DWC Work: Good Infographics

It's Monday + back to work! Here's another long over due post for "Monday Means Business". This is going to be a short little informative post since I have tons of work to do today and one project that I am working on as we speak is a pretty complex infographic timeline for my client, Redbox. I'll share the timeline once it's complete and live. However, there is one illustrative chart design for Redbox that is currently running on their website called Share Your Love that anyone can participate in. Participants have a chance of winning a Sony Home Theater Package! Visit Redbox.com to learn more.

In this promotion, I created a simple 1-2-3 step by step process in what a participant has to do to enter the contest. It was a fun, simple project, and I like the fact I could explore my illustrative skills in Adobe Illustrator. I love the personality that I was able to give the female character without defining a lot of the details on the face and body.

Share Your Love – Infographic

[Infographic Illustration ©2011 Design With Chon]

And now back to today's topic — Good Infographics. In case you're not sure what an infographic is, here it is as defined by Wikipedia. "Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge."

Today, I want to expand on the great possibilities with infographics especially for businesses or nonprofits that need help explaining a complex service or point of view. Visual icons like the samples shown below say a lot with very few words, and the average viewer is visually able to understand your point. Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words". And when you use these infographics in your printed brochure or digitally in combination with animation on your website, it will keep your audience's attention longer, and they will be more intrigued to learn more about your company's purpose.

All of the infographic charts shown below are from the GOOD website, and they are only a highlight. Do explore the site and see the endless possibilities in telling a story through visual icons. The work shown on their site are really well thought out, and they are sure to be some of the best infographics out there. I visit their site periodically to gain inspiration on how to push the envelope in graphic structure + layout.

 How Does Lack of Water Affect Women & Children?

Renewable Energy Sources

 In Schools We Trust?

One last point, infographics can be simple or complex as the one's featured, but they need to make some sort of logical sense if you are going to request a designer to customize one for your business. Infographics aren't a quick to turnaround project; they do take time, and visually everything needs to work together. Like any design project, it's a balancing act of visuals and type, and it needs to be clearly structured to the viewer to absorb the information at hand.

If used smartly for a corporate company like a law or tax firm's website that lack good photos or visual content, an animated infographic would be a good way to spice it up and explain some insightful point of view/knowledge to your potential new clients. Your website will surely not be forgetful compared to your competitors humdrum sites.

Outbreak – Deadliest Pandemics in History

[Images via www.good.is]

DWC Work: Stephanie + Justin Wedding Invite

Newest client wedding invitation was printed + delivered to the client! To see the original "Enchanted November" moodboard + read the back story for this wedding invitation set, click here.

It's hard to tell the pearlescent nature of the paper in the photos, but you can see the subtle sheen and the shimmer in some of the close-ups. The contrast of the deep red + brown gradients with the shimmery champagne hue is just lovely.

One-Folded, 5 x7 Card – Front + Back

For those who are interested in the production process, here are the technical specs for this job. The one-folded, 5 x7 invitation and the self mailer response card were printed 4-Color, Digital on Citi Paper USA, Autumn Hay, 98C weight paper. The adhesive label was also 4-Color, Digital, but printed on standard adhesive paper that wasn't iridescent for cost efficiency. No printing on the chocolate A7 envelope as per the original design; client opted for addressed labels where she could get custom calligraphy done in chocolate ink. Also, I provided the client with the "H" monogram art file so she could get custom matching stamps.

"Enchanted November" Wedding Invitation Set

One-Folded, 5 x7 Card Interior + Response Card

Self-Mailer Response Card – Front + Back

Adhesive Label on A7 Envelope – Front + Back

[Monogram + Wedding Invitation Set ©2011 Design With Chon]

Next design phase for Stephanie + Justin is to develop the rest of their event day day collateral (wedding program, escort cards and menu) so it coordinates with the established theme and colors. We will be printing on the same iridescent paper stock, too. Stay tuned!

DWC Work: Halloween 1st Birthday Invitation

It's Thursday, and usually the focus is on Interiors, but my basement renovations is on hold until the wallpaper arrives. So in the meantime, I thought I would share some invitation projects that have been completed and printed. This is a short + sweet post for a 1st birthday invitation that I recently designed for a client friend. I essentially had free reign to do what ever I wanted as long as it embraced Halloween and still catered to little kids. This is isn't the normal parameter for most design projects that I receive from clients, and when I do get an opportunity like this, I really look forward to designing it.

