Andrew Woods

BLOG DISCONTINUED

2009-09-01T12:21:00.001-07:00

This blog has been discontinued, as current work is now being uploaded to my new blog: www.shiftydanger.blogspot.com

Flash Fun

2009-08-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

www.rectangulaire.com

www.destroysdesign.com

www.ernestgaspard.com

Extreme Craft

2009-05-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

www.ExtremeCraft.com

All I can say is that if you haven't visited, check it out...Perhaps one of the best resources for DIY/Craft madness. The editor of the site came to Georgia State about a month and a half ago and I got to hear his lecture. He is also involved with Readymade Mag and a few other collaborative efforts..very interesting character to say the least. Anywho, I went on there today and spent about three hours searching about, so beware...it will hook you.

Updated Fantasyland Ad/Poster+ Drop Shadow

2009-05-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

so I don't usually use digital drop shadows or gradients in my designs. most of the time, i can think of better ways to achieve the aims of these effects through other means, but tonight i thought..."why the hell not?" I was looking at this piece i've been working on and was trying to think of different ways to tweak it, and I decided that I might as well try the effects out for once...couldn't hurt. Or could it? Either way, I was brain dead and willing to take the chance. So here it is...my very first design with the one...the only....drop shadow :)

Fantasyland Advertisement/Poster BG Change

2009-05-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Threw blue in the background to get more of a height factor out of the statue by making a 'sky' background. I've been looking at the other one with the cream logo color as the background, so it sorta looks strange to me...but maybe it's because I'm used to the other way around. Who knows?

Fantasyland Advertisement/Poster

2009-05-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

So here's pretty much my final draft for my updated Fantasyland advertisement/Poster. Added the slab with the text. Pretty happy with the turnout, might tweek a few things here and there before I go and show my client the full monty. Either way, it's much more exciting and satisfying than the previous ads I came up with. Anywho, let me know what you think.

Something else...

2009-05-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

...either for an advertisement or a poster. Going with the idea I had earlier in the semester to use classical works of art/statuary references with actual images of a record integrated into the piece somehow. Here's the first basic layout I've come up with, the statue of liberty. The slab in the left hand of Mr. Liberty will look cohesive with the body of the statue when I'm all finished. I think I may put some sort of engraved message into that says something like "Carry the Tradition" or "Carry on the Tradition" or "Carry on Tradition". Who knows?

Even though the semester is over, I can't seem to get out of Fantasyland. It is quite lovely there this time of year, though.

Fantasyland Record Specialty Item Photo

2009-05-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Didn't have a chance to photograph the final construction of my DIY CD Packaging Kit before I turned it in for portfolio, but I did take a photograph of the envelope, cd label and cd with applied label. Believe it or not, this really took me a long time and it was a huge hassle. Couldn't find blank cd labels forever and when I finally did, I had to do about 100 prints (no kidding) before I could get the labels to print correctly. I learned a lot from the project, though. Unfortunately, I had to finally end up printing the package on Matte Paper, as opposed to what I really wanted to print on (Luster or something of the sort)...I had to make the package about 15 times and I couldn't ever make the folds with the Luster Duo paper without massive creasing. Anywho, I have no choice but to be content at this point.

Photo of Envelope/Cd Label

Board Layout

And another one...

2009-05-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

Added color and experimented with a couple new options for layout. The one's on the left are one-sided layouts, the right is double-sided options.

Oh, and something I didn't mention before...She has many different skills, so instead of making a direct reference to one of these skills or spelling them out, we decided to go for a more generic, classy look with a feminine twist. So there...

The inclination

2009-05-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

So even though the semester is over and I should probably take a break and regain my sanity, I've still got the inclination to design. Today, I started catching up on projects I've promised friends and relatives that I had to put on hold during the semester.

