“The Rest of the Story…” My Project for Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Wow!  A whirlwind of a few months it has been.  Last September, I was writing about my amazing experience designing for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  If you missed that post, you may read it here!  Then, I had a baby girl in December, and now I’m able to post photos of the completed EMHE project since it’s aired and we’re past all of that legal secrecy mumbo jumbo. I know that many of you watched the episode, but if you missed it, the following photos will give you a pretty good idea of how me and my team spent our time and talent working on “Trike Town” with an incredible show that changes lives forever.

Day 1 - My blank "canvas" - The carpenter extraordinaire is to my right.

Talking with Paul DiMeo after the set was primed. He was a trip!

No getting to bed early tonight! Thankful for my tireless team.

Me trying to play it cool while Ty Pennington admires our work. "Just keep painting... just keep painting..."

The finished piece, Trike Town, installed and ready for the kiddos!

What To Know Before Hiring a Logo Designer

A lot of the clients who come to me need a logo designed. They may have researched a little bit, put the word out on Twitter, or gotten a referral from a friend. Many times, they are confused at the wide range of pricing they’ve found, and have questions about what they need to look for or who to trust. The purpose of this post is to educate the person who is in the market for logo design. I hope you’ll find it helpful.

First, let’s start with what not to do:

• Visit a logo making website and piece one together yourself, or believe that having Microsoft Publisher makes you a designer.
• Get your neighbor, son, nephew, grandma, friend, or cousin to design it… unless he or she is a professional with a strong portfolio, of course.
• Go with the lowest price just because it’s the lowest price.
• Decide it’s not in your budget to get a logo done right now and just go with something “temporary” until you start making money.
• Hold a contest where the “winning” designer gets a nominal amount of compensation, or worse yet: mad props, a link on your website, or a glowing review… sure to bring the winner more work, of course.

Why these things are a bad idea:

• Do it yourself websites and programs will result in a homemade, unprofessional looking logo. Stick with what you do best, and leave designing to designers.
• An amateur may use Photoshop instead of Illustrator to design your logo, which will be cause for major limitations for its use!
• The lowest price (especially one $100 or less) might include a “recycled” logo, or one using clip art or stock imagery. Not only would your logo be unoriginal, but it could infringe upon copyright laws.

Recent Design Projects!

Well, hello!  Thank you for stopping by. I am finally stepping away from the work that I’ve been doing for my clients to update my blog with some of my recent projects!

First, I’d love to show you a photographer’s logo that I designed in December that I LOVE.  Photography logos are some of my favorite to design because there is typically a level of class associated with them, but there is also room for a little fun! In this case, the mark incorporates a graceful monogram with some fairly straightforward typography.

Next, I’ll post another fresh, clean design that I’ve created for a fantastic home designer. She has an intensely creative but quiet sense about her, and she wanted a logo and business card to reflect that. Tradition was put on the shelf, and I got to “paint outside of the lines” a little. It was great!

Now all designers have had a situation like this: A client approaches you with a concept that is tricky… say, a logo that must incorporate an eye, a star, and a reference to film. Oh, and not in a creepy way. I brainstormed and sketched, and came up with a classy design that I felt great about. Look closely to see all of the clever details. The client liked it, but didn’t feel that it fit them. (They directed the rest of the design concept, and we’ve come up with something that they are thrilled with but that you’ll never see in my portfolio). *smiling* As always, my end goal is the client’s 100% satisfaction, but I’ll display my favorite concept here: