helvetic brands

Introduction

As part of a new concept for the dacheboard, I will be publishing an article on reviewing my work from the previous month, by way of an information point and in order for me to monitor and assess my workload.

This month in review is February. During this time, I have completed the following 6 new logos, 3 interviews and 2 features.

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The Logos:

csan

csan is an independently owned, diagnostic radiology private practice which is due to open in Newcastle, NSW, Australia within the next year. They offer many treatments such as MRI, CT, Ultrasound, Digital xray and Bone densitometry which will focus on a personalised approach and provide high quality medical imaging using the latest equipment. They contacted me to create a concept for the practice which was both approachable and modern and also to reference the shape of a C-Scanner. They also wanted a hint towards their location on the Australian coast. The solution was to use the general C shape several times within the logo to give the impression of waves which fitted the brief on both levels.

daily pixel network

dailypixel.ca is a Canadian new media company that features blogs, user-generated communities and web services. In the short-term, the network aims to establish a footprint of around 100 websites featuring the rarest, best and most valuable locations on the Canadian web (.CA). They approached me to create a modern logo which would stand up as a symbol in its own right without the company name and also with an emphasis on growth and networking. The solution I created was designed with a shape which was multiplying outwards and by using several bright colours, I was able to capture the youth and sociable nature of this online community.

DDN

DDN is the leading data infrastructure provider for the most extreme, content-intensive environments in the world. They approached me for a logo which would carry their new website forward with a confident and strong symbol. As they provide and create infrastructures, I was inspired by the simplest of infrastructures, a molecule. The palette was defined in line with the website and provides a strength to their new identity.

divine wellness

divine wellness is a portal focusing on holistic wellness, yoga, ayurveda and nutrition. The company, based in India, provides customized and personalized consultation on these subjects via text, audio and video and the site is due to launch at the end of March. The idea behind the solution was to create the abstract image of a person sitting in the meditative position of yoga with legs folded. I chose to create this using shapes inspired by the petals of a lotus flower. The reflection of this image by three was to give reference to the great influence that water has in holistic wellness and the palette is calming.

rhombi

This is a piece from my portfolio created in my spare time. The idea was to create an “R” using only the Rhombus shape, hence the name Rhombi. I liked the experimentation with the shading and was pleased with the outcome.

stocknotes

Stocknotes is a website/weblog for Investment News and Opinions, Stocks, Market News, Commentary, NASDAQ, NYSE Stock Exchange, FTSE, S&P 500, Financial Markets, Investments, Equities, Commodities, Foreign Exchange, Brokers and Trading. The logo they requested was to be simple and more modern than a traditional company dealing with the stockmarket data. My concept was the interpretation of the words stocknotes and I created a notepad page and plotted a performance chart onto it.

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The Interviews

floobe

Interview: David Pache at Floobe

David Pache (dache.ch) has always caught my eye as a designer, with a never ending list of inspirational logo design works. At 25 he has established himself in the world as a leading logo designer. Big thanks to David for taking part in this interview for Floobe.

1. Full Name and Age please.
David Pache, 25

2. Favourite Biscuit and Drink.
Butter biscuits (Petit Lu etc.); Coffee

3. Last Book you read and last movie you saw.
Adrian Frutiger - Typefaces: The Complete Works; Slumdog Millionaire

4. Where and When did it all start?
I created the concept of dache when I was finishing design college. I knew that I wanted to be self-employed in order to have full control of my designs therefore decided to focus on logo design with additional services such as business cards, letterheads, website design and consultation. Back in 2005 I took the plunge, after completing some research through online design competitions to gauge how my designs would be received. With many positive reactions, I launched the website and business.

5. Do you have any formal qualifications and do you think these helped in your professional development?
I do have formal qualifications however when it comes to design, I think that it is more your inspirations which develop you as a professional. That said, I would not be where I am today without learning the techniques and history of design and art, in order to have the ability to express my ideas into working concepts.

6. What do you think makes a good designer, a qualification or the lust for the job at hand?
As said before, I do think that qualifications are invaluable however, if a designer does not have the perseverance to put their ideas out there for public opinions, they are just that - a qualification! As with many trades, we are nothing without our clients therefore I think there is always room for more designers but it is a difficult market to get recognised in therefore a lust for the job is essential.

