I thought I’d nailed it this week. I had a logo concept that the client liked and had huge potential. It just needed a little tweak. The circles that built it were to perfect. It need something more organic. But something that would still convert to a vector format easily. I was thinking dirt. No, gravel. They’re both going to muck up my lightbox.

What I needed was something of inconsistent size, similar to gravel. Large enough to photograph and convert into an illustration as to not end up as a photographic logo. What has a non-uniform surface. Dark in color to contrast on white. Preferably candy coated…

Well, whatever the solution, the outcome was awful. But I had a lot of fun ruining a perfectly good idea.

iPhone users, click here to view on YouTube.

Ah, Twitter. Sounding board to the masses. Do you Tweet? How often, and what about? The focus, relevancy and frequency of Tweets is in constant discussion regarding what make a successful Twat.

In a medium so focused on the message, and what you have to say, people often forget about the visual. Is your Twitter page attractive? Sure, a lot of people ad contact info and ads to their pages. But regularly they are bland or boring if not downright ugly.

Having a well designed Twitter background is a great way to show off your brand, pass along important info, and make a lasting impression to visitors. Smashing Magazine put together a great showcase of some very nice looking Twitter accounts.

Another oft forgotten element of Tweeting is your User Picture. For a personal account used simply to communicate with friends, a self portrait is sufficient. However, DO NOT use a picture of your child or pet unless they use the account as well! Please, this is “you” speaking, or typing, whatever.

If you are using your account for work, an image of your logo often gets the job done. Other users can quickly view your User Picture to identify who a Tweet is from quickly and accurately. However, if you are trying to reach more quickly to a market that Tweets heavily. And if you would like you message to be viewed in a timely manner, consider creating a picture/icon that can be more quickly identified when lined up with 10, 20, 50 others. Show what you do, or at least where you are from.

With more and more companies and personalities joining Twitter daily, the competition is getting more fierce. When you look at your Twitter page and User image, do they stand out? Where they professionally done? Should they be?

Taking my own advice, I’ve recently redone the Ovid Nine Twitter “brand.” Take a look and let me know if you’d like me to help you with yours.

Link Share v.2

Another year of collecting random links has passed. Del.icio.us has changed to Delicious.com, less creative, but easier to spell I admit. It’s amazing how quickly the modern world changes. Scrolling through my old links, I found TwitPic saved, b/c in September 2008 it was new and I didn’t want to forget the URL should I ever have a use for such a service.

So for you geeks out there, bored at work, with time to kill, I hope I can show you something new and entertaining.
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I just received a box of Annual Reports from the printer for Roaring Fork Family Resource Centers. As I lay them out to photograph, I thought about rolling around in them. Can you blame me? Two months of my life’s work is in the ink and paper before me. I have a connection too these little staple-bound bundles. And after perhaps 60-90 minutes with them, all but a few will leave me forever. (more…)

We’re ramping up once again for the 2nd ‘Bonedale Bike Week. I really enjoy working on this project since it gives me a chance to work on a full campaign of design, plus I get to be both Art Director AND client! Nice.

So far the t-shirt designs are finished, but awaiting a printer and budget. The website launched this week – http://www.bonedalebikeweek.com – and yesterday was spent creating laminated spoke cards for the monthly Full Moon Cruiser ride. A few pictures of the spoke cards came out really well, so I used them to create a computer desktop to get the word out. Take a look at the Spoke Cards (below the fold) after you download the Desktop Images below!

Download the desktop background at 1680 x 1050 Resolution
Download the desktop background at 1280 x 854 Resolution
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