Every week, we’ll summarize the week in Brandstack. Every week, you will read it. Glad we had this talk.
As you can probably already see, we’ve decided to make our Week-End Wrap-up feature a little prettier for you. Who doesn’t want to see these beautiful logos on a weekly basis? Nobody. That’s who. Wait… double negative… Yeah, nobody.
— Angryz by TabithaKristen – 56 springs
— Ultimate Victory by 1981 – 48 springs
— Databox by Martys – 44 springs
— Nordero by WildOne – 41 springs
— Chip-Chop by DNA – 36 springs
It’s almost that time of year. In the next few weeks, South By Southwest will be rolling into Austin, Texas as will we. We’ll be showing off Upstack, our new service for custom graphic design work and we’re sure to be the belles of the ball. First of all, we’re all going to be wearing the most exquisite evening gowns, with… Well, actually, we don’t want to ruin the surprise.
In all seriousness, we’re very excited about exhibiting our new creation at SXSW 2010 and getting to meet with a lot of you in person. We’ll be giving away $100 discounts on design work through Upstack and some other great stuff we’re sure you won’t want to miss out on.
In all funness, we’ll also have an Xbox set up, most likely with Rock Band so you can show off your skillz to us. Who knows, you might impress us and we’ll marry you. Be forewarned, though, we don’t know how to cook.
So, what we’re really getting at is, you are cordially invited to come hang out with us at booth 1123 between March 12th and the 16th. We’d love to see you there.
One of my earliest conversations with Rich were about autobots and dinobots from the Transformers series. An avid fan myself, it was so cool to talk to a fellow logo designer about the fandom that the series demanded. Rich is from Australia and is a really swell guy, it is always a pleasure to correspond and chat with him. In the logo designing world, he goes by the moniker of designabot. From watching his amazing logos pop up on website inspiration lists to reading the deeply philosophical quotes he shares on twitter, Rich never fails to amaze me with his depth of perception. He experiments, adapts and is always there with a kind word of encouragement and a sunny demeanor. I had so much fun reading more about him in this interview that he kindly did for us. I hope you do too.
Thanks Rich for taking the time out for this interview. It is good to have you on the blog.
1. Tell us a little about yourself. About Rich Scott the person and Rich Scott the designer.
I am a 30 year old currently living in Queensland, Australia. I appreciate all aspects of creativity and right-brain thinking! Love a bit of tennis, chess and music (mainly funk and break beats). I have worked on a Mac since forever but am pleased to have avoided all hype surrounding other Apple products… so far! I have run my own business for the last 2+ years and enjoy the freedom this brings to my life. I find it hard to be creative on demand, so working freelance gives me the chance to dictate my own schedule and let creativity flow at leisure.
2. How did you get started with logo designing? Why logo designing?
I am fond of all aspects related to the logo design process, from initial brainstorming to seeing the final article in use. I have always been inquisitive into the origins and meanings behind hieroglyphs and ancient symbols. I found myself gravitating towards logo design because of the emotion and messages you can impart on a viewer with just a simple icon and/or font. After a few years out of the game it wasn’t until quite recently where my passion for graphic design returned and with it my focus became logos/brand identity. It is quite a specialist field but one that really captured my heart.
3. What according to you is the most fulfilling part of being a brand creator?
I would have to say bringing an idea to life that was once a mere flicker of inspiration in my mind then seeing the finished article is also a real pleasure. The amount of ideas and possible brand solutions are infinite which really fascinates and inspires me. It’s a really great feeling to receive feedback from your peers when you create identities that are unique, recognizable and fingers crossed, stand the test of time.
4. Can you share with us your most challenging logo design to date? What was the biggest hurdle in doing it?
Surprisingly one of my most challenging logos appears to be one of the simplest. It was originally an unused concept, which I re-worked for sale on Brandstack called ‘Silk Skin’. The concept came to me in a flash but when it came to vectorising in Adobe Illustrator, it took forever! Adjusting the size of one foot in relation to the other while still forming a recognisable letter ‘s’ was a real challenge but I got there in the end.
5. What has been the most unusual source of inspiration for your logos?
A designer takes inspiration from all areas of life not just the design world. One of my more recent brands ‘Vacuum Viper’ was probably the most unusual source. I was finishing up some house work (yawn) … then packing up the vacuum I pressed the cord release button. The speed and velocity of the cords recall reminded me of a snake as it nipped me on the way back! I jumped straight into illustrator with the idea still fresh in my mind and so this brand was born.
6. If there was one logo out there in the real world that you wished you had created, which one would that be?
There are so many but one recent logo that keeps popping up and stands out is ‘Under Armour’. It’s a simple and strong design, and as with all great logos combines graphic elements to convey a distinct message.
