A lot has changed in radio over the last few years. Z has been a pioneer since the station’s conception. HD Radio is one such example. I won’t attempt to explain HD radio here. I would look like a poser and the true audio geeks would rain down on my misuse of all the esoterica. From an end user perspective, HD radio is pretty cool. A frequency, such as 102.9 (through the miracles of modern science) can be split into a number of multicast channels.

Early on, as Z experimented with how to split the frequency into several multicasts, Basler Design Group was, at the same time, experimenting with how to “split” the Z identity into three sub brands. This seems easy on the surface, but it is actually quite challenging. The mother brand Z102.9 had legs, with great awareness. And this awareness was directly tied back to a station format (Contemporary Hit Radio), which in turn attracted a specific listener. Now, under the new HD multicast structure, Z102.9, the Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) format is now 102.9 HD1. 102.9 HD2 could be an entirely different format, such as Classic Rock, and attract an entirely different listener. And, likewise, 102.9 HD3 could be a third format with a third listening demographic.

Whew. This is a real challenge. The examples below were experiments in this brand extension exercise. To date, these have not been used, but they are pretty interesting given this branding puzzle.

Hit Z

Club Z

Club Z-2

Rock Z

In just a few short years, a logo of ours has reached iconic status. Basler Design Group has had a long time relationship with Rob Norton, owner of Contemporary Hit Radio station, Z 102.9.

Let it be known—Rob is a character. He has a personality all his own, but if you can solve the puzzle, you’ll find a brilliant marketing mind. Our business relationship goes back 18 years, so I think we’re getting along well. And based on the work we have done together, the partnership seems to be working.

Known formally as Z102.9, (KZIA if you pay attention to FM radio call letters), this powerhouse of a radio station is known today as—simply—Z.

The design objective with the Z identity was to create a mark that was incredibly versatile and clean. Somewhere along the way, the principles behind a color blindness test made its way into the logo color palette. Yellow, yellow with a tinge of orange, and yellow with a tinge of green. These three colors are combined in such a manner that makes one’s eyes vibrate with glee.

We have 18 years of KZIA work to show. We’ll start with a simple statement—Z.

Basler Design Group, in partnership with our colleagues at Click New Media Group, recently completed a Website redesign for Downers Grove, Illinois based Midwestern University. The Website refresh was handled in tandem with the deployment of a content management system from Seattle-based Ingeniux.

The challenges with doing a university-wide Website update are numerous, with many opportunities to stumble. We are pleased to say that the project deployed on time and on budget, with no surprises on launch day. Midwestern University Website

With 20 years of work to draw on, I’m posting a personal favorite. This logotype, circa 1991 or 1992, was developed for a friend of mine who owned a very small town Iowa Feed Store. While this mark made some of the small town conservatives scratch their heads, it was a favorite of Communication Arts judges, being juried into their prestigious Design Annual.

“Wierman,” was translated visually to a “Wire Man,” with the face comprised of W-i-e-r-m-a-n letterforms.

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For those who do not know me, I love boating. It is a lifelong passion, having grown up summers on northern Lake Michigan. I am slowly turning my passion for boating and the marine industry into business. I am the Director of Marketing & Membership of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club, an organization of over 3,800 members worldwide. I have also had the pleasure of working with Chris-Craft, based in Sarasota, Florida—truly one of the oldest and most prestigious names in pleasure boating. And this experience has lead to more personal and client relationships, such as the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum, Nelson Boatworks, and Hagerty Insurance.

The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club publishes The Brass Bell, an upscale, niche quarterly, targeted at antique and classic boating enthusiasts. In just a couple of years we have taken this publication from a commodity-grade 32-page magazine to a 96-page work of art.

To look through a sample, click the thumbnail below.

The Brass Bell is printed on recycled stock, using soy-based inks and minimal aqueous coating. The issues are perfect bound, and are mailed to all 50 U.S. states, and over 30 countries worldwide.

The Brass Bell has a decidedly vintage look, courtesy of custom-drawn typefonts, dingbats, borders and patterns. Masthead typography features handcrafted letterforms based on actual deco typography samples.

The Brass Bell is a perfect example of electronic design workflow. There is no wasted paper or toner printing process used on the design of the issues. Workflow is PDF based—low res PDFs for commenting and approvals, high res PDFs for final output. The magazine is typically preflighted, ripped, soft-proofed, approved, and on press within 24 hours of forwarding artwork to the printer.

Designing a high-end niche quarterly can get a bit “grindy” at times. At the same time, it is very gratifying to see design play a key role in actually advancing the niche.

You’ll see a lot more of The Brass Bell in days ahead.