This is the beginning of the first project I'm working on. My friend, Martha, is about to begin looking for another job and wants me to create her graphic identity which she will use for business cards, a website and potentially a full set of stationery if all goes to plan. So I threw together some different typeface combinations and took some of the ones I liked and made some layouts for business cards.

I sent her the file a minute ago, and she told me that she's digging the card on the second row, second one down (the one with the decorative/feminine "MAD"). More to come...

Ceramics

2009-05-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Some photos of some recent ceramics work. I've got a bunch more coming that are waiting to be glazed.

I also found an old 3D project I did back in the day. The assignment was to make a replication of an object out of cardboard. I decided to do a camera. I made it to where you can actually move and turn the "lense". Pretty sweet.

Portfolio Submissions: Logos

2009-04-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

These are the three logos (excluding my personal logo) that I am planning to submit for portfolio review. I'm definitely submitting the Ernest Gaspard and Fantasyland logos, but not 100% on the APT Logo. I have business cards made for APT and the logo is displayed on their website...but I'm not sure it's one of my best pieces. Any thoughts?

Ernest Gaspard Logo (interior design showroom)

Fantasyland Records (Atlanta record store)

Advanced Pool Technologies, Inc (A company that inspects pools and adds the necessary chemicals for sanitation)

Specialty update

2009-04-22T14:14:00.001-07:00

Specialty Item update

2009-04-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Specialty Item Sketches/Drafts

2009-04-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches.

Here's a really rough draft of my DIY CD Packaging Kit Layout.

The "Art" of Panchiko Machines

2009-04-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

So what the hell is going on here?, you might ask.

Video and Explanation From http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/02/made_in_japan_vol_3.html

Circuit Bending Pachinko Machines -
Pachinko is somewhat of an obsession for many in Japan, and the craze for new pachinko machines in pachinko parlors leads to a very constant turnover of new machines coming in and old machines going out, making them them a prime candidate for "artistic repurposing" projects such as circuit bending. Pachinko machines are part pinball, part video slot machines, and part music makers, and as anyone who has stepped foot in a pachinko parlor can attest, these machines are LOUD and good at making noise to begin with. YouTube user DevgonAsh has taken to circuit bending outdated pachinko machines, tweaking everything from their sounds, their video screens, to their mechanical motors and solenoids and linking them up various controllers, matrices, and even regular old spoons.

Specialty Item Examples

2009-04-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Scanned in some postcards, stickers, invites and other things i had laying around.

Burned

2009-04-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

So I am really feeling burnt out and this is not supposed to be the time for that sort of business...any suggestions, anyone? I've always thought a quarter system would be marvelous...

More Ad Drafts...

2009-04-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Blah...I am bored and finished with these layouts. Now that I've got these finished, I'm going to try and bust out some crazier collage type ads this weekend and get started on specialty pieces (which I'm quite excited about).

Ad Typography

2009-04-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

Just experimenting with typographical based ads. This was the first series I came up with.

...and Another.

2009-04-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ad Layouts using vinyl so far.

2 Directions

2009-04-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

These are the two directions I'm currently working with. I feel like I'm getting closer, but haven't quite hit the mark yet.

Record Photography

2009-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Since I wasn't able to photograph my records in my light box, I had to come up with an alternative plan. So I ghetto-rigged my lighting system with the same fabric I used on my lightbox and taped a white piece of paper over the fabric to dim the light because records are quite shiny/reflective. I set up my tripod to where I could take a straight vertical shot at each record. After I set up the very first record, I made a mark in the center so that each record would sit in the same place when it was their turn. This helped to keep the lighting and effect the same for each photograph.

Here are the records I've photographed thus far (cropped) and a couple of photographs of my set-up for this process.

More Ad Drafts

2009-04-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

And more inspiration flows...

2009-04-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Surfing

2009-04-04T02:36:00.000-07:00

Can't sleep. As if it's not enough to design during the daylight hours, my mind keeps dreaming of design at night while I sleep. Guess it could be worse, a nightmare.