7. Out of your own portfolio, which logo is the dearest to you? Why?
I love all my creations but one that is dear to me is ‘Penny Puddle’. The main reason I am happy with this one is the strength of concept combined with the speed it took me to execute. I began reading the clients brief and the concept was in my mind before I finished reading. I wanted to convey emotions relating to financial wishes and upward mobility. I really think this solution delivers effectively.
8. Can you share with us your logo design process for Brandstack?
In the early days of Brandstack I re-worked a number of unused concepts and developed new brand names. More recently however all my designs have been crafted specifically for Brandstack. The process usually begins with a spark of inspiration, which can come to me at any point in the day. I will check to see if the .com or appropriate domain is available and then start sketching or jump into Illustrator. Nowadays on Brandstack you will notice most logos will sell as a package with a unique domain included, so it’s worth giving some serious thought.
9. How do you market yourself as a brand creator? What sites and tools do you use for promotion?
One aspect I have had to really push myself with is the whole marketing thing. It is all a bit of a learning curve but with the aid of sites like Brandstack it gives us designers exposure to many potential clients and is a useful marketing tool. As well as selling the odd logo here and there I am now in contact with lots of fellow creatives and have a few new clients gained exclusively through Brandstack. I also use sites such as, Logopond, Faveup and Logospire for promoting logos. I was dubious with Twitter to start with but it has turned out to be a very handy communication tool.
10. What is the single most valuable trait of a logo designer? If one doesn’t have it, is there a way to develop and hone it?
I would say self-belief is the most important thing to have as a logo designer. You have to be confident enough to follow your intuition and believe in all your creations. Putting your work ‘out there’ for critique can be daunting but my advice is, just go for it! Belief is within all of us but can still be developed further by taking criticism of all types, learning and moving forward in a positive direction.
11. What are your preferred choice of fonts for logos?
I always try and match icon and font as seamlessly as possible. My style is quite clean and minimalist so generally I gravitate towards san serif fonts. A few favourites are Bryant, Univers and Proxima
12. Superman logo or Batman Logo? Why?
I am a sucker for symmetry so on that basis I would have to say the Batman logo!
13. What are your plans and goals for yourself in the year 2010?
I try not to plan too far ahead or even set that many goals. I am pretty easy going and do my best to live in the moment and create the best experience I can. The main objective is to stay in business for myself as long as I can… I really couldn’t go back to working for ‘the man’ so I stay on my toes and work hard. That said I always have un-design related business ideas up my sleeve. It’s just finding the time to gain some revenue and get them going!
14. Any words of wisdom for newbie designers?
We have all at some point in time been new to the design industry. I would say try to be creative and as unique as possible. Create your own little niche within a fairly tough industry. Always keep a positive mind-set and have strong intent that you can and will succeed! Listen to others, ask questions and keep practicing whatever design process you feel most comfortable with. I would always recommend a design course of some sort to gain key knowledge and understanding of design principles. Whatever your skill level the main thing is to have a great concept. I agree that ‘less is more’ but it can be okay to come up with more complex logos providing the concept is strong and then presented in a visually appealing manner.
Thanks for the interview Sneh! ; )
And thanks for sharing some great advice with us Rich. We wish you the very best.
You can view Rich’s portfolio on his website Revivify Graphic Design. Follow Rich on Twitter for some great social interaction.
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Sneh Roy is a designer and creative trends blogger. You can follow her @LBOI on Twitter and keep up with her at her site, Little Box of Ideas.
Every week, we’ll summarize the week in Brandstack. Every week, you will read it. Glad we had this talk.
A good showing again from the always awesome designers of Brandstack. Let’s keep it up, guys!
The Top 5 Most Sprung Sales this week:
Buildog — by oski – 40 springs
Silk Skin — by designabot – 36 springs
NUHOOO — by malbardesign – 31 springs
Webanchor — by alterego – 15 springs
Eco House — by Corobori – 14 springs
The Brandstack Favs for this week:
Bird — by Houston-we
Droplettes — by tanami
PixelPyrate — by 1981
BOMBERSS — by mircha69
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Since announcing our new service Upstack, we’ve met with quite a few questions about the process and a little bit of skepticism that what we’re saying can’t be done. Allow us to clear the air.
Here is exactly what Upstack is not:
Upstack is not a place where anyone who owns Illustrator can design. Every designer is screened for design quality and process before seeing their first project.
Upstack is not spec work. In fact, we don’t even hold design contests in which our designers get paid chump change after budgets are split up. Designers see project fees up front and don’t lift a pencil until they are paid.
