Karlfred Design

Alan Design Studio 'IS' Modern Luxury

2012-01-25T21:07:00.000-06:00

My client Alan Design Studio is being featured in this month's Chicago Social (Modern Luxury) magazine! This project was the brainchild of Jean Alan herself with the help of her daughter and business/namesake partner Ruthie and designer Jody Trombley, who actually sketched out and designed the sofa shown on page 75. I could write about the amazing work being showcased, but you should just take a peek and read for yourself. Pages 72 - 77... Enjoy!

Holiday Cards 2011 from Karlfred Design

2011-12-02T10:38:00.000-06:00

Holiday cards are usually an afterthought once we hit November/December and most of us just mentally give up on sending them when we start to think about what design we'd want, how generic most store-bought cards are, how many people to send to, who we have and need addresses for, and the cost of all those stamps. Not to mention the amount of time it takes to write and sign all those cards. Well, we just want to say one thing about all those concerns and excuses...

...RUBBBISH!!

Cards for all occasions are an amazing experience for the recipient AND can be equally as magical for the sender IF they put some thought and foresight into them. Yes, we work in digital formats almost half the time we're here with building websites, designing eblasts, etc. and there definitely is a place for the convenience of a eCard. On the flipside though, there is a much more needed place for a hand-crafted, customized card that you physically send to someone. There's a personal quality that is lost in translation with digital and eCards. Being able to make a card that is all your own; one that represents you and your business in a unique, on-of-a-kind, couture manner that really speaks to your clients and friends. That message comes across as "they really care about me, they took the time to send this to me personally" and "this card is completely unique to them and it's smart... I trust them".

"For humans, touch can connect you to an object in a very personal way; making it seem more real." - Captain Jean-Luc Piccard (actor Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: First Contact) Yes, I'm a bit of a geek, but this line speaks volumes to why there will always be a place for print items in our "human" world. Consider it for the next "card" season that rolls around. In the meantime, here are some examples Holiday Cards we created for some of our clients this year.

Front / Back

Above is the Holiday 2011 Card we created for St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square. It is a 5x7 satin finished postcard style card. The design is simple, elegant, energetic and speaks to a diverse range of people without being too "churchy", which was the goal. Very fun project!!

Front / Back

Above is another Holiday 2011 Card that we did for Armitage Oral Surgery really using their new logo in a unique way. When the client opens this envelope they will be introduced to an elegant and somewhat "mod" grey and white snowflake scene with on large orange snowflake. If they don't catch it right away, when they turn the card over and see the logo as normal/read the text, they'll flip the card again and realize that the snowflake is actually comprised of several pinwheels of the logo. Clever, fun, elegant and "put-together"... this card is a distinctive treat in the mail!

Front Cover / Inside Cover / Inside Back / Back

Event With a K chose to go the more traditional route with a 4x6 half-folded card. This year we ventured outside the normal design parameters of the Events With a K branded color scheme. Instead of making the front white with grey type, we decided to interject a little color to warm it up a bit. You can see the front cover and back side are a bright blood-orange/red with the inside staying traditional white with grey type. Kris at EWaK likes to put a recipe in his company's card each year and this year it was for a Spiced Punch that he created himself. This is a brilliant use of a traditional card and would not work as a digital version. Yes, you could print out the card if it were digital, but then YOU'RE printing it and the beauty and elegance of the card are lost. As with the rest of the work we've done with EWaK, this card is elegant, clean, spirited, seasonal and gives an warm gorgeous feeling to the recipient along with a great signature beverage recipe that is easy to make and will help with any holiday party you host or attend!

Boulevard Bash Evolves

2011-10-08T19:10:00.000-05:00

So, The Boulevard Bash, a benefit 3-day festival in Chicago's Logan Square features indie music from local artists, local cuisine and other local businesses. Karlfred Design has had the honor of creating the logo and the look'n'feel for the artwork each year, since 2010 when it began.

2010 "Vintage Carnivale": The look was inspired by the old carnival and circus posters from the 1840's to the 1880's by printers like Joseph Morse, Krebs Lithographing Company, Schumacher & Ettlinger [Lithographers] and Rouchon. Bright colors that are stylized in a painted fashion with a width-varying black ink line drawing [like an engraving] that houses the colors. This gave a sense of "indie" or independence as well as "local" to the artwork which directly correlates to the music at the festival. Along with the wood-cut style logo, these styles blended perfectly to bring the first year of the Boulevard Bash to life.

2011 "DeStijl 'n' Bahaus": This year's artwork was inspired by the two design movements De Stijl (meaning The Style) and Bahaus. Clean, grid-aligned and simple 1-color work printed on a brown paper background is reminiscent of these two styles; pulling from 1920's design greats such as Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Henryk Berlewi, Théo van Doesburg and El Lissitzky.

2012 "Art Deco + Post Cubist Pictorial Modernism": This coming years look and feel are inspired by the sort of future-bound innocence of the Art Deco period while allowing for some visual and unrestricted "organic" freedom found in some of the works from the Post Cubist Pictorial Modernism period. A great piece of inspiration is the well-known "Metropolis" poster, where the name is somewhat jagged and almost "block-cut" in style against the very elegantly gradated city scape backdrop with the lower foreground image of the geometric machine representation of the human figure. The adolescence of this Art Deco style with the mediums at hand (no computers; still manually drawn) allows for this style to work well with the Boulevard Bash wood-cut logo AND it represents, very well, the early-on of this event with some sophistication and elegance, without being pretentious and unattainable. Some other influences for this year's artwork are more modern references such as the movies The Rocketeer and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as well as the supremely popular video game Bioshock.

The Effect of Infinity

2011-07-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

So, as I continue my little journey as of late to go through existing sites and update the programming to the newest that I've learned as well as adjust and elevate the graphics beyond their existing sophomore level, I have been squeezing in these rehabs here and there along side building out new sites and projects for new and current clients. The message I definitely want to put out there is that everything I keep learning is benefiting EVERYONE in some way or another.

InfinityEffect.com's New Entrance/News Page

The latest site to receive a makeover both inside and out - extending all the way throughout the social media venues - is Infinity Multisport. This site is not only aesthetically more pleasing, but it has a completely different energy to it. The colors are still their tried and true Orange and Grey, but flipped. The site before was much softer and elegant; lacking that "punch" needed to communicate what Infinity Multisport does. Now, the grid textured bright orange combined with the rust color and the logo now in grey gives a much more appropriate zest and movement to the site and message that was much needed.

We also added in new photography and did some photo-manipulation to add a more modern, younger, energetic feel to them and beefed up the quantities in the slideshows on each page. The Twitter skin and Facebook graphics also match this new energetic look. The next round of business cards will also reflect this new-found spirit and all advertising moving forward will don this new skin and palate balance.

The other major change to the site is all behind the scenes. This site is now very SEO-friendly. Google and Bing (along with the other less dominant search engines) will "stop by" more often and take note of the accurately coded site pages. There are a lot of things that go into making a site SEO-friendly and now InfinityEffect.com is just that. We reduced the number of programming pages and plan to cut them down again later in the year to keep the site loading faster and streamlined for browser zen.

All in all, InfinityEffect.com is all new and much improved, so have a look for yourself!!

Oh, What Cute Cards You Have...

2011-06-17T10:51:00.013-05:00

Staci Sikora, DDS & Associates is a dental practice in The Chicago Board of Trade Building. The dental industry is always associated with words like "pain" and "drilling" and this practice is putting those stereotypes to rest. The office is clean, bright, light and relaxed without being boring or plain.

SS&A needed their new image online and with their business cards to show that they are professional while keeping the look of everything inviting and approachable.

We designed these business card fronts to do just that. There is a card design for all three doctors and the office manager. When people get these cards handed to them they should want to go to the site and ultimately visit their office. Being in the CBOT building, they have a clientele that is usually in a hurry to get in and out on their lunch hour, if possible and thought time constraints are important they needed to combat that "rushed" feeling with their site and collateral.

We chose to use this simple tooth image on four different colored backgrounds that are vibrant and colorful to the eye. The practice is comprised of all women they wanted to have a softer feel to everything without being too feminine; potentially turning off male clients.

These cards successfully get the emotions and message communicated to the recipient quickly and easily understood. The reverse side is all white with light grey copy and only the web address done in the specific card's reverse side background color to add some depth, make the web address more readily noticeable and to balance the card design all around.

Keep an eye out for the site going live soon!!

Postwell is LIVE!!

2011-06-08T17:13:00.001-05:00

Postwell: Social Media Management & Information Design has a website... yay!! Postwell is a company that creates, manages, plans and executes content for all social media and networking site along with designing the information for blog postings and eNewsletters.

They work with small to mid-sized companies, organizations and individuals to help communicate their message in a controlled and cohesive method to their audience. Along with putting information out there, Postwell captures data from these sites and avenues and compiles it for their clients to be used at any point as historical data for marketing and growth purposes.

We wanted to make the site fun, whimsical, light and easy to read and understand. A lot of business owners don't fully understand the power of a social media presence and don't know where to begin. So, we needed to make the site convey trust and honesty without overwhelming readers with too much information. It's not so much having a full presence via these outlets as it is which ones to use and how much.

We will continue to establish the graphics for Postwell's social media sites over the coming weeks and currently have the most popular ones listed at the bottom of the site.

Hello Postwell... Welcome!!

2011-05-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe "hello" is premature. Postwell is a new company that has started up and is specifically going to be taking business away from Karlfred Design. Postwell manages social media outlets along with blogs and eNewsletters and does this in the same way that KFD does... cohesively and appropriately for the client's message being communicated.

We just finished the logo for Postwell and it is clean, simple, elegant and communicates exactly what it needs to. Inside the circle is the top of a traditional lamppost speaking to illuminating = presenting information. The circle has a light mark on the left side which speaks to a magnifying glass or looking glass = noticing and noting details. Combining these two images into this one icon made for the perfect mark for Postwell. Adding this mark into the actual name Postwell as the "o"; done in the classic serif font (eluding to old type/typewriter, but not being that literal or vintage) completed this version of the full logo. The cards, site and other items are on there way, so stay tuned!