Decided to browse through Flickr and find some inspiration. These are images of retro/music design and some others that caught my eye.

Fantasyland Records so far

2009-04-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

The final layouts of completed projects thus far.

Logo

Stationery

Mailer

Final Mailer

2009-04-04T01:40:00.001-07:00

Made necessary size adjustments to the piece after realizing that the original 24''x24'' design was far too large and couldn't fit into a mailbox without being folded. The final piece is 12''x12''. Folded down, it will be 6''x6'' (each square segment is 6x6).

Anyway, here's the final design. I will post some photographs after it's printed.

Board Layout

Front

Back

More Ads

2009-04-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

More Ad Adjustments

2009-04-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

Ad Concept No.3

2009-04-01T12:55:00.001-07:00

This is sorta just for fun. Saw this phrase somewhere at one point in my life and thought it was funny. Probably would appeal to many of the members of my target audience. Hehe

Ad Concept No.2

2009-04-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

For this concept, I want to use vinyls as the central image with a simple tagline, as shown in one of my sketches below.

Ad Concept No.1

2009-04-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

This is my first concept. Using classical figures of art in conjunction with an actual record with a clever tagline to tie it all together. Just threw a sketch in illustrator and live-traced, obviously my final draft will include a well-drawn or painted figure. The figure will probably also look more like statuary. I think the classical figures of art will tie in with the classic records I'm trying to promote and seem to make an interesting combination that would catch someone's eye who is familiar with these staple works of art.

Sketch Update

2009-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sketches for Advertisements and a friend who wants to build an identity for her self-promotion.

Josh Cochran

2009-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Another artist who inspires me.

www.joshcochran.com

Advertisement inspiraton

2009-03-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Key West

2009-03-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm down at the southern most point of the United States this weekend. So far, it's been great to get out of my usual daily routine, relax on the beach and do some brainstorming/sketching for the upcoming projects. I will be unable to make any graphic postings, but look forward to updating upon my return tomorrow evening or Monday morning, flights permitting. Caio!

Andrew

Final Mailer

2009-03-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

Monthly Commemorative Poster with Artist bio/discography on back side, and artist portrait on flip-side. Dimensions are 24''x24''. Folds down into fourths, showing the circle pattern from logo on one side, and receiver's address on flip-side. This month's artist was Jimi Hendrix because it's the 40th anniversary of his performance at Woodstock. The only thing I may work on further before portfolio submission is the portrait.

An artist that I love

2009-03-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

Phillipe Bertho.

You can find his work represented on the Martin Lawrence gallery site.

I got to see an exhibition of his in person down in New Orleans a few years ago. Really great pop art. I get a lot of inspiration from his work.

His work consists of paintings, serigraphs and lithographs.

Mailer (almost) Finale

2009-03-23T11:40:00.001-07:00

Mailer Update

2009-03-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Playing with Color

2009-03-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

More Facial

2009-03-16T12:48:00.001-07:00

Mailer Update

2009-03-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Getting closer to what I'm going for. The images are the front and back of my poster/mailer, which would be folded into 4ths. The entire design is 24'' x 24'', so each square is 12'' x 12''. When folded down, the front would be the receiver address and the back would be the circle pattern. The top of the back contains a short biography of the musician represented graphically on the front. The top states, "Each month in 2009, Fantasyland Records celebrates the life of a rock legend by sending our valued customers a special edition poster containing a biography and visual depiction of the musician. We hope that you will enjoy this offering."

Not quite done with the Hendrix portrait and still not sure about leaving the circles all black or incorporating other colors from the logo into the portrait??

Front

Back

Playing with the tent

2009-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Took a few more photographs using my newly made light tent. The first two are a couple pieces I made this semester in ceramics. They are raku glazed.

