imjustcreative » Portfolio

My BrokersDirect Logo Design Starts A Family

Graham Smith — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:55:03 +0000

It’s super nice when a previous client shows you some stunning new versions of a logo design you previously did for them. Ashely showed me these variations on the BrokersDirect (Process Post & Portfolio) I designed for them: InsureMyPlace, EasyInsure and EasyLet.

It’s great because these logo variations look really smart as well as effectively carry the original BrokersDirect identity. The colour selection is also super nice.

Her call to me was to just run these additional logo designs past me, and to check I was cool with them creating other versions of the original logo design. I’ll be first to say that I was initially a little concerned that the attachments to shoot over on email would be less than satisfactory, but the flip-side is that it’s her logo now and she can ultimately do as she pleases with them.

I love it because it’s all good.

Read My BrokersDirect Logo Design Starts A Family on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Exploring Audio Creativity With GarageBand

Graham Smith — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:23:55 +0000

Been a fan of GarageBand for a long time and have a number of the expansion packs and such like. Make no mistake: I am not a musician, I can’t read music or play any kind of instrument.

That being said, I do feel I have a good ear for music and GarageBand provides me with that creative audio outlet which gives me immense joy and pleasure. I think it’s so important to explore other creative avenues and what better way than using GarageBand as that platform. Visual creativity is one thing, but audio creativity is a totally different game and one I really wish I could participate in at a higher level.

I used to be in the School Choir and loved everything about the singing, harmonies, solos and just performing.

It’s relatively easy to time a whole load of loops together which is mostly what I have done, but finding the right instruments with the right pitch and timing can take a while to perfect. The sense of achievement with a GarageBand creation is huge with me as I love being able to listen to the various tunes I have cobbled together and I get a great sense of satisfaction from doing it.

Here are a few of my GaragBand pieces. Worth noting that the first two are somewhat slow as I put these together specifically for my Fathers Funeral. The March was played as people poured into the Chapel to take their seats whilst Brassy was played as the coffin was moved behind the curtains for the cremation. To be honest it was all very emotional listening to this music as my Father was a great brass, big band and music lover. Having been a Policeman for 40 years it also seemed appropriate to have some music that had a certain rhythmic march beat.

To have put together music for such a emotional moment was a massive responsibility and I sincerely feel that this music was far more appropriate than any random hymn out there. My music made for my Dad: doesn’t get much more personal than that.

The other tunes are just purely for my own personal pleasure and fun. Not saying these are masterpieces in any form or shape, but they are fun to edit and listen to. If you haven’t yet immersed yourself in GarageBand it really is worth a crack. Just be prepared to see many hours evaporate…

Brassy – Played at end of my Father’s Funeral.

Capital E – Played beginning of my Father’s Funeral.

GarageBand Virgin – My first attempt.

Read Exploring Audio Creativity With GarageBand on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Arabic Translation of my ADXPRS Logo Design

Graham Smith — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:26:42 +0000

Utterly thrilled to be able to show you a glimpse of how my logo for ADXPRS will probably end up looking when translated to Arabic. All credit for this Arabic logo translation goes to Karim Abboud—Design Consultant from Syria.

This translation was always part of the project and so we arranged, for fairly obvious reasons I hope, for an experienced Arabic typographer to handle the translation of the ADXPRS logo from English to Arabic. I scribbled a quick post relating to the Arabic translation of the FedEx logo a few months back when I first took on the ADXPRS project.

I have been chomping at the bit to see how it might end up looking, and I am just so way past over-the-moon with the results.

Some Arabic translations leave a little to be desired, so I was really not sure at all how it might all pan out. I am, however, just incredibly pumped up by this. My hat is tipped at a respectable angle towards Karim Abboud—Design Consultant from Syria.

No related posts.

Read Arabic Translation of my ADXPRS Logo Design on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Dark Knight ‘Unofficial’ Version of Sifter Icon

Graham Smith — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:26:01 +0000

Arsing around with the Sifter app logo this afternoon and ended up with this righteously moody Dark Knight styled mono version.

Trying to get my client to make this the official Sifter mono versions…

Read Dark Knight ‘Unofficial’ Version of Sifter Icon on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Sifter Macintosh Dock Application Icon Design

Graham Smith — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:23:15 +0000

Continuing from the Sifter logo and iPhone web application icon I have just about wrapped up the web application icon design for the Macintosh dock.

