Watch this video to see the world of famous logos through the eyes of a five year old.

5 Years Old and Talking Logos

Revised crest, simplified to one-color

Onyx
Purchase gifts from an animal shelter online store like theanimalrescuesite.com.

Zane
Bring a “Cookie Jar” when visiting friends. Fill a decorative jar with the ingredients of your favorite cookies and attach the recipe with a ribbon.

Stephanie
Make your friends and your town merry by shopping local!

Heidi
Make spiked eggnog floats (using spiced Rum and Vanilla ice cream) and gather in front of the fire for some board game fun! My choice: Monopoly.

Jo
Cuddle under a soft blanket and watch favorite old Christmas movies: “Miracle on 34th Street”, “White Christmas” and “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

John
Make a really small New Year’s resolution that you can actually keep.

Tara
Sweatpants.

Chris
Get snowed in with some friends and a box of Chinese food; the friends are optional.

Subject: A Must Read…no really, you have to.

Hey there, it’s me, I’m writing to nag,
About putting in hours, oh what a drag!
I’ve pulled all the folders, so stuff them with care,
Don’t forget the creative, and all specs to share.

So many folders, but where do they hide?
On the back table, with arms open wide.
So stop by those folders, fill them with glee,
And when you are finished you can bring them to me.

Just one more thing, then I’ll let you go,
Some jobs aren’t completed, but need time in to grow.
Pop in those hours, there’s nothing to fear,
Happy Holidays, Safe Travels, and Happy New Year.

Velvet Hammer Out,
Tara

Ok that’s not entirely how it happened. I wasn’t strutting MY stuff around, but I did attend a fascinating photo shoot for beautiful Westminster Canterbury Richmond. [Read my previous post for details.]

Well the final product of that photo shoot is finally here! The photos were beautiful! They were cropped, resized, edited; you name it. They really look great.

Here is one ad we made using one of the photos. [More to come as we get farther into 2012!]

I also had the pleasure of attending another shoot, only this time it was with the great people of NBC 12! We shot footage for “Live Life Well” Minutes which will air during the Today Show on NBC.

Talk about an awesome experience. We interviewed 6 different employees at Westminster Canterbury, all of which were from different departments around the WCR community. After we shot the footage, NBC went back and edited what they shot, and sent us the compiled videos.

Dr. Kevin Fergusson

Reverend Ray Inscoe

What do you think?!

**A BIG thank you to Michael Park and Victor Nash!

When J H I was asked to develop an identity for the “Shockoe Design District,” I nearly jumped out of my skin. As a Richmond native, I’ve enjoyed all of Shockoe’s offerings…from fresh tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market in the summer to a cup of hot chocolate at the Grand Illumination in the winter. So the chance to add yet another feature to the area’s allure was a challenge we accepted with verve.

The end product is the Shockoe “S”. While directly referencing design, with its use of simple shapes and bold colors, it also encompasses a few of the District’s landmarks. The curve of the S represents the Canal Turning Basin where the Shockoe District begins, and the 3 squares in the middle represent Richmond’s triple crossing .

You can see the Banner (pictured below) hanging across 15th St. for yourself when you attend Shockoe Design Day! (Nov. 5th, 12PM–8PM at 14th & Virginia St.)

Shockoe Design District

I was recently given the opportunity to tag along to a photo shoot for Westminster Canterbury Richmond. I thought we would take a few pictures, go to another location, take a few pictures, and be done by lunchtime. WRONG. We had 5 locations, 4 different models, 3 different exposures, a million thoughts going into each picture, and one goal: to portray the vision of our client in the most accurate way possible. Believe me, it’s hard not to want channel your inner Tyra Banks when attending these photo shoots. But of course, I just stood in the background in awe over the limitless amount of possibility when it comes to photography. Moving a chair an inch to the left can make or break a shot. It’s incredible.

After the photo shoot, we receive the photos from the photographer and look at each one very carefully. We look for photos that give us the same visceral feeling as they did when they first came through the lens.  Here are a few from the shoot (soon to be seen in advertisements, direct mail, online….)

Photos courtesy of Richard Boyd

Check out this incredible infographic showcasing milestones in the evolution of the most familiar web browsers. We’ve come a long way, baby!

On a recent vacation to Nevada, I was able to tour Hoover Dam. The Dam is testimony to America’s ability to construct monolithic projects in the midst of adverse conditions: perhaps a lesson we need to remember in these recessionary times. Built during the Great Depression, it took less than five years, in a harsh and barren land, to complete the largest dam of its time: arriving two years ahead of schedule AND under budget. Thousands of men moved their families to Black Canyon, finding good paying work on the project at a time when jobs were scarce. Beautiful as well as functional, The Dam was built to last 2000 years. To this day, it provides low-cost hydroelectric power to Nevada, Arizona and California. It is a National Historic Landmark and a memorable trip through the desert and back in time to an era when America, sorely challenged, rose to the occasion. For me, it is also a monument to classic Art Deco design: simple, elegant and proudly machine-age.

As a small tribute…we’ve gathered a few of our Apples together…old and new! Enjoy!!