I was recently asked by a friend to create a custom, memorial tattoo design. The ink would pay homage to a dear and mutual friend of ours who was no longer with us. The request was for Blackletter or gothic script, and the lettering would feature the nickname “Catwoman.”

The dark, moody fonts of choice just happen to be some of my favorite elements with which to noodle— ever-popular, and I’ll never get tired of working with their unique characters. Profusely and profoundly used for band artwork, tattoo artwork and extreme sports brands, the styles lend themselves to complete alteration and a ramping-up of their original drama.

In addition to customizing and modifying the type with additional swirls and curls, I was hoping to capture the essence of the word, and the woman. Our friend was a cat-lover, dark-haired, mysterious, strong-willed and blessed with a vocal music talent. This artwork was intended to be permanently emblazoned on my friend’s forearm, and once inked, could not be deleted with the press of a button…

The design process would begin and end in Illustrator, where I could customize the characters and create custom brushes for the ornate swirls, and tweak them until my heart was content (which could take months, but in this case did not!).

Here is a visual breakdown of the proposed tattoo from raw font to finished art.

Step 1: Font Choice
Considering the huge range and different styles to pick from, I was looking for a font that used straight edges on most of the letters, as opposed to being rounded so I could elongate them vertically. I had a hard time  choosing between Fette Fraktur and Cloister Black, and eventually settled on the Fraktur (the tiny curled cat tail on the “w” closed the deal for me).

Step 2: Character Customization
One of the first tweaks was to extend the letters vertically from the middle to change the stout look. I did not want short, fat, chunky letters, and was going for tall, cool, and a bit spooky. Once I had the outlined characters I gave them a bit more height. Next, I gave a bit more significance to the first and last letters. The letter T was crying for some attention, and became a great candidate for a focal point–after all, who is Catwoman without a cat-o-nine tails?

Step 3: Tails, Swirls and Claws
With every logotype, I try to incorporate as much of the essence of the word into the piece without going overboard. In certain cases, as with gothic text, a little extra drama is just fine for me. This step included the addition of some letter flicks duplicated across the inner sections of each letter, giving a kind of thorny or clawed appearance. By creating custom brush tips I was able to keep the uniform widths and tips, and draw freely.

Various swirls, curls and sharp pointy bits later and the vector version of the type design is complete. Any tight angles and the position of each individual piece were adjusted to perfect the design.

Considering this is a tattoo design I chose to stop here, to keep the edges crisp and the text strong. There is still room for the Tattoo artist to add his or her own personal touch. When the design transfers from Illustrator to forearm, I will post the ultimate finished piece.

Media outlets were flooded with the news. October 5th, 2011, as the inevitable was reported. Mr. Steve Jobs had passed away. Although his illness was well-publicized, we were hoping not to hear this news for a while.

It’s always sad when someone with immense energy and vision passes away. With Steve’s passing, we more openly acknowledge that he is an icon, a legend, a hero and yes, to some, a tech-and-creative-arena god. His shadow circumscribed the world of technology and swallowed it whole. It’s hard to think of any other person in modern times who was more intertwined with his own creations and pop culture. Apple was Steve Jobs’ life’s work and it is profound to think about how many of the fruits of his creations are now woven into our daily lives.

iPods, iPhones and iPads aside, Steve impacted our lives at Wizdom Media in the greatest sense. We spend all day on our Macs—systems that Steve spent most of his life creating, improving and perfecting. They are our inanimate co-workers. They are our trusted companions. They are the tools we use to express ourselves. Macs enable us to create everything that meets our collective client vision and, most importantly, they enable us to make a living doing what we love most – art. It cannot be adequately stated how the work of Mr. Jobs & Co. has affected our lives.

Graphic Design may have existed long before Apple, but has since never been the same. Steve’s vision of user-friendly, personal, powerful machines fit perfectly well with creative types and transformed our industry, seemingly overnight. Today, the majority of those in the creative arts use Apple products, and that is no accident. They allow us to focus on driving our creative energy without having to worry about what’s going on under the hood.

