Doodler Studio

How much does a logo cost and what's it's worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 11:57:00 -0800

Planning your logo project and budget

Every logo is different, which makes it impossible to give a flat price for any particular design. This being the case, all graphic designers and creative agencies use different methods to determine the cost for developing a logo.

Our experience over the decades has shown us that many designers out there as well as clients are somewhat confused about the whole logo issue.

And so, before we go into detail about logo's, what it takes to create one and how they are priced we must first investigate what a logo is, what branding is and what is identity.

What is brand? – The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.

What is identity? – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.

What is a logo? – A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.

What is branding?

Branding is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic, however to put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience.

You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’. Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe some music added in too.

The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a 'corporate image' is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the value and aims of the business.

What is identity design?

One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity.

In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:

•   A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)

•   Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)

•   Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)

•   Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)

•   Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)

•   Signage (Interior & exterior design)

•   Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)

•   Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)

•   Anything visual that represents the business.

All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.

What is a logo?

To understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.

A logo is for… identification.

A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.

To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.

It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.

The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.

Summary:

Brand –The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole. Identity – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand. Logo – Identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon

How do we price a logo?

Now we have a clearer understanding of what a logo is and how important it is within the whole brand identity mix the next step is to gain clarification on how logo design is priced.

You might think its just a couple of minutes for a designer on a mac slapping a symbol together and there you are but there's a lot more to it than that.

How much does a logo actually cost? In our experience, this is the most frequently asked question and sometimes the hardest to answer. This is because every company is different and has different needs... The cost of the service is usually quite evident of what you are going to receive. In most cases, you will get what you pay for.

When looking for a good logo designer, you want to be looking for, among other things, experience. You want to check if they have a logo design process in which they follow or are they simply producing logos like fast food? A typical logo dos not take under 24 hours to complete, which is why its best to avoid design contests and logo factories, etc.

Think how long you intend to use your logo for - would you want it to be designed (let alone researched) in under 24 hours? Logo design is not a fast food store and that is why logo design does not cost £10.00.

I feel the price of a logo should be based on three main criteria:

1. Experience of the logo designer/agency.

2. Size & budget of the company using the logo.

3. Scope and reach of the companies market.

Cheap logo design

They’re all over the Internet – logo designs under £150! I’ve seen £99 logo designs, £75 logo designs, £49 logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of prices for logo design on the Internet.

Be careful of paying for cheap logo designs, some suspect designers may be using clip art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art cannot legally be copyrighted because any other company in the world could use the same piece of clip art as part of their mark. Be sure and check out a designers portfolio. At £49 each, do their logos all look the same? Do 80% of them have block lettering and a swoosh?

How much is a logo really worth?

How much is a logo design really worth? Ask Coca-Cola, Polo, Nike, The Hard Rock Cafe, Hallmark or any other company that relies on their logo as their number one spokesman. Not every company is as large as these but every company should have a logo that is easy to identify and stands for the integrity of that business.

A logo design is more valuable to a company than a single spot illustration. An illustration is normally used once or used for a limited campaign, whereas a logo is used for years and is placed on business cards, letterheads, envelopes, web sites, vehicles, buildings and products. Do you see the difference in value to a company? A logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes the company’s identity and has added value.

With that said, shouldn’t a logo be worth more than just the time involved in creating it? Professional graphic design rates average anywhere from £30 to £95 per hour. If you see a logo design priced at £225 and that designer charges £50 per hour for design work, do you assume that they spent 4.5 hours on your logo? That price would include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So how much time was actually spent creating your logo?

A logo is much more valuable to a company than a standard illustration so the price should reflect the added value. Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create a top notch illustration for under £150 let alone a creative, well designed logo. So beware of logos priced under £150, you may get what you pay for.

A professional graphic designer would have a tough time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos below £200.

So you want a quote now?

You might think a designer is stalling by not sending an immediate quote, as if the designer wants to figure out how much he can get away with charging. But the designer is by no means guaranteed the business, so it makes more sense to offer a quote as soon as possible.

The thing is, no project is the same and every client differs. A designer can't give an accurate quote until a design brief is in place, and that doesn't happen until after a discussion and some thorough questioning.

