One such effort was a 1995 project for a Bend, Oregon client, Deschutes Plumbing. I was provided with three rough sketches and color suggestions for the plumbing contractor's business (above). The client wanted snow- capped mountains, trees, and a river flowing down the mountainside with a drop of water coming out of a faucet - or possibly two faucets. I was also given the directive "Colors: blue (water), forest green (trees, lettering)."
I don't know about the rest of you, but my first impression was a very clear image of a woman's breasts in the doodles - and knew that would not represent the business well. Still, within the rough ideas there were bits and pieces that could make up a much more concise, clean and usable identity design.
I immediately eliminated the idea of small tree elements, as they would most likely add too much detail to the design. I was able to incorporate graphic elements to represent the nearby Three Sisters Mountains and the Deschutes River. The letterforms "D" and "P" where drawn to resemble pipes, complete with a drip of water coming from the tap imagery. The color requests of the client were implemented as well. All of the elements were incorporated in a circular shape for ease of use in ads, collateral materials and vehicle signage.
The resulting image is still in use by the business 13 years later. It was also featured in the Japanese book New Logo & Trademark Design; later released in paperback by PIE Books as Logo and Trademark Collection.
© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
