hello fall, hi friends, how’s it going? No, I am not announcing my new gig as the latest home shopping TV host with my GOD monogram bed and bath collection…the towels are just a logo folly of mine.

What is really NEW is ALL this fruiting and seeding this time of year, it gets me so high! You too?
To celebrate all …, I am back today with agency news + inspiring creative, this edition is all about the keys to the Universe: logos, logos, logos!

What’s the seasonal connect? Plants and logos both hold the seeds of their creation as a coded message.

From tiny white raspberries found at the farmer’s market to the waving roadside blue purple chicory (closed by noon, thank you!) at the forest’s edge, or to the soft translucent seeds of steamed yellow and green squash…this endless cycle of creativity on display…I’m drinking it all in.

In my world of creative branding, a logo is like a seed for a brand bursting with new ideas. It literally holds the dreams of a founder, a company and the tribe that buys into it. Deeper still, I connect brand logos with the definition of the seed word, Logos: “the word of God or the eternal and unchanging truth present from the time of creation, available to every individual who seeks it.”

Whoa, that’s BIG! When my agency designs a logo, we follow a desire to bring forth the love, the essence of a personality or a brand in its simplest most engaging form. It should grab attention and slowly reveal its messages. Like the wrapture of God’s very own towel after a shower;-)

Have a look this month at 9 logos we’ve designed through the lens of our berry tasty seasonal newsletter theme ~ THE JUICY FRUIT, THE NEW SEED, and THE ABUNDANT HARVEST ~ to share inspired logos, culture tips and the stories behind some super fruity ecstatic logo design experiences with you. 

#1   Oh! Yes! Our Own Agency Logo

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Everyone asks us about our logo.

THE NEW SEEDS.
What is it? What was the inspiration?
Literally seeing a “3” sideways led to the aha moment. The 3^rd volume of BUDDHA by anime master Osamu Tezuka had a large number “3” on it, and when seen on my bookshelf sideways, well, ENLIGHTENMENT! There it was plain as day for me to see things DIFFERENTLY.

The logo captures and symbolizes what I believe in, that the ever-present third option beyond duality, beyond the usual and that search for true inspiration. Balance and creative morphing, thrilling and head turning all at once.
Sure, if you see a winged bird, two magnets or a white, comical animal head in a heart shape, yes…go with it!

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Talk about fresh vision, brilliantly turning one medium into another, like Walt Disney, the master of Anime, Father of Manga, Osamu Teszuka turned children’s cartoons into high art. See more here.

Yes, he invented both Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion if you are a child of the 70’s like me.
If you want to know what else we animate, see our new Brand Book with beaucoup of our creative services.

#2   Evotion Media Floats a New Logo

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Admiring the power of our agency symbol, film producer, Kim Jackson came to us for a major logo for her new venture, Evotion, where storytelling meets the evolution of emotion. With a request for a tight turn around we dove into those emo waters!

THE NEW SEEDS.
Thus the “e” met a watery feel with bubbles and movement, something that clearly evoked transformation in an alchemical way. Thus also the gold. Moving transformation through phenomenal film reels (or Klimt’s nouveau tableaus ) for a shift to our reality.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Learn more about Kim Jackson and her most recent film, a New York Times Critic’s Pick, “Down with The King” about a rapper (played by Freddie Gibbs) who settles in the wilderness for inspiration. More here.

#3   The Logo at Legendary DJ Kool Herc’s Fingertips, at the Birth of Hip Hop, Gets a Makeover

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Gemini turntables were the seed from which the fruit of hip-hop emerged, famously manned by the originator DJ Kool Herc at summer block parties in the Bronx in the 70’s.

THE NEW SEEDS.
By the time I arrived in the year 2000 as the new corporate Marketing Director over seeing creative at Gemini, the DJ equipment company was international and their 1970’s logo needed a serious refresh. Music originated with turntables was huge and huge. Honoring the logo’s origins we decided to solidify the font, previously striped, to underscore its icon status and adding its own turntable. The final design by our art director, Alvaro Montagna.

By 2000 the image of a turntable was well known and the forward-looking, energetic “G” above the solid Gemini made the logo contemporary and visionary.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Learn more about Kool Herc, here.
And in a recent surprise, in today’s version of digging in the crates, I unearthed the 2013 Netflix documentary, “Sample This”, the story of “the greatest breakbeat of all time,” according to Questlove of The Roots. The flick chronicles the recording of what became the heartbeat of rap…tribal drum beats, which traveled to transformation by the hip-hop innovators in the South Bronx.

“Pioneering DJ Kool Herc put both “Bongo Rock” and “Apache” to good use, switching back and forth between two copies, extending the drum break indefinitely and driving the crowd wild at block parties and apartment building rec rooms. “That was the pinnacle of the party,” says hip hop artist Grandmaster Caz. “When Apache came on, your hat went on backwards and you got it in.”

#4   Take Time to Smell the Flowers

THE JUICY FRUIT.
All hail flowers and the feels. Can you hear Neil Young wail right about now?
This logo invites a gentle, nostalgic botanical connect.
Like the miracle of all flowers, it asks us to slow down, smell the roses and savor the details.

THE NEW SEEDS.
This Au Natural logo was drawn (by me!) in woodcut style which became the actual carved wood shop sign of Hawk + Floret, a shop of curiosities, antiques, hand-made beauties and an awe of nature in the tiny river town (where I have lived and loved) of Frenchtown, New Jersey.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. This year, USA Today named Frenchtown, The Best Small Town for Shopping. Seek out “Betty’s store,” owned by my friend, Betty-Bains Saum, officially known as Hawk + Floret is at 40 Bridge Street in Frenchtown and  @hawkfloret on IG.

