Logo Notions article listed on

"Top 50 Logo Design Tutorials"

A lot of website and bLog-oMotives traffic has been coming my way recently as the result of one of my Logo Notions articles, on the design industry site Creative Latitude, being listed on the "Top 50 Logo Design Tutorials" by the folks at E Logo Design. There, highlighted by my own Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity, is a link to the article "Using, fusing and abusing “the rules” of logo design." Some great resources are among the other interesting posted links, too.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

The Big Book of Letterheads features

designs from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Two stationery package designs by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the design firm Jeff Fisher Logo- Motives, appear in the recently released book The Big Book of Letterheads. Designs for the VanderVeer Center and Pearl Real Estate are among over 330 examples featured in the volume from author David E. Carter and the publisher Collins Design.

The letterhead design for the VanderVeer Center, a Portland- area provider of anti-aging medicine and cosmetic procedures, is just one element of the total rebranding of Dr. Elizabeth VanderVeer's medical facility. The creation of a new logo led to the design of print ads with an immediate publication deadline, followed by stationery, signage, outdoor advertising, the website format and specialty items. The stationery package will also be featured in Fisher's book, Identity Crisis!, when it is released by HOW Design Books in 2007.

The letterhead, envelope and business card for Pearl Real Estate, another Portland firm, are also presented in the book. Ironically, since submission of the designs for possible inclusion in the book, the residential real estate company has been rebranded by another firm. The company's business card also appears in The Big Book of Business Cards.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 570 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

My nightstand is buried with books


On the HOW Design Forum, a couple days ago, HOWie "kimburgerly" started a thread about summer reading lists. There's always a stack of books next to my nightstand for reading before I sleep each night. I posted my current selections on the HOW forum and thought I'd share it here as well.

Now that I'm finished writing Identity Crisis! I'm really in reading mode. I just devoured Suffer the Little Children, by Donna Leon. With all her books set in Venice, I feel like I'm walking the streets of the city while I'm reading the books. Right now I'm in the middle of Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods - it's one of the Stone Barrington books that I find to be mindless pleasures.

For my birthday last week I got several books that moved to the head of my upcoming reading list:

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini - I thought The Kite Runner was incredible and I'm really looking forward to this book.

Come Alive!: The Spirited Art of Sister Corita, by Julie Ault

The Grail: A year ambling & shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wild world, by Brian Doyle. Brian is a friend of a friend - and the editor of the college magazine at University of Portland

The Overlook, by Michael Connelly - another of my mindless, guilty pleasure authors

Still in the pile next to my nightstand:

My Life in France, by Julia Child

Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide, by Dario Castagno

Comfort Me With Apples, by Ruth Reichl - her other books were all great.

Work-wise I've been reading:

The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing, by Barbara Janoff and Ruth Cash-Smith

By the way, kimbugerly's posted suggestion of Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, is a good one. I had been told it was a "chick" book. Still, I found her writing about travels to Italy, India and Bali fascinating.

Happy summer reading!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #10

The sorting through backed-up digital files, filing cabinets and boxes continues in my home studio as I archive over 30 years of design work. Recently I came across a somewhat mangled photocopy of a page from an old PRINT Regional Design Annual. In looking over the images on the page, I had no idea why I might have made a copy of this particular selection of design images. However, when I looked on the backside of the piece of paper, two pencil sketches of what would become the logo for the Seattle restaurant Glo's Broiler were evident.

When living in Seattle in the late 1980's, I developed a personal connection with the Capital Hill eatery. The late Glo Raineri, the founder of the breakfast and lunch cafe - and the mother of one of my closest friends - was also my roommate. I was one of a number of young men who, at various times, rented rooms in her house, which was sometimes referred to as "Glo's Home for Wayward Boys." Her restaurant became a natural extension of that life and I ate many meals in the place. That I would eventually design the logo for the place was no surprise.

I especially enjoy designing restaurant identities. There's often an incredibly creative challenge in capturing the essence of an eating establishment in an eye-catching and concise logo image to represent a business entity that conveys a very specific theme or food style. In the past, I wrote about such design projects in the Logo Notions article Designs on dining: Restaurant logos as a graphic invitation to a meal and an experience.

