Design Life

The Exxon Logo


Raymond Loewy designed some of the most famous logos in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70s. We are taking a look at one, the Exxon logo, because of the way it was it was conceived.

History
Exxon Logo Sketch
Original Exxon Logo Sketch
Enlarge…

In 1966 Mr. Loewy took out a piece of paper and sketched Exxon in 18 different ways. From those sketches the logo was born. The logo that was chosen has two “X’s” interlinked together.

 

The design was refined from the original sketch so that the second “X” is lower than the logo baseline. Also, a blue bar was added to the bottom. In recent years, the blue bar has been removed from most stations. However, even though the company is now called ExxonMobil, marketing efforts and station signage continue to use the original logo.

 

Mr. Loewy also designed logos for Shell, Hoover, BP, Nabisco, Canada Dry, and U.S. Mail. Plus, the packaging for Luck Strike Cigarettes.

 

One of the most interesting facts about Mr. Loewy and his logos, is he was better know as an industrial designer. He designed the Coca Cola bottle, Studebaker, Greyhound Bus, refrigerators, trains, buildings and many other items. This storied career has lead to people affectionally calling him “The Father of Industrial Design.”

More on Raymond Loewy

www.raymondloewy.org
www.raymondloewy.com

Category: Graphic Design
 
Setting Headlines

Headlines can become more than just the biggest piece of text on the page. The way you set the type can become a defining element of your layout or even the entire campaign. Here are different headline styles you may want to explore or build upon in your next design.

When breaking the headline, typically the designer will make the top line longer, yet this is not always the best visiual solution. You maybe losing the impact because keywords are no longer together. Plus, the white space under the top line can create a hole in your layout out.

There is nothing wrong with putting the longer line on the bottom of the headline. This style can create a nice flow into the body.

Even if your headline is one sentence, you can still add emphasize to particluar words by making them larger, bold, or both. Also, you want to decide if you are going to use periods in your headlines. There is no hard rule stating one way or the other, but you want to be consistent throughout your piece.

Try different type setting techniques to achieve a unique style. Add all caps or adjust the font weight and size.

You do not need to be limited to just one font in the headline. We are not saying you should go nuts, but as a headline style, you can go beyond the typical thinking. Also, play with the coloring of the type. This can help bring in hierarchy to the headline.

Left aligned text is how most start setting type, but you can break free and play with the way the letters of the headline fit with one another.

Try adding additional graphical elements to the headline. These elements can be icons or simple shapes that frame the text.
Category: Graphic Design
 
Have Contract, Will Design

Never ever, ever start a project without a contract. It doesn’t matter if you are best friends with the client or have done projects with the person in the past or even if the project is pro-bono, create a contract. Period.
Each and every project will have problems along the road to completion and just because you are buddy, buddy with the client will not elevate time delays or payment shortfalls. We hear “no contract” stories all the time. They usually start like this: “My friend ask me to design a logo for him and I didn’t think I needed a contract. Now, after I did ten rounds of revisions he isn’t happy and doesn’t want to pay the invoice. I have emails that document the process but we never signed a legal document, can I sue him for payment?”
Contracts serve two roles in our world as designers. The first one, is so we have proof that someone hired us to complete a task (design a brochure, logo, website, etc.). The second purpose of a contract is to provide details of what will be completed, by when and by whom. This is what the judge will look at if you need to bring legal action. With a nice detailed contract, you and your client should have no doubt as to when a project is completed. Outline all of your deliverables and the timing of each. And with respect to the timing aspect outline any dependences that will impact your ability to deliver on a specified date.
Also, you need to specify what will happen if the project is canceled, or put on hold. We have found that the best practice when billing a client for a canceled or suspended project is by hours spent on the job. Ideally, you have priced the project based on man-hours and you are keeping track of those hours during the course of the project. That way you can have a sound reason for the amount due at any giving time. Plus, in the contract you can state projects put on hold for more than 30 days or canceled projects will be billed based on the amount of hours incurred.
With this information in one document that both parties read and sign, you will always have something to protect you when payment comes due. Now, contracts are never going to be bulletproof, we are in the United States after all. But, if you follow what you state in the contract and create any needed scope change documents you will have a great chance of proving to a judge that you were working in good faith.
Back to our friend who has the emails, can he sue? Yes. Will he win, without a signed piece of paper showing what will be complete when, highly doubtful. The contract is your golden ticket, so get it in writing before you spend any of your valuable time designing.
Category: Graphic Design
 
Back to the Basics

50 free graphic design theory lessons to help you understand what makes a design successful.

 

Danny Outlaw has put together 50 excellent design theory lessons from around the web. Some are for beginner designers and others are a bit more advanced. No matter what your design skill level, it is always good to do a quick refresh on the principles of design.

 

See all 50 free graphic design theory lessons…

Category: Graphic Design
 
Visual Search

A completely new way to see search results, the whole page not just a text snippet.

 

Searchme lets you see what you’re searching for. As you start typing, categories appear that relate to your query. Choose a category, and you’ll see pictures of web pages that answer your search. You can review these pages quickly to find just the information you’re looking for, before you click through.

