Old-school standard deliverables for new logo design clients.
Before the world was consumed by smart phones and Facebook, the go-to means of business communication was still old-fashioned direct mail. Letterhead and envelopes were printed en masse and stashed in the office cupboard (often with blank stock for second pages) and often in a dedicated LTR tray in the office printer so invoices, statements, collection efforts, and other formal correspondence could be quickly sent to the printed, hand-folded, stuffed into a pre-printed #10 envelope with a 29¢ stamp, and sent in the outgoing mail to be delivered in a few days.
For graphic designers, the business system — which typically included business cards for key client-facing team members, letterhead, a #10 business envelope, and possible pre-addressed #9 return envelopes — was a standard deliverable for all identity development!
Designing a versatile team brand for unique applications
This patch design was commissioned for the Special Ops team at the Golder Ranch Fire Department in north Tucson, Arizona. The seal designed highlighted the physical abilities of this special team along with the treacherous circumstances they have to deal with. The figure rappelling was hand-drawn and manipulated in Illustrator. The primary seal was designed in four-color process for use on letterhead and envelopes with RGB counterparts for web applications. But we needed distilled versions for a vinyl cut application on the firehouse floor and the sides of the engines, and a single-color solution for department t-shirts.
FINAL DESIGN
DIE-CUT STICKER ON FIRE TRUCK
DISTILLED TO SINGLE-COLOR WHITE FOR SCREEN PRINTING
Central OR Ball was an apparel side project that I launched after feeling frustrated the the souvenir shop at the local Bend Elks game had a lackluster selection of well-designed merch. The idea was to put together a series of out-of-the-box Elks merch that towed the line of fan fare and trademark infringement. It also included fun gear celebrating youth softball/baseball and adult rec leagues — baseball in Bend from February through August. By the following season, the Elks merch tables had significantly improved the quality of their designs.
