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Continue readingGraphicsbyte Branding Reborn
Graphicsbyte Branding Reborn
Remembering the History
Graphicsbyte has gone through several logo transitions since 2013. That was the year I graduated from college and opened my own design studio. Even though all the designs had a reptile theme and a pencil present none of them really felt connected to what the brand was truly about. I always tell clients that they need to narrow their ideas and focus on the core points of the brand. It was time I took my own advice.
Remembering the History
Graphicsbyte has gone through several logo transitions since 2013. That was the year I graduated from college and opened my own design studio. Even though all the designs had a reptile theme and a pencil present none of them really felt connected to what the brand was truly about. I always tell clients that they need to narrow their ideas and focus on the core points of the brand. It was time I took my own advice.
The viper logo took on many new skins but mostly remained the same until 2017. This was the year I was starting to feel a disconnection with the brand. I was growing as a designer but my brand felt out of place. I created a couple of new directions exploring an M monogram and a new reptile creature. This creature was another Gartner snake but was symmetrical and had a pencil in its mouth. During this time, I changed the brand name from Graphicsbyte Creative Media to just Graphicsbyte because it was the term most people remembered.
In 2018 I ended up using the new reptile creature as a temporally sticker business card. My clients enjoyed the updated look but I still felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until May of 2019 that I decided to address the design problems and come up with an updated solution.
Build a new strategy
Normally when I meet with a client I usually ask the following questions to help gather info before starting the sketching process.
- What kind of business do you have?
- What are your services?
- What does your company specialize in?
- What makes your company unique?
- Why should someone hire you?
- Who is your target audience?
- Do you have examples of brands you like?
If yes, Why do they stand out to you?
After answering these questions, I created a mind map listing all the things I felt Graphicsbyte was and needed to be. Here are four words that represent Graphicsbyte the best.
Passion – This is part of the creative process that brings enthusiasm, optimism, and joy within the brand. After several hours of trial and error something unique will stand out from the rest and that “wow” factor is reborn.
Leadership – I have always thought of myself as a caption setting sail into the unknown. Owning a one-man creative studio means I have many shoes to fill. I am always on the hunt for clients, new marketing strategies and advertising techniques. I also have to keep my designs fresh and consistent.
Boldness – Taking risks is the name of the game. I have never been afraid to experiment with new techniques or explore controversial issues within the industry. Sure this process can be seen as unusual but it helps generate loyal fans that encourage more creativity.
Innovation – The world is full of great design but there is always room for creative improvement.
Now that I have a clear idea of what Graphicsbyte is I can start the rebranding process.
Design
One thing Graphicsbyte never did in the past was tell a story. This version of the brand starts out with a single raindrop that represents an idea. Inside this idea is a chameleon that can blend into any environment. But this isn’t just an ordinary lizard he’s an artist. He can use his tongue and magic pencil to draw his own habitat.
I wanted a logo that was interesting and fun. Sure it’s not as simple as Nike but at least this version sums up my life as a designer. Finding a proper typeface was the next challenge. I started with rounded fonts because I thought it would match the theme. But nothing seemed to give the clean look I was going for. I then turned to serif display typefaces and still had no luck. DIN Engschrift is a condensed German typeface with rounded corners. It was originally created to be a legible option for the 19th-century railroads. I have always enjoyed the look of this font and thought it was a great fit for my brand. After applying the typeface something else was missing. I realized the title needed balance so I brought back the word creative and placed it in lowercase letters. Normally I would never do this because I like everything to be at the same cap-height. But what’s the point of a re-brand without a little risk?
What's Next?
The logo was recently printed on new business cards and there was even room for a fun illustration on the back. I am still in the process of updating all my signage and soon will have an updated website. My shop will also have a fresh new collection of illustrative work for sale. Stay tuned for more updates and until then be on the lookout for the next chapter of Graphicsbyte!
Siempre La Guitarra Reflection
Siempre La Guitarra Reflection
Create art that makes people think about why it was created
Last weekend was a lot of fun. I ran the merchandise table for Siempre La Guitarra and was able to sell some personal illustrative work on the side. I met a lot of new faces and most importantly enjoyed the experience. A lot of the work I had on display beside the concert merch was my insect sticker packs, a bin of various prints and some framed work featuring the #Biomechanical style.
