David Sherman Creative

Logo for filmmaker David Sherman

Sarah Overbeck Photography

Sarah Overbeck has been at Law Week for the past year and is the photographer behind such covers as Waiting It Out, Super Lawyers 2012 and number of other stellar snaps. As part of finishing her second bachelor’s degree, she hired me to design her a logo for her freelance photography business.

Sarah is a fantastic artsy soul and has a number of tattoos on her body — all with strong meaning behind them. One of her prominent tattoos is the poppy flower on her right arm which she got in memory of her father who passed away a few years ago.

The icon here represents Sarah’s poppy and connects her art back to her roots.

Joseph & Valerie Wedding Brand

Three months after their engagement, my brother Joe and his new fiancée Valerie announced to their families that Joe was taking a job literally half-way around the world in Perth, Australia.

A few weeks later, I sat down with the couple over breakfast to discuss what their wedding brand would look like. Based on a late-summer wedding in Montana followed by a huge international move, I suggested a “par avion” envelope look for the brand. This was carried through with a coral and navy color palette, as well as diagonal stripes on each piece.

In total, we ended up with 5 pieces in the package: a two-color letterpressed invitation, beautifully printed by Flourish Letterpress in Denver; a cheesy postcard announcing the big move; a gate-folded guest-info booklet with RSVP instructions, a map and accommodations; a rehearsal-dinner invitation featuring an illustration of my dad as a bear; and the envelope.

Photos by Laura Murray Photography.

Sing For Hope Gala 2012 Logo Proposal

The logo presented is a versatile, multi-level visual brand that successfully speaks across multiple media materials.

After researching more about Sing For Hope, the feeling I came away with was an overwhelming sense of optimism and excitement. The logo icon presented is an abstract visual representation of sound emanating from a vocalist’s mouth. The brightly colored lines capture the excitement of the work SFH produces and the diagonal direction creates a feeling of hope and optimism for the future of the nonprofit. The circle from SFH’s logo is brought in to this visual as the “mouth” of the vocalist tying the gala materials back to its own visual identity. The proposed gala logo uses the color and typeface from Sing For Hope’s corporate visual identity as well.

The following slides feature the logo mark in a variety of different uses: the logo on a white background, the logo reversed on a magenta background, the icon alone, and finally, a logotype utilizing the icon within the text.

Canvas Massage Therapy

First of all—Joseph is passionate about massage and definitely knows what he’s doing. As someone who has had back problems since high school (I met a chairlift pole skiing when I was 15), I have had a lot of work done on my body by chiropractors, physical and massage therapists. Joseph would work on me, and I began sketching in my mind. The first visuals came from the pinnacle of art and science—Michelangelo. I could see my muscles through Michelangelo’s eyes—as technical drawings that were both artistic and anatomical.

From there, I wanted to create a simple, graphic icon that was almost primitive in nature. Five hash marks by five hash marks on my sketch pad evolved into the two hands that are woven together in the icon you see now. The brushed shape starting taking on a lotus flower shape further evoking the harmony the Canvas team provides.

Save the NTC

In February 2010, the Board of Directors at the Denver Center Theatre Company announced that they planned to close the doors of one of the top MFA programs in the country for acting—the National Theatre Conservatory would have its final bow in May 2012. This logo was an effort to keep the school alive. It circulated on Facebook, websites and was featured in an article by the Denver Post. Unfortunately, there was no change with the board’s decision and the school closed this May.

More from the NTC…

Hot Mess Logo

Hot Mess is a very funny webseries about cosmopolite catastrophes. Watch pretty girls fall down, lose their keys and get into hot mess situations at ShesAMess.com.

Accompanying animation of the logo by David Sherman Creative:

More from Hot Mess…

Monicakes Bakery Labels

Monica Willey is a genius baker/inventor. About a year ago, Monica contacted me to design three labels for her new up-and-coming confectionery, Monicakes Bakery. Her specialty is the most delicious treat you’ve never had; Monica’s invention of a “cakie” is literally a cookie filled with cake. I don’t know how she does it, but I find myself dreaming about them. Using all-natural ingredients, Monica has concocted heaven in about four bites.

Cakies are sold in New York City and if anyone want to pay me with this currency, that can definitely be arranged.

Denver Philharmonic Orchestra Logo Proposal

This past summer, I worked on a few new logo proposals for the Philharmonic. Without a solidified visual brand, I sketched for a while and finally came up with a few options to pass along to the board. And while they weren’t quite ready for the change, I feel this is the most successful execution of a new logo for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.

More from the Denver Philharmonic…

University of Evansville Opera Logo

Logo design for the University of Evansville Opera, formerly the Schmidt Opera Series.

More from University of Evansville Opera…

Wednesday Wines Proposed Logo

Willamette Valley Wine Tours

State Bill Colorado | Logo Concepts

Ligature Creative Group Logo

Ligature Creative Group Mission Statement:

We make things. That’s what we do.

But the services aren’t the pieces that really matter. They’re only the end product. They’re the vehicle for delivering what does really matter: your message.

What is it that you want to convey? What is most important to your company? What is it that makes you so incredible that people should pay attention to you?

We want to know what makes you or your company or your product special. And we want to help you tell the world. We want to be united with you

And that starts with a connection, a relationship. Between your company and ours.

We welcome you to connect with us.

Rocky Mtn Tees

Rocky Mtn Tees was first born when Jeffrey Paul and I were in high school selling shirts to the kids in our English class. In 2010, we got RockyMtnTees.com on its feet. Website designed by Jeff Paul, and hacked by some a-hole.

Fabrefaction Theatre Company Logo

Logo design for Atlanta-based theatre company.

More from Fabrefaction…

Davis Contemporary Dance Co. Logo

Logo featuring the silhouette of Terrell Davis, founder of Davis Contemporary Dance Company. Denver, Colo.

Life’s Edits Logo & Business Cards

Life’s Edits is an affordable solution to creating professional looking video with amateur footage. Life’s Edits’ Catherine Edwards can create actors’ reels, scrap book films, amateur shot wedding videos, events and webseries. Check out Life’s Edits at lifesedits.com.

Waterwell’s New Works Lab @ PPAS

In 2010, New York City-based theatre company Waterwell partnered with the Professional Performing Arts School to institute the New Works Lab. The 2011 inaugural production (EMMA by Stephen Karam) proved a resonating success.

In the creation of the 2012 New Works Lab poster for NOTHING IS THE END OF THE WORLD (EXCEPT FOR THE END OF THE WORLD) by Bekah Brunstetter,  I developed a logo for Waterwell’s New Works Lab. Set to be used annually on the project, the logo was designed to match the visual brand of the established Waterwell icon.

Designed to stimulate the creation of high-quality, new plays for young actors, Waterwell’s New Works Lab at PPAS offers emerging and established playwrights the chance to develop their work with the support of professional directors and designers and a cast of exceptionally talented high school artists. This annual workshop series presents stripped down, actor-centric productions that add to the canon of thematically rich, complex and original scripts and roles for student actors. After the workshop, the scripts are published by Playscripts, Inc., listing the PPAS production as the original cast and creative team.

Waterwell’s educational mission is to deliver the highest caliber theatre training available to young artists in the nation. Central to that mission is preparing students to be full participants in their profession and to make their own contributions to the canon of new American plays.

More from PPAS…