Tweaking DWNS' Site

2011-05-21T17:26:00.002-05:00

Did some cleaning up of DWNS' site, NutritionalStyling.com. The site was updated a few months ago, but it never felt fully designed until now. We sat on this one for a while and finally came up with the current cleaner, easier to read version that is now live.

The first big thing we did was make the site smaller by about 3%, which accommodates more "out of the box" browser windows. We added in a caramel colored border, which is repeated on several of the newer collateral pieces and also put some shadowing into the face of the site. The wood texture in the background seemed to frame this sort of "window" area and we thought it would be great to respect that space as such... a "window" into viewing the site. WE made the logo more prominent, the name easier to read and then cleaned up all the pages. Added in a new "map" graphic to the Location page and also relinked to Bing Maps instead of Google since we're waiting on the business name to be solidified with Google Maps. All in all, it is exactly where we want to be with the site at this time and is a much better platform to add into with the upcoming product lines and new fashion galleries.

3058 Legal Advocacy Is New Again!

2011-05-18T10:55:00.001-05:00

As we are simultaneously working on a variety of print work and websites, we have one come to completion; freeing up more time for the remaining ones. The newest site to be completed is 3058Legal.com, a Legal Advocacy site for artists and small businesses.

3058Legal.com, along with all the collateral, presents a clean and hassle-free message to their clientele. Easy navigation, simple imagery to convey a warm and understanding message of "welcome" and "protected" will undoubtedly help anyone that has a need for 3058's services make the decision to work with them.

Jean Alan Chicago is now Alan Design Studio!!

2011-05-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

Jean Alan Chicago is an interior design studio in Chicago, IL that does amazing work and over the years has branched out beyond the category of "Interior Design". With that in mind, I work with them to come up with a new logo, look and branding for their evolved company. We also came up with the new name, Alan Design Studio, which encompasses more than simply one category. Design can be many, many things and ADS does many of those things. Interior design, exterior design, house hunting consultations, architectural design and changes, custom or "bespoke" furniture and interior/exterior construction design, re-upholstery, refinishing and much more.

Jean Alan Chicago's Old Logo & Alan Design Studio's New Logo

Their new logo stays true to the original logo. The same wallpaper in their studio where the original gold logo came from is used in the background of the new logo blowing away. We also used the a similar treatment in the text, but new and custom designed. The logo does not speak specifically to feminine or masculine. It is strong and elegant at the same time. Overall, it is the perfect mark to take Alan Design Studio into the next generation of their business.

AlanDesignStudio.com

Their site was the first site that I did not program myself. I have hired on a team of extremely talented programmers that have taken my creative direction and turned it into an amazing new site. This site is also unique from my previous work because it uses the entire browser instead of only a defined middle screen-box area.

Alan Design Studio's New Business Card Front & Backs

The new business cards are simple, clean, elegant and definitely promote the new logo and image. The steel-sage color is the perfect choice to emotionally connect people to the logo. Simple backs with easy and clearly read information with a bold, yet subdued front make this card a great first impression to ADS for everyone that possesses one.

Overall, this project was fun to work on and has turned out extremely well. Go ahead and visit Alan Design Studio's new site to see their amazing work and how Karlfred Design has integrated their new look in with their rich portfolio.

Great Fight, Great Site!

2011-04-26T23:05:00.003-05:00

So, we just finished another project - Corliss Johnson Memorial Foundation / Cancer Sucks Chicago. The Corliss Johnson Memorial Foundation gives money to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Wellness House to help support clinical studies, educate and support those living with cancer and their friends and families. Cancer Sucks Chicago is the World Championship BBQ Team that travels the country in competition to raise awareness and funds for this organization.

This project included a complete rebuild of their existing website, new business cards and branding all of their new social media outlets so that there is one strong, cohesive message... we are trustworthy, we support a good cause, we are people like you and we have fun BBQing!

We restructured the site, removed unnecessary pages, combined and cleaned up information, built in room fro growth and presented an elegantly designed message. This message translated easily into their business cards.

We used their existing logos for both the foundation and the BBQ Team, but elevated them to a cleaner, more professional level without comprising their integrity and alienating people from receiving their message of hope and help. We also branded their Blog, Facebook page, Twitter page and eBlast campaigns to all have the same look and feel. Again, it was important to keep the message simple, elegant and appropriate to their audience. This was one big project that we're happy is out there for the public to view!

New Bikram Yoga Chicago Site Is LIVE!

2011-04-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

We recently posted the newest updated version of Bikram Yoga Chicago's site www.105f.com and it is the new foundation and solution for their branding online. It communicates much better information, eliminates some navigation issues that were previously there and is browser/smart phone friendly.

We are planning on moving forward with adding in 360˚ rotations of all 26+2 asanas and a newsletter signup page. There is an entirely new newsletter that will be coming out in the next month and some more exciting marketing events right around the corner. We are in development for a mobile version of the site and within the next 6 months we should have an actual smartphone app for both Android and iPhone OS's. integration of the 3rd party scheduling system is on the horizon, but ultimately we plan to build out a proprietary scheduling system specifically for their business and offer it directly on their site. What's next after that? eCommerce easily!! That is actually being addressed parallel to all of these other programming ideas.

• http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/42763279#42763279

I also wanted to show a video clip from the Today Show about Bikram Yoga and the buzz around this niche industry. Interesting info, but go ahead and watch and judge for yourself. Thanks!

Wrapping Things Up

2011-04-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

We have been BUSY at Karlfred Design, LLC these past months and we are wrapping up a few websites this weekend including:

Sikora & Associates - Dentist in the Chicago Board of Trade Office Suites
Cancer Sucks Chicago - World Famous BBQ Team for the Corliss Johnson Memorial Foundation
Alan Design Studio - (formerly Jean Alan, Inc.) Interior Design+ Company

There are a lot of little things that are going on as well:

Armitage Oral Surgery has two brochures going to print next week
Business cards arriving for AOS, GoPromotions and 3058 Legal Advocacy
Updating some links/text to AOS's site
Adjustments to 105F.com and working on the 360˚ Asanas
DWNS Product Labels
Spring/Summer Kits for Infinity Multisport

Then, in the coming weeks we will be revising some sites:

Erin Rose Design
3058 Legal Advocacy
Hamilton Jewelry, Inc (initial launch)
NovaStoria
Postwell
John Hassey Mediation

We have bid on some really amazing projects these past couple weeks and secured some of them, so keep an eye out for those!

Karlfred Design is Growing!

2011-04-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

So, Karl became Karlfred which became Karlfred Design which briefly became KaFDaM which went back to Karlfred Design which has come to it's current fruition as Karlfred Design, LLC. Whew!

Well, the name is staying the same, but the direction of this business is now changing just a little bit. KFD will be doing the same thing we've always done, but now it's going to be a... well... "we". KFD is growing to be able to offer more companies out there the same designs and creativity, but now the size of the company is wide open.

KFD will still hold true to the mission that everyone who owns a business and is passionate about their product, service and message is entitled to the highest quality design work possible. To quote a good friend of mine "If you like, I love it."

I am taking KFD into the next year full force with some changes to the current structure and services we do in-house. Marketing and Social Media Management are being sectioned off to NovaStoria and Postwell. We have hired a team of amazing programmers to work on projects both small, massive and everything in between AND they have the same passion and ethical sense that KFD was started with.

Growth doesn't have to be fast to be good. It's more like a slow-cooker here at KFD. We're taking time to learn technology, exercise talents, try new things, break new ground and then when the time is right, make that move forward with a solid footing to the next level. Heck, it's worked so far... why stop now.

Thanks for your patience and support over the past few years and keep an eye out for some exciting new work from us!

The New GRC Online!!

2011-02-23T23:40:00.005-06:00

The new site for Glenbrook Racquet Club is now live!! This was another revision away from Flash... sorry Adobe. :( Again, I've done a lot of upgrading of the processes along with streamlining some navigation and some serious design adjustments with the aesthetics of the site. Bigger, bolder and more prominent imagery helps communicate the passion and energy of the clubs activities. Better laid out pages with consistency in style and formatting make finding information easier and faster. The sites is also now easier for me to update changes that were once time-consuming and are now relatively quick to perform. Have a look and enjoy!!

• Click here to visit GlenbrookRacquetClub.com now!

DWNS... Another Convert!!

2011-02-23T07:29:00.003-06:00

DWNS is now in HTML for access via iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches as well as increased integrity for other smart phones and computer browsers. When updating this site I not only did the mechanical revisions required to convert it to HTML (DHTML, XML, XHTML, etc.), but also did a design overhaul to better match their branding and aesthetics.

• Visit www.NutritionalStyling.com here

This was a fun site to "re"do. It has such good energy while maintaining an elegance about it, that truly captures the sophistication of Debra's and Al's business: Balancing Fashion, Nutrition and Lifestyle. There are more things to come from DWNS in the coming year, so keep your eyes peeled for the new items as they develop!

Events With a K in HTML!

2011-02-19T23:20:00.000-06:00

Events With a K is a Chicago based custom event company that focus on the "custom" factor instead of preset themes and gimmicks. Kris (owner of EWAK) has been a client of mine for a few years now and his site was originally done [by me] in Flash. I just completed the switchover to HTML [XML, XHTML, DHTML and a bunch of other -TMLs] so it would be viewable on many devices. It's almost the same site design as before with a few minor changes. It can be viewed on all browsers and most importantly, 'smart phones' such as the Droid and iPhone. Have a look at EventsWithaK.com!

Erin Rose Design's New Site

2011-02-05T11:17:00.005-06:00

Erin Rose Design now has a new site! It's elegant

Infinity Multisport's New Site is LIVE!!

