67 | Day Four - Brands, Identities, and Graphic Design - oh my!

The UPDATE blog is quick to feature paper treats, but it often doesn’t highlight the design goodies coming out of the LOTUS&ASH workshop where new companies become partners (in crime), not clients. The branding process is highly collaborative, such that sending the Final Brand Guide is bittersweet – the end of long e-mail threads and phone calls that start to include life updates as well as design feedback. Nevertheless, six brand guides have been sent out this year, with more to come in the following months.

This year, I was fortunate enough to work with appmakers and gluten-free bakers alike, and clients included: Metaneer Labs, tripgram, cyclehouse, Naveen cuisine, The Phenomlist, and AVVA. The one thing all partners had in common? A passion to make people’s lives better, via last-minute weekend getaway, a spin class, or press recognition they may not have otherwise received.

design spotlight: CYCLE HOUSE LA

Developing the  CYCLEHOUSE brand was a dream come true. It combined three of my favorite things: design, spinning, and los angeles. Branding went beyond logo and color palette. It extended to custom decals for spin bikes, wall graphics and invitations for Hollywood Swag bags. Seeing my logo lit up on La Cienega is surreal. Being inside the studio is exhilarating (especially because the spin classes are the best). If you're in the Los Angeles-area, I highly recommend heading over to La Cienega and Melrose for an hour of great music and endorphins.

33 | ... & WE'RE BACK

dearest L&A newcomers and loyalists, I must apologize for the radio silence. But, have no fear, there has been no loss in paper and design explorations. Indeed, the silence was of the too-busy variety, so I am happy to (finally) report the new and exciting things that have been coming out of the L&A workshop...

: : : PAPER : : :

surprise

|| nana's surprise . designed october 2009 ||

michalole|| envelope surprise (why not use that flap for something other than licking?!) a new L&A concept . designed september 2009 ||

: : : COLLEGE DESIGN : : :

GotchiInvite

|| sUpErfUndiNneR . designed september 2009 ||

: : : PHILANTHROPIC DESIGN : : :

Every Fall, L&A devotes its time and font-loving-skills to two philanthropic events:  Music for Matt, a benefit concert in New Orleans, and THETA BREAKERS, a Run/Walk through Stanford campus.

musicformatt

|| the second line MUSIC FOR MATT CHARITY CONCERT . designed september 2009 ||

TBEflyer_2009

|| THETA BREAKERS eflyer . designed october 2009 ||

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Guess what!?

There's still time to sign up for Theta Breakers if you're in the Bay Area!

20 | A CLOSET FULL OF LOTUS & ASH

T-SHIRTS are one of LOTUS & ASH's favorite things to design. A good, unique T-SHIRT design can make an event or cause that much more attractive. And it's always satisfying to wear a good font. In the past month, LOTUS & ASH has gotten the chance to design three new shirts. Two were for philanthropies, and one was for the philanthropic branch of the Stanford Tree, the Tree in Training Program, initiated by this year's tree, patrick fortune.

left : t shirt front & right : t shirt back

| THETABREAKERS 08 |

| TREE IN TRAINING PROGRAM |

| MUSIC FOR MATT . BENEFIT CONCERT |

16 | LOTUS & ASH : CUSTOM CHARITY

LOTUS & ASH has always been committed to good design - and the belief that every cause deserves good design to help promote its message. Every year, LOTUS & ASH has and plans to take on a handful non-profit clients, and provide them with the branding and design to make their intentions known.

This month, LOTUS & ASH designs were featured on CNN, in an article about USC students who were trying to spread awareness about the dangers of chewing gutka, or bettlenut in Southern India. The SAY NO TO GUTKA project included a long logo design process. The logo eventually emerged as something that was not entirely in the LOTUS & ASH aesthetic, stretching the boundaries of how haunting an image can be, and was hopefully effective among the children of Hubli, India.

LOTUS & ASH is currently working on designs for the THETABREAKERS 2008 Run/Walk to benefit Child Advocates of Silicon Valley and the MUSIC FOR MATT benefit concert in honor of Matt Costa, a fallen Peace Corps Member and Tulane Alum.

Both events will be occurring this fall - stay tuned if you're interested in attending or helping out!

11 | two different formals, two different themes, two different posters

lotus & ash was asked to design the stanford senior formal poster, and the stanford athlete formal poster... the first was held at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, and featured the museum's art...

the second was held in the Oak Room in the Tressider Student Union...and featured a "club-like" atmosphere...

like I said, two very different formals, two very different posters.