bLog-oMotives

Calls for entries: Upcoming graphic design competition and book submission deadlines

2009-11-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

All of the following competition or book submission deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Fingerprint 2 (PDF of CFE)
(HOW Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 5 November 2009
No entry fees charged

Identity Essentials
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 11 November 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT in Motion
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
Entry fees charged

Basic Pack
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
No entry fees charged

1000 More Greetings
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 16 November 2009
No entry fees charged

D&AD Awards 2010
(D&AD - UK)
Early Deadline: 18 November 2009 (10% entry fee discount)
Final Deadline: 27 January 2010
Entry fees charged

American Graphic Design & Advertising Awards 26
(AGDA Awards - US)
Early Bird Deadline: 20 November 2009
Regular Deadline: 11 December 2009
Late Deadline: 22 December 2009
Entry fees charged

The Best of Sports Marketing & Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 December 2009
No entry fees charged

The Best of Sin Design (Naughty Products. Great Advertising.)
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 December 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT Creativity + Commerce
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 December 2009
Entry fees charged

HOW Logo Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

HOW Poster Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Entry fees charged

2009 American Package Design Awards
(Graphic Design USA - USA)
Deadline: 10 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Selected A: Graphic Design From Europe
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 11 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Select I: Graphic Design Annual
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 11 December 2009
Entry fees charged

The Faces of Design Awards 2010
(Faces of Design - Germany)
Early-Bird Registration Deadline: 31 October 2009
Portfolio Submission Deadline: 15 December 2009
Entry fees charged

The Dieline Awards - Best in Package Design
(The Dieline - USA)
Deadline: 21 December 2009
Entry fees charged

My Own Business Card, Volume Two
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Just Sit! Chairs and Stools Design
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Illustration Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 11 January 2010
Entry fees charged

The Big Book of Packaging
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 15 January 2010
No entry fees charged

Top 100 New Creatives
(CMYK Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 17 January 2010
Entry fees charged

Summit Creative Award
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline: 25 January 2010
Entry fees charged

Wolda '09
(Eulda Books - Italy)
Deadline: 31 January 2010 (logos designed in 2009)
Entry fees charged

LogoLounge 6
(LogoLounge - USA)
Deadline: 15 February 2010
LogoLounge membership required

Green Graphics
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 February 2010
No entry fees charged

HOW Promotion Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 5 March 2010
Late Deadline: 22 March 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Photography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 29 March 2010
Entry fees charged

Mail Me Art 2
(Mail Me Art - UK)
Deadline: 31 March 2010
No entry fees charged

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 April 2010
Late Deadline: 10 May 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Design Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Advertising Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 3
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2010
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 8 October 2010
Entry fees charged

Graphis Poster Annual 2011
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 30 November 2010
Entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites.

A design competition calendar is also available at Icograda. Lürzer's ARCHIVE also has an impressive online list of competitions sponsored by international magazines and organizations. Dexinger posts competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

For the perspective from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

'Letterhead & Logo Design 11' features C.A.T. design

2009-10-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

An identity design by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has been given yet another life in the recently released book Letterhead & Logo Design 11. The volume, produced by Design Army, is a Rockport Publishers release. The resource contains hundreds of inspirational logos and letterheads from designers around the world.

Fisher's selected design was the result of a request from the Cat Adoption Team organization to participate in a pro bono effort to create a new identity for the "no-kill" feline facility. In an "a-ha" design moment, while doodling one day, the designer came up with C, A and T letterforms creating a cat image. Confidently presented to the nonprofit's appreciative marketing, advertising and design-savvy Executive Director, the identity idea still required approval of the Board of Directors. With the governing body, the concept was DOA for not being "warm and friendly enough."

The design won a Silver Award in the Summit Creative Awards. It is also in the book Killed Ideas, Vol. 1 and will be in the volume Designing for the Greater Good. The work of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives has appeared in over three dozen books from Rockport Publishers.

Logodotes: Stumptown Clowns

2009-10-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

[Over the 30+ years I've worked professionally as a designer, interesting side stories have come up about my identity designs. This is the second in an ongoing series of "Logodotes" - anecdotes about my logo designs.]

I often tend to be my own worst client. When designing for myself, I usually go into a very picky and hyper-critical mode. It did take me 10 years to create the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity.

With the image for Stumptown Clowns the process was surprisingly much different. Following attendance at Clown School, and a great experience as part of the Amtrak Cascades Character Clown Corps for the Portland Rose Festival, my clown pal Pippa suggested that those interested in clowning around a bit more participate in the 2009 Portland Pride Parade. As the event was not an official Rose Festival event we would need to march under a new clown troupe moniker. Pippa came up with the name "Stumptown Clowns."

In my odd logo designer mind, as soon as I was made aware of the name, I literally saw the words visually as a potential clown face. The "U" letterform in the word "Stumptown" could become a winking eye, with the "O" in the term creating another eye that was wide open. It only made sense that the "O" in "Clown" would become a big red clown nose.

There was no sketching or doodling of the concept. The design was so clearly defined in my mind that I went directly to the computer. The font Blue Plate Special, by Nick Curtis of Nick's Fonts, was the first and only choice for the logo. It seemed to convey the celebratory, circus-like quality I desired. The weight of the font, and the curves of some letterforms, complimented the graphic elements which were created first.

In a one-shot process the Stumptown Clowns logo was complete (top image). However, there was something that bugged me about the end result. It was an optical illusion, but the identity seemed to be tilting. I doubled-checked the horizontal allignment of the design. The lightness of the "winking eye" and the heaviness of the "open eye" element were causing the logo to look as if it had rotated clock-wise a bit.

Rotating the design a quarter of a degree, counter clock-wise, seemed to correct the visual issue for me (directly above).

Stumptown Clown pals Lou, Pippa, Trip and Toots Caboose preparing for the 2009 Pride Parade though downtown Portland

With our official Stumptown Clowns logo on an identifying sign for the parade (Thanks to Kathy at Signs Northwest!) the new clown troupe was ready for its parade debut.