2011-02-03T00:24:00.011-06:00

Infinity Multisport's new site is now LIVE and it looks great! This site is a great evolution of the previous flash version for a variety of reasons. This site is in HTML (and other programming languages) and is visible on all devices including the fussy iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. The design is cleaner and more elegant still keeping with the sporty, sleek, active feeling.

The information is much better organized and every page has the same layout so finding out similar information from page to page is easier for the user. The photos are larger on the site and have much more of a presence. There will be more photography featured in each section and will be easier to add to on my end.

This version kept the elegance of the flash capabilities with fading imagery. There are links to the social media pages and more will be coming as they are set up in the near future. Each page offers a chance to sign up and pay for classes as well as a dedicated link at the bottom to do the same; which links to Infinity's Mind Body Online account.

The contact form is basically the same as before and has the ability to expand with much more information capturing power. I've added in a newsletter sign up to the newsletter page as opposed to just linking to an external page supplied by the eblasting company.

All in all, this site is a great improvement over the previous version and will be much more user friendly to the client and more useful to the Infinity team. Enjoy!

Hello Erin Rose Design!!

2011-01-20T20:24:00.000-06:00

The logo for Erin Rose Design is now done! This one was a little shaky at first, but once I got started on the upswing of designing it, it became a very fun project! Merging elegance, retro, deco, and simplicity into a mark that speaks easily and directly to the textile/fashion/costume industry is what I've achieved with this logo. The site is almost completed and should be ready in a few days!! Keep an eye out for it!!

MOX Wins Best Tri Shop in Chicago for 2010!!

2011-01-20T00:50:00.000-06:00

I recently whipped up a full page ad for MOX to put in the Keeper, the annual race guide for Competitor Magazine. The ad needed to push their branding, logo and colors as well as be simple, clean and communicate the brands they carry in their shop. It also needed to make people stop as they flipped through. Their logo will carry through the entire Tri section so the logo in the middle of the ad (black and yellow) is what will be applied.

Facelifts For Hire!

2011-01-07T23:29:00.000-06:00

Infinity Ad for The Keeper Annual

So, there are quite a few of my current clients that are getting a facelift to their sites as well as the next stage in the evolution and refinement of their branding. Infinity Multisport approached me recently to get their site in HTML from flash and we decided to up the ante a bit with their look and feel. It's turning out really nice!

Alan Design Studio is under way, as is Erin Rose Designs. Both sites should be ready within the next week or so. Armitage Oral Surgery is ready to go live barring any typo'se (see, there's one now!) Adam Kubersh's new site is just about ready and under final scrutiny and then Heidi's Fund will follow.

I hit a major glitch with Corliss Johnson Memorial Foundation's new site. So, that one is being rebuilt from scratch. Ugh... sometimes it's just easier to rebuild rather than spend more time searching out the issue. This isn't rocket science, y'know.

Did a quick little project for St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square to help with the 2011 Boulevard Bash. Also did a 1/4 page ad for Infinity Multisport for the annual The Keeper publication.

Lastly, the big dog Bikram Yoga Chicago's site is undergoing a facelift that will coincide with their new South Loop studio opening. They will be working with a partner of mine, NovaStoria, to execute a marketing plan for all three studios; targeting each one in a very detailed and specific way. New studio, new ideas, new products, new year!!

Diamonds Are Forever.

2010-12-23T20:14:00.001-06:00

Writing the copy for Hamilton Jewelry, Inc.'s new website is teaching me more about diamonds, precious metals, gemstones; and fine jewelry than I ever thought I would need to know. It is a fascinating industry with a rich history including beauty, science and violence. The goal is to have this new and fascinating information ready to view online within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully you will all enjoy this information as much as I have, so keep and eye out for HamiltonJewelryInc.com coming soon!

Behind The Scenes...

2010-12-16T14:23:00.000-06:00

This past few weeks has been working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Wrapping up some projects, revamping some sites, creating some logos, designing some collateral. It's hard to feel successful and satisfied when there's a lot of work and no actual finished product ready... not for me though. I feel very excited and fulfilled that I've been able to spend this time working on some new technology, getting back to my classic design roots and working through some interesting yet fun problems! These have been stressful weeks, but at the same time they have been AMAZING weeks of adding wrinkles to my brain!

I'm finishing up a revamp of AdamKulbersh.com. Completing the site design for AlanDesignStudio.com (formerly Jean Alan Chicago) and their business card. Cleaned up JohnHassey.com. Going to switch the concept design for CancerSucksChicago.com from Flash to XHTML (XML, HTML, JavaScript, etc.). Freshening up my site, Karlfred.net with mostly XHTML structure and maybe some Flash goodies here and there. Finishing up Erin Rose Design's new logo and then business card/site.

A lot going on... happy to be doing what I love!!

Pardon Conni

2010-11-28T11:49:00.000-06:00

I just updated the graphic for Conni Howes foodie blog "Pardon Me For Living". This is a great blog that offers some great recipes and ideas that are sans meat. True Foodies will enjoy this info immensely! The original graphic was good, but it was lacking some emotion and energy and a feeling of "true organic". I put together a friendlier, exciting graphic with a [let's not kid ourselves] adorable cow. This really connects the title with the cow making it more intuitive that the cow is actually saying "Pardon me for living." There will be more to come with this project as this new branding develops in 2011, so keep an eye out for it! Wow. Branding a cow without actually "branding" a cow. Huh. I've also added the original graphic below to show the difference between a graphic and branding a concept. Enjoy and check out her blog here! PardonMeForLiving.com

Bad Karl... Bad.

2010-11-27T16:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been VERY busy with many projects lately. I haven't posted anything in some time = bad Karl. :( Along with this I've rediscovered the fine art of programming (coding) to be able to build my sites in HTML, XHTML, DHTML and XML for the ever so unfriendly Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (Grrrrrr!!) Not so bad though. I've actually had a lot of fun relearning how to write some code as well as finding some new ways to program. my client's sites. That being said, I am almost ready to go live with Alan Design Studio's new site.

I will be fixing some sites with my newly readdressed knowledge of programming to make them Apple friendly as well as converting some of my sites that are not live yet to avoid any type of disruption from Flash to Code.

Bad Karl... Bad.

2010-11-27T16:44:00.000-06:00

The Ends Are In Sight

2010-10-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Logan Square Music's new site is finally finished and live! There are still some things to do with the site, logo and business cards are on the way, but for the most part the first and BIGGEST phase of this project is complete. I always get such a great sense of satisfaction when my work is ready for the clients and they get to start using everything. The thrill for me is when they grow their business and achieve their goals through the use of the designs and communications I've created for them.

Alan Design Studio's logo is getting a little work done to it, but is almost fully completed. DWNS - Debra Ward Nutritional Styling's new site is almost done. This one has taken a while, but the client was still figuring out exactly what she needed the site to do for her business.

Cancer Sucks Chicago's new site is almost ready to go live. Just some minor changes and adjustments form the client and then that'll go up online. Glenbrook Racquet Club's new business cards are being worked on and should be done in the next day or two. Hamilton Jewelry, Inc's new site is being reworked form the ground up. Some serious fine tuning on the info going into the site has taken place and now there is a definite focus for it. Erin Gallagher Design is in the initial stages of logo design. Then the site will follow shortly after that and cards in between those projects.

More to come. Rough week, but things are moving in the right direction.

ADS In Progress!

2010-10-09T13:52:00.002-05:00

Jean Alan Chicago is getting a face lift and becoming the next evolution of interior design in Chicago. They are ditching the title "Interior Designer" and becoming "Designers". The reason being is that they work in more than just interior designing. They do exterior consultation, exterior design, architectural planning, assist with house-hunting based on architectural and design needs, interior design, spacial planning, retail store, online store, offer their own line of custom pieces as well as creating custom items specific to their client's needs. We figured the only word that fully covers that is "Design", so that's what they are now, a DESIGN STUDIO.

The business cards are done and the rest of the identity campaign are in process. We're choosing some colors to use as their branding and the new website is beginning development next week. Very exciting times for ADS!!

It's A Process

2010-10-05T10:56:00.002-05:00

Well, it's taken a while to get this done, but the new logo for Alan Design Studio (formerly Jean Alan Chicago) is done. We are now working on the color palette for their branding and then will dive into the website asap.

Also, my new office is being setup this week and it's pretty sweet! My new address is 5412 N. Clark St., Suite 5 - Chicago, IL 60640. My information is always on my Facebook page too.

I've submitted adjusted comps to Cancer Sucks Chicago, Logan Square Music, Debra Ward Nutritional Styling and am getting ready to finish up the comp site for Hamilton Jewelry, Inc. and my new site for Karlfred Design, LLC.

Oh, yeah... I'm now an official "business" and no longer freelance. Karlfred Design, LLC is my business name, but Karlfred Design stays for all intensive purposes.

It's been a rough few weeks and quite the process, but in the end it's all worth it.

2 Newly Revamped Photography Sites!!

2010-08-21T01:16:00.005-05:00

I've just finished the new site designs for both Amaris Granado Photography and the sister wedding photography site, atstudio. larger images, simpler navigation and minimal text make these sister sites simple, elegant and very marketable to potential clients. There are some photos still to add here and there, but they are fully functioning and showcase Amaris' truly gifted photography. Have a look for yourself: AmarisGranado.com / atstudiophoto.com

Lumiere Candles

2010-08-11T19:19:00.003-05:00

So, I normally don't show work until it's completed, but I wanted to start putting some mid-stage completion stuff out there for my clients to see. This is a screenshot of one of my current clients, Lumiere Candles, and it's going to be a 1-page site (for now) that will eventually blossom into a full blown site. The client approved the design and it is being translated into labels for the product (candle jars, candle tins, spray scents and diffusers). I'm in the process of relinking the domain name to the new site and getting the email set up, which should be done by tomorrow.