7. What was a key factor in your professional growth and development?
When I initially started dache, I had no prior business knowledge therefore I think a turning point for me was when I had been able to complete a few projects from start to finish and gain an idea of what it was that the clients needed in addition to my design skills. Over the past years, I have been able to hone my customer service which has greatly improved my new business levels and my relationships with existing clients.

8. What do you consider to be the biggest contributing factor to your success?
Without a doubt, my clients are the biggest contributing factor as, without their continued interest, I would not have a successful business. Also, a great part was websites, such as yourselves, doing feature articles and also I have been fortunate to have been selected to have my work in several publications eg. logolounge and los logos.

9. What is your daily working routine?
I am lucky to work from home. A typical day comprises of administration, invoicing, new business marketing and follow-up. The main part is spent creating design concepts and revisions from the briefs I have been given and consultation with clients to gain feedback. I also maintain my website and have recently launched the ‘dacheboard‘, my online blog featuring articles.

10. What made you go freelance, were there any defining factors?
As said previously, I knew from the start that I wanted to work for myself therefore I do not have the comparison however I do not regret my decision due to the success I have received in the past few years.

11. What are the benefits and negatives of being freelance?
This is obviously a question of personal opinion. In my experience the benefits of being freelance include the ability to make your own decisions, freedom of time management and workload and retaining the full benefits from your designs. The negative side of that is that you usually start from scratch therefore progress initially can be slow when you are trying to build a customer base and enter into the general marketplace.

12. Throughout your entire career to date, is there any particular problem you’ve ran in to more than once? Clients, Jobs, Work, Family??
I would not pinpoint it to any person in particular however as a designer, I have styles and techniques which I enjoy creating. In business I have been approached to create a logo for clients who do not appreciate the same style. Whilst this is not a problem to create other styles, it is often more challenging to work on these to fit in line with exactly what they require. Having a variety of applications and techniques within your portfolio is essential though.

13. What is the largest project you have worked on?
Spanning over several months, my largest project was the re-branding of the Grooveshark identity, an international music platform with attached social network, allowing their users to stream full length songs, build playlists, share music and make friends all for free. The creators of Grooveshark employed me to create a new image for their company branding loosely based on their existing logo as they had already gained great success. The project took a lot of time with small tweaks being made throughout and consultation with the client being constant. It was a long but enjoyable experience.

14. Where do you get your inspiration from?
I find that my surroundings enable me to create designs that are contemporary, innovative and unique. I take added inspiration from music, sculpture, the suprematism art movement and the works of painters such as Picasso, Kandinsky and Mondriaan which interest me greatly.

15. What are your tools of choice, hardware and software?
iMac and Adobe Creative Suite are my tools of preference and I predominantly utilise these on all projects. In addition to the computer based applications, I am a big user of the Dot Grid Book which I use after my sketching stages to accurately plot my concept designs before transferring them to the computer.

16. Where do you see the future being in the world of logo design?
To be honest, I think it’s difficult to predict how the field will change or develop. But I have noticed a slight trend in reviving styles from the 70s. I suppose therefore it would be expected that the 80s will have a strong influence over the next phase.

Also, in logo design, there is a great influence from the other genres of graphic design. I see a trend towards very illustrative, photographic, even almost what many might think of as ‘arty’ effects. These are being used more and more by designers to fall in line with where the field is going.

In general, I think that the future outlook for design is very positive. With the market in the recent decades developing with the mass production of computer technology, we are now seeing a period where the general public are aware of our market, are more willing to accept the concept of design and are hungry to seek out good work. This is good news for the industry as we are seeing more clients and are being encouraged to produce better quality projects. We are also being given much more freedom to experiment in our approaches.

17. You’re a well known designer, do you class yourself as famous?
Definitely not, I am well known within the design community but logo design is a very small niche of this massive network. I would also question if this is even possible anymore with so many people all completing the same task in differing ways.

18. Are you heading to any conferences over the next year?
Nothing planned as yet but I attended the Future of Web Design last April in London and would love to return this year.

19. If you had one goal to reach (anything) within 3 years, what would it be?
Since finishing my studies and jumping straight into business, I have not had too much time off to concentrate on personal goals. I guess I would like to do some travelling. It is not really a goal as such but something of great importance to me to see many places of interest whilst they are still worth seeing.

20. If you had one piece of advice for anyone wanting to venture into your industry, what would it be?
Good design is not always based on moments of genius, a lot of preparation is key to a successful design business.

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design inspiration

David Pache interview at Design Inspiration

Out of the box design, Swiss style.

