DESIGN REALITY

Free Rupp!

AdamKuhn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:30:17 +0000

Happy Wednesday

AdamKuhn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:25:56 +0000

upper right marketing

AdamKuhn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:01:03 +0000

Logo concept for a client who creates and distributes branded merchandise for fortune 500 caliber companies.

Boone Creek Outdoors

AdamKuhn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:08:23 +0000

Concept identity for a outdoors adventure park. They offer a wide range of outdoor options from zip lines and canopy tours to rafting and fishing.

all smiles

AdamKuhn — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:52:03 +0000

Some unused logo concepts for a Dentist office.

save you from yourself

AdamKuhn — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:22:34 +0000

I’ve had a recent string of “bad clients”. Clients who’ve been very heavy handed during the design process. Essentially wanting to use my computer, my design programs, and me as a surrogate host, to do their graphic design bidding. They’ve wanted me to simply extract, then execute this massively horrid, *cough* *cough* I mean magically wonderful idea from their brains. My abilities as a designer and a thinker are are being wasted. It would be too easy to just give in to these poorly conceived demands.

I’m struggling to find a way to better communicate to these people. To explain to them the benefits of my knowledge, but in a way where they believe it. Many of these clients are simply making personal and subjective decisions based on their lack of design knowledge. Where’s the trust? The trust that I’m capable of helping them. The trust that I have their best interests at heart.

While it may be briefly exciting to give these clients their awful logos, then sprint to the bank, with check in hand, before their businesses fail. The ultimate outcome is very hollow and quite frankly upsetting. It is also damaging to my reputation as a designer, as well as damaging to my eyes. Many of these clients are local and I’ll be forced to gaze upon the awfulness I’ve created as it appears plastered on billboards and driving by on pickup trucks.

I find that learning how to design high quality, well thought out, useful branding elements is only part of the process. Being able to essentially sell the client the idea while convincing them to trust you, is just as valuable a skill.

Happy Christmas Everyone

AdamKuhn — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:46:16 +0000

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a fantastically creative New Year!

2011 was a crazy year worldwide, but a great time for change and progress. I can’t wait to get a jump on a fantastically awesome and optimistic 2012. With a brand new job and some renewed perspective on life I plan to just keep moving forward. Staying hungry. Keep motivated.

Lexmark 2.4 GUI

AdamKuhn — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:46:23 +0000

I’ve added a new project to my portfolio. It’s a sampling of shots and icons from the interface design language I helped create. Click here to go see the project.

yellow shirt

AdamKuhn — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:44:04 +0000

Here is a t shirt design concept for Bullhorn.

Kentucky Bred

AdamKuhn — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:40:08 +0000

We developed a logo for the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association. Other horse breeding states have done a very good job of advocating their brand of horses in the industry, but the Kentucky brand has relied on it laurels and therefore is not as well advocated or represented. These logos are just a visualization of the quality that is Kentucky Thoroughbreds. The imagery comes form the triple crown trophy, the geometric shapes found in racing silks, and the shape of the mint julep cup. Of the 11 horses who have won the triple crown, 9 of then are Kentucky Bred, and the other 2 have Kentucky Bred parents.