Btw, the candles smell great!!

Lady Gaga does Bikram Yoga Chicago!!

2010-08-09T17:01:00.003-05:00

Lady Gaga was in Chicago this past weekend for the annual Lollapalooza 3-Day Music Fest and while she was here she decided to do some yoga. She found Bikram Yoga Chicago's site 105F.com online and decided to sign up for a private session. Miryana Vujoshevich taught her the one-on-one class where Gaga asked Miryana to "kick her ass". Apparently she did such a good job that Gaga chose to come back the next day for another private session, again with Miryana!

Lady Gaga dug the site, the logo and the t-shirts so much that she got one of the logo shirts, cut off the bottom half and then wore it out after her first session. How awesome that Lady Gaga, whom I really like her music and respect her bold and "anything goes" personality, liked my work enough to want to wear it out!!

Ten Strings Live

2010-07-12T11:17:00.005-05:00

The tenstrings.com revamped site is now live! It's a much different site. Jason and Sherri needed a site that was a little cleaner, more specific information tailored to weddings and corporate events and a fresh new look. It's a simple site with limited animation and exudes an elegance that will undoubtedly speak to both brides/grooms to be and corporate clients. I've also finished the business cards and am currently working on the postcard, cd sleeve and promo photo.

Finishing up AmarisGranado.com and atstudiophoto.com. AGP is getting fully rebranded (same logo, but cleaner designs and addition of social networking). atstudio is getting a full facelift with some upgraded branding and design work.

On the radar and in progress:

Hamilton Jewelry Inc. - cards, site, collateral
Alan Design Studio - logo, cards, site, collateral
Armitage Oral Surgery - logo, brochure, cards
atstudio photography - site, cards, collateral
Cancer Sucks Chicago - site, cards
Amaris Granado Photography
Adam Kulbersh - site redesign (Heidi's Fund also)
Bikram Yoga Chicago - advertising and lobby redesign
All About Swag - logo, cards, site, collateral
St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square - image retouching, cards, identity program, postcard

More to come!!

Oh, the many things...

2010-07-08T11:25:00.008-05:00

It's really nice to see the hard work I've done pay off in print and online! I've already posted some screenshots of designs I've done for Boulevard Bash. There's more on my Facebook Page and here's a link to a local Logan Square blog that used my image to promote the event this weekend.

http://iamlogansquare.blogspot.com/

I've also completed the buildout for the new site for Amaris Granado Photography as well as AGP's blog, facebook and twitter pages. I'm finishing up some changes to Wizard of Sorts' site and new postcard design to promote Edd's upcoming show at Gorilla Tango in Chicago.

This weekend I'll be building out the site for Cancer Sucks Chicago and Christa King's new site. Made some changes to CMO's letterhead and getting that off to print. Updated Adam Kulbersh's site with a new Bud Light gig. Finished the table and wall banners for St. Luke's booth at Boulevard Bash which will look great along with the Boulevard Bash pieces (since they're done in a similar cohesive style).

Boulevard Bash Timeout Chicago Web Banner

2010-07-06T15:08:00.001-05:00

Boulevard Bash Designs Done!!

2010-07-03T12:01:00.010-05:00

All of the collateral and design work for the Boulevard Bash are finally done!! I have successfully put together the following items for this event (with special thanks to Franny Cheung!!):

Logo
Website
4" x 6" Postcard
11" x 17" Poster
Full Page Ad for Chicago RedEye
1/4 Page Ad for Chicago RedEye
1/2 Page Ad for Chicago Reader
Full Page Ad for Timeout Chicago
Web Leaderboard Ad for Chicago Reader
Web Skyscraper Ad for Chicago Reader
Web Box Banner for Chicago RedEye
Small Local b/w Publication Ad
10' x 3' Info Banner
9' x 2' Gate Banner
9' x 2' Beer Banner

Next up on the ASAP List is the table banner/skirt and Poster-Banner for St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square's booth at Boulevard Bash...

...where does the time go??

Congratulations Ruthie Alan!!

2010-07-01T08:13:00.002-05:00

Ruthie Alan, one of my newer clients, was voted a winner in the category of Interior Design in the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2010". She was voted Runner Up to Nate Berkus and we all know that his name alone can get him accolades (though he is very talented). I'm just beginning the process of re-branding Ruthie company with her mother, Jean Alan. Name change, logo, website revamp, collateral, social networking, etc. is all on the docket for Jean Alan Chicago's image renovation.

Also working on finishing up Boulevard Bash's collateral since it goes to print this week and the actual event is July 9-11. St. Luke's has hired me again to do their identity campaign along with the logo that I had previously created last year.

There are a few leads that I haven't gotten around to connecting with, but that's because I've been super busy. I have to focus on existing clients like Armitage Oral Surgery, Hamilton Jewelry Inc., MOX Multisport, Infinity Multisport, and a few others. This is an intense week and sleep is "scheduled" in my calendar!

MOX Uniforms

2010-06-23T11:37:00.003-05:00

MOX got their kits (uniforms) for their racing teams and they turned out great!! Now, time to start thinking about the Fall uniforms for Cyclocross and much more!!

Busy, busy, busy. Put together the site comps for Logan Square Music, Ten Strings, Amaris Granado Photography. Bought a handful of domain names for future projects. Started designing sites for Brian Matthew and Cancer Sucks Chicago.

Plate = Full

2010-06-11T08:10:00.000-05:00

I recently finished up a site, Facebook page and logo "tweaking" for Emily Vance, the artist and designer behind Brainchild Designs. What a fun little project to work on!! Brainchild Designs is Paper Art & Design and Emily is prepping for a big show in Indy this weekend... the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange (pretty hard to get into as a vendor from what I hear).

Emily needed to upgrade the look of her rising business and give a more clean, professional and reputable look to her image; she needed to be branded. Now, having a logo doesn't instantly "brand" someone. There needs to be a cohesive and appropriate implementation of the logo and a variety of other factors working in unison to truly brand someone or something.

Since Brainchild Designs is about paper art and Emily is focusing on hand printed/pressed books, I decided to work the letterpress block image into her campaign. Everything needed to be light and airy to present an untarnished canvas and let her work speak for itself. Her online presence is still in it's infancy, but now she can grow by adding galleries of her work and keep people apprised to upcoming events and news about Brainchild Designs.

She had created her own logo and recently made some big changes to it (great job M!!) All I did was go in and tweak a few little things here and there to polish it up. There's more to come, but this is a great beginning!!

Other things I'm working on right now are:

Armitage Oral Surgery's logo revision
Hamilton Jewelry Inc.'s business cards and site
Logan Square Music's site and social networking setup (almost done!)
Christa King's site and business cards
Jean Alan's logo and identity campaign
Glenbrook Racquet Club's logo and site
John Hassey Mediation's client presentation graphics and Facebook ad
DWNS' full site completion
Wizard of Sorts' site additions
Adam Kulbersh's site revision
Wake Up, It's Tuesday's site revision
Heidi's Fund's independent site revision
Erin Rose Designs' new site
Amaris Granado Photography's site revision
Brian Matthew's new site
Lance Mulvaney's car sale site
Johann Juan postcards
MOX Multisport's site revision and business card redesign
Order 28's new site
Cancer Sucks Chicago's site revision and business cards
All About Swag's new site, business cards, logo and identity campaign
Christine Michaels Orthodontics' site completion
Sarah Perdue's letterhead and envelopes
SDXR Laboratories site completion
Ten Strings site revision, business cards and social networking setup
Bikram Yoga Chicago's site upgrade

Whew... that's a lot!!

Wizard of Sorts is LIVE!!!

2010-05-28T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, Wizard of Sorts new site is finally live!! It's been a lot of work and definitely pushed my brain in many directions to create it, but it's done, it's live and it's really fun!! You click on a few things to make other things happen and each page has these fun animations of Edd Fairman, the Wizard of Sorts himself. I also branded his Facebook Fan page, Twitter page, blogspot Blog and eBlast and signup page. They all match the same style and use his funny images in some really interesting ways. Have a look and enjoy!!

Welcome 26Hot!!

2010-05-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

I recently finished a big project for 26Hot - Glen Ellyn Hot Yoga and there stuff turned out great! Their new site is now live and though there will be some minor changes once their actual studio opens in September, it's fully loaded and ready to go! I'm finishing up their business cards and a couple of postcards that they're going to use to promote the studio over the next few months. I've also completed setting up and designing their facebook page, twitter page and eblast templates. Have a look at 26Hot.com!

I'm currently finishing up logos for Armitage Oral Surgery as well as continuing work on their site, business cards and brochures. Glenbrook Racquet Club's logo is now underway and I have a meeting today with another new client for the usuals - logo redesign, site, cards and identity program.

Edd Fairman - Wizard of Sorts' new site should be done by the beginning of next week along with the business card design, poster and postcards.

Took on Red Photo Inc. and will be building out their site next week along with Brian Matthew's site. Adjustments to Amaris Granado Photography's site.

SDXR Labs' cards are ordered and I'll be finishing adjustments to that site this weekend.

CEB's postcard is done and ready to print as well as Infinity Multisport's. Order 28's logo comps are going off to Amy today and that site will be built next week. MOX's business cards will be redesigned by next week.

More to come!!

MOX Site Update Coming Soon!!

2010-05-11T15:39:00.000-05:00

So, this has been one of those BIG projects that I did not anticipate, but needed to be done. Apparently everybody is redoing their site, especially bike and tri shops in the Chi, so why should MOX be any different?

Amy asked me to redo their site because they've grown over the past year and have a more focused direction they wanted to push into... FITS. I needed to make some serious changes and rebuild the thing from the ground up. Having creative block, as I get sometimes, I actually went for a ride on the lakefront on my new FELT bike that Amy and Troy gave me as a gift (thank you so much!!) and as I rode I started to unravel my creative tensions and BOOM! I had it! I figured out the new site just like that. It was very serendipitous to be riding a bike as a thank you gift from MOX for the work I'd done for MOX and coming up with the new site idea for MOX all at the same time. Life is funny that way!