Fantasyland Records. Creative Brief

2009-03-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Designer: Andrew Woods
Client: Fantasyland Records
Objective: Create a graphic identity in order to enhance company recognition and success

Fantasyland Records, located in the heart of Atlanta, has been the premiere source for high-quality vinyls since the early 1970’s. Despite the store’s impressive repertoire, Fantasyland does not currently have any sort of graphic identity. It is my goal to design and produce a complete brand identity for Fantasyland Records. This includes creating a logo and producing stationery, advertisements, brochures, postcards, specialty items and motion graphics.

Since Fantasyland’s main attraction is that of an enormous collection of records, I wanted the logo to graphically promote this facet of the business. In order to graphically portray this, I used circles of various scales and colors within the silhouette of a single record shape which ascends from the horizontal typography of the company name, much like an actual record being pulled from a sleeve. The record shape can immediately be recognized as the product the company sells, and the various circles within this main shape contain more than one purpose for the overall concept of the logo. Historically speaking, the circular patterns are characteristic of retrospective design and give nod to not only the store’s long-standing existence over several decades, but also the aged products the company sells. On a purely literal level, the various circles represent the variety and numerosity of records the store offers. On an abstract level, the circles seem to contain a cosmic quality, the bubbling of infinite possibilities or perhaps even the motion of sound. It is this abstract perception which relates directly to the ‘Fantasy’ aspect of the company’s name. The typeface I chose also contains circular characteristics, seen as a perfect circle in ‘A’, and has a hybrid modern-retro feel which serves to establish the company’s products and the logo itself as timeless. Circles are also attached to the descenders of three letter forms and may be portrayed as records descending from the image above, representing the records leaving the store, thus, going home with the consumer. More apparent here, though, is the reference to music notes, as I aligned the circle’s heights using a music staff so that each “note” lies within a space or directly even with a line on a staff. This could make for interesting application in advertisements or animations where I apply the logo elements to a musical staff or audible music notes in a motion graphic. The colors I chose were a few among many colors which I found while researching popular colors of the 1970’s, the era from which the business was born.

The purpose of the logo is to attract potential consumers to Fantasyland by establishing the company as a long-standing haven for unique, classic records. The logo should spark a nostalgic recognition with those of an older generation and a sense of wonder and discovery with those of a younger generation.

The target audience for this campaign is record collectors of all ages. While the older generations who grew up listening to records are the more likely target for advertising, it is important to also advertise to the younger generations as a resurgence of vinyl production for current bands has recently come about and the generations of the past have begun to pass down their old collection of vinyls to their youth.

The stationery I have created directly relates to the physicality and structure of actual record albums. The envelope mirrors the structure of a record sleeve, the letterhead, in conjunction with the envelope, represents a record label, and the business cards are cut directly from actual album covers of the past. Elements from the logo are carried throughout each piece of the stationery, such as the circular pattern on the back of the letterhead and the descending music ‘notes’ on the sticker which encloses the envelope.

Light Tent

2009-03-13T18:25:00.001-07:00

So today I decided to make a light tent in order to photograph some things for portfolio submission. It was pretty unexpensive, and I wouldn't have spent very much if I hadn't bought several kinds of fabric to test out. I've been meaning to make one for some time now and today I just woke up and thought, 'Today is the day'...So it took awhile and I'm happy with the turnout so now I'm hanging it up for the day and going out. Yipee!

Here are some process photos, the light tent, and a couple shots I took of my Nike watch and my Wine re-design project. I'm going to have to mess around with the angle of the lighting and such.

Sketch Update

2009-03-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't spent a ton of time sketching the past few weeks. Although I have made significant progress in the digital realm, I'm going to try to get back in the habit of daily sketch routines...It's good for the soul :)

These are some sketches for Fantasyland specialty items and an older sketch from the stationery process...more to come.

Juried Student Exhibition submission

2009-03-12T21:07:00.001-07:00

My presidential typographic portrait for CNN.com

Draft 3

2009-03-11T13:06:00.001-07:00

Draft 2

2009-03-11T12:55:00.001-07:00

Mailer

2009-03-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Rough layout for Fantasyland Records mailer piece. The image shows front and back. The design will be 24'' x 24'' and will fold down into a 12'' x 12'' square. The receiver address will be printed on the back, and will show when folded down. I will probably enclose the poster with the same sticker I used for stationery.