This project did remind me of a previous identity design client with an incredible attention to detail - OK, the guy was anal retentive (Hmmm...am I more anal?). The logo project was finalized. Disks were prepared with all the necessary digital files for the client. The invoice had been sent off for payment. The the client called to request that I rotate the design - which did not have balance issues with its circular design - five degrees clockwise. It was one of the oddest, and most specific, requests I'd received in regards to a job. No explanation - just "please rotate the design five degrees."

I revisited the logo and rotated the image two and a half degrees. The client was perfectly happy.

Design Observer peeks at gardens & designers

2009-10-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week the Observatory, a channel on the design industry web presence Design Observer, took a look at gardening by creative professionals. In the article, "Gardens and Their Designers," design editor and writer Timothy Jack Ward ponders what makes so many designers turn to gardening as an added creative outlet.

The Design Observer piece has an accompanying slide show of designer gardens from around the country. Yours truly, sitting in my "summer office," is among the collection (above).

Throughout the year I have been photo-documenting the results of my "playing in the dirt." The images are posted in my garden Flickr gallery. I've also posted a variety of bLog-oMotives entries about the garden.

Holly Dewolf's 'Breaking Into Freelance Illustration' gives Jeff Fisher LogoMotives mentions

2009-10-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Illustrator Holly DeWolf's book Breaking Into Freelance Illustration: The Guide for Artists, Designers and was recently released by HOW Books (also the publisher of my books). It was a great surprise to learn that I was a contributor to the volume.

In the book, DeWolf mentions that independent artists, designers and illustrators are free to give themselves personalized job titles. The "Engineer of Creative Identity" moniker I use was presented as an example. The author also writes that a tagline, or mission statement, can be helpful in giving such business people some direction. My current tagline, "Jeff Fisher LogoMotives engineers innovative graphic identity solutions in helping businesses and organizations to get, and stay, on the right track," is included in the book.

In describing the book, Amazon.com notes: "Breaking into Freelance Illustration provides a step-by-step road-map for illustrators looking to promote themselves and running a creative business. Written from the perspective of an experienced freelancer with plenty of industry insiders insight added, this helpful guide gives readers everything they need to start a full-time business, see their work published, or moonlight as an illustrator. This book is a down to earth guide that fills in the creative business blanks."

Cowboy Jeffie's Confetti Chicken Chili

2009-10-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Fall has arrived. It's been raining and gray for days. It's time to take a designerly turn in the kitchen and make a big pot of my colorful confetti chicken chili.

Cowboy Jeffie's Confetti Chicken Chili
(Yep, that's me - Cowboy Jeffie - in the photo)

This is a recipe I adapted (and readapted) from one published in Parade Magazine many years ago. It was kind of boring and colorless. The graphic designer in me changed many of the ingredients to make it a colorful and interesting dish. Four years ago I originally posted a version of this recipe on bLog-oMotives. This is my latest incarnation of Cowboy Jeffie's Confetti Chicken Chili. It can be served as a meal, with fresh bread or corn muffins, heated in the winter or cold in the summer. It is somewhat time consuming to prepare, but the results are more than worth the effort. Guests who have been served this dish at our home are always requesting a repeat performance when dining with us again.

The "confetti" of my chili: Diced red peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers, green zucchini and yellow squash.

3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions - chopped
2 tablespoons garlic - coarsely chopped
3 - 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cubed
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 cup chicken stock or chicken bouillon
1 can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes (whole or chopped) - drained
(save liquid)
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (5 3/4 oz.) black olives - sliced
1 medium-sized green zucchini - thinly sliced and quartered
1 medium-sized yellow zucchini - thinly sliced and quartered
3 bell peppers (select three different colors - I have found green, white,
red, yellow, orange and purple), cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 can (27 oz.) red kidney beans - drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans - drained
Fresh lemon or lime juice (from one lemon of lime)
Nonfat yogurt or sour cream (optional garnish)
Grated cheddar cheese (optional garnish)
Fresh cilantro (optional garnish)

Chili nearing completion on the stove.

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil for about 5 minutes.

2. Add cubed chicken breasts and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth or bouillon and continue cooking.

3. Add all your spices - chili powder, cumin, curry powder, oregano, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, Tabasco red pepper flakes and black pepper - and stir well into the chicken/onion mixture. Allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes - stirring occasionally. This makes for fairly hot chili. For a milder chili cut back on the curry powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce to your own taste. Don’t cut back on the chili powder - it adds flavor, not hotness.

4. Add stewed tomatoes to the mixture, allowing tomatoes to cook down for about 10 minutes (this is a good time to get all the peppers and zucchini prepared). Use the reserve liquid later to thin down the chili before serving if necessary.

5. Add the olives, zucchini, peppers and tomato sauce to the pan and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.

6. 15 - 20 minutes prior to serving add the kidney beans and allow to heat thoroughly.

7. Just prior to serving add the fresh lemon/lime juice and stir through the sauce. This adds a freshness to the chili and takes the “edge” off the hotness. Add the reserve tomato liquid to thin down the chili if necessary.

8. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, fresh cilantro and/or grated cheddar cheese prior to serving.

The chili is even better reheated the next day - or served cold on a hot summer day.

Enjoy!

Check out other Cowboy Jeffie recipes.

Sharebrain focuses on 'Braintalk with Jeff Fisher'

2009-10-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is featured in the interview "Braintalk with Jeff Fisher" on the international web presence Sharebrain.

The creation of German web designer Thomas Ulbricht, Sharebrain is a design-focused online magazine with articles, resources, interviews, tutorial and much more of interest to web designers and web developers.

In the piece, Fisher - the author of the books Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career - discusses his 30-year career, the average day of a home-based independent designer, and sources of inspiration. Ulbricht also asks the designer about favorite projects, how to overcome roadblocks to creativity, his likes and dislikes about the design profession, and other topics.