For me, Glo's Broiler had the feeling of an old-fashioned diner and that type of imagery came to mind as possible logo elements - neon, sytlized illustration, chrome, a checkerboard tablecloth, and red vinyl upholstery. My first pencil sketch (above) tilted a square border into a diamond shape, and introduced a steaming coffee cup as a replacement for the "o" in the word "Glo's;" while a plate of a common breakfast entree became the "o" in "Broiler." The second doodle (at right) eliminated the confining border and hinted at the type treatment - which I already knew would make use of the font Frankfurter Highlight. It's interesting that in the revised concept the addition of a checkerboard base can barely be seen on the paper. I erased it from the drawing whole working on the logo creation.

As the identity design developed, the bacon, eggs and toast graphic took inspiration from a similar image in a silkscreen print I had produced, and sold through several galleries, years earlier. In a "happy accident," the placement of the coffee cup and plate created a lower-case "g" - a secondary representation of "Glo." The checkerboard imagery then returned to give the logo some balance and weight.

With the completion of the logo, it was decided to do T-shirts to market the restaurant. A snide comment from a guy in a bar, referring to me as one of "Glo's boys," resulted in an additional "Glo's Boys" logo being creating and it became the identity for a bowling team the restaurant sponsored.

Glo, given the name of "Mother of Capital Hill" by Seattle newspapers, passed away in October of 2005. The restaurant remains open, although the logo has not been used for some time. Still, the image lives on in the books Bullet-Proof Logos, Logo Design for Small Business 2 and the Japanese volume New Logo and Trademark Design (which was recently re-released as the paperback Logo and Trademark Collection).

Note: In previous bLog-oMotives entries I took a look back at excavated artifacts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives design

to appear in LogoLounge, Volume 4

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has been informed his personal logo design for hairstylist Micki King will be featured in the upcoming book LogoLounge, Volume 4. While working at the Chameleon Salon in Portland, King commissioned the designer to create the identity incorporating the reptile, a yin yang reference, possible swirl imagery and Celtic letterforms. The selected design was the result of that unusual list of creative ingredients.

An international panel of judges, including Louis Lygo of Wolff Olins, Jerry Kuyper of Jerry Kuyper Partners, Jason Schulte of Jason Schulte Design, Gaby de Abreu of Switch Branding & Design, Haley Johnson of Haley Johnson Design, Neville Brody of Research Studios, Janet Martin of Communication Arts, Inc., and Chris Campbell of Interbrand selected the designs to be included in the winter 2008 book release, to be produced by Rockport Publishers. Over 28,000 logos were judged; with 2,000 being chosen for the new volume. The membership website LogoLounge allows designers to easily share their ideas and concepts with peers and clients through logo design uploads to the site. The logos are categorized, providing members ease in researching design concepts, and viewing the work of designers and firms from around the world. Submissions are then judged for inclusion in future LogoLounge volumes.

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was previously represented with a total of 11 logo designs published in LogoLounge, Volume 1 and LogoLounge, Volume 2.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 550 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 85 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Tilikum Center for

Retreats & Outdoor Ministries

Over the years I've executed several logo design projects for various programs of George Fox University. The most recent was for the Tilikum Center for Retreats & Outdoor Ministries, located in the backwoods of Oregon's Yamhill County. The facility offers retreats for all age ranges, including summer camps for kids and elderhostels.

While the client, and those making use of the retreat, didn't necessarily have an aversion to the old logo, it was felt that the identity was beginning to appear a bit dated. In addition, "official" colors had never been selected for the design and it was often presented in black only.

The free-form natural of the original logo tended to cause layout problems in some uses. That was eliminated by enclosing the image within a rustic, square frame.

The canoe, tree and forest images of the old logo were retained an incorporated into the new format. The font PanAm was selected to give the name a more traditional appearance. Rich blues and greens were chosen as colors for the identity - reflecting the natural colors found at the Tilikum retreat.

The logo has been selected to appear in the upcoming books The Big Book of Logos 5 and Branded.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Identity Crisis!: It's reality!

It's been just about a year since I started writing my new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. Yes, it was originally to be "100 redesigns that..." - but mid-project it was decided to reformat things a bit, limiting the book to 50 case studies that would be given even greater attention in the volume.

Writing a book is a frustrating, exhausting, exciting, and incredibly rewarding experience. "Herding" designers from around the world, in such a collaborative process, makes that process even more challenging and interesting.

For me, this project has meant many long nights, many weekends spent writing, too many emails to count, and working vacations - or even more work on business trips - to numerous locations over the past 12 months.