Anyhow, the site should be done next week and looks really great! It's even easier to navigate, more searchable, cleaner, better organized and highly modifiable. It allows for better imagery, more images, a wider variety of images, organizes the copy better, and simplifies the eye's searching for things like buttons and navigation items.

It'll be good, so keep an eye out for it!

Edd Fairman - Wizard of Sorts REBRANDED!!

2010-05-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Working on getting all of the initial components in place for Edd Fairman - Wizard of Sorts. Created graphics and altered the skins of his Twitter page, Facebook page, eBlast campaign, website and collateral. Twitter and Facebook... done. The rest, including an initial simple site, are coming by the end of this weekend.

Edd is a comedy magician in Chicago, Illinois and he came to me to upgrade his image online and in print. I came up with a logo that's a little bit retro and combined it with imagery of some elements from his show in a vintage type of style that is reminiscent of old magician posters. Pulling all of that together in a clean presentation, I've created a very unique image for Edd that is different than his colleagues and competition and definitely presents an upgraded look and feel! It's been a great, in-depth project to work on and I'm excited there's more to come soon!!

Paying Attention to Facebook

2010-05-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

Well, there's a lot going on and I'll list it below. I also wanted to note something that's becoming very important to any business... Facebook. This is now the world's largest referral networking resource and each business needs to pay attention to it. With all of my clients I include maintenance as well as graphics for these pages. Shown above are some of them and it you look at their sites you'll notice that they are great representations of them and their business and their branding.

Here's what I'm working on right now:

Hamilton Jewelry site, eblast, twitter and facebook
DWNS site and posters
Infinity site update, postcards and tshirts
Logo design for new client (unnamed)
Site completion, eblast and postcards for new client (unnamed)
Bikram Yoga Chicago site poses page update
Chicago Errand Boy invoice and postcard
Christa King site and business cards
Atstudio site
Amaris Granado Photography client galleries and business cards
Brian Matthew site
Go Promotions eblast
MOX site revamp
Order 28 site
Ten Strings site revamp
Cancer Sucks Chicago site
Edd Fairman site, facebook, eblast, twitter and business cards
Emily Vance site
Site and business cards for new client (unnamed)
Logo, site, cards, identity program and more for new client (unnamed)

Whew! That's a lot... now back to work.

Non-Profit #1 - COMPLETE!!

2010-05-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I just completed one of my two non-profit organization client's projects. Village for Change supplied me with their new logo and color scheme and let me loose to do my thing! I wanted to make their site stand out from other non-profit sites that deal with helping children. Most of them are beige and boring and use the same old stock photography of smiling kids; nothing feels "real" with them.

A.J. Garrett isVFC's founder and he loves the colors black and red and wanted his site to stand out from the rest. I basically put online a representation of his personality and passion and then applied that style to the VillageforChange.org, their Facebook Business Page, Blog and eBlast. It speaks to helping children without showing photos of children. Now, there will be a gallery down the road, but it'll integrate as the Board Members' photo gallery is already established.

All of the images of children are silhouettes and the "action" or

animation of each page id done mostly in red. It's tells a story of children having fun and being creative and communicates this message to the target audience of adults. These adults are being asked to connect with VFC's cause and to offer donations of both time and money.

This was an interesting project to work on because of the existing logo, which is very fun and youthful, yet professional, and because of the color palate. I chose to keep everything black, white and red to really drive home the message in an intense, yet childlike fashion. The site "draws" out each page to add that sense of youthful imagination, which is at the forefront of desires for A.J. to offer these kids as well.

The Blog, Facebook Page and eBlast needed to also keep this strong branding of color and theme to really make the message noticeable, memorable and easily understood. Therefore, I went ahead and mimicked the concept within the graphics and skin for each of these. Intentionally NOT identical, but all obviously cohesive in design,style and concept.

Mission accomplished! My hope is to produce some amazing collateral pieces in the future for this wonderful organization and maybe incorporate some artwork from the actual kids into the designs. Who knows what the future holds... exciting!!

2010-04-28T13:27:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy few weeks! I'm finally finishing up DWNS' site, NutritionalStyling.com, and a shell version is live now! Edd Fairman's site is waiting on copy and should be done in about a week. SDXR Labs site will be finalized soon with their business cards in print as well. Also, CMOrthodontics.com is live... finally!! I've taken on a few new clients which shall be be revealed shortly. More to come soon!!

CMOrthodontics.com is Finally DONE!!

2010-04-06T02:55:00.001-05:00

After a long, long, long time, Christine Michaels Orthodontics' site is done, uploaded and LIVE!! The CMO project is now officially complete and the check is in the mail... yay!!

I took on 2 new clients this past week; both non-profits. Cancer Sucks Chicago and Village for Change. I'm excited to get to work on both and, in fact, have already started putting together VFC's site, updated the graphics on their Facebook page and started desigining their new eblast template.

Edd Fairmann loved his site comp and had some more ideas for it. This one's going to be fun! Not to build necessarily, but to use once it's completed. Lots of interactive little fun things to click on and such.

I continued to develop the logo for Fill The Bill and got some real progress with one solid direction that I believe will be the final choice.

Met with Debra Ward and Albert this week regarding finishing up their site NutritionalStyling.com. I set up their Facebook fan page and their eblast template. That site should go live this week! Then a postcard mailer, letterhead, envelopes and that project is done.

There's more, but it's late and I gotta' get up early tomorrow to keep pluggin' away at this stuff!!

2010-03-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

I updated my portfolio on Facebook and created multiple galleries of work: Logo Design; Business Card Design; Letterhead Design; Envelope Design; Ads, Posters + Signage Design and Postcard Design. You can view them here.

Finished up Johann Juan's site today!! Just need one last text adjustment from Johann and then it goes live!! His business cards will be ordered tonight as well. Finished the instruction sheets for JP Annarella Photography. Worked more on Fill The Bill logo and site design. Worked on Edd Fairman's site (looking really good!).

Taking a breather and then back to work!!

Karlfred Design on Facebook

2010-03-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note about my Facebook Fan Page. I've updated it with galleries specific to business cards and logos that I've done over the years. I'm going to continue to add more galleries such as Posters, Ads, Websites, Letterhead, Envelopes and more.

Have a look for yourselves! http://www.facebook.com/KarlfredDesign

Introducing JP Annarella Photography!!

2010-03-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

I finished another client project late last night... yay!! JP Annarella Photography's logo, site and cards are now done and they look great! JP's work is commercial with a sense of vintage and history and his site is to promote his work for sale as prints. His card needed to reflect that "modern meets vintage" look and feel while giving minimal and clear information. His logo is simple, elegant and can be applied to anything from site to cards to watermark to just about anything and be easily recognized and understood.

More today... MOX business card redesign, Team MOX jersey meeting, Edd Fairman's logo and site (need photos though to proceed fully with the site), Hamilton's site layout v.2, Fill The Bill's site comp and some sketching of their logo.

More miscellaneous items along the way, but this is the bulk for today. Will be meeting with Debra Ward next week to move forward on completing her site. Christine Michael's site might be a dead project at this point and ending very soon. Christ King, the queen of patience, will get her site worked on this weekend and next week for about a two week target completion date.

My site?... alas, it gets pushed back some more. Oh well, that's what this blog and my Facebook fan page are for, updated content.

It's sunny in Chicago, so, let the creative juices flow!!

2010-03-17T13:18:00.000-05:00

Very, VERY busy past couple of weeks here at KFD!! I just completed the revamp of jasonderoche.com, taking it back to the original concept of these sort of "postcard walls" that look like there are images shined up on the background. Also, added in a moving cloud wall to the front page. Did some code restructuring and some other behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm very pleased with this one!! Business cards, letterhead, envelope and CD kit design to come soon!

Also finishing up a revamp of infinityeffect.com. Again, some major rebuilding of the site behind-the-scenes along with some GUI alterations. Just got their cards printed and they look hot!!

Working on Edd Fairmann's logo and site. Working on Fill The Bill's logo and site too. Armitage Oral Surgery's look is solidified and the designs for the site, cards, logo, brochures and an invite are all moving along nicely.

Eventually I'll update my own site with these new projects, but the client's work takes priority at this point. Staying up until 4am most night just to help clear off my plate AND to clear my mind.

I have a couple new business meetings next week too!

Boulevard Bash Logo Done!!

2010-03-07T10:32:00.000-06:00

St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square has teamed up with StarEvents to present the first ever annual Logan Square summer music festival Boulevard Bash and I was asked to create the logo!! This festival is going to be on the same lines as Andersonville's Midsommarfest, Wrigleyville SummerFest and many more! This is a big deal and will grow over the years to a much larger scale festival. It's unique in nature as the focus is on music and not just a typical street fair with a couple live bands. St. Luke's is dedicated to enriching their community through art and music and this was the perfect platform to grow into.

The logo is done in the same style as St. Luke's logo with a wood-cut look and feel to it. It clearly states the festival name and represents the two most iconic parts of the area: Logan Boulevard and the Illinois Centennial Monument that resides at the end of the street. Logan Boulevard, as well as most of Logan Square streets, is unique in that it has a main 2-way street in the center and then 1-way side streets skirting it. Tree-lined and somewhat historic in nature, Logan Boulevard has a real sense of heritage and community about it and that needed to be represented in the mark.

I'm excited to see the logo applied to everything from signage to t-shirts to poster and more! You can check out more about the festival by clicking here.

Introducing Events With a K!!

2010-02-27T18:13:00.000-06:00

Events With a K's new site is LIVE!! The card is done and I'll post that soon too! Visit eventswithak.com to see the site! The logo turned out nice too. Very clean and elegant without being too traditional or too contemporary and without dictating a specific type of event focus.