Re-Design: PavelComm

2009-10-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

The company PavelComm evolved out of the nationwide deregulation of the US telephone system in the 1980's. Initially, owner Jim Pavel focused his business efforts on the phone-specific needs of his clients. Pavel also created the first identity for the firm (below left), and I was told it was produced on his original Commodore 64 personal computer.

I've known the Pavel family for a number of years now. I always felt that the company logo had hint of the very familiar Pirelli tire company identity (above right), but never said anything because I was never asked to critique the image. There's probably some truth in my sense about the inspiration as Jim Pavel and his son, Jimmy, both race cars as a form of recreation.

In 2008, I was asked to update, or redesign, the identity of the business. PavelComm was now a customer service focused organization specializing in complete technology solutions. In addition to dealing with all aspects of corporate phone systems, the company provided fiber, voice and data cabling for organizations around the country. The services offered, the Portland headquarters, and client expectations were all more sophisticated. However, the business branding had remained the same for over 20 years.

I appreciated co-founder and owner Bonnie Pavel giving me complete creative freedom in taking on the identity project. Still, in creating a image to assist PavelComm in moving forward, I hoped to include some historical perspective in the new image.

I've never been much of a sketcher when brainstorming concepts. Instead, as noted from some excavated artifacts of past projects, I tend to doodle on Post-It notes, envelopes, memo pads and other scraps of paper. In this case, I did find myself scribbling all over a somewhat wrinkled piece of laser printer paper (above).

Not being one to often just slap an icon next to a type treatment of a business name, I took the circle containing a "P" letterform from my initial doodles and incorporated it with the remaining text to spell out PavelComm. The "C" in the company identity had not previously been capitalized. In making the "C" an uppercase element, I felt it put a put a bit more emphasis on the actual activities of the firm. We seemed well on our way to a finalized logo for PavelComm.

Still, I sensed a bit of hesitation from the decision makers. The upper and lower case treatment of the type spelling out the business name was liked by all; as was the movement implied by the text being italicized. There was positive feedback on the incorporation of an icon, making the identity unique and eye-catching. Those providing feedback did express concerns about the typeface being a bit more "high-techy" looking than desired and that, while the logo as designed appeared a bit more high-end and professional, it said little about the products and services offered by PavelComm.

As we were finalizing the logo design and selecting colors, Beverly Wells, a major player at PavelComm and Bonnie Pavel's sister, was able to articulate her concern about the design. She conveyed her feeling that the logo was not successful in projecting what made PavelComm different from other firms in the same industry. She told me that PavelComm was much more than a company simply providing office communication equipment and services. The "comm" portion of the business moniker also referred to the ability of PavalComm staff to truly listen to the needs of the customer base - and communicate technical information in terms the client was able to understand.

With a little "a ha," I literally went back to the drawing board. A "voice bubble" element was pulled from my original doodles and was incorporated into a skewed Palatino type treatment as a replacement for the "o" letterform (above). "Comm" now contained a visual element conveying the term communication.

The upscale graphic redesign of the PavelComm name still did not contain my desired historical reference to the longevity of Jim Pavel's original logo design. That was easily accomplished by making red the predominant color in the new identity.

The new logo was adopted by PavelComm as the worldwide economy took a dive in late 2008. Due to internal budget concerns, the corporate rebranding of the company is currently an ongoing process.

(Note: My book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)

Toot! Toot!*: New Freelance Show site initiates Interview Series with designer/author Jeff Fisher

2009-10-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, shares knowledge and experiences from his independent design career in an interview on the new Freelance Show blog. Fisher discusses the design career differences between now and three decades ago, the challenges of starting an independent design business, social networking as a marketing tool, and more.

The Freelance Show is a blog and podcast for graphic designers and web designers who want to start and grow a freelance business. From how to land your first client to how to determine pricing and collect payments, The Freelance Show will bring practical, real-world advice from 12-year veteran Creative Director and graphic design instructor, Neil Brown.

Fisher, a professional designer for over 30 years, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. He is currently writing the book LogoType, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 130 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. In January, Fisher was named one of design industry publication Graphic Design USA’s “People to Watch in 2009.” In 2008, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was recognized as one of the top 100 U.S. home-based businesses by the web presence StartupNation.

More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

Clickety-clacks along the LogoMotives tracks

2009-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

The month of September brought numerous mentions and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives out there online and in the blog-o-sphere:

• How Do Creative People Use Twitter? • By way of a LinkedIn discussion group, author Aliyah Marr asked how creative people made use of Twitter. Responses were presented on her Fresh Asylum blog. [09.29.09]

• Interview with Jeff Fisher LogoMotives' Jeff Fisher • The online print resource PsPrint interviewed me about me design career for their designer resource blog. [09.28.09]

• Self-Promotion the Social Way • My article, written for the October issue of HOW Magazine, is posted on the publication's web presence. More information is available on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blog-folio. [09.25.09]

• Episode 5 – Social Networking with Jeff Fisher • Thomas James, the force behind Escape from Illustration Island, interviewed me about using social networking as a marketing tool for the site's podcast. The interview was syndicated on the website Illustration Mundo. Read more about it on bLog-oMotives. [09.21.09]

• Put on Your Best Face: Designers Discuss Quality Typefaces • Brian Hoff, of The Design Cubicle, used Twitter to ask the question "If you could purchase one quality typeface what would it be and why?" My response was included in his blog entry. [09.15.09]

• Designing A Church Logo? Some Things to Remember • In his eGrace Creative blog entry, designer Brandon Cox was kind enough to include a link to some very nontraditional church logos I have created. [09.09.09]

• Book Contributors: Breaking Into Freelance Illustration • It's always great to be included in someone's book. I learned of being included in online pal Holly DeWolf's new volume, Breaking Into Freelance Illustration, through her blog post. In the book, my title of "Engineer of Creative Identity" and my tagline/mission statement are used as examples. [09.03.09]