The basic pricing formula doesn't even come close to explaining the complexity of cost.

A design process that ends with a particularly great logo is a long one (and certainly costs more than £50). The process might look something like this:

•   Design Brief & Discussion: The designer has a meeting with, talks to and interviews the client to help flesh out the project design brief.

•   Research: The graphic designer begins to research the client’s company, their competitors and the industry that they’re part of. During this section of the process, existing and successful logos in the client’s industry will also be researched.

•   Sketches & Concepts: The designer then begins to sketch out ideas and concepts for the logo. These are then shown to the client.

•   Mockups: The approved concept(s) are taken and developed into something more solid for reflection.

•   Reflection: The mockups are put aside for several days and then revisited once the mind is clear and the ideas have matured a little. This allows for extra focus and highlights things that weren’t apparent before.

•   Presentation: After the reflection, the final logo is completed alongside any other parts of the project. Once the final instalment is paid, the required logo files are handed over to the client.

•   Breath a Sigh of Relief: Then the designer grabs a beer and enjoys the nice rewarding feeling that comes with signing off a project that you’re proud of.

So how much does a professional logo design cost?

There is no set figure. It’s hard to give an estimate without a detailed brief. Everybody charges something different. But, I’m not a total cop out and I don’t want you to go away from this article without having even a rough idea of what sort of pricing to expect.

If you were to come to the Doodler Studio and ask for a quote for a single logo design, you’d get a reply telling you that we advise our clients to invest a minimum of £300 to £500 but ideally £750 to £1000+ into their logo design and brand identity. We won’t work on a logo design for any less than that. And no, your cat’s owner’s brother’s daughter’s mother couldn’t do it for cheaper and better, because they’re not a professional graphic designer!

Don’t forget that these are ball park figures but they should give you an idea about what you should be looking to invest if you’re serious about getting your venture off to the best start.

“We always advise a client that their logo is a crucial part of their business and should be treated as such. As a rule of thumb we would always advise someone have a minimum budget of £400 but in an ideal world something in the region of £1,000+ is a safer option to ensure that enough time can be spent on the logo that they can be confident it will be something they will be happy with.”

Remember, your logo is an investment. It's something that will become the core identity of your business for may years to come. You are making an investment in a design that will be used far-and-wide for many, many years to come.

You are paying a designer or group of designers who have worked through years of college and university education to learn their craft, then years and years of industry experience of blood,sweat and tears, refining their craft working on project for companies of all sizes to produce well thought out, well executed designs that only a seasoned, skilled professional can produce.That is what you are paying for. So whether the winning design was created on a napkin in a matter of minutes or from hours of research and concepting in the studio, you are still investing in that experience to produce the standard bearer that your company will use for many years to come.

If you are an agency looking to resell our services then we can discuss trade prices for a steady workflow of projects. Your prices will be reflected by the volume of work provided over a given time period. Contact us for details

Seasons Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 06:09:00 -0800

Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

How much does a logo cost and what's it's worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 5 Nov 2014 03:12:00 -0800

Planning your logo project and budget

Every logo is different, which makes it impossible to give a flat price for any particular design. This being the case, all graphic designers and creative agencies use different methods to determine the cost for developing a logo.

Our experience over the decades has shown us that many designers out there as well as clients are somewhat confused about the whole logo issue.

And so, before we go into detail about logo's, what it takes to create one and how they are priced we must first investigate what a logo is, what branding is and what is identity.

What is brand? – The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.

What is identity? – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.

What is a logo? – A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.

What is branding?

Branding is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic, however to put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience.

You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’. Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe some music added in too.

The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a 'corporate image' is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the value and aims of the business.

What is identity design?

One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity.

In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:

•   A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)

•   Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)

•   Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)

•   Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)

•   Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)

•   Signage (Interior & exterior design)

•   Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)

•   Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)

•   Anything visual that represents the business.

All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.

What is a logo?

To understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.

A logo is for… identification.

A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.

To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.

It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.

The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.

Summary:

Brand –The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole. Identity – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand. Logo – Identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon

How do we price a logo?

