ELS Creative

07/07/2016

The Concept of Brand: A Lesson from Blackbeard the pirate. "More competition in the market (and greater user access to those competitors through digital avenues) means that it’s more important than ever to stand out. And in order to do so, the entire experience of interacting with a brand must deliver a consistently great user experience."

Brand is a perception of value resulting from the sum of a customer’s experiences, made up of visual, tonal, and behavioral brand components, often shaped by UX.

06/09/2015

The clients' success should come first. They're paying you for YOUR expertise, so never hesitate to show them a better solution to the problem they present. This is why a foundation in art and design is critical in a web design education, be it formal or self taught. Unfortunately so much of it is tool and technique focused: how to prototype a wireframe, how to make a responsive grid, how to do this wacky photoshop technique. There's little substance beyond that, as opposed to formal graphic design training, which typically has a much deeper cultural and historical component. The truth is that typography, color, illustration, form, ALL affect and drive behavior just as much as layout and interaction... just ask any editorial, architect, or environmental designer!

As responsive design becomes the norm, designers have developed a reliance on boxes and grids, argues Noah Stokes.

03/06/2015

I really enjoyed this, and I think you will too. An inside look at the logo design process and why working with a professional is the only way to go. Most logos aren't designed in fifteen minutes, but most designers aren't Aaron Draplin.

Watch more like this at lynda.com/vimeo. Most logos aren't designed in fifteen minutes, but most designers aren't Aaron Draplin. Aaron's a Portland fixture by…

02/27/2015

Look who's turning 25. Happy Anniversary Photoshop! The love affair continues...

For 25 years the world has used Photoshop to make the impossible possible, taking creativity to places we never could have dreamed.

02/13/2015

ELS Creative Brand Identity

02/12/2015

Would you like to interact something fun and innovative in the design world? The Responsive Logos project by Joe Harrison showcases what the logos of your favorite brands would look like if they were responsively designed. Responsive web design has been the standard for years now; it's a design process that dictates what the layout of a website should be, and adjusts the website to fit the screen or device you're using in the moment. Applying that same strategy to brand identities, the composition of these logos changes completely to accommodate the device you're using, becoming more or less complex as needed. It's an exciting game changer for what is possible in the world of logo design!

An exploration in scalable logo design

03/01/2014

Mike Parker, your vision and timeless typography have been an inspiration to designers all over the world.

Mike Parker, one of the people responsible for the popular use of Helvetica passed away Sunday at age 84.