Worldwide, Steve is more associated for the ” i ” gadgets that made Apple a household name and the most important tech company that ever existed. However, here at Wizdom, Steve is more fondly associated with those very machines that have expanded us from art table designers to producers, recording engineers, directors and videographers. Our fully functional Macintosh Classic still stands tall as we work on it’s progeny, iMac. Steve casts a very long shadow here.

It is with great reverence, respect and sadness that we bid Steve farewell.

R.I.P., Mr. Jobs.

“Taking cues from the great masters, sepia tones of old Hollywood, Chinese opera, cityscapes and countryside, designers are paying close attention to texture, contrast and color for fall 2011 — pairing menswear with feminine twists, warm prints with cool metals, incorporating both old and new influences, and creating an intriguing balance between colors.” – Pantone

Bamboo

This color represents the perfect amount of understated warmth for Fall.

Emberglow

Consider this peach with a punch!

Honeysuckle

Sassy. Spirited. Strong. If you need a color splash, this is a great option.

Phlox

Majestic and mysterious, Phlox is a dramatic color whether used on it’s own or paired with more neutral tones.

Cedar

Fresh and crisp green, like morning dew.

Deep Teal

Experience the depths of the sea with this rich blend of green and blue.

Coffee Liqueúr

What says Fall better than a rich, decadent mocha color?

Nougat

Enjoy a nice complimentary warm camel color, the color of sand.

Orchid Hush

A light purple so dirty it’s almost gray

Quarry

From large Corporate Companies to small personal blogs, this coolish gray color fits almost every situation.

At Wizdom Media, we don’t just see design as some abstract concept, we know that design, when coupled with a great idea, can change lives. Recently we were approached by Dime Magazine to brand a basketball court with the Red Bull “Boston’s Got Wings” identity.

In a nutshell, Red Bull, the company famous for giving us “wings”, has teamed up with the City of Boston, to help redevelop old run down city basketball courts. Rajon Rondo, the point guard for the Boston Celtics, was brought into the project. The premise of the project is as follows, Red Bull and Rajon will donate $500 for each steal he makes throughout the season. After Rondo’s first 30 steals, a donation will be made to redevelop Washington/Malcolm X Park, due to it’s historical significance and popularity. After that, the general public will be able to vote on which Boston court gets redeveloped next. Here is the best part, after every 30 steals, Red Bull and Rajon will be fixing up a court that is selected by the community.

Thrilled to be involved in such a positive endeavor, we jumped (pun intended) at the chance to be a part of this project. Design matters and we know it. Our role as designers is to use our collective skills and talents to make our clients’ strategy a visual reality. Although we have never designed a basketball court before, Red Bull’s strong identity easily translated to the court and our client’s vision was achieved.

Well, the season ended with Rajon at 153 steals, which means 5 courts will be refurbished thanks to the efforts of all. We are hoping that Red Bull considers rolling out this program in other cities.

For more info on the Red Bull “Boston’s Got Wings” Program, click here.

This post is a follow-up to last month’s article “Defining The Rule of Seven”

Staying in touch with your customers (and potential ones) is a critical step in maximizing your marketing success.  We are all aware that potential clients are just not going to buy from you upon first blush. But, by the time they’re ready to buy, are you on the tip of their tongue? By staying in touch, you’re increasing your chances of increasing your client traffic.

The Rule of Seven encompasses more than just the suggested number of times you should get your name out there before it becomes effective. Flexibility, innovation and creativity are key elements—all of which are critical to your marketing efforts. First and foremost, never rely on only one type of marketing method. You may be getting dazzling results one day, but that might change in the future. Think of internet marketing as an example. Email used to be much more effective than it is today. That’s why the spammers hopped aboard the train. Now with spam filters, it’s harder for legitimate marketing to penetrate. Secondly, express yourself — be creative in ways that pertain to your business.  You may not want to expose your affinity for the musical compositions of Berlioz, but a touch of personality usually affects people in a positive way.

