The American Institute of Architects East Bay Chapter came to us to develop a new identity for their annual Home Tours event. While Home Tours have historically been focused on beautifully designed, exclusive homes, AIA East Bay was creating a new brand of Home Tours, shifting the focus to inclusivity and showcasing all manner of homes, such as tiny homes, live-work spaces, affordable housing, assisted living and others.
Our goal was to communicate a few concepts via the language and visuals: New perspectives, inclusivity, approachability and optimism.
Building on their existing concept of “Shelter”, we developed a name and tagline for the event using elegantly simple and succinct language.
We then created an animated logo that exists in four states, emphasizing that there are many definitions of the word “Home”. The four different rooflines of the logo merge together to create a graphic motif that resembles both architecture and landscape.
The end result is a flexible identity that feels celebratory and optimistic.
Services:
• Brand Identity
• Visual Identity System
• Logo Design
• Website & Social Media Graphics
I worked on a team to develop a new identity for the UCLA Library. The identity needed to fit into the existing UCLA master brand, yet also somehow represent all fields of study. We developed a mark, a comprehensive identity system, and a campaign using imagery evocative of the convergence of the arts, humanities and sciences.
Since Avenue 4’s inception, logo design has been an integral part of the business. We feel that the ability to create a lasting logo is fundamental, and we are proud that we have provided this consultation for a wide variety of organizations. Creating a logo requires in depth discovery, the knowledge and understanding of what will work in all aspects of the client’s communication, and a clear picture of how the logo will illustrate all brand attributes. The mark has to be unique, showcase the business’ core capabilities, and illustrate the inherent value of the organization. We approach each logo project with a fresh eye and keen sensibility.
We designed this logo and visual identity for ClientFirst, a vetted and welcoming community of professional financial advisors. As a brand, ClientFirst strives to convey gratitude through servitude, consistent integrity & honesty amongst the parties involved, and kindness throughout all transactions. The logo was designed to convey community, collaboration, diversity, and growth, and symbolize an eye looking optimistically toward the future. The color palette and signature gradient have a celebratory feel, and were inspired by the colors of a peacock feather.
Services:
• Logo Design
• Visual Identity Design
It's not every day that an organization creating a global sustainability movement asks you to create their visual identity. This was a unique challenge that called for a unique solution. One of the company’s founders is a prolific collage artist. We created a system built to utilize her existing art as well as pieces she’ll create in the future. We did this by establishing a flexible palette of three primary and three secondary color pairings that can absorb and enhance any work she creates. Her art is vibrant and free and intuitive, which represents the organization on many levels.
The website showcases the organization’s powerful thought leadership as well as their original educational program. The home page was designed to meet the site visitor where they are—whether they’ve come to learn about the organization for the first time, to sign up for a course or coaching or consulting, or to assess where they are in the sustainable abundance movement.
Services:
• Visual Identity System
• Logo Design
• Website Architecture & Design (UI/UX)
• Website Visual Design
We worked with BluePath Solutions, a Market Access and Health Economics consultancy based in Los Angeles, to elevate their image and messaging to the next level. Through playful yet bold visuals and language, we worked closely with the owner to develop a website, print collateral, thought leadership vehicles, and internal documents and presentations that both resonate well with their audience and help the company stand apart from the competition.
Services:
• Brand Positioning
• Messaging & Copywriting
• Visual Identity System
• Website Architecture & Design (UI/UX)
• Website Visual Design
• Print & Digital Collateral
We developed this youthful yet sophisticated brand identity for INSPIRITAS, an innovative organization providing talented international high school students with a pathway to study at the top colleges and universities in the US. There were several key messages to convey, and several audiences to communicate with. The visual identity called for a youthful spirit to speak directly to prospective students. It was also vital to convey to parents and university admissions offices that the program’s academic standards are rigorous. And finally, we needed to communicate a sense of community and connection, which are a large part of what sets INSPIRITAS apart from typical placement agencies.
Services:
• Branding
• Visual Identity System
• Logo Design
• Website Architecture & Design (UI/UX)
• Website Visual Design
• Copywriting
• SEO Strategy
• Print promotion design
We created the branding (logo, visual identity) and website for this strategic consultancy that supports senior leadership teams with better communication, collaboration, and trust, to achieve stronger relationships and ultimately higher performance.
Services:
• Visual Identity System
• Logo Design
• Website Design & Build
In 2017, Brown & Toland came under new leadership and we were asked to communicate the focus on the human side of healthcare.
Services:
• Annual Report Design
• Print Design
• Copywriting
• Print Production & Management
Parked Portraits is Vivienne’s personal, self-driven photography project. She had an exhibit in 2019, is working on a book, and sells coasters and posters displaying her collection of photographs.
