Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

Sketching: Ideas On Paper

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Sketch - Layout

Developing concepts and ideas for a website design, icon or logo, or any type of graphic development can seem like an overwhelming task at times. No matter how many websites you have created or logos you’ve developed, the creative process is always something that can take a lot out of you. True, there are days when this process seems to come as easily and naturally as walking or breathing, but those days come about less often then I would care to admit. This is where sketching, for me, enters the picture (no pun intended). Sketching out ideas and concepts helps me quickly sift throughout the ideas trapped inside my head. I must admit, I do spend a bit too much time in this phase of the project because of my love for it.

Zoowee Bubble Layout

Layout sketches for Zoowee Music. Developed layout for container that would hold Artist profile, album list, songs, etc.

Thanks to an extremely talented artistic mother, I have been sketching obsessively since I was young. Thankfully web and graphic design gives me an outlet to put this obsession to use. Sketching out layouts for websites is essential to my process, but I really enjoy icon and graphic development. This is where the pen and pencil really helps me plan out how an objects or graphics will end up being rendered on the computer.

Zoowee Icon Development

Zoowee Icon Development

Zoowee Dashboard Sketch

Sketch for Zoowee Dashboard Graphics. Depicting the monitoring and managment of your Zoowee Bubbles.

Icon Development for Zoowee

Launch Icon Development

Rocky Horton helped me discover the graph paper moleskin (I know, I know its typical designer to carry this around but it fits so well into my bag and they are so easy to keep organized) which has really helped with sketches for websites and logos. Its a wonder I didn’t make this connection sooner (living in a pixel based world).

Addicted to the Outdoors Sketch

Layout sketch for Addicted to the Outdoors

I’ll post a follow-up to this with more of my sketches once I get my sketch books together. This just happens to be the sketchbook sitting in front of me at the time, but I will sift through the boxes I have at home and post some more detailed images and more on my process in my next post.

Level 2 Video Series – Episode 1 – What’s Coming in 2010

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Level2 Design 2010 Update from Level 2 Design on Vimeo.

Young Life poster design – Stomp The Barn

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

We recently did a simple poster design for Young Life Chattanooga. Stomp the Barn is an annual event to promote quest, the leadership training program for Young Life.

stomp_the_barn_web_hor

Found Letterform Friday #2

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

These are in no way ending up on Friday. However, I will keep calling them that until they finally do end up on Friday.

Here is some very cool letter-form that is near downtown Chattanooga that I have been meaning to photograph for a while now. Let me know your thoughts.

Found Letterform Friday

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

It’s actually Saturday, but I’m going to try to make this a Friday staple on the blog. I found an old Ford Bronco yesterday that had a fantastic font used for the name “Bronco” on the side. Below are the pictures of the font, and the Bronco itself.

Whoever’s Bronco this is… I like it.

Found Letterform

Friday, June 19th, 2009

I love found letterform. Mostly in vintage 3d signage like the one on our website. However, old or new, I like to see well played out letterform. Here are a few photos I have taken of some that I like. I will probably try to make a found-letterform post everyweek of found 3-dimensional letters I find. Enjoy.

Extra points if anyone can tell us where all of these photos are from. Anyone who can get them all exactly right will get a free custom Level 2 Design poster.

It’s Not About You

Monday, June 8th, 2009

This is a commonly overlooked concept when companies start either a new website, or a website redesign. If you are about start with your website, you need to know, the website is a reflection of your company, but the result is about the VISITOR. It needs to be a place for the visitor to find what they want, and it needs to function how they want.

So often we make the mistake of creating a website exactly how we want it to look and function, and the visitor is not taken into account. When we do this, we don’t think of the visitor, and what they know. We need to assume they know little to nothing about your company, and the product or service you provide, and they really don’t care how you look in your picture.

Here are some simple questions that can help you focus on the visitor.

1. What is your product or service, and how would you explain it to a five-year old?

2. Do you have great (not just good) professional photographs of your products so they are clear, and easy to recognize? Worry more about the visitor wants/needs to see, and less about what you want to show.

3. Is your website simple? This is VITAL

4. If visitors left your site and went to a competitors website would you be confident they would choose you?

If you have any thoughts about usability or simplicity please add them. Let us know what has or has not worked for you.

5 Best State Tourism Websites

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

I recently looked at the Tennessee state tourism website and was surprised by what I saw. It is a fantastically designed website (although a tad too much going on), and it made me wonder what other states had cool tourism websites. Well there wasn’t a whole lot out there that impressed me, and this list could probably stop at 3. The following is the list of state tourism websites that stand out above the rest.

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