Occasionally factors which are outside of your control may change how easily you can reach your prospects. Even if you’ve discovered a method that is getting you all the customers you can handle, add a couple of other tools to your marketing toolbox to ensure you don’t get sabotaged by unexpected changes.

The Rule of Seven as it applies to “information marketing” is extremely effective. By providing free information to your prospects on a regular basis, you are building a solid relationship and increasing trust in most cases. Information that you offer in the form of a newsletter, Facebook or blog post, or tweet is not an overt sales pitch. Even if it’s a veiled sales pitch at times (see funky tee shirt above, conveniently available from our store) it’s still an attempt to inform and help.

Finally, it’s important to set aside regular times to engage in marketing activities, even when you’re busy. (I’ll admit to the periods of sporadic marketing of my own business, and the epiphany reached if the phones stop ringing as often as we’d like…) If we continue marketing even when we’re busy, we’ll have fewer slow times. Most importantly, trying several types of marketing is usually the best method of eliminating the methods that fail, and determining which ones are successful.

We love a short, pithy statement as much as the next guy! Especially one that expresses a general truth, perhaps, that a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you or visit your establishment. The Rule of Seven is a classic marketing maxim which declares that you can’t just engage in brief marketing activity and call it a day. Marketing must be an unfaltering process in order for it to be successful.

We continually reinforce The Rule of Seven to our own clients. Why do prospects need to hear their message so many times before taking action? Why don’t people jump up and grab what they’re offering the first time they see the message?? Is it the design? The approach? What are the challenges at hand?…

The Noise.

Aren’t we pelted with messages constantly, via email, mobile devices and all media? The initial task is to get your message past all the pandemonium. The first few times someone sees your message it’s likely it won’t be fully absorbed. We’ve all built up a marketing immunity over time – to shield us from the constant noise of businesses roaring for attention. Equally important is the fact that prospective clients aren’t just hanging ’round waiting for you to show up!

The Need.

What if the fine prospects you’ve been targeting just don’t need your product or service today? If they only see your marketing message once, it’s not likely they’ll remember you tomorrow or next week or next year when they suddenly do need you. When it comes to marketing “out of sight” is definitely out of mind and not where you want to be.

The Cost.

In delicate economic times or NOT, price will always be an issue. If someone really wants what you have to offer, it’s amazing how quickly they’ll figure out how to pay for it. The challenge is to convince them of the value of your offer. If you’ve been successful at getting past the noise, and if they’ve continually seen powerful marketing messages from you, they may get closer to seeing your value and letting go of some of their price concerns. That’s why you need to keep marketing.

The Trust.

One reason people don’t buy the first time you reach out to them is that they don’t know you from a hole in the ground. This goes back to point # 1 – The Noise. It isn’t just that there are too many messages; there are too many messages that aren’t true.

Do you take every commercial, flyer or email marketing message at face value? I certainly do not. If someone wants my business, they need to prove they can do what they say. They need to get into my space a few times, and (when I’m good and ready) I will know exactly how, when and where to contact them or enjoy my next dinner out.

The real truth about the Rule of Seven is that it takes time for people to get to know you, like you and – hopefully over time – begin to trust you. Once they trust that you’re honest and provide true value – then, and only then, will they be ready to buy.

How long does this process take? Possibly not in seven contacts. It really depends on the value of your offer, how badly a prospect needs it and how many frauds they may have run across before.

NEXT MONTH: How do you use the Rule of Seven in your marketing plan?

Wear something cryptic on your chest! It’ll up your cool quotient and make for some great conversation. Unless, of course, you’d rather not inspire unnecessary conversation (for which we’d suggest getting that same design on your morning coffee mug when nobody really wants to talk anyway…).

Our 100% cotton tees are available in limited quantities for a small fee to help support our art habits. Visit the Wizdom online store, where we’ll be adding custom designs every month.

