinosaurs", "gatekeepers fighting hard to maintain the status quo", advised to "evolve or die" and other such sentiments. Crowdsourcing and design contests have stated that they aim to turn the graphic design industry "on it's head". Crowdsourcing and design contest site owners have "welcomed the debate" about spec work, and are very vocal about defending their business model on blogs, forums and some have even participated in a SXSW panel debate entitled "Is Spec Work Evil".
More: http://www.specwatch.info/why.html

The Deep for iPhone/iTouch

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:50:22 -0800

I don’t play games. Well not unless there is a really good reason. In this case my son, Sean, did a lot of work on this game at 3G studio, so I checked it out. It is super fun and really well done.

But don’t take my word for it, check out this review:
http://toucharcade.com/2010/01/07/the-deep-super-metroid-goes-deep-sea-diving/

2009 Tulsa ADDY’s

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:59:00 -0800

Critiquing over 400 entries this past weekend and over 5,000 over the past few years has given me a perspective that I might not get just here locally, working in a big market or even surfing the infinite web.

Last weekend I got a chance to judge the Tulsa, OK local AAF chapter ADDY’s. Lots of good stuff. But it got me wondering.

It seems like production values are quite high in just about everything everywhere now-a-days. Print generally features wonderful photography, great compositing, and well-crafted layouts. Radio is well edited and produced with rich techniques only available to the super expensive spots just a couple of years ago. TV/Video even in the tiniest markets are utilizing eye boggling SFX, transparent editing and killer sound design. While Interactive is showing some maturity in its restraint.

Here is where I might get into trouble. At the last Show there was only one piece that engaged me and convinced me to read on into the second paragraph.

What happened to Copy? It seems relegated to the Who, What, When, Where, Why? Just the facts.

Has easy to obtain Technique become a crutch? Are we spending enough time on the Idea?

Copy®. The new secret weapon.

p.s. Even so, I love the Loops poster.

iL2 Logo

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 09:15:01 -0700

Logo for technology company that allows consumers to simplify the process of shopping. We are currently developing a website for iL2 that utilizes Wordpress CMS.

iL2 Logo. iL2 Selection System. Client: Silver Sky Group.

Pillar Logo

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 09:15:00 -0700

Logo for Pillar consulting. Personal coaching services and business development .
Agency: Ding.

Stan Can Wins Four Workshow 09 Awards

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:44:44 -0700

Las Vegas AIGA Workshow 09 was held. 09/12/09 at the Historic Fifth Street School in Las Vegas, NV.
Stan Can won awards for:
Zephyr Press Logo
Zephyr Press Business Cards
Pillar Logo
iL2 Logo

I especially like the Las Vegas Workshow because of the caliber of judges that they bring in. This year’s judges included Patricia Hallenbeck, Director of Strategic Sourcing and Print Services for The Walt Disney Company, Joe Duffy, President of Duffy & Partners and Lynda Weinman, National AIGA Board Member and Co-Founder of Lynda.com.

…Are Really, Really Stupid

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 18:13:35 -0700

Every time I see someone make a tremendous blunder the first question I ask myself is “I wonder if I would have done this same thing?”

In this case, probably not. Follow this link to a Fast Company article

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/some-ad-guys-are-just-really-really-really-stupid

Logos-a-go-go

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:48:54 -0700

A very cool (maybe because it is very short) article on logo redesign and redesign and redesigns to come.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0908/gallery.new_logos_redesigns.fortune/index.html

Design. The Beginning, Middle and End.

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:09:07 -0700

AIGA Reno/Tahoe presents northern Nevada expatriate and internationally renowned designer, Bill Thorburn.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Primm Theatre at Nevada Museum of Art
Bill Thorburn, founding principal of The Thorburn Group, has 20 years of internationally recognized design expertise. He started with a fine arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and worked in the agency setting for several years before becoming design director for Dayton–Hudson’s–Marshall Fields. With The Thorburn Group, Bill exercises his vision for strategic, powerful, lasting design every day. His list of client work is impressive: Nike, Microsoft, Harley–Davidson, Neiman Marcus, Dayton’s, Coke, ESPN, and Porsche, just to name a few.
Bill’s design work is included in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum of Art in London, and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. He has also had individual exhibits in Japan and London. TTG, Minneapolis, specializes in the design needs of clients looking to establish their identities and build their brands.
Check it out:
http://renotahoe.aiga.org/events/2009/07/31723049

Use Their Work Free? Some Artists Say No to Google

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:35:37 -0700

Check this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/business/media/15illo.html?_r=1&hp