We had a few options to consider in terms of overall “polish” which saw me putting out a test-strip on Twitter and Google+ asking for what option people preferred. You can see the test strip below.

We saw a majority response for #3 which is the one the client ultimately opted for. Polling can work.

Sifter is work-in-progress with the end in sight.

Read Sifter Macintosh Dock Application Icon Design on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

My Latest Logo Shenanigans With Helvetica

Graham Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:08:25 +0000

Ongoing logo and identity design for ADXPRS (Advertising & Design Express Production System) based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Just a quick run through on what the logo mark represents. The essence of ADXPRS is that it is an online publishing system for companies to manage aspects of their own marketing and advertising in a friendly and intuitive online environment.

Arabic Translation

There will be an Arabic version of the wording which I am currently working on which was one of the main considerations with the design. All exciting stuff.

The Logo Mark

The idea of the mark developed through many iterations of other abandoned ideas and ultimately proved to be a mark that best captured the essence of ADXPRS.

The fundamental meaning behind the logo mark is that of a paper airplane. The paper airplane is something that a child, or anyone for that matter, can produce and instantly see the exciting results as the the paper plane flies and glides through the air. With ADXPRS the message is the same: it’s a flexible and efficient online system enabling anyone to produce visual results that are far superior to anything that same person might get with their PC and clip-art.

The logo mark reinforces the simplicity and efficient nature of ADXPRS as well as also being a stylized shape of the initial A. There is also a subtle nod to the everywhere computer cursor.

The ADXPRS logo type (above-view enlarged version on Flickr) is somewhat precise on closer inspection—none of those guide lines are surplus fancy bullshit. These precise foundations provides for good overall balance, alignment and intersection of various aspects of the typography with the logo mark on the vertical and horizontal.

Simplified walk-thru (below) of how we got from the initial A, a paper plane and the bonus cursor.

The typography is Helvetica Neue Heavy with some mild customisations (above). The main changes are to the A and X where I have adjusted the width of the X to better match the A (see the cyan circles on the logo deconstruction above). The magenta halo reflects the original Helvetica whilst the cyan reflects the new.

An alternative version was created for social media profile images and other online uses where space is of a premium. I adjusted the space of the main logo type so that when the ADXP was hauled out and placed into a square container there would be equal space on all 4 sides.

Read My Latest Logo Shenanigans With Helvetica on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Harvest Church Logo Takes Shape

Graham Smith — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:41:48 +0000

Initial logo design idea/concept put forward for the Harvest Bible Church.

The main challenge was to somehow link in the notion of harvest with the uber symbolic cross whilst keeping this particular church logo free of the visual clichés that often accompany many church logos.

I was approached by the Harvest Bible Church after they had seen the general style of my existing logo portfolio so this was also a determining factor with the design style. A clean, smart, well defined design was what this client was seeking.

The idea you see is basically formed from the imperfect lines of a soon to be harvest field, but also draws on the idea of a recently ploughed field which sets the beginning and creation of the crop cycle.

The horizontal and vertical lines converge creating this square/hatched shape which provides for a meaningful link to that one place where people will ultimately converge: the church.

Currently the overall typography is pretty traditional. Big word on top, small words/tag line in a contrasting font underneath. This could well change during the projects development cycle, but for the moment provides a respectable foundation for which to work on the primary goal: the logo mark.

Updates to follow.

Read Harvest Church Logo Takes Shape on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Update to Logo Portfolio

Graham Smith — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:44:23 +0000

Updated my logo portfolio with this logo mark which is part of a larger identity redesign. For the moment my client has requested that I don’t use the brand name, but what I can show is the logo mark in all its glory.

Note: this is not the final final version for which will have sightly thinner horizontal ‘bars’.

Obviously hard to put into context, or even work out if the mark works if you don’t know what the bloody thing is meant to represent. What I can say is that the mark does form the first initial of the company which is B, and I’m pretty sure that once I am permitted to write more about the brand you will/should see exactly what the graphic represents both literally and metaphorically.

From a personal perspective this design is one I am really proud of, and ranks up there with the one I designed for PureStorage. So I can’t wait to be able to write and show more about this top secret re brand.

Until then it’s just an arrangement of lines with a TM. :)

No related posts.