 

www.searchme.com

Category: Graphic Design
 
VW Logo

The VW logo is one of the most recognizable logos, but the history behind the design is even more intriguing.

 

History
The Volkswagen logo at least the first design in 1938 was the result of an office competition. The story goes that Franz Xavier Reimspiess, an employee of Porsche, during an office logo design competition created the logo. He was given a one time payment of 100 Reichsmarks (about $400). Mr. Reimspiess was also the engineer who perfected the engine for the Beetle in the 1930’s.

 

Nikolai Borg, states he was really the designer and was invited to draw the car logo by Dr. Ing. Fritz Todt, the general inspector for roads during WWII. However, Mr. Borg was not able to prove to the court he was the original creator of the logo.

 

Volkswagen translates to “Peoples Car” in German, and in 1938 Germany when the company was being developed, the Nazi party was in power, Many people have forgotten that “Nazi” is a syncopation for “National Socialist German Workers Party.” So the combination of the party symbol and the new car company would have been very powerful.

 

In fact, the first logo for Volkswagen was the swastika. It was know as the “swastika hubcap” car. The company later changed the logo to what appears to be the swastika in motion with V and W in the center. This happened when Adolf Hitler abruptily changed the name of the car to “KdF Wagen,” which stood for “Kraft durch Freude” or “Strength through Joy”

 

The next logo change came before WWII. The Volkswagen project was part of the “Nazi Kraft durch Freude” propaganda scheme run by the “Deutsche Arbeitsfront” (DAF). The logo for the DAF was a swastika surrounded by a cog or gear. The new VW logo replaced the swastika with the V over the W in the center.

 

After WWII Britain had the cog changed to a circle and that design was filed for copyright in 1948.

 

VW had the logo updated again in 2000 to the current 3D version.

Category: Graphic Design
 
Websites on the iPhone

 
News companies were some of the first to provide a website designed specifically for the iPhone and companies are starting to follow this trend. An iPhone website is especially important for companies that use Flash for a main stage or extensively throughout because their is no Flash plug-in for the iPhone. The Flash plug-in is rumored to be in the works, but it is important for designers to realize that surfing from a desktop is different than a smartphone.

 

Besides the screen size the connection is slower and navigation rules are different. A top tab style navigation can be very cumbersome on an iPhone. And small links are hard to hit without zooming. Most important is the the type of information needed while on the go is different. Very few people are going to spend time shopping for the perfect pair of shoes on a smartphone. However, they maybe in the store and want to show the sale clerk the image of the shoes they found while at work. So, quick easy access is the key.

 

A great example of these rules is VW.com. Volkswagen has designed their iPhone website to provide only the key information one would want while on the go, Car Line, Dealer Locator and Roadside Assistance. The buttons are larger than normal, thumb size, which makes it easy to move around. The gallery for each car has nice large arrows for quick navigation and features are limited to just the basics.

 

If you haven’t done so already, we suggest looking at your clients audience and seeing if an iPhone website is needed.

Category: Graphic Design
 
The Nike Logo

The Nike logo or the “Swoosh” is one of the best logos of all time. And when you look at the fact that one young designer created it as a freelance project it shines even more.

 

History
The Nike swoosh design was created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University and chosen by Phil Knight and other Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) executives for a shoe line. The total invoice for the logo was $35 (in todays dollars that is $155). The mark was designed for a shoe brand and not the company, however, the iconic design took on a life of it’s own and BRS was renamed Nike, Inc in 1978.

 

Meaning
The idea behind the Nike logo is the wings of NIke, the Greek Goddess of victory. Now, some also argue that the logo simply means motion and movement. Although one could reasonability suggest the logo could also represent a runners foot in starting position, which is a good guess because the original Nike shoe line was for track and field.

Category: Graphic Design
 
Safari 4.0 Interface

 

The new Safari has some great new interface features, Top Sites, Cover Flow, and Suggestions, however, the new Tabs location is not an improvement.

 

Apple has moved the Tabs from under the bookmark bar up to the window title location. This placement does make some logical sense and helps add a few pixels to a small screen, but it breaks all the conventions for other programs. First off, the only reason why you go to the window bar in other applications is to move the window, or double click to minimize the window. With the new layout you have to retrain your thinking. Also, you loose the double click to minimize. Second, you now have to travel further to switch tabs. This may seems small, but during the course of a day you switch tabs hundreds of times.

 

But the rest of Safari 4.0 makes it a great browser. The loading speed it fantastic and the new Top Site features is a fun visual way to start your day. With Cover Flow in your history, you can see the page not just an obscure url. And search with suggestions has never been better. Overall, even with the shock of the Tabs, Safari is still our browser of choice.

 

Download Safari 4.0 Beta…

Category: Graphic Design
 
Top 10 Logos

We have tried to do the impossible. Put together a list of the top 10 logos of all time. After much review and a few games of paper, rock, scissors we have come up with the following list.

 

The World Wildlife Fund

 

Apple

 

BMW

 

FedEx

 

The Fashion Center

 

GE

 

American Red Cross

 

NBC

 

I Love NY

 

XM Radio

Now, not everyone will agree on our list, so let us know what are your favorites.

Category: Graphic Design
 
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