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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In the prior post, I mentioned a client of ours, Nelson Boatworks. Dan Nelson is a boat builder and restorer in northern Minnesota who has a reputation for creating concours-winnning, museum-grade boat restorations.
This ad has a very quiet look about it. But the message is strong, and strategically on target.
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.
About a week ago, I was asked to teach an undergraduate, advanced graphic design class, at nearby Mount Mercy College. I have never formally taught anyone anything. But, I do enjoy teaching. It seems like a natural extension of what I do as a communicator. I have one full class period under my belt. Nobody told me to leave—good start, I guess.
Today, we had our first snow day, resulting in a late 10:00 am start to a class that ends at 10:20. As winter continues to create challenges, it is also a great time to shoot a few images.
I am no meteorologist, otherwise I would have a scientific reason why we got hairy ice a couple of weeks ago. It is certainly one of the more bizarre works of nature this season.
The shots below are interesting to me. I like the low depth of field and the intense highlights on the ice.
February 8, 2010—a day to remember.
First, our official entry into the web universe. Now, three posts later, we’re building confidence. We have a lot to say. Hang with us while we sort it all out. For now, here’s where you can find us.
Basler Design Group is a visual design and marketing resource based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We’re a technically savvy design studio, founded in 1990. In fact our roots go back long before that.
We got our start in this business long before computers. Remember 1983? There was no raster data. Just a darn fine roll of C-41, or a rich, silvery Portriga print. There were no vector paths—just amberlith, a blade, and good handskills. It was true in 1983 and it’s true today—ideas and results are what make us tick.
We have taken our share of lumps since…oh, about 1993…given our minimalist presence on the web. Well, I am happy to say, 2010 brings new hope. Basler Design Group will embrace the web, just like we have for our other clients.
In our own defense, we are quite good at this web thing. We have done some pretty amazing things for many of our clients—just not for ourselves. Oops, I am making excuses again.
The Cobbler’s Children Always Go Barefoot.