Venari is a professional search company in Reno, Nevada and San Jose, California. They wanted to project their professional and aggressive attitude toward attracting top talent. We worked with the firm to select the name which translates from the Latin “to hunt,” turning the “headhunter” label around to work for them. The “Flying V” logo is a stylized bird of prey. The lightly modified Futura font is clear and modern.

As with any visual identity I create, a Graphic Standards Manual is included as part of the package. It is not uncommon for clients to request, “just a logo and a business card,” but equally important to the logo is its application. The Graphic Standards Manual lays all this out for any future implementation of the logo. Including this with the logo files provides the printer or designer with the rules for logo application to ensure that it is consistent without being restrictive. Logos are a form of shorthand to communicate a brand to its audience. When used with consistency over time, it builds trust in that brand. The manual is the tool to bring about that consistency, to build that trust.

Above we have the campaign logo for Santa Clara Valley Water District candidate Barbara Keegan. As the only woman in the race Ms. Keegan wanted a logo that looked refined, somewhat feminine, and showed her concern for the vital resources she’s trying to protect. I designed these logos as well as a graphic standards manual to establish her brand and communicate her values quickly, effectively, and memorably. The logo font is based on Caslon letterforms which were heavily modified. Water and earth elements were added to convey her stewardship of resources. Trajan (yes, “the movie font”) was used to convey a sense of authority. The graphic standards manual comprehensively directs any future uses of the logo to ensure consistency and maximum impact in any medium. I had the good fortune of producing this work for a highly qualified candidate who, while being heavily outspent, won her race with a 24 point margin.

The Vendetta 3 helmet began life as a Shift Racing product which was later licensed to Seven Zero Seven. The project was a joint effort between Jeff Sasaki and myself. Along with much of the Shift Racing product creation staff, we benchmarked a wide variety of helmets on the market to create the best possible value proposition. Jeff took the brand direction established by my earlier Riot and Composite MX helmets and transferred many of those details to a street helmet design that would carry forward the established Shift design language. From there we worked on refining the details and working with the vendor to create the product design seen here.

The helmet, without the internal tinted visor, went on to appear in numerous markets under the direct manufacturer’s brand Xpeed.

CREDO came to C Davis Designs looking for an altogether new identity. As an education research company aligned with Stanford University, CREDO sought to truly define themselves graphically for the first time in their 12 years. The group is influential in setting education policy and needed an identity that was unique yet within the bounds of the education research community. We provided them initially with the logos, colors, typefaces, and importantly, the instructions for establishing their new identity.

Impressed with our initial work, CREDO also requested business cards, letterhead, note pads and note cubes, as shown above. A Powerpoint presentation template and theme, report template, and note cards are all in the works and to be released soon.

For 2010 the Vertex Suit was given a colorway refresh. While the 2009 model was already clean and bold, the Vertex needed to push further and break new ground. As a result, this eye-catching color combination was comp’d and applied to the suit. A quarter scale paper version of the suit was constructed from the pattern to ensure precise alignment of the graphics to the suit which is intensely three-dimensional due to the extreme articulation necessary of proper racing leathers.

Sponsored athletes generally wore an altered off-the-shelf version, however premier rider Josh Herrin got a custom version due to the strict color guidelines enforced by Yamaha. The result was nearly as intense as the original.

Alexandria came to us with a product that could predict the future of the stock market and an image that reflected the past. That identity was put to rest with an overhaul that kept alive the idea of the ancient library of Alexandria but pushed it forward into the modern, cutting edge world in which they compete. Their product seeks to simplify the overwhelming amount of investment information produced daily into a graphical representation of market sentiment and their new identity supports that mission.

The Alexandria logo is a simplification of pyramids with the sun illuminating the forward faces and the negative space in shadows. As such the logo works best in white against a colored background which provides them with a unique look when used with consistency. The Alexandria palette is flexible although blue is used as the default corporate color while the other three are used for supporting materials.

While Shift perhaps more than any other brand pushes the envelope on loud prints, it still needs its volume colorways to bring in the cash. That is where the “mark” print for the Strike line comes in. With just two sublimation rollers, this print offers low tooling costs and multiple colors in a race print that stands out without going completely off the rails. The print’s randomness allows assembly of the pant in a way that minimizes material wastage.

The Faction is the premium uniform of the Shift MX line up. This graphic was chosen as their major marketing piece for the season and as such was featured prominently in ads.

You might look at the chosen comp below and say to yourself, “Wow, that really popped and while the illustration on the jersey is well-done, they really should have committed to the evolved burst logo in the comp, especially as a marketing piece.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The Recon embodies what was once definition of the Shift brand; an over-the-boot ride uniform. Over the years, the Recon has gained features and improved materials. It also must provide the Shift attitude. The 2011 Recon line-up features multiple colorways including three varieties of camouflage, a pinstripe suit, and a Jack Daniel’s inspired version. All of them targeted to the Shift customer; unique, tough, and up for a good time.

Shift is an action sports company competing in the motocross and street markets. They define themselves by their youthful, somewhat rebellious customer. The brand is constantly looking to update it’s logo treatments. These are proposals for the 2012 line.