whole other direction...

tambourine? this would be cool as a stamp. 

gah. tired. stressed. frustrated.

New Rockstar Gold logos

Thoughts?

Word Semantics//TYPOGRAPHY

"Dead men tell no tales..."

typography word semantic project.

to go along with 'bubblegum' and 'lachrymose'

Sketches + New Ideas

Their current logo and postcard/flyer:

Gold record in a frame?

This is my newest and currently favorite idea. It is a graphic of a phoenix with "Rockstar Gold" written on a banner wrapped around it. It is kind of a tattoo style, but I want it to look more graphic than that. In coming up with this idea, I had been thinking of tattoo design ideas because I thought that style could work with the shop. Besides a nautical star (which seemed a little cliche') I couldn't think of much else until I thought of the phoenix. The phoenix symbolizes rebirth - revitalization - rising from the ashes and I thought that it was the perfect fit for this shop. First of all, the items that are sold are old things that have been used and are now being resold and reused. Then, Paul Cornwell opened this shop a while after the closing of the Metroplex which burned down soon after. Although this is not literally the Metroplex rising from the ashes, it is another creation by Paul that embodies his love for music. And finally, because of Paul's history in Atlanta, and the Metroplex and now Rockstar Gold, I thought the phoenix was appropriate since the Phoenix is a symbol of Atlanta's "rising from the ashes." (and Atlanta's own logo is an abstract phoenix). 

So this a rough sketch of my idea and I would really like to know what everyone thinks of this direction. I still like my guitar pick logos, but I feel like they were still going in that "cutesy" direction that so much of my stuff has gone before. I think this idea can help me branch out a little more...

Very excited!

So I just got off the phone with Paul Cornwell, owner of Rockstar Gold. I went by the shop yesterday and left my name and number with the girl who works there not really expecting a call back. And then today he called me and he is very interested in the whole project, and he himself is a very interesting person. He is actually quite a big figure in Atlanta, especially in the music scene and with cannabis reform. He built, opened, and owned the famous punk and rock club, the Metroplex, in Atlanta a while ago. The Metroplex was closed down in 1989 for various reasons, and the building ended up burning down soon after. There is a whole history to go along with that venue, and I've recently read a lot about it, and Paul shared a lot with me on the phone. It was during the time of the Metroplex and when he ran a record label and throughout his life, he collected tons of music and cannabis memorabilia and collectibles. He said a lot of the stuff is also what his parents collected. He never had the intention to sell any of it, but around 2001 he decided to open Rockstar Gold after he began selling his stuff on Ebay. It was originally in a different building, and then he moved it to it's current location about 3 or 4 years ago. He originally planned the building to be a bar, and he also bought a building next to it that was going to be the new location of the Masquerade, but not any more. All of the design his store currently has he has done himself, and he also has done design work for other businesses including The Alley Cat, which is a bar in Underground. He said he also went to school for art, except at UGA, and he is more than willing to see what I come up with, and meet at talk to me whenever. I am really excited now to work with this place and to come up with some good designs.

I took some pictures yesterday (of course my camera died right when I got there, so all I have are some cell phone pics)...

No Golden Arches, No Clowns - McDonalds Japan Goes No-Brand

Article: 

No Golden Arches, No Clowns - McDonalds Japan Goes No-Brand

I thought this was really cool and kind of crazy. McDonalds has created a shop in Japan that sells only double quarter pounders and uses no McDonalds branding whatsoever. I think its funny that you can still easily see that it is McDonalds.

Rockstar Gold Sketches

In class the other day I was talking about another idea I had for the Rockstar Gold logo where I would use different hairstyles from each genre of music or something... I haven't figured out how I would carry it out exactly yet (except for in advertisements where I could use each genre differently), but I like the general idea...

Let me know your thoughts and ideas! Any suggestions?

Rockstar Gold

So the place is actually called Rockstar Gold, not Rockstar Gold Records... All of their signs say something different, so I got confused.

I still haven't been able to contact them... they were closed when I went, and then they haven't been answering the phone... but I went ahead with some logo ideas...

My favorites are obviously the guitar and pick ones... the 2 in the bottom loft corner were initial ideas, and then I branched way off from there.

on the way

So I'm on the bus on the way to richmond.... typing this on my crappy little cellphone. We're a couple hours away, and it's been a long drive so far... we left at 5am this morning. I'm so excited for tomorrow! We have to leave the hotel tomorrow at 3am and the bus will take us to a train station to get to DC. So far in north carolina and in virginia it doesn't seem to cold yet.. But I'm sure it'll get worse. We just made a stop a little ways back so we got some hand warmers =)

But... as far as graphic design I'm definitely going to work on some more skecthes in my down time tonight for rockstar gold records and see if I can come up with any cool ideas that I like. I'm also really excited to see all of the obama merchandise they will be selling tomorrow. I definitely want to buy a cool designed poster or something like that.

I hope everyone is having luck in finding the right places to do and coming up with some great ideas!

More places...

I was unhappy with the list of possible places that I had, so I decided to go out and find a few more. I wanted to stay away from a place that would lead me to do something "cutesy" or too cartoonish, which is kind of my style from past projects. I want to do a place that will make my portfolio be a little more versatile. Here are a couple favorites from looking in East Atlanta today...

1. Rockstar Gold Records: Today this place was closed, but from looking in the window it looks like a really cool place. They sell all sorts of music and band collectibles and merchandise and I think it would be really fun to work on a design scheme for them. Their current branding is a little strange and bland and could use a lot of work. 

