Your sign is like a business card. It tells everyone a lot about your business without saying a word. That’s why we were so excited to update Companion Animal Medical Center’s sign to give it some much-needed flair.

The original sign at Companion Animal Medical Center (CAMC) was done in neutral colors which blended in with the building and the natural environment. It blended in so well that drivers overlooked it as they cruised past. So when CAMC decided to extend its hours to become a 24-hour emergency hospital, it was a great opportunity to add some pop to the design scheme.

I’d recently updated their color scheme to be more in line with CAMC’s high-class but still fun and whimsical image. The greens, blues, and oranges really make the sign stand out against the beige and stone of the building. The dog and cat make it very clear who CAMC is and what they do.

Besides the visual revamp, we also added the phone number and website to the sign. This way, potential customers don’t need to go inside to get that information. Finally, we added the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) logo to the sign. Being designated an AAHA facility is a huge deal in the veterinary world, and we wanted to make sure everyone knew that CAMC is the best in the business.

This was a fun project, in that it tested our small business graphic design skills.   We think the bright, fun sign will make CAMC more visible to potential customers driving along busy Rangeline Road and bring new customers in the door.

“Take it as a blessing or take it as a test; whatever happens, happens for the best.”

How do you start a farewell blog post? Three years ago, when I interviewed fresh out of college for the graphic design position at Roundpeg, I was so scared. I didn’t have any idea what the real world was all about, but as soon as I walked through these doors, I knew that this was the place where I was going to start my career.

Roundpeg has been my dream job for three years. But my dream life isn’t in Indiana. If I could move Roundpeg to Florida or California, I would do it in a minute. But I can’t, and when the opportunity came to spend six months training in Florida followed by a full-time marketing design job in Long Beach, California, I had to do it.

I can’t express how great my boss Lorraine has been. I see her as a boss, but also as a friend, a mentor, and even at times as a mother figure. I have learned so much from her about how to run a business to tips to make my designs really shine, and how to deal with difficult car dealerships on the phone. But don’t worry, I know that she’s only a phone call away when I need her New York attitude.

The other thing I’ll miss about Roundpeg are my team mates. On good days, on bad days, I always knew that Jay, Allison, Sharayah, Rebecca, and our crew of interns were there for me. On Mondays, I tend to come in a little tired, a little quiet (okay, a little hungover too), but the jokes and teasing from the team always eventually made me wake up, laugh, and turn out some of my best work.

Pulling into the parking lot and coming into our creative, energetic little house is so hard for me to leave, but I know it’s ultimately for the best. As Lorraine said to me when I told her I was leaving, “I can’t wait to see where you are three years from now. We will miss you like crazy…and no matter how talented the next designer is, he or she will never be you, and Roundpeg will never be quite the same…We just won’t have that TBreezy touch.”

Keep in touch–I’d still love to hear from you. I’ll still get emails if you send them to my Roundpeg account, or you can find me on Twitter or Facebook.

I’ll miss you all.

A logo is an important first impression of your company.  This is true for large businesses and small businesses as well.   A strong visual brand makes your company more memorable to clients and the general business community.  As an artist, I love great logo designs.

About a month ago I read a post on Logo Design Love in which the author shared some of his favorite logo designs and invited readers to do the same.  Many of the logos suggested by his readers are well known national brands, but there is great design here in Indiana as well.

There are Indiana companies large and small with great logos. Some of them, we have designed, others were designed by friends and competitors, and some, have been around longer then I have.

So what are you favorite Indiana logos.  What local brands have made a visual impression on you?

Creative. Innovative. Organized.

Those can be three tough words to illustrate in one logo.  That was the challenge we took on in the design of a new logo for Streamline by Design.

Streamline by Design is a professional organizing company.   When Leslie, the owner, came to us, she just had a text treatment. We fleshed it out to create a true logo which she can use to build her brand across brochures, web, and all of her other collateral.

Although Leslie came to us with a specific vision, she liked shades of blue and boxes, she was also incredibly open to our ideas. We went back and forth with tweaks until we wound up with a logo she loved because it conveys the order that she brings to clients’  lives, but also a sophisticated and fun feeling.

The logo is really orderly, which is a big thing that Leslie wanted to do. The palette of blues is cool, but also give off a modern, professional air. The pattern of four squares in the logo also creates the idea of a “streamline,” which just reinforces her brand even more.

Both Leslie and all of us at Roundpeg are really happy with the outcome. I think this logo was successful because we took the time to sit down with Leslie and find out her preferences–serfied fonts, for instance–but also gently pushed her to stretch her horizons with new and interesting font choices. Through really getting to know the client, we struck a balance in her logo between the sleek lines and organization her logo needed to show, while still being soft and easy on the eyes.

Next, Jay is going to take the ball and help Leslie create the website of her dreams. Look out for more info on that soon.

The lesson for any small business owner looking to brand or re-brand their business: Invest the time to help the designer really get to know who you are and what your business wants to show the world.

We’ve worked with United Health Actuarial Services (UHAS) for the past few of years. We rebranded them about two years ago and redesigned their website.  Every few months we get a call to work on a new piece of collateral, brochures, inserts and ads.  Recently, UHAS decided to expand their trade show display, so we had a chance to design additional banners and a tabletop display.

