A Taste of Americana: Hatch Show Print!

Recently, I was fortunate to visit Nashville, TN for a business conference. (More info on the conference to come...my mind is STILL spinning with all the great info I sucked up there!). But, luckily while in The Music City, I got to visit the iconic and historic Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America!

As you walk into Hatch Show Print's storefront on Nashville's Broadway Street (though be forewarned, they will be moving locations very soon!), it's like you can hear angels singing! OK, I'm being over dramatic, but seriously, you are greeted with walls lined with old letterpress forms, and walls completely covered in colorful posters, for as far as the eye can see! It was a designer's happy place!

Opening in 1879 (yes, that old!) by the Hatch family, the print shop flourished during the days when show business was get-up-and-go business. Whether circus, minstrel show, vaudeville act, or carnival, show posters created the excitement that sold the show, covering the sides of buildings and barns in cities and towns throughout the country. Later on Hatch became well known for their music posters, featuring not only famous country artists, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash to Garth Brooks, but also musicians of all genres.  

Hatch Show Print has captured American history, southern culture, and entertainment without losing that irresistible appeal of turn-of-the-century design aesthetics. For all you music lovers, Americana buffs, graphic arts collectors, graphic designers, and commercial advertisers of all persuasions out there, if you ever find yourself in the Nashville area, be sure to stop by Hatch Show Print, you won't regret it!

Now, I'll just need to figure out where to hang my two new Hatch Prints!

Special thanks to Jonathan Boehman of Immersion Active for introducing a few of his fellow designers to Hatch Show Print!

Design Find :: allen + roth

We'll be starting a new blog series called Design Find, where will highlight some design and marketing pieces that really catch our eye. It'll be full of everyday pieces—something spotted at a local business, a unique direct mail piece we receive, a sign or billboard that we pass by—pieces that we just happen upon.

Additionally, if you spot a really great piece of graphic design, take a quick photo and either post it to our facebook or twitter pages, or email it to us. Let us know where you spotted it and what it was for, along with your name. If we're impressed too, we'll highlight it on this blog!

So, for our first Design Find…

I spotted these allen + roth postcards at our local Lowes while looking for some paint samples. The unique way they highlighted the color sample, along with the fun and inviting black and white photography, made these postcards hard for me to pass up. Additionally, while you can't really tell in the photo, there is also a spot varnish on the color sample, which makes the color really pop. All in all, these allen + roth paint sample postcards were definitely an awesome design find!

2012 Logo Trends

Every year LogoLounge, an online logo database of almost 175,000 logos, releases an annual Trends report. And, you guessed it, the 2012 Logo Trends report is now out! As a designer, I love reading about the noted trends and seeing the examples. But, I think this information can be very interesting to everyone, including business owners who may want to stay on top of some of the latest design trends. Plus, it's fun when you start to recognize these trends being used in logos and design that you come across.

While it's always fun and educational to view the Logo Trends Report, please keep in mind that these are not the end-all, be-all for logos. Just because it's considered a trend, doesn't necessarily make it a good logo for your company.  Good logo design doesn't follow a trend simply to follow the trend. Good logo design is a mark that truly represents your business visually, that can work well on multiple platforms, both in color and black and white, and that can transcend trends (afterall, your logo needs to last a long time…you don't want it to look outdated just a few years down the road).

OK, with that disclaimer being stated, please check out the full report of LogoLounge's 2012 Logo Trends here.

My favorites are Icon Clusters and Anaglyphs (though some of these may not translate easily to one color and/or black and white). Which are your favorites?

ICON CLUSTERS:

 

ANAGLYPHS:

Logo 2.0!

Woo-Hoo! Our logo redesign for Aaron Haslinger Photography is featured in "Logo 2.0." The inspirational design publication showcases 283 Logo Makeovers, showing the before and after, along with the Design Strategy behind each project, written in the designer’s own words. The eBook, by David E. Carter, is available (along with many other design books!) through Bright Books. (pick up your copy today!)

 

Here's the description and thought-process behind this logo re-design:

Aaron Haslinger is a photographer in the Baltimore/Metro DC area who specializes in weddings, but also does lifestyle and business photography. His original logo, an all-text composition, did not represent his outgoing, personable and creative style. 

Aaron requested we did not use any specific graphics or illustrations, but opted to focus more on his name. So, we melded Aaron's initials, playing with the negative space to create a point of interest. Per Aaron's request, we utilized a bright, vibrant color palette that would appeal to both his primary audience —brides between ages 25-35—as well as his secondary audience, which included both genders and a broader age range. The new look works well in both color and black and white, and the sans serif font choice gives a smooth, contemporary and professional feel.

