It used to be that you were known by your vehicle. Service contractors and industrial companies like Lauck Manufacturing use trucks and vans to transport materials and workmen. The truck holds your logo, your phone number and your reputation. However, today’s market demands something more.

Consumers use the Internet like a phonebook. A common search to find Indianapolis area mechanics might be “mechanic Indianapolis”. People are only looking at the first three or four results from that search to find the mechanic they’re going to call. Signage on fleet vehicles is still a valuable asset, but your business needs a website to keep the calls coming.

Roundpeg worked with Lauck Manufacturing to develop their American Eagle Goals brand and we knew they were ready to make the leap. There were two things we kept in mind during the development process. First, Lauck’s market is primarily business-to-business. Impressive animations and video clips would do nothing for this audience. Strong images would still be key, but the layout and copy are optimized for people looking to get down to business. Our other touchstone for the project was the heritage of the hand-lettered sign on their original truck. To digitize this logo for their new website, we made a point of carefully recreating the unique character of the old sign. A rich color pallette of brown, khaki and maroon gives it new life on the web.

You can’t interact with a truck in a parking lot. At www.lauckmfg.com clients take-in the company’s story, browse a portfolio of projects and can even upload their own documents to easily request quotes. And the phone number is still right there, ready to be dialed.

When you hear the name American Eagle Basketball Goals you probably envision something in red, white and blue with a heavy Serif font to give it a traditional feel.  But this product is anything but traditional and so one of Jenna’s challenges was to give them a logo which would make them stand out as well.  Her other challenge was to give them something which would look equally good on top of a web page or on the product itself.

The design process started as she searched for images of an eagle.  The one she selected is strong, but not a literal image of an eagle with arms outstretched that seem to wrap around the image of the ball.  While she did retain a fairly traditional blue, there was no place for red in this design.  Instead she selected a shade of orange which is similar to the actual color of a basketball.   The clear contrast of the colors is striking on their website and in print.

The font choices are also somewhat unexpected. Instead of a very heavy serif font, Jenna selected Go Long  for the words American Eagle.  The very straight line looks like the lines of a basketball goal.  The word Goals is turned on it’s side to frame the logo.  And the choice of Christopher Hand font gives a fun, playful feel to the design.

The website is complete and the logo looks great on the page.  We can’t wait to see how this logo will look on their new goals.

This logo was designed by the team at Roundpeg, an Indianapolis graphic design firm.

There is a first time for everything at Roundpeg, even cute jungle animals. At Roundpeg, we often design logos for very professional clients, such as law offices, manufacturing companies and other more traditional marks. Designing a logo for a company which sells children’s products was really different, but it wound up being a lot of fun.

When Ed Martin of Martin Concepts first approached us about designing his logo he had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted. Martin Concepts manufactures a products for babies, so I wanted to make sure this logo was youthful and fun. He was set on having an animal of some sort, and even came prepared with some clipart he had purchased in hopes  we could use it. I was able to create a cleaner, more personalized version of the clipart he provided, which happened to be a hippo.

Oddly enough, this was not my first time incorporating a hippo into a logo, so I sort of knew what to expect. The challenge for me was keeping the hippo simple, but giving it enough detail to make it clear it was representing a product for babies. This was achieved using lighter colors and and also adding a pacifier. Once the hippo graphic was complete the font was an easy decision. I chose the font Cookies, not just for its awesome name, but because the round letters reminded me of the shapes in the hippos body. The final version ended up being a good balance of fun and simple, and I think it will be an interesting addition to our logo collection.

This is just one example of logos designed by Roundpeg, an Indianapolis Graphic Design Firm

The EAC had been using a stodgy, brown and black text treatment. As the organization changed, this old-fashioned logo no longer described who they were.

We freshened the logo with bright, energetic colors, and used the arrow to represent upwards motion to reflect the EAC’s role in propelling entrepreneurs forward.

Recently, we had an interesting web design challenge.  Midwest Telephone Systems, better known as MTS Digital, a reseller for telecommunications  products came to us for a new web site. A B2B company, their products; commercial phones and Internet products aren’t exactly visually exciting.

Web Design Goal:

They wanted us to create a  clean, modern web design which would set them apart from their competitors.    It was easy to figure out what they didn’t want -  cheesy stock photography of business people on  the phone, clutter, confusing buy now pages, or long lists of products and features.  The challenge was figuring out what they did.

Using the Genesis framework from Studio Press as a foundation we built a scrolling bar which featured just text information about their services.  We updated their logo to a simple text treatment which balanced well against the logo of their primary partner, Toshiba.

The small featured post functionality gave us an opportunity to show off all of the major brands they carry, with links to more information. And the side bar has room for other features if MTS decides to add more later.

We have designed quite a few websites recently, but this is one of my favorites.  The simple design allows visitors to figure out quickly if they are in the right place.  It looks as good on a smart phone as it does on a desktop computer.  But the best part of this redesign came a few days after the launch, when our client called to say he had landed a new customer who found him on the web.

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.

Recently we have had a series of projects with a common theme, companies offering home services.  For two of the three sites we were upgrading existing, out of date websites.  The third, was a brand new website.  In each case, the business owners said almost the same thing, they were looking for a site with a clean, modern feel.

This move to simplicity is common in most interior design books right now.   Gone are the heavy, ornate pieces of furniture, replaced by simple, geometric designs, open spaces, and bright or calm colors.  This same design style is migrating into web design, particularly sites for home services companies.

All three of our newest sites, www.streamlinebydesign.us, www.gickoroofing.com and www.indyluxe.com were built in this modern style.  Each features a strong dominant graphic to attract the eye, simple navigation, web candy (calls to action)  in the side bar, and prominent contact information.  The sites were fun to build and we are looking forward to hearing about the results the see over the next few months.

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.

Everyone’s an expert at something. Maybe it’s how to fix a broken air conditioner. Maybe it’s how to design a safe and efficient airplane. Maybe it’s how to bake the perfect apple pie. At Roundpeg, people come to us because we’re experts at designing great websites for small businesses.

But sometimes, people decide they don’t like our advice. The graphics aren’t in their favorite colors. They think it needs more starbursts. The copy doesn’t “pop.” (Yes, these are all actual customer comments). We do our best to persuade them to take the course which is best for their business image, will increase their conversion rate, and SEO, but occasionally, we still wind up with a site that looks something like this comic from The Oatmeal.

This isn’t to say  as a small business owner you should blindly agree  all the time. If you genuinely feel  something is wrong for your business,  speak up.  We genuinely want  you to have the best possible product. But we will rarely do something arbitrarily, so listen to the explanation  of  why we feel that this course of action is better.

After all, we trust you when you’re telling us what needs to be done to our air conditioner, or why that perfect apple pie needs a dash of black pepper to make it sing. So let us help you with what we do best: representing your business with a great website.