Creating a Logo: Catch the Vision Before You Go Bankrupt.

A huge problem facing people who want to make a great logo for a company or a product is that they haven’t a clue as to what they want their logo to look like. They’ll often hire a designer and expect him or her to know intuitively what pleases them without giving them a whole lot of direction. Well, unfortunately, they can't read minds, let alone if the pages are empty. Fill the pages, and then show them to the designer. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of time and money when they're not quite understanding what you're laying down. I’ll show you how to do it, but you’re going to have to get yourself alone, and take 30 minutes to do it. If you can spare the time, then keep reading.

Step 1: BRAINSTORM

Brainstorm images that are associated with your product name or function. ie: Apple created an image of an Apple to reflect its name The NBA uses the image of a player dribbling. Don’t worry about how hard it will be to draw the image in your mind, just jot it down and move on. Everything is possible when you’re brainstorming. Don’t hold back.

Step 2: SKETCH

You don't need artistic skills to do this, just get out a piece of paper, a pencil, and draw the images that are in your mind to the best of your ability. Don't be afraid to scratch a few ideas out every now and then, but don't make it a habit. The point of this exercise is to get as many images as you can think of on a piece of paper to get you ready to experiment.

Step 3: EXPERIMENT

When you find one or two that you want to start working with, try writing your company’s name in all caps to the right of the Logo. Does it look good? Darken the letters to see what it would look like bold. Redraw your logo and put your name somewhere else. Keep doing this until you’re struck in awe thinking, “That could really look good.” If you don’t reach this point after working with it for a time, don’t worry, maybe that image isn’t the best one to use. Go back to the paper you used in step 2 and either 1) pick a new image to experiment with, or 2) create a new sketch of a few new ideas you got since you were last here.

Rinse and Repeat until you feel satisfied with an idea. Heck, make multiple ideas and bring them to a designer, ask them to sketch them up quickly and pick 2 or 3 you'd like to see high def. If you have an idea of what you want ready before you talk with a professional, you’ll save a lot of valuable time and money as he or she will be able to work quickly and efficiently. If you still doubt, then let me tell you that it worked for me. Therefore, I believe you can do it. You should too.

I'll post again soon on some tips on making your own logo. As always, please feel free to comment or post based on what you like, don't like, or have suggestions that can be helpful to our readers.

RedNook Event: Sale Ends Soon!

K.Beck books is being featured on RedNook this week! We are thrilled to be working with the good folks at RedNook. The sale ends tomorrow, so hurry over and check it out: http://www.rednook.com/index.php/k-beck-books-custom-designed-stationary-and-art.html.

Check Out Photos from The Blot Event!

Thanks to all who came to the first Blot Event and congratulations to all of the contest winners. We feel the event was a roaring success and would welcome and and all feedback.

The Blot: Workshops for Writers is in support of local authors. We will be starting up a sponsored writing group in the near future. If you are a local writer who is interested in joining, please leave a comment with your contact info, or send us an email.

For those of you who missed it, have no fear, the next Blot Event will be coming soon.

A few photos in the meantime:

K.Beck books display table

TM Publishing co-sponsored the event.

Thanks to all of our talented speakers.

Blot: the Notebook giveaways!

Refreshments (mmm...)

All photos courtesy of Savannah Wood from TM Publishing.

Don't forget to sign up for the sponsored writing group (if you are on the fence, send us an email for more info). Hope to see you there!

Introducing Blot: the Notebook

In preparation for The Blot Event last week (huge success, thanks to all those of you who attended, photos coming soon!), we prepared some notebooks for our attendees. They were a hit and we are proud to announce that they are now available on the website.

Okay, so the wax seal plays no role,
we just find it charming.

Blot: the Notebook are 3x5 notebooks. They come in packs of 3 notebooks for $12.

Photography by JGublers Photography. Gorgeous, as always.

How to Cover a Sketchbook

A few days ago, I received a call from a delightful women out in Massachusetts. Kim had ordered one of our journals, but had a few questions. I'm so glad she called. It turns out that what she wanted, was not what she had ordered. Kim was looking for a refillable journal that could double as a sketchbook cover. We don't currently sell refillable journals, so we custom made a sketchbook cover around her specifications.

The cover was made from genuine leather

The slips for keeping the journal in place are designed for a 6x9 sketchbook;
 however, they are snug enough to hold a smaller size.

We added a canvas pocket for holding art supplies.

Love this wood button.

The cover was designed for a 6x9 sketchbook,
holding 80+ pages of 80lb drawing or mixed media paper.

It's amazing how often we end up doing custom orders for people. It's one of my favorite parts of the job. Books and journals are such personal items; it's rewarding to tailor them to individuals, plus, it's fun.

Do they still teach bookbinding?

It turns out they do.

When I think of trade schools, I think of HVAC repair, beauty schools, and auto mechanics. The North Bennet Street School of Boston Mass is a trade school of the classical genre. NBSS offers courses in bookbinding, furniture making, violin making, and piano technology. As an institution, NBSS has come to be one of the oldest and most respected trade schools in the country.

Here is a highlight from this article in Felt & Wire:

 “We’ve seen an interesting reaction to the rise in e-books and online publishing. There’s a heightened awareness of our work, both from people who are interested in doing it and from those who are interested in buying. People seem to have recently stopped taking physical books for granted — which might be a short-term phenomenon — as digital technology has come up. I sense a bit of a backlash — a renewed interest and appreciation of the higher end, in owning books that are of higher quality, a little better thought out, in terms of design or craft or both.” He adds, “Even Penguin Classics are beautiful right now, and I think that reflects demand. People don’t want throwaway — if it’s disposable, then electronic is fine. We’re definitely seeing people interested in taking care of their existing books — repair and conservation have been the main source of demand for bookbinding skills. We’re also seeing a growth in demand and interest in hand-bound books. I like to joke that nobody is ever going to say, ‘Oh look, here’s the Kindle that grandpa read during the war.’”

As bookbinders, this is what gets our hearts going, the inherent value of well-bound, beautiful books.

In addition to the article above, I recommend that anyone who is interested in the NBSS bookbinding program should check out Work of the Hand, a meticulous blog by current student, Henry Herbert.

For anyone local who is interested in hand-bookbinding classes, I teach those as well. In the beginner's class, we make a hardback book like this:

I also teach a coptic class:

Give me a call or send me an email to set up a private or group event.

The Blot Event

Hi All,

I just wanted to give a final plug for the Blot Event this Saturday (04.07) from 2-5 pm at the Provo Library. This event sponsored by K.Beck books and TM Publishing is in support of the local writing community. In addition to speakers, we'll be giving away journals, books, a kindle fire, and announcing the winner of the TM Publishing writing competition. Of course, there will be refreshments as well.

The event is open-house, so no need to come for the full 3 hours. If you aren't sure what time to come, here is a brief agenda:

• 2:15 - Welcome and Introduction
• 2:30 - Craft of Writing
• 3:00 - 1st round of Giveaways
• 3:15 - Book Design
• 3:45 - 2nd round of Giveaways
• 4:00 - Intro to Publishing
• 4:20 - 3rd round of Giveaways and Contest Winners

Free gifts for the first 150 people to arrive. Hope to see you there!

Kelcie