Now we have a clearer understanding of what a logo is and how important it is within the whole brand identity mix the next step is to gain clarification on how logo design is priced.

You might think its just a couple of minutes for a designer on a mac slapping a symbol together and there you are but there's a lot more to it than that.

How much does a logo actually cost? In our experience, this is the most frequently asked question and sometimes the hardest to answer. This is because every company is different and has different needs... The cost of the service is usually quite evident of what you are going to receive. In most cases, you will get what you pay for.

When looking for a good logo designer, you want to be looking for, among other things, experience. You want to check if they have a logo design process in which they follow or are they simply producing logos like fast food? A typical logo dos not take under 24 hours to complete, which is why its best to avoid design contests and logo factories, etc.

Think how long you intend to use your logo for - would you want it to be designed (let alone researched) in under 24 hours? Logo design is not a fast food store and that is why logo design does not cost £10.00.

I feel the price of a logo should be based on three main criteria:

1. Experience of the logo designer/agency.

2. Size & budget of the company using the logo.

3. Scope and reach of the companies market.

Cheap logo design

They’re all over the Internet – logo designs under £150! I’ve seen £99 logo designs, £75 logo designs, £49 logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of prices for logo design on the Internet.

Be careful of paying for cheap logo designs, some suspect designers may be using clip art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art cannot legally be copyrighted because any other company in the world could use the same piece of clip art as part of their mark. Be sure and check out a designers portfolio. At £49 each, do their logos all look the same? Do 80% of them have block lettering and a swoosh?

How much is a logo really worth?

How much is a logo design really worth? Ask Coca-Cola, Polo, Nike, The Hard Rock Cafe, Hallmark or any other company that relies on their logo as their number one spokesman. Not every company is as large as these but every company should have a logo that is easy to identify and stands for the integrity of that business.

A logo design is more valuable to a company than a single spot illustration. An illustration is normally used once or used for a limited campaign, whereas a logo is used for years and is placed on business cards, letterheads, envelopes, web sites, vehicles, buildings and products. Do you see the difference in value to a company? A logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes the company’s identity and has added value.

With that said, shouldn’t a logo be worth more than just the time involved in creating it? Professional graphic design rates average anywhere from £30 to £95 per hour. If you see a logo design priced at £225 and that designer charges £50 per hour for design work, do you assume that they spent 4.5 hours on your logo? That price would include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So how much time was actually spent creating your logo?

A logo is much more valuable to a company than a standard illustration so the price should reflect the added value. Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create a top notch illustration for under £150 let alone a creative, well designed logo. So beware of logos priced under £150, you may get what you pay for.

A professional graphic designer would have a tough time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos below £200.

So you want a quote now?

You might think a designer is stalling by not sending an immediate quote, as if the designer wants to figure out how much he can get away with charging. But the designer is by no means guaranteed the business, so it makes more sense to offer a quote as soon as possible.

The thing is, no project is the same and every client differs. A designer can't give an accurate quote until a design brief is in place, and that doesn't happen until after a discussion and some thorough questioning.

The basic pricing formula doesn't even come close to explaining the complexity of cost.

A design process that ends with a particularly great logo is a long one (and certainly costs more than £50). The process might look something like this:

•   Design Brief & Discussion: The designer has a meeting with, talks to and interviews the client to help flesh out the project design brief.

•   Research: The graphic designer begins to research the client’s company, their competitors and the industry that they’re part of. During this section of the process, existing and successful logos in the client’s industry will also be researched.

•   Sketches & Concepts: The designer then begins to sketch out ideas and concepts for the logo. These are then shown to the client.

•   Mockups: The approved concept(s) are taken and developed into something more solid for reflection.

•   Reflection: The mockups are put aside for several days and then revisited once the mind is clear and the ideas have matured a little. This allows for extra focus and highlights things that weren’t apparent before.

•   Presentation: After the reflection, the final logo is completed alongside any other parts of the project. Once the final instalment is paid, the required logo files are handed over to the client.

•   Breath a Sigh of Relief: Then the designer grabs a beer and enjoys the nice rewarding feeling that comes with signing off a project that you’re proud of.