• Jeff Fisher of Logomotives: Toot! Toot! (Part Two) • The second installment of my interview with Neenah Paper, for their "Against the Grain" blog, presented additional thoughts on social networking, the design work of those I admire, and more. The first part of the interview was posted on the blog in late August. [09.02.09]

Calls for entries: Upcoming graphic design competition and book submission deadlines

2009-10-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

All of the following competitions deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2010
(Tokyo Type Directors Club - Japan)
Deadline: 10 October 2009
No entry fees charged for overseas entries

Emerging Media Award
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: 12 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Graphic Design for Less: Cost-Cutting Solutions for Tight Budgets
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Do Good Fight Bad
(Do Good Fight Bad - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Design DNA: Logos
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline Extended: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

GDC 09 Awards (Graphic Design in China)
(SGDA - China)
Deadline for registration: 16 October 2009
Deadline for entries: 22 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Top 100 New Creatives
(CMYK Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 18 October 2009
Entry fees charged

REBRAND 100 Global Awards
(REBRAND - USA)
Late Deadline Extended: 21 October 2009
Entry fees charged

1000 Product Designs
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 22 October 2009
No entry fees charged

The Faces of Design Awards 2010
(Faces of Design - Germany)
Early-Bird Registration Deadline: 31 October 2009
Portfolio Submission Deadline: 15 December 2009
Entry fees charged

1000 More Greetings
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT Creativity + Commerce
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
Entry fees charged

Identity Essentials
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

Fingerprint 2 (PDF of CFE)
(HOW Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 5 November 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT in Motion
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
Entry fees charged

Basic Pack
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
No entry fees charged

D&AD Awards 2010
(D&AD - UK)
Early Deadline: 18 November 2009 (10% entry fee discount)
Final Deadline: 27 January 2010
Entry fees charged

The Best of Sports Marketing & Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 December 2009
No entry fees charged

The Best of Sin Design (Naughty Products. Great Advertising.)
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 1 December 2009
No entry fees charged

HOW Logo Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

HOW Poster Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Entry fees charged

2009 American Package Design Awards
(Graphic Design USA - USA)
Deadline: 10 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Selected A: Graphic Design From Europe
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 11 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Select I: Graphic Design Annual
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 11 December 2009
Entry fees charged

The Dieline Awards - Best in Package Design
(The Dieline - USA)
Deadline: 21 December 2009
Entry fees charged

My Own Business Card, Volume Two
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Just Sit! Chairs and Stools Design
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Illustration Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 11 January 2010
Entry fees chargedThe Big Book of Packaging
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 15 January 2010
No entry fees charged

Summit Creative Award
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline: 25 January 2010
Entry fees charged

Wolda '09
(Eulda Books - Italy)
Deadline: 31 January 2010 (logos designed in 2009)
Entry fees charged

LogoLounge 6
(LogoLounge - USA)
Deadline: 15 February 2010
LogoLounge membership required

HOW Promotion Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 5 March 2010
Late Deadline: 22 March 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Photography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 29 March 2010
Entry fees charged

Mail Me Art 2
(Mail Me Art - UK)
Deadline: 31 March 2010
No entry fees charged

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 April 2010
Late Deadline: 10 May 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Design Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Advertising Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 3
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2010
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 8 October 2010
Entry fees charged

Graphis Poster Annual 2011
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 30 November 2010
Entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

For the perspective from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

Jeff Fisher interview featured on PsPrint blog

2009-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

In another example of HARO (Help A Reporter Out) leading to a great promotion opportunity, my response to writer Brian Morris' request "Identity Graphic Designer wanted for Interview" evolved into a great interview on the PsPrint blog. The interview covered various aspects of my 30+ year design career, including marketing strategies, surviving career mistakes, dealing with the challenges of an economic downturn, and more.

PsPrint is a cutting-edge Internet printing company with a focus on delivering quality, affordability, and speed, by way of a simplified online ordering system. The PsPrint blog is a frequently updated resource for designers, freelancers and art directors. You'll find valuable tips on setting up print jobs, effective, low-cost printing solutions, and creative ways to improve your design and layout skills.

8 tips and tricks for professional andeffective 'Self-Promotion the Social Way'

2009-09-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

My article about social networking as a business marketing tool, "Self-Promotion the Social Way, was just published in the October 2009 issue of How Magazine. The piece has also been posted on the HOW website.

In addition to the posted content, suggestions from myself and contributors Justin Ahrens of the Geneva, IL firm Rule29, Nashville, TN children's illustrator Holli Conger and photographer Paul Kline from Washington, DC were used to create a list of eight "tips and tricks" for a sidebar to the print version of the article.

Here are some recommendations from the featured creative professionals currently using social networking as a self-promotion vehicle:

1. Create a well-defined basic social networking profile and maintain that profile consistency throughout all social networking sites. Include keywords in your profile (like "designer" or "writer") that your network is likely to search, so that new contacts can easily find you.

2. Maintain similar consistency in the photo or graphic image you choose for your avatar (the small photo or graphic associated wiht your profile that represents you online) - in effect, branding your social networking presence.

3. Be generous in social networking site posts and updates, promoting and supporting the work of others - rather than exclusively marketing your own efforts.

4. Ask your clients what networks they participate in, and join those. Cross-reference your client and promotion lists on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to maximize your targeted promotional efforts. Invite people on your list to join you on FaceBook, to become a fan of your business and follow you on Twitter - and do the same in return.

5. Don't over commit. Social networking can be time-consuming. Set aside a window of time at the beginning and end of your day for social media, so you're not sucked into Twitter every time someone in your network tweets.

6. Keep things professional. Make sure you don't communicate anything you wouldn't want your clients, prospects or potential employers to read.

7. Provide easy-to-find links to your website and blog in your social media profile, so friends and followers may research and contact you with little effort.

8. Look for a network the fits your personality and industry, with a good mix of customers, vendors and competitors. Once you identify the network you want to create, start making contacts.

