I’m amazed how impactful a large scale dominant picture or illustration can be in a design. I love it when it makes the design shout. I believe every design is a persuasive tool clamoring to make the viewer do something, think something, or feel something different.

Big large scale graphic images can be difficult to work with especially if a lot of text needs to be integrated. You then have to be creative and find a way to keep the impact of the large image but pass some details on to the viewer. But then that’s why this is called commercial art.

Here’s a shout out for bold graphics!

As a designer, I look forward to the blank paper (I mean, screen) and never fear putting something down. The only thing I fear in publication design is filling up the page to the brim. Too often, we feel we have to cram every detail into every design piece. Restraint means power. Most designs are part of an overall communication campaign consisting of words and images. Let the images shout the message. Keep the text concise and sharp. Save the details for text communications when you can. Minimalism is clean, sleek, balanced, soothing.

Don’t you just love all that unused white space?

WHEN IT’S A MEETING OF THE MINDS.

One of my clients has a meeting with all of its sales professionals every 18 months. However, sales is a complicated thing - many people support and contribute to the process in a well-tuned organization who understands sales to be its life’s blood. So, many attend the meeting who are not exactly sales people.

To acknowledge all of players in the sales game and to create a platform where we can include customers and suppliers in a week-long exploration of our industry and marketplace, we branded the program as MEETING OF THE MINDS.

Gives the program some snap, some energy and a hip, contemporary feel.

Plus the word “minds” creates all sorts of design possibilities.

For the past several years I’ve had a client that has created an amazing technology for making police shields. Traditionally shields are heavy and officers don’t like them much - unwieldy and take one arm to deploy. My client’s shields are the lightest in their protection class in the world and have just gained acceptance from the FBI after extensive testing. We had to prove in the marketing that light could mean strong! Seems almost counterintuitive.

Naming the shields was challenging. We wanted to make up a name that had appropriate gravitas - these things save lives (specifically by stopping a round from a .44 magnum at 15 feet!) but we wanted to be provocative as well.

The result was DEADSTOP®. Memorable. Serious. Articulate. One of my favorite brandings.
Sometimes you have to be gutsy to get noticed.