This 1st birthday invitation is for a boy so it required masculine colors which worked well with the Halloween theme. Being a themed invite, I didn't want to go overboard with it being gruesome/scary and wanted a "cuteness" factor, because this is a party geared towards little kiddies ranging in ages from 1 to 5 yrs old. And the perfect visual solution that also happens to be on trend with the season are owls. In interior retail stores like West Elm, I see owl designs all over. However for this invite design, I made the owl a baby with big, white googly eyes on an overly rounded body.

In the background, I created a custom pattern with different sized googly eyes repeated, and layered it on a textural, brushed background to add another visual layer of interest. Isn't this baby owl so adorable!? I just want to pinch his cheeks. :)

[Illustration + Invitation ©2011Design With Chon]

The Halloween owl theme doesn't just stop at the invite. I love connecting the invite theme to the actual party event, too. In addition to the invitation, I provided the client with some creative insight on how to bring the owl theme to life. I found some great dessert ideas that I thought the kids would love. Check out the adorable + delish owl cupcake below. Also, I thought it would be fun to include candy bowls of eyeballs lying around. Obviously, these would be chocolate covered candies covered in a decorative eyeball foil. There are tons ideas out there, you just have to do a little research on how to be creative.

Any questions on custom invitation work or need help with ideas for your party, just inquire at designwithchon[at]gmail.com. Thanks for visiting + Happy Halloween even though its a bit early!

DWC Work: Redbox

Monday is back + so is "Monday Means Business" blog focus. I haven't shared any posts on this topic in awhile, because I have been bogged down working on several design projects for one particular business client — Redbox. They are significantly known for their $1 movie rentals, and as of this year, you can rent $2 video games, too.  For today's post, besides highlighting some of the work that I have created for Redbox, I want to go more in depth and define what Visual Communications is. I bring this up, because I continually get asked, "So what do you do again?" and then I specifically have to go into a list of all my capabilities, and it's still not fully understood. Visual Communications seems like a broad term, but the idea is pretty simple. However, it comes in so many forms that the average person doesn't recognize it. It encompasses a range of fields from advertising, graphic design, product design, illustration, photography, environmental design, signage and even film.

As defined according to Wikipedia, "Visual Communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon ... primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and electronic resources. It also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience."

And my even more simplified definition is — if it involves type and/or imagery and a message is being visually conveyed whether good or bad, it's a form of Visual Communication; and it exists everywhere in the environment + digitally! From the App icons on your iPhone, the news article in the paper or on the iPad, the instruction manual, labels on products that you use, the graphic on your T-shirt, junk mail, signage/banners in retail stores, and the list just keeps going. And more than likely, a designer like myself had a hand in the development of its design.

The work that I have produced thus far for Redbox has utilized most of my skills as a designer ranging from print to digital communications. I have been working with their marketing department to develop attention getting graphics to support their seasonal promotions and branding efforts. This first few images you see are part of their "10 Days of Deal" promotion. I created a custom die-cut Sticker Decal that was applied to the actual Redbox kiosk in retail stores and continued the messaging to support various digital applications for email and on their website.

10 Days of Deals – Sticker Decal on Kiosk

10 Days of Deals – Online Banners on Redbox.com

I have produced a variety of promotional stickers to go onto the Redbox kiosk, but one of my favorite and most memorable one for me was the Rango New Release sticker.  I saw it in person this past July as I was walking past it in a Jewel Osco grocery store.

Rango New Release – Sticker Decal on Kiosk

The Social Media Sticker stayed in concept phase due to production/budget restrictions, but I thought it was a great way for Redbox to connect further with their users directly, because it would've been applied on every single DVD that was rented from the kiosk. For this, I customized the social media icons to reflect the Redbox brand.

Social Media Sticker on DVD disc

This isn't your award-winning ad, but it showcases my retouching and Adobe Photoshop skills. Like most projects in this world, we have budget constraints and can't afford a photo shoot or high-end stock photographer. As a designer, we have to problem solve, work with what we have and make it look good. For this ad, all I had were three separate images (Redbox kiosk, a football and a section of grass), and I had to compose it into an 8.5" x 11" ad size where they would work seamlessly well together. The grass area was the most time consuming, because I had to color correct, blur, repeat and extend it into one larger plot of grass so it would look somewhat natural and to scale. On top of that, I retouched the football and Redbox kiosk into the grass so they appeared to be sitting in the grassy environment. A slightly tedious assignment, but I like a good challenge in testing my Photoshop skills.

Print Ad Sponsorhip

Print Ad – Close-up of Retouching

No only can I do small print projects, but I can design graphics for large-scale spaces such as Redbox's environmental booth for their debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles this past June. It's an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry, and Redbox officially announced they now offer video game rentals at 27,000+ retail kiosks.