We worked closely with the VP of Marketing at Brown & Toland, the premier group of independent physician practices in the Bay Area, on the 2013 and 2014 annual reports as well as their corporate marketing brochure. Barron Bixler's expertise in the healthcare sector was a great asset as we honed in on the annual report themes, authored illuminating content and developed captivating visuals to illustrate to physicians the true value of their membership.
Services:
• Annual Report Design
• Print Design
• Copywriting
• Print Production & Management
After leading the ServiceSource rebrand in 2010, we continued to extend the branding to all manner of projects including an annual executive event which we supported for eight years. As it was each year, the project required a highly flexible process to manage changing content on a tight schedule.
One of the focal points was the strong international presence of the company. We art directed an illustrator, Justin Klein, to produce three illustrations, one for the U.S./San Francisco, one for EMEA/London and one for APJ/Tokyo. We produced signage, print collateral, digital promotions, presentation design, and sourced SWAG items.
We worked with ServiceSource for 10 years on over 100 projects through several variants of the marketing department and four iterations of the brand.
Services:
• Event Branding
• Print Design & Production
• Digital Promotion
• Event signage
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We worked closely with the founder of Eison Triple Thread—an online custom menswear store—from the genesis of the business. We developed a Brand Platform, the foundation on which all forms of marketing and advertising are built. We then developed the Visual Identity including the logo, color palette and typography.
Services:
• Branding
• Visual Identity
• Logo Design
• Typography
We worked closely with Morehead Group, a financial services and insurance firm for high net worth clients, to create elegant, memorable and timeless print materials for their 80th anniversary. A year later we were called in again to design their tradeshow graphics.
Services:
• Print Collateral
• Stationery System
• Tradeshow Graphics
At The Crossroads is a non-profit organization who works with homeless kids in San Francisco. Chief among the services they provide: A sense of home and unconditional love.
We designed this print suite to support their capital campaign, a fundraiser that will allow them to expand into a larger physical space in downtown San Francisco, which will in turn allow the expansion of services to more kids—all with the goal of preventing chronic homelessness.
Services:
• Print Design
• Copywriting
• Print Production
Agnostic Networks is a team of telecommunications experts providing consulting that isn’t tied to specific vendors or technologies—hence the name Agnostic. They needed a brand identity that would convey their depth of experience and expertise, communicate their progressive approach, and signal their speed in execution. The collaboration was very smooth and yielded a website that gives potential clients confidence.
Services:
• Visual Identity
• Logo Design
• Website Design
• Print Design
Decker Communications has been a leading force in corporate communications training for decades, so we were really excited when we learned they were transforming their signature course into an e-learning experience that could be accessed by anyone on the planet. We were even more excited to be asked to create the branding for this new venture, as well as to design every aspect of the visual experience: the logo, the user interface (UI), the interaction design of the course exercises, and all the fun illustrations and characters that accompany you on your e-learning journey.
Thanks to Justin Klein, our illustration partner on this project.
Services
• Branding
• Visual Identity
• User Interface Design
• Interaction Design
• Illustration
• Information Design
Appirio, a strategic partner of Salesforce.com, engaged us to produce a compelling and professional conference booth and related collateral materials for the Dreamforce conference. Though a leader in the Software as a Service industry and experiencing significant revenue growth, Appirio was a young company and had only the beginnings of a corporate brand established. Under a tight deadline and with limited budget we produced a conference booth that showcased their leadership position in the industry, as well as a suite of printed collateral for conference attendees to learn more about the company. We received much positive feedback from Appirio as our work provided them with professional marketing collateral and a strong corporate presence that aided in exceeding metrics for both lead-generation and recruiting.
Services:
• Tradeshow Graphics
• Print Collateral Design
• Print Production & Management
Expectation Labs is a consortium of data scientists and statisticians who have the desire to apply their knowledge and talents to areas of research beyond what they have access to in their day to day work. We worked with the founder to develop a logo that has meaning to someone in their field, but does so subtly and tastefully. We developed a visual identity and simple web presence that communicates a contemporary, academic and forward thinking aesthetic.
Services:
• Visual Identity
• Logo Design
• Website Design
• Copywriting
We worked with the founders of Serent Capital as they were forming their new private equity firm to create an identity that would support them as they started out. We worked to convey their savvy, but more importantly, showcase their smart and fresh approach to investing, which focuses on growth and business-building in the service industry.
Services:
• Visual Identity
• Logo Design
• Collateral Suite
Golden Gate Capital is an established Bay Area private equity firm. When they came to us, their website was as old as the company, and in great need of an overhaul. Our goal was to create a website that had a strong presence, conveying the experience and confidence of the firm, but also to give the site a modern feel without being trendy or sacrificing gravitas. What emerged from our creative process was a grand, sweeping view of the San Francisco Bay overlaid with a compact and efficient content area. These two relatively opposing elements come together to form a unique, beautiful, and easily navigable website.