The idea is to create a portrait using my circular patterns from the logo. The portrait I've started here is of Jimi Hendrix, although all that shows for now is his fro. The bottom of the front will contain some sort of slogan or text such as, "Celebrating the 35th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's release of the album, "Band of Gypsys". My hope is that the receiver would wish to put the poster on their wall potentially for a long period of time, allowing for the company logo to gain exposure to many people throughout this time. The poster could also potentially get up on the wall of a bar like Smith's. Anyway, this is my rough draft layout.

Stationery Photographs

2009-03-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Phish artwork. Hampton '09

2009-03-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

Phish announced in 2004 that they would be packing it up for good, but rumors flew around for the following five years of a reunion. Phish returned to the stage for the first time in 5 years this weekend, playing the famous "Mothership" Hampton Coliseum (gathering its name from its structural resemblance to a space craft). Phish's tours have always been known to contain their own, unique identity in terms of design of event collateral. This time around was no different, and I really dig the direction the designer took in creating graphics for the website, tickets, tee shirts and other Phish products.

The official ticket/poster/website design

Jim Pollock, long known as Phish's 'official' artist, has always created block prints by hand since the earliest days of Phish. This is his print for the Hampton show and is probably already going for $1000 on e-bay. He only printed 750 this time around and each print is considered a Phish treasure and is highly sought after by fans.

Phish also has a great crew that sets up installation art and such for their festivals and big concerts such as the Hampton reunion show. Outside the coliseum, they set up this giant smiling robot and had people dressed up as the robot walking around, rowing boats in the outdoor fountains and other crazy antics.

Other artist's work for the event.

Logo + Stationery Layout...

2009-03-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

...the logo layout is final. A few minor changes may take place with the stationery layout, but I'm satisfied for now. Time to move on...

Final Logo Layout

2009-02-25T00:17:00.000-08:00

This has definitely been the most enjoyable logo-creation process I've been through thus far. I think that the dreamy and playful state of mind in which I approached the project, as well as the seemingly infinite numbers of combinations of ideas that have come to mind along the way seem to show through in the final product. So I feel that, final product aside, the actual process of creating this logo was a success.

note to self

2009-02-20T15:00:00.001-08:00

make circle containing receiver's address similar to circles from pattern.

Stationery Construction. Round No. 1

2009-02-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

Items:

Letterhead (cardstock)
Envelope (eco-friendly craft paper)
Stamp (Epson A4 Adhesive paper)
Enclosing Sticker (Epson A4 Adhesive paper)

Format:

Letterhead= 8.5'' x 8.5''
Envelope= 8.65'' x 8.65''

The first round of experimenting with constructing my stationery was successful for the most part. The logo printed onto the envelope came out a bit too dark. I'm going to have to search around for some different materials for the envelope or try some sort of shinanigans with printing to get it to come out complementary to the other stationery imagery. Other than that, I believe I'm getting rather close.

Closer...

2009-02-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Another stationery layout

2009-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Trying to refine the digital layout before I begin to produce the actual stationery in material form.

Another stationery layout

2009-02-17T13:21:00.001-08:00

Letterhead

Envelope (*Note: The square at the top center is a sticker which would enclose the 'record sleeve')

Business Card

Left side is Front, Right side is Back.

Monday Sketches

2009-02-17T11:23:00.001-08:00

Before Art Monday at Apache, I was groovin' to some Medeski Martin + Wood and did this sketch.

The first of my advertisement ideas for Fantasyland Records. A 'fantasy' landscape made up of elements from the logo.

Sketches from Apache Cafe's figure drawing. For this session, apart from the usual, I didn't have a set plan/technique of how I would portray the model, so I just decided to try and not think about how I wanted to draw but just move the hand not holding the delicious Newcastle around sporadically.

