Archives of Blog

I’d like to start by saying I love my profession. The first visual communications class I took in high school clicked with me instantly, and since then I haven’t wanted to do anything else. That being said, I spend a lot of time justifying what I do and even more often explaining why it matters. […]

A lot happened last year in terms of rebranding. Not unlike highschool students, brands have many different personalities, and those really come to light during a major aesthetic redesign. Here are a few of the most interesting characters from the class of 2013. It’s fairly easy to improve a logo where an animal is wearing […]

When I meet clients for the first time, they almost always mention wanting to stand out from the competition. Understandably, I’ve never had anyone say “I want my logo to look just like all the other logos in my industry.” There are many different ways to set your brand apart through color choices, fonts, etc. […]

Over the years, one of the most common issues I’ve run into during design projects is lack of feedback. As far as I know, professional graphic designers aren’t known to be overly sensitive creatures, so I’m often puzzled by clients who want to go out of their way to spare my feelings. It may seem […]

What do kitchen supplies, building materials and dead cats have in common? Well, usually nothing. But today they have great packaging in common. I love really clever packaging design, especially for new or unique products. Here are a few of my favorite designs for some rather unconventional products. These are projects that I imagine had […]

By now, everyone has noticed the shift toward simplicity in design. Whether it’s the transition from skeuomorphism to flat design on your iPhone or the recent trend in minimal logos, it seems as though this “back to basics” approach is here to stay. Simplicity isn’t new by any means, and this shift in design aesthetics is most […]

Looking for a graphic design position can be extremely stressful, even for the most skilled designer. Trying to land your first design job out of school, when you’re definitely NOT the most skilled designer, can be a nightmare. Back when I was applying for my first real job I had some terrifying dreams about all […]

You’ve basically spent your whole life with them. You grew up together, and still see them almost daily. Although they’ve changed somewhat through the years, you’d still recognize their faces from a mile away. They make you feel comfortable because you trust them. But after all this time, how well do you really know them? […]

We’re about two thirds of the way through Yahoo’s “30 Days of Change”project, and my guess is you’ve already forgotten about it. Or maybe you never heard about it to begin with. To celebrate their upcoming logo redesign, Yahoo! is releasing a different version of their logo every day for thirty days. This immediately piqued my […]

I’ve posted about fonts on the  blog several times in the past. I typically write about along the lines of how to choose the right typeface, or what makes a good font, but there are definitely times when it’s in your best interest to have someone else do this for you, especially if you’re choosing […]

Occasionally, I find myself months into a design project that was initially scheduled to be completed in weeks. This is obviously not an ideal position to be in, for the client or for me. Sometimes this delay is the result of an unforeseen circumstance, such as a family emergency, but other times it can be due […]

There are a couple of graphic design requests I’ve repeatedly encountered over the years. I hate saying no, and some of them are pretty amusing, but there are some things that I have to flat-out refuse and find a better solution. Here are some of the things your designer can help you with, and some she […]

You probably didn’t notice, but Instagram released a new logo recently. Before you freak out, yes the camera icon remained intact. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, for our little rainbow camera  friend made the cut, and it was only the type which was redesigned. The change was fairly subtle, which is […]

Think of your five favorite foods. Now imagine pouring them all into a bowl and mixing them up. Unless your favorite foods are ice cream, chocolate syrup and ice cream toppings, (or you happen to be Buddy the elf) this combination probably doesn’t sound appetizing anymore, does it? That’s because all those ingredients, while delicious on […]