David Pache is a creative consultant, a brand and identity designer in Switzerland that works with clients all over the globe to specially develop logos and more.

When did you first decide to become a graphic designer/ illustrator? Was there a pivotal moment?
I realised that I had a great interest in art from an early age but this quickly was overtaken by graphic design and technical drawing. I liked how the application of geometry was so precise and measured. Still in many of my designs today I try to make them geometrically correct. The pivotal point though was when I finished high school and took the natural progression into design school because it was simply what I enjoyed doing. It introduced new technologies to me and this made me realise it was possible to make my living from this if I was dedicated enough. This is when I started entering online galleries and when my entries received positive feedback, I realised I had the audience I needed so I concentrated on developing my skills, increasing my portfolio and continued to build a following and eventually took the plunge to launch the website.
Who or what inspires you?

I mostly take inspiration from my surroundings, I focus on creating designs which are contemporary, innovative and unique, in line with the dache “out of the box thinking” philosophy. My other interests include music, sculpture, the suprematism art movement and the works of painters such as Picasso and Mondriaan from which I am often referring to for use of colour, lines etc. I intend to travel in the near future to increase my inspiration.

Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?
A bit of both, whilst at design school, I used my spare time to develop my craft and really get into the online arena of logo design. 4 years in college can only represent a certain amount of acquired skills and one has to keep on learning. When I graduated, I finally took the plunge to create my own design studio increasing my client base and services.

How do you keep “fresh” within your industry?
I mainly try to take each concept as an individual. I focus on logo concepts and branding identities and ensure that my designs are simple yet in line with what the clients want. I often think I can take an over-simplified view of a concept but this is not a bad thing. You will notice in logos such as Think Once and Postbox, they are almost a literal translation of the name but this is what will give the designs their unique element. I also try to vary it up and not get stuck in a style. It is good for my thought process to be constantly changing my designs.

Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?
AfricanTradition is the logo which gives me the greatest pride, as it was one of my first projects. I feel I achieved a timeless piece which has proved itself by receiving multiple acknowledgements from the design community. It is a project which I am sentimental towards, as I feel it was the turning point of my career which evolved my work to the professional level which I was initially aiming for.

Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
I have recently been editing some video clips from the camcorder and the editing software was something which I had not used since I was in college. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the process. I never chose to pursue this area; however, I think if I could not be doing what I am doing now, being a film maker would be of great interest.

Any advice to the novice designer/ illustrator?
Really, I would give one important piece of advice which is, if you are a novice and looking to turn professional with your own business, do your homework and be as prepared as possible. Many young designers get into the industry on the back of a small handful of great logos but the business side is very different and it is a completely different thing to design logos for specific briefs and for a whole range of clients. It is tough at first as with any industry but with perseverance and a dedication to producing great designs, you will do very well. You have to love your job to succeed.

What makes a designed piece or illustration successful?
In terms of branding, it wholly depends on the client. Some clients will like a lot of control and some will even provide an idea for you to re-work. This is very limiting but necessary in some cases due to them knowing their clients and audience exclusively and can be helpful to give them what they are aiming for. Other clients however give you complete designer discretion and this is fantastic, you can be so creative when given just a few buzzwords and a sketchpad to brainstorm with. Creative freedom within boundaries are my favourite projects.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
I rarely get de-motivated however in these times, I remind myself that I am lucky enough to be making a success of my passion and it is this desire to succeed and have my work out their for public display which really keeps the thought process flowing. In short, I absolutely love what I do.

Finish this sentence. “If I weren’t a designer/illustrator I would have been a…“
For me, it has been clear since I was in my teens of which direction I was headed but if I had to choose another path, I guess any occupation which involved me exercising my creativity. I could definitely not do an office job. It would be too repetitive for me. I need the stimulation of variety.

And finally, what is the best thing on prime-time TV right now?
Well, I am a huge LOST fan :)

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spoonfed design

Interview With Logo Designer David Pache at Spoonfed design

David Pache, owner of dache, is regarded as one of the better logo designers out there, and he is here to answer a few questions. Dache is a design studio based in Switzerland which deals with national and international clientele. David and his studio focuses on logo design and branding, and also works in the areas of print, typography, and web design.

