2011 : Kiss It Goodbye

December 31, 2011 by Chadwick Design

It's that time of the year when we power down to spend some much needed time with our loved ones and marvel at how quickly another year has flown past. It's also an appropriate time to reflect on the business of design that we love and the clients and organizations that enabled us to ply our passion in 2011.

Our thanks to the Raleigh chapters of AIGA, the professional association for graphic design, and AMA, the American Marketing Association. We appreciate the hard work and enrichment these organizations have poured into our profession this past year and look forward to their efforts in 2011.

2011 was a great year for exciting and challenging design projects. Chadwick Design would like to express our gratitude to our clients. From Web and interactive design to logo designs, business cards, brochures and tradeshow artwork, we've loved the challenges in each one and want to say thanks. We appreciate your trust in us and look forward to future collaborations.

To visitors, associates and fellow artists, we wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!

Thanks Giving Time

November 1, 2011 by Tony Chadwick

A conversation with a small child can really put things in perspective. In a recent homework assignment, my daughter was asked to compose a list of the things for which she is thankful. The short accounting included her home, clothes, toys (of course), family and God. The list was simple but also perfect. The assignment also served a good lesson to an older "student" — the day-to-day hustle and stress has blinded us to the true meaning of the holiday. Rather than focus on all that which could be better, I resolved this Thanksgiving to instead count the blessings in my life. To get into the true spirit of the holidays, friends, visitors and customers are invited to enjoy this seasonal desktop wallpaper by Chadwick Design.

» DOWNLOAD: Thanksgiving Desktop Picture

Happy Halloween From Chadwick Design!

Fish Jack-O-Lanterns

October 1, 2011 by Chadwick Design

Temperatures are becoming crisp, the sun sinks early and soon tiny ghouls, witches and ghosties will roam the streets in giddy search of goodies. Yes, All Hallow's Eve is approaching. Amid the delirious quest for the most creative costume, soaring blood sugar levels and so-bad-they're-good late night B-movies, a curious notion is spawned — the Fish-O-Lantern. Who would settle for the typical grinning gourd when one's porch could be much more richly adored by backlit ichthos? Be the envy of the neighborhood when you download, print and carve your pumpkin with these Fish-O-Lantern stencils.

» DOWNLOAD: Fish-O-Lattern Templates (4 patterns)

Scents By Sara

Logo Design

August 3, 2011 by Chadwick Design

Entrepreneur Jackie Smith first formulated her natural soaps and bath products for her daughter Sara whose sensitive skin would not tolerate most of the commonly available hygiene products. In the course of her research, Jackie realized both the growing demand for "green" products and an opportunity. She decided to launch her own company and Scents By Sara was born.

Drawing inspiration from the great feminine brand marks of Wella and Olay, Chadwick Design crafted the clean lines of this logo for Scents By Sara. Designed to appeal to women, this mark uses a female profile to imply the gentleness of the products and green hues and the shape of a leaf to hint at the natural ingredients. Sans serif fonts also give this brand mark a modern, sophisticated feel.

» LOGO DESIGN: View the Scents By Sara Logo Design

Fisk Marine Insurance International

Web Site & Corporate Identity

July 18, 2011 by Karen Chadwick

As a small but agile company, Fisk Marine Insurance has the daunting task of competing with a large array entrenched competitors in the Marine Insurance business space. Recognizing the key role of a strong Web presence as part of an effective marketing program, principal Johnny Fisk engaged us to build it. Having worked together previously, we were honored to be given another opportunity to create the corporate identity and Web site to effectively represent and promote his marine insurance company. Our colaboration resulted in a strong, memorable logo design complimented by a colorful, visually engaging Web presence. Designed with usability in mind for human patrons, the site was also built to be attractive to Web spiders with additional search engine marketing projects planned to follow in the next few months.

» MORE: Fisk Marine Insurance Web Site | Business Cards

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

June 11, 2011 by Tony Chadwick

Cancer has affected the lives of nearly everyone we know and although great strides have been made, there is no cure. Susan G. Komen fought hard to change that. The nonprofit Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Karen and I were proud to participate in this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event — a celebration for those that survived and a commemoration of our loved ones that succumbed to cancer.

» MORE: Susan G. Komen for the Cure

American Red Cross Aquatics CD-Rom

May 3, 2011 by Chadwick Design

Designed to save aquatic facility managers time and money, the Marketing CD-ROM for Aquatic Professionals includes promotional tools that support the American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety program. Chadwick Design was honored to be approached by the creative team of ARC and chosen to produce this CD under budget and just in time for summer.

Although traditionally laid out in Director, the twist this year we proposed was a switch to an Adobe Flash authoring environment which would give the flexibility of internet deployment at a future time. In addition, many of the pixel-based graphics used in past were replaced with efficient vector art. The interesting part is that even with the conceptual decisions off the table, there's something about a designer's busy mind that continually seeks efficiency and improvement — and has fun doing it!

The Marketing CD-ROM for Aquatics Professionals will be available from Red Cross chapters later this year.

» MARKETING CD: Limited Project Demo | American Red Cross

HoseHandle Logo Design

April 11, 2011 by Tony Chadwick

Widely revered as the protectors of our safety and well-being, firefighters must be fast and efficient in one of the most demanding occupations to which one can aspire. Marketer, idea man and ex-firefighter Tom McKearney needed a brand mark to represent his invention that enables firemen to do their jobs more efficiently. The HoseHandle device aids the second man in the two man team to better control the high-pressure water hose.

As the high-pressure industrial fire hose is essential to firefighting and a widely recognized symbol of the trade, it is fitting that it is a central theme of the HoseHandle logo design as well. In the descriptive final brand mark, the descenders of the second H of the HoseHandle text aptly grip the fire hose graphic to illustrate to an observer how the actual product functions.

» LOGO DESIGN: Check out the HoseHandle Logo

An Upside in the Downturn

March 7, 2011 by Tony Chadwick

In a time when we hear disheartening news from friends who have been laid off and see design agencies that were thriving just a year ago closing their doors, it's challenging to find good news. But difficult days also seem to inspire greater altruism, as if we know somehow that reaching out to others makes our problems seem small.

St. Baldrick's Foundation presented a perfect opportunity at just the right moment to have some fun and raise funds to conquer childhood cancer. Like good design, St. Baldrick's began with an idea and has exploded into the world's biggest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer. In nine years, events have taken place in 18 countries and 48 US states, raising over $50 million, and shaving more than 72,000 heads.

My hat (and hair) is off to St. Baldrick's for this opportunity to participate and to see people banding together to help others in the midst of our dismal economic climate.

» MORE: About St. Baldrick's | Check out my new look

Why Hire A Freelance Graphic Designer?

February 5, 2011 by Tony Chadwick

Businesses hire freelance graphic designers for many reasons. Hiring a permanent employee is an expensive, time consuming process fraught with tax and insurance hassles. Freelance graphic designers or Web designers are typically contracted on a per project basis without the aforementioned headaches or the continuous overhead of a full-time staffer.

Some businesses avoid the expense of funding an in-house marketing department altogether by utilizing freelance web designers/flash specialists, layout artists, photo retouchers and writers. Companies may have tight deadlines or temporary surges in business that can not be adequately served by current personnel. Freelance graphic and Web designers are expected to burn the midnight oil and rapidly turnaround creative projects under tight deadlines. Often using their own facilities and equipment with little or no supervision, these creative professionals alternately collaborate with full-time staff to meet business objectives.

» MORE: Get more info or request a project estimate