A lot is going on with Karlfred Design lately!!

2010-02-26T17:52:00.000-06:00

I've updated 105f.com with a new schedule page that shows the schedule card front and back that I developed. This was a request by several students that was a great idea and easy to accommodate. There's also a link below each side to a hi-res printable image as yet another easy way to get the schedule information to the students. From this page the online scheduler is directly linked as was the set-up of the original main button before to keep this familiar option available to those that wish to pass through this page quickly.

To the Yogis, don't fret. The 360s are still in progress. It just takes a looooooong time to cut out almost a thousand photos, retouch them, manipulate them, add shadows, etc. so they actually work in the round flawlessly. This will be the monster update for 2010 to the site and is the final stage of the initial branding and image revamping for Bikram Yoga Chicago. I'm excited for this to come to fruition!!

I've solidified the look of the site for Armitage Oral Surgery and it's going to be really cool! The cards and brochures will develop quickly out of this new design (which I'll unveil soon enough).

Copy is the only thing needed for Debra Ward Nutritional Styling. Her cards are printed and in hand, the eblast was successfully sent and a letterhead and envelope template were sent on for desktop use.

Currently working to nail down a font for Fill The Bill and the look and feel of the site to come.

Edd Fairmann, magician, has a new site coming soon too. The logo is being sketched to work within the site concept I'm developing.

Updating Adam Kulbersh's site is next on the list along with Christa King's site.

Chicago Errand Boy is getting rave reviews since the updated version, so... success!!

St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square is sponsoring a summer music festival and that logo is completed and ready for submission. Once it receives final approval I'll be able to share it with the world.

Hamilton Jewelry Inc.'s new site is in the works. Kailee Swift had a new baby recently so that project slowed a bit, but I've been working behind the scenes on getting it ready to go live.

I'm developing an icon for an iPhone app for Dawn which is a neat change of pace from just web and print.

I'm developing a logo and site for a new non-profit organization for Amy at MOX to support shopping locally.

MOX's site need a little update to adjust linking for the two new facebook pages for their boys and girls racing teams.

I'm almost done building out atstudio's new wedding photography site to meet very specific unmet needs of Amaris and Thomas. That goes live next week.

Jason Deroche's site needs some new imagery and a seasonal update for the coming Spring season.

Ten Strings' site might need a complete shift in style to meet some new marketing needs.

Events With a K's new site, logo and cards are all almost done and will go live/to print this weekend!

Karlfred.net needs to be updated with all of my new clients, but again, that always tends to take a back corner spot to my client projects.

SDXR Laboratories LLC... DONE!!

2010-02-18T09:17:00.000-06:00

I just finished a few projects, including the site and business card designs for SDXR Laboratories LLC. The site, sdxrlabs.com, needed to be simple, clean, elegant and minimalist. The cards needed to directly match with four options for front design. Very successful project and I'm very pleased with the outcome!

I'm also near completion on two other sites/projects, jpannarella .com and eventswithak.com. JP Annarella Photography is a print photographer with amazing imagery from world travels and Events with a K is a new event planner in Chicago that focuses on the details and produces amazing parties while staying well within any budget.

I am currently working on a Logan a Chicago festival project, Armitage Oral Surgery's logo-site-brochures-etc., Edd Fairmann's logo-site-etc., Christa King's site-cards, various MOX projects, various Infinity projects and Fill The Bill's site-logo.

Debra Ward Nutritional Styling's site is almost ready to go live once copy for the site is in my hands. Johann Juan's site is almost ready to go live as well. Cards to shortly follow.

Taking on AT Studio and Brian Mathew as new clients with full projects and have a few new meetings set up for next week. Life is good...

...and busy!!

Research and Sketching Day

2010-02-02T10:24:00.000-06:00

I'm headed out today to the bookstore to do some research on the several logos I'm working on. Books, magazines... it's all fair game for creative stimulus!

2010-01-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

Put together a mini portfolio/coming soon page for new client Brian Matthew, and extremely talented artist from Chicago. His full site is a ways out. Worked on Johann Juan's site and did more build out of JPAnnarella's site. Sketched for logos for Armitage Oral Surgery, Fill the Bill, Edd Fairman and JPAnnarella Photography.

2010-01-21T17:58:00.000-06:00

I updated the banners on the home page of moxapeal.com to really push the product lines that MOX carries. I'll keep adding banners to this page as we solidify more product lines that should be promoted.

Secured 2 more clients today... yay!! Still have a lot to work on this coming weekend and the following week.

Facebook Updates

2010-01-20T08:45:00.001-06:00

A note to all my clients with Facebook Fan Pages, please remember to take some time to update your walls with some new information. Though you might not feel like it's doing anything when you post something on your wall, it in fact is.

You should at the very least post an update, a photo, a video, etc. once or twice a month. What happens is that your post shows up in the News Feed on all of your fans walls. This is exposure and even if they don't necessarily read the post at that moment (or at all) you are still keeping your name present in their memory. You never know who might see the post or your name and think of a reason to contact you or forward your information along to someone else.

Facebook wall posts don't need to be information specifically about your business/you, but rather can be informative information about your industry or something related to what you offer your audience. Maybe there's a movie coming out that somehow touches on your business or a brand you deal with? Maybe there's an online article that speaks to the same message you're trying to communicate to your target audience? You just never know and it's definitely worth the 10 minutes to share something with your fans.

Food for thought.

2010-01-19T14:16:00.000-06:00

This is a great ad I just completed for MOX and Infinity Multisport. It needed to be two distinct ads that worked together without looking like the businesses are one company. Both received great real-estate and both have distinctly separate color and style schemes. This is a full page, right side ad running in The Keeper, which is The Competitor (formerly Windy City Sports Magazine) and will run for 6 months. Very eye-catching, very bold and very different than anything else going in the publication. It has a young, hip and very energetic feel to it, which is perfect for a triathlon retailer and triathlon coaching/training company. The issue comes out mid February 2010, so keep an eye out for it!!

Long weekend... back to work!!

2010-01-10T19:34:00.001-06:00

This is an interesting article I read. Since a lot of my client's ask about Twitter and the benefits. Give it a read. It pretty much reaffirms what I've been saying for some time now.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/01/08/is-it-ok-to-say-no-to-twitter

Whew... what a day!

2010-01-06T20:56:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day starting with the finished revised site comp for Debra Ward. Also produced the hold/soon page and the site comp for SDXR Laboratories. Had a great meeting with a potential new client for an exciting new project! Got a few more little projects to work on tonight and then one more site comp to create tomorrow morning. I'll be unavailable this weekend from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening and available again Monday morning. I'll have limited access to email and no design access.

2010-01-03T22:20:00.000-06:00

Created an eblast image for Debra Ward. Working on her site and her business card is done and ready to go to print! CMO is in the works this week. Her site is under construction and her letterhead/envelopes should be rectified soon... thanks for your patience Christine! Erin Gallagher is back from DC and I'll start meeting with her in February about her site design. Chicago Errand Boy's site is getting a face lift and Christa King's site is again under way.

New client meeting this coming Wednesday which should be good! I'm excited to be working on so many projects and will definitely be wrapping some of them up this week to make room for new ones! More to come...

2009-12-31T10:43:00.000-06:00

Still one of my favorite sites. Simple, clean, elegant, easy to navigate... perfect!

2009-12-31T10:26:00.000-06:00

I'm finishing up DWNS's site comp v.3, business card design and eblast image. More to come quickly as this project progresses into early 2010. Also did a neat identity image for Noel's Bi/Queer Chicago group. Took the Bisexual flag and gave it a modern feel with the Chicago skyline. Getting started on Johann Juan's stuff next week and finishing up CMO's site this next week too. More little projects along the way, but nothing major. I have a new business meeting next week which is always exciting!

2009 was a great year for me starting out and 2010 promises to be even better! Happy New Year everyone!!

2009-12-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

MOX's site got a huuuuuuge overhaul the other night! Some things were definitely changed, some removed, some merged and now it's ready for the online catalog in January 2010! Also, DWD meeting is tomorrow to go over the site finishing touches, site copy, logo and business cards... yay!! CMO's letterhead and envelopes are being re-printed due to a printer error, so those are on the way next week to go to the client.

In the works between now and the new year are Christa King's site, Johann Juan's site, the revamp of Chicago Errand Boy's site and the addition of portfolio work to my site. If I don't post until after, I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season! Thanks to all of my client's that have helped make 2009 such a great year creatively!!

2009-12-10T14:59:00.000-06:00

Finished updating Swiftwealthmanagement.com, laurencurnow.com and adamkulbersh.com. Also been working on the build out for Debra Ward Nutritional Styling... more to come soon!

Infinity Is Live!!

2009-12-07T22:25:00.000-06:00

Infinity Multisport's new site infinityeffect.com is LIVE!!

2009-12-07T10:32:00.000-06:00

Infinity's site should go live tonight! Just need final approval from the client to post. This weekend was serious construction on DWD's new site and today is a meeting to review the update and get that live within the next week! MOX's site is going to have some changes soon and in the new year we will build out an online store, which is very exciting! Still have some changes to make to Swift's site and Lauren Curnow's site. Timora, Jill and Linda's cards for Go Promotions are ordered and will be in my hands in about 1.5 - 2 weeks... tops.

Taking on my international client officially this week and getting the photos from the shoot for Johann Juan. Johann's site will be ready by the end of December/early January. Christa King's site is still in the works too. Also, been working on my mystery client's logo and site to show early January!

I do need to update my own site soon with the new client work I've done, but that is taking a back burner right now since I have a lot to work on for my clients.

2009-12-02T00:59:00.000-06:00

So, I've been away from blogging for a while, but that's all due to a LOT of work I've been doing. Finishing up infinityeffect.com in the next day or two. Working on naming and the site for Debra Ward Designs. Updating laurencurnow.com. Always working on 105f.com's 360s. Go Promotions cards for Timora and 2 others are done and ready to go. Picking up the final proof tomorrow for CMO so the letterhead and envelopes can go to print this week. A couple new client meetings this week and contracting for the international project. Whew!!!