You may want to check out the social networking resources of those associated with the HOW Magazine article. The links are as follows:

HOW Magazine: Twitter - @HOWbrand; Facebook - HOW Magazine

Justin Ahrens/Rule 29: Twitter - @rule29; Facebook - Rule29

Holli Conger: Twitter - @HOLLiCONGER; Facebook - Holli Conger and HOLLi CONGER Studios

Paul Kline: Twitter - @Ad_Photographer

Jeff Fisher: Twitter - @LogoMotives; Facebook - Jeff Fisher and Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Logodotes: 2 Boys in a Bed...

2009-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

[Over the 30+ years I've worked professionally as a designer, interesting side stories have come up about my identity designs. This is the first in an ongoing series of "Logodotes" - anecdotes about my logo designs.]

To be honest, a designer doesn't often find themselves in the position to create a logo with the subject matter of "2 Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winters' Night." I've always been lucky enough to have the opportunity to balance my corporate work with design efforts that are a bit more off-the-wall. "2 Boys in Bed..." was a play being presented by local avant garde theatre company triangle productions!

During almost two decades of designing work for the theatre client, producer Don Horn has always provided the scripts to the shows for which I was creating graphics. In this case the title of the play described the show fairly well. In a 1987 New York winter setting, at the height of the AIDS crisis, two gay men met in a bar, go back to the threadbare apartment of one and, after having sex, end up having a lengthy discussion.

With the design, I immediately wanted to create an eye-catching and simple graphic that would subtly convey the activities of the characters and the passage of time during the night. Within the windows of three graphic panels (above) the moon and star elements seemed to move, hinting at the time passing. My warped sense of humor had a great deal of fun positioning the feet in the bed to reflect a variety of possible sex acts taking place as the night progressed.

The graphic image, without accompanying type spelling out the name of the play, was printed on the front of a white T-shirt promoting, and sold at, the show. The logo, with type (below) was reproduced on the back of the shirt. Ticket and T-shirt shirt sales were very successful.

I have shelves of T-shirts. I'll often grab one and put it on without even paying attention to the printed graphics. Such was the case on the day I wore my "2 Boys in a Bed" tee to a local grocery store. I was still oblivious when I became aware of a woman walking directly my way.

As she got closer she said, "I love your T-shirt design - where can I get..."

It was then I saw a look of horror come over her face as she zeroed in on the positions of the feet in the beds of the graphic. With her face now bright red, she added, "Never mind," and walked away as fast as possible.

If the hope of a graphic designer is for their work to produce action, or a reaction, the "2 Boys in a Bed..." logo was certainly a success.

The identity has been featured in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), The New Big Book of Logos, Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Graphically Speaking, LogoLounge - Volume 1, and New Logo: One (Singapore). On my Logopond showcase the comments and critiques of the design even drifted to the question of whether two men could have sex in one of the positions shown. It also has the distinction of being included in the recent Graphic Design Blog post "40 Weird and Playful logos – A Double treat!"

Engineer of Creative Identity Jeff Fisher featured on Escape from Illustration Island podcast

2009-09-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Recently illustrator Thomas James visited my Portland home studio. James, the host of the site Escape From Illustration Island, came to interview me for his site's podcast after reading my article "Self-Promotion the Social Way" in the October issue of the design industry publication HOW magazine. The result is "Escape from Illustration Island Podcast 5 - Social Networking with Jeff Fisher."

James felt that visitors to his site would find my take on using social networking as a marketing tool useful in promoting illustration efforts. He developed Escape From Illustration Island as a centralized site for illustration resources he continues to find to find on the Internet, such as podcasts, video tutorials, illustration news blogs, and more.

The podcast is also syndicated on the site Illustrationmundo.com.

Toot! Toot!*: Designer/author Jeff Fisher pens social networking article for October HOW Magazine

2009-09-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

The article "Self-Promotion the Social Way," by designer and author Jeff Fisher, has been published in the October issue of the design industry publication HOW magazine. Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, shares his experiences in using social networking and social media tools to market his graphic design, writing and speaking efforts. He, and several contributors, also offer advice to others in making use of social networking sites in creative promotion.

The identity designer uses Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a variety of other online resources to give his home-based studio, published books and public appearances a worldwide presence. Adding their thoughts to the social networking piece were Justin Ahrens of the Geneva, IL firm Rule29, Nashville, TN children's illustrator Holli Conger and photographer Paul Kline from Washington, DC.

"Self-Promotion the Social Way" has been posted on the HOW Magazine website. HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic-design professionals. The magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design. Founded in 1985, the HOW brand now extends beyond the print magazine to annual events for design professionals, yearly design competitions, digital products and books. The magazine is published in Cincinnati by F&W Media.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. He is currently writing the book LogoType, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.

More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

'Identity Crisis!' recommended on list of'Logo Design Books for the Creative Designer'

2009-09-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Wisconsin graphic designer Paul Her for including my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, on his list of "Logo Design Books for the Creative Designer." The resource recommends a great variety in the 10 international volumes providing offerings showcasing symbolism in designs, logo design case studies, historical perspectives, branding, identity tutorials and more.

Making a logo design concept your own - Part 3

2009-09-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous bLog-oMotives entries on "making a logo design concept your own" (now combined on my Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio), the process of creating truly unique identities involves so much more than just slapping a graphic, or icon, up next to a block of text or a word. With the vast majority of my logo designs I try to envision a graphic element, appropriate to the message to be conveyed in the design, as a possible letterform representation within the name. Combining the two often results in an incredibly individual and memorable symbol to identify the client.

Following my attendance at Clown School in the spring of 2009, and a great experience as part of the Amtrak Cascades Character Clown Corps for the Portland Rose Festival, my clown pal Pippa (aka educator Debra Samuel) suggested that those interested in clowning around a bit more participate in the 2009 Portland Pride Parade. As the event was not an official Rose Festival event we would need to march under a new clown troupe moniker. Pippa came up with the name "Stumptown Clowns."

