Posts Tagged ‘logos’
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature Roman (crowdSPRING username: Romasuave ) today. Roman lives and work in Northridge, California.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Roman Faiman, I am 37, husband to a wonderful woman and father to 2 amazing children, Ben who is 7 and Olivia, 4. We reside in Northridge, a suburb of Los Angeles and I do all of my designing from the comforts of my home studio/Kids play room.
I have a full time job, an Art Department Manager for a printing company, I handle all of the work that comes in and I prep it for printing, which is at times an arduous task since many so called graphic design gurus don’t really know how to set up their files for proper printing. On top of that I also spend a good 30-40% of my day creating designs for our clients. Our biggest account that I am involved in designing is The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, for whom I have designed anything from brochures to presentation folders to event books.
After my work day is over it’s time to work for my company, 4-8 Designs, my main focus at the moment is photo retouching, with print design, including logos, stationary secondary. My website is www.4-8designs.com
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Tags: 12 questions, blog, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, Roman Faiman, Romasuave, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature Debs & Johnny (crowdSPRING username: UsBeingUs ) today. Debs & Johnny live and work in the countryside of central Portugal.
1. Please tell us about yourselves.
Well firstly what a lovely surprise to be asked to do this, we are touched and honoured – thank you – you will certainly get to see some of the diversity within your crowd 
Well here goes, our story……I think it could be long, so I’ll leave our previous professional background to our own website if anyone wants to know it. But UsBeingUs started really with us finding us – Johnny & I had both previously been married and when we met we were literally start again teenagers in our mid thirties – we were living in England at the time and had very normal busy lives, however we were on an uphill climb as we were start again financially too – we were often ‘stressed out’ and to be honest not necessarily the nicest of people, we had
become snappy, irritable, with little time to relax and enjoy what’s real – thankfully we recognised who we were becoming and felt it was time to try things a different way to see if we could get a bit more balance in our lives – I have traveled quite a bit previously and whilst I love my homeland, I also love the warmth and slower, more relaxed lifestyle that some other countries manage to lead – to be honest we didn’t really know what we were looking for we just knew that we wanted to experience something different, try life a different way – so we took the plunge to experience a more rural lifestyle and moved to Brittany in France in 2003. We were lucky enough to find a beautiful former farm, which we renovated together. A busy time for us as we had a big mortgage and bills to pay – but being in the countryside with space around us did give us the opportunity to experience a different way of life – we chose not have a television, which was one of the best decisions we ever made, everyone always asks us what you do???
Well we got in touch with our surroundings to begin with and we talked, we read, we surfed the net & we opened our minds to new ideas – we began finding out who we really were and discovering what felt right for us – we became vegans, our furry friends started to find us. We also took the time to teach ourselves new skills, the main ones for us, our art and graphic design, passions that have grown and grown
We decided to continue to follow our love of a more natural life & our creative passions – so we gave up the house, the heating, the running water, the dishwasher, the luxuries, the mortgage and the bills and have opted for living in a yurt here in stunning countryside of central Portugal – We have a lovely riverside plot of land and are surrounded by nothing other than nature. We live with our furry family of animals, all of whom have found their way to us one way or another, we have 14 gorgeous dogs and a cat – not planned, just fate
We are lucky enough to have had the love and patience of our family and friends, who may not quite understand what on earth we are doing, but nonetheless give us their support both with their love and their finances at times – thank you so much – you are all here with us in our hearts x
We have just had our third anniversary of living here in Portugal and so far so good, there are certainly challenges and certainly some we were not expecting, having so many dogs was one of those So it took a while with many ups and downs, but this last year, we have been finding our rhythm and so far so good – We love our ‘off grid’ lifestyle here and in time we hope to become as self sufficient as possible with a forest food garden & permaculture system – we are also just starting the process of building our own handmade ecological home to accommodate us all – That should be fun
We have now become I guess what could be described in today’s terms as an alternative couple, with a wide range of interests and ‘cookey ideas’ but in fact as you can possibly see from our art we are probably more traditional than most…
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Tags: 12 questions, blog, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, Debs & Johnny, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, UsBeingUs, weekly glance of awesomeness, writing
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized, writing | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 11th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature MJ (crowdSPRING username: UpQuark) today. MJ lives and works in the desert southwest of the US.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
My name is MJ (I’m a female “Junior”). Contrary to popular belief, I was not spawned, but rather hatched in the northeast region of the US. I live in the desert southwest US, and am the youngest of four girls who, oddly and inexplicably, were not hatched. The explanation is classified, even to me.
