System Application

This is my system application. I got a lot of really good advice on information that homeowners would like from a company like menno. I wasn't really sure what to do with all of it, and in order to follow through on a lot of it I would have had to do a lot of research to get accurate information. I ended up deciding on a webpage. I made a homepage that was simple and clean and has the same welcome information as in my welcome letter from my communication system. I also used most of the information I got form the homeowners to form a blog and news page with snippets of information that would link to other pages with the rest of the information. This is what I have.

~J

Standards Manual

This is what I have for my standards manual. Any comments would be good. Just tweaking will need to be done before turning in.

~J

System Application

So I have been struggling a little with my idea for my system application, and I finally think I have a strong concept of what I want to do, I just need to implement it.  So I am going to do a simple, easy homepage. The design of it would be similar to the design of other pages.  Then I want to create the blog and news link because I got a lot of information from homeowners on what they would want to know/learn about from a company like Menno.  

This is what I have for the simple homepage.  The blog page would be similar, but with less of the image showing and more text and information.

~J

Standards Manual

I have decided on a format for my standards manual and have worked on the images section of the manual. This is what I have.

Graphic Standards

I am not sure what shape/style my graphics standards manual will take yet but I have taken into consideration the things that will go into it.

Use of logo:
- always appears in logo type when not used in body copy
- appears in arial when with-in body copy
- appears in tan (C=18 M=25 Y=35 K=0) lt. tan (C=4 M=4 Y=27 K=0) or the blue-gray (C=25 M=8 Y=0 K=78)
- never appears smaller than 1/4" or larger than 3"

Typeface:
- Georgia
- tagline appears in: Georgia bold italic

Colors:
- Main 4 colors: tan, blue-gray, dark brown and light blue-gray
- secondary colors: red, light tan, dark tan, brown, and medium blue-gray
- the tans are more to represent the use of the colors of the papers that Menno materials are printed on
- the red is used as an accent color on menno materials
- the blue-grays are used as a compliment to add depth and tranquility to the brand message

Other than that I am not 100% sure what I need. I think I should define something for the use of my images, however since this was an element that I introduced towards the end of the last project I am not totally sure how I want these to be defined in a standard sense.

~J

Idea Gathering for System Application

So not really sure what types of information I should be supplying to customers I sought out some information from current home owners. The information I got in return was really helpful.

A lot of them seemed to really like the idea of a newsletter of some sort or another. They also gave me a lot of info on different types of information they would want to know. The best suggestion was to have an "ask the expert" kind of question. They also suggested have a rewards or discounted program. This idea was expressed in several ways - either a "AAA for your house" sort of plan that Menno could offer, a recommendation section of recommending local experts, or coupons and discounts on things that have to do with your home. I also got a good amount of recommendations on the types of things that a homeowner wants information on.

I am not entirely certain yet what I am going to produce but I am strongly leaning toward a newsletter or information booklet of sorts.

I also intend on refining my materials from my system application to address some of the issues borught us on critique

~J

Inspirational Standards Manual

I chose this manual because I thought it had a clean design that wasn't trying to be too spiffy or crazy. I liked its horizontal design and use of color to separate the sections of each page. It had a lot of information without seeming too overwhelming. Also it had a lot of specific information that would easily help someone implement their logo, colors and standards correctly. this is only a few of the pages cause it was 20 pages long.

~J

Letter

this is the development I've made on the letter:  three typeface options (that I would use throughout) implementing various stacked rock images - more options below the ones that I placed on the document - and I created columns for the information to seem less "standard business letter.

I also added a tag line.  There is a secondary option above the letter, any other suggestions if those don't work?

Just general comments and anything that could be improved would be appreciated!

~J

Postcard

I added a post card that someone who picked up this folder of information could mail back in to get more information.  This is what I came up with ...  two cover options ... any thoughts?

Updated business cards - need opinions

These are some of the options that I have for my business card.  I stuck with the shape (since people seemed to like it, just not in the brown) and I added some blues/greys to my color palette to get away from brown.  I also started implementing images as part of my system.  

The first row is the front part, with 2 or three typeface options, and layout options different on each.  Which is working best?  The second row is the back with various options.  Same color, different color, no image or image?  The third row are image options for the back of the business card.  Should it be with or without a boarder? with/without the logo?

