Skybox Creative Blog

Fonts equal personality. If you’re a San Diego beachfront motel, your sign’s going to look different from that of a Napa Valley spa. If you’re a San Diego scuba outfitter, you’ll choose different typography from an Aspen ski lodge. So what typography a web or graphic designer chooses will say a lot about the personality of the company. And now, just as happened in the shift to high-def television, our high-def screens are showing every wrinkle in our existing fonts. So . . . what to do?

Get a facelift! Recently, the world’s most common fonts — Verdana and Georgia – did just that.  In the time of high-def, high-resolution screens on tablets like iPads, mobile devices laptops, Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., has released updated versions of Verdana and Georgia fonts.

These fonts were originally commissioned by Microsoft in the 1990s. And the typefaces were designed by typographer Matthew Carter. The typefaces then only featured four weights.

But with the move to tablet and mobile internet usage and higher screen resolutions on the iPad or iPhone, for example, users expect cleaner, clearer design. So Microsoft decided it was time to update the font. Carter returned to work on revising the font families and worked with David Berlow of The Font Bureau, and Steve Matteson and Tom Rickner of Monotype Imaging. Microsoft owns the pro versions of the typefaces, but Monotype Imaging and Font Bureau will distribute the fonts.

The new Georgia and Verdana typefaces include 20 different weights and extend sets of characters to help web and graphic designers adapt to the higher design demands of tablets.

The updated typefaces include weights light, semi-bold, and black, each with italics, small caps, old-style figures, and condensed sizes (for the smaller screen space on tablets and mobile devices).

You can download these typefaces now from Fonts.com, linotype.com and itcfonts.com.

Try out the new fonts to show off that “in the know” personality!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825.

If less is sometimes more, then nothing is sometimes everything. When designing a logo — whether it’s for web or print –  memorable is key. And as you think about branding your company or launching your print or web design campaigns, one of the most memorable ways to approach logo design is to consider the negative space.

Negative space logo design makes the background a part of the overall design by creating a shape or form using the background color. A number of brands big and small – established and up-and-coming – have created striking and memorable logos with negative space design. They do it in two ways.

Suggest an Image

Probably the most famous example of negative space logo design is the FedEx logo.  Corporate colors, simple font — the logo looks simple. But look again. The white space in “Ex” creates an arrow…pretty clever, huh? This “power of suggestion” design touches subtly on the theme or vibe of a company without hitting the viewer over the head. Negative space is perfect for this kind of “read between the lines” logo design. Another great example is Bull Entertainment — menacing horns just visible in the B!

Create a Complete Image

The other way to go with negative space in logo design is to use it as part of the whole image, or to create a complete form that pops out.

For more inspiring examples of negative space design in logos and web, check out Web Design Ledger.

There’s something about making the viewer do a little figuring that makes them just a little bit more invested in the final image. It feels good to figure something out, and with negative space design, there’s a definitive click of recognition. Look no further than the image that’s gone viral by the billions in the last week to see how negative space can resonate: An iconic tribute to the genius behind Apple, Steve Jobs

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

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We all know that colors provoke feelings. When we’re mad, we say we “see red”; when we’re down, we’re “blue”. We describe jealous people as “green with envy”. And we’ve become comfortable making our color choices reflect out personality — from the early days of personalizing pages on Myspace to colorful backgrounds on mobile devices. With customer-facing web and graphic design decisions, choosing the right color scheme is critical. The last thing we want is to have our design choices saying something that conflicts with our brand.

Skybox Creative recently published a Color Theory report that explores the implication of color and design choices worldwide. As a graphic design and branding company based in San Diego, we know that blue skies can suggest tranquility and golden sunsets bring happiness. But how does that translate to the branding, business strategy and the web design choices you make?

What’s Your Message?

The first thing you want to decide when making design and branding choices is what “message” you want to send. In other words, what’s the “vibe” you’re after? (I mentioned we’re from San Diego). If you were to loosely name the “themes” behind your business, what would they be?

If friendly and personal is an important part of your business, consider pinks and oranges. If you want to express health, healing or nature, green’s the way to go. If you want to convey trust – consider blue. Ever noticed how many banks use blue in their designs?

The Web’s a Small World After All

Since an online presence means a global presence, it’s important to know what your color themes mean to cultures around the world. It may not be what you think. Yellow, which to US audiences suggests summer, sunshine and optimism signifies mourning in Mexico. And red – sexy and dangerous in America – is a sign of purity in Asia. For more information about what colors mean around the world, download the report from Skybox Creative.

Apart from our Color Theory report, there are other great web and graphic design resources like Computerarts and Designtaxi that regularly report on the best approaches to color including reviews of software that can help make those colorful fantasies a reality.  A Google search of “color theory” will also return results with tutorials where you can read more and even try out color combinations without going public in mismatched clothes!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Brand Consultancy with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Skybox Creative designs stunning brochure for First Dental Health. This multi-page booklet design showcases the company’s unique products and services. Click the image to view full size.

Skybox Creative is a brand consultancy with an emphasis on web development and technology solutions. Get a free quote for your next project! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Featured now on www.SkovaSoulTraveler.com: a custom character illustration, created by our very own in-house designer and Illustrator, Chris Decatur! The illustration captures the essence of client Michaela Moryskova, a jewelry and handbag designer, who wanted the illustration to reflect her “chic-meets-eco-friendly” design concepts. Chris’s eye-catching illustration not only achieves this, but also brings a memorable, personal touch to the brand.

Skova Soul Traveler is Michaela’s new travel blog, developed by Skybox Creative. Her passions for travel, fashion, and philanthropy really stand out in this blog — so when she requested a custom character, these were the interests that we incorporated.

