Okay, I think I have my logo with one of these two. Again, these have been offered from the talented Ryan Hendrix.  Personally I like the framed one simply because its a little different. What do you think?

Here are some entries from Ryan. The link to his web site is located at the bottom of my blog.

In the continuing saga of my logo…

 
konan knows what he’s talking about. I’ve worked on a lot of great branding + identity projects in a photog role with a number of design studios and agencies. even in my few short years doing this, I’ve seen some awesome identity developments to know the difference between effective quality aesthetic and mediocre work. designers and art directors have many different skillsets for different application. a good graphic designer can do good layout work but produce horrible identity work.

photographers rarely have extensive identity systems, with rare exception to an extent of how far they want to market themselves. commercial + entertainment photographers are usually the ones with rich content-driven websites and matching print books, because that’s the nature of their industry. portrait/wedding photographers can get away with a standard text-based logo, because the work is obviously supposed to sell itself, and because rich design doesn’t mesh with family portriaits or engagement photos.

that being sad, your first orange logo was perfect if you want to market yourself as a girls’ senior photo photographer or a photojournalist that documents cheer squads, because that logo might as well have been pink with hearts inside the letter I’s in ‘photography.’
Cheer Squads and Girls Senior Photos? I’m fine with that…

Things are getting heated on the logo front. My brother is standing up for his original comments and my Mom has weighed in too. Here is what my brother said:
I really like the way you framed your godfather’s quote with those giant quotation marks in the background.  It says “my brother is an idiot” without being too pretentious.

Also, it distracts the reader from the real point of the discussion; which is does my company convey what I do without using words.

I’ll give the quote thing a try.  Here’s a quote from David Ogilvy, the godfather of advertising and marketing.

Product Conveyance
It is recommended that logo includes product meaning. For example, if you are an estate agent, incorporating an illustration of a house with your logo would help convey your business to customers. A potential customer searching for a property who happens to be browsing the web or a catalog will make an instant association with your logo. From a commercial and marketing perspective we can’t recommend using this technique enough

 
Here is what my mom said:
Don’t change a thing!  I like it!

 
I don’t know what to think. My brother has brought in the so-called “God Father” of marketing, but he would also flip me crap at any chance he got. My mother on the other hand loves the logo… but then again she held me back to repeat 1st grade, so she could still feel bad for me and believe she has an obligation to support my “special” talent.

 
I have my second review in. This one comes directly from the God Father himself.  No, Marlon Brando didn’t email me regarding my logo; which would be weird because I’m fairly certain he died a few years ago. This quote is from my actual God Father, Randy in Kansas City:
 

 I think it’s a very classic, professional logo. Orange is not my favorite color, but it’s better than pink. With that being said, I like it in the logo. It adds an artistic touch, and keeps it from being too conservative. I love the font; it’s also conveys an artistic element without being too playful.

 
Some of you may be questioning his credentials, so let me put your worries to rest.  He is in the business of interior architectural design. The guy practically has a PHD in Feng Shui so lets trust his artistic eye.

Hello all, sorry the post have been few and far between lately. I am between computers right now, but the new one is on the way. My memory cards are beginning to fill up!  I have more photos from the Flutog and several from the recent trip back to Kansas that I need to process. I’m sure I will have a few from this weekend’s Adult Soapbox Derby race that I plan to attend too. In the meanwhile I got my logo created. I don’t like elaborate images and designs; especially for photography logos. Why create something that competes with your actual work? That being said, I asked for my wife’s help in designing my logo.
 

 
Overall I am pleased. I don’t know if I’m in love with the orange, but that’s an easy fix. Let me know what you think.  

I went to the Red Bull Flutag this past weekend at the water front park. Flutag is a German word that mean flight day. If Germans associate this event with flight… well, no wonder they lost the war. (Both of them) I can’t image the amount of time some of these team put into building their planes. Again, I hate to use the word “plane” since it connotates flight. Many of the teams did a dance routine prior to launch; then pushed their craft down the runway in which most then did a “Peter Pan” right off the edge. The drop was 25ft which was more than sufficient to rip the different vessels to pieces. These were taken from the Hawthorn Bridge. I showed up over an hour before the event started and this was all I could find for viewing. In all I think the paper announced 80,000 spectators.

To the person that got directed to my blog from the Google search “photos of Roy Williams” You will find none on this site. Unless he is crying and I happen to snap a shot of it.

Do you remember the days when you got a mint after your meal at Applebee’s? I think they have been gone for a couple of years now, but every time I walk out I still expect them.  I cant help but look for the little apple shaped wire basket filled with the round treats. I speak of this phenomenon like it was a relic from the “better days” when I was a child, but it really wasn’t that long ago. In fact, I remember my old roommate ,Ryan, taking the whole basket on occasion . When I say “on occasion” I mean stumble drunk on a Wednesday night. Anyway, that may in-fact be the reason why they don’t offer them any more, but  I decided to find out how much Applebee’s has saved with this cut back. The equation seems simple to me. 
 
Total annual mints
x
Cost of mints
 
I asked the manager at the local Applebee’s here in Bellevue, WA the average number of customers they see on a daily basis. (I ate there tonight) He told me that 450 was an average number, but some of the larger stores like Tacoma see higher numbers. Since what I am looking for is an average number, I decided to stick with this figure. I am sure some stores see more traffic, but I’m sure some see less. (Hutchinson, Ks) Next we need to determine the total number of Applebee’s locations. A quick Google search found 1970 total Applebee’s restaurants. Finally, we need to determine the total cost per mint. According to Sugerstand.com (your online candy store) I can currently buy 7lbs of Starlight Premium Peppermints for $10.00. This is the equivalent of 420 mints or 60 pieces per lb. Now lets assume that Applebee’s has the buying power and thus the ability to negotiate a better deal than John P. Consumer. Let’s say they can buy bulk at 500 mints for $10.00.
 
1970 stores x 450 customers = 886,500 daily customers
1 candy per customer = 886,500 candies per day
886,500 candies / 500 candies per box = 1,773 boxes at $10.00 each or $17,730 dollars per day for mints
17,730 x 360 (Appdbee’s is closed 5 Days a year) = $6,382,800 (million) in mints in mints per year.  
 
 
Conclusion: Holy crap, I wasn’t expecting that high of a number! Screw the mints. Now why was my pint of beer brewed 4 miles away $4.85?  

I’m in a Monday mood today, but this put a smile on my face. My brother emailed me a picture that he took with his phone last week. If you look closely you can see that the sprinklers in front of the cars are on. One of the sprinkler heads was busted and shooting a stream of water in the air and, according to my brother, directly into the open sun roof of the Jeep. I have outlined the stream in red so you can follow it better. He noticed this at 5:30 as he walked into the bar and took this picture at 6:30. For the owners sake I hope they were in the bar having fun and not at the University of Phoenix.