Since our last newsletter, logo development and updates have been our plate du jour. We feel this is the most challenging and rewarding work a designer can do. A logo and corporate identity system are a visual articulation of a company's credibility. When done right, they immediately communicate the personality of a company and present it as a leader in a memorable way. The work is critical to a company because all other materials that communicate a company's message rest on the shoulders of the corporate ID system. And the work is demanding because when we work with logos and corporate ID systems, we are distilling down reams of information into simple definable concepts through form, color and typography.

Logo work is also challenging because it can be so deeply personal to clients. Getting different department heads to agree on what a company stands for and how best to represent that visually is difficult, even when the stakeholders can think conceptually. Yet all of this is what finally makes logo development so rewarding for us. Working through the stages of the logo and corporate ID development process with groups of people is time consuming, but it brings together individuals with disparate ideas of messaging and corporate culture and oftentimes yields surprising results. It is satisfying for us to work with these teams, especially as they review the outcome and realize, "Yeah, that's it!".

"We are not a Mom and Pop shop!" is one of the primary messages of the HR Options brand update. Because they had progressed from a local day-to-day temporary employment service agency to an international HR Consulting firm specializing in third party employment, their identity was due for an update. The new logo concept also suggests how they help fill the gap in their client's HR needs.

The corporate ID redesign for HR Options is the first step in re-branding the company. Web site, stationery system and online application are all in the queue.

MAXAMINE's web site analytics enable users to reveal the "genetic makeup" of their sites. This empowers users by enabling the fast, flexible and efficient analysis and management of site quality, integrity and compliance to optimize operating results.

To help represent the detailed analysis delivered by their products, MUELLER updated their logo's "X" to resemble a double helix, the iconic representation of genetic code. Past projects for MAXAMINE include web site design and production, trade-show displays, stationery system and marketing collateral.

The new corporate ID for KNN had to be many things, but above all, it had to instill a sense of approachable professionalism while suggesting how KNN helps its clients navigate the labyrinth of public finance. Oh, and it "can't be teal!". Evidently some at KNN have an aversion to the previous logo color.

MUELLER will also be redesigning the web site and collateral materials for this #1 ranked California financial advisor firm.

We have all have seen it before: the Silicon Valley darling that grows so fast, they outgrow their brand before they realize it. Last year MUELLER began the re-branding effort for OmniVision (OVT). This involved putting it on a strict regiment of application guidelines with consistent review and analysis. Since that time, the brand has slimmed down, has more stamina and is recognized and respected by vendors, partners and the public. Below are some recent projects completed for OmniVision. To see previous work for OmniVision, see our previous issue of the PULSE.

The OVT web site redesign is a cornerstone of the brand revitalization effort. The previous site was cluttered, off message and bogged down with unnecessary graphical content. Our redesign strips content down to essentials and focuses on products and how they benefit the end user (see the "photo album" feature).

The new site is also a tremendous functional upgrade for OVT, with a dynamic multilevel content management system thanks to help from our strategic partner "Baunfire".

We continue to apply the new design guidelines to Omnivision collateral and seen here are some recently printed materials with the new look and feel. All printed and online vehicles present the brand in a clean, vibrant and cohesive way. The goal of such a system is to make all points of contact speak with one voice as a whole, rendering it bigger and more powerful than the sum of their parts.

Additional work completed for OmniVision, but not pictured here, includes trade-show booth design, booth graphics, annual report design, advertisements, presentations, invitations and posters.

OK we confess, we too throw the inserts in the recycling on Sunday morning. Mervyns employed multiple design firms to develop compelling designs around their sales events to change such thoughtless behavior. We are very pleased to have been chosen to help in this effort.

The goal with these sales event inserts and mailers is to associate the excitement of winning (MEGA Lotto) with Mervyns MEGA sale. The difference being, with the Mervyns sale, everyone is a winner!

As is true for many companies, changing needs drove the recent update to the web site of our old friends at 1031 Exchange Options. On the new site, updated imagery throughout suggests a lifestyle that the company's services can help viewers achieve. Their unique model of real estate investment takes the burden of property management out of the property investment equation.

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