Also, the image above was a request from a dear friend and client to see all my logos I've ever created. Some of these date back to 1994, but the neat thing is that none of them are dated and they all still hold up today. Anyways, more to come!!

Infinity Goes Live Soon!!

2009-11-21T14:34:00.000-06:00

So, I've been working very hard to get infinityeffect.com completed and live! Hopefully it'll be ready by the beginning of next week. I still need some info from the client, but all in all it's just about there. Also, Infinity's cards are ready to print and they look HOT!!!!!

Started to build out DWD's new site. This one is going to be really neat, so I'm very excited about it! I need to scan in some drawings to get it almost ready to show the client as a first comp. Still working on developing a new name and domain name for this client.

Did some updating on moxappeal.com the other day and am finishing up the updates to swiftwealthmanagement.com and laurencurnow.com this weekend.

I'm putting together my greeting card so I can be sure the print job is perfect early enough to catch any errors and do any reprints necessary. I need to go into my own site next week and update with the handful of new work I've produced lately.

Working on a new name and site come December for Amy (of MOX) for her t-shirt company. Got some good ideas and just need to schedule a meeting with her next week/week after Thanksgiving.

Christa King site is on the dockett for the week after Thanksgiving as well as another new client that needs to remain nameless until after Thanksgiving. Basically, tons fo work to keep plugging away at and the year is ending quickly!!

2009-10-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

Lauren Curnow's site is finally live!! There will still need to be audio clips added as well as gallery photos as she adds performances, but the bulk of the work is done.

I'm working on Infinity's site today as well as CMO's site, letterhead and envelope. Also doing site updates for SWM and Adam Kulbersh.

Storyboarding is also on the docket for Hamilton for my meeting this week.

Infinity Has A Logo!!!

2009-10-19T17:48:00.000-05:00

Infinity Multisport now has a logo!!

Finally Flu Free!!

2009-10-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

2 weeks of flu and I'm finally back on track again. Mike's finishing up inputting info to NimblePics.com. Amaris shot the first garden apartment for the site. I'm cleaning up loose ends for design with Bikram including schedule card template design, finished sandwich sign to specs, printing the first round of business cards and jumping back into the 360s.

LaurenCurnow.com is almost ready to go live... yay!! Finishing up some new logo comps for Infinity. Moxappeal.com's new Fits + Services page needs to go live. InfinityEffect.com's shell needs to get revisited and posted for client approval.

Sarah Perdue needs an invoice created. Swift Wealth Management needs the new envelope designs finished for approval and then print.

Busy Day Done and Gone!!

2009-10-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got a LOT done!! In fact, I was up until 2am working on stuff. Finished the final changes to St. Luke's brochure and one approved will get a printed proof run off. Completed another more focused round of sketches/comps for Infinity Multisport and got great feedback for the next round of tighter ones. Did lots of little Facebook fan page and Yelp.com things for MOX and Bikram Yoga Chicago. Did more work on photos for the gallery for Lauren Curnow. Also, dealt with my hosting company having a massive server issue with one of their data centers and almost all of my client's sites shut down for half the day... ugh. All's well that ends well... right?

CMO End Nearing

2009-09-29T09:52:00.000-05:00

Christine Michaels Orthodontics has been, well, a process to say the least. This has been my longest ongoing project ever and I feel the end is finally near. The site is getting some copy so it can be completed and I'm doing a final revamp on her letterhead and envelope design.

Lauren Curnow, SDXR, Chicago Errand Boy, Bikram Yoga Chicago, and MOX are all on the books for work today. I'm getting a lot done and hopefully this week will prove to be a great clean-up session for some project finishes!!

Getting It All Under Control... Whew!!

2009-09-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

Finished updating and upgrading Jason Deroche's site. New coding inside, pulls photos externally, loads faster, changed the entrance music clip, new imagery, new colors, standardized format for copyright info and karlfred.net link, and changed the screen bg from white to black. Yay!!

Also, updated Erin Annarella's site with more sophisticated imagery changes to keep with the blue/brown look of her business cards. Looks like a great match now!!

Uploaded a new portfolio piece to Sarah Perdue's site. Also, uploaded new photos to MOX's peeps page on moxappeal.com and to their facebook page. Tonight, I'm finishing up the gallery page for Lauren Curnow's site so that can go live this week! St. Luke's logo icons were emailed so that's done. Starting on SDXR crest logo project tomorrow and also putting together new letterhead and envelope designs for Christine Michaels Orthodontics AND plugging in copy to her site too.

My new business cards were ordered and should be here by the end of this week... YAY!!!

I'm Over Overwhelmed.

2009-09-26T10:24:00.000-05:00

Ah, it's been a while since I've posted here. I've been swamped, but I'm getting back on track again. Working currently on Infinity Multisport's logo, site and card simultaneously. Also finished Sarah Perdue's card and adding a portfolio piece to her site. MOX is getting a new home page banner. Chicago Errand Boy is going to get me finished copy for the site and then that can go live with an initial version. Bikram Yoga Chicago threw me a curve the other day with an external ad agency needing all of the stock raw photos for their site postures for a promotional ad for Wicker Park for the holidays. That's done. SDXR is a new client for site, card and miscellaneous graphics for emails and documents. MOX Halloween card should be done this weekend. Need to do more research for them on online store options. Lauren Curnow's gallery pages need to get sorted and entered and then her site can finally go live this week. I'm also putting together an annual maintenance fee for my clients so that I can hire an assistant to help with the little things that pop up. I'm hoping to instill that in 2010.

2009-09-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

Today is a big work day for me! Chicago Errand Boy's cards have been ordered, Joanne Rogers cards will be ordered and Sarah Perdue's cards will be ordered. Have to do some tweaking workon Sarah's site and also develop her letterhead and envelope. Hamilton Jewelry Inc.'s logo is done and work will begin on her site asap!! Sketching and finishing up some comps for Infinity Multisport and completing the site development for NimblePics. Have to schedule some photoshoots for John Hassey, Sarah Perdue and Johann Juan with Amaris Granado Photography. Other than that there are miscellaneous items that will arise, I'm sure!!

2009-09-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

Today is going to be work, work and more work! I'm working on creating the comp for the site for NimblePics. Also going to be hammering out the final comps for Hamilton Jewelry. Starting the logo for ATstudio. As always, doing some Bikram Yoga Chicago 360 work. Johann Juan's card should be done by tonight. My business cards will be done today. MOX site needs to be finished by tomorrow morning. Have to fix a pic on Erin Annarella's site. Need to bang out the copy for Chicago Errand Boy and fix the color on one of their cards. Need to email all my client's for updated SEO meta keywords. and do some SEO submissions for them all. Need to invoice Gadget Inspectors and Superior for their hosting for the next year. Need to put together a composite of all photos for Lauren Curnow to help organize them for her site so it can go live next week. Need her bio to add too.

Lastly, I've created a professional Facebook page for my business and anyone can Become A Fan by clicking here!!

My New Site Is Finally Live!!

2009-09-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

FINALLY!!! My new site design at Karlfred.net is completed and LIVE!!! This has been in the works for quite some time, probably because I'm my own worst client. I've also put my client's projects ahead of my needs, but I did manage to squeeze work on it in whenever I had the chance. The payoff is sweet... the site rocks!! Have a look and enjoy!!

2009-09-04T22:04:00.001-05:00

Finished the new business card design for Bikram Yoga Chicago. Also some more finishing work on Lauren Curnow's new site. Last thing I'll be working on this weekend for Lauren's site is the photo gallery. Met with Timora and Amy today about merchandising and product for MOX and also the joint site that Timora and I will be creating. Fixed the logo for NimplePics and just waiting for the other two to approve. Starting the revamp design concept for Adam Kulbersh's site and Heidi's Fund's site too. Meeting Johann a week from this Sunday to go over his site, card, merchandise, etc. I'll be completing the business card design for Johann this weekend to work with the new site design. Finishing up Hamilton's logo comps this weekend and also workingon their color scheme for their collateral, site and office interior. Finishing up MOX's site m'peeps page and revamping the fits and services page... then DONE!!

A bunch more stuff for St. Luke's and some other miscellaneous items and my weekend is design-packed!!

2009-08-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

NimblePics logo is done and looks great!! This weekend I'm going to be finishing development of the initial concept for nimblepics.com for our meeting next week. Also, I'm going to be finishing up Lauren Curnow's site and getting the first draft of the brochure for St. Lukes to the client for review. I've got some odds and ends for other clients that I'll be hammering out in between.

2009-08-26T11:13:00.000-05:00

Very productive week, last and this!! Completed the logo for Wake Up, It's Tuesday! which is a webseries that's being developed out in Hollywood by Dana Cuomo and Adam Kulbersh. Also, did some serious work on NimblePics, a photography company and almost have their logo and site design completed... yeah!!

Almost completed Lauren Curnow's site... looks amazing! Just a few more tweaks here and there and it'll go live this week. Built out the framework for Johann Juan's new site and started his facebook page!!

Did some corrections and adjusted some issues/errors on 105F.com and SarahPerdue.com. Sarah's business cards will be in the works this week hopefully. Chicago Errand Boy's site copy is going to be in the works later today and tomorrow to get that wrapped up. CEB's cards will be ordered this week too!

Erin Annarella's site got a revamp and just needs some client components, but it's live! Hamilton Jewelry's logo is almost done and I need to get some sketches to Kailee this week. MOX's site got a new home page animation for the Cyclocross training and event promotion... looks cool!!