Upstack is not a place to get only logos designed. We have already completed several web, print and illustration projects in our infancy and working on more. **Side note: We are currently enlisting more web and print designers as well. If you feel like you have what it takes to do print or web, please request an invitation.
Upstack is not a place where they can steal other people’s work and hide behind anonymity. All of our designers sign non-disclosure agreements and provide picture ID to verify identity, ensuring confidentiality for clients and accountability on the part of the designers.
Upstack is not just another website where the client-designer relationship is diminished. The beauty of this concept is that we provide you with a killer network of designers and the tools to make your design project a success. After that, we’re just advancing the traditional design relationship. Once the project is started and your selected designers are in place, both parties are in direct contact with each other in a one-on-one environment.
Upstack is not a concept that has been done before. This one goes out to those people who are speculating that this is just another spec site or another logo mill. Which brings us to our next point.
Upstack is not for everyone. Upstack was developed for a more sophisticated customer… someone who understands the value of a great designer and the message they can convey.
How can this work?
Because we’re brilliant! But seriously, we have already received a strong response of beta requests and we feel we’ve determined the sweet spot of pricing and functionality for the type of customers looking for quality custom design work. We’ve put a lot of thought into this from both sides of the equation. What will make designers and clients both happy and repair the relationship between both sides to more efficiently achieve great design? It won’t be contest sites. It’s going to have to be something else.
Every week, we’ll summarize the week in Brandstack. Every week, you will read it. Glad we had this talk.
Hi, again, everyone! Let’s get down to business and break down this week’s logos.
The Top 5 Most Sprung Sales this week:
Logossip — by TabithaKristen – 49 springs
RARZBRI — by matjak – 27 springs
ecoflutter — by logobunny – 24 springs
Infinature — by Houston-we – 22 springs
Homeburbia — by matjak – 20 springs
The Brandstack Favs for this week:
Sail on Rain — by Matto
simurgh — by mootova
Valentime — by TabithaKristen
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Every week, we’ll summarize the week in Brandstack. Every week, you will read it. Glad we had this talk.
We had a big increase in logo uploads this week with our announcement of our new Upstack service. We love all the attention so please keep’em comin’!
The Top 5 Most Sprung Sales this week:
Sushiluvr — by malbardesign – 59 springs
Woof! — by AM – 38 springs
WinkyCloud — by cooljaz124 – 37 springs
Hunterrace — by Vasvarip – 37 springs
The Installers — by Jeiji – 37 springs
The Brandstack Favs for this week:
Media Labs — by cooljaz124
iPadre — by malbardesign
Web Stars — by Matto
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I have not had the pleasure of interacting with Nadir personally in the past but I have admired his work for a while. Once in a while, a logo would crop up that I would really take a shine to and I would see that it was from “Logorado” which happens to be Nadir Balcikli’s design name and brand. There were times when I wondered why he wasn’t creating more logos, because it was such a joy to see the few he had created. Then I realized why? “Less is More” is Nadir’s motto and it is evident from the sheer honesty he pours into his designs, not going for quantity but definitely producing top quality work. Today, Nadir takes time out from his busy schedule to talk to us about how Logorado came into being, how he found Brandstack and what are his thoughts behind the wonderful logos he designs.
Thank you Nadir for speaking to us today.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Who you are? Where you are from? And what do you do?
I am a 25 year old married designer living in Ankara/Turkey. The absolute musts in my life are my wife, my paper and pen, and my computer. If these were not in my life, I wouldn’t have been telling you these things today. I thank my wife very much for all that supports she’s been giving me. Taking photographs, reading personal development books and watching psychology- thriller movies may be counted as my favorite hobbies.
2. What is the story behind Logorado? How did your brand come into existence?
While I was working at the office one day I reached the decision that I needed to develop my expertise in a specific field of graphic design. What would that be? Clearly, It did not take me long to make my decision and to tell the truth the first and the single most thing that came to my mind was logo designing. This is how I started Logorado. In a significantly short time I achieved a reputation in the market and I continued and still continue to improve myself in this specific field.
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Every month, Brandstack will recognize logos which exhibit particular badassedness. Is that a real word? At Brandstack, it is. Scroll down to see why…
This is our first go at this and we have to admit it wasn’t easy narrowing down the designs we felt deserved this honor. We take this sort of thing very seriously and put quite a bit of thought into choosing which designs belong here. It was even more difficult deciding who deserved top billing — the king of the month, so to speak. So without further ado, here are the Badass Logos of the Month for January 2010, starting with the best.
Spartan Golf Club by Lexlogo continue reading