Okay, so random tidbit (or is it random? We’ll see…): I’m ambidextrous. Not in a perfect-handwriting-with-either-hand kind of way, because my handwriting isn’t… oh wait! My handwriting is equally bad with either hand, so there ya have it. Clarification issue solved.
I actually do believe that my ambidexterity translates into everything I do, in that my logical and creative sides tend to balance each other out, or slap each other around, depending on what’s needed. I’m often frenetically creative and possess hyperfocus superpowers (unless I see something shiny, and not in a girly way; I mean like futuristic spacecraft shiny. Or escaped mercury). My sister and I can riff on creative ideas faster than a… something really fast, or get extremely excited about something really geeky. If I get too hyped, there’s cheap entertainment to be had. Think superball let loose on a vibrating surface.
So, linear background.
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Tags: 12 questions, blog, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, MJ, UpQuark, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature zaxgarner (crowdSPRING username: zaxgarner) today. He lives and works in North Carolina.
Hey cS Community!
Thanks for the opportunity to join you today.
Life has been busy, so I will drop a few brief lines for a quick read & then we can all get back to designing!
1. Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a self described simple man…. 02′ Grad Appalachian State University (the real ASU…in Boone NC) – I think this was also Kevin’s ol’ stomping ground! I majored in Graphic Design & Marketing… in an attempt to balance the business side with the creative. The design 
department was big on typography & fine art ‘which was a huge plus’. I took classes in casting, photography, clays, & metals etc… I think I could have got by with a little less art history though! The marketing courses were awesome, I enjoyed learning how design/creative work enters our marketplace & society.
Former Rowdy Kid, Construction worker, Repo-Man, & Tattoo artist…. To Graphic Designer. Also a converted Christian since 04′ attempting to operate under Col.3:17.
2. How did you become interested in design?
I started my design career with non-commissioned murals. You know; crayons on walls etc… & tracing drawing books to keep up with my older brothers. I won a few art contests in kindergarten & found out that this design thing could pay off – The hook was set!
3. What is your favorite project from the past year?
In listening to a podcast I found out Concealment Solutions – in Orem Utah was hosting an independent T-Shirt design competition for their best selling concealment holster – ‘The Black Mamba’. In working with the owner we got the Tee nailed down & the project evolved into a complete branding package for: Concealment Solution’s primary logo, Misc. Product logos, Business cards & web headers etc… I still have a great working relationship with them… with future projects on the horizon! They sent a me a bunch of gear as an added bonus!
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Tags: 12 questions, community, creative, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, weekly glance of awesomeness, zaxgar.com, zaxgarner
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, April 15th, 2011
If you are a creative, you know the galleries in projects can be filled with page after page of designs, and everyone is trying to stand out from the crowd. There are several techniques you can use to display your designs that may help draw the eye of the buyer and the decision makers on their team.
First, you need to start with your brilliant design idea. Next – display your concept in a way that will capture attention. Here are a few ideas…
Versatility
For logo projects, it is important that your design is versatile enough to work wherever a company will want to use it. The design will need to work on the web, in print, and on many other types of collateral.
For true flexibility, show that the logo can work in color, on a dark background and light background, and in back and white.
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Tags: branding, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, inspiration, logo, logo design, logos, Strategy, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, design, How To, inspiration, Strategy, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature Shawndra Renée Cox (crowdSPRING username: OOPS) today. Shawndra lives and works in Lodi, NJ.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Shawndra Renée Cox. I currently live and work in Lodi, NJ, but I was born and raised in Queens, NY. I am a single mother, a lover of all things creative and became a registered business owner at the age of 26 (technically, I was still 25 but turned 26, twenty-nine days later). I can’t say that my path to running my own business was something I knowingly set out on so much as it was a really cool, unexpected place I ended up at after taking a wrong turn somewhere. Well, maybe not a wrong turn. It was more like being forced to taking a detour due to major road construction.
