Rev Creations

Good news! to those who doesn't know yet, I got accepted as a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.n.K.) which is an association of artists committed to the creation and promotion of illustrations for children in the Philippines. It is a great stride for my artistic side, as it will further expand my creative horizons… and of course chances of illustrating more children's books. By the way, we're already finalizing the layout of "Spinning" and although the publication is delayed (due to my suggestions and comments), it will be coming out soon. I chose this as my "About the Illustrator" picture…

Silly... Anyway, to my drawing! At first, I thought of drawing "Hampas Palayok" first, like a group of kids catching the blessings of an exploded pot while the blindfolded kid standing in the middle with his stick unaware of the frenzy happening around him – all this from the pot's perspective… then I moved on to using a piñata instead, since these were more colorful. I ended up sketching a girl conjuring the most unexpected characters she has imagined…

I did it using my signature ink, then water-colored and highlighted with colored pencils on illustration board. Try to see what I did to my brushes! Those rubber thingies really help me work even if my right hand is already screaming in pain (De Quervain's).

I really didn't have a story for this one, the characters just came out randomly and if you'd like, make a story out of it… the final scanned piece...

Here's the girl… a diwata? a babaylan in training? The girl looks a lot like my sister Sigrid, hehe.

A snake wearing a top hat and a magician's wand, studded with card suit designs on the length of its body… with three little mice frantically running on his long tongue. And the pig balloons…

A bee who is actually wearing these huge shades to hide his Chinese eyes… and it's a hustler, not your typical jolly bee…

And the carabao jumped over the moon… rather jumped from the moon… and a rocket to witness it…

A flying tailless bubwit and again pig balloons…

And the cutesy putesy flowers… "Conjure!"

What do you think are the characters all about? What story does this picture tell?

Anyway, have to get back to my drawing board and abuse my right hand more, lots of logos and designs to work on. Have to make full use of my free time!

I recently made a logo for Swig, a new bar/restaurant from Stella's Restaurant in Ohio. Demographically, Swig is looking for the 25-50 year old. Swig can be described as an inexpensive, fun and intimate neighborhood joint. It will feature 19 draft beers, comfort foods primarily focused on sausage sandwiches, etc. and will be able to seat about 60 people inside, another 75 on outside patio during warm weather (with stainless steel tables and bar with black walnut trim). They're looking for a logo that "puts a smile on people's faces" and makes them curious enough to come in. Swig will be a casual place, where people can feel comfortable "come as they are," but it will be well-kept and have a bit of hipness, too. The logo should include the name of the bar and their tagline ("Charcuterie and Suds for the Curious"). The logo will be used for front facade of building, as well as promotional materials and other purposes.

I worked on developing a text-based logo, using friendly legible script fonts. Of course, using text as a logo is very boring so I aimed for subtle modifications to incorporate specific requests of the client. Emphasizing on the need for a logo that "puts a smile," I searched for a way to integrate this on the basic text… and voila… what if I reshaped the tail loop of the "g" into a subtle "smile"? I edited the dot of the "i" into a spiral to evoke the "suds" nature of the bar/restaurant. I avoided using any direct visual references (such as using graphics of beer or mugs) because the name of the bar/restaurant already refers to the act of drinking beer. How the text is displayed will be important to show subtly the "hipness" but at the same time "classiness" of the bar/restaurant. Here's the basic logo in black and white:

I provided some color versions, and I thought of framing it into this:

At first this didn't appeal to them, as one person in their group suggested that it looked like the logo for instant potatoes or Duncan Hines (bake products). A friend of mine I showed this to commented it looked like a chocolate factory's logo. I thought, "This is good!" It meant that the logo seemed to evoke taste… which is very important for a restaurant logo. I framed it actually to make it look like an old beer label, and I was glad other people who saw this version thought so. But I provided them with another version without the framing and the red band:

It took a while before they grew into the logo, after having other competing proposals. But finally, they liked it a lot, thinking its versatility to be used for signage, menus and letterhead. They would be using all iterations of the logo. I provided them with the horizontal treatments of the logo, and here are the final horizontal versions:

Now, I've wanted to have a swig of cold beer after this project. Come to think of it, I've never been drunk before and I've always wondered how I'd be overpowered by alcohol. Would I turn into a laughing clown or a violent brute, a sleepy slob or a raging sex maniac? I have this fear of losing control of myself, but there's also this curiosity that has to be quelled. If only it would be that easy to get drunk.

SPIRA Sales Corporation was created as partners of TOTO Philippines at the onset of year 2007 to address the growing demand for high-performing bathroom and sanitary wares, fittings and accessories in the Philippines. SPIRA distributes TOTO products through a vast network of retailers that are strong industry players, like Wilcon Builders Depot, Inc. The distributorship network is strategically located mainly in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon area. Apart from high quality products, SPIRA also boasts of a talented team which is equipped and trained to excel in customer service. Products and manpower are the two main strengths and investments of the company that ensure customer satisfaction. In time for the grand opening of the new TOTO Philippines Showroom at the 1^st and 2^nd floor of Ridgewood Square, C5 Road, Taguig, Metro Manila, SPIRA is all set to rebrand itself in this new endeavor.