The typeface Blue Plate Special, from Nick's Fonts, gave the design the circus/carnival quality I desired.

The Sentinel is not your ordinary neighborhood newspaper, and publisher Cornelius Swart did not want your everyday newspaper identity when it came time to rebrand the publication. Swart and his staff narrowed my initial type selection presentations to Boca Raton Solid and Rockwell Extra Bold treatments. They liked the "sexiness" of Boca Raton, but thought it might be a little too "magazine-like." Those providing input felt that Rockwell conveyed the "seriousness" needed for a newspaper, but the uppercase "S" letterform was too heavy, "clunky" and distracting. I was asked to finesse - or change - the "S" in the Rockwell treatment, to tweak the eye imagery, and play with "i" letterform a bit to make it possibly more lighthouse or "sentinel-like."

In literally going back to the drawing table, I worked on the "S" element for quite some time. I kept returning to the fact that everyone involved liked the "S" letterform from the Boca Raton font a great deal. In what was a bit of an "a-ha" moment I simply took the "S" from Boca Raton and dropped it in front of the Rockwell treatment of the remaining letters in the word "Sentinel." It seemed to work beautifully - and the newspaper crew agreed.

With a little finessing of the implied lighthouse image, and it's "every vigilant" eye, the paper had a strong and unique identity.

When approached by the publishing business Buttonberry Books to create a fun identity, I took the challenge literally. As is often the case, I immediately saw the visuals of a berry and buttons taking shape as graphic elements within the design to represent the company. The type Carnation, from Fonthead Designs, added the element of playfulness.

The Buttonberry Books identity appears in the books New Logo World (Japan), Logo Design for Small Business 2, and Logos from North to South America (Spain).

The Central Oregon town of Sisters, where my family's had a home for over 30 years, has hosted the annual Sisters Rodeo for over over six decades. It was an honor to be asked to design the event's first official logo for the 60th anniversary and I wanted to create an image that could be perceived as possibly being the identity since the 1940's.

From the beginning of the project I had no doubt the symbol representing this live-action piece of Western Americana would end up being red, white and blue in color. The flags, banners, music and patriotism associated with the rodeo immediately dictated that color palette. I also knew that I wanted a cowboy on a bucking bronco, or bull, as the primary element. Having seen many a cowboy hat fly through the air at previous rodeos, I felt graphically representing the hat would add a little implied movement - and my own little brand of humor - to the logo. The cowboy graphic fit well into the "O" of an original concept scribble, and the airborne cowboy hat became the dot of the "i" letterform in the word "Sisters," as the symbol almost designed itself.

Horndon gave the image the typographic period feel I was seeking. Customizing type elements, around the "O" shape and on the descender of the "R," added to making a one-of-a-kind logo.

This identity was included when the Sisters Rodeo was inducted into the Library of Congress “Local Legacies" archive. The rodeo logo received an Award of Merit in the Central Oregon Drake Awards and a Silver in the Summit Creative Awards. It also is featured in The Big Book of Logos 3, LogoLounge - Volume 1 and Design for Special Events.

HOW Magazine launches Logo Design Awards; identity designer/author Jeff Fisher to judge

2009-09-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

HOW Magazine; the leading creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers; has launched the new HOW Logo Design Awards competition, with a submissions deadline of December 1, 2009. Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will be the judge for the competition.

All entries must have been produced between July 1, 2008 and December 1, 2009. There are no specific categories for designs to be submitted and work entered may have been created for real world clients, as student class assignments or just for fun. The fee for each entry is $30. Submissions are to be made online through the HOW Logo Design Awards website.

The 10 winners will be featured on the HOW website, get $150 worth of HOW books and receive a 1 year subscription to HOW magazine. In addition, a graphic will be provided for posting on websites, blogs and/or online portfolios announcing a winners' status.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career and Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. He is currently writing the book LogoType, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 100 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. In recent years, Fisher has judged numerous competitions, including American Advertising & Design 25, the Logopond Awards, The Create Awards, and the Summit Creative Awards.

LogoMotives Design Tracks: Black & White - Part 2

2009-09-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

A variety of themes may be found in the identity work of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. One is black and white imagery.

As I mentioned in LogoMotive Design Tracks: Black & White - Part 1, I will not proceed with adding color to a logo design until a client has approved the one-color final concept. For me, it defines the design in its simplest form - and the client who is convinced they will never need their logo in black and white will most certainly have that requirement in the future. I appreciate that a mention of Part 1 was recently posted on CreativePro.com.

From my archive of past logo designs there are many creations that were created in only black and white. Below are some additional identities that continue to be presented in only black and white.

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Client: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Location: Portland, OR USA

Being my own worst client, creating my own logo was a ten-year evolution. Color was never even a consideration throughout the process. My identity was always going to be in black and white. The identity is featured in Letterhead and Logo Design 5, American Corporate Identity/14, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), the 1998 PRINT Regional Design Annual, The New Big Book of Logos, PRINT’s Best Logos & Symbols 6, Logo Design for Small Business 2, The Big Book of Business Cards, Logos from North to South America (Spain), New Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan), and The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success.

Neighborhood Service Center
Client: City of Portland, Office of Neighborhood Involvement
Location: Portland, OR USA

Designed for the City of Portland, the Neighborhood Service Center identity was always going to be used as a one-color image, especially for simple, easy-to-read street signage. It received the Gold in the Summit International Creative Awards, and appears in The Big Book of Logos 5 and 100's Visual Logos and Letterheads.

Beirut
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

Beirut was a dark late-1980's theatrical production about HIV-positive individuals being quarantined in the Lower East Side of New York City. All promotional materials for the play, and its program, were being printed in black and white. This design is one of nearly 100 I have designed for one theatre company over the last 20 years. Honored with a Bronze Summit Creative Award, this logo is featured in The New Big Book of Logos and Logo World (Japan).

