This week, I’ve been working on a new logo for a client of mine, EaglePointe Church in Denton, Tx. This is part of a larger web re-design project which I’ll be rolling out in a couple of weeks.

Also with a white background.

I think it turned out very clean either way.

JF

I was recently asked to look at a logo and give my opinion on whether or not it was a winner or not. To be honest, I really liked the logo from an aesthetic point of view. Initially, there wasn’t anything I would’ve changed. However, I began to consider the technical design of the logo and decided it needed help. The follow screen shots are what I did to improve it.

As you can see below, the logo definitely had too much going on. There are literally two icons. The name “Vive” uses a difficult font to read and it has the feel of a menorah. This competes too much with the main icon to the left.

Lesson: use one icon and be sure you can read the name of the company or organization.

So, here’s what I did to improve the logo’s functionality and design. I really liked the icon, so I didn’t touch it. However, I did attack the name. First, the name of the church is “The Vibe”. The original logo didn’t have the correct name of the church, it just read “Vive” and you really couldn’t read it clearly. It looks like “UIVE”. So, I took the letters “y”, “i” and “e” from the tagline and created the word “vive”. I borrowed the slanted “dot” from the “i” in the original logo and then added “the” over the first “v”.  This obviously simplified the logo but kept the creativity of the original.

The final logo is below. By changing the font for the name of the church, I was also able to create an alternative logo to use for the web address. To see the logo in action, you can visit The Vive website here.

I hope you like what I did for this logo. If you need any logo work or graphic design work done, please contact me at 817.727.5527.

Comment on this post here.

JF

You probably think WordPress is just a blogging platform. It’s so much more. WordPress is fully customizable and user friendly. You can make just about any website you have in mind: blog, portfolio, gallery, e-store, etc.

If you’re thinking about designing a new web site or shopping around for the best deal. Stop right here. The WordPress software is FREE and can be the best tool you have ever used with some help from a graphic designer and someone who know a little bit about WordPress.

Still not convinced?

Here are some reasons you need to consider WordPress and Paradigm Creative for your next web site:

1. WordPress is FREE. WordPress is basically a content-management system that you can use to update your web site in real time with graphics and content.
2. Themes. WordPress can be designed with 100% custom graphics. This means that you don’t have to sacrifice design for a good content manager.
3. Fresh content! WordPress makes it easy for any authorized user to update or add new content to your web site.
4. WordPress is now a web site and blogging software. There is NO NEED to have two separate site for your web site and blog. In fact, you can set up as many blogs and content contributors as you want.
5. Don’t pay for a CMS web site. When you don’t have to pay for CMS programming it means you can spend your budget on the graphic design and layout.

Need some examples?

Here some examples of web sites using WordPress as their main web site and content management system.

Next Steps

So, how do you get started? Here’s what you need to know:

1. Paradigm Creative can install and customize your WordPress web site all in about a week’s timeframe. We also provide hosting for $60 per year.
2. Cost to customize your site with graphics and layout vary so you’ll have to call me for a quote. However, it will be the most inexpensive, most powerful website you’ve ever had thanks to WordPress.
3. Contact Jeff Flowers today at 817.727.5527 to talk about your web site plans to see if WordPress makes sense to use.

I hope this helps to convince you to never pay $1000 for a theme website that you need help with anyway. I hope this helps to convince you that you can have a powerful CMS and a great looking site at the same time.  Below is an email I got from a client that chose WordPress for her website. You can check it out here.

So glad you setup Wordpress!!  Figured out how to link…changed the webcast post to include parts 1 & 2 of the COP ustream footage…until we can get a formal video edit to post.  Threw up a few pictures quickly in the media section.  Uploaded the listening guide.  Didn’t make the decision to do this till late at night, so did in a hurry… but just wanted you to know how grateful I am that you chose WordPress.  It’s very cool to get stuff up right away!! - Natalie Nichols

So, before you start shopping around for your next web site design, please consider letting Paradigm Creative create a customized WordPress web site for you. In fact, I don’t think I personally will ever design another web site that isn’t a WordPress CMS site. I’m that convinced this is the way to go.

JF

I just finished a new design project and was looking over my strategy notes and started thinking what if I approached a leadership decision like I do a new design project.  I jotted down the steps I take when starting a new design project and quickly adapted them into a strategy for making a leadership decision. I think it turned out pretty good and I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch.

1. Start With A Blank Slate.
   Every design strategy starts with a blank slate, even if I have ideas or looks in mind, I still begin with the blank page. Every leader should begin the process with a “blank slate.” Leave your ideas and assumptions at the door and lead from your values.
2. Listen, Listen, Listen.
   Great graphic designers listen to their clients first, then design second. To capture your client’s ideas and bring them to reality is the task at hand. Great leaders listen first and react later.
3. Get a Mental Picture of What You Want.
   Artists by nature “see” their design in their head, they use their imagination, if you will. Leaders “see” the result before it becomes reality. They use their “vision”, if you will.
4. Get Inspiration.
   All artists need creative inspiration. We look at magazines, web sites, other designers’ work to get our creative juices flowing. All leaders find inspiration from other leaders. Read magazines, books, web sites and talk with other leaders to help you with the decision or project in front of you.
5. Do a Rough Sketch (Don’t Be Afraid to Erase It and Start Over).
   Art is about color, placement, meaning, beauty and message. The end result is NEVER what we started with. We always use more erasers than we do ink! Leaders should always “rough draft” their ideas or decisions. Brainstorm, mindmap, use whatever, just be willing to use more erasers than you do ink.
6. The Beauty is in the Details.
   As an artist, I spend a lot of time on the details. Color, space, symmetry, etc. It’s never the main elements that make or break the piece, it’s the details. Many leaders don’t spend time working through the details of their decisions. Take time for the details, it could be the difference between paint by number and the Mona Lisa.
7. Add a Unique Touch.
   There’s a difference in design technique and design style. Everyone uses the same techniques, no one has the same style. There are times you can look at a piece of art and you instantly know who the artist is. Leaders are the same way. Too many times we, as leaders, lead too much from technique and not enough from the gut. Be sure to embrace your style and go with it. Sometime you look at an organization and you instantly know who the leader is!
8. The Result is Something You Would Proudly Put Your Name On.
   The last thing artists do is add their name to their work. It says, “This is something I created, a part of me for the world to enjoy.” Leaders should ask themselves, “Am I proud enough to put my name on this?” I think this would go a long way toward creating a better decision in the short and long run.

I would love your feedback on this or feel free to share it with your team.