So how much does a professional logo design cost?

There is no set figure. It’s hard to give an estimate without a detailed brief. Everybody charges something different. But, I’m not a total cop out and I don’t want you to go away from this article without having even a rough idea of what sort of pricing to expect.

If you were to come to the Doodler Studio and ask for a quote for a single logo design, you’d get a reply telling you that we advise our clients to invest a minimum of £300 to £500 but ideally £750 to £1000+ into their logo design and brand identity. We won’t work on a logo design for any less than that. And no, your cat’s owner’s brother’s daughter’s mother couldn’t do it for cheaper and better, because they’re not a professional graphic designer!

Don’t forget that these are ball park figures but they should give you an idea about what you should be looking to invest if you’re serious about getting your venture off to the best start.

“We always advise a client that their logo is a crucial part of their business and should be treated as such. As a rule of thumb we would always advise someone have a minimum budget of £400 but in an ideal world something in the region of £1,000+ is a safer option to ensure that enough time can be spent on the logo that they can be confident it will be something they will be happy with.”

Remember, your logo is an investment. It's something that will become the core identity of your business for may years to come. You are making an investment in a design that will be used far-and-wide for many, many years to come.

You are paying a designer or group of designers who have worked through years of college and university education to learn their craft, then years and years of industry experience of blood,sweat and tears, refining their craft working on project for companies of all sizes to produce well thought out, well executed designs that only a seasoned, skilled professional can produce.That is what you are paying for. So whether the winning design was created on a napkin in a matter of minutes or from hours of research and concepting in the studio, you are still investing in that experience to produce the standard bearer that your company will use for many years to come.

If you are an agency looking to resell our services then we can discuss trade prices for a steady workflow of projects. Your prices will be reflected by the volume of work provided over a given time period. Contact us for details.

Video scribing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 05:10:00 -0700

Another busy week video scribing... Lots of storyboard and video shooting...

This is a shot during filming for Translate.com a fantastic new app where you can talk and get translations in real time. That's right, real Star Trek stuff....

Something I thought of a long time ago but these guys had actually managed to make it work...

Will Post the completed video soon.

Video scribing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 2 Oct 2014 13:52:00 -0700

Completing some exciting new video scribes today.

Here's some shots from the newly completed video for translate.com a great new app that translates as you speak.

And what's best is its totally free.

Will post the video soon

Bendgate

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 2 Oct 2014 03:00:00 -0700

Apple has been the subject ridicule this month following the release of its new 'flexible' iPhone 6 Plus.

Over the last 24 hours, #BentGate, #BendGate, and #BendGhazi have been trending on Twitter.

The social media storm is surrounding claims that Apple’s latest handsets change shape when placed in the pocket of a tight pair of jeans. And while Apple has remained silent on the issue, I have decided to add my own bit of humour to the subject....

Don't get me wrong, I'm an avid Apple fan. I'm writing this article on my Macbook Pro while my iPhone pings away beside me with emails and notifications. I've been holding out on my upgrade to see how the new iPhone will turn out.
Suffice to say I will be waiting for the 6.2 version with sturdy frame. No, I will not go with a copycat competitor, but it does raise sobered flags about the company since the sad loss of Steve Jobs.

What've we had recently from them? Well, a bendable new device. A software upgrade that rendered the new device useless, oh, and an encryption that not even Apple can access so now any pedophile or terrorist can use the new phone and the authorities can't hack the phone records... What are Apple thinking. My beloved tech-company is showing some serious post-Jobs issues. Let's hope they get it together real quick and sort things out because I for one can't contemplate going to another manufacturer.....

In, the meantime i'll hold on to my 4s, contemplate the 5s and await an answer from Apple on their remedy for the 6. I'm sure Dali would have had some interesting thoughts on the matter though. It may have even featured in a new painting... One can only wonder...

New video scribe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:15:00 -0700

Been working on many projects today but more notably this afternoon was spent filming a new Whiteboard Video Scribe...

We can produce these for you for amazingly competitive rates within 30 days, complete with backing music and professional voice over.

