Arrick Garringer

We lost a good one here. James Cotton was one of my biggest musical influences. This specific video made me want to become a blues harp player. To date it’s one of the most powerful, raw, authentic performances I’ve ever seen. It’s aptly named “Angel of Mercy / Blues in my Sleep”. RIP #jamescotton

This article in AdWeek shows the backstory on the logo design for the Melbourn Squash Club. 

What's the story behind your company logo? I bet it's not this cool...

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A logo change and rebranding campaign for a television station is no simple task. That task is infinitely more difficult when it’s a public television station with a small staff and limited resources. But this small station made a big bang when it debuted its new look.

From a grassroots campaign to the digital age

In 1971, a group of mothers in Muncie, Ind., decided that their small children ought to be able Sesame Street. They banded together, and through a grassroots effort, WIPB-TV was born. Licensed to and housed in Ball State University, WIPB now serves 27 counties in Indiana, as well as three in Ohio. WIPB converted to a digital signal and added additional streams in 2009. When the conversion was complete, they wanted to update their logo and online presence. Their website was 12 years old, and the logo hadn’t been updated since the early ’90s. WIPB tried to update the logo internally, but couldn’t settle on a final look everyone was pleased with. PBS offered tools and systems for web management, but the station didn’t have the resources to evaluate, let alone implement, the options. After four years of struggling with making these changes themselves, the staff agreed that it was time to bring in a specialist.

When Brian bought the beauty school that his great grandmother founded in 1936, he knew he had some major challenges. Everything needed to be updated, from the building the school was in to branding of the school itself. In just over five years, he successfully revived the business while staying true to his family’s long history in the community.

A family’s legacy, a community institution.

Amber’s Beauty School had long been known in the Muncie community as a great cosmetology school that offered exceptional beauty services, but in 2007, when owners Brian & Brooke Shrieve bought the family business, the school had been struggling. In a difficult economic climate, things had slowed down for the school; enrollment had dropped to just seven students, and the building the school was located in was rapidly deteriorating. Brian decided to invest in the school. He decided to relocate to new facilities, but he knew that a new location was only the first step; Amber’s Beauty School needed a new identity.

  Old school, new style.

Not many companies can lay claim to being family-owned for more than 75 years, and Amber’s Beauty School didn’t want to lose the history of the company. But, as Brian pointed out, “Even though it’s an old, established business, it’s in an extremely trendy industry.” So Windmill Marketing embraced that concept, coining the slogan, “Old school, new style.” 

  “Arrick just got it. He took the time to really understand our company, our mission, our history, everything. So when he came to us with the first draft of the logo, we didn’t have any changes. He completely nailed it.”

  Windmill Marketing developed a logo, color palette and tagline that informed every stylistic choice that went into the new facilities and rebranding of Amber’s Beauty School. From the paint on the walls, to the color of the clothes the students and employees wear, to the website and logo, every piece of Amber’s Beauty School’s new identity works together and presents a cohesive image of a trendy company with strong and deep roots in the community. “I’ve never been a big fan of traditional advertising, but I like investing in things that stick around,” said Brian. “Arrick’s designed a lot of permanent pieces, like the signage for our building, the awning, the wraps in the entry way, that are a good investment for our business.”

  How things have changed

Since Brian and Brooke took over the family business and rebranded with Windmill Marketing, Amber’s Beauty School enrollment has climbed by more than 600% in the first six years: from 7 to 50 students. They’ve seen incredible growth, including a 20% increase in profit from 2011 to 2012. While not every year’s growth has been that high, the growth has been consistent. “Amber’s Beauty School is the total package now, beginning with Arrick’s work,” said Brian. “I get compliments on our look weekly, even daily. Everybody I meet goes on and on about how awesome it is. It’s a timeless design, and we’re proud to use it.” 

  Logo