Environmental Graphics

I have created countless digital banners for Redbox for their eblasts, website and banner ads, and they aren't the most creative, but they communicate the message clearly in these small, fixed banner ad sizes that we are confined to on the web.

Digital Graphics for Email, Redbox.com + Banner Ads

[Graphics ©2011 Design With Chon]

If anyone out there is still unsure what I do, please do ask. I don't mind explaining my services, because at times it can get complex. And if I don't have an example in my design portfolio for what you seek, just ask yourself this question —"Does it involve type and/or imagery?" And if your answer is "Yes", then more than likely I can design it for you and your business.

DWC Project: Stephanie + Justin Wedding Invite

It's Wedding Wednesday! It's been a long time since I have blogged, and I do miss it, only if I had a few more extra hours in the day. Anyway, I have something lovely to share today as I blog from my family vacation in Leland, Michigan. :)

So this is one of the many things that I have been up to in the world of Design With Chon. My newest wedding client, Stephanie + Justin, came to me to help them visually define their special day which is only a few months away – 11.11.11. Stephanie already had her colors defined, selected her key vendors such as church, wedding dress, venue, cake bakery and florist, but she was unsure what statement or visual theme that she wanted her guests to take away from her wedding day. In addition, she wanted the invitation + event collateral (escort cards, program, table #s) to be visually branded into one umbrella idea. And that's where my design eye came into play.

After I had my first meeting with Stephanie, I essentially knew what she was going for, and instantly, the ideas were brewing in my head. I always get excited for new creative projects like these. Immediately, I jotted some notes into my notebook. I love to think about the bigger picture and think + design all the way down to the little details such as the escort card on the table.

Before I even began designing the invitation set, I started with a moodboard as usual to make sure the client is on board with the design direction. This wedding is in November, she had fall-like colors, but she didn't want an Autumn, leaf theme. She wanted to embrace certain rustic elements, but rather communicate elegance, sophistication and have it be warm + inviting for her guests. And my design solution to her visual concerns was "An Enchanted November" wedding theme.

An Enchanted November

Main Colors: Mocha + Golds
Accent Colors for Contrast/Pop: Cranberry Red + Orange Marigolds
Texture + Interest: Rustic sophistication, embracing nature elements, but richen them with warm, bold hues in florals + textural linens, allow for drama by creating height and dimension with flowing, suspended forms like red Amaranthus floral and structural branches like Manzanita or Curly Willow for the centerpieces. And to top all these visual layers off, add some glitz with jeweled, crystal chains for embellishment.
Invitation: Incorporate nature elements, wedding color palette, wedding date - 11.11.11, the Letter "H" and the glitz will come through with the pearlescent paper stock.

For the invitation + wedding day event collateral, the key defining element that will be branded across all wedding components is the "H" monogram which stands for the groom's last name. To make it as unique as possible for Stephanie + Justin, I deconstructed the letter "H" by replacing the connecting bar with a graphic branch. I created depth and interest by playing with rich, deep gradients composed of the mocha + cranberry hues. The 11.11.11 date is written in a classy, but in a not-so-stuffy script typeface below the monogram in the invitation set.

[Monogram + Invitations Set ©2011 Design With Chon]

The main invite is a one-folded card with a loose, self mailer RSVP card. For the typography, I wanted it to be soft + bold, and have it flow + move by using different opacity levels. Also, I broke it up by having the information across two pages.

The full invitation set is going to be printed in 4-color process on a warm, champagne, pearlescent paper stock. The tonal ranges of the deep red + chocolate gradient will be contrasted and perfectly balanced by open areas of the iridescent, glitz-like paper. Not reflected in the image above, but see where the white areas are, imagine it in the pearlescent paper in its place. And it's all going to be housed in an opaque, chocolate, square flap envelope. For the envelope, we are either going with white foil stamping for the return address, or a custom, rectangular label that will wrap around the left edge of the envelope (not seen above).

Stay tuned for the final printed product in roughly two weeks! It's going to look even more spectacular.

DWC Work: Macias Imports Identity + Website

It's Monday and gloomy, and it doesn't look like a great week for June weather; however, I have an exciting and colorful logo identity + branding and website project to share today! I presented the Macias Imports website concept to the client last week, and they loved it and were totally on board. I love it when the client sees the vision!

Macias Imports Inc is a family-owned business of Mexican dried spices and goods, and they came to me about a year ago to develop their new identity, business card and other collateral material. And recently, they came back to me to develop the face of their very first website. I was honored and excited to expand the look of their brand to the world wide web. I have only been working on the website for a month now, and it's still in concept phase as I build out and design the rest of the subpages, but at least you can get a glimpse of the progress that I have made thus far.

