SOLUTIONS FIRST Logo

I recently completed a logo design for my client, Solutions First. The identity design went through several drafts, more than usual, but the end product is something I'm very pleased with. As is the client. Some of the early concepts are below and reveal the wide spectrum of ideas (though there were many, many more than this) that were considered before arriving at the final logo.

Solutions First wanted to express a couple things with their identity. They wanted something creative and not too conservative, but they also wanted to stay in the business ballpark (given that their mission is to provide sound financial direction for their clients). Initially the design focus for me was the word "first". Accentuating "First" would remind customers of the company's focus and priority, while giving me a wealth of options for creating the visual look of the logo. Eventually as I went through various designs it became clear that expressing the whole name visually was the key. The trick was finding a visual icon for "Solutions". I landed on the puzzle imagery. This particular representation of the cube gave me a way to keep the logo modern and to incorporate the "1".

From Round 1:


From Round 2:


From Round 3:

The Mini JUNKTRUNK

Everybody seen the MINI Clubman? I have to say, it is ugly. I'm not sure why the added dimensions bother me so. But they bother me. It's just a peculiar looking car suddenly. Medium Mini. Semi Mini. Mini-ish. Hm.

Expensive AIR indeed

The Apple Air is a mystery to me. Ok it's thin. Amazingly thin. It's lightweight, durable, high-end technology. Very cool.



Here's the thing I don't get. It's smaller than a MacBook, has virtually no expandability, less memory capacity, no optical drive, no ports save one USB, can't run a second monitor, and is $700 more than the cheapest MacBook. (From $1800-3100). I get that it's an amazing tool, and probably the first step in an ever-innovating stroll toward more amazing tools.

Yet these amazing tools are what people like me need for our work and our creative endeavors. We don't use them as little toys that "make computing fun". They're tools that streamline our work, intuitively mesh with our creative processes, and keep us sane by cutting out hassles that inhibit PC users. They are tools, first and foremost.

And we are raped in order to possess them. Why isn't the might of Apple creativity being used to create this technology at a lower price? Do we need ultra-thin before we need slightly-affordable? We've been supporting Apple's incredible string of expensive innovation for years and I keep waiting for them (with their stock at $160.89/share as of 1/17/08) to give its die-hard, almost cult-like users and supporters something of a break.

Hit that $999 laptop price point. Hit it with a machine that does more than store my photos and music. Give us a great tool at a great price. That's the innovation I want to see. We've earned it many times over.

Mark Nicholas and his PERVERSIONS

Next week will see the release of a new remix collection from my friend and client Mark Nicholas. His album "Perversions" will feature a selection of tracks from both incarnations of his music; Cosmicity and Mark Nicholas respectively. It also includes some excellent new material.

The design for this album was born of some 3 or 4 initial concepts I did for his review. Mark had pretty much given me the go ahead to do what I liked for this album. At the onset I was going to do something very minimal but the album's title pushed me in other directions. Below are some of the early ideas I generated.





In addition to the above designs was what would come to be the final layout for the album sleeve: a retro-inspired, worn album cover. Because this was a limited pressing, Mark chose to package it in a simple cardboard sleeve. That sleeve lent itself perfectly to a worn LP record sleeve look. In addition I tried to choose imagery and iconography that would contrast "perversions" as much as possible. A homey quilt, retro recording label graphics and layout, etc. I scanned in a number of old record sleeves to obtain some of the "wear and tear" for the design. Here's the final layouts:




This is perhaps one my best album designs to date in my opinion. I really enjoyed how this came together. Certainly the design gift I presented to my friends Peter & Katie Pasque after their wedding was practice for this design. However in this usage, I think the retro-imagery has a new, additional layer of depth to it.