2010 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Essential Logo and Identity Design Resources on Twitter, Logobird (October 2010)

Paper Cuts: All Aboard the Paper Train, by Tad Dobbs, The Squall Line (September 2010)

The Social Media Bible, @CEDIM (July 2010)

Top Graphic Designers Interviewed - The Sequel!, GraphicDesignBlog.org (May 2010)

Developing expertise in an industry or project type, by Neil Tortorella, NeilTortorella.com (May 2010)

How to Win A Design Competition, by HOW Editors, How Design (April 2010)

Career: How to Get Promoted, by Julie Anne Sims, HOW Magazine (April 2010)

Perpetual Logomotion, by Sean Thorenson, Inklings (April 2010)

In Depth With Jeff Fisher, by Brian Hock, designerID.com (March 2010)

Face to Face with Jeff Fisher, by Otba Mushaweh, Logo Talks (March 2010)

13 Must Follow Logo and Brand Identity Design Blogs, Logobird (March 2010)

Gay Marriage: Jeff Fisher and Ed Cunningham, by Christian Messer, id Magazine (February 2010)

Designers *First* Designs..., by Niki Brown, Design O'Blog (February 2010)

Do You Toot Your Own Horn? Jeff Fisher Does!, Against The Grain/Neenah Paper (February 2010)

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Facebook, Illustration Pages (January 2010)

A Look Back, A Look Forward, by The Creative Group, TCG eZIne (January 2010) © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

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Anatomy of a logo design

Several years ago my friend, and long-time client, Anne Kilkenny contracted me to design a logo for a grass roots community effort to oppose the inclusion of a "big box" hardware store in a new development proposed for construction on the east side of Portland's Willamette River. The site, at the end of the Burnside Bridge, was within a few blocks of numerous owner-operated smaller home improvement stores. Residential neighborhoods were nearby. The construction of a large retail store could have a tremendous negative impact on local business, the quality of life for neighbors and traffic.

I had worked with this client for years - including designing the award-winning identity for the nearly 100-year-old W.C. Winks Hardware store and the logo for her Heart of the Pearl retail development in the city's Pearl District. Kilkenny didn't need to provide much initial input on the project. It's just the way we've worked together over the years. I'd read the newspaper reports of the community issue and was familiar with the area in question. She gave me the rather clever acronym for the organization and set me to work. My one directive was to create something "that might look cool on a T-shirt."

I did a couple doodles on a piece a paper and then went directly to my PowerBook to fine-tune my one and only concept for the logo (above). Recently a friend was looking at the design and said "that's a design that would look really cool on a T-shirt, but what is it?" I gave a brief explanation of the concept behind the design and then my friend commented that it was "a really cool design."

In dissecting the design (above), I explained that the squiggly blue line (A.) represented the east bank of the Willamette River and one boundary of the area being impacted. The color blue was another representation of the water. Within the logo there are four abstract human forms (B.) representing the local community activists, the small business owners, other concerned citizens, and the public officials siding with the group. Together these four human forms created a circle (C.) signifying the unity of the various groups on this emotional community issue. Together the elements also created squares (D.) representative of Portland's grid system of small commercial and residential blocks in the area. I used upper and lower case letterforms on the AFriend element (E.), an acronym for Association for Responsible Inner Eastside Neighborhood Development, to make it seem friendlier and a little more neighborly for the group going up against the big corporations (and their lawyers) and city planners in dealing with the issue. A little last minute treatment was coloring the dot over the "i" blue to symbolically remind those involved that a single drop of water in a bucket can make a difference in the end result.

I don't know if my "cool" design had much of an impact on the outcome, but the developers of the project did end up going back to the drawing board to remove the "big box" retailers from their architectural plans.

The AFriend logo appears in The Big Book of Logos 5 and 100s Visual Logos & Letterheads (UK).

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

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Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identities deconstructed in 'Design DNA - Logos' volume

Two logo designs by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based Jeff Fisher LogoMotives are featured in the newly released book Design DNA - Logos: 300+ International Logos Deconstructed. Written by brand consultant and designer Matthew Healey, the volume was published by HOW Books.

Design DNA - Logos analyzes over 300 exemplary designs from around the world; giving designers a clear understanding of how to target specific markets and convey brand values. Showcasing inspirational design, it is also a practical and problem-solving handbook covering general process and specific detailing. Every logo is deconstructed to show how each element works to make the design an effective one, and case studies walk the reader through the reasoning behind successful design decisions.

The Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs presented in the book include the logo for the short-lived Balaboosta Delicatessen and the identity for VanderVeer Center.

Featured in the "Food & Drink" section of the volume, the Balaboosta logo (above center) was designed to compliment the neighboring local eating establishments of Portland chef and author Lisa Schroeder. The tile design and colors of the historic restaurant setting were incorporated into the logo design, referred to as "old-fashioned and tasteful" by Design DNA - Logos. Unfortunately, after a short time in operation, Balaboosta was closed and the restaurant space was reconcepted.

The VanderVeer Center identity (above right), an element of a total rebranding of the facility providing non-surgical cosmetic procedures, is cited in the volume for the "soothing" colors used in the design. The use of "naturalistic" typography is also recognized by the author, in the "Health & Beauty" industry logo example.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. Other book projects are currently in the works.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 140 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. He often travels – nationally and internationally – to present courses, seminars and workshops on design, branding, marketing and social networking. In addition, Fisher is a nationally-recognized speaker, making numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups.

More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

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

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

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Theatre Logos

(Clockwise from upper left)

Anytime Tickets
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

An identity for the live theatre ticket sales for a local production company. The image appears in LogoLounge, Vol. 1 (Rockport Publishers,USA, 2003), Logo World (P.I.E. Books, Japan -2001) and LogoLounge, Vol. 1 (Paper-mini, Rockport Publishers,USA, 2006).

As Bees in Honey Drown
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

Logo for a theatre production. The identity is featured in The Big Book of Logos 3 (HBI, USA, 2002), The Big Book of Logos 3 (Paper, HBI, USA, 2004), Logos From North to South America (Index Book, Spain, 2005), Logos Cafe (Page One, Singapore 2005), and Logos from North to South America (Paper-mini, Index Book, Spain, 2005)

Beirut
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

This logo for a play is one nearly 100 I have designed for one theatre company over the last 16 years. Honored with a Bronze Summit Creative Award, this logo is featured in The New Big Book of Logos (HBI, USA, 2000), Logo World (P.I.E. Books, Japan -2001) and The New Big Book of Logos (Paper, HBI, USA, 2003)..

The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr: Abridged
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

Logo for a theatre production in which three actors perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in a madcap style worthy of Groucho Marx. The design won a Silver in the Summit Creative Awards, and appears in the the books The New Big Book of Logos (HBI, USA, 2000), Logo World (P.I.E. Books, Japan -2001) and The New Big Book of Logos (Paper, HBI, USA, 2003).

All logo designs © 2015 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

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