Welcome to “Beyond the Portfolio”

Thanks for taking the time to check out this blog. While the Shield Design official website is always there, I plan to use this blog to keep you posted on recent work, talk about some of my favorite projects from the past, and let you know what I’m up to. Let me know what you think, and of course, keep me in mind for your next project!

Muscatine and the Civil War

This June, the Muscatine Art Center commemorates the beginning of the American Civil War by presenting an exhibition of Civil War artifacts. Shield Design was asked to create a catalogue to accompany the exhibit. The 16-page catalogue features photos of the Art Center’s permanent collection along with excerpts from letters from Muscatine soldier Daniel Parvin. Parvin’s letters, written from 1861-1864, give an intimate glimpse into a soldier’s world. The catalogue is available for sale at the Art Center.

Though I’ve never considered myself a history buff, being part of this project definitely made an impact on me as I read letters from Parvin and had the privilege to handle actual Civil War items – including life casts of Abraham Lincoln’s hands. I highly recommend taking the time to check out this exhibit.

Local photographers Randy Richmond and Beth Van Zandt provided the great photography for this project.

The OneCo Project

Muscatine Foods is the parent company of Grain Processing Corporation, Kent Nutrition Group and Precision Foods. To help streamline communication to their 1800 employees, the development of an intranet site began in 2010.

Shield Design was brought into the project to brand the intranet with a name and logo and create graphics for the site, which was built by RK Dixon in the Quad Cities.

The name “oneCo” with accompanying tagline “one company. one source.” was chosen for a few reasons:

• it conveys a simple and efficient communication tool
• it reinforces the idea that all employees work together for one company
• it’s easy to remember and refer to

The oneCo logo is customized for each individual company with their corporate logo and colors. A series of icons were also developed for key areas of the site.

To launch the oneCo site to employees, break room posters were designed and mouse pads were distributed.

Janet Sichterman, VP, Human Resources & Communications at Muscatine Foods Corporation had this to say: “Mike took time to understand what we wanted to accomplish. He translated our ideas into amazing graphics that really reflected the messages we wanted to portray. He went beyond just the graphics and helped us think through communications and messaging, then creatively developed what we needed. Mike was a critical member of our project team.”

Summer Reading Illustration

Summer break isn’t much of a break for the folks at the Musser Public Library. Programming is in full gear with their Summer Reading Program. Presentations, workshops, activities, stories and contests are all part of this year’s fun.

Highlighting one continent each week, the 2011 summer reading program’s theme is “Around the World”.  To communicate this, my friends at the library asked me to create an illustration that captured the program’s spirit of adventure.

The graphic is being used on their website, fliers, outdoor banners and other marketing materials.

New web site (finally)

One of the basic rules for a good web site is to keep content fresh. I often dish out this valuable tip to clients. And then I took a look at my own site, and I’m reminded that I don’t practice what I preach. So finally I’ve re-designed my site to represent a more current and complete cross-section of my project work.

Take a look at www.mshielddesign.com

A Sweet Project

Have I mentioned lately that I love when Pam and Betty from the Musser Public Library call me about a new project? The library is always coming up with interesting, creative ideas, and I’m thankful that they include me in their projects to help with design work.

A recent program the library hosted was “The Story of Chocolate”.  Attendees learned about the cultural and botanical history of chocolate as they walked through several stations, including a real cacao tree, South American dancers and an appearance by Willy Wonka.

The library asked me to develop a “look” for the program to tie together various promotional items. Elements of the campaign included a logo, advertisements, bookmarks, 8 ft banner, and event tickets.  A brochure that, when folded shut resembles a candy bar, was also created as an educational handout for visitors.

Photo shoot with a good-looking blonde

Speedco wanted “something different” to promote their customer rewards program. The program has existed for over a year, but they wanted to remind their customers about the benefits of signing up, and how easy it was to do so.

Brainstorming led to a familiar face – Molly, my golden retriever. The message of “rewards never came easier” was illustrated by Molly with a treat on her nose – conveying  that the program benefits are right there in front of your face, you just have to grab them.

Molly’s a great dog, but I wouldn’t say she’s the easiest model to work with. Fortunately she’s very attentive when it comes to food, so cubes of cheese and some peanut butter helped photographer John Evans of Photographic Communications, capture some great images.

The concept is being used as trade show graphics, showroom posters and stand-up displays at Speedco locations nationwide.