Read Update to Logo Portfolio on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Some iPhone & iTouch Application Icon Ideas

Graham Smith — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:52:07 +0000

One of a few design styles for the upcoming Sifter application icon for iPhone & iTouch. Also looking at flat colour opposed to the wood texture direction.

The initial S will sit centrally within the dark inset of the icon which has a black rubber edging/seal around the beveled opening/hole.

This is more about tactile dimension that untouchable hyper-realism.

This is more about an icon that just looks like you could interact with it: like poke your finger in the hole and wiggle it around underneath the wooden top.

More updates of this project to come soon.

Need a iPhone or Mobile App Icon?

Have to say I really do enjoy the icon side of my job. If you are looking for a icon designed for your mobile application then I would love to hear from you. I have only designed a few ‘live’ app icons to date: Extensis FontFuse & Feedly, but hope those examples show you what I can craft.

No related posts.

Read Some iPhone & iTouch Application Icon Ideas on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

T-Shirt Express Logo Design Update

Graham Smith — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:27:21 +0000

A quick post to show my current updates to the T-Shirt Express logo design (previous post). Still work-in-progress but we have some considerable style changes that have taken place.

The original idea was based on a retro style with smooth panels and streamlined/bullet style profile whilst the new direction focusing on traditional steam train with huge cow catcher.

Integrated a nice little touch by adding their business established date of 1982 within the small central plate.

No related posts.

Read T-Shirt Express Logo Design Update on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Logo Design Sketcheroo’s

Graham Smith — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:32:32 +0000

Have been fortunate to have had some enjoyable, and meaty, logo design projects over the last few months which has meant a lack of work updates on the blog. To remedy that here is a little peek into a recent logo design (redesign) project.

Unfortunately unable to put a name to this project which means it’s a little difficult to put any of this into context, but I know some people enjoy looking logo design sketch work.

I am able to share that the overall emotion this logo needs to portray is of: strength; offensive as a rule, but showing a confident defensive nature as an underlying message: eye on the objective, pushing forward against the objective, not conceding any ground; reliability and assurance during times of anxiety.

What you might find interesting is how the angle of the head and position of the shield can make a real difference to how this is interpreted as a whole.

With head looking up there is a real confidence, and an almost distinguished feel, as well as a clear field of view on the objective. With head looking down feels this chap is ready for anything yet still feels confident but has an immediacy to it. I guess the latter is standing to attention whilst the former is preparing for battle.

Loved this project as small details really made a big difference to the message conveyed.

Read Logo Design Sketcheroo’s on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Abacus Insurance Brokers Brand Logo Specification Sheets

Graham Smith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:20:52 +0000

This is a continuation of an existing logo and brand identity redesign project for Abacus Insurance Brokers. Abacus was the first American online insurance brokers and the rebrand is part of their continued motivation with the company. I also created the tag line for the new Abacus logo.

The images above show the start of the brand identity guidelines, and specifically focus on the general usage of the Abacus Insurance logo.

We have logo versions for: interior and exterior signs, website header, stationery and print design, a short/mini logo and just the logo mark with/without a boxed container. The contained version being used as website favicon and social media profile image,

For ease of use, and visual continuation, the right side of the logo specification sheets share common information for: typeface choices and colour palette. The top-left displays each of the logo variations.

This is not the end of the project as we are still working on aspects of the redesign with the design taking a semi organic, adaptive and evolutionary process. The creation and format of the brand guidelines have taken a more modular form where additional designs and sheets can be added, with ease, into a binded folder.

I will continue to post updates as and when they are ready.

An image strip (above) showing how the Abacus logo mark came to be

This image (below) shows a few design ideas for branding of one small part of the identity: golf balls.

Read Abacus Insurance Brokers Brand Logo Specification Sheets on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

Abacus Insurance Logo Design Specification Sheet

Graham Smith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:21:26 +0000

Abacus Insurance Brokers is a current logo design project that involved a significant brand update. This is the first of a number of logo specification sheets for the various logo styles created for Abacus. This first sheet focuses on version of the logo which will be used for exterior signage.

There will be more Abacus updates in the forthcoming weeks.

No related posts.