The Siemens Oncology Division delivers radiation oncology solutions that provide the building blocks for the future advancements in radiation oncology. As with all Siemens exhibits, part of our challenge is to design an environment around these groundbreaking technologies and create the visual experience to illustrate the Siemens Oncology Care Systems story. In essence, we are part of the team that builds a temporary mini-city where people visit for a short (but potent) user experience devoted solely to Siemens OCS. Brilliant, scientific minds are in attendance, and the experience is short-lived and usually fast-paced. To meet this challenge, we work with an outstanding team of individuals from our internal clients, marketing and show managers to IT and exhibit architects.

This year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has bestowed the award of First Place for Exhibit Design to Siemens Healthcare. ASTRO is the world’s largest education and scientific radiation oncology event. It is with great pleasure that we say KUDOS to our Siemens clients, Catalyst Exhibits, Nth Degree, Media Solutions and the entire team for a project well done.

Did you ever ponder the political process involved while selecting the appropriate typography for a new publication? No? Thought not.

Except for certain situations within graphic design, type’s main purpose is balancing the readability and legibility of the message. Selecting a combination of two or three typefaces that suit the publication and work well together can be a challenge. One of this month’s challenges was to redesign The Rahway Review, a tabloid-sized newsletter published by the City of Rahway. The deadline was tight, and the race was on. We began the internal task of all agreeing upon the fonts to be used expressly in the Review, now and forever, until the end of time, or at least until this baby went to press. This was Phase I.

The Candidates at a Glance
Body Text: Caslon, Garamond, Bookman and Baskerville (Times New Roman chose to bow out early)
Small Headings: Helvetica Neue, Meta, Gill Sans
Large Headings: Haettenschweiler, Helvetica Inserat, Impact

Concordance, Contrast, and Conflict on the Campaign Trail
Since we were going for an inviting, uplifting appearance for this publication we knew early on that the concordant look of one font family wouldn’t work because it doesn’t generally provide a lot of contrast and could potentially be dull and lifeless. Heavy textual content and boxed-in photos would land this quickly on the rag pile. Conflicting type is just a giant no-no in a potentially noisy page environment, and was booted off the campaign bus early. Contrast won the primaries. We would begin with typefaces from drastically different families. It is quite often the most effective way to proceed. Drastic differences, coming together on one page to produce the most cohesive results. Imagine that.

Where was I?  Oh, yes, back to the politics—of font selection. We designers convened in the conference room armed with arguments from each side, and for each of the fonts. We began the democratic process of inviting each font candidate up to the podium (via the chalk board and some magic tape) and voting by secret ballot. When it was clear which fonts were the shoe-ins we had a nice cup of coffee and proceeded to Phase II (selecting the color palette) which overlapped Phases III (masthead design), IV (folio design) and V (page layout), and required a few more pots of coffee. These phases, of course,  all preceded Client Approval. The Client Approval phase has its monarchical attributes and can easily disintegrate all of our inalienable rights as designers at a subatomic level. Thankfully, it went very well and were allowed to exercise our complete freedom of type design.

The Rahway Review utilizes Caslon, Helvetica Neue and Haettenschweiler, a contemporary color palette and a flexible grid. I was greeted this week by its arrival in my mailbox. While every circulated publication has the ability to stir up all sorts of emotions from both sides of every fence in Rahway and nearby galaxies, I find myself faced with one question: Did we custom kern the headline text enough?

When owner Joe Cooper-Levi of That Bakery asked if we could sweeten the logo idea he had been baking up in his head, we thought: HOW SWEET IT IS!…and so we did.

That Bakery is an Oasis of Yum, using only real ingredients — fresh cream, French butter — and has been doing so since the ’80s. Chocolate-covered strawberries, heart-shaped brownies and cupcakes all are big on Valentine’s Day. We can only hope to be continually invited to the same parties and affairs as Joe so we can dive into the desserts before the main course is served.

If you have never tasted the delights at That Bakery (formerly International Pastry) make sure you stop over, especially during holiday season:
That Bakery: 73 Westfield Ave, Clark, NJ. Tel: 732-381-3570