In News on
11 August 2010 with no comments
August 11 is Michael Logan’s birthday and in celebration of that, a post from the Doyle/Logan archives—it’s one of our earliest collaborations. This was Michael’s illustration for the an invitation we created for the Los Angeles Conservancy (founded 1978) fifth anniversary party. The concept was to make the invitation a blueprint of five birthday candles.
Michael’s birthday this year also features a five, so it seemed like a fun idea to resurrect this image from early in our partnership. Happy Birthday.— Clay Doyle
Michael Logan on Facebook
In Commentary, Link on
3 August 2010 with no comments
We love illustration. We’d like to see more of it. We’ve been a fan of Greg Clarke for many years.
Greg Clarke has done some great work for our projects and our clients. I particularly like the way he mixes humor and sophistication, and I really appreciate the way he can come up with concepts and ideas. All this is by way of introducing his new blog, where you can see some new work, some old work, and most interestingly, some sketches that illuminate his thinking and process.
Great cover for the latest Boston Globe Magazine; I get so tired of celebrity portraits, don’t you?
You can find Greg’s blog at www.drawger.com/gregclarke
plus lots of past work at his website (which is pretty cool, even though we didn’t design it) at www.gregclarke.com
P.S. Note the clever alteration of the “g” in the logo.
In Commentary, Link on
16 July 2010 with no comments
Time for a bit of levity: several friends have sent me this link to a humorous post by the Australian writer and designer David Thorne on his satirical blog 27bslash6.com.
Hope you’ll find his tale of client/designer miscommunication as entertaining (and insightful) as I do. Read the post here, then return if you’d like for a few observations.
http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html
As funny as this is, I think it holds some important insights for both designers and clients. The most obvious of course, is that something can be clever and attractive and yet completely fail to clearly communicate the intended message. Since the point of good design is communication (except perhaps in political advertising) this disconnect between image and meaning is the source of most of the humor in the post.
Also interesting to me is the way digital design processes have made it possible—often even expected—to produce “instant” design. What gets lost however is time to think about a project; to consider and reject ideas. And thinking about a problem and possible solutions (and discard them) is really where the value in hiring creative people rests.
It also shows that the design process is a process, I rather like the final poster…it’s clear and concise, yet has a touch of the unexpected that might actually get the poster noticed—amid what one can only assume is a sea of similar flyers. The design process can sometimes be a messy one, but (assuming one withholds the snarky comments and remains friendly) can ultimately arrive at a successful solution. Although it is perfectly legitimate to question whether or not a project actually requires the services of a designer.
There’s a lot more funny stuff on David Thorne’s blog—much of it not about design. Hope it brings a smile to your day. —Clay Doyle.
In Commentary on
29 June 2010 with no comments
Remember: you get what you pay for.
What I like best about this sign is that it appears to have been there for quite some time.
This is the fourth in my what I hope will be an ongoing series of weekly posts offering a biased (and unsolicited) commentary on some aspect of design and communications. It’s a new addition to our website, and I hope you’ll find the comments interesting, useful, or at least entertaining. —Clay Doyle
Thanks to Eric See for snapping and sending this photo.
In Commentary on
22 June 2010 with no comments
This poster got my attention at the Union 76 gas pump. It’s a witty concept married to a clean design. I wish more businesses would think like this; I’m already at the station, so any kind of a hard sell is pretty much a waste of time.
The television ads also emphasize humor, although with a bit less subtlety. Perhaps you’ve seen their TV commercial where a man get’s pulled over and uses 76′s iPhone app (a further bit of marketing silliness) to attempt to get out of a traffic ticket.
It’s probably just serendipity, given how long it takes to roll out an ad campaign, but there couldn’t be a better time to not mention gas or oil when marketing those very things. —Clay
snapped at the pump with my iPhone
In Commentary, Cross post: Anywhere but Here on
15 June 2010 with no comments
Sometimes the whole concept is just wrong.
I snapped this picture at Bofinger, the classic French brasserie, on my last visit to Paris, where this brochure seemed starkly out of place.
Bofinger is more than a century old, with leather banquettes, polished brass, white linen, well-used silver, and a stunning stained-glass dome. The menu is limited and classic, the service precise, perfect and very accommodating. Part of the pleasure of Bofinger, and places like it, is the feeling that you have stepped back in time—into a romanticized, literary or cinematic Parisian fantasy.
All this is prelude to my dismay at finding this glossy, 4-color promotional brochure dominating our otherwise impeccably set table. This photo-adorned shiny brochure—so very aggressive, so very American, so expected at your local chain eatery—gave the impression of a very loud, uninvited guest.
I suppose the corporation that owns Bofinger (along with numerous other well-known Paris brasseries) would like you to know they have some special “value meals” as well as, apparently, a marketing arrangement with Guinness—but isn’t there a way to do it in a manner more in keeping with the Bofinger atmosphere, or I could even say, brand?
Of course there is: the decidedly old fashioned menus, when presented, contain a decidedly old fashioned card providing the same information as on the glossy brochure. Neither made me want to order a Guinness, but the card did not offend.
Lest you think I’m being over sensitive, the very correct waiters at Bofinger made no attempt to hide their contempt for these intruders on their “theater” of the table. They set each vacant table with the offending brochure and then—immediately upon seating the guests and handing out the menus—whisked them away, never to be seen again.
If only the waiters ran the company. —Clay Doyle
In the main room at Bofinger, Paris: it’s not Au Courant, it’s not trendy, it’s certainly not undiscovered, but I love it. As do many Parisians and visitors alike.
In Commentary on
8 June 2010 with no comments
The concept of Less is More has become a cliche, but sometimes it’s true.
