I get inspired in my art for many reasons living in San Francisco. I've lived in the city since 1990, but I found "my muse" moving out to Ocean Beach in the Sunset District in 1995. I visited California for the first time while in High School in Colorado. Once I saw the ocean in L.A., I swore I would return someday and live by the ocean. But I ended up in Northern Cal because of the art scene, the history, the beauty & my art career. Seemed like a small town compared to L.A. (which it is). The Ocean is so magical to me. It's always changing. The smell, the sounds, the weather, the sunsets & the people who choose to live here. It's not always sunny (the Fog is legendary), but when it is nice (more now with global warming), it truly feels like Southern Cal. When the parking lot at the end of Golden Gate Park fills up on gorgeous days, I call these "double rent days". I've been here so long on rent control, I feel my rent should go up - just on those days, because it's so great.
I also love going on my roof to spray paint my graphics on stuff using stencils. I use wood & other materials I find on our streets. It's only headed to the dump, so I rescue it & recycle it into art for galleries, clubs & friends. Usually a broken up desk or table. Killer clean wood that's too good to toss out. I make stencils out of my graphic art, and just spray on stuff. You can see this work in my Store section.
Don't get me wrong, I love going into the City for live music, dinner & art shows, etc. This town is overflowing with major "Juice". Seeing my friend's bands & national touring acts keeps me in touch with "the scene". North Bay, East Bay, South Bay is nice, but they don't call it "The City" for nothing. This is where it's at. And I'm only 20 minutes away.
Even though I don't surf, I feel a part of the culture out here in the Sunset. I see the surfers going out each day. I talk with them. I see the waves from my window. I see my favorite surf band The Mermen play down the street. I walk the beach, I ride my bike along the trails north above the Cliff House & south beyond the Zoo. I live here, I belong here & I can relate to the locals. What was most interesting to me when I was working on graphics for the legendary surf company O'Neill, was that they invented the wet suit just down the street from me - back in the day. The water temp up here is not as warm as SoCal, so they had to figure out how to surf these crazy riptide waves without freezing to death. Then the company got bigger, moved south to Santa Cruz, then more south to Orange County. Then the massive surf spot south of me "Mavericks" took off, and the rest is history.
But my point is, O'Neill were trend setters, just like this area embodies. Just like Silicon Valley innovators. Just like the SF "Beat Poetry" scene enhanced the Jazz movement. Just like the Blues scene morphed into Rock & Roll. The San Francisco / Bay Area has earned a place in many a history of great ideas and big thinkers. I just wanted to let you know that I am honored & inspired to be a part of it's spirit of discovery. Always challenging the "Status Quo", knowing that there is always something out there new, that still has not been thought up yet.
O'Neill Classic Surf Brand
San Francisco Beach Culture
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tender greens
Bad Logos make me Sad
*** Make sure to click on the Tender Greens logo above to see my "9Volt Bad Logo Hall of Fame"! Click on Slideshow mode...
I could write a blog everyday about all the stuff that annoys me in this visual world. But who would actually read it, find it, or even would care what I have to say? Blogs in general are usually just people venting or promoting about whatever, and you agree or not. I'm not that famous, but since I call myself a branding expert, I will just keep it about the visual pollution I see out there every day. Some companies get it and hire the right people, and some just don't and fake it. But it all starts with communication. Some brands are good, some bad, but some are actually really great because they hire a pro and let them work it out. That may just be my opinion because I went to art school. But when you have an ugly, pointless logo and then brand the hell out of it, then it just gets worse and worse. And you don't even realize it. You get what you pay for by the clients you attract.
So what makes a logo great? And who's to say that it is? The reason I decided to write this blog was I was at a cool trendy restaurant in LA (Tender Greens) that had amazing food and was packed with a groovy crowd. But when I saw the logo I just had to say, "they just are not trying very hard". It looked like the owners cousin's niece in art school designed it in 5 minutes. It wasn't awful, but it could have been great. But my point is that I was probably the only one who noticed. The food was great, the vibe was great, the people there were hip and just having lunch. It's actually a mini-chain, so it's popular because of the product, not the brand. They did not depend on the logo to make the food taste better. But I was still bummed out because I wanted them to seal the deal with a killer logo that people would remember (beside the food). Maybe even change their signage, website or get cool apparel to buy. I you have a great product, you can't ignore the brand. The brand here is not just the food, it's a visual people actually remember.
