'Identity Crisis!' to be at HOW Design Conference

Designer/author Jeff Fisher will be signing copies of Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands during the 2008 HOW Design Conference to be held May 18-21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. The book signing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the HOW Conference Book Store.

The HOW Design Conference is an annual creativity, business and technology gathering for graphic design professionals This year nearly 50 speakers and wide variety of topical sessions and workshops.

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives will once again speak at the conference. Fisher's session, Planning, Packaging & Promoting Yourself as the Product, will take a look at the challenges faced by graphic designers in marketing their own services.

Attendees can choose from more than 50 sessions in a variety of tracks, including Creativity & Inspiration, Design Disciplines, Career Development and more. Optional events include pre-conference workshops, a networking lunch, Boston design studio tours and more. The Conference will also host a Design Resource Center with exhibits featuring paper, stock photography, computer hardware and software, and products from other industry vendors.

More than 3,000 graphic designers, art directors, creative directors and illustrators are expected to participate in this year's Conference. The 2008 HOW Design Conference is presented by HOW Magazine, the creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers. HOW is published by F+W Publications, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH.

For additional information, and to register, visit the HOW Conference website and the HOW Conference blog.

Fisher has a long-standing relationship with the HOW organization. He has made presentations at previous HOW Conferences in New Orleans, San Deigo and Chicago. In addition to writing articles for HOW Magazine, the designer has often been the subject of pieces in the publication. Identity Crisis! was released by HOW Books in late 2007, and his first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success, was released by the publisher in 2004. Fisher, is also a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council.

Sigma Chi has 'Identity Crisis!'

Actually, the Sigma Chi Fraternity itself is no longer having an "identity crisis." The identity of the organization, as redesigned by by the Chicago firm Brainforest, is a case study in the book, Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands. The rebranding effort also included The Magazine of Sigma Chi - which is featured in the HOW Books release. The national headquarters of the institution does have a copy of Identity Crisis!.

Editor Susan Lorimor shared that the Spring 2008 issue of The Magazine of Sigma Chi has a mention of Identity Crisis! on its "Books by Sigs" page. As noted in the publication:

Identity Crisis! gives readers a detailed, illustrated behind-the-scenes look at how 50 businesses and organizations, including Sigma Chi, reinvigorated their public images through redesigns of their logos, Web sites and promotional materials and other publications.

When writing Identity Crisis! I was pleased to get the Brainforest submission. As an active member of the Beta Iota chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, while at the University of Oregon (back in the late 1970's), I was very familiar with the "before" designs of the organization.

Design Dump praises 'Identity Crisis!'

The design industry web presence Design Dump just posted a review of Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands on their site. The review states:

What a great book! If you're a graphic designer, and love logo/identity design, then you'll indeed enjoy this book. Who doesn't love to see the "Before and After", then perform their own critiques. This book is also a great resource for getting new fresh ideas for successful identity systems. And wait...Yes, it's hardbound. A nice touch. Another great book by Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives

Watch for information about an upcoming Design Dump drawing to win an autographed copy of Identity Crisis!.Thanks for the mention!

A W.O.W. from Identity Crisis!

Scattered throughout my new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, are "Words of Wisdom" (W.O.W.) from a great group of design industry experts. I asked these individuals to contribute comments, for both designers and clients, in regards to the identity re-design process.

One such piece of advice - from Sean Adams of AdamsMorioka, Inc. - reads:

"Hire the designer that you feel comfortable with, who is willing to truly listen to you. Explain your expectations, in deliverables and time. Pay more than you want to. It's worth it."

Visit the AdamsMorioka website to learn more about the company and see examples of their design work.

Oregon Department of Forestry - A case study

In its seventy-nine-year history, the Oregon Department of Forestry has been represented by a series of identities. Most recently, in 1971, the department adopted a half-tree logo (below).

They had been using this logo for nearly two decades when a change was proposed. Many within (and out of) the State of Oregon government agency disliked the image and found that it was confusing to many others. Some thought the thin half-tree graphic conveyed a message of unhealthy forests.

The new logo (above) conveys a much more simplified and organic image, while maintaining some the inherent formality of a government agency identity. It projected the Department of Forestry's growing involvement and interest in all forest resources, including air, soil, water and trees. The new image is more inline with the Oregon Board of Forestry's new guiding policy document, the Forestry Program for Oregon.

The logo is the department identifier on all printed collateral, vehicles, uniform shoulder patches, the website and other materials. It is widely recognized due to the carving of the logo on signage at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters and throughout the state at ranger stations and state forest boundaries (above).

The rebranding of the Oregon Department of Forestry by Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is one of 50 case studies, from designers and firms around the world, featured in my latest book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands. The actual spread from the book is shown below. The volume was released by HOW Books in late 2007.

Identity Crisis! teaser No. 16

An additional sneak peek at my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, is the spread featuring the Oregon Department of Forestry identity re-design case study - one of the designs from Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

You'll find a number of teaser spreads from the book here on the Identity Crisis! blog.

Look for the book on bookstore shelves throughout the world and on all online booksellers.

Image: Copyright © 2008 Jeff Fisher • Used with permission of author and HOW Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc.

'Designer' takes a look at 'Identity Crisis!'

In the upcoming issue of Designer, the magazine of the University and College Designers Association (UCDA), editor Kirsten Ruby takes a look at the book Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands in her The Designer's Bookshelf column.

Ruby writes:

If browsing before-and-after logo designs fascinates you (and it does most designers), Identity Crisis! should be just what you need for a creative boost. UCDA Designer magazine advisory board member Jeff Fisher explores 50 logos from colleges, universities, restaurants, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and foundations, and shares the detailed creative background about each. The old and new identities are dissected and discussed, and Fisher provides eaxamples of the new logos as stand-alone art and in application. Especially interesting are the descriptions of the redesign process from both the clients and designers' perspectives.