Calyx Design

A fantastic and quirky guitar maker tucked into an unassuming Sacramento Valley town — to connect with the world of potential customers, Joe Dragony needed a website. »

When a charming, potty-mouthed marketing genius sends me an email with the subject “Make me into a sexy logo, please”, I pay attention. And get busy. »

The “Town Crush” is a fundraiser for the Old Town School for Boys, an independent K-8 school in San Francisco. this year, it’s being held at the fabulously gangster-swanky Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach, and thus — when the red Emergency Logo Phone started ringin’ off the hook — themes of “Old Las Vegas” and Frank Sinatra came wafting through our heads. »

The “Dissolve-O-Matic” is the latest in the series of illustrations created for Havi Brooks’ self-work products, in the quirky style semi-officially dubbed “Steampunk meets Yellow Submarine”… »

Steve and his partner Dan are both musicians and artisans, so their brand was constructed to evoke reassuringly been-there-forever master craftsmanship — and a sense of authentic connection with this century’s working musicians … »

Spicy SinSations is a Portland, Oregon-based business specializing in — how shall I put this — “marital aids”. The existing logo was an undistinguished script typeface, and the owner realized that she needed something that said fun, friendly, and just a little bit naughty. »

The Santa Cruz Harley-Davidson dealership expanded into a second home near Watsonville in 2001. The demographics of this region called for a different look, somewhat heavier and more “Harley” than the parent store. The Green Valley logo features the eagle wings necessary to communicate… »

It was practically an absurdist concept — a winery goes on the road? After parting ways with an outdated property, Roshambo Winery needed a temporary home while their new digs were under construction. Voila, the “Roshambus”, Batmobile to Roshambo’s “Party Army”. »

Havi Brooks will inform you that she’s not at all a visual person, but when digging for ways to describe her series of self-work programs, eBooks and audio products, the images that popped up were “big, crazy, friendly machines”. … »

Nothing says Harley-Davidson more than the eagle which has graced its corporate logo since the turn of the century. I borrowed that eagle’s wing, a stylized verson thereof, for the Santa Cruz dealership’s logo and business papers. »

There’s been a Harley-Davidson dealership in Santa Cruz since 1921, but my association began with a phone call from the then-new owner in 1996. The brief was to capitalize on the historical strength of Harley-Davidson’s evocative but somewhat dark visual identity, while capturing the light and freshness of the dealership’s beachside home. »