Bluecap is a new instrument by longtime client MICRO-G LACOSTE. This meter is named after the mythical BLUECAP, a fairy that appeared to miners as a little blue flame. If miners treated them with respect, the bluecaps would lead them to rich deposits of minerals and would also forewarn miners of cave-ins. I hope the new Micro-g LaCoste meter is as fortuitious. 

Sometimes the ones that never see the light of day are so much better than the ones that go live. An unused design for the comprehensive visual identity for ENERGYSMART Boulder.

Hot off the press — a nifty new program guide for our friends @ KGNU

Love this color palette.

Congrats to my friend, Rob, for selling his company and moving on to personal projects. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of Comfy Labs.

Made the requisite visit to the Corning Museum of Glass last week while visiting my hometown. Was blown away by the ethereal beauty of this DALE CHIHULY piece in the entry-way.

I was reminded of my trip to the Czech Repulic (for some genealogic wandering) about 10 years ago, and the history of glass art there. During the days of the Iron Curtain, artists were closely monitored for anti-state messaging, and abstract art was largely not allowed for fear of covert subversive themes. Glass art was overlooked, however, and not considered a potentially subversive medium. Artists of other disciplines converted to the medium in order to express themselves more fully. The result is a robust contemporary glass movement in the Czech Republic. The Corning Museum of Glass featured a wonderful exhibit a few years back: GLASS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN.

photo: Corning Museum of Glass — Object by Rene Roubick (Czech, b.1922).

One of my favorite memoires of Prague was a breathtaking exhibit of the work of BOREK SIPEK. His works were nestled like brilliant gems in cold alcoves of meandering castle walkways, which opened on an underground room filled with a forest of glass.

ABD, a startup Bay-area independent insurance brokerage, is anything but business as usual, so their identity needed to reflect the unexpected.

As members of the team at FUTURE PARTNERS, we grounded the visual ID in their core values:

• Step 1: Make insurance approachable
• Step 2: Introduce smart-minded to like-minded
• Step 3: Find Independence Together
• Step 4: Use Technology for Good
• Step 5: Change the insurance world.

Because ABD is very client-focused, the human element is key. To stand out from the ubiquitous smiling faces typical to insurance-industry marketing —  we instead used portraits of clients’ and brokers’ feet. Shot in footwear that expresses something key about each person’s dreams or favorite pastimes, the portraits speak to the freedom & security that ABD aims provide to its customers, allowing them to better pursue those dreams. Shot in black and white, there is also a sense of the simplicity and integrity that the ABD experience offers.  Lastly, the photos illustrate the ABD tagline, “Let’s Talk Next Steps,” in a playful way.

TERRIFIC VIDEO INTRODUCTION to the art of logo design. Interesting mini-history, and an outline of the essential elements of effective, memorable logos. From OFFBOOK, a PBS Arts blog.

Fun mini branding workshop with the fabulous folks at PHILANTHROPIECE Excited to dig in to their logo and web design.

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AFTER