Another Frenchtown resident, the botanically-oriented author-mother of “Eat, Pray, Love,” Elizabeth Gilbert gives a must-see interview on creativity, chatting here with Marie Forleo.

#5   An Oasis in the Desert, Rich with Making Brands Magical

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Let’s jet now across the US. Our brand and graphic designers hail from The Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, which is now also The Land of Space Exploration and so of course two of their many great logos are full of that energetic magic.  

THE NEW SEEDS.
A sense of place and dynamic, fun action is the message of the Taos Scooters‘ logo. A photo of a Vespa inspired a translation to the wood block style that adds on the charm. The Zia Pueblo sun symbol establishes a sense of place and the rays help emphasize the adventure of the scooter whoosh!  

The Digerati Design logo updates the visual language of early tech design and conveys the speed of light that drives our digital desires. “The starry pixel dust (magic) emulates particles of digital energy flow,” says Barbara, the graphic artist from inside her sagebrush-surrounded, round Navajo hogan-style home she built with her husband, Ron Davis, the notable 60’s abstract painter. Peek for more, here.  

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Thankfully the abstract made earthy is not just specific to bohemian enclaves like New Mexico! The magic is in the visual connect and emotional communication. Learn more about the musical Taos magic of Carol, the other half of Digerati Design, together known as the Pixel Gals, here.

#6   How To Catch a Bigger Fish

THE JUICY FRUIT.
As Marketing and Creative Director for Blue Fish, a pioneer in organic cotton clothing and a uniquely hand-block printed collection with 400 wholesale accounts and five retail stores, I art directed everything from catalogs, ads, stores, prints and, products from gifts to clothing and retail stores.

And yet, the logo was always block printed, not sleek!
However, by the time the collection was sold to Nordstrom, it was time to up-level the logo.

THE NEW SEEDS.
We kept the seed design feeling of being “curiously hand-rendered” and added a bit of polish which worked on everything from clothing labels to retail store signs.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
What was once a seed, a creative folly begun in a garage in the 90’s, became an earthy community to rival anything Portland did. Did early use of organic cotton save some nature for the good of the world? We hope!  

Thus our harvest gift for you is an interview with two of our fave slow fashion and design seekers, Céline Semaan of Slow Factory, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing climate justice and social equity. She invented the term fashion activism! Listen to her interview by Spencer Bailey of “The Slow Down” podcast, here.

#7   Slow Luxury Means A Slow + Delicious Discovery

THE JUICY FRUIT.
We will dream, sketch, and even hand-sew in the creative process to elicit a logo design that sings!

THE NEW SEED.
My journey with my own brand, Slow Luxury, a collaborative design platform, is a case in point. While we originally set up Slow Luxury as consultants and advocates for sustainable Slow Luxury practices  in the industry and with clients, I realized that the most inspiring version of Slow Luxury is REALLY all about a slow deep dive into the luxury of OURSELVES. As we create non-toxic, sustainable lives of beauty, we heal ourselves and the planet at the same time.  

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
In any situation, if we see humor, honoring and acts of kindness vs. panic, fear, disconnect, or depression, well then these small acts of kindness to self and others…these are the real “luxuries” available to all.

Slow Luxury? Here.
The logo? Still slowly pondering!

#8   Celebrity Stilettos Meet Some Hot Sneaker Love

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Who among us is not obsessed with shoes? We invented the event and the logo for a celebrity shoe auction to benefit City Harvest, a vibrant org. feeding hungry New Yorkers each season. Our client was The Bubbly, a blog on the best champagne and other luxury pursuits in Tribeca.

THE NEW SEEDS.
Hosted by red carpet shoe expert Miss Meghan and attended by Olympians, industry heads and shoe lovers came to bid on signed collectibles from Reese Witherspoon; Carson Kressley; Star Jones; Amanda Beard; Swizz Beatz; Russell Simmons; P.Diddy and originals from Jimmy Choo and Gucci. New York magazine covered.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. 
The logo illustrated the bubbly of the Bubbly plus the stilettos and sneakers …and most importantly fed the hungry.   
And now, years later, after the pandemic, shoes are suspect! We love Earthing … going barefoot on dark loamy forest soils, sandy beaches, even my wood floors connect me to stress-less, a good night’s sleep and more vitality. Now that’s bubbly!

#9   Wellness Design for Bodies, Brands and Public Spaces

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Is it a quote balloon, comma, a playful face, a number 9 or an “aha” epiphany?

This logo is all that and a way to convey the 9 Star Passport, my wholly original system of discovery that aligns the energy and flow of our body chakras with our PRIVATE or PUBLIC spaces, and even to BRANDS. It maps the way to design and live more creatively in our bodies, our spaces, and our WORLD.
Yes it’s a bit Feng Shui 9.0, gone all multi-dimensional!

The three applications of the 9 Star Passport have their own logo expressions!

THE NEW SEEDS. This system, a GPS for life is a design sync, a map of our Bodies, our Spaces, our World. To visually convey and distinguish its applications, we designed symbols to act as navigational offerings on the site. THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. By now, you must be feeling inspired … I love to indulge my follies for deep healing and creativity and share the bounty with you!

full circle friends. it’s harvest time, let’s create together! let’s logo dance or …

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