1. What is your typical process when tackling a new project? How do you get started?
Some projects will start ideas flowing immediately due to a catchy name or a name which I can visualise in a design concept. That said, no matter what the project I always start with the basics. I sketch by hand in my notebook. Once I have completed the intial brainstorming, I select a few ideas to present simply to the client for feedback. This process is repeated until they are happy with the direction. At this stage, I plot my design on a dot grid book to get the best proportions and this is then scanned into the computer for transfer to my design software. The process is really then honing my initial ideas to fit in with the client’s expectations, changing colours, fonts and positioning to get the right solution for them.

2. What are your methods for attracting new clients to dache? Which of those methods work best?
I display a lot of my work on gallery sites which are popular with clients seeking a designer. This is the most successful and instant method of publicity as the gallery sites have been around for a long time and have quite a following within the design community. I have also recently launched a blog on the dache.ch website called the dacheboard where I publish articles about my processes and general topics for interest and discussion, this is proving to be quite popular and gives a client visiting my site an insight as to what they can expect. I have also added an online quote page which allows people to build their own quotes according to their budget and this set pricing approach is also very popular and I am receiving about 80% of my business through this link now.

3. What personal traits do you think it takes to make a good designer?
I am extremely passionate and have an eye for detail. I think these traits have served me well in this industry as it is essential that you believe in your designs and are able to execute them to a high-specification for the purpose of client satisfaction. I also have a way of thinking which is not always the same as other people, which can set my designs apart.

4. How did you first get into design?
I realised that I had a great interest in art from a very young age but this quickly was overtaken by graphic design and technical drawing. I liked how the application of geometry was so precise and measured. Still in many of my designs today I try to make them geometrically correct. The took the natural progression into design school because it was simply what I enjoyed doing. It introduced new technologies to me and this made me realise it was possible to make my living from this if I was dedicated enough. This is when I started entering online competitions and when my entries received positive feedback, I realised I had the audience I needed so I just concentrated on developing my skills, increasing my portfolio and continued to build a following and eventually took the plunge to launch the website.

5. Why did you decide to start dache?
After graduating, I had already built up the basis of the business and built up a solid portfolio of work. I had the option of either getting a job with a design studio in Switzerland or being self-employed and it really wasn’t a difficult decision as I did not want my design to be limited.

6. What software and hardware could you never live without?
You will never see me without my notepad as I often have ideas and inspiration everywhere I go therefore it is essential to jot it down to remember the idea. Also, I complete all of my designs using Adobe Illustrator to give a professional finish therefore this is an essential part of my design process.

7. How do you present your finished logos to a client?
Clients receive a package containing multiple file formats be it PNG, Ai or Photoshop files. I give them the final designs in monochrome and colour so they can easily adapt these to the medium in which they require, business cards, letterheads, websites.

8. Besides the internet, were do you find inspiration?
I mostly take inspiration from my surroundings, I try to focus on creating designs which are contemporary, innovative and unique, in line with the dache “out of the box thinking” philosophy. My other interests include music, sculpture, the suprematism art movement and the works of painters such as Picasso and Mondriaan from which I am often referring to for use of colour, lines etc. I intend to travel in the near future to increase my inspiration.

9. What do you think the are key elements of a good logo?
Simplicity. I often find that the best solutions for my clients are the simplest with few elements which, when scaled down, do not lose their impact. Relevance to the audience it is created for as it is essential that they understand the concept and receive the correct message which the company is trying to portray. Suitability to the industry it is created for as it would not be a good logo if it was inappropriate compared with their competitors.

10. How do you overcome a designer’s block?
No matter how blocked, I always continue to sketch my thoughts as you never know when an idea will become relevant. Also, I am constantly in contact with my clients therefore can always ask additional questions regarding their expectations to spark additional inspiration.

11. Do you think a logo can have a major impact on the way people look at a brand or company?
Without a doubt and this is especially true with new businesses as when they are creating awareness through publicity, the logo will be the communicator for the company. A logo is a voice piece without words, effectively creating an image for the company before any spokesperson has promoted the company’s attributes and services. This is why it is so important that the logo be relevant to the industry to induce thoughts of professionalism, boldness, approachability etc. These are common factors in my clients’ brief for the message they are wanting their audiences to receive.

12. What information do you gather from a client before starting a logo?
I have the online quote page which consists a short questionnaire regarding any ideas they have,m any symbols they like, competitors, how they want to be set apart from their competition and also any favoured fonts or colours. These simple questions can give me a lot of information to work with and often my initial concepts are well received.

13. Besides designing a good logo, are there any other things you do to make sure the client is satisfied?
Yes. I ensure constant communication between the client and I during and after he project so any thoughts or amendments can be made easily. I work on a first name basis with most of my clients to ensure approachability. In addition, I offer flexible payment terms to those clients who request it for certain reasons which has worked very well in securing business and their satisfaction before the final payment is made. Also, I have plans to do a competition of sorts for charitable organisations to enter and explain their reasons why they should get a new logo and the winner will receive a free designed logo to the value of my smallest package. I hope to run the first of these this summer.

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The features

logoblink

David Pache Logo Showcase at Logoblink

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webdesignerwall

Dache: Logo Design Process

Previously, I have featured David Pache of dache on WDW, an amazing logo designer from Switzerland. He is known for designing unique and colorful logos. I’m very glad to have David to share his design process of the WebMYnd’s logo. This case study (written by David himself) provides full creative brief and progress images from start to final. Read on to find out how David got inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s art (one of the most famous 20th-century abstract artists) to create this fantastic logo.

Introduction
Last year, I was approached by a startup who required a logo in order to launch a business in the US. The WebMYnd team were 3 MIT and Cambridge University graduates who were very passionate about their product. They had acquired seed funding from ycombinator an outfit which picks enterprises to back and who have an excellent track record. WebMYnd have a product which is a plugin for your browser that turns your web browsing into an extension of your own memory. it allows you to keep a copy of everything you look at on the web, and then allows you to search actual page images and text when you need to remember something again.

The creative brief
The main aspect of their brief was to create an identity which would communicate the idea of collecting everything you look at on the web in one place and to inspire the idea of extending your memory. They wanted to make a tool that people would prefer to use in place of the old fashioned way of bookmarking and tagging websites. They also wanted the logo, or some element of it, as a button to indicate when the plugin was in use therefore colour was of great importance.

Getting started
Initially, I took the brief at face value and brainstormed some ideas. I wanted to create a concept using the initial from WebMYnd and the first concept which was produced as follows. The simple lines created an abstract reference to a brain (an idea which the client had experimented with but did not like the appearance of a brain. This design captures the essence of a brain but at the same time forming a ‘W’.

This concept was discontinued however as the ‘W’ was not clear enough and it did not have the presence that the client was looking to achieve. I therefore focused on colour and did some research for inspiration.

I am a great fan of the works of Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian artist, printmaker and theorist. One of the most famous 20th century, Kandinsky has been credited with painting the first modern abstract works. Below is one of these works from which I took inspiration as to the colour palette which may suit the WebMYnd logo. The use of colour is broad yet it is not offensive on the eye and stands out enough to intrigue the audience. This is what I wanted to achieve so all I needed now was the correct design to show these colours.

Drafting and development
I consulted the client and the idea of creating a monogram using the ‘W’ and the ‘M’ was decided on to take the project forward. Below are my initial sketches.

The first of these above gave the best line to work with however I did not like the linear aspect as I would be unable to use enough variation of colour within a single lined image. Below are my developments of the first idea into a two dimensional concept and intersecting these shapes with differing elements to allow me to fill with colour.

After some re-drafting of one of the concepts, i decided on a wholly symmetrical design where the ‘W’ mirrored the ‘M’ therefore I transferred the design to the Dot Grid Book below. As the design had four elements which were identical in design, I was able to just concentrate on one element which could be copied and rotated at a later stage using the computer software.

Colours
Once the four elements were plotted and finalised, I looked at possible colours. Below are some combinations which I experimented with.

I finally decided on the colour scheme below using quite vibrant colours to create a presence but trying not to use garish tones which would offend the eye of the audience.

Final colour placement and concept presentation
I tried many combinations. When dealing wit the use of colour in this quantity, it is a case of trying until you find the right solution. Below is the finished design which was selected by the client.

Delivery and feedback
The client initially loved the concept and used it for a number of months however after some further discussion between themselves, they decided to choose a different design to move forward with however they still retain the rights to the design, should they wish to implement it in the future.

I would like to thank the creators of WebMYnd and wish them every success for the future. It was a pleasure to work on this project and this design is one of the more popular with clients when they see my portfolio. Of course, I welcome any comments regarding this specific article or my design process in general. Thanks and enjoy!

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Conclusion

I would just like to thank all my clients and of course floobe.com, webdesignerwall.com, spoonfeddesign.com and diinterviews.com for their continued support. It has been a steady month and I am happy with the logos which have been created. Looking forward to seeing what March will bring and the next of these articles will be published April 1, 2009. Enjoy and I welcome your feedback as always. Thanks.