As many of you have noticed (thanks for the kind words), I have a new logo that I am slowly incorporating into my web site, my workshops, my social media outlets and my photography.
I was going to explain how the logo came about, but I thought no one could say it better than the designer, Janeen Violante, who runs Hudson Valley Graphic Design here in Croton on Hudson, NY.
Take it away, and thank you, Janeen.
Branding is your golden opportunity to represent the personality of your company.
We believe that a proprietary logo brand mark is the most critical component in your marketing strategy. Your logo tells people who you are when you’re not around.
The graphic elements of color, typography and illustration can be combined to develop a lasting impression in your customer’s mind.
We worked with Rick to unpack his many offerings and determine the most effective “voice” for his brand. After exploring several naming options, our collaboration resulted in the Rick Sammon Photography brand name.
Our next step was to develop a graphic representation for Rick's diverse company, which he runs with his wife Susan. Company? Yes, Rick is a passionate photographer, but he is also a businessman – or as his son Marco once said, "Dad, I don't see you only as a photographer, I see you as an entrepreneur who happens to be a photographer."
In designing Rick's logo, therefore, we knew it had to have the same flexibility that Rick has in the field. The different treatments of his new logo in this blog post illustrate that diversity.
The chosen font was Trajan, a strong and sophisticated typeface that shows elegance and flair, yet is so “strong” in nature, it does not even have a lower-case version.
An icon gives your logo an added feature, extending your brand, making it more flexible. After presenting several options, Rick chose the graphic “digital eye” icon, which can function as a stand-alone signature as his brand becomes established. It represents vision and “seeing beyond," as Rick is known for teaching his students to go beyond the lens and be inspired by what they see - something he calls Creative Visualization.
With its graphic, colorful pixels, this “eye-con” inspires the viewer to transcend what they see, and visualize possibilities.
Words are powerful. Inspire, create and belong were the three words we heard Rick use over and over. He inspires his students and colleagues to create in a comfortable setting where they certainly feel a sense of community…a sense of belonging. Using these words as his tag line, Rick quickly communicates his core values and the essence of Rick Sammon Photography.
As Rick says, "People want to know how much you care . . . before they care how much you know."
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Thank you Janeen. You guys do great work, and you make working fun.
Speaking of one's presence on the web, I use Squarespace to design and host my site. Click on the logo below to get started with your new, cool site. Easy as pie to create and manage. You can even use your new logo in the header. :-)
