Things have been taking on a bit of a new look around here. The most obvious to all of you would be the new blog design. Things have to look a nice and tidy with a bit of an edge to match our style. We also have reworked our identity to better position ourselves in the Bend, Oregon photography and graphic design scene. It's a rough market out there and you have to be slick to stand out.
Here's a little look at how this all went down.
My identity literally was the first legitimate, full-on identity project I took on. I was showing my portfolio to a branding agency in Chicago to get on their freelancing list, and if you are showing your work to a branding agency, you need a brand. The crossed Q was an outgrowth from my signature and the plus was meant to emphasize my multidisciplined skill set. There was not too much more to it than that. Over time I actually grew into my branding, but that is a backwards process. I was young, but I've learned. So here we are a little bit further down the road and my branding no longer fits. I've grown beyond it. That's what happens when you don't do things right. Trust me, I'm not the first. Many visual artists are faced with having to update or fully redo their identity for the very same reasons. We work so hard to stretch ourselves to make everyone else look good and we fall to the side. I had fallen to the same fate.
So here it is - the new A. Querio Photo + Design identity. It's bolder, it's sharper, it's even cleaner, and most of all, it's more A. Querio.
Here's why this is us. Using the cross alone did not distinguish us from the myriad of organizations that use it as a primary mark. We however did not want to desert it entirely, because it was our primary mark. Over time It has come to symbolize how we at A. Querio do it right. Adding the AQ before the cross tied it to my personal identity as the founder. It also gave it much more of a bold, sharp edge which defines our style. We are very Swiss in style, but not necessarily safe. The addition of the AQ also brought more of a typographic element into our mark which is another definitive mark of our style. I was the kid who was always changing his handwriting and getting in trouble with English teachers for using triangles for A's and writing my N's backwards because I liked them that way. I'm telling you, Norway High School tried to smother the typographer right out of me. I think I spent more time designing logos for the bands I was in, and then applying it to merch and such, than we did practicing.
When it came to the logotype there was less room to change things as that was the most recognizable element of our identity. I made improvements to the letter spacing and the size type to give the logotype more balance and a stronger appearance. There were other little changes such as small color shifts and such but the core elements of the logotype remained relatively the same. The Cyan is still there as a little nod to my love of print, because that's how this whole design stuff is meant to be displayed anyways. The gray took on a darker tone, giving it a more dignified and refined feel. It has a sophistication with an undertone of subversion - and that's us. We're like Gene Simmons in a tuxedo. We're classy but we'll still have our share of fun. I kept the white to keep things clean and give the whole package a little polish.
So there you have it - our new look. Watch for it to roll its way across our various means of communication and slowly take over the Bend photography and design scene.
Visit Our Portfolio : www.aquerio.com
Here's a little look at how this all went down.
My identity literally was the first legitimate, full-on identity project I took on. I was showing my portfolio to a branding agency in Chicago to get on their freelancing list, and if you are showing your work to a branding agency, you need a brand. The crossed Q was an outgrowth from my signature and the plus was meant to emphasize my multidisciplined skill set. There was not too much more to it than that. Over time I actually grew into my branding, but that is a backwards process. I was young, but I've learned. So here we are a little bit further down the road and my branding no longer fits. I've grown beyond it. That's what happens when you don't do things right. Trust me, I'm not the first. Many visual artists are faced with having to update or fully redo their identity for the very same reasons. We work so hard to stretch ourselves to make everyone else look good and we fall to the side. I had fallen to the same fate.
So here it is - the new A. Querio Photo + Design identity. It's bolder, it's sharper, it's even cleaner, and most of all, it's more A. Querio.
Here's why this is us. Using the cross alone did not distinguish us from the myriad of organizations that use it as a primary mark. We however did not want to desert it entirely, because it was our primary mark. Over time It has come to symbolize how we at A. Querio do it right. Adding the AQ before the cross tied it to my personal identity as the founder. It also gave it much more of a bold, sharp edge which defines our style. We are very Swiss in style, but not necessarily safe. The addition of the AQ also brought more of a typographic element into our mark which is another definitive mark of our style. I was the kid who was always changing his handwriting and getting in trouble with English teachers for using triangles for A's and writing my N's backwards because I liked them that way. I'm telling you, Norway High School tried to smother the typographer right out of me. I think I spent more time designing logos for the bands I was in, and then applying it to merch and such, than we did practicing.
When it came to the logotype there was less room to change things as that was the most recognizable element of our identity. I made improvements to the letter spacing and the size type to give the logotype more balance and a stronger appearance. There were other little changes such as small color shifts and such but the core elements of the logotype remained relatively the same. The Cyan is still there as a little nod to my love of print, because that's how this whole design stuff is meant to be displayed anyways. The gray took on a darker tone, giving it a more dignified and refined feel. It has a sophistication with an undertone of subversion - and that's us. We're like Gene Simmons in a tuxedo. We're classy but we'll still have our share of fun. I kept the white to keep things clean and give the whole package a little polish.
So there you have it - our new look. Watch for it to roll its way across our various means of communication and slowly take over the Bend photography and design scene.
Visit Our Portfolio : www.aquerio.com
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