Thanks for the input!

Update ... sort of

So I have been posting during what the if ... and I have been crazy busy with other classes and projects due. So I am just going to post some more info on what is posted below.

The front and back of the pamphlet are two different options, which is better? Do you like having some depth in the background or is it distracting? Should it be something else?

Also, the three things I have will be a welcome to menno letter, the pamphlet and a business card. These three things would be included in a folder when a person first visits menno, or at a home show where they would pick up some information.

Does the business card shape look too much like a bean? how would I make it look more like a rock?

Any other input would be great. The letterhead with the welcome to menno letter is pretty plain, just a bunch of text with the rock shape in the red on the top and bottom and menno in the upper left corner of the red block.

I plan on getting some textured paper to print everything on, so the color of the tan/background might change slightly.

Any other input would be appreciated. I hope to have some changes before monday, but I did not/ do not have the time before 8 pm tonight ... but things have changed since most people have last seen them.

Updates

After taking some time away from my identity and thinking about what changes I could make to better personalize a letter, business card and pamphlet could better suit and speak the language of my company I went back to work. I didn't change a lot, but I changed the shape of the business card and handout to hopefully fit the feel of my company more ...

Below is my pamphlet (front and back with different ideas/options) and some variability for business card colors (three background colors with two of the three accent colors)



~J

Identity System

After looking over my inspirational systems I looked at why each system works and what I was attracted to it.  The biggest things were a consistent theme and solid color scheme throughout the pieces of the design.  From that I started working on my own thing.  I had a logo (wordmark), the stacked rocks and the enlarged O as my starting point along with a brown toned color scheme.  I wanted to ad at least one more color to add to the palette that added some dimension with keeping it sophisticated.  

For my system I decided that the tradition

al Business card, envelope letterhead was a good place to start.  Through conversation with Ange I decided that these types of things would be best used after you already have clients, but how would I use this system to draw clients in?  I mentioned the idea of going to a trade show and that being a way to bring in clients.  The idea of having a folder as a giveaway that would have some informational materials and things to draw people in.  

This folder will have the logo on the front, simple and plain.  Inside the folder on the left side will be a welcome letter telling about Menno and what we can do for you.  On the right side will be a tall handout that ha tips for saving money in your home and the business card of the person working at the trade show (or handing out the folder in any situation).  

Below is the business card template and the colors that I am using throughout the identity.  Its a rough start, but it is what I am looking at as a direction.

Coffee awakens, Coffee Inspires

In my search for inspirational systems I was trying to think outside the box and find things that were hidden gems.  However, while looking for a third quality source I found myself in a pretty common place - a coffee shop.  Caribou Coffee's logo, store design and website design is cohesive and fun while still setting itself apart from the crowd.  The northwoods, rustic feel is different then most coffee shops where you'll either find something modern and urban or comfy and "green".  I personally prefer Caribou over Starbucks and I think some of its appeal is its warm and friendly atmosphere even amidst the even coldest and dreariest days.  Looking at their overall appeal and design I think it comes from their ability to feel like a slice of the northwoods without appealing only to hunters and fishers.  Their website to logo to store design all follow their brand identity, creating a unified system that has kept their company growing.

Final logo directions

I edited the typeface to make it more unique and tried to exagerate the forms to make it more similar to the stacked rocks of the logo. Is it working? does it need more or less? Also is the "^" better over the whole thing, or just at the end over the "o"? Is it better with 3 rocks, or the whole thing?

I really want this to be strong and I think I have looked at it so much that I am really in need of some other eyes and ideas. just what you prefer would be helpful. Thanks so much!

Inspirational Conspiracy

As I am thinking about inspirational systems I was thinking about what things I have come into contact with that moved me in some way.  This past Christmas my church used this video and I thought it was really well done and the concept of the company was really cool and edgy.  So I went to look at their website and see what other sorts of things they have.  To the left is their logo.  It is somewhat complicated but it gets to the heart and point of their company.   Below is a simplified word mark and a tag line that explains their company a little more.   Below that is the page on their website that you get when you click the "about section."  They have a pretty diverse system of symbols that they use in various ways.  Yet they stick with a consistent color palette and style throughout.  The Video on their home page (youtube link below) is how I first got introduced to this company and I think it is awesome.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

www.adventconspiracy.org

Typefaces ... can't figure it out!

