Happy Birthday to Me!

…not me, Amy. Me 4th Leaf Design Studio!

1 year ago today was the first day that 4th Leaf Design Studio started! I can’t believe how far this little idea has come in 1 year! I have learned so much about running a business, had my ups and downs and just keep pushing forwards.

This coming year brings so many new and exciting things for the business. The most important is time. One of the mistakes I made last year was wearing myself too thin by becoming involved in so many time-consuming organizations. This year, I’m taking a step back and will be much more critical about what I decide to do with my time. In order to get my business to continue to grow, I’ve decided to attend The Simple Plan by Sage Wedding Pros. Here, I will be able to finally write out my entire business plan to help me stay on track with all of my goals. We will also discuss the possibility of my company dividing into two: one for the identity biz and one for the stationery side. This is going to be exciting!

Also, the website will finally be posted this year! Hopefully before the beginning of 2011! We’ll be increasing the items we offer on the Etsy Shop and hopefully will start having a few pieces sold in stores for your convenience. For the identity side of the business, I’m revamping the way we create your entire identity which includes a manual on how to use all the new information you’re given.

This is a very exciting time for 4th Leaf Design Studio, and I feel so blessed to have so many great people helping me throughout this process. Thanks also to all the people who took a chance on me this year. I hope your experience still encourages you to recommend other people my way!

GS: Logo, Identity & Brand Part 3: IDENTITY

Moving on with the Graphically Speaking (GS) posts about the differences between your logo, identity and brand…

Last time, we went into specifics about your logo. We discussed how 4th Leaf Design Studio divides logos into three categories to help with planning a company’s image: Typographic, Lock-Up and Crest. There is not one type of logo that is better or more effective than the next one; it’s just a matter of what logo style works best for your company to ultimately create your brand. Now we’re onto your identity…

When someone speaks about a company’s identity, what are they actually talking about?
They are referring to all those little characteristics that are unique to your company and distinguish you from your competitors. Basically, your identity encompasses all of the elements that make up the visual representation of your company: colors, typefaces, images and their usage, graphics, grids, patterns and, of course, your logo!

I really like the way the graphic design mega company, Pentagram, describes identities and identity designers:
Identities are “a unique combination of reputation, name, culture, manner and values. Identity design represents these qualities and in doing so adds something to them. The identity designer has to become intricately involved in the group in order to understand and thus influence its presented image.”

To help you understand large-scale applications of what an identity is, I’m going to walk you through a simplified explanation of the University of Cincinnati‘s Standards as the main example.

THE LOGO

Your logo encompasses the largest portion of your identity. It dictates the rest of the images, graphics, etc. When designing your logo, your designer will be thinking of the many possible usage of your logo. There will be some instances where you will be able to use your logo in a vertical format, and at times, a horizontal layout will be best.

standard logo layout : horizontal

alternate layout : vertical

Another example of this is the logo options for the New York City Ballet:

The designer will also give you standards on how to use it. The most important one of these to be aware of is the “safe space.” A logo’s safe space is the area designated to the readability of the logo. It’s a space that surrounds the ENTIRE logo where no other images, graphics, words, etc can penetrate. This is typically some proportion of the logo:
There will also be standards on how your logo is to be used on different colors:
SIDE NOTE: your designer should ALWAYS give you a solid black and white version of your logo! If you do not like your logo in black and white, you’ll never be fully happy with it in color. Besides, you will not always be able to use full color.

A solid identity standard will also ways that your logo should NEVER be used:

You should also be aware as to the minimum size that you designer recommends for your logo. Because of the type, some logos are able to be smaller than other. In this case, the designers for UC’s logo require the printed logo to be a minimum width of one inch and the digital image to be a minimum width of 125 pixels.

GRAPHICS, PATTERNS & TEXTURE

One of the main reasons I wanted to show you the UC identity standards is because of how they dictate their graphics, patterns and textures. All of the swoops you see associated with the university all derive from the logo itself:

Samples of the swoops:

COLORS

As you all know, your colors are just as much a part of your identity as your logo. You probably even know your company’s specific PMS (Pantone Matching System) color to be used on all your materials! If you don’t have a PMS color, your color can not be guaranteed by a printer, so be sure to get one!

True brands have their standard primary colors (which are usually the colors that make up the logo) and secondary colors at least. Secondary colors are hues the designer feels best compliment the primary colors:

PRIMARY COLORS

SECONDARY COLORS (or accents)

Obviously, UC’s color palette is quite extensive. They need to be able to incorporate and decipher many disciplines of study, campuses, buildings, etc. Not all color palettes have to be this elaborate. Take mine at 4th leaf Design Studio:

PRIMARY COLORS

SECONDARY & TERTIARY COLORS

FONTS / TYPEFACES
We’ll get into the differences later!

The lettering you choose for your business is just as much a part of your identity. Think about it, if you send out one memo in Times New Roman, and another one in Arial or even Georgia, they will look like they came from totally different companies. It’s crucial to know what typefaces are associated with your company, how they are used, etc. Many companies incorporate both a sans-serif for less formal pieces and serif type for more formal announcements. When the sans-serif and serif typefaces are used together creatively, they can create extremely beautiful pieces. Here are UC’s type choices.

I know this was a lot to take in, but trust me, it was just a short explanation on what identities really are. Many companies have thick manuals explaining the elements of their identities and how to use them. Here are a few more short examples of identities courtesy of Pentagram.

Black & White Ball
Notice the grid pattern formed for their marketing material. This is part of their identity as well.

The Metropolitan Opera
Notice the red and how it’s continued into the photographs for emphasis.

 

 

…and I’m back!

Sorry for the absenteeism for the end of last week! I’m proud to report that it was well worth it as my team won the 2010 Division 1 AA State Volleyball Championship! I’m so proud of the 13 varsity players and the remaining 8 JV cheerleaders that allowed this season to be such a success! These girls, especially the 3 seniors have been through a lot. In their 4 years, they have had 5 head coaches! If you’ve ever played a sport, I’m sure you know how difficult that can be! All of the girls persevered through it and are now State Champions! If you want to attempt to watch the final match, check it out!

On Friday’s final match, they played the defending champions Red Bank High School from Chattanooga, TN. It was a repeat match from last year, except the outcome was completely different! The Page High School Lady Patriots went undefeated in their post-season play winning 27 straight sets! This is a remarkable feat! I seriously couldn’t be prouder of these girls and wish them all the best in the coming travel season!

Head Coach: Jessica Enderle
Assistant Coaches: Kate Walker & you know me!

Please stay tuned this week as I continue to Graphically Speaking section about logos, identities and brands! Next up: Identities!