When I got home, I decided to get a mirror and attempt to sketch my face.

More Stationery...

2009-02-16T14:21:00.001-08:00

Create your own fonts

2009-02-16T12:38:00.001-08:00

Check it out...

http://www.yourfonts.com/

Working with record album materials...

2009-02-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

...for stationery. Experimentation and Photographation. I think I like where this is going.

Envelope

Business Card

I think I like the business card without the Fantasyland sticker on the colorful side. I'll prob leave the colorful side alone and just put the top, circular pattern part of my logo back on the plain side.

I'm going to search for some album covers which contain colors that fit well with my logo. I just wanted to use this particular cover to experiment with.

Being that these are made of cardboard, they could serve as coasters if they were just a bit larger...hmm..

Returning

2009-02-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

So I've taken a short break from the digital Land of Fantasy. In the mean time, I did a couple of sketches and wrote down some thoughts and ideas I have about stationery and advertisements.

As far as stationery goes, I think this sketch is pretty self explanatory. I'm trying to figure out how to do the stationery in an eco-friendly manner as much as possible, and the idea I have layed out in this sketch would only involve me using very little sticker paper and some ink. The other materials would come from actual record album goods (most likely from vinyls in my collection which I find dispensable)

Envelope=an actual record sleeve (with a circular hole cut-out in the middle...as many have) + sticker for enclosing the top + stamp + printed logo/address in upper left corner

Letterhead= perhaps the back-side of a record sleeve cut off from the front or some recyclable paper of some sort + ink print of design and text

Business Card=a rounded-rectangular cut out from an actual album cover with a sticker containing logo on front +printed info of address/contact/owner name on the blank/cardboard side

Here are a couple of sketches I've done recently to get some ideas for bottles and jugs and other things I'm making in ceramics.

Logo Transformation

2009-02-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

Sketches/Digital files layed out in pretty much the order they were created. Reads like a book from left to right, then down, ending with a photograph I took of my logo printed on some drawing paper that I soaked in tea to get a color close to what I want to use for stationery.

Client No. 2 Refinement

2009-02-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

So these are the two prints which I currently have in my portfolio for another rebranding project I worked on last year. The client is a high-end interior design showroom in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) owned and named by Ernest Gaspard . I'm pretty set on the logo and advertisement designs, but I feel maybe some minor refinements might be necessary later on.

The other items (stationery, specialty piece, brochure) are under construction...It's been a year since I did these things, so I'm taking another look and trying out some new things with these other items. Will post some drafts of these as completed.

Right now, just looking to get some feedback on these close-to-completed prints.

The first is the Company Logo.

The second is a set of three magazine advertisements (8.5 x 11, 3 x 11, 5 x 5)

Stationery Draft

2009-02-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Just altered some secondary type and dimmed the drop shadows a bit on this one.

Note to self...

2009-02-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Logo transformation layout

Ad sketches

Retro texture/Linocut

Stationery Print No. 1

2009-02-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Got a decent layout, so I'm printing this one so I can stand back and look at the design in print form. I'll prob take a picture of the print after I experiment with some different envelopes and papers. That post and more, coming soon to a blog near you...

Stationery Layout. Round No. 1

2009-02-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

Going for Simplicity with this design. Threw the layout over some different color swatches to start building a repertoire of colors which work well with the colors from my designs thus far.

Just in case this is confusing in some possible way (can't imagine how, but you never know), the layout order of items from top to bottom is as follows:

1. Envelope (Front/Back)
2. Letterhead (Front/Back)
3. Business Card (Front/Back)

More Stationery

2009-02-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

Since the last stationery post, I just moved some things around and added a stamp. I think I'll try some more experimental stuff tomorrow. However, I do want to nail a straight-forward, solid design so I'll have something to fall back on. Last time I took this class and got to the stationery for Ernest Gaspard, i kinda went a little too crazy with cutting a keyhole into the back of the envelope, sewing string with a key on the end that went through the hole, back out around a knob, and you had to unwind the string from the knob...anyway, it was overboard. So for this time around, I want to do something unexpected yet clean and simple.