While you may know that video has great success when it comes to Google rankings, a Video Scribe proves to give a phenomenal conversion rate while ensuring people are engaged from the first to the last second. Not to mention a higher probability of being shared.

How would your bottom line look with a 800% Conversion Rate?

Who's this successful guy?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:05:00 -0700

Working on a new video scribe and created this caricature...

Yes we are back - Yay!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:29:00 -0700

Sorry for the long absence but problems with Google led to multiple accounts confusing log in and well, a lot of hassle...

But it's sorted and we are back online, back to publishing and back to you....

We have so much to discuss that we will be busy posting over the next few weeks to catch up. From our evaluation of an amazing new device called BeltLock to our involvement in DoodleWild andthe CrowdFund campaign to launch the me business and so much more...

Stay tuned and see you soon

Every Human has a Pantone Colour, and Angelica Dass is Finding All of Them

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 04:30:00 -0700

Black and white? We know humanity is far more diverse than that. Brazilian photographer Angelica Dass’ ongoing series Humanae has the lofty goal of recording and cataloging all possible human skin tones. From her many samples so far, we see an incredible spectrum – one which places us far closer to one another than we’re often led to see.

Dass’ project extracts a 11×11 pixel sample from each of her subjects faces, matching that color with the corresponding Pantone® color and using it as the background. The result is strikingly monochromatic, and revealing:

“Humanae it’s a pursuit for highlighting our subtle-continuous of our tones that make more equality than difference… our true colors, rather than the untrue Red and Yellow, Black and White,” writes Dass. “It is a kind of game for subverting our codes. The audience is free to read into it. The ultimate goal is to provoke and bring currently using internet as a discussion platform on ethnic identity, creating images that lead us to match us independent from factors such as nationality, origin, economic status, age or aesthetic standards.”

All the people Dass photographs are volunteers from around the world; people she has either approached on the street, contacted on Facebook or Tumblr, or who have visited her studio. As the series grows, she continues to expand the cities around the world where she’s collected portraits – places as distant as São Paulo, Paris and Chicago. See the latest in her huge catalogue of portraits on Tumblr or her personal website.

Doodles Come To Life on Transparencies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 02:30:00 -0700

Is that a gigantic polar bear attacking San Francisco?! Fear not citizens, it’s merely a happy bear looking for a back rub… and using the Transamerica Pyramid for help.

Hombre McSteez (aka Marty Cooper) is dreaming up bizarrely fantastic scenarios and bringing them to the real world using just transparencies, white-out, a good old Sharpie and forced perspective. After doodling his work on the clear sheet, he holds it up and photographs it interacting with the scene behind.

Each piece is made on the spot, perfectly matching situation – be it a monstrous day on the putting green or an afternoon grabbing tasty sushi (that seems to keep running away).

With his hand showing up in each shot and everyday scenes transformed into the magical, Cooper’s playful work reminds us a lot of Ben Heine’s much loved Pencil vs. Camera series. Be sure to see more (and follow Marty Cooper) on Tumblr.

“Gas Guzzler”

"Ms Mosquito prepares for a long day of bloodsucking with her morning cup of coffee.”

"The king seagull mounts his noble stead.”

"The Lizard shows no one is immune from road rage.”

"Hot dignity dog, training for the Olympics.”

“There is an ACNO (Albino Cannibal Naval Orange) problem in the produce aisle.”

“Sean Sushi rounding up the troops ”

“Wookie golf”

“The rare Speckled Freeway Yak spotted foraging for bum-berries.”

“Another masterpiece in the making.”

Abandoned Hotel Becomes a Temporary Street Art Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:43:00 -0700

Somewhere deep in the U.K. is an abandoned hotel. While busy wasting away in the foggy land, a collective group of street artists decided it should serve as their next temporary canvas. Creating an “alternative art gallery,” the artists painted their works throughout the ten story building. In the process, debris were cleared for walkways and it became a nice space for locals to explore and see the various works.

Considering today's economic climate you can't blame anyone for thinking this is a great idea. With more and more building becoming empty and abandoned as businesses fold under the economic pressure, buildings quickly become eye-soars. I think this could be a great way to use empty stores on the high street. Invite local artists to display their talent and brighten up the high street too.