Services:
• Website Strategy & Design
• Copywriting
• SEO Strategy
Angel Island Capital is a financial advisory company in downtown San Francisco and named for Angel Island, an island located in the San Francisco Bay. With a few years of operation under their belt this young firm had a logo and a good sense of their company culture; they were ready to invest in an online presence. They also had one clear visual directive: use a photo of Angel Island. It was our job to tease out of them a look & feel that would translate into a visual identity, and then apply that look & feel to a website and marketing materials. We developed a great working rapport with our contacts there, and despite there being a shockingly small number of professional-level photos of Angel Island available, we were able to tap into a visual aesthetic and a verbal tone that worked beautifully with Wilson Lam's dramatic photograph.
Services:
• Website Strategy & Design
• Copywriting
• SEO Strategy
Services:
• Website strategy & design
• Copywriting
• SEO consulting & implementation
We provided a website redesign for GCA, a global investment bank headquartered in San Francisco. Their goal was to project a strong, global presence while not claiming leadership in the investment banking sphere. We developed a classic, sophisticated design on top of a user-friendly content management system, giving the client autonomy to add content easily and seamlessly when new transactions occur. We were subsequently engaged to apply the new visual identity to email marketing and presentations.
This project came about when a director of customer marketing tasked us with sending something in the mail—anything, within a reasonable budget—to a specific set of prospects. The message simply needed to be about converting data into currency. The concept came as a flash: what if we mailed them a dollar bill that had been converted into something else via origami? We came across the origami owl and thought that had great potential. The most challenging task was obtaining the folding instructions. Fortunately Origami USA was able to connect us to Stephen Weiss, the origami designer who created the owl. He was happy to license the design to us for the project. We came up with a headline that tied it all together and placed the owl in an illustrated scene. The 200 pieces were folded and assembled and they arrived on the prospects' desks, appropriately, in a nest.
Services:
• Print Design
• Direct Mail
• Illustration
• Print Management
• Origami Folding
We led the development of the ServiceSource rebrand in 2010 including imagery style, tone of language, typography and color palette & application. The project shown here was to produce signage, print collateral and digital promotion for an industry event, one that we did for eight years running and that required a highly flexible process to manage changing content on a tight schedule. We developed the theme image, which conveyed their role as the industry leader and spoke to high performance. The email template was integrated into an internal marketing system. We sourced and managed all the printing for the three events that took place in the US, the UK and Singapore. We worked with ServiceSource for 10 years on over 100 projects through several variants of the marketing department and four iterations of the brand.
Services:
• Event Branding
• Print Design & Production
• Digital Promotion
• Event signage
We were tickled when the head of marketing chose this kickoff theme—of the handful presented—since it's not often in corporate design that we get to use humor so prominently in the main message. We altered this image ever so slightly to show an example of what elevating your performance can look like.
Services:
• Concept Development
• Print Design
We worked with the Senior Director of Corporate Communications to create an infographic representing the challenges of the software and hardware renewal industry using the framework and jargon of online dating. This is a great example of our ability to work with and be creative inside of an existing set of brand and visual identity guidelines.
Services:
• Infographics Design
We worked closely with Dr. Blake-Beard to create a brand / visual identity that we then applied to a website, presentations and attendee handouts. In her consultancy, Dr. Blake-Beard conducts workshops and gives lectures in the areas of mentoring, diversity, unconscious bias, bystander awareness, and inclusion and equity in the workplace among others. Given the nature of these topics, it was important that we create a positive and inviting feeling in her materials, and we achieved that primarily through thoughtful use of language, color and photography.
Services:
• Visual Identity Design
• Logo Design
• Website Design
• Presentation Design
We worked with a team of faculty and staff at The Program in Science, Technology and Society at Stanford University to develop a logo for the department, the fifth largest program at the university. Our goal was to support their efforts to increase focus on arts and humanities, as well as to generally broaden the appeal of the program. We developed a questionnaire which elicited a dialogue, and from that we developed a set of Brand Attributes that served as our guide during the creative process. The final product was extremely well received.
Services:
• Logo Design
• Abbreviated Branding Exercise
We worked with the owner and designer at TinaMaria, an east coast resort wear design studio, to hone their messaging, positioning and brand strategy. We then worked closely with her and her team to build an elegant e-commerce website.
• Brand Strategy
• Positioning
• Messaging
• Tagline
• Website design
• Web development
• E-commerce
• SEO Strategy
• Copywriting
Project Consulting Specialists came to us for a complete branding solution. They provide consultant support for IT/IS operations and projects, and they were in the frustrating position of being seen more as a commodity than as a strategic partner. They were also fighting a negative stereotype that tends to plague their industry, and therefore wanted to bring their honest, fair and ethical work practices to the forefront of their identity. We created a crisp and confident yet approachable visual image and a straightforward, trustworthy tone to the language.
Services:
• Branding & Messaging
• Visual Identity
• Logo Design
• Website Design
• Copywriting
• Stationery System