I am working on defining my final logo and I have decided to go with the rock concept. I am not sure what direction I should go with the typeface and need some input. Is a more solid typeface better? serifs or no? script? I will end up stylizing the "o" and maybe the rest of the typeface but I need an idea of where to start.

I also would like some ideas on the best way to integrate the typeface into the logo. If a better typeface will help with it in the previous location that could work, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, what would people think if I put the rocks into more of a greyscale then the browns?

Thanks for the input!!

2 Logos

There first one has iterations with blacks and greys as well as a few different numbers of rocks, but this is what I showed in class. 

The next logo just has 3 color variations.  Same type face.  I think I am going to work with the type face to get it to work more with the logo.

Sweet Treats Inspire Sweet Design

This company and website was brought to my attention from a group meeting for a different class. When I looked up the website during our meeting I was kind of geeking out at the logo, the concept and the overall identity. The website is designed really well and the logo is awesome. I also wish that this place existed anywhere near the Midwest!

http://www.yogurt-land.com/

Refined Logos

All of my logos are in various directions ... these are the 5 that I choose to refine and the many iterations that I did while working on them.   They are all still pretty rough, mostly just digitized of my sketches.

Logo Roughs

These are my 100 logo roughs.  70 logos/symbols and 30 word marks.

Good:

3, 14, 23 and 30

46 and 52 ... any other ones?

~J

New Name, more Identity

After going through critique in class last Wednesday I knew I needed to come up with a better suited name.  I did some searching into Greek and Latin words for home or house.  I also looked at lesser known languages and what their words for house or home were.  How people would read and speak the word was a concern, so I stayed away from really complicated or long words.  After picking my favorites, I asked a few people what they thought and picked a Greek word. 

The new company name is Meno, and the "o" has one of the triangle (^) accents above it.  I liked the metaphor that gave to the visual look of the word.  I also liked that while people might pronounce it differently, it is pretty straight foreword.  The word itself means "stay at home, stay where one is, to be lasting, remain, stand"  which I felt fit perfectly with the idea and mission of my company.  

To give a better idea of what my company is here is a couple personas of people that might come to us:

Persona 1

A young couple, married for a couple years looking to buy their first home.  They are new to the housing market, and eager to own their own home.  They are both smart and intelligent people but don't know a lot about owning their own home.  They want to make sure they can truly afford the home they want to purchase and know how to manage their finances so they don't ever run the risk of going into foreclosure.  They have a consult, learn about energy and cost saving things they can do in their home and get some informational materials they can easily have on hand in their home.

Persona 2

A single parent with two kids.  They (he or she) work full time and barely make it by month to month.  As a result, they have accumulated a lot of credit card debt and are starting to get behind on their mortgage payments.  They know that they need to do something soon to try and turn it around or they will be loosing their home.  He or she comes in for a consult, they go over her home situation and where she could be saving money.  They look at financial statements and figure out how they can save money and to make sure they can pay their mortgage.  They also figure out what he/she can do to start chipping away at the credit card debt.  

Persona 3

An older couple has lived in the same house for 30-40 years.  They raised their kids there and while the house is in decent condition, it is older and a little too big for just two people.  They have both been retired for years and now the husband has decided to take a low paying job just to help with their bills.  The house is paid for, but they are behind on their bills and medical payments for their daily medications are starting to pile up.  Their biggest asset is their house and living off Social Security and a very low paying job just isn't cutting it anymore.  They are in serious danger of loosing their house.  They come in for a consult and we discover that the biggest attachment to the house is emotional.  After getting background on them and doing some research we recommend several apartments, condos or assisted living that would suit their lifestyle and budget.  We assist them in doing some repairs in their current home so it will sell faster.  They managed to not have their home taken away from them, but they did have to move and now they are managing their bills and budget much better in a housing situation better suited for them.  

These examples are the types of people that could come in to our company as well as the types of services we would provide.