Today the proof of the book layout arrived via UPS. It was a great feeling to open the package and see the labor of the past year in a real book format. My editor Amy Schell has done a great job in fine-tuning the text, helping to select the redesigns that are included, and keeping me on track when necessary. Book designer Grace Ring has turned that text, and over 500 graphic images, into a book that should be an excellent resource for any designer taking on a rebranding effort or the client considering a design makeover for their business, organization or product. The book will feature solutions to the identity crisis issues of Mom-and-Pop businesses to major corporations - exhibiting the creative efforts of one-person design shops to some of the most recognized larger firms in the industry.

Over the next week I will be checking, and double-checking, the book content. Through that process many of those who have contributed projects for the book will learn that their work is in the final volume. I do appreciate both your contributions to the book and your patience through the process of writing, editing and designing the book. My pesky emails, questions about text content and requests for addition images have all been in the hope of creating a great book - and putting the work of the featured designers in the best light.

Following this next week, the book will be off to press, with a target release date of sometime in October. Once my review of the book is returned to HOW Design Books, for final edits and changes, I will make an official announcement of the designers, firms and projects that will be featured in the published book.

Thanks again to all who have contributed time, energy, words of wisdom, and case studies for Identity Crisis!. It's almost time for me to go into design book author "rehab" to recover from the process!

(Note: Thanks to UnBeige for the mention.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Theatre Logos Agency gives designer

theatrical images a new high-profile life

Throughout my career, the logo designs I have been asked to create for live theatre presentations have been my favorite creative exercises. From designing for my high school's theatre performances (over 30 years ago), through an on-going 17-year relationship with playwright, director and producer Don Horn and his triangle productions! theatre company, the opportunity to put a graphic face on plays and musicals has never failed to get my creative juices flowing. I previously wrote about topic in my Logo Notions article The logo’s the thing – identity design takes the stage, on the Creative Latitude website.

One of the unique aspects of creating identities for live theatre is that the logos often have a lifespan as short as the run of the show - usually a few weeks or, at the most, a few months. Luckily, from being recognized with design industry honors or being published in various graphic design books, many of my theatre graphic images have experienced some longevity.

The Theatre Logos Agency is giving new life to the work many designers have created for live theatre, through the sublicensing of the designs to other theatre companies.


Just over a week ago, I was contacted by Michael Q. Fellmeth, the founder of Theatre Logos Agency (TLA), after he read the Logo Notions article mentioned above. Fellmeth expressed interest in taking on Jeff Fisher LogoMotives as a client for the sublicensing of some of the theatre logos I have produced over time. After doing some reseach, getting the blessing of my client, and reviewing the agreement sent to me by TLA, I have opted to enter into a business relationship with TLA.

Theatre Logos Agency was founded in 2006. This past month the company "officially" opened with their web presence going live, and it's a valuable resource for designers interested in participating in the effort - in addition to being a great destination for the theatre production company seeking high quality designs to promote productions. In defining TLA, the following is posted on the website:

"Theatre Logos Agency (TLA) was established to service the growing demand from producing organizations for high-quality artwork. Prior to the formation of TLA, no central clearinghouse existed for the rights to use original artwork from Broadway, Off-Broadway, West End, and regional productions. TLA is pleased to bring together our clients' artwork with producing organizations that can utilize it in the promotion of their productions. TLA associates, made up of experienced theatrical-licensing professionals, are ready to service both the needs of our clients and producing organizations."

TLA has selected a number of my designs to include in the offerings to theatre production companies. Some of my favorite images (above) are among those to be presented for licensing. The theatrical logos have served my client, and myself, well in the past.

A few of the chosen logos have been recognized with awards from the PRINT Regional Design Annual, American Graphic Design Awards and Summit Creative Awards. The theatre logos have also been featured in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), The New Big Book of Logos, The Big Book of Logos 3, and The Big Book of Logos 4. Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge - Volume 1, Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan), and New Logo: Two (Singapore) have also showcased some of the designs.

It will be fascinating to see if the images are given even greater exposure through the efforts of TLA. I encourage other designers, who have created logos and other promotional materials for live theatre productions, to take a look at what the Theatre Logos Agency has to offer.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Calls for entries:

Upcoming design competition deadlines

All of the following competitions deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Feedback: Direct and Interactive Marketing
(Index Book - Spain)
No specific deadline posted
No entry fees charged

Big Book of Design Ideas 3
(David E. Carter - USA)
Deadline Extended: May 18, 2007
Entry fees charged

European Logo Design Annual
(Eulda - Italy)
Deadline: May 18, 2007
Entry fees charged