Working with UHAS is always awesome, because they know what they want but are open to our suggestions.  They understand the importance of keeping their brand consistent and their messages simple.  In addition to the tabletop display and banner we created for the show, we had a chance to design a direct mail piece which was sent to attendees before the event.   the pre-event postcard, helped introduce UHAS to a new market, and improve recognition of the brand  on the trade show floor.

We hope that the trade show was a big success, and can’t wait to work with UHAS again.

ColourLovers has released a really cool new study. They placed the logos of the Top 100 web brands on a color wheel. It was amazing to see how the use of color shook out: most companies used a lot of color, with only 6 companies using a primarily black, white, or gray color scheme.

On the other hand, blue was definitely the most popular color. Looking back on my own logo designs, blue also shows up a lot. Why is this?

According to color theory, each color on the wheel makes us feel a certain way. In Western cultures, blue is associated with peace, tranquility, law and order, loyalty, and productivity.

The second most popular color was red, which was used primarily by media companies (CNN,  ESPN, BBC, etc.). This actually makes perfect sense, as red actually stimulates your body and causes increased heartbeat and breathing, making you more alert and attentive to your surroundings–perfect for companies that specialize in getting the scoop first.

The rest of the colors were spread out fairly evenly across the color spectrum, and you can find out what they all mean with this great post on the Marketing Tech Blog.

So what does your logo color say about you? If you haven’t looked into color theory, you might be surprised.

Check out some of our logo samples.  While we use a lot of blue, we have had fun with some very unusual color combinations as well.

Every now and then we have are lucky enough to bring on a new client who has a good idea of what they want, challenges us with interesting assignments, and is fun to work with.  Hittle Snow is exatly that type of client.  Erik, the Director of Operations came to us, hoping to refresh the look for their snow removal company.  A division of a more well established, and well know company (Hittle Landscape) they were hoping to carve out a distinctive identity.  Erik was open to new ideas, gave us timely and useful feedback, and pushed us gently through several rounds of revisions, till both he and we were satisfied.

The logo was only the first step in a comprehensive project which will include a redesign of their website and multiple directmail peices.  The easy  communication between Roundpeg and Hittle helped the design project flow smoothy, allowing us to begin working on the other elements of the project.

About the Design

Hittle Snow’s old logo had some interesting stylistic qualities, bu was a bit dated.  Selecting the font was a challenge. Hittle Snow didn’t want to be too edgy, but at the same time, they also didn’t want a boring, typical serif/sans serif font. The font that we ended up using is a serif, but it’s very distinctive, sharp edges and subtle curves. We liked the H so much, we carried it into the logo.

We wanted to clearly communicate this was a snow removal company, and decided to add a snowflake symbol easily encapsulate who Hittle Snow was.  Picking a snowflake was also a bit difficult. We all know that no two snowflakes are the same, and we sure learned that! By nature, snowflakes are complex shapes, but we still needed a design that could be printed on trucks, embroidered on shirts, and used in lots of different collateral. After consultations with printers and embroiderers, we wound up with a great snowflake that strikes a balance between complexity and simplicity.

The customer is so pleased with the design, we have also created several variations for their landscape division. Working on this project was a lot of fun. Hittle Snow is a  wonderful client, and I think that in the end, we gave them a unique but classic brand.

Earlier this year, I got some help from our readers as I worked on a logo design for My Doorstep Deliveries.

With your input we narrowed down the choices and came up with a logo our client truly loved.

Next we were asked to develop a brochure, owner Danielle could drop off with prospective clients which would give them a feel for the services she offered.  The challenge was to develop a piece which would be appealing to her clients ( primarily seniors) and yet still convey the essence of her bubbly personality.

For some reason, I couldn’t find the right balance, and relied once again on creative input and collaboration, this time from Heather our graphic design intern.  Working together, building off each other’s ideas, we have developed something our client loves.

I have really enjoyed having other designers on the team this summer, and I am glad Heather will be hanging around through the fall!

As we continue our crusade to rid the world of ugly business cards–one card at a time, we are ready to pick and June winner.  As you are considering which oneto vote for, let’s talk about professionalism. Your business card is a selling tool. Is it projecting an accurate image of who you are and what you do?

Take a minute and view your card through the eyes of a prospective client or more importantly a referral partner. Are they going to be comfortable passing on your card to their best client?

If you’re a lawyer, for instance, your card should probably not be using Comic Sans MS  font (Actually, no one should be using it). But conversely, if you’re a wedding planner, you might want to shy away from the traditional, and extremely common Times New Roman.

Your branding is more than just the font selection.  All the elements of your card including the colors, images ( please avoid any of the clip art available from Microsoft), the size and shape of the card, and the weight of the paper all contribute to the image your brand conveys.

Here’s the latest batch of cards vying for your votes. Pick the one you believe deserves this month’s free business card makeover!

Over the last few months, we have had several great projects helping new business owners name their companies and the create graphics to support the brands.

Part of what made the projects so much fun was our experiments with crowd sourcing as we asked for input on the names and the designs.

With your help we have named two companies, a grocery delivery service for seniors: Doorstep Deliveries and a carpentry business: Carpenters Rule.

We even solicited a bit of input on the logos, so we thought you would enjoy seeing the final versions.