We really are a full service agency where people can come to at any point in the life of their home.  We want to help people avoid the trauma and stress that a home can cause by helping them at any point they are at with any needs that need to be met.  If we cannot supply those things ourselves we will recommend a good place that they can go to get those services.  

Brand attributes and associations with home:  home, convenience, helpful, moral, ethical, loving, caring, kind, approachable, friendly, family, people, money saving, nature, security, memories, peace, comfort, status

~J

Design Brief - Brio

This was my design brief as of last wednesday ... 

Brio is a company whose heart is focused on the home and what that means to each individual.  By providing a variety of services for a variety of customers, Brio hopes to help homeowners stay away from foreclosure and the possibility of loosing their home.  

The services that will be provided include consulting, information sessions, installation, product purchasing, and renovation of homes.  These services can come into play at a variety of times in the life of a homeowner.  These stages would be preventative measures, in trouble, and on the verge of loosing their home.  In the last case we would be able to provide therapy and relocation assistance.  The needs of the homeowner are our biggest concern.  

The audience that we would be serving is anyone that owns a home.  The types of people that would come to us could greatly vary.  However, they would all have a want or need to save money in their homes and stay away from foreclosure.  The age range, sex and demographics of this group could vary greatly.

Our company will be about saving people's homes.  The home is important to many people because of the memories it holds and the status and meaning behind it.  At Brio we strive to be loving, caring, and kind.  We want to project an image that is convenient, worry-free, and cost effective.  We want to be known in the community as a part of the community and not just another cookie-cuter business.

By choosing our company, a customer can gain many valuable things.  A new homeowner could come to learn how to save money and be cost efficient in their homes.  Someone who is struggling financially can gain financial consulting and we will hopefully be able to turn them back on track.  Someone who is close to loosing their home might need relocation assistance or therapy to help get through the trauma of loosing their home.  We will offer all of these services in a variety of ways, each tailored to the customer and their individual needs.  While our services are not non-profit, our ultimate goal is to give affordable solutions and services so we are not a financial burden to our customers.  

While we have some competition in making a home energy efficient, our company takes a stance in the market by focusing on keeping people in their homes.  Our energy efficient programs and "go green" attitude toward saving money is only one small aspect of our business.  However, our ultimate goal is keeping people in their homes.

The objective of our identity is to be a friendly and approachable company.  We don't want people to feel ashamed or afraid to use our services and our identity should tell people that.  It should represent convenience and cost-effectiveness.  Ultimately the idea of "home" and what that represents to each individual will drive the company and the way that we operate as a company and with our customers.  

~J

My Company ... nameless for now

After thinking some more about my ideas and doing a little more reading on the things that I was thinking about doing I have decided on my company. We will do several things, depending on the customers needs, wants, and financial ability.

1) Evaluate a home for places that a home owner is loosing money
2) Suggest improvements to save money and/or go green
- from changing to florescent bulbs to more expensive things like new windows or appliances
3) Have a lower cost way for home owners to purchase these products/services from us
- we will buy direct from suppliers and provide things to the customer at a lower cost than a major store would
- we would also be able to help with installation processes or recommend out to good and inexpensive companies for these types of services.
4) Help organize community between neighbors to help multiple homeowners in the same area to share and live in community to save money and live greener.
- this would include showing neighbors how to share energy costs, resources, recycle together, and even help each other out financially if one family needs the help to keep their home.

All these services would be offered in two ways. The customer could set up a consultation and we would come to their homes and deal with them right from the comfort and convenience of their own homes. Or the customer could also choose to come in to our center and learn about different things they could do or pick the services they want. The costs would vary depending on the services the customer would choose, and nothing would be too expensive since the goal of the company is to help people stay in their homes. The amount of involvement of our consultants is up to the customer and they could even just use our services to purchase cheaper supplies to update their homes.

The mission of the company is: To help homeowners stay in their homes by saving them money, building community and helping the environment at the same time.

As far as names go, at this point I haven't had any major light bulb moments for great names. I will be thinking and searching for good ideas throughout the rest of today. Any suggestions are greatly welcomed.

~J

Research and Ideas

Our next project is to create our own company and then there will be other projects to follow.  This blog is to encompass some of my research and ides for a company based off the U.S. Housing Crisis.

