Character Bags Logo Featured on LogoGala

I've mentioned LogoGala in an earlier post as a great resource for logo design samples. Earlier this week, I was honored to have the Character Bags logo featured on LogoGala! Every few days a logo is featured, and an in-depth series of questions and answers are posted. It is a great way to learn about the designer's thought process, a backstage look at the logo's development.

While a relatively new site, LogoGala has gained popularity as a great design resource in a very short period of time. To celebrate that success, as well as gain more exposure, LogoGala is currently offering their first promotion. Here are the prizes:

Prizes:
Prize 1: The Big Book of Design Ideas 3 courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 2: American Corporate Identity 2009 courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 3: Big Book of Business Cards courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 4: 2008 Wolda Logo Design Annual courtesy of Wolda.org
Prize 5: Two (2) Helvetica Special Edition Moleskine Notebooks courtesy of Moleskine Asia
Prize 6: A FREE logo design courtesy of Sean Farrell at Penflare Designs. You will receive two concepts and two revisions for your logo. (Worth $250)
Prize 7: A FREE 30 minute logo consultation via Skype or email courtesy of Jacob Cass.
Prize 8: A FREE 30 minute logo consultation via Skype or email courtesy of David Airey

If you'd like to enter to win any of these prizes, go to LogoGala's blog. And be sure to check out all the great logos in their gallery too!

Don't Monkey Around with Your Email Marketing

I wanted to introduce everyone to the email service provider I've used for many years — Meet Mail Chimp! I have been using mail chimp for Kalico Design's eNewsletter for the past year and have been thoroughly happy with their services, customer support and pricing — plus, their user interface is very easy-to-use. And they offer tons of free resources on email marketing tips and tricks. (and I LOVE the fact that mailchimp does not require you to include their logo or advertising anywhere on your eNewsletter, so everything looks like it comes directly from you)

Here's a little more info from the horse's (or, er, monkey's mouth):

MailChimp is a do-it-yourself email marketing service for "the Google generation." We make it easy to send email newsletters to customers, manage subscriber lists, and track campaign performance. Unlike some of our competitors, we don't "dumb things down." We take extremely powerful tools that sophisticated marketers use and we make them accessible to anyone.

Please keep in mind that Kalico Design offers eMail Marketing and design services. Should you want a sophisticated, professionally-designed eNewsletter, give us a call or shoot us an email at info@kalicodesign.com! We also would be happy to set you up with your own MailChimp account, which you can have personal access to, in order to adjust settings, add contacts and more! And be sure to sign up for Kalico News, our free, quarterly newsletter that shares tips and information for marketing your small business.

Equinox Dance Company Site Goes Live

Kalico just launched the redesign of Equinox Dance Company's website. This project was done on a pro bono basis, as the non-profit arts organization is very close to my heart. The design is simple yet effective, showcasing various photos of the talented dance company. In the future, I plan to add a flash introduction as well as video clips. But for now, I'm just happy the new site is up and people will be able to purchase tickets online for the upcoming spring performance.

About Equinox:
Serving as the premier adult modern dance company in the Frederick, MD region, Equinox Dance Company (EDC) strives to promote dance as an expressive art form, as well as a physical activity, throughout the community by means of both performance and educational lectures. EDC is a highly diverse company, fusing jazz and tap with its contemporary modern-based background. Consisting of approximately fifteen devoted dancers, this troupe's talents shine not only through their dancing abilities, but also through their creative choreographic skills.

Equinox is a project I helped start several years ago as a means for adults to continue dancing. It is a unique group, because all dancers are on a volunteer basis—we dance because we love it! Please take a moment to view the new site and come see us perform in april! Tickets on sale now!

Kalico Wins Awards

I just found out that Kalico has been awarded 4 American Graphic Design & Advertising awards! Selected winning pieces include the DanceFest logo, Neccessories logo, Joy of Herbs logo and the Frederick Symphony Orchestra season brochure! It is an honor to have these pieces recognized by AGDA. To view the award-wining work, please visit our website at kalicodesign.com!

About the Award:
Founded by David E. Carter, a noted authority on logo design and corporate identity,the American Graphic Design and Advertising awards is an annual design competition, with a corresponding book highlighting the competition winners. AGDA continues its illustrious twenty-four-year legacy as a mainstay for designers who want to keep current with contemporary American design and corporate identity. The size of the creative firm or client is inconsequential; promoting great design is the goal. The AGDA winners book will be published in Fall 2009.