Ideas that make connections

Archive for the Design category

Skateboard Artshow in Salinas – What the Deck?

by Chuck on September 18th, 2009

The concept of  Casella Creative, a new contemporary art exhibit at the National Steinbeck Center features the works of Central Coast artists on skateboard decks.

Titled “What the Deck?” the show features the works of 80 artists, is co-presented by Dorothy’s Place and is meant to bring street culture to the masses.
The skateboard decks have been painted, burned and re-assembled in mediums from acrylic and oil paint to permanent marker, spray paint and gold leaf. The exhibit is open through October 17.

At the end of the exhibit, the decks will be auctioned with proceeds to benefit the Steinbeck Center and Dorothy’s Place.

Here are some of my favorite entries.

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Translating Sustainable Sushi to the Web

by Chuck on October 22nd, 2008

I have been working for the past 2 months for the Monterey Bay Aquarium on translating the sustainable sushi program to the web. As a long time sushi lover this has been a great project to design. The big challenge was to convey a positive message of ordering sushi to maintain healthy oceans. We didn’t want to just show a negative message  about over-fishing.  The solution was to display enticing alternatives. Have a look!

http://mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_sushi.aspx

Helping make sustainable sushi choices

sustainable sushi choices



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Monterey Chamber of Commerce Showcase 2008

by Chuck on September 8th, 2008

Casella Creative supports the Monterey and Salinas Chambers of Commerce by sponsoring the Fall Showcase 2008. We rebranded the whole event, from brochures to tickets. The first step was to create the tagline “The power of Local.” It represents the idea that local businesses could provide better value and service than big conglomerates. Next the tagline was incorporated into an illustrated mark that displays the Monterey and Salinas chambers.

new Showcase logo design

New Showcase Logo Design

Info on the Event:

The Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula Chambers of Commerce will present “Showcase 2008 – The Power of Local!” on Thursday, October 23 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Monterey Conference Center. More than one hundred Chamber members will display their products and services, and approximately one thousand guests are expected to attend. Members of the public are invited to attend Showcase 2008 and see what their local business community has to off er, while also having an opportunity to network with hundreds of other potential customers. In addition to the potential business opportunities, guests will be able to participate in food and wine tastings.

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Great Logo Experiment

by Chuck on September 7th, 2008

Here is a great article by designer, Doug Bartow, on what happens when companies try to cut corners on branding. Doug wasted $1000 on 4 online logo company’s.

The Challenge: Hire four online logo design companies, give them the same visual identity problem to solve, then critique the results.

The Kitty: Spend less than $1,000 USD total on all four companies, getting as many distinct variations as possible.

The Players: But how to choose? Simply googling logo design returns 11.7M hits in a mind-boggling .13 seconds. However, companies that play in this online space must successfully manage their search engine optimization, or SEO, to ensure that they appear at or near the top of search engine results consistently. Their business development depends upon it. Acknowledging this, I chose the top four non-sponsored returns from my Google search. The contestants, in search results order, are: the Logo Loft, Logo Design Pros, LogoBee and the notorious thousand-pound gorilla of online logo companies, Logoworks.

The Task: Invent a fictional client in need of a new logo. It should be fun, fast, colorful and kick-ass…rollerderby, of course! It’s a ‘sport’ familiar to most, but not so actively followed by the masses to make for an easy identity job without a modicum of research into the history and aesthetic of what is known in the biz as flat track derby. I found a rich collection of active clubs on the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association www site. There’s also a great Q & A section on the official rules for rollerderby, which are much more complex than I ever imagined. e.g. Q: “When do referees stop the jam-in-progress for a jammerless jam?” No, I’m not making this stuff up.

The Client: Troy, NY (id29′s hometown) was one of the original nine cities that in 1871 formed the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, which survives today as Major League Baseball’s National League. Although Troy’s team only lasted two years, they did sport a winning record (28-25,) and I discovered with some amazement that the domain name was available—perfect for my fictional upstart rollerderby team—the Troy Haymakers Flat Track Derby Club.

Let the games begin.

view the full article

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/005099.html

So the bottom line is hire a design firm and spend $2000-$10,000 on a logo. If it’s done right the logo will last you 5-10 years. The logo will be paid off in a couple of years, if you consider the useage.

CasellaCreative

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David Ligare: new website and gallery

by Chuck on June 12th, 2008

post-modern

Casella Creative just completed the Neo-Classic painter, David Ligare’s website. As the artist has evolved so has his presence on the web. His previous website was dated and filled with information that took away from his paintings. The idea was to display his large full color paintings coupled with clean typography. The purpose of the website is to function like a container and display the essence of his work.
The client’s feedback was “The new format is EXACTLY right to me!!! Great job. Simple is not necessarily easy.”

So have a look at David’s work at www.davidligare.com

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access iv rebranded

by Chuck on May 8th, 2008

Access IV is a pharmacy & nutrition service located in Marina CA. They hired Casella Creative to update their brand. The reason for the rebranding was they realized the value in a strong online presents. With a new website in the works they wanted a matching logo. The owners didn’t want to stray too far from the original logo because they already had brand recognition. A major problem with the old logo was the IV was mistaken for a roman numeral 4. When the type was placed in all caps the periods had to be used which added an extra element. Using a bold lower-case type solved both issues and allowed this mark more approachability and strength. Casella Creative used a classic typeface (Scala) to add a timelessness to the mark. Coming soon new website: accessiv.com

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The Peter Maurin Work Co-operative distributes catalog designed by Casella Creative in Salinas, CA

by Chuck on May 7th, 2008

This is the last component of the Sappi Grant. It’s a 5″x5″ 12 page catalog that tells the compelling story of the Peter Maurin Cooperative. It has a dual purpose 1. to display the products and services for new business 2. to tell the story of how this program is empowering the homeless. Throughout the brochure is a heart motif growing at an exponential rate, that is a metaphor for spreading LOVE. The brochure was printed on recycled paper to reinforce the co-op’s commitment to sustainability. To obtain a catalog call 831.776.8674. or contact Casella Creative.

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Complete Sappi Grant

by Chuck on February 15th, 2008

Six months and 30 grand later, Dorothy’s Place finally has a solid brand to raise the funding they need. Thanks to Sappi paper and their “Ideas that Matter Grant” Here is the full range of collateral that was designed by Casella Creative.

brochure design

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Dorothy’s Distributes Brochures

by Chuck on February 12th, 2008

Salinas, CA | Casella Creative Designs 3 brochures to promote the variety of social services that Dorothy’s place offers. Full color 5″x5″ pocket brochures were created to represent Dorothy’s Place, Women Alive and Youth Alive. These brochures were paid for by a grant from Sappi fine paper.

brochure designbrochure design

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New logo and website design for Panacea

by Chuck on January 30th, 2008

Carmel, CA | Panacea, Carmel’s leading concierge service has just launched a new brand and website designed by Casella Creative. Panacea exists to unite the discerning estate owners and vacationers with such first class services. Panacea, simply put, is luxury simplified. The new logo represents the trust and accountability of a personal signature. The website foreshadows the experience of hiring Panacea.

Panacea logo

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