DK Design Studio Featured in Big Book of Green Design [Harper Collins]

Being environmentally conscious is no longer trendy or unique. It’s expected. A growing number of today’s companies are requiring their creative firms to develop and incorporate more eco-friendly packaging and printed materials. These clients are turning to their ad agencies and designers and asking for solutions.

The Big Book of Green Design, the first book on sustainable design focused exclusively on the graphic design and advertising communities, is also the first book to showcase real world green solutions from small to medium sized firms.

It explores the specific techniques and methods that graphic designers are employing worldwide to make their business a more earth-friendly one. When paying clients need a more environmentally conscious image, they turn to their ad agencies and in-house designers for cost-effective solutions. The results are often surprising, innovative and new, and The Big Book of Green Design features over 200 examples of these earth-friendly designs.

Our Alameda County Sustainability Identity will be featured in the book to be released in November.

Marvin Deal Identity System by DK Design

A home is more than just the house where we reside. It is where we are inspired, where we recharge, where we escape from the hectic demands of work, where we live, play and love.

No one understands this better than Marvin Deal of Marvin Deal Construction.

Marvin has a true artisan approach to fine home building and remodeling using natural and reclaimed materials for their beauty and to respect the environment. His philosophy is that a home should be both functional in layout and design and equally beautiful in every detail no matter how small.

DK Design Studio approached his identity in much the same way that Marvin approaches his projects. After a thorough discovery phase we decided to focus on his attention to detail, his modern and classic style, and to use natural, earth-friendly processes and materials. The full project included his identity, business system, a brochure, a direct mail postcard marketing program, and his website.

DK Design Solves Another Identity Crisis

[and you thought we were just designers]

If blue plus yellow makes green, then green plus green makes evergreen. Such was the case when two eco-entities, DK Design Studio, Inc. and Alameda County, came together to create an identity for Alameda County’s sustainability initiative.

The successful partnership between DK Design Studio and Alameda County is another example of how eco-minded teams can be matches made in heaven, yet rooted in the Earth.

The full project included the Logo Design, Style Guide for Logo & Template use, Fact Sheet Templates, and Auto Decals for Alameda’s eco-friendly transportation options.

If your company needs a new identity or a brand overhaul please contact DK Design Studio @ 415-944-8541 or email us at info (at) dkdesignstudio (dot) com. We also do websites, marketing plans and implementation, print, and photography.

Creative Director: Darilyn Kotzenberg
Lead Designer: Joe Wright
Copywriter: Kristin Slye
Project Manager: Hilary Crawford

Hendrickson Logo Gets Chosen For Logo Lounge Book!

Our Hendrickson Logo has been chosen to be featured in the first edition of the brand-new LogoLounge Master Library series titled “Initials & Crests”.

The lead designer on the project was Tricia Hamon & printing by Capouano & Associates. We could NOT be more excited.

The release date for the new book is February 2010.

Designing Obama

I attended this event last night sponsored by SAPPI at the Morgan Auditorium in San Francisco.

The Obama logo was created early in 2007 by Chicago firm Sender LLC, in partnership with MODE. Barackobama.com was designed, developed and managed by the campaign’s internal team, led by Mr. Scott Thomas. Sol Sender [head of Sender] and Scott Thomas described their experiences in developing a political “brand” of historical impact.

They explained the whirlwind implementation [the logo was designed in about 3 weeks] and how combining top-notch creative with a forward-thinking political team and cutting-edge technology has changed the face of political campaigns.

At the beginning of the presentation they showed a variety of historic logos and bumper stickers that led up to this election. You can view them here. You can see that the time was right to take the brand design of campaigns to the next level. Having the “perfect storm” of technology, the right candidate, and an evolving graphic design sector provided the ammunition to do just that.

Some things that I took away from the presentation were:

• it required the “right” candidate….someone forward thinking that understands the importance of good design.

• the logo was allowed to evolve as the campaign grew [they changed the font to Gothic way after the logo was finalized]

• having the foresight to design a logo that could be used in the current technological world is key. the circle logo with it’s solid white border allows the logo to be used on something as grass roots as cookies [the edible kind] quite well

• developing a big picture [or map] of uses and then developing logo variations to work within those segments is important

• feel confident enough to use the website as a testing ground

• analytics are KEY in a successful website project of this magnatude

• getting artist involved all along the way, in a grass roots effort, is a great and very accessible way to communicate a brand. this is how they ended up collaborating with shepard fairey

The conference was moderated by Alissa Walker, who has written about design for Wired, Dwell, Metropolis, I.D., Design Observer, HOW and STEP inside design.

The Obama Brand

A good brand perpetuates itself at all levels. For that to happen it must be different, attractive, and the product must be good. Consider the Obama brand. The team was relentless in their consistent reproduction of the brand at every level. Once it was solid, once the tag lines and messages were finalized, the audience was able to embrace it and, for the most part, replicate it properly to successfully promote the candidate.

For example, consider the tag lines. “Yes we can.” “Hope.” “Change.” They are strong and they never wavered. Supporters made buttons, stickers, hats with these messages which further united the brand and the cause. A good brand makes it easy to belong, understand, and makes you want to participate.

The examples that follow are the logo, wordmark, the shepard fairey & sean hazen paintings, and the website.

Notice that the other candidates didn’t have a logo. Probably didn’t cost them the election but….i’m just sayin’.

DK Design New Website LIVE!

Check out our new website!! It focuses on Green Build, Organic Foods, and Sustainability which are the projects and companies we target.

Flogos

Imagine your logo floating for 20-30 miles on nothing but air currents.

Flogos are a soap and helium based cloud representation of your logo from Snowmasters.

Floating logos range in size from 24-48 inches and can last up to an hour.

Make the Logo Bigger. The Song.

If you work in Marketing you’ve probably heard this request more than a few times.

Look for their next two singles….. “Make it Pop” and “Put it in a Starburst”.

Lyrics

Make the logo big.
Make the logo bigger.
Make the logo big.
Make the logo bigger.

Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.

That logo isn’t big enough.
So, make the logo bigger.
Bigger, bigger, make it big.
Make the logo bigger.

Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.

Yelling
Don’t try to be the brave guy!
We don’t have a job for you!
You know what you’ve got to do!
You gotta stick to the process!
Make the damn logo as big as you can!

Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.

I don’t want to tell you how to do your job.
But, could you make the logo bigger?
Bigger, bigger, make it big.
Make the logo bigger.

Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.