The process began with several preliminary sketches, once a great pose was decided on, Michaela handed over the creative reins to our illustrator. Chris took notes from travel-friendly fashion trends, as well as Michaela’s own apparel and accessories collection, to draw inspiration for her outfit. The bracelets and necklace the character is wearing are actual jewelry pieces from Skova Soul, Michaela’s jewelry line. Combining his illustrative talents in with Adobe Photoshop, Chris put together a character that fits Michaela’s style perfectly — and he had a ton of fun while he was at it!

Skybox Creative is a brand consultancy with an emphasis on web development and technology solutions. Get in touch today! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

How do you keep creativity alive in a deadline driven, business oriented environment? As creative designers, one thing we would love more than anything are more assignments without rules. So rather than expect corporate design work to offer that, we assign the projects to ourselves.

Constantly pushing the creative envelope, we ask: How can we promote ourselves in unique ways? What kind of cool print pieces can we put together? What kind of dynamic videos can we create? Website Portal? or Wall Art? These questions allow our minds to get creative and explore ideas, think outside the box.

This gets the creative juices to flow when we work on our clients projects. We’re serious about our work, but we also make time for fun. Check out our most recent creations below!

Looking for creative graphic design for your brand? Web Design? Trade Show?

Skybox Creative is a brand consultancy with an emphasis on web development and technology solutions. Get in touch today! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

There has been much discussion and debate around the proposed launch of the revised Starbucks Brand Identity. I’ve been involved in forums and branding groups that have been discussing the topic over the last few months and have heard a lot of conflicting opinions on the topic.

I stepped into Starbucks yesterday to grab an afternoon Mocha and witnessed the brand roll out first hand, from the signage on the door, to the gift cards, mugs, sleeves, coffee packaging and more, the new logo was everywhere (except the cups, strangely enough)… these things take time. As any company knows, the roll out of a re-branding campaign takes time to implement, leaving old logos floating around for months and sometimes years. Think about the overhaul of such a decision in a large corporate entity like Starbucks! On the inside, we’re talking letterhead, corporate binders, internal communication documents, email signatures, etc. On the consumer side, there is each individual store to overhaul (all 17,009 of them) along with ad campaigns, packaging, promotional items, etc. This is no easy task!

Personally, I love the new logo, I think it is a natural evolution of any iconic brand to morph into a more simplified and memorable stamp that speaks for the name. Look at Nike, a classic example of an icon that no longer needs a name, this shows the power of symbolism and brand recognition. It certainly didn’t happen over night though, the powerhouse has been at it for 40 years… longer than I’ve been on this planet!

What do you think of the new brand? Better or worse? Let us know your thoughts below!

Questions? Email us at info@skyboxcreative.com

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with iconic brand + web design.

Mark your calendars! Next week on Tuesday March 22nd, the Winter 2011 Art Institute of CA – San Diego Graduate Portfolio Show will be taking place at the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park, San Diego.

Angelina Sereno, president of Skybox Creative, is a fellow Ai grad so we wanted to help promote the event! Ai is brimming with creative talent from a variety of students graduating in the following programs: Advertising, Baking & Pastry, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing & Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Web Design & Interactive Media.

Details and link to their website below:

Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Time: 3:00-6:00 PM

Place: Air & Space Museum (Balboa Park)
2001 Pan America Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101

For more information, please visit: www.aicasdportfolioshow.com

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with Art Institute inspired brand + web design.

In the Fall of 2010, an associate from Canyon Crest Academy approached Skybox Creative to donate a logo design for their school’s burgeoning new business, The Nest, an on-campus café. Canyon Crest Academy, a non-profit organization, was hoping to find the right creative fit and a company who believed in their mission to help build a safe and comfortable atmosphere where teens and faculty can come together to enjoy coffee and healthy food without ever having to leave campus. The Nest is the first student run café in the San Dieguito Union High School District.

Although the logo development process is an extremely meticulous and time consuming collaboration of planning and design, Skybox believes in giving back when the opportunity presents itself and we were excited to provide our services to The Nest and CCA.

Demographics: Their target market is students ages 14+ and teachers ages 25+ that buy school food and/or go off campus to buy lunch, and people that would like to purchase coffee any time of day.

Marketing Strategies: Their marketing strategies include but are not limited to announcements and bulletins to have more of the student body aware of the new café, a website where we they blog about new items or deals in the café, and merchandise, mugs, etc. that are available for purchase in the café.

Look and Feel: The Nest wanted their coffee shop to be seen as innovative, friendly, comfortable, and a place that provides quality food and services.

To come up with the right logo direction that fulfilled both their vision and an appropriate, lasting representation of The Nest, Skybox Creative explored multiple color palettes and graphic styles that were fresh, modern and playful for the youthful demographic.

Several font options were considered from fun and bouncy to more simple and classic.

We decided to omit the bird on the final version and kept the logo simple. Drawing on the name, we blended a coffee cup into the nest image. We used earth tones and added leaves to the nest to subtly convey an eco-friendly vibe. The final font has a youthful energy with curvy lines and twists, yet is still very classic and professional.

There are two versions of the final logo. One on a deep brown background and one that can be used on white.

The Nest was extremely pleased with the end result, and is planning for branded signage and T-shirts in 2011. For more information about Skybox Creative, or to view our portfolio, please visit www.skyboxcreative.com

Skybox Ink Presents…

Promote Your Business from Skybox Creative on Vimeo.

Learn how to make more money and promote your business more effectively! Summed up in one simple concept, your business materials (online and offline) are a reflection of who you are.

Skybox Ink is a subdivision of Skybox Creative, a studio with a focus on branding, graphic design, web design and multimedia.