Unfortunately, the local authorities didn’t possess the same level of art appreciation as those going in, so they went in and did their own painting – right over the works – and closed the gates. Luckily for urban photographer Gaz Mather, he captured the place before they disappeared.

Whats even better than a selfie? How about an App that Lets You Create a Pixelated 3D Printed Avatar of Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:09:00 -0700

Its all the rage to take a selfie and post it on Twitter or Instagram but now you can go one better: two French creative geniuses have created LEBLOX, a soon to be released App that will let you create a 3D printed, pixelated version of yourself.

Paris-based technical director Mathieu Lecoupeur and creative director Soy Phompraseuth are the two Whizzes behind this groundbreaking app, which will offer two options for creating everything from 3D selfless to tributes of your favourite classic video games.

The first option lets you take a photo or translate an existing one on your phone into a flat, pixelated version.The second, lets you create a custom three-dimensional pixelated avatar or mini statue. The final step comes when you request LEBLOX to 3D print your design – their aiming at a cost of just €20, shipping included, to any French addresses in about a week (and they’re actively on the search for a US-based 3D printing partner). The rest of the world next…

Above: technical director Mathieu Lecoupeur and creative director Soy Phompraseuth

Can you see the theatrical hints

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:15:00 -0700

Amateur Dramatics theatre company the Heckmondwike Players need a logo revamp. The
Yorkshire based group came to use to revamp the logo with a relatively specific brief. "The logo must be simple yet striking, contemporary but with a foot in the traditional but absolutely no theatre masks. Plus, we want to be able ti use it on stationary, social media and clothing. Use of the acronym if possible would be of interest".

Our resident designer and founder David Pringle set to work on the logo working both angles utilising the 'THP' and the full name. "Brainstorming brings about some weird and wonderful concepts and allows you to escape the confines of convention and enter the 'Imaginarium', a place where you really get to explore ideas without worrying about aesthetics".

Some of the original basics where quickly dispelled and although some early THP logos are reasonable pleasing to the eye, they do seem to lack some panache.

The final design is a combination of two different blasts of inspiration. One working in the concept of theatre lights with cross beams to focus the attention. Two, playing with quotation marks and working in the theatre masks concept - without actually using the obvious theatre masks.

Featuring a bold asymmetrical cross-beam to represent the theatre lights, stylish subtle quotation marks-come performers-come theatre masks in elegant contrast with a flourish of scripted lettering for the whole name, the logo is both contemporary and traditional with a composition the invokes movement and emotion.

What If Hipster Brands went Corporate?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 06:16:00 -0700

We've all seen corporate logo redesigned as hip logos. They're awesome and sometimes hilarious. This is the project of a team at Cornett Integrated Marketing Solution, which have transformed some much loved brands into trendy new corporate images.

You can see just what a big difference a logo can make and how the style of a logo effects the emotional impact of the brand and how you perceive them. A logo serves many benefits to a company as it plays an important role promoting the business or company. It not only provides a visual identity that customers and clients can identify with but also informs them what the company stands for and the types of product or service it offers. Shapes and colours are easier for the brain to process and recall rather than names alone.

A perfect logo design perfectly blends the company name with simple imagery in a aesthetically pleasing way. This means that the name of a company or organisation is blended smoothly with the imagery in such a way that the visual balance between them is perfectly formed. This takes not just time but lots of experience from a dedicated designer who knows instinctively about design, composition, colour balance not to mention past, current and future trends that suite any given industry.

The best logos are both simple and pleasing on the eyes.

Now does that cheap logo designer on the internet knocking out uneducated clipart logos from his or her bedroom really look attractive even if it is just for £15?

Memories of Dali - endearing melting pottery by Livia Marin

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 04:00:00 -0700

In her Nomad Patterns series, Livia Martin sculpts broken china teapots, cups, and vases whose edges ooze into glossy, perfectly-formed puddles.

Marin's creations are not symmetrical or as you might expect them to be, but are bent out of shape into an apparent state of mid-melting away. Liquid holding vessels now themselves becoming liquid.