What I try to do with my work is to create a brand that is memorable, and evokes emotion. Coming from the corporate world- to now designing art for music, entertainment & sports merchandise- I realize what I design are walking billboards. "Signage on people" if you will. So the stakes are higher when the audience has to decide if they are going to wear this image today. A good logo, or a great brand is more important than just looking cool, it represents and communicates who you think you are to the world. So if you find yourself with a boring logo that communicates nothing, then that brand is then be pasted on websites, billboards, business cards, ads, packaging, stickers, apparel and wherever else you decide to promote your product. "Your product" is in fact you, your company and everything you believe in all wrapped up in one big package. Either people like you or your product is one thing. But if your logo does not communicate anything besides "we have a trendy font with a clip art icon", then you don't have a good logo or a brand at all. It's just a thing you stick on your stuff. It needs to be more than that. It needs to make people say, "Wow, I want to check this out right now!".
So check out my logos and branding section in my portfolio section. If you like what you see, send me a note or call if you would like my help on your new branding project. I have a long history of successful clients that would agree, that I can actually deliver what you need because I listen to you and want to know your company.
I could write a blog everyday about all the stuff that annoys me in this visual world. But who would actually read it, find it, or even would care what I have to say? Blogs in general are usually just people venting or promoting about whatever, and you agree or not. I'm not that famous, but since I call myself a branding expert, I will just keep it about the visual pollution I see out there every day. Some companies get it and hire the right people, and some just don't and fake it. But it all starts with communication. Some brands are good, some bad, but some are actually really great because they hire a pro and let them work it out. That may just be my opinion because I went to art school. But when you have an ugly, pointless logo and then brand the hell out of it, then it just gets worse and worse. And you don't even realize it. You get what you pay for by the clients you attract.
So what makes a logo great? And who's to say that it is? The reason I decided to write this blog was I was at a cool trendy restaurant in LA (Tender Greens) that had amazing food and was packed with a groovy crowd. But when I saw the logo I just had to say, "they just are not trying very hard". It looked like the owners cousin's niece in art school designed it in 5 minutes. It wasn't awful, but it could have been great. But my point is that I was probably the only one who noticed. The food was great, the vibe was great, the people there were hip and just having lunch. It's actually a mini-chain, so it's popular because of the product, not the brand. They did not depend on the logo to make the food taste better. But I was still bummed out because I wanted them to seal the deal with a killer logo that people would remember (beside the food). Maybe even change their signage, website or get cool apparel to buy. I you have a great product, you can't ignore the brand. The brand here is not just the food, it's a visual people actually remember.
What I try to do with my work is to create a brand that is memorable, and evokes emotion. Coming from the corporate world- to now designing art for music, entertainment & sports merchandise- I realize what I design are walking billboards. "Signage on people" if you will. So the stakes are higher when the audience has to decide if they are going to wear this image today. A good logo, or a great brand is more important than just looking cool, it represents and communicates who you think you are to the world. So if you find yourself with a boring logo that communicates nothing, then that brand is then be pasted on websites, billboards, business cards, ads, packaging, stickers, apparel and wherever else you decide to promote your product. "Your product" is in fact you, your company and everything you believe in all wrapped up in one big package. Either people like you or your product is one thing. But if your logo does not communicate anything besides "we have a trendy font with a clip art icon", then you don't have a good logo or a brand at all. It's just a thing you stick on your stuff. It needs to be more than that. It needs to make people say, "Wow, I want to check this out right now!".
So check out my logos and branding section in my portfolio section. If you like what you see, send me a note or call if you would like my help on your new branding project. I have a long history of successful clients that would agree, that I can actually deliver what you need because I listen to you and want to know your company.
Burger Affliction
What's Up With That?
Why does everyone want the "Affliction" look? Sure it's a cool trend, but clients need to recognize when they try to copy a style, someone else is probably doing it too. In the mean time the originator of the trend is probably doing it much better and evolving it into something else you will chase next year. A vicious circle indeed. What I like to do in my work is start new trends, and invent new ways of doing things. "Thinking outside the box" is only a bad cliche if you've never actually done it successfully. You just watch, people will be very anti-Affliction next year because of so many imitators.