American Graphic Design Awards
(Graphic Design: usa - USA)
Deadline Extended: June 8, 2007
Entry fees charged

Grids: 100 Creative Solutions for Designers
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: May 25, 2007
No entry fees charged

Hungry Design
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: May 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Packaging Identity
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: May 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Design for Special Events
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: June 15, 2007
No entry fees charged

The Create Awards
(Create Magazine - USA)
Deadline: June 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

Print & Production Finishes for Packaging
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: June 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

Print & Production Finishes for Sustainable Design
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: June 30, 2007
No entry fees charged

CA Advertising Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: July 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

Really Good Logos, Explained
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: July 1, 2007
No entry fees charged

CA Design Annual
(Communications Arts - USA)
Deadline: July 1, 2007
Entry fees charged

HOW Interactive Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: July 16, 2007
Entry fees charged

UCDA Design Competition
(University & College Designers Association - USA)
Deadline: July 6, 2007
Entry fees charged

Dynamic Graphics Re:Design Competition
(Dynamic Graphics - USA)
Deadline: August 6, 2007
Entry fees charged

Communicating with Pattern: Signs & Symbols
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: August 31, 2007
No entry fees charged

Squares, checks & grids
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: August 31, 2007
No entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: September 4, 2007
Entry fees charged

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites. A list of design competition links appears at the end of the article.

Design competition calendars are also available at Icograda and Workbook. DesignTaxi and Dexinger post competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

For the perspecctive from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a recent bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

A "toot-o-rrific" gift...

I'm a collector. To the point that my partner Ed tells me I'm not allowed to buy "things" any longer. Still, my collections are such that, once in a while, I find something I "must" have and I can sneak it into our home decor without him even noticing. To say that our home decorating style is eclectic is an understatement. Once, after a stint at housesitting while we were in Italy, my mother referred to our home as "sensory overload."

I collect cowboy memorabilia, primarily advertising related salt & pepper shakers and cookie jars, specialty tea pots and books (and more books - especially design books!). I have a collection of metal advertising signs and a couple hundred advertising character collectibles. Having over 600 rocking horse Christmas tree ornaments has led to other rocking horse items appearing in our home. We've also got a collection of art pieces from our trips around the world - and works created by, or given to us, by friends. Friends,family, clients and design industry pals have always been very helpful in contributing to my collectible addictions.

And then there are toy trains. I've always been fascinated by trains. That's one reason why LogoMotives has always been such an appropriate name for my business.

About a month ago I had an appointment with my chiropractor, known to our friends as Dr. Pain, in Portland's Pearl District. I parked my truck about half a block from his office, stepped over to the sidewalk and stopped in my tracks (so to speak). There, in the window of an antique shop called The Cultured Pearl was an incredible toy locomotive, with coal tender, sitting on a white bench as the store's window display. To me it was stunning. With about one minute until my appointment, I had to jolt myself out of my window-shopping stupor to get to Dr. Pain's office.

Returning to my truck, after my adjustment, I found my fascination with the two-foot long toy train had not diminished. I peeked at the price tag and knew immediately that there was no way I could justify such a frivilous impulse purchase. When I got home I gave Ed a call, told him what I'd seen and said I wished I had been able to just buy the thing without even thinking about it.

A couple weeks later I drove by the antique shop again. The white bench was still in the window. The train was gone. Oh, well...

Yesterday was one of Ed's family's combined birthday/holiday celebrations. We were celebrating Ed's birthday last month, his sister's birthday this next week, my birthday the following week, and Mother's Day. It is tradition to open the gifts in the order of the event - so, my cards and gift were the last to be presented. A large gift bag, filled with colorful shredded paper was in front of me. I know now that I should have suspected what was in the bag - but I'm usually oblivious about such things. I lifted off the top layer of the packaging paper and uncovered the black steel coal tender of "my" train. I really was stunned. Ed explained that he, his parents, his grandparents, his sister and her husband (plus his kids), and several other friends had all combined resources to get me the locomotive as my birthday gift. In fact, he'd gone to the store the first day I'd seen the thing in the window and purchased it. The owner of the shop had explained the train was an American-made piece that he had then found on a buying trip to Prague.

I'm still stunned - and amazed - today. Thank you so much Ed, Lily, Raymond, Neva, Harold, Tammy, Rich, Ricky, Maddy, Lisa, Bev, Mary, and Kate. It's an incredible gift and I break into a big smile each time I take a look at my new toy.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

Graphic Designer's Guide to Better

Business Writing features Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is one of the design industry experts featured in the new book The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Better Business Writing, by authors Barbara Janoff and Ruth Case-Smith. The volume, from Allworth Press, includes case studies, advice and graphic examples from design educators and professionals such as Larry Asher, Michael Bierut, Margo Chase, Cameron Foote, Lee Silber and many others.