Part of the housing crisis problem is not just about people not being able to buy homes of keep their homes, but also people loosing their homes after natural disasters.  A lot of people can't afford to rebuild or repair their home after a natural disaster or even fires and therefore loose their homes.  While there is assistance available for those in the immediate time of need, there aren't many national programs that help people rebuild their homes outside of volunteers.  Some of my first ideas are based off the idea for a company that could help get people back into their homes.  

- a company that helps organize volunteers in disaster relief zones for people to rebuild their homes (local "extreme makeover" on a much smaller scale)

- company that helps people who are working to rebuild their homes (sends volunteers, buys supplies in bulk to sell at a lower price to help those who need assistance rebuilding or fixing their homes)

- company that gives scholarships based on need/merit (like college scholarships for homeowners)

Anoter problem is that people are not able to build their own homes and are forced into homes they don't like, can't afford, have problems and just generally they don't like and doesn't fit their needs.

- a possible idea to fit this market would be a way to help people figure out how to build their own homes in this housing market

I'm not sure how feasible this would be considering urbanization and you have to live in the right area where new subdivisions are going up or where you can afford to rebuild or extremely remodel an already existing house.

The most obvious thing to help with the housing crisis is to keep people in their homes and away from foreclosure.  A possible idea is to help people deal with their finances so that they can better manage paying for their home.  

-a way to do this is to create a company that helps people update their homes so they save money in heating and energy costs

-OR a company that would create extra living space so that they can gain a source of income from a renter

-OR educating people on how to save money in their homes, better manage their budgets, update and home improvement to save energy costs etc.

The ideas that I like the most and feel that I could create a company out of that I would like and enjoy are:

-educating people on how to save money in their homes, better manage their budgets, update and home improvement to save energy costs etc.

- a company that helps people who are working to rebuild their homes (sends volunteers, buys supplies in bulk to sell at a lower price to help those who need assistance rebuilding or fixing their homes)

Stay tuned for a final decision and company info.

~J

Not Perfect, not great, but Infinitely better

So here is what I came up for the redesign of the 2012 Olympic Logo.  These are the roughs, I ended up picking the one in the upper right corner with some minor tweaking and a different color choice.  The project is over, but feel free to comment anyway.

Designing and Ideating

After doing some research I have decided to work towards a redesign of the 2012 olympics logo.  After some googleing and investigation into old olympic logos I figured out a few things.

1.  people are incredibly upset about the choice for the olympic logo

from blogs to newspapers there is a lot of up roar.  There are also a lot of people choosing to do their own quick redesigns - and most of them are much better then the current logo.

2.  Past olympic logos have a few things in common (the ones that were successful)

using an abstracted or simplified human doing an activity is popular

something involving or representing the city or country the events are happening in

using something involving the spirt of the olympics (the torch for example)

using the olympic rings as a design element is not popular or successful.  

From this many ideas have been sketched and scribbled.  Currently I am not sure what direction to go.  I like a couple of my ideas but I feel that I should push myself a little more in thinking outside the box and away from what an olympic logo is.  Stay tuned for a final design.

~J

The bad and the worse

Our first assignment has to do with redesigning a bad logo that already exists.  After doing some research and reading the designer blogs out there to see what others thought, this is what I came up with.  I also did some research on the companies to discover why their logo wasn't working.

Cablevision is a company that does telecommunications of all forms and owns some of the biggest music venues in the US - including Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall.  The logo is awful and doesn't convey a sense of what the company is or does in any way at all.  It could use a lot of help.

The Verizon logo is so common and well known, however it

 is awful!  I doesn't tell you anything about the company or what it does. The giant check mark is kind of like a v, but not entirely and is not strong enough to stand on its own as a logo without the verizon wordmark.

The logo for the 2012 Summer Olympics is one of the worst logos I've ever seen.  The idea that it says "2012" is incredibly hard to see and the feeling of the olympics is only conveyed in the presence of the olympic rings.  Their goal of energy and enthusiasm and world union is almost entirely lost.

While there are many other incredibly bad logos out there these are the three that I am between for the project.  More on the end results later.

~J