New Launch

Over this past year, two professional friends and I have been setting the ground work for a new branding company. It's called 3.2.1 and our focus is on launching new products, services and company iniatives. We've been getting more and more excited as the momentum has been building for the last couple of months. And now it looks like we have our first official client. Even so, we still have a lot of work to do before we look official. I'll alert you when we get our website up and running. Until then, here's what the new company's logo looks like.

Comic Book Masthead

Since I'm a partner in Community Comics, a Christian comic book studio/publisher, I still am involved in various projects. Ben Avery has written a great story about Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of the two thieves hanging next to him. The art is beautifully rendered by Noel Paolo Libunao, an artist from the Philippines. I was asked to create a masthead design for the story which I'm showing below as well as in context of the cover design. This book is available from WOWIO and later in print form through the CommunityComics.com website.

Bad but Free

Amazingly enough, the first comic book I've drawn (as an adult) is up at the WOWIO site for free downloads. The main story is a black and white, 16-page story about Korah from the Old Testament. To bring this book up to 24 pages, we added a full color short story about the shepherds take on the birth of Christ, written by Ben Avery.

These are bad in so many ways so don't laugh. Keep in mind this was some very early work for me as I was learning how to draw comic books. Even so, I thought some of you would like to see it.

A funny Process

Al Hovland was my first professional employer. He was a partner in an advertising agency in Fargo, ND. Recently, he asked me to create a new mark for his company. What's interesting about this isn't so much the logo, but rather the process.

When we discussed the look and feel of the logo, he said he wanted something classy and respectful. His tagline was "Creative Marketing Solutions". Using my recent exposure to branding, I probed further. I asked what three words would describe himself. He mentioned, "humorous, creative, unique". I then suggested we should look at some ideas that reinforce those words. He agreed.

While I worked I realized the answer was to simply recreate our conversation visually... start with a respectful logo and "edit" it into a creative one. I'm amazed at how much this mark reflects Al's personality.

Old Fashioned Calling Card

My friend and former employer asked me to design a calling card for him and his wife. I'm posting it here but don't get any ideas... I've changed their personal information.

Pleased with the design, I showed it to my wife. Now she wants me to design a personal calling card for her. She rattled off all of the times she could have used one when meeting new people at church and around town this past year. I guess this old idea is new again.

Back to Square One

I have been creating logos for a long time, but never understood the full concept of branding... until now. Recently, I've been getting an education in the subject and now see all of the mistakes I've made with my own company.

Since returning from Russia, I've been redesigning my company name, logo, stationery and website. Here is a sneak peek. When my new site is live, I'll post a full explanation and rational for the major shift. In the meantime, let me know what you think of the look.

More Comics

Please forgive me for not posting in some time. Life has been chaotic for the last few weeks. Who ever said two children are easier than one never had two children. Even though I seem to complain, it's Leah who does all of the heavy lifting. She has been amazing. I am humbled by her and all of the mothers out there who constantly give of themselves.

Business life has been busy as well. I just came off a hectic week-long project for Target and a complete redesign of my own business... more on that later.

And for those who thought I may never draw another comic book page again (including myself), here's a recent page. This image will be used for a campaign pitch that will draw upon the "24" TV show theme.



On a personal level, I'm working on another story with writer Ben Avery called "Thrall". Hopefully when this first chapter is finished, it will be posted on Zondervan's Z Graphic Novels website.