Jeff Maul
Client: Jeff Maul
Location: Portland, OR USA

The guy who cut my hair wanted a simple, one-color graphic representation of his name to promote his work. The design appears in International Logos & Trademarks III, the 1996 PRINT Regional Design Annual, Letterhead and Logo Design 5, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), Bullet-Proof Logos, The Best in World Trademarks 1- Corporate Identity (Korea), LogoLounge - Volume 1, The Best of Letterhead and Logo Design, Logo Design for Small Business 2, and New Logo: One (Singapore). (Read more about this logo project)

Al Bauer Advertising
Client: Al Bauer Advertising
Location: Portland, OR USA

Initially this client considered using a process color image of an abstract painting for his business identity - until he investigated the printing costs associated with the implementation of the design. In 1981, I was commissioned to create an abstract logo for the firm. The owner immediately liked this image; saying that it was a great graphic representation of the advertising profession - just when you think all things are going alone fine, one element of any given project will be out of whack. A couple weeks later he called; just realizing that the design was actually very abstract lower-case "a" and "b" letterforms. When not being printed in one-color, the image was also blind embossed on white paper stock.

WordWright
Client: WordWright
Location: Portland, OR/Seattle WA USA

There was never any intention that this identity for a technical, business and grant writer would be anything but a one-color design. The image appears, in its various forms, in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), Logo and Trademark Collection (Japan), Print's Regional Design Annual, the Japanese book Logo World, Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Logo Design for Small Business 2, The Big Book of Logos 3, and the Spanish book Logos: From North to South America. (Read more about this logo project)

"Critters" is another LogoMotives Design Track for your review.

Note: Many of the books mentioned in this post may be found at the LogoMotives Design Depot Bookstore.

Clickety-clacks along the LogoMotives tracks

2009-09-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

During the month of August, quite a few mentions and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives showed up in the blog-o-sphere:

• Freelancing Finesse • The annual Creative Freelancer Conference recently was held in San Diego. The article "Freelancing Finesse," from The Creative Group was recently posted as a resource for attendees. The piece includes some business advice from yours truly. [08.09]

• My Top Ten People to Follow on Twitter • I appreciate the compliment conveyed by designer Robb Clarke in selecting his top tweeters to follow. [08.30.09]

• Jeff Fisher of Logomotives: Toot! Toot! (Part 1) • A long-time favorite supplier, Neenah Paper, recently interviewed me - about my work, social networking, design inspirations and creating a work-life balance - for their "Against The Grain" blog. Part two of the discussion was actually posted in earlier September - here's the link. [08.27.09]

• "Experience Matters" • It was nice to see my face pop into view in the YouTube video from the folks at the Summit International Awards as they celebrate 15 years of the Summit Creative Awards. [08.22.09]

• A Study in Black and White Logos: Designer Jeff Fisher shares some of his past mono-color logo work. • A great deal of Internet traffic came my way due to CreativePro.com posting a mention about a bLog-oMotive post regarding my one-color identity design efforts. [08.13.09]

• 5 Logos Extraños Que Tuvieron Éxito • A Google alert brought to my attention the fact the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity had been featured on the Marcas y Simbolos blog. Loosely translated, it's not bad to have my logo considered "intense and perfect." [08.11.09]

• Quickies: Ten Readable Branding Books • From Fuel Your Branding came a blog post listing my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, one of the 10 most readable books on the topic of branding - along with volumes by Alina Wheeler, Marty Neumeier, Seth Godin and others. [08.10.09]

• 40 Weird and Playful logos – A Double treat! • On the Graphic Design Blog, Charles B Johnson categorizes my "Two Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter's Night logo as "weird" and my concept for the C.A.T. identity as "playful." (shown above) [08.05.09]

Neenah Paper "toots" about identity designer and author Jeff Fisher on "Against The Grain" blog

2009-09-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Neenah Paper products my entire 30+ year career, especially when I've needed quality stock for stationery packages designed for my varied clientele. However, I didn't have a personal relationship with the company until we started following each other on Twitter. (You'll find Neenah at @NeenahPaper and my ID is @LogoMotives) We really began to interact on Twitter while I was at the HOW Design Conference in Austin this past June. Since then we've had kind of an online "mutual admiration society."

A couple months ago, the offical Neenah "tweeter" (Jamie Saunders, Public Relations for Fine Paper) suggested that I be interviewed for the company's blog presence, Against The Grain. When interviewed, I was asked about social networking, my personal and career history, those in the design industry whose work I admire, creating a work life balance and more.

Part one of of Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives: Toot! Toot! went live last week. Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives: Toot! Toot!, Part 2 was posted earlier this week.

Making use of social networking led to this great promotion opportunity for my business - and I've used Twitter, Facebook, my Facebook fan page and other such methods to announce the fact. Neenah Paper, a company that certainly understands the value of social networking as a marketing and education tool, has done the same through their own Twitter and Facebook presences.

Thanks Neenah! See you in the cyber-sphere. Tweet! Tweet!

Calls for entries: Upcoming graphic design competition and book submission deadlines

2009-09-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Mail Me Art 2
(Mail Me Art - UK)
Deadline: TBD
No entry fees charged

The Vector Brush Sourcebook
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline Extended: 4 September 2009
No entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 September 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Best of Brochure Design 11
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 September 2009
No entry fees charged

The Mini Book of Great Logos
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 22 September 2009
No entry fees charged

The New Big Book of Layouts
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 23 September 2009
No entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 2
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2009
No entry fees charged

Design DNA: Logos
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 1 October 2009
No entry fees charged

REBRAND 100 Global Awards
(REBRAND - USA)
Late Deadline: 7 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 9 October 2009
Entry fees charged

1000 Product Designs
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 9 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2010
(Tokyo Type Directors Club - Japan)
Deadline: 10 October 2009
No entry fees charged for overseas entries

