As much as we love to obsess over typography, that doesn’t mean we can’t get down with a pure illustration gig from time to time. Due the über, stealth nature of this particular project (sorry, you simply don’t have Clearance Level Mach 9), we need to be careful with how much we can share. What we can say is that this illustration was developed for an elementary school in a suburb of the great city of Boston, and it is indeed a lion. A lioness, actually. A lioness wearing a checkered bandana – there, we did it – we already shared too much! Sheesh. Don’t tell them we told ya.
Branding
Fox Got Your Tongue?
Recently, Alphabet Arm’s senior designer and resident beer snob, Ryan, tried his hand at a little brew-you-own-beer experiment. After much deliberation, a recipe for American Pale Ale was chosen. A bit hoppy, floral, citrusy and well balanced — it seemed like a great choice for drinking in the (hopefully) warmer months ahead. Of course, for a graphic designer, at least half of the fun of brewing your won beer is getting to name the product and design the brand in whichever way you choose, with no pesky clients to get in the way.
Pale Fox was the chosen name (pretty much, any excuse to spend some time drawing a fox) and the clean, modern take on a beer label followed suit. Pale Fox turned out to be a tasty brew. The process of brewing the ale, bottling, and design was good fun. Thanks to Hopsters for assisting in the brew process and all-around rad experience.
Alphabet Animal Farm, Part 01
Friends of The Bloggery, we hope this post finds you well. We are kicking off a series of recent logo projects that feature animals. Whether they are simple and iconic, or stylized brand mascots, an animal can often function as an ideal visual for a brand or service.
The Scout Tint Meter is an innovative, handheld, new tint reading device developed by a State Trooper.
Alphabet Arm was hired to conduct a Naming Exercise and create the initial step of the brand voice. We typically begin the process of name development by defining the audience the brand must speak to. We take a broad look at the competing brands (if they exist) and we define the characteristics and key brand attributes. Then we brainstorm, create word lists, free associations, brainstorm, mind map, and brainstorm some more. Generally, the sessions generate a furious list of hundreds of names. We dissect them, deconstruct and recombine. A significant part of the vetting process is rooted in online research to ensure none of the proposed names are being used verbatim. Ultimately, we look for simple answers to complex ideas.
In the case of Scout, avoiding the commonly used technical naming strategy (most often initial and number combinations) and utilizing a familiar pet name was the ideal solution. To offset the product name, we introduced a concrete, descriptive tagline. Pairing the new name with a focused, trustworthy, shepard illustration has already set Scout apart from the pack and reinforces their primary demographic of law enforcement professionals who will be using this device.
Due to the nature of the mediums that will be branded (molded plastic tint meter shell, carrying case, operating instructions, etc.) the Scout logo system utilizes a number of lock-up options and a simple atomized version of the mark.
Alphabet Animal Farm, Part 02
Vista Clothing Company is among the new breed of conscious-minded apparel companies that have a charitable giving commitment integrated within their business model.
Drawing influence from classic and iconic brands like Izod and Penguin, the Vista bird mascot will carry the lions share (no pun intended) of the branding responsibility. At it’s root, it is a simple and graphic form that is easily removed from the typographic lock-up. It features a subtle V form across it’s chest – honoring the company name. 
The flexibility of the simple mark, not only allows the color palette to constantly evolve, but will make embroidery and skill-screening both cost effective and very clean.