Marin has created a range of compelling and imaginative pieces that exemplify surrealism but with a modern twist. with a faint familiarity to that of a Salvador Dali painting Marin's scupltures go much further offering a tactile experience that is both strange and familiar. They somehow seem to make sense even though they shouldn't as they defy the rules of solid matter.

Beyond offering a vision of surreality, Marin’s pottery also points to how everyday objects participate in the global melting pot. The “nomad patterns” of willows, cranes, and pagodas transgress rigid boundaries of a singular culture or geography. Instantly recognisable in a classic surrealist manner.

We are invited to not just imagine but experience
what a teapot might do when the relationship between container and contents are swapped. These types of china wares have flooded the marketplace to become enfused among millions of kitchen cupboards worldwide and now they are flooding out themselves.

While her containers may cause us to spill milk, Marin asks us to reconsider crying over it. See more of her dissolving dishware here.

WIERD LOOKING ART YOU CAN RELATE TO?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 02:56:00 -0700

It can be a strange feeling when you find yourself relating to a weird-looking sculpture with familiar characteristics. Simply by looking at on of Zimra Beiner's large scale ceramic sculptures you can feel a range of emotions. These sculptures, though inanimate objects, take on a personality of their own as the viewer senses something of the familier.

The work of this series of sculptures is the embodiment of our lives as seen through creative eye of Beiner and sent through the artistic processing plant in his brain. The end result of the process is a wide range of sculptures and objects that range from human-scale figurative masses, strange furniture -esk pieces to functional pottery items.

The solid yet liquid feeling of this sculpture has both movement and human characteristics enough to catch your attention and provoke a need for further investigation. It catches our imagination and draws us in. The contrast of surfaces begs to be touched and mused over.

The final result is one of a sense of confliction, both of mystery and of familiarity that provokes the senses by appealing to both our natural emotions and a sense of playfulness.

Just opening your mind and taking in the view you can feel playfulness, contemplation, hopefulness and organisation.

Unique personalised gifts you'll love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 06:14:00 -0700

Why not visit our sister company blog at: http://doodlememories.blogspot.co.uk

Doodler Memories offer a wide and growing range of unique personalised gifts, reviews on new products and information on subjects related to creative gifts…

Baby Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 5 Mar 2014 01:14:00 -0800

In ancient times, it was believed that certain colours could combat the evil spirits that lingered over nurseries. Because blue was associated with the heavenly spirits, boys were clothed in that colour, boys then being considered the most valuable resource to parents.

Although baby girls did not have a colour associated with them, they were mostly clothed in black. It was only in the Middle Ages when pink became associated with baby girls.

Heck- of a new logo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 5 Mar 2014 01:14:00 -0800

We where recently commissioned to create a new logo for The Heckmondwike Players, an amateur dramatics group.

Here you can see how the design was developed to the completed logo.

I took this on personally and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They wanted something simple and modern and although they wanted to stay awayfrom the traditional 'theatre masks' I couldn't help hinting at them in a subtle way.

I first developed the simple shapes to represent the theatre lights. The colours are semi translucent to give the feel if a cross beam while providing movement and balance to the logo utilising their colour scheme.

Then, using quotation marks to represent the vocal part of their 'performances' I introduced the theatre masks by turning the inner shape upside down - now you have a happy and a sad face. Subtle but clear.

I worked with a number of fonts but the client wanted something quite flowing and expressive. I'm happy with the final choice, which was manipulated for the final composition and arranged to guide the eye and further create movement in the overall composition of the logo.

Doodling away

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 5 Mar 2014 00:57:00 -0800

Well, it's been a busy week or so. We've been completing websites and booking in new ones, shooting video scribes and working on some new illustrative projects.

Here, is a sneak-peak close up of a new doodle for a client project. Using the 'doodle art' technique of integrated, overlapping doodles.

Will keep you posted...

Doodle Art

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 13:25:00 -0800

Well, as always we are busy on multiple projects across the range of services we provide.

Some great new Responsive website are in the way for our new clients ... Oops, it's about time we re-designer out own site. Don't you think?