[Selected Logo + Business Card]

[Logo Concepts]

Like their logo and for the website, I wanted to embrace the warmth, textures and the Mexican culture while still keeping it clean and contemporary in design so the visual brand lasts over time.

On the Homepage, the main image rotates between three images so it's not so static. Between the motion of the images and the visually colorful graphics, it's simple but artfully done. The website is going to be all html, no flash, so it's easy for the user to view the website from a hand held smartphone or iPad.

[Homepage]

 

[Our Story - Subpage]

[Products - Subpage]

[Logo + Website Design ©2011 Design With Chon]

The Product page is definitely the most interactive but easily maneuverable for the user. When you rollover any of the products in the main image, on the righthand side, the product information pops up.

There is still a ton more work to do to finesse all the fine details of this website project, but at least the visual concept is done and approved by the client so I can begin talking to the programmer to get this website live and active! Stay tuned on the progress of this client project.

DWC Work: My Travelscape Postcard Flyer

Here's a real recent + quick project that I developed for my client, My Travelscape, a boutique travel agency that can be your "one-stop-shop" for all your travel needs. It's been over a year since I developed the logo + brand identity for Nisha at My Travelscape, and I was excited to work on the next advertising material for her company. The brand image of My Travelscape is fun and when I first created the travel icons (airplane, cruise liner, hot air balloon + scooter) to help communicate her line of travel services, I knew they would come handy and serve me well in expanding the visual message to her audience.

As soon as Nisha came to me for her business flyer, I knew right away what I wanted to do. Obviously, I had to keep in mind that this was going to be a more economical budget compared to our last projects such as the thermography business card, lenticular luggage tags or the embossed + spot varnished DM letter, however, the concept and design of this project doesn't have to be compromised due to a lower budget.

Instead of offset or any other specialized print services, we went with Digital printing on standard cardstock paper that was already available in the printer's shop and chose a standard 5"x7" size design which doesn't require any type of custom dies or binding. All of these choices for production are pretty straight forward, but it's the design that makes the printed product stand out. Have a look!

This is a 4-color CMYK job, but we made it look 2-PMS color postcard. The main brand color of My Travelscape is a PMS 321U (a deep green turquoise hue), and played with that color value and a 50% shade of it for the cover design of the postcard flyer.

For the cover design, I was inspired by the look of a vintage world map with the latitude and longitude lines and thought this was the perfect application to superimpose the travel icons to convey My Travelscape's booking services. For the reverse side, I embraced the border design as seen in old school air mail and merged it with a personalized postcard message as though it was thoughtfully written from Nisha at My Travelscape to her addressee.

To further communicate Nisha's knowledge of top travel destinations, I created custom travel stamps to highlight prime vacation spots that she has experienced in her own travels. It creates a visually tactile space, and it's sure to catch the eye of the reader.

[Postcard Design ©2011 Design With Chon]

This may be your standard sized 5x7 postcard with pretty basic printing, but it has a visual punch with bold color, unique tailored design + typographic details. If you're wanting to elevate your businesses visual communications from either an ad placement to a brochure, there is a reason to come to Design With Chon for design services. I bring a fresh eye to what you can do to make your business visually stand out from fellow competitors.

DWC Work: CPT Printed Cards!

Chicago Performance Training (CPT) business cards have been printed! Since my old post on this client back in early March, the front face of the card has been slightly modified. Instead of the individual's name in the red bar graphic, it was replaced with a reduced size version of the logo. For better hierarchy, the name + title was separated to the top half of the card while the rest of the contact information remained in the lower half.

If you're going to print business cards, spare a few extra dollars and print on the back panel space with either another messaging point or build on your brand image. You are already paying for the paper so make use of it. For CPT, I filled the most of the space with a larger logo and added the basketball image graphic to help better communicate the company's line of service which is performance training in basketball. Eventually the owner may expand into baseball and football, but as of right now, his main focus and current clients are seeking basketball training expertise.

For the printing and paper choice, we went pretty simple. There was a specific budget that had to be maintained. 2-color offset on uncoated 100# cover paper. Although, we didn't do any raising or debossing techniques to the paper, the end product still stands out, because the design is strong. When it comes down to it, if you have a well-designed product, it will shine no matter what. You don't have to have the million dollar budget to get a good product. Invest where it matters. In this case, the client invested in a logo that they love, and it will grow with them over the years as they build their business. Down the road, when the business is good, they can invest further in the specialty printing nuances that will make the card "pop" even more.

{Logo + Card ©2011 Design With Chon}

Design Consultant + Stylist to Beijo Bags!