Square-format Stationery

2009-02-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Playing with Square-format, using the typography from my logo on the envelope/saving graphic for letterhead & type layout for letterhead. I think it might be interesting to play with the idea of including "Greetings from... {Fantasyland Logo}" on either the letterhead or envelope, or both?

I think the logo is too big on the letterhead, and the record falling from the letter "N" should probabaly drop to the starting point of "Greetings Daryl"..I like the fact taht I can use the falling/hanging records for interesting alignment elements, so I think I'm come to the conclusion not to get rid of them in my logo. I don't think I'm quite 100% done with the texture/look of my logo, but after thinking about stationery and other things and the layout of the stationery, I'm pretty set on the design layout of my logo. For now, though, I'm moving on to try out the stationery and advertisements to see what interesting things come out of it. I think that by doing this, the logo/stationery/ads can feed off of one another synonymously.

More to come..

Stationery thoughts

2009-02-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Considering the colors of my logo and the retro feel I'm going after, I'm thinking of using an off-white/cream color for my stationery. I haven't really been so apt for searching out eco-friendly paper, but I think I need to start looking for better choices of environmentally friendly paper sources. I'm thinking that a square format might be interesting, as opposed to the typical 8.5x11 letterhead...this would reference album covers. The format would also mirror my specialty item, which I plan to be some sort of '45 in a record sleeve that's some sort of mailer/advertiser/music sampler. A square format for the letterhead would also be appropriate considering the store owner never has much to say at all...definitely wouldn't need all the space of an 8.5 x 11.

Stationery

2009-02-02T18:34:00.001-08:00

Just getting an idea of how the stationery might look like so I can tweek my logo according to how I want it to work with the layout.

And Another..

2009-02-02T18:02:00.001-08:00

Logo Adjustments

2009-02-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Still truckin'...not quite there yet, but closer, I feel.

Popular 1970s Color

2009-02-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Avocado Green, Pumpkin Orange, Grape Purple & Harvest Gold

Feedback

2009-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get feedback from my Uncle who is also very artistic and usually has a good eye for design and always provides me with constructive criticism. Here's what he had to say about my current logo drafts I've been working with....

I love it! It’s very retro. I love the “album” hangie-downs on the letters. The font’s perfect for the time, although a lot of stuff back then was somewhat “fatter”. But that might make this particular design style hard to read.

Just a recommendation from the time period, a lot of rock-and-roll “groovy” stuff was more orange and purple. Maybe if you made the different circles in the half-record at the top different colors? Some big colors of the time were Harvest Gold, Pumpkin Orange, Avocado Green, and Grape Purple.

Or leave all the circle motifs on the record itself Chocolate brown, and make the center record label orange?

As far as spacing, I think the third and forth look best. With the lettering just a touch wider than the album.

What do your parents think? This was most definitely “their era”.

Oh, ok, I should’ve pulled down further. Looks like you already tried the multi-color stuff. I thought the top one was final, until I checked the dates on all the posts were the same. Cool. You’re definitely on target for something perfect.

Just messing

2009-01-30T18:47:00.000-08:00

Getting burned out for today...so I decided to doodle for awhile. I might take tomorrow off and begin sunday with a fresh outlook. Feel like I've been staring at the logo too much lately.

Closer...

2009-01-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Still playing around with some new ideas/layouts. This set feels closer to the retro/vintage feel I want to achieve as far as color/texture/shapes. One of the problems I'm having with these is where to place the sub-type "Records". More to come...

The first design is obviously just for fun..wanted to see what it looked like layered over each other with depth.

