Wanting a fresh, playful approach, with a hint of quirkiness, the concept was to create a logotype for Tyler that conveyed what he does and a bit of the flavor of his show – one that mixes situational humor, audience participation, and great juggling skills, all while wearing a sharp, crisp suit.

The logo below was the by-product of the design process.

The next task was to have a full upgrade from Tyler’s old site, which lacked the same quality and showmanship that one would expect from someone in the entertainment industry.

Below is a sample of the old, and a sample of the new.

Out with the old…

In with the NEW!

To see the new site in all of its glory, visit www.tylerlinkin.com

His death reminds me so much of others who transcended their mere generation or culture, or local market.  Steve showed the world how to reinvent how we think.  He taught us how to dream.

For many of us, we have just lost this generation’s John Lennon.  This generation’s Martin Luther King Jr.  This generation’s JFK or Thomas Edison. Men who have radically changed our times around the globe, and men who still had so much left to give before they left us.

That is what inspired this small graphical tribute to the great Steve Jobs.  Who gave us the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone… and who taught us to iMagine.

The event is the first annual GIVE 5 DRIVE,  which establishes October 5th, 2011 as a one-day donation opportunity for the citizens of Paso Robles, California to simply give $5.00 towards supporting their city’s library. Their donation’s can be made in person at various local businesses who will have a donation box at their points-of-purchase as well as being able to make donations online. The donations will help fund most of the Library’s reading programs and material supplies.

For the event, the logo needed to have a very clean and modern approach for its general appeal, as well have a strong visual that helped convey the simple act of one generous act towards another.

The resulting solution is below…

Design 7 Studio

A customer walks into a somewhat dark and slightly smoky environment, rich chocolate leather sofas are set up all around down a narrow long room.  Animal furs are on the floor and over couches with African masks staring down at you and paintings lit up along the walls.  The bar is very industrial with an over-sized tap head.  Products available are many cigars from high to low end, mass market to boutique.  Fine Wines, and specialty imported beers from small Franconian and Belgian brewers.  Bands that are playing are mostly Blues and Jazz.  Food is not really themed in one direction.”

Elegant and refined, the logo was needed to be simple enough to just have b/w execution (from being embossed on appetizer menus to a simple reproduction on black polos shirts) yet needed to convey exclusivity and sophistication.  Drawing its inspiration from the swerving curls and flowing contours of cigar smoke and the unique shape of old cigar labels, the logo was crafted out to properly convey the client’s vision for the bar as well as appeal to the varied clientele that would enter its doors.

The vision for the logo had such clarity from the beginning, that after just an open conversation and a clear picture of what it needed to be, the logo below was crafted on the first round and only one was presented to the client. Certainly a rarity as most projects have at least 3 or 4 directions or concepts presented.

From the get-go, this was one logo that as I was sketching and the concept came to me, I just knew this was the one and there was no need to present the client with anything but that.  And Susan agreed….

Using the power of the instant freezing properties of liquid nitrogen, owners of Utah’s Fusion Freeze Creamery offer clients the ability not only choose their mix-ins, but the color of their ice cream, and a fusion of flavors that have endless possibilities.  Want to make purple, orange flavored ice cream? Done.  Want a soy-based cherry-flavored, green ice cream?  Done. Simply blasting the churring concoctions with science instantly freezes the blending cream within seconds and because it is so fast the ice crystals are smaller, and therefore the ice cream is creamier.  Don’t you just love science?

So when the owners thought about unveiling their new ice cream store, they went to Design 7 Studio to custom create a logo that not only conveyed a modern look, but had they market appeal they were looking for.

The result is simply delicious!  A logo that is bold, whimsical, and clean.

The concept for the resulting brand was inspired by the zen-like lotus flowers and thick straight bamboo to help convey the Eastern influence but with a modern typography and color palette that mirrored the modern Western culture. Designing the logo’s mark to reflect these properties helped give it a very simple, yet compelling look and allowed the simplified image of the acupuncture needle to take center stage but through context.  And the type treatment’s subtle curving forms in the “P” and “R” help make the logotype and mark cohesive.

The approach for the design was to signify not only the method of character’s demise, but to imply the scenario around the crime.

For more information on the book, check it out on Smashwords

While the thought of celebrities brings to mind glitz and glamour, because the book is for the average homemaker to be able to create this dishes, I wanted to have a very homemade feel to the look of the cover.

The winning result was a fusion of paperbag textures, rustic illustrations, and distressed type, yet giving it bold color to be catching to the eye.

Alternative cover

Below is an alternative design that takes the design approach from above and turns it up a notch. Rich chocolate colors meet a light teal blue and the everyday cooking wear objects and stacked typography give it a retro, yet modern vibe.

What makes a designer’s job the easiest?  Having fantastic photography to work with, as exemplified by the lens work of Sarah Kathleen.

This website utilizes some big images, some fun jQuery functionality for the menu and music players, and some Flash and XML for the photos.

www.annikasmusic.com