Read Abacus Insurance Logo Design Specification Sheet on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

A T-Shirt Company Logo Is Conceived

Graham Smith — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:19:43 +0000

This is my latest project and is quickly becoming a favourite. Need to stress these are the first round of preliminarily ideas to be thrashed out so it is most assuredly early-days. There is, however, always a chance that the final design may end up being almost identical to the one above, but this ultimately comes down to the client.

A little background

This logo design project is a brand update for a t-shirt company which was originally designed around a retro style locomotive; the brand name “T-Shirt Express” is linked to the train version of “express” rather than pizza express!

My advice to the client was to keep the idea of a train but “improve” the aesthetics as I felt the original idea was solid. No need to re-invent the wheel, so-to-speak.

We discussed trains at length which gave us both a pretty good idea of the direction to take. The client liked the idea of using a “cow catcher” and/or “track” as well as giving me a list of styles of trains through out the decades.

I have settled on three initial variations of the core idea which starts with the full ingredient version based on a mash-up of train styles, including: traditional steam locomotive, art-deco inspired and the heavy industrial Russian style etc.

The wording plaque is formed from the shape of a track sleeper, and the typeface is GarageGothic Bold.

Pretty excited about how this project has started so more news will inevitable be forthcoming over the next few weeks.

The following t-shirt image was sourced from http://psdgraphics.com

No related posts.

Read A T-Shirt Company Logo Is Conceived on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.

The Pure Storage Logo Applied

Graham Smith — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:03:51 +0000

The Pure Storage Logo Applied

Exciting day today for Pure Storage, a recent logo design client of mine. Today is their official company and product launch after a long period of operating in stealth mode.

See Press Reports: The Wall Street Journal, AllThingsDigital

I can now show you, for the time time, how the Pure Storage logo [brief run down of the idea behind the logo] has been applied across their FlashArrays which I am so happy to be able to finally share. I have also exhibited a few other applications of the logo via this post, Pure Storage Identity Design

It’s one thing to see your logo on a website, business card or even shop front, but quite another when you know it takes pride of place on the latest possible storage technology.

When Pure Storage approached me last year I had no real idea of the end result due to the highly secret and sensitive nature of their product and plans. I had a few rough visuals to work to but could not have foreseen how the logo would eventually end up being applied to the FlashArrays.

The manor in which the logomark has been cut-out and raised to take pride of place on the FlashArrays with the vibrant orange set against the gun-metalesque enclosures provides for a pretty strong brand image. Pure Storage did not stop there with the application of the logomark as they have also shaped each perforation so as to, seemingly, form the letter P.

This post is just to show-off how the Pure Storage logo has been applied with a few product photographs that have been made available to me. A proper logo process post for Pure Storage is in the works.

An interesting fact about a certain member of the Pure Storage team you may find interesting:

Pure Storage Factoid

“An early key hire [for Pure Storage] was Michael Cornwell, who was lead technologist for flash at Sun Microsystems (now part of Oracle). Cornwell also worked at Apple, where he was Manager of Storage Engineering for the iPod division, and oversaw that product’s transition to — you guessed it — flash memory. Remember the first iPod nano? That was his baby.”

Via AllThingsDigital http://goo.gl/J648W

LinkedIn Recommendation

Just to finish off is the recommendation that Matt Kixmoeller from Pure Storage kindly gave me on LinkedIn. Matt Kixmoeller, hired Graham as a Graphic/Web Designer in 2010.

“I hired Graham to drive our identity design at Pure Storage. Despite his remote location (in the UK vs. us in the US), Graham felt like part of the team and really wanted to understand our company and value so that he could drive an identity for us that was reflective of that and differentiated in the market.

I’d say we were a challenging project for Graham. We hired Graham after a failed project with another designer, and had high expectations for this project and many opinions on our side to bring to ground. Graham stuck with the process through many rounds of iteration until he had that “flash of brilliance” moment (you can read about this on his blog), and once we had the right logo everyone was instantly on-board.

Our identity has proven over the past year to be a real asset for Pure Strorage, and has been something that we’ve feature everywhere from web usage to in physical 3D form on our actual hardware product. I would whole-heartedly recommend Graham for any identity project that your organization is considering.” August 17, 2011

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative

Just wrap up this post I just had to again include this wooden back-lit version of the Pure Storage logo mark that Matt carved for the office reception. Looks stunning.

Read The Pure Storage Logo Applied on imjustcreative - logo & brand identity design portfolio and blog.