Rock + Feather Graphic Design

Night at the Museum

posted on January-29-2010 by Kelly Koon at 5:45 pm | 1 Comment

Beverage line or Rainforest line?

This is a question I found myself pondering in the middle of the California Academy of Sciences “NightLife” this past Fall. The recent trend in late night museum events has San Francisco buzzing. The puzzled faces of young, hip 30 somethings slowly making their way round and round, floor to floor, ask one main question: Should I be looking at the exhibits or the people?

If the butterflies or echo tubes haven’t pulled you in yet, get ready for a treat. The Exploratorium’s “Afterdark” cocktail night provides adult beverages but I found it hard to leave without feeling a good 15 years underage. The Cubatron, a 3-d light sculpture made from 8 x 8 foot modular cubes was lined with horizontal bodies staring in amazement as thousands of LED lights danced above our heads. Other exhibits included typographic games where you pick which letter stands out among the rest, perception tests, and games with color.

Like graphic design, science mixes with art to provide deep connections between proportions, patterns, hierarchy & color. When we choose a typeface for a business it is our job to recognize the meaning of each stroke, the placement of our text and the proportions of the page in relation to each typographic element. Once we introduce color, imagery and creativity into a simple document of text, the page has meaning and the perception of that business becomes more than just words on a page.

Interested in more San Francisco fun? Check back on our blog for future events.

Coloring Your Brand’s World

posted on January-26-2010 by Adrianna at 10:14 am | 1 Comment

She saw red. He was green with envy. Are you feeling blue? Often colors are used to evoke and express emotion in language and design and there’s a reason. People see in many colors (and some don’t; to see your website as a colorblind person would, go here), a distinct trait not shared with many other animal groups. Whether we are aware of it or not, the colors we see affect us, and can be used in  branding strategy to your advantage.

What are culturally relevant colors? The colors that personally appeal to you may not be the colors that are best for your company. Branding agencies often recommend that you choose the color on the color wheel that is opposite your competition, to distinguish your logo from theirs. But what do you do if another stakeholder in the market has chosen red to their green, or purple to their yellow?

Looking at cultural factors can help you wade through the many choices as you develop a color palette for your business. In the U.S., many food companies use red in their logotypes, including Pizza Hut, Coca Cola and Google’s new Android phone. Red is seen as an auspicious color in many Asian cultures, and in business parlance it’s a good thing if your company is in the red. But studies also show that people eat more in red rooms. In other words, if you’re developing a weight-loss company, you may want to avoid red altogether, and you’ll note that most fast food brands have some significant red elements in their color systems.

American bridal companies may blanket their sites with creamy whites and eggshell colors, but an Eastern bridal site would do better to avoid white, as its historically seen as the color of mourning.

Still, as cultures increasingly intersect in the global marketplace, perceptions of colors will necessarily change and what was once a color of weddings and funerals may come to signify wind energy and aerospace engineering. During the Victorian era, blue stood for girls because it was seen as passive, and pink was reserved for boys, as it was considered more linked to the vitality of blood.

Likewise, global economics and corporations have an effect on perception of colors. Studies show that fashion colors are often more muted in times of economic turmoil, and these trends necessarily pass on to color choices in other sectors. Thus, the neon pink and iridescent orange of the boom days of the 1980’s clash with the distinctly calmer tones of many corporate websites of today.

Finally, color can speak of a company in and of itself. Remember the Windows blue of the 1990’s when they controlled 98% of the personal computer market? The same goes for classic Coca Cola red. They both stood for a particular brand in their customer’s minds. Even if you don’t have a 98% market share, and may not have a giant red sign over 101 telling drivers to drink your soft drink, don’t overlook the importance of careful color choices in your branding. Do you want to blend in with your competitors because you are a small brand looking piggyback on the cachet of another bigger brand with the same colors? Or do you want to choose an unusual color set to stand out from your bigger counterparts?

Whether or not cultural color choices are in your mind, we are visual creatures, and the colors of your competitors and cohorts has an effect on the perceptions of consumers.

Change, Evolution, and Opportunity

posted on January-4-2010 by Nicole Bratt at 2:17 pm | No Comments

Happy New Year, everyone! We look upon the dawn of 2010 with new opportunities and change ahead of us. It is definitely a time of evolution for Rock+Feather.

All is connected … no one thing can change by itself.
Paul Hawken

Looking back on 2009, we had so many incredible changes! For those of you who have been following this blog, you read about some of these things!

We launched an internship program in the spring. And it was a success! Christina Cardosa and Cameron McEfee were both strong additions to our team. Both Academy of Art students were referred to us by Greg Mar, Adjunct Lecturer at the Academy of Art and Creative Director at G.M. Art & Design. It was both refreshing and valuable to have these two in our offices for those months. They have both since moved on to pursue their own career opportunities and we wish them the very best!

During the summer, we offered branding workshops for small business owners and solo entreprenuers. Once a month, throughout the city, we met amazing individuals doing outstanding work. We shared some fundamental branding and design expertise and made budget-minded recommendations for implementing the crucial elements. The workshops were a great success, and a lot of fun, and we plan to bring them back in the future! If you would like to be on the notification list for future events, or if you would like to schedule a private workshop for your entire office, just email Nicole (nicole@rockandfeather.com) for more information.

Also this summer, on August 9, to be specific, Tracey, our Office Manager (and Nicole’s sister) had her third child, a red-headed boy: Andrew James. Rock+Feather has always been a family-owned — and family-involved — business, so it was quite exciting for all of us to welcome the newest member.

In the fall of 2009, after much research and discussion, we took the steps both to become an LLC and also to evolve our business name. And so, Rock+Feather Graphic Design became Rock+Feather Creative, LLC. Our reasoning was simple: changing it is more accurate. Through the years, we have grown beyond offering only graphic design services. We now offer comprehensive creative development for our clients. Not only have we expanded our in-house talent, but we have also formed trusted partnerships with several other professionals in the creative realm. In addition to print and web graphic design, we now offer brand audits, brand strategy development, logo and identity development, copywriting, illustration, photography, web development, video, animation, on-going consultation, and more.

At the end of 2009, as many of you know, Laura Johnston Bratt — the Rock in Rock+Feather — resigned her position as partner. Laura made this decision so she can spend the next few years at home with her four adorable young children, focusing her energy on this precious time in their lives. She is already missed, but we are so proud and excited for her personal and professional evolution.

We will start the year out by getting our second internship program underway! We wholeheartedly welcome the talented Adrianna Grant. Adrianna comes to us from North Carolina via Iowa. Referred to us by Kristin Long of MIGHTYminnow (development partner for our own website), she has a strong team-oriented design background and an exemplary work ethic. We are excited to bring her into the office.

And so we stand poised for 2010! There is sure to be more change… evolution… and opportunity. Follow along this year here on our blog, on Facebook, or Twitter!

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