Graphic Design for Less: Cost-Cutting Solutions for Tight Budgets
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Do Good Fight Bad
(Do Good Fight Bad - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Fingerprint 2 (PDF of CFE)
(HOW Books - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Top 100 New Creatives
(CMYK Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 18 October 2009
Entry fees charged

The Best of Sports Marketing & Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 31 October 2009
No entry fees charged

The Best of Sin Design (Naughty Products. Great Advertising.)
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

1000 More Greetings
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT Creativity + Commerce
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
Entry fees charged

PRINT in Motion
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
Entry fees charged

Basic Pack
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
No entry fees charged

HOW Logo Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

HOW Poster Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Selected: Graphic Design From Europe
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 10 December 2009
Entry fees charged

My Own Business Card, Volume Two
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Just Sit! Chairs and Stools Design
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Illustration Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 11 January 2010
Entry fees charged

Wolda '09
(Eulda Books - Italy)
Deadline: 31 January 2010 (logos designed in 2009)
Entry fees charged

HOW Promotion Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 5 March 2010
Late Deadline: 22 March 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Photography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 29 March 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 April 2010
Late Deadline: 10 May 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Design Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Advertising Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 3
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2010
No entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

For the perspective from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

Nine recently released books from friends, acquaintances and "imaginary" online pals

2009-08-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Referring to myself as an author still feels a bit odd at times. From an early age, it is something that I wanted to be "when I grew up." Well, I don't know if I've grown up but, with the publication of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career (HOW Books, 2004); the 2007 release of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands (HOW Books); currently writing Logo Type for a 2010 HOW Books release; and discussions about future books, I guess I have become an author.

Anyone surviving the process understands the accomplishment of writing a book - and actually getting the thing published. In the last few months at least nine "creative type" friends, acquaintances and "imaginary" online pals have released design-related books. I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge their efforts and the end results.

The other day I came across Graphic Design for Nondesigners: Essential Knowledge, Tips, and Tricks, Plus 20 Step-by-Step Projects for the Design Novice, by Tony Seddon and Jane Waterhouse. The book is an incredible resource for anyone needing a basic understanding of graphic design. It would be a great gift for a student considering a design career. I first met Seddon at a HOW Design Conference, where he was attending in his capacity as art director for UK publisher Rotovision. Hopefully our discussions about possibly doing a book together will result in a future volume.

I can't remember when I first met Seattle-based designer Terry Marks. I've been a long-time fan of the work of his firm, TMARKS. His book Good Design: Deconstructing Form and Function and What Makes Good Design Work, written with Matthew Porter, features interviews with numerous designers presenting their definitions of "good design." There's plenty of "eye candy" in this offering from Rockport Publishers.

Illustrator Holly DeWolf is among what some refer to as my "imaginary friends." We're online pals from design forums, Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. DeWolf's book, Breaking Into Freelance Illustration: A Guide for Artists, Designers and Illustrators, has just been released by HOW Books. It's a step-by-step guide to assist illustrators in creating and promoting an independent business.

I recently just missed a "real world" Austin introduction to another "imaginary friend" - designer, artist, craftsperson and writer Patricia Zapata. Zapata's book, Home, Paper, Scissors: Decorative Paper Accessories for the Home, provides beautiful inspiration to anyone enjoying the creation of art from paper. Check out A Little Hut for a peak at the incredible artwork. I'm thrilled to have a piece of her original art awaiting display in my soon-to-be redecorated bedroom.

Steve Gordon, Jr. is absolutely RDQLUS! One of the nearly infamous HOW Conference "Speakers Gone Wild" gang, Gordon - owner of RDQLUS Creative - was initially another of my online "imaginary friends." Today he is one of my favorite design industry pals. Rockport Publisher released his book, 100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers: Insider Secrets for Working Smart & Staying Creative, earlier this year. The book focuses on the daily habits that inspire designers to stay creative and business strategies to be successful when working on your own.

Caffeine for the Creative Team: 200 Exercises to Inspire Group Innovation is the follow-up volume to the HOW Books release Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain. The new volume offers exercises, tools and related experiences to help creative teams get the most out of their efforts. Authors Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield have become friends over the years through time spent together at HOW Design Conferences.

I first met designer and educator Peg Faimon years ago when we were on the "Designers in Handcuffs" panel at the New Orleans HOW Design Conference. We've kept in touch over the years - and that resulted in her using me as a resource (more about that it a future bLog-oMotives entry) for her book, The Designer's Guide to Business and Careers: How to Succeed on the Job or on Your Own. The book is a "must have" resource for assisting designers in mapping out a successful career.

Tamye Riggs is another online "friend" that I've never met. We have an Oregon connection, a common passion for typography, and often bump into each other on Typophile, Twitter and Facebook. Riggs' new book, Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design, is a type lover's wet dream. Read more about this book in a recent bLog-oMotives "Toot! Toot!"

Illustrator, designer and speaker extraordinaire Von Glitschka lives less than an hour from my Portland home studio. However, we were online forum acquaintances long before we met in person at a HOW Design Conference in Chicago. Glitschka spent over a year creating the patterns in his book, Drip Dot Swirl: 94 Incredible Patterns for Design and illustration. The book is an excellent follow-up to his first texture volume, Crumble Crackle Burn

Any titles from this incredible assortment of books - written a collection of my friends, acquaintances and "imaginary" online pals - would be great additions to your own design library.

"Playing in the dirt" as a favorite therapy

2009-08-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

With my somewhat crazed schedule of client project work, speaking engagements, writing my third book and other activities, some form of "therapy" is a necessity. Luckily, my garden is just outside the door of my home-based studio. Gardening has increasingly become my passion and greatest form of relaxation. "Playing in the dirt" has often led to surprising creative "brain farts," almost subconsciously solving the design challenges of some client needs.

With the gardening has come an increased interest in the photographing of the beautiful results. Some have even suggested I consider doing a book of garden photographs at some point in the future. A Flickr gallery of images exhibits the success of my gardening efforts this year.