Now that the weekends over I am spending this Memorial Day reflecting on what I learned about myself throughout the year. Most of you know I have been living a busy life these last few years. I opened an art gallery in Oregon City then moved it to West Linn. I have also been working as a part-time website designer in Sherwood. When I am not doing that I am working as a part-time graphic designer for Graphicsbyte.
I have really stepped up this year and so has my illustrative work. I am spending more time tracing my lines on the computer vs scanning them in and just going for it. I am drawn to monolines and symmetrical patterns. Lately, I have been experimenting with a lot of rounded corners and hits of realism.
While I was listening to the artists perform last weekend they would take a moment to tell the audience about each song. These weren’t just songs they memorized to play, they were personal journey’s that paint a story in your mind. Most of these stories are from ancient battles or are fictional stories created by the musician. If you listen close enough you can really see the artists vision just like how your mind shows you pictures when you read a book.
Alfredo Muro at Siempre La Guitarra 2019
This is the style of art I want to make moving forward. I want people to look at my work and experience a story vs just seeing a creature of some kind. These last couple of months I have been doing just that. Graphicbyte is being rebranded and I will soon have a new body of illustrative work on display followed by an updated website. The idea is to create a design that makes people think about why it was created. Some of this work will also play with controversial subjects. I want to slowly reveal a lot of the new work before my next birthday Oct. 17th. My plan is to launch the new style then work on my first focused illustrative art show.
Cool Classic Rides
Cool Classic Rides Branding
The Baseball Vibe
Sometime between 2016–17, I received a logo project while working at Velare Media in Sherwood. I had to design a logo for a startup car company called Cool Classic Rides. I put together a brand using a script font with a baseball vibe. I don’t remember where that came from but it worked for the time period. While this project was in the fire, Velare was building them a matching website in WordPress.
The Baseball Vibe
Sometime between 2016–17, I received a logo project while working at Velare Media in Sherwood. I had to design a logo for a startup car company called Cool Classic Rides. I put together a brand using a script font with a baseball vibe. I don’t remember where that came from but it worked for the time period. While this project was in the fire, Velare was building them a matching website in WordPress.
The Green Machine
A year or two later the company had some signage made. One of the designers from the sign company drew up a muscle car sketch. The design needed some work so I was hired to improve on it. CCR wanted the car to be green. I ended up using the old script font and tied that into the new design. I also made the green pop even more by using textures and highlights that faded into the design.
After the new logo was released CCR wanted us to rebuild their website on Carsforsale.com. This was an easier platform for the owner to manage. There you can see the green was carried over and is the primary color for the site
The Green Machine
A year or two later the company had some signage made. One of the designers from the sign company drew up a muscle car sketch. The design needed some work so I was hired to improve on it. CCR wanted the car to be green. I ended up using the old script font and tied that into the new design. I also made the green pop even more by using textures and highlights that faded into the design.
After the new logo was released CCR wanted us to rebuild their website on Carsforsale.com. This was an easier platform for the owner to manage. There you can see the green was carried over and is the primary color for the site
Logo Lounge 10
Logo Lounge
Volume 10
Logo Lounge
Volume 10
Exploring Trends Reports
When I was in design school branding became an interest. I took a class about logo design and professors brought in many books to help them teach the subject. This was the first time I heard about Logo Lounge. In this series designers from all over the world enter a logo competition and often follow yearly trends. The designer’s work that is chosen gets published when the next book is released.
Another way to get recognized is through yearly trend reports. Award winning designer Bill Gardner analyzes what designers are doing and then writes detailed reports covering the popular trends being used each year. In 2016 one of my logos was chosen to be in that report. (See example to the right, Click Here for Report) The hexagon was chosen because dashes and line logos were very popular that year. This design was created to be a secondary watermark stamp for an old Velare Media client.
Hexagon secondary logo for Reflections by FW. Designed by Graphicsbyte.
Now that 2017 is halfway done, Volume 10 is on the horizon. This means designers from all over start to upload their work to the Logo Lounge website, hoping to get selected for the next book in the series. Last month one of my designs was chosen. The design was originally created for a father-son construction company. The logo represents abstract homes from the North West being remodeled. The logo was abandoned last minute because one of the business owners thought it was too edgy and wanted to play it a little safer. They ended up going with plan B which was an abstract dc monogram.
I decided the world needed to see the original logo. I changed the primary name on the logo to my last name and submitted it to Logo Lounge. The brand may not be real but it represents a cutting-edge thought process that’s on its way to becoming the next latest trend.