The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Better Business Writing teaches graphic designers how to write compelling business communications. Created especially to address the needs of graphic design students and professionals, this handy guide breaks the writing process down into simple, easy-to-understand stages and offers practical writing and presentation models that designers can put to use immediately. Real-life examples cover an array of essential topics: writing winning resumes and cover letters, landing accounts, writing polished letters and reports, creating design briefs, and much more.

Fisher's contributions include an example of one of his "Toot! Toot!*" press releases, a project value sheet presented to nonprofit groups at the completion of pro bono or discounted design jobs, and an example of a logo design sample sheet (below) provided to potential clients. Fisher is also cited in the book, discussing the benefits taking on pro bono design projects and the use of press releases as a marketing tool. His own book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, is listed in the selected bibliography.

Author Barbara Janoff has taught business communications for more than 20 years. As Writing Coordinator at Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, she developed writing courses for graphic designers and photographers. Co-author Ruth Cash-Smith has taught business communications for colleges in the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. A former job search coach, she has written several award-winning handbooks for nonprofit organizations.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 550 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 85 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Re-Design: Holocaust Remembrance Project

The Holocaust Remembrance Project is a program of the Holland+Knight Charitable Foundation, Inc - the charitable giving organization of the Holland+Knight law firm. The project is a national essay contest for high school students that is designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. Participation in the activity encourages students to think responsibly, be aware of world conditions that undermine human dignity, and make decisions that promote the respect and value inherent in every person. The project serves as a living memorial to the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust.

The existing identity for the Holocaust Remembrance Project seemed depressing, dark and oppressive to me - especially when printed on a dark gray T-shirt given to student participants and essay judges. While those descriptive qualities may apply to that particular period of history, I felt the project identity should be celebrating those who have overcome the negatives of the Holocaust to inspire others to live exemplary lives.

The Holocaust impacted a wide variety of people, not just those of the Jewish faith. The triangle-shaped uniform badges assigned to those in the concentration camps were color-coded to identify the individuals. The color codes were:

• Red: Political prisoners - including Poles, Czechs and members of the Armed Forces

• Green: Those considered to be criminals

• Blue: Emigrants

• Yellow: Jews (two triangles were overlapped to form the Star of David)

• Purple: Jehovah’s Witnesses

• Pink: Gay males

• Black: Vagrants, gypsies, and “anti-social” women (lesbians, prostitutes, women using birth control)

In my initial mental design concept, I felt that those impacted by the Holocaust should take "ownership" of those negative identitifying triangle symbols. I inverted the geometric shapes to point to the sky and form colorful rays of a strong, positive sun image. The result is a graphic identity that has been given a sense of light, while making use of the representative colors and projecting an image of honor and respect in regards to the issue of the Holocaust.

The logo is the third in a series I have created for the Holland+Knight Charitable Foundation. The first was the identity for the Young Native Writers Essay Contest, a project I wrote about in an earlier bLog-oMotives entry. The second identifies the Native Youth Internship Program, initiated in the law firm's Portland office Business Manager, my partner Ed Cunningham.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

I'll be speaking at the 20th annual Portland

Community College Art Beat on Thursday

Today, May 7, marks the start of Portland Community College's 20th annual Art Beat Week. I will be speaking about my 30-year graphic design career, and various aspects of identity design, Thursday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. in the Little Theater on the Sylvania Campus - 1200 S.W. 49th Avenue, Portland, OR 97219.

The celebration of art, dance, music, literature and theater includes dozens of events at all three PCC campuses and the Southeast Center. All events are free, and all are welcome. Even parking is free during Art Beat Week. Schedules of activities may be found at the following venue links: CascadeRock CreekSoutheast CenterSylvania.

In addition to the scheduled speakers and presentations, each year PCC acquires a piece of work from an area artist to add to the Art Beat collection. The paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, textiles and photography are usually dispersed among the PCC campuses and not always easy to view. This year, to celebrate Art Beat's twentieth anniversary, PCC has brought together the entire collection. The Art Beat exhibition opens at Rock Creek and will then travel to the Sylvania and Cascade campuses - check the venue links above for exhibition dates and locations.