About a month ago, on Saturday, March 5th at the Eaglewood Resort + Spa over in Itasca, Illinois, I was a guest speaker at Beijo's Regional Team Conference. Tami Banno, one of the Regional Sales Director of Beijo, got a hold of my information through a string of colleagues. And after a few emails and a phone conversation, she felt I was fit for the guest speaker role in talking about fashion, color, design and purse displays. I must say, I was excited and nervous at the same time. First of all, I haven't given a formal presentation in over a year since my days back in agency life, and this was the biggest group yet, 40-45 individuals. But thanks to Tami and the great group of Beijo consultants that I met prior to my presentation, I felt very welcomed and comforted by the surrounding environment.

The conference began at 8:30AM, and I was there from the very start of the event though I didn't have to go on 'til 1:30PM in the afternoon. I wanted to be present for the most of the day to really learn about the Beijo brand and family....

Beijo was started by Susan Handley, the founder and sole designer of all the purse lines. At one point, Susan was a struggling single mom trying to make ends meet. Susan started the Beijo bag line with no prior business experience. With the encouragement of her friends and family, she was determined to make a better life for herself and son, Kyle. It was her son who provided the name for his mom’s company. —“Beijo,” which means “kiss” in Portuguese. It was his second word and he would always say to his mom, “Beijo, Mama, Beijo”. Initially, Susan sold bags by the armload out of her car, and today, a few years later, Beijo bags are now sold by the tens of thousands at home parties. She has declined department store offers to carry the bags nationwide, Susan is committed to her vision that home parties remain the core of her company. Many of the women who host Beijo parties are in the process of gaining their first measure of financial independence. A portion of the Beijo donation program is committed to organizations and projects which support the health, education and development of mothers and their children.

And then before I knew it, 1:30PM hit, and it was my turn. Lights were dimmed, my formal presentation was projected, and the 15 minutes flew by! Here are a few snapshots of me in action from the conference. Images were taken by Valerie Madeline Photography who also happens to be a Beijo Bag Consultant, and I have shared a few screen shots from my presentation, too!

I am only going to highlight a few main points of the presentation that I did, because this blog would take forever to write. There were two mains areas covered in the verbal part of the presentation — (1) Dressing the Part and (2) Displays that Sell. And for the third part of my role, (3) Show Me What You Got, was for the audience to take what I presented and put it into action with their own displays after my verbal presentation was over. Then, I would critique each group with their purse set-ups and physically show them on how to improve their displays with some minor adjustments.

In "Dressing the Part", I touched on 2011 Spring + Summer colors and provided pointers on how to dress one self to be confident and fashion forward using current basic wardrobe pieces in one's closet while also incorporating new color accents that reflect the season.

For the second part, "Displays that Sell", I covered key aspects that successful department + boutique retail stores do with their displays and arrangements in which Beijo consultants should consider when setting up purses in home environments... such as good organization, uniformity and arrangements of 3's. There are always exceptions to the rule, but one needs to understand the rules before you know how to break them successfully.

And now the Beijo consultants take action and work on their own purse displays in groups and by theme...

After each group finished setting up their personalized displays, I went back in and corrected areas that needed much attention in order to bring the focus and visual clarity back to the Beijo bags. With every move or switch of a purse by my hand, it was nice to hear the reactions from the consultants, because they visually understood how a shift in spacing can really change up the playing field.

And then I got pics with each team, only two groups are shown here, and one is with the winning team that I selected that did the best display (2nd pic) — "Girls Night Out".

Also, I can't forget the best part, a sneak peak at Beijo's 2011 Spring line (see below). As you can see, Susan Handley embraced the Honeysuckle Pink, the 2011 Color of the Year selected by the Pantone Color Institute. I do love the new faux texture prints on these bags. I loved it so much that I couldn't pass up getting one of my own. In the 2nd image, with the giraffe-like print, I recently purchased this bag for myself so I can sport it this summer. It's called the Inside Out Bag, where it literally turns inside out. If I wanted the Camel color to be exposed, and the Honeysuckle Pink Giraffe print to be hidden as the inner liner of the purse, all I have to do is flip it inside out. How fun is that?! And the fabric material is quite durable and wipes easy if there is a spill on it. I am quite happy with my Beijo purchase. :)

2011 Beijo Spring Line

©2011 Valerie Madeline Photography

If someone out there is interested in throwing a purse party, or just want to purchase one of the bags featured in this post, feel free to contact Tami Banno at her email tambanno[at]gmail.com or give her a call at 309.256.9773, too. And you can always contact me if you have any questions to anything related to this post.

A Side Note: The Beijo new website is under development so it won't reflect all the latest and greatest bags available. Once I hear that the new site is launched, I will share it with you all.