The original logo of SPIRA is an example of a direct representation of what the sales company is all about. I interviewed current employees and asked them if they knew what the graphic in the logo really was, and all of them were unanimous in identifying the image as a toilet piece ("inidoro" to be exact). I thought that the old image would have to be changed, even if its shape was quite indecipherable. This is a case, that the product may not necessarily provide a wholesome image of the company. I was asked by the management to look at their website at www.totophilippines.com to look at their products, find inspiration and get a feel of the image they wanted to convey as a company.

TOTO Ltd. is the world's largest toilet manufacturer and produces the most innovative and highly technological sanitary wares around. I didn't realize until I reviewed their catalogue how much creativity, research and technology can go in producing their products. Their mission is to enhance humanity's relationship with water and with this; they strive in producing products and designs that provide seamless user experience. The image of TOTO is simply elegant (and works similarly to SONY's logo) and classic. I wanted SPIRA's logo to look harmoniously side by side with this TOTO image, and although I wanted to go for a similar typographical approach, the management was insistent with the integration of a graphical component.

I provided their management with 3 initial proposals based on key elements I drew from SPIRA's and TOTO's portfolio:

1. PEARL within a SHELL / WATER DROPLET concept – The first thing I saw in SPIRA's website was this beautiful picture of a water droplet bouncing off from a rippled surface. I thought I should create a graphic based on this, but infusing it with the pearl-like qualities of TOTO's products, hence making it also look like an open shell.
2. SPIRAL / WHIRLPOOL concept – The word "Spira" actually forms the root of spiral, thus a graphic based on the name might be good. Also, the "whirlpool" image evokes a dynamic personality of water.
3. NAUTILUS SHELL concept – The products are heavily inspired from natural sources, so I looked for a natural symbol that infuses both the shell and the spiral elements.

Obviously, I was drawing references from nature, and used elements commonly associated with water and pearl/shells. Among the three, what do you think the management chose to develop?

SPIRA chose the spiral/whirlpool concept and they immediately liked the image being dynamic even without me providing an explanation of the graphic (I wanted to see whether they can relate to the logos). The comment they gave was how I treated the 2 swirls in the graphic… it seemed "deconstructed" or "dissolved". They were right. Although, I thought the effect was cool, it wasn't what they wanted to be. If there was a way I can make the swirls look more solid, while avoiding making it look like other swirl based logos.

I experimented using various treatments, from making the lines thicker, using stripes, etc. but I settled with the use of digital brush in creating the swirls. They look more solid than the previous, but more importantly, they looked organic and alive. Here it is, and the description I provided them.

"The logo of SPIRA Sales Corporation consists of 2 swirls forming a subtle upward-facing "S" in the negative space between them. The symbol represents the dynamism and harmony between the two main strengths and investments of the company: high-quality products and competent manpower. Also, the swirls represent the twin ideals of leadership and excellence, merging together with success as their goal. The color blue represents humanity's relationship with water (referencing TOTO's philosophy); while the color green represent's humanity's relationship with the earth and its brethren (a pledge to environmental and social responsibility)…"

It is wonderful how the SPIRA team feels proud to have this new logo. It is equally amazing how the new logo seems to bring out individual interpretations of the logo. Some members of the team described it as their "yin-yang", "whirlpool" or "spinning water." Cool imagery… signs that they are inspired and drawn to it – and I'm just very glad it is no longer their "inidoro." By the way, the showroom as well as this logo will be launched this early March.

I recently designed a logo for a new company called "Law of Attraction Experts.com" whose mission is to provide a constant stream of inspirational, life-changing, timeless resources including courses, seminars, audios, books, events, free stuff, etc to assist people, kids and families on their journey toward enlightenment. I myself have seen the popular self-help film "The Secret" and I'm sure people would be familiar of the onslaught of books released about the "secret" which was supposed to have "travelled through centuries" to reach the viewer. I was very curious then what the "secret" was, and I soon learned that the secret is the Law of Attraction, a principle that "posits feelings and thoughts can attract events, from the workings of the cosmos to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs." It's basically positive thinking but more. I generally agree with the principle and how it seemed to work in my daily life and complement my faith… Don't you notice how when you generally feel depressed and negative about yourself, everything about you seemed to be negative towards you to? When you start the day happy and exude a positive vibe, everything seems to go oh so well!

The company needed a logo that speaks to both men and women, is easy to read, simple...spiritual and intelligent. They supposed that "Law of Attraction" should convey the spiritual side and the word "Experts" should convey the dynamic energy of the experts: the ability to help change people's lives and fast-track them to where they want to go. With this general description they provided, I somehow knew that I was going for something that would rely on typographic design. Since "Law of Attraction" would be spiritual, it needed to use a font that looked antique and wise. The word "Experts" should be bold and respectable. I presented 2 initial arrangements, one framed in a circle and the other one, where the word "Experts" is encased in a scroll or flag:

They immediately liked the second version but suggested in toning down the ornamentations around the capital letters of "Law of Attraction".

From here on, all that were needed were minor adjustments to the font and color treatments. Notice how I modified the tail part of the "n". In the first one, the tail curves inwards and makes the "n" looks illegible especially in smaller sizes. I curved it outwards.

But in the end, we settled with the straight down version. These were subtle modifications but were very important when it comes to readability.

With the general design of the logo finished, I provided them with possible colored versions, ranging from deep blue, violet and gold.

I'm really glad they liked the logo and how it fits their company's mission. I positively believe that it will serve their company well.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."