I look forward to meeting any local graphic design professionals and students. Stop by and introduce yourself if you attend my presentation.

Poster design by Linnea Noreen Gruber

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives design

featured in 1000 Retail Graphics

The identity for the Portland-based business institution W.C. Winks Hardware is featured in the new design book 1000 Retail Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything In-Store from Rockport Publishers, Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, designed the logo. The book, featuring a wide variety of design images from around the world, was compiled and edited by the design firm JGA. (A Spanish edition, 1000 DiseƱos Comerciales has been released by Index Book.)

For nearly a century the hardware retailer did not have a business identity at all - although nearly everyone in the city was aware of Winks Hardware due to its reputation as the hardware store. Client Anne Kilkenny, grand-daughter of founder W.C. Winks, requested a logo that would look as if it had been in use since the day the store opened in 1909. Fisher created a stylized illustration of Winks from the only existing photo of the man and made use of typefaces appropriate to the early 1990's.

The Winks Hardware logo has previously been published in the books American Corporate Identity/14, New Business Card Graphics 2 (Japan), Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge, Volume 1, Logo Design for Small Business 2, and Logos from North to South America (Spain).

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 550 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 85 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

A simple garden trellis project

The renovation of our garden continues. When Joy Creek Nursery had to remove an old rhododendron from what will become an outdoor kitchen area, a beautiful purple clematis lost its natural trellis. The old rhody found a new home out in the Joy Creek gardens, after being the model for a pruning class. The clematis, and several other plants, sat above ground, basically bare root, for a couple months before finding new homes among the revised hardscape.

I couldn't find trellises that I liked for the clematis. Most cost several hundred dollars and had patterns I didn't really want incorporated into our gardenscape. I roughed out a design on my computer for a set of trellises to be made out of copper pipe. My partner, Ed, previously made an arbor in a similar manner several years ago when he was practicing his copper pipe work prior to re-plumbing our home.

The trellises were designed to be approximately five feet wide and stand a total of five feet above the surface of the garden bed.

The materials needed for one trellis are:

• 8 pieces of 1/2 inch copper pipe cut to 24 inch lengths (you will want to use the thickest 1/2 inch pipe for added strength)

• 8 pieces of 1/2 inch copper pipe cut to 20 inch lengths

• 2 pieces of 1/2 inch copper pipe cut to 12 inch lengths

• 2 copper corner joints for 1/2 inch pipe

• 10 copper "tee" joints for 1/2 pipe

• 2 pieces of 3/8 inch rebar cut to 4 foot lengths

• 1 piece 1/4 inch copper tubing 5 feet in length

• 2 small metal screws 1/2 to 5/8 inches in length

The tools needed include:

• a handheld pipe cutter (available at the hardware store)

• the necessary solder and soldering equipment

• steel wool, sandpaper or a tool made for roughing up the pipe surfaces to be joined

• a container of flux and the necessary brush for "painting" it on the copper tubing

• a pair of gloves with a non-skid palm surface for assistance in holding the pipe while it is being cut

I cut all the copper lengths. On the flat surface of my patio, I then prefit all the pieces together to make sure all were correct and my trellis was going to be square. Ed then help me rough up all services that were to be soldered, but flux on both surfaces to be joines and soldered the frame at each joint. (many home improvement websites and books have great detail about the soldering process.)

I then formed the 5 foot length of 1/4 copper tubing into a spiral shape to serve as the centerpiece design element of the trellis. Spirals and swirls are patterns that have been repeated throughout our home in light fixtures, switchplate covers, light fixtures, fabrics, glassware, eating/serving utensils, dishes, interior art, garden art and elsewhere. Where the tubing was to meet the frame, I crimped the tubing flat with plyers and then drilled a hole (just smaller than the selected screws) through the flattened tupping and the "tee" joint where the swirl would be joined to the frame. The swirl was then screwed tightly into place.

Two pieces of rebar were then stuck about 1 foot into the ground at the distance determined by the width of the finished trellis. The finished trellis end pieces, or legs, where then forced over the rebar and pushed down to ground level. The previously homeless clematis was then planted in front of the trellis and I wove the new growth through the copper trellis frame.

The process was then duplicated for a second matching trellis. The plants seem very happy with their new homes - and I have trellises that also serve as garden art. I was thrilled that the finished trellises cost about $50 a piece in materials - due in part to the fact we already had the soldering supplies in our personal tool library - and were only a project of a few hours.

Note: You might also want to check out my copper and bronze hose guard project.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives