Last Thursday we all found out. The team name, and its accompanying logo were unveiled to the public. (Read press release here)

Winston-Salem Dash logo

First off, Kudos to event organizers for involving the community in these early stages (and for free!) The announcement was made party-style in downtown’s Millennium Center. Sadly, I could not attend myself, but just knowing the event occurred earns my respect.

But this is a design blog, so let’s talk marketing specifics:

The Name: Back in April, the Baseball Downtown group opened the naming to the public in the form of a contest. They received 3,000 names through July and narrowed it to ten–many of which abandoned the city’s roots (i.e. not tobacco-related) and referenced new era ties to the city. “The Dash” is a nickname for Winston-Salem, referencing the hyphen between Winston and Salem. As franchise President Kevin Terry put it, “Dash is a name that is associated with the community – it brings Winston-Salem together – the logo is unique, compelling and provides a lot of opportunity for integration in our game entertainment and fan participation.”

I’ve got to agree! I think ‘The Dash’ is unique for a sports team, and something the city can own, which is very in line with this project’s goals. I also enjoy the double meaning of athletic speed. I’m into it. (But I welcome comments from community members who disagree! How do the people who’ve lived in Winston-Salem for longer than 4 months feel?)

The Design: It’s pretty cool that little Winston-Salem gets a logo designed by Terry Smith, a renowned sports logo designer who has worked with EA Sports, Adidas, NHL, MLS, and many more. But what about the insane amount of talented designers right in our own city?! I understand the marketing draw to work with one of the best, but it does not seem in line with the point of the Baseball Downtown project to ignore the huge community of capable designers here. Perhaps I could get over this if I loved the logo. I enjoy it enough to proudly wear it on a tee for opening day, but I do have a few issues worth noting:

- Are the letterforms smushed? The typeface that “Dash” is set in is not a natural italic, and perhaps had a taller x-height than the designer desired. Whatever the reason, the teeny serifs bug me, and I think a more solid italic sans serif would stand up better (no pun intended!)

- I’d be interested in the creative rationale behind the color palette, but aesthetically, I like the red and purple, most specifically the red trail of the ball behind the word. Actually I love that little touch, and it plays out well in shorter variations of the logo as seen here on caps. But I could do without the whisps through the word itself. There are too many so that they detract from the impact of the word itself and intrude on the readability. Again, on the caps, the solid purple letters stand out best.

- Lastly, is there a resemblance here? I kid. The Dash baseball is way fiercer )

I look forward to seeing how this brand unfolds (bring on the new website!), and I especially look forward to learning more about the mascot, because right now I’m experiencing a little bit of a disconnect. It’s a work in progress though, and we’re all along for the ride.

THAWT-FUHL: Showing consideration for others; characterized by or manifesting careful thought

THANKGK-FUHL: Feeling or expressing gratitude
Best wishes for a beautiful holiday season*

I have also found this annual to be extremely helpful. When I first graduated from Syracuse University in 2005, I built my preliminary list of prospective employers based on who had been featured in PRINT that year. And when I decided to move to Winston-Salem from beautiful Beantown, I again looked to PRINT to see what hot shops reigned in Winston. Of course, I realize this practice is slightly absurd since not all worthy agencies are featured in design annuals, nor are all award-winning agencies worthy. But in both cases it seemed a good starting point, so let’s table that topic for another post…

So how did North Carolina do this year, according to PRINT? The intro claims Charlotte, NC to be among one of the few “thriving cities least affected by the slump the subprime mortgage crisis created.” I’m thinking this pub went to press before all the Wachovia merger talks, but I’m hopeful the growth of Charlotte will proceed. Hayes Henderson of HendersonBromsteadArt says Winston-Salem enjoys a “halo effect” from Charlotte’s growth. Trends in Winston-Salem include small, project-based shops and serious competition. Most aren’t experiencing much of a slowdown. Good to hear!

Henderson and David Shapiro of ShapiroWalker Design both observe in their interviews a competitive climate. PRINT backs this claim up with numbers: 35+ firms serving fewer than 200,000 people. Gulp.

Intense competition creates the best work, though, and there is a lot of it coming out of Winston-Salem. I’m constantly impressed by the buzzing design community in this small city. In PRINT’s “North Carolina” section 45% of the pieces came out of the Triad. Below, in no particular order, are a few of my favorites:

Poster announcing 2007 Secrest Artists Series at Wake Forest University: HendersonBromsteadArt, Hayes Henderson

The color scheme and illustration technique in this poster are beautiful, and remind me of what I like most about the covers of “DOWNTOWN: The heart of Winston-Salem” a free pub, the covers of which HendersonBromsteadArt produces.

Packaging for cookies: Shapiro Walker Design, David Shapiro, John Walker, Chris Edwards

Again, I’m a sucker for packaging design, and had bought a bunch of these cookies based purely on such during a visit last winter. Thankfully, the cookies deliver on the packaging’s promise.

Self-promotional booklet for Woodbine: Woodbine, Jason Rapert, Taryl Fultz, Matt Mason, Neil Marion

Woodbine has also won an ADDY for this piece and I’d love to get my hands on one. They have also recently launched a rockin’ redesign of their website (You can find the Press Release announcing their ADDY win, and others, under “What’s Happening”.) I love this brand’s color palette and the mantra behind the company.

Invitation to a groundbreaking ceremony for a new baseball stadium: Elephant in the Room, Andy Trantham, Robert Milam

Unique and shapely invitations are always fun, and the type execution in this piece from Elephant in the Room is fantastic. This project caught my eye also by its subject matter: the baseball stadium project intrigues me for its potential for downtown revitalization.

Stationary for Mode: MODE, John Pietrafesa, Ian Varrassi, Maxim Vakhovsky, Becca Bernstein

While not in Winston-Salem, this agency is close to my heart. Mode is located in Charlotte now, but originally came from Boston.

Lastly, this year’s PRINT annual introduced me to Fifth Letter, a Winston-Salem agency I had not yet checked out. I am especially inspired by their logo design.

The process varies from designer to designer. I’ve worked with agencies that show up to 40 versions in a presentation. Others show options only in grayscale.

My process begins with complete immersion in messaging from the client. I get a lot of inspiration from words, so often, instead of sketching, I’ll brainstorm adjectives that associate with the positioning and strategy of my client. Next I choose typeface options and a color palette that all relate back to that desired brand impression. The logos start to take shape and cluster in literal marks that represent the product or service, and emotive marks that represent how the consumer feels when owning the product or using the service.

The 12 logos above were presented as a first round to client KarieAll. Karie, CEO and founder, is a handbag designer, whose creations are not only individual works of art, but practical in their form. Each purse includes a patented insert which makes it easy to transfer belongings from bag to bag. Karie’s aesthetic is about rich fabrics and adornments, and her business is about collectible luxury handbags.

The most challenging part of a logo presentation is not rooting too hard for one logo. A presentation should be well-rounded, well-executed, and paired with brilliant unbiased explanation. But the logos should also speak for themselves.

In following rounds of KarieAll, I explored a color shift and a typeface revision, and Karie chose this logo for her company:

Generally I squirm a little when clients treat a logo presentation like a buffet. But I always try their suggested combination, because it is important to respect the client’s unique perspective. In this case, the parts from Logo 2 and Logo 4 reached a happy harmony.

I regret not having the opportunity to work on other elements of this brand as it launched. Part of the promise wrapped up in the final logo design is all that awaits for the brand’s look and feel. Its website, identity materials, packaging… That said, and for curiosity’s sake, feel free to visit Karie’s site and explore how this brand evolved.

How does your logo process unfold?

My former team consisted of myself, two superbly talented designers, one genius copywriter, and three client service rockstars. This team values each individual for the skill set they bring to the table. Each has been formed from years of experience, both industry-related and not. An equally important contribution is the multi-faceted soundboard that each person’s experience offers the other. Sharing ideas, opinions, tricks and shortcuts makes this group tick like none other. I was the ninth hire to that company and it now stands strong three years later at 25. They must be doing something right.

I’ve been noticing a lot of job posts for positions that encompass the skill sets of five people: Flash expert, programmer, copywriter, designer, illustrator. Is there room in today’s economy for the team player, or must we evolve into designers in a broader sense of the term? In short, is there room for specialization?

Being around other creatives has proven to make me a better designer. I’m craving that soundboard now as a freelancer. Those trusted opinions, the opportunity to share a good idea or make a teammate’s project better. But I’m wondering: Is this too much to ask from one’s job alone?

Last night two North Carolina AIGA chapters kicked off a weekend of great collaboration in the judging of their biennial competition BOOM! I’m excited about what such a community-minded competition might mean for the NC creative scene. The three judges spoke in a forum entitled, “Three Perspectives: Where Creativity and Communication Collide.”

I’ll have to save the bits of wisdom and inspiration imparted by these fantastic role models for another post, but what I took away most from the evening was that creativity and communication collide along the way to design with collaboration. Collaboration with co-workers, yes, in many instances. But all cases of collaboration need not happen in person, at work. It can (should!) happen with the client. It can happen virtually. And it can happen with new people you meet at AIGA events.

I will never cease to need collaboration in my creative process, and I will always offer strong contributions to the team. But as I learn to fulfill the need for collaboration through new and varied outlets, I realize that one’s specialization certainly influences how she collaborates, but that if there is no longer a call for specialization in the workforce, collaboration is still key. It’s the key to new skills, to broader skills. And I say, “Bring it on!”

Let’s talk about Method:

Method’s suite of cleaning products stand out in the cluttered aisle in Target. Is it because even though I am an actual member of the marketing industry, I’m still a sucker for beautiful packaging design? Is it because their environmental message is not only timely and relevant, but also convincing? Or is it the sweet combination?

If you’re anything like me, the act of saving the environment is something to which I’d like to contribute, but mixing vinegar and water and calling my counter clean somehow doesn’t feel quite right.

“Method isn’t only about cleaning up your home or your body; it’s about cleaning up the way we clean.” Right on. The company simply states that individuals can eliminate toxic chemicals from their cleaning routine and still feel good about the level of cleanliness they are achieving naturally. They’ve got a great message, and they have revolutionized a market that seemed static.

But what makes this brand one to believe in is the cohesive and beautiful way the message is integrated into the design. For me, that is what makes a brand so powerful: one solid front, across all media, in all visual instances. From the logo to the website, to the packaging design and storefront displays, Method doesn’t ignore what it stands for when it comes to design. Having a minimalist (clean!) aesthetic works perfectly with its message of reducing waste and unnecessary toxins.

The above was best illustrated for me in the purchase of the Method Mop–my moment of conversion. Packaged in a bamboo carton and wrapped with a satin finished band of recycled paper, garnished with the clean and sophisticated Method look and feel, this mop has replaced my wet Swiffers with a reusable microfiber cloth and delicious smelling citrus floor soap. I approached this product because of its appearance. I purchased it because of its pitch. I’ll buy more Method because this brand delivers. The design, message, efficacy trifecta won this consumer over.

Quick shout-out to Mr. Joshua Handy, credited on Method’s site for the “form meets function” packaging design. I’d also like to acknowledge the in-house design group I’m sure must exist, as well as any other designers who worked on the launching of this brand.