As soon as I graduated from college, I applied for jobs, went on interviews and got rejected by every studio and firm I visited. Over the course of about 4 years, there were at least 30 places that I went to in person. Some places I had actual appointments with. Others, I just walked in with my portfolio and resume and tried to shake someone’s hand. Plus, you can tack on the 50+ places I sent my resume to that I just never heard from lol.
All the while, I was picking up work from random people on craigslist and friends of friends that were trying to start their own businesses. They were always quick jobs though, and with my newborn son, I was more focused on finding something steady and stable rather than searching for the next gig to maintain for the moment.
So, finally, I landed in a small photography studio in Queens. It was 17.2 miles away from the Manhattan office I had always pictured myself in and it was about 5 times smaller. Still, they liked my work and I created some really cool things there. That was until they stopped being able to keep up with their expenses and I ended up without a job. That was when I got hit with the choice (yet again) to get a job that I could somehow convince myself was still “art related” or dig in and fight to do the design work I wanted to, full time. That’s (the short version of) how my studio was born.
2. How did you become interested in design?
Drawing was always a major part of my childhood. I used to watch “Imagination Station” with Mark Kistler as the host. I would follow along and draw with him probably at the age of 5 or 6. He always had the cutest little cartoon creatures and was really big on “foreshortening” and “shading.” I learned how to incorporate both techniques into my drawings early on. Looking back, I was able to keep up with his pace and did a decent job of copying most of the characters he made up.
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Tags: 12 questions, community, creative, creativity, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, OOPS, Shawndra Cox, small business, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, business, community, crowdsourcing, design, How To, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, March 7th, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature Edward Laurin (crowdSPRING username: LOREWREN) today. Edward lives and works in suburban Toronto, Ontario.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
Husband. Father. Designer. Working Artist. Friend. Cousin to many. Canadian. No band
wagon jumping Toronto Maple Leaf hockey fan. Born on the shores of Georgian Bay in an English and French speaking small town. My french is limited to a few words and phases but I can always pull upon my drawing skills when language barriers arise. Live in the inner suburbs of Toronto, Ontario.
Started my career doing lots of freelance after graduating from college as full time jobs were few and far between at the time (Mum and Dad were wondering if I would ever get a real job). I think they honestly thought this career choice involved living in a artist loft, painting still life fruit and nudes. Freelance turned into a full time offer with my first agency and then a jump to a great client side opportunity for a 12 year stint as in-house creative director for a technology company. Joined when the company was private and experienced the transition to publicly traded company. Great learning experience and worked with some very creative folks outside the design realm – computer programmers, engineers and product managers are creative people too! If you’ve been in front of a PC and a red rectangle logo appeared upon start up then you have seen one of my logos. Now work for myself with direct clients and as a hired creative gun for boutique marketing communication firms.
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Tags: 12 questions, art, artist, community, creative, creativity, crowdspring, design, designer, Edward Laurin, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, LOREWREN, packaging design, painter, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, Interviews, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.
We’re very proud to feature Mon Paningbatan (crowdSPRING username: LoopDloop) today. Mon lives and works in Manila, Philippines.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
I’m a self-confessed typhophile and iconography aficionado who’s been in the design business for more than 15 years. Surrounded by books 
and consuming extensive amount of coffee, I continuously conflict my thoughts as a creative exercise and objectively review the process afterwards.
My past stints among a few include: Illustrator for Children’s books, art director for a magazine, and design consultant at Intellectual Property Philippines. Until I decided to set-up my own shop and bite the creative freedom all designers deserve.
2. How did you become interested in design?
There is just something about symbols and typefaces that I consider very interesting. They communicate and identify differently for every individual and if you observe closely, strong symbols unify thoughts of its audience. It may also lead or repress a person’s perception. In this manner, creating a design is comparable to being a leader. You could get to shape minds and have your own Eiffel tower to show off. Narcissistic isn’t it? It is something you can control and reward you at the same time.