In conclusion, the new logo mark serves as a better visual representation of Aaron Haslinger himself, as well as his photography business, than his previous logo did.

Do you have a logo that needs a redesign? (insert shameless plug here) Give us a call—we'd love to help! Feel free to visit the Kalico website for additional samples of our logo work!

Incredible, Insightful, Intelligent & Interesting. INFOGRAPHICS!

OK, so I'm not gonna lie. I really love infographics. You know, the really good ones...i literally get mesmerized by them and just can't get enough. Infographics are one of the purest forms of graphic design—they're strictly visual representations of information and data. Data Visualization, or "data viz", as the "cool kids" are apparently calling them. (Guess I've exited the "cool kid" pool, because I just read about this terminology…[sigh] )

So, I'm going to assume that everyone has probably seen an infographic here or there, even if you didn't realize that's what you were looking at. Top brands like The New York Time, USA Today, and even The White House have been using infographics to deliver data. Whether you're a designer or  your company is thinking of hiring a designer to create "data viz" for your next project, please ask yourself 3 important questions first:

1. Why? What is it for? What is the goal? Will your data need to be visually represented? (please, no infographics, just for infographic sake). Determine whether you will be able to clearly tell your story or represent your information through visual graphics, or if tradition text and copy will work better.

2. How? How will you refine and organize your data to work in cohesive, informational graphic. What will be the visual metaphor you'll use?

3. Does it Work? Does it reach your goals? Is it easy to understand. Is the data represented in a clear and readable manner? Will it make sense to the viewer?

Here are some wonderful, additional resources for creating effective infographics:

The Do's and Don'ts of Inforgraphic Design
10 Tips For Designing Better Infographics
Infographic Designs: Overviews, Examples & Best Practices

And, of course, this blog post wouldn't be complete with examples of some of my favorite infographics! (just click on the image caption to view the full graphic)

U.S. Data Consumption in One Day

The Very Many Varieties of Beer

How the Internet Works

The Greening of America's Companies

Do you love inforgraphics too? What are some of your favorites?

Inspired by Color!

With the weather being so nice lately, we've been inspired by the many colors surrounding us at Kalico headquarters. Bright greens from the leaves and grass, vibrant flowers from the garden, and lively colored fruits and veggies at the farmer's market…color is all around us throughout the early summer!

So, in honor of the colors of summer, here are several color resources and inspirational sites to help you with your next project—be it graphic design, interior design, fashion design or more!

1. Kuler. Presented by Adobe, Kuler  is a web-hosted application that can generate color themes to inspire any project. Kuler allows you to search through color variations and browse thousands of themes from the their online community. And don't worry, it's totally FREE! The above color palette is a July 4th-inspired combination!

2. Design Seeds. Design Seeds is a great inspirational source for emerging color and palette combinations, all based off of original photography. Color inspiration comes from landscapes, animals, plants, seasons and more! And don't look now, but color inspired books are also available! The above are a few of our favorite summer palettes! (mmmm…ice cream!)

3. Colour Lovers. Colour Lovers is an international creative community that helps people discover their inner designer. They provide a wealth of user created & shared color inspiration as well as tools that make the creative process as simple as possible. Plus, not only do they offer color palette combos, but there are also color inspired patterns as well! The above palette, oddly titled "Giant Goldfish" was found by searching for "summer".

4. Color Hunter. Color Hunter is fun because it allows you to upload your own photos, and then generate palettes inspired by your image! You are also able to search for color combinations with their easy-to-use search field. The above palette is inspired by Kalico's blog! (sorry, got a little self indulgent there...it's just so much fun!)

We hope you have fun with these color inspiration resources! Where do you get your color inspiration from?

Bring on the Color!

As a graphic designer I love color! Part of my job is getting to play around with color combinations to help convey a certain feeling or vibe within a logo or layout (so fun!). Recently I found a great resource to help get your creative color juices flowing: Design Seeds.

Design Seeds is a blog devoted to discovering a stockpile of fresh inspiration. "Design Seeds is about what goes into creating a collection, a new concept, or project. It is about looking forward and beginning the process...not the final product on the runway, shelf, or in a magazine. Focusing on original content that is reference/inspiration for all with a passion for design, arts, and a creative lifestyle." The blog showcases unique and interesting color palettes derived from lively photography and other found inspiration.

I definitely recommend checking this site out to help with brainstorming and for some color inspiration, I know I'll be going back to it again and again!