Molly was well-received by the folks at Speedco. In fact, she will be the star of the rewards program campaign for a few other promotional pieces this year.

Developing a hard working logo

A good logo is a valuable element in any business, organization or event. It’s often the first impression a potential customer has of an organization, and is the cornerstone of the overall visual identity. Logos are definitely one of my favorite design projects. Whether designing a graphic for a one-time event, or creating a key element in the overall branding of a business, there are some basic key ingredients I look at when developing a logo:

1) It has to be legible – Seems like a no-brainer, but we’ve all seen logos that sacrifice the name of the business (or event) in an attempt at clever graphic embellishment. (is that a Z or a 2? … or a lightning bolt?) If you can’t immediately read it, the logo probably doesnt do a good job in identifying you.

2) It should be visually appealling and memorable – Not every logo has to have an aha! moment like the Baskin Robbin’s logo. (See the 31 in the B?) But a logo should be nice to look at and not immediately forgettable. And of course, it should look professional. Some logos may start with a decent concept, but are poorly executed. Not a good way to visually represent your organization. By the way, I’m not alluding that I designed the Baskin Robbins logo – though I’d be proud to call that one of my own!

3) It should work in a variety of mediums – Websites and full-color printing can show off  color blends, shadows, beveled edges and other nifty effects, but a logo should also work in simpler uses too – like faxes, screenprinting and cheap photocopies. If a logo has to rely on “photoshop” effects to deliver the concept, it probably isnt a good one. I often develop three different versions of a final logo design – a black-only line art version, a spot-color version (easily color separated for screen printing if needed), and if appropriate, an “enhanced” color version for use on the web and other less-limiting mediums. Also, a good logo will work just as well on a business card as it does on a billboard.

4) It should convey your business’ (organization, event, etc.) personality – What image do you want to project to your customers? Aggressive? Trendy? Formal? Rugged? A logo is just part of your overall branding strategy – so it should deliver the right message. Capturing the personality of your organization in a logo is more important than depicting tools-of-the-trade. For example, the Baskin & Robbins logo conveys innocent fun, instead of picturing an ice cream cone. Don’t expect your logo to communicate what you do, but more how you do it.

New Digs!

Two and a half years ago, Shield Design went from a part time moonlighting gig to a full time home-based business. This past August I packed up the computer, pencils and sketch pads with a whole lot of other design stuff and moved out of the house into “real” office space.

Now located on the corner of Cedar and Houser Streets, across from the Muscatine post office in the same building as West Chiropractic, Shield Design can serve clients better. Working from home had some great advantages, but it also came with many distractions (like laundry and yard work for example). I’ve found that the new office not only keeps me more focused, but it’s much more conducive to creativity. And it’s been a great place to meet with clients when they want to meet outside of their own office.

The next time you’re on the west side of Muscatine, stop in and say hi.

Muscatine Magazine

Partnering with community fanatic Dawnese Openshaw (I mean that in a good way!), Shield Design launched “Muscatine Magazine” in September. This quarterly publication will highlight the best of Muscatine – featuring local people, places and events.

There really is a lot of great things in this town, and we plan to deliver that message in a visually exciting format. Going with a full-color, glossy publication allows us to show off some wonderful photography from local artists, and provide a top-quality piece. Our goal is that Muscatine Magazine will become a valuable community resource that people look forward to reading.

Copies are available for free at various businesses and organizations around town, including Hy-Vee, Fareway, WFO and the Musser Public Library. You can also pick up an issue at my new office at 2924 Cedar Street in Muscatine.

Look for the next issue December 2. You can also find out more on the magazine’s Facebook page and our new website: www.muscatinemagazine.com

Low-maintenance Christmas tree

 

Speedco's "Stuff the Stocking for Wishes" display. Modeled by my lovely daughter, Elise.

Speedco is more than halfway to their goal of donating $500,ooo to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which enriches the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work.

Promotions like their current “Stuff the Stocking for Wishes” have played a big part in their fund-raising efforts, and in-store displays have been a great way to communicate the message of giving to their customers.

Starting with the design of the “Stuff the Stocking” logo, a 5′ tall standup Christmas tree illustration was created in Photoshop. While Speedco was looking for something more eye-catching than just a rectangular sign, a tight timeline prevented a complex die-cut. The solution was a simple shape that could be cut out by hand. A relatively low quantity of 50 displays made this a do-able task.

Printing and cutting were done by TruArt in Iowa City.