Anyway, customers come first and we are working hard on a range of designs and video scribes too.

I'm personally getting really excited and involved in doodleart for some upcoming projects for our sister company and some new clients. Watch this space for updates coming soon...

Work up for Doodle Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 2 Feb 2014 07:04:00 -0800

Hi again! Well, its been so incredibly business both with the Doodler Studio and Doodle Memories.

Doodle Memories is currently going through a huge expansion process as more Independant retailers are taking up our growing range of commemorative prints. Plus we are now in talks with a number if national and international brands. Watch this space as the story develops.

Here is a set of photos showing the creation of the one of the Pet Prints - the Tabby Cat. This gives you an idea of how an illustration is constructed.

Customers can order a personalised print tailored to their pet with personalised text from just £35. These are available from many leading high street boutiques, Amazon and soon the new DoodleMemories website.

Caricature update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 2 Feb 2014 04:20:00 -0800

Well it's been a very busy last few months at the Doodler Studio. We've been working with a wide range of clients on a range of products. From websites to new video scribes, logo's to full branding and marketing.

We are really excited about our new responsive parallax websites we are building for some new clients but more about that in a later post.

Among many projects we have been working on through both the Doodler Studio and our sister company Doodle Memories are some great caricatures.

I took these on personally myself and loved every minute.

Here is a taster of the development of some of them... More posts will follow shortly.

What are the benefits of the arts?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 3 Nov 2013 01:21:00 -0700

At a time when educators are preoccupied with standards, testing, and the bottom line, some researchers suggest the arts can boost students’ test scores; What are the arts good for?

“Art is an irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world,” said Gioia. “There are some truths about life that can be expressed only as stories, or songs, or images. Art delights, instructs, consoles. It educates our emotions.”

For years, arts advocates like Gioia have been making similar pleas, stressing the intangible benefits of the arts at a time when many are preoccupied with a market-driven culture of entertainment, and schools are consumed with meeting standards. Art brings joy, these advocates say, or it evokes our humanity, or, in the words of one 10-year-old child, “It cools kids down after all the other hard stuff they have to think about.”

Given such stiff fiscal and political challenges, some arts advocates have felt pressured to bolster their arguments.

And in fact, advocates have gotten a recent lift from new research in several scientific fields. For the first time ever, for example, scientists have used sophisticated brain imaging techniques to examine how music, dance, drama, and the visual arts might positively affect cognition and intelligence. Such work, the researchers claim, is a crucial first step toward understanding whether art can actually make people smarter in ways that can be measured.

“It’s true that students involved in the arts do better in school than those who are not involved,” write researchers Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“We found inconclusive evidence that music improves mathematical learning and that dance improves spatial learning,” reported the researchers. “We found no evidence that studying visual arts, dance, or music improves reading.”

Arts and the brain

In 2004, in an attempt to sort out the facts, the Dana Foundation, a private philanthropic organization, took on the question: Are smart people drawn to the arts or does arts training make people smarter? Under the leadership of neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga, the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium assembled neuroscientists and cognitive scientists from seven universities to study whether dance, music, theater, and visual arts might affect other areas of learning—and how.

After more than three years of research, the results of the $2.1 million project were published in March of 2008 in a report titled “Learning, Arts, and the Brain.” Several studies in the report suggested that training in the arts might be related to improvements in math or reading skills. In one of these studies, a University of Oregon team, headed by psychologist Michael Posner, observed the brain activity of children four to seven years old while they worked on

computerized exercises intended to mimic the attention-focusing qualities of engaging in art. The researchers concluded that the arts can train children’s attention, which in turn improves cognition.

In another Dana consortium study, Elizabeth Spelke, a neuropsychologist at Harvard University, looked at the effects of music training in children and adolescents and found a “clear benefit”: Children who had intensive music training did better on some geometry tasks and on map reading.

It was found that students ages 7 to 12 who received more musical training in the first year of the study showed greater improvements in reading fluency over the next two years. Wandell reports that phonological awareness—or the ability to distinguish between speech sounds, which is a predictor of early literacy—was correlated with music training and could be tracked with the development of a specific brain pathway.