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Tags: 12 questions, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, LoopDloop, marketing, Mon Paningbatan, small biz, small business, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews | 6 Comments »
Monday, January 31st, 2011
Hello Creatives! I’ve been hanging around cS since September of ’08 – first as a creative, then as a member of the crew. I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve learned about how to find success when participating here on cS. I was a designer, but much of this information will apply to writers as well. So let’s get to it!
PICK YOUR PROJECTS CAREFULLY
As you submit in more and more projects – you will get a feel for the ones you seem to be best at. Don’t try to make yourself something you’re not. You will learn to read a brief and sense if it’s a good fit for your style.
We do have a feature where buyers can withdraw entries from the gallery so they can better focus on the entries they are more interested in. Please do your best not to take this as an insult. If they do this, at least you know where you stand. In many ways, it’s better than being ignored. You can avoid wasting your time and move on to another project.
If you want to see if a buyer is actively involved in the project, be sure to click “Project stats” at the top right of the gallery page. You will see a breakdown of star scores and if written feedback is being provided.
EXPLAIN YOUR ENTRY
This is often the most overlooked step in posting your brilliant creative work. Explain your concept, how it can be used, and why it is a good representation of their company. Sharing the reasoning behind your design or written entry will not only help draw interest to your entry, it will often help you connect with the buyer and inspire feedback.
Engage the buyer! Encourage them to provide feedback, or ask questions. If they don’t answer – they are probably not interested. If you feel strongly about your entry, see if you can make an improvement and re-submit. It’s a chance to once again ask for any comments they might have.
SAVE IT FOR ANOTHER DAY
I know what it’s like to put your time into your creation, only to have it looked over. But what doesn’t work for one buyer may be a perfect fit for another. Save everything. You may be able to update it for use in another project some day. But make sure you withdraw it from any other projects before you post it in a new one!
KEEP IT ORIGINAL
Look out for generic logo designs.
Not only are they not allowed in logo projects, they will keep you from standing out. Do your best to avoid trends. They will be dated before you know it. If you take the time to think out of the box and put in the extra effort to provide something fresh and new – it will pay off.
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Tags: community, creative, creativity, crowdspring, design, designer, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, logo, logo design, logos, Strategy, Tips for creatives, Tips for success, writing
Posted in community, crowdsourcing, design, How To, inspiration, Strategy, writing | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 24th, 2011
“I’m In Logo Love” is an ongoing series on the crowdSPRING blog. Periodically, we’ll pick a logo we’d like to take home from a bar and tell you why. And if you think it’s a bit strange to have a crush on a cleverly designed logo, get in line – my mom has already lectured me on this topic. Today, we’ll look at the logo for the cable channel, Comedy Central.
Comedy Central is the eponymous American cable television channel first launched in 1989. CC is committed to delivering exclusively comedy-based programming. Among the shows Comedy Central has aired in the past 20 years are South Park, Chappelle’s Show, The Daily Show, Reno 911! and The Colbert Report. The network also regularly airs standup comedy specials as well as contemporary and classic movies of the genre.
The network updated its original logo in 1991 and again in 2000; as of January 1 of this year, the channel has introduced a brand new design which departs radically from the original and is among the strongest logos in the cable universe.
A play on the instantly identifiable international copyright symbol, the new logo displays the sly humor which is the channel’s stock in trade. Designed by the creative agency The Lab, the logo has not been particularly well-received in the blogosphere with many complaining that it has a corporate feel and comparing it to the poorly received logo recently introduced by The Gap.
Why do we think that the new CC logo is hot? Unadorned and unforgettable, the new logo is a cousin to (and skewed joke on) the old copyright symbol and is designed to support the channel’s propensity for its not-so-subtle tweaks of corporate culture. It is balanced, uncomplicated, and straightforward and works well as both a strong symbol and as a subtle “bug” in the bottom of the screen.
When the new logo launched, Comedy Central tweeted “You may be wondering, “How could your new logo possibly cost $1M?” The secret is we found a design firm that charges $6M an hour.“ I love the new logo and I love Comedy Central. Long may they wave!
Tags: creative, creativity, design, designer, logo, logo design, logos, marketing, pr, public relations, Strategy, twitter
Posted in business, design, inspiration, Reviews | 2 Comments »