This billboard is an example of how an image can actually diminish the impact of good copy. I’ve asked a number of people to tell me what this ad says. The answer is consistent (and probably obvious): If you drink too much, you should get tested for HIV. It’s a good point, as far as it goes. The thing is, “You know why…” is a powerful tag line.
Remove the image, and see how powerful a statement that becomes.
“You know why!” is a great piece of copy, and could tap the viewer’s imagination and memories to conjure any number of very personal reasons for getting an HIV test.
Adding the image of the drinks actually dilutes the message as it supplies a single reason that many viewers may dismiss. It’s easy to say “I don’t drink,” “I don’t drink that much,” or “I don’t engage in risky behavior when I drink.”
If the goal is to get as many people as possible to get tested (routinely) for HIV, the rather haunting statement “You know why!” works better when the viewers construct their own reasons.
—Clay Doyle
Note: Clay Doyle, Michael Logan and The Doyle/Logan Company have worked professionally, voluntarily and personally on AIDS issues since beginning of the epidemic with organizations including the UCLA AIDS institute, the Aids Research Alliance and APLA. While we consider it to be a fine organization, we have no association with AIDS Healthcare Alliance or it’s advertising.
In Reminder on
26 February 2010 with no comments
Our 2010 Bedlington Terrier T-shirt is now available.
This is the sixth and final shirt in The Doyle/Logan Company Bedlington Terrier series. For the final shirt we present a variation on our very first design. This year’s shirt again features a silkscreened dog, centered on a classic black American Apparel T-shirt. The edition is limited to 185 shirts.
The shirts are silkscreen printed in Los Angeles, and the 100% cotton t-shirts are likewise made in Los Angeles under sweat-shop free conditions. No humans or animals were harmed in the production of this shirt.
The 2010 Bedlington Terrier T is our gift to clients, colleagues and friends. If you would like to receive one, please contact Clay Doyle or Michael Logan via email, Facebook or Linkedin with your size preference (S, M, L, XL, XXL, be advised that American Apparel shirts run small).
Out contact information can be found in the “about us” section of this blog or by clicking the terrier icon on our home page.
You may also add us to your Facebook or Linkedin accounts as follows:
Michael Logan on Linkedin
Clay Doyle on Linkedin
Michael Logan on Facebook
Clay Doyle on Facebook
The Doyle|Logan Company on Linkedin
Become a fan of The Doyle|Logan Company on Facebook
In Uncategorized on
17 January 2010 with no comments
A number of people have asked us, regarding our 2009 holiday card, “Where was that photograph taken?”
Often this is an easy question to answer, but sometimes, as in this case, it’s a bit more complicated—and interesting. Here’s a brief explanation of how this year’s holiday card was made.
Logan and I wanted to do a fairly modest card this year, something simple yet joyful. I had the idea of a single strand of colored holiday lights, strung against an evening sky. I borrowed a string of vintage lights from my friend Eric, a obsessive collector. These lights have a certain old-fashioned charm, and solidity, as well as an indented design which I thought gave them interest while still maintaining the archetypal shape. We simply strung the lights between two makeshift poles and photographed them against the Los Angeles sky.
The lights photographed beautifully. In fact, of the many exposures I made, I ended up using the very first shot I took. The sky was another matter however. It requires two separate exposures to produce in a photograph what the human eye can so easily see: bright lights against a comparatively dark sky. I never did get a sky photo I liked; the Los Angeles sky simply refused to turn the color I wanted.
I returned to our library of photographs and found the perfect sky among some photographs Logan had taken in Venice in March. His photograph included the silhouetted domes of Santa Maria Formosa, and though my original conception of the card consisted only of the lights and the sky, I decided to include just the star from the top of the highest dome. It seemed to lend depth to the sky and a mysterious sense of place. Gentry, our production wizard, combined the two digital images to create the final photograph—though this is far from a new trick; it’s long been done in the darkroom.
Because the image was conceived as very horizontal, we mailed it in a number 10 business envelope. Since it wasn’t card shaped, we used a translucent envelope in order to make it readily apparent that a holiday card was enclosed. We wrapped the sky around the back of the card, since it was visible in the envelope, and also added our return address there, so as to not have to print the envelopes.
And here’s an even shorter answer: The photo was taken in Los Angeles, California and Venice, Italy. And it was taken by Clay Doyle and Michael Logan.
(Clay Doyle shot with a Leica Digilux 2 and Michael Logan used a Leica Diglux 3 for the images on the card.)
In Reminder on
2 February 2009 with no comments
The Doyle/Logan Company T-shirts for 2009, featuring our Bedlington Terrier mascot, are almost gone. This year’s design has proved to be one of our most popular. If you haven’t received a shirt yet, and would like one, please email us with your size ASAP. We’re already out of M, XL and 2XL, but have a few left in S and a dozen or so in L. As they say in The Netherlands, op is op (when they’re gone, they’re gone).
What people are saying about The Doyle/Logan T’s:
“The t-shirts are always so great; it’s something I look forward to each year!”
“I love your t-shirts and always wear them.”
“Thank you for the adorable t-shirt. I’m sure the girls will steal it before I get a chance to wear it the first time. I love the leash.”
“Your t-shirts are always a big hit in Europe! I love them!”
“I look forward to this every year.”
“Thanks for thinking of me! Now people think I’m a dog lover 
”
“Woo-hoo, what a treat”
“The t-shirt is is so much easier to take care of than a real dog!”
“You mean I get one, too – or am I barking up the wrong tree?”
“I would love a t-shirt ! I wear my previous dog shirts all the time.”
“Thank you so much – these are really cool. LOVE the leash!”
“I only like Doyle Logan shirts now. I may have an addiction to that dog.”