(I found one photo of the inside from the East Atlanta Village site)

Word Semantics: Typography

Our first project for typography is to choose 3 words/sets of words from 3 lists (nouns, adjectives, and common sayings) and then to represent the word using type. First I am working on my noun, bubblegum. This is what I have come up with so far.

Logo Thumbnails

Here are a few quick logos I did for Dean Said Workout. A little to cutesy for such a ... manly?... gym i think.

Richard's Variety Store

I completely forgot about this place... and I would love to do this. They just opened a brand new location (their second one) right next to my apartment in midtown. 

Richard's Variety Store

It is the epitome of a mom and pop store as well. It is a family-owned business since 1951, and it sells everything. Toys, prank gifts, greeting cards, kitchenware, books, carpets... everything. I love this store and it is definitely in need of a rebranding.

Inauguration

A little off-topic, but I'm so excited so I had to put this up.

I just got my bus tickets to the inauguration! So I'm definitely going, and there are no words to express my feelings of pure excitement. 

I am going to be at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. 

More possible re-branding clients...

I still feel like I haven't found "the one" but here is a list of the possibles that I have found so far. Who knows... maybe the one is lurking somewhere amongst these, I just haven't realized it yet.  

1. Mediterranean Grill: www.mediterraneangrill.com/

(in prev. post) 

2. The Toy Store: www.thetoystoreusa.com

(in prev. post)

3. Taj Mahound: www.tajmahound.com

Taj Mahound is in Oakhurst and it is a tiny independently-owned dog treat bakery. Their design-scheme is pretty cute, but not very versatile and it is a bit busy. I think it would be a fun thing to do, however I feel like I may have already done too many projects with animals... although an animal wold definitely not have to be the logo for this place.

4. Dean Said Workout: www.deansaid.com

This is actually the one that I am most excited about. It is an independent gym located on Ponce and I think that this one would be a lot of fun to do. The name of the gym is already so different, and I have a few ideas for it that I can probably develop quite a bit. This could be the one.. but it is definitely one of my top favorites at the moment.

5. Holy Taco: www.holy-taco.com

Holy Taco is another one I was excited about. It is a newer restaurant in East Atlanta and is ahhhmazing. I love it. It does have a very trendy and modern look already, however they don't really have a constant design scheme going on, and they don't really have an official logo from what I've seen in the store and in the restaurant. I think it would be a lot of fun to do, and the owner is really nice. The only problem is, while they don't have a set identity, the random things they do have are very cool, including the front page of their website, which has a logo-like tattoo style drawing which I love. So while this place would be cool to do, I feel like the ideas that I have are already in use in various parts of their brand.

6. The Pet Set: www.thepetset.com

This place is a suggestion from my mom. It is owned by 2 guys, and I believe they currently have 2 different locations. When I first saw their logo it was on a tiny business card and it didn't really work. It is of 2 dogs ballroom dancing... and therefore is a bit busy... and a bit much in general. I have come up with a kind of strange idea for this one... I will upload scans from my sketchbook later.

7. Richard's Variety Store: www.richardsvarietystore.com

So far, Dean Said Workout is my favorite, while Mediterranean Grill (the first idea I thought of) is bringing up the rear.

Santogold + Slumdog Millionaire

One of my new favorite artists and songs...

and...

If you have not seen Slumdog Millionaire yet... GO SEE IT. By far the best movie I have seen in a very, very long time. The story is amazing, the acting, the artistic direction... and the soundtrack. Everything about it I loved. If you're going to spend the money at a theater, this is the movie to do it for. So so good.

jackpot.

Driving down Cheshire Bridge last night, I realized I had found the JACKPOT of businesses and restaurants that are very much in need of a re-branding...

Bad Logos

Good Logos

I have always really liked the Obama logo... and not just because I like Obama :)  but I think it was a well planned logo, and really stuck with the theme of his campaign. It represents a rising sun over the horizon, which symbolizes a new day and new time to come. And it is shaped like an O for Obama.

I also went on LogoPond to find logos that I like. My favorite is the inksect one, because it is very simple, yet bold and colorful. I think it is also clever for the company, which I am assuming is an ink company. 

What font are you? [Typography]

This is my composition using the courier new font and representing me. The ink splatters are made up of the word 'chaos.'

I think I am... Courier New. It is a derivative from the basic font Courier, and it was designed in the 1950s by Howard Kettler to be used for typewriters. It was continued as a standard font in electronic computers, and is the font used for screenplays. I feel like it is a good balance between a serious, and a more fun font. I like it because it is still very clean and simple, yet it is more interesting than a plain Arial or Times New Roman. 

And just for fun I found this quiz online:  What font are you?

I'm Lucinda :)

Possible re-branding options...

I have come up with a few ideas for possible places that I believe need a complete re-branding...

The Toy Store is a small private-owned shop in Ansley Mall near Midtown. The image above is a screen capture of their website, and I think it could definitely use a lot of work. Although the font is kind of fun... although barely... it is too much like the microsoft word standard "curlz" font that I really don't like. I feel like the logo and the whole feel of the identity of the shop is not up to date, and there is a lot of potential for a re-branding project, because since it's a toy store there are a lot really cool things that would work, and it would be fun to work on.

The Mediterranean Grill is in Midtown, and is one of my favorite restaurants. You can see in their website that the branding is not very appealing, and a bit over the top on the tacky side. The restaurant caters to a much younger (college and young adults) crowd and I think if it had a trendier look it would help a lot. 

I'm still searching for a lot more options...