Fantasyland in the Sky

2009-01-30T02:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I lied in the previous post...here's one last wild idea I came up with tonight. Obviously I'd have to change the typeface a bit and take out all those white circular details that are in the records and replace them with curved lines or something of the sort. Who knows? I'm just trying to bust out as many ideas as my creativity will allow for so I'll know I've made the right decision in the end...

On a good note, if I did use this particular design and simplify it a bit, the shape of the records together could be applied in various ways when initiated in ads. They could make up clouds in the sky raining records, as exemplified here, or they could outline hills of a rollercoaster or ferriswheel in an ad where I create a themepark environment. Hmmm...I dunno...

As of now the whole logo seems very busy, but I'll change that later. Just laying it out there for now.

Logo Colors

2009-01-30T02:06:00.000-08:00

So I'm sorta tired of coming up with logo ideas right now, so I'm Just playing around with some color schemes in between the time I'm working on my logo...Depending on a particular color I like, I may make a decision in regards to my logo design based off of this color choice...Note: The final logo will either be lino-cut or stamped, I want it to look vintage..no vectors allowed.

The Cosmic Sketch

2009-01-30T01:02:00.000-08:00

So this is the sketch I did which led me to become interested in this new direction.

More Digital Drafts.

2009-01-30T00:55:00.000-08:00

Still think I need to incorporate circular lines into the design (the lines found on a record's surface)...I was thinking maybe white or grey lines and wherever the white circles run into these lines, they would change color. Still not set on a typeface, I'll probably finalize the typography after I finish the logo design itself. Anyways, I can't sleep and my goal is to finalize my logo tomorrow so I can move on to more exciting escapades. We'll see....

Circular

2009-01-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

Just getting an idea of some circle relationships I want to use in my logo as well as getting a sense of color for the brand identity.

Blah...

2009-01-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

This design I'm working with is really not doing it for me...I'm throwing the previous post's design into the trash bin for now and working with some new ideas the rest of this week...my new inspirations include:

circular patterns
kaleidescope
radial patterns

From these, I am going to go back to the sketching board and come up with some new stuff. This is what happens when I leave my sketchbook laying dormant for a few days, I come up with....Blah

And another...

2009-01-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

Print Draft No. 1

2009-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

First print-out for class critique. Still haven't hit my mark yet...more to come.

...and Another

2009-01-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

Another New Direction

2009-01-26T01:19:00.000-08:00

Weekend Doodles

2009-01-25T20:47:00.001-08:00

A couple of strange drawings done during random times this weekend. Just for fun, I inverted the colors. I used a circle stencil, various colored inks and a burnt out cigarette as a brush. It's possible that there are some fragments of Doritos in the mix somewhere as well.

Retro-type No. 3

2009-01-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

After glancing at the typefaces I collected, these are some of the one's that caught my eye. Each of these has a certain characteristic that I found interesting and thought I could draw from for the typography in my logo.

Retro-type No. 2

2009-01-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

CNN iReport: Art Happenings. 'My Hope for Obama is..."

2009-01-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

Retro Type No. 1

2009-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Now that I've got some ideas out on the table, I'm researching some different typefaces and creating layouts of various retro-type fonts. Here's the first. More to come.

Another Crazy Direction

2009-01-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

So I thought it might be interesting to do the Fantasyland Logo in the style of an old motel/hotel/amusement park...for ads, the logo could be placed on a sign and in the background (which isn't seen here), there would be an explosion of records/rollercoasters/wildlife/etc..anywho, here's a sketch i did sortof pointing towards that direction, threw the sketch into photoshop and did a quick sloppy job of adding color/texture to the logo. still not satisfied, but i'm just trying out all the possibilities.

Inspiration from Graphic-Exchange

2009-01-21T14:02:00.001-08:00

Graphic-Exchange

2009-01-21T13:52:00.001-08:00

Here's a very helpful site that Stan told me about today. A vast collection of graphic design work, check it!

www.graphic-exchange.com