2009-08-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

A lot on my plate right now! Finished the logo for St. Luke's Luterhan Church of Logan Square and now onto the brochure/handout. Working up sketches and comps for the logo for NimblePics and then the site framework. Working on building out the shell for Lauren Curnow; hopefully that'll only take a few more days to complete. Tweaking the advanced logo for Wake Up, It's Tuesday! and then that project is complete. Designing Johann Juan's new site and will need to have that completed by the end of next week at the very latest. Writing the copy for Chicago Errand Boy's site. Christine Michaels Orthodontics is back in the game and should have copy and site ideas in about a week. Hamilton Jewelry's new logo is almost completed and then there are many mroe components to that project that are going to occupy a lot of my time soon. Took on a new client, Erin Gallagher, and will be working up her site once we meet again this coming week. Always out there is work on MOX and 105F.com.

Sigh... breathe.

2009-08-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

Sarah Perdue's business cards are done!! Also, took on a new client today, Hamilton Jewelry. This project is big! It's going to be logo, website, business cards, letterhead/pdf, envelope, postcards, newsletters, facebook and blog maintenance, signature gift collection identity and much more! Also, will be redesigning Hamilton's shop with a more boutique look!!

Working this weekend on Johann Juan's site, Lauren Curnow's site, Wake Up, It's Tuesday's alter-ego logo, and St. Luke's logo. One page left on my new site and then it goes live (*sigh*).

2009-08-14T10:59:00.001-05:00

Chicago Errand Boy's cards are now done!! The site, ChicagoErrandBoy.com should be completed within the next couple of days too!

Finished Up, Started New

2009-08-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

SarahPerdue.com is now live! I'm working on getting a good design for the business card for Sarah. Also, going to be ordering Chicago Errand Boy's cards, Joanne Rogers and my own this week. Johann Juan's logo is done and looks amazing!! Also, I was recently hired by St. Lukes Lutheran Church of Logan Square to create a logo and brochure, which the logo comp is out there for approval and I have to say... really cool! The brochure idea is ready to go once the logo is approved.

I FINALLY have a good idea for Lauren Curnow's site so I'll be putting that together today and tomorrow (hang tight Lauren!) Also, might be taking on another client in the theater industry today or tomorrow... exciting! There's a few more prospective client's out there I'm going to go after soon, once my workload dies down a bit. Lastly, I forgot (oops!) to clean up my latest comp for the "dated" logo design for Wake Up, It's Tuesday! project. I'll send that out tomorrow during the day. That's all for now. Lot's of other little things on the burners so watch for what's coming!!

2009-07-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if I'd ever posted this, but this was a logo I did for this organization "Together We Cope". They step in when average people lose their jobs and need a little help financially with rent, groceries, medicine, etc. for a few months to help them get back on their feet and "bridge the gap."

2009-07-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

Finished Chicago Errand Boy's logo! Also finished my new client Johann Juan's logo for his personal training business! Holistic Healing is next to be completed soon. Also, tomorrow at some point I should have SarahPerdue.com completed and ready to go live. Sarah's cards are right after that.

Completed my Phase 1 build-out of Bikram Yoga Chicago's new mobile site for smart phones and PDAs. A lot on my plate, but I'm revved and getting it all done piece by piece!

2009-07-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

Today is all about finishing up SarahPerdue.com... that's it. The site looks great, just needs some finished coding and alignments and then "voila!"

2009-07-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

Late last night I posted the first of probably three chunks of teacher and staff photos for 105f.com. They turned out great! I did have to work for about 20 hours or so to clean up, color correct, adjust and crop the shots, but it was well worth it in the end. They look great so have a look for yourself!

Also, recently updated the My Mission page and Affiliations page for moxappeal.com with some neat animations. It helps give the site more zing and a little extra kick! I'm working out a new interactive and fun little thing for the Fits and Services page as well as an animated intro page to really complete the site!

Almost done is sarahperdue.com and Bikram Yoga Chicago's water bottle designs. Also, today, I'm working on wrapping up Wake Up, It's Tuesday!'s two logos... fun!!Then MOX three discount cards, Joanne Rogers business cards, Lauren Curnow's new site, Erin Annarella's new site and Christa King's new site. Lastly, I've recaptured Shine as a client and will be updating their entire look with the original logo that I created for them almost 10 years ago!

Holistic Healing is on the docket to and hopefully I'll have two new clients by the end of the month!!

2009-07-18T01:05:00.000-05:00

I did a lot of work on sarahperdue.com today. Also, finally finished the Affiliations Page for moxappeal.com... yay!!! I worked on "Wake Up, It's Tuesday!" and should have that done tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll be working more on sarahperdue.com and Sarah's cards, Joanne Rogers' cards, Bikram Yoga Chicago's postcard and Teacher/Staff pages for 105f.com and some other smaller items.

2009-07-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been out of commission for a bit due to sunburn and sunpoisening. It made even 'sitting' painful. Getting caught up. Today is my first real day of solid working in quite some time. Yesterday I secured 2 new clients, actually 1 new client "Holistic Healing" and 1 previous client "Shine". Both are located in HInsdale, IL.

Holistic Healing is a massage therapy company run by Kyanne and has locations in both Hinsdale and Chicago. I'm excited about this project because I like her philosophy on bodywork and very much want to help her start out with a powerful logo to brand herself. Hopefully, down the road I can get to do a redesign of her website and collateral pieces.

Shine is a high end nail spa in Hinsdale that I originally did the logo and and identity campaign for them. Since then the ownership has changed hands to my original client's sister and she has a solid need for some redesigning of collateral, a website and I'll also be initiating my new consulting business with her. This is a great company and I'm glad to assist them in re-elevating their image up top again.

Today, so far, I've initiated my contract as Head Creative Director with a new start-up company in the photography industry. I'm very excited to be working on this project and will be generating a new name for them as well as an initial website redesign!!

Swift Wealth Management's site was updated with a favicon, just like MOX and 105F.com.

2009-06-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

Developed the MOX FIT sticker for that service for MOX. Also, finishing up their Affiliations page today. Bikram Yoga Chicago's brochure will get completed today and then off to the printer for file-check. T-Shirts, water bottles, bags, etc. will be mocked up tonight for my meeting with them tomorrow. If there's time tonight I'll also start on the Teacher and Staff pages that we photographed recently. Will find out specifics tomorrow about the postcard needed for 105.

Tomorrow morning will be getting SEO info for MOX, 105 and Gadget Inspectors so they can rank better on the search engines. Meeting tonight at 9pm with Hassey re: final changes and adjustments to his site and cards. Then those cards are off to print.

Tomorrow Chicago Errand Boy color adjustment from brown to green and also finished sketches for that logo. CMO letterhead changes today and match to the envelope.

The new karlfred.net is almost done and should go live by this weekend. Very interesting site as it has some interactive properties that are fun and unique, along with sound use. Within the next couple weeks the descriptions of each design will be audio clips as opposed to writing out everything.

I'M BACK!!

2009-06-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

I'm finally back from my trip. Some work, but enough down-time to relax and not think about design. I was starting to get a little crispy staring at my computer all day long. I did get some great reviews on the new marketing logo for Bikram Yoga Chicago. This is going to be applied to apparel and merchandise items to really promote the website domain name www.105F.com. Have a look!

Tomorrow starts up a lot of work. Finishing moxappeal.com, pushing for approval on the letterhead for CMO, 105's brochure changes communicated to the printer and much, much more!

Whoo!! Busy, busy, busy!!

2009-06-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy week! Yesterday was the first of the Teacher and Staff photoshoots at the Bikram Yoga Chicago's Wicker Park studio. Very fun and it went smoothly! Those photos will be available on 105f.com in about 2 weeks. Also did some updating of Facebook status for them as well. Created a movie about the experience at the shoot and will post that shortly on FB.

Together We Cope chose a logo!! Now, it's just deciding on color usage with their collateral and site and such. Sarahperdue.com is coming along nicely. Not much buildout left to do when I return from my trip this weekend/next week. MOX has a couple things I need to wrap up before I leave Friday, including site, full page ad for Windy City Times and some stickers.

My site is still taking a back-burner to all else, but needs to get completed asap as I'm getting more and more interest in my work! Johnhassey.com is almost done as well as his cards.

2009-06-11T00:46:00.000-05:00

Today was a loooooong day. Got most of the build out done for Chicago Errand Boy's new site. Still need to develop the logo for CEB. Also, did some work on sarahperdue.com and laurencurnow.com. Tomorrow is another long day with a heavier focus on sarahperdue.com to get that wrapped up in the next week.

I will be out of town for some meetings and potential new business starting Friday, June 19th and returning home Thursday, June 25th. I will have limited access to emails and will not be able to adjust, fix nor update any website issues. I should be able to address some technical server issues through the hosting company, but that's about it. As always, I am available to answer any questions for my clients. Just shoot me an email and I'll get back you y'all as soon as I can!!

Wait, wait... here I come!!

2009-06-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

I'm still playing catch up from my being sick for two weeks. The plus side is that I've got some really good work done. As you can see above, John Hassey's logo is now completed and his site is almost ready to upload. Just waiting on some copy and minor image adjustments. Awesome site!! Also, completed the $90 promotion signage for Bikram Yoga Chicago. Just waiting on final approval. Did some more work on the build out for sarahperdue.com. That site is coming along nicely!

Christine Michaels is back in the game and working on copy for her site. Sarah Perdue will be writing the copy for her site and that might actually wrap up within the next month!! Also, did some adjusting on CMO's letterhead and envelope per Christine. Last, but not least, I started the physical development of laurencurnow.com and chicagoerrandboy.com. I'm anticipating that by the end of June I'll have both of those sites completed and posted.

Tonight I'm completing some good comps for Wake Up, It's Tuesday, Adam Kulbersh's project. Fun stuff! Much different than anything I've gotten to do before!!

My site, karlfred.net, is being neglected and cannot any longer. I need to get it up and running because it truly features my work to date and my style and abilities better than the current site. Tomorrow is meetings with atstudio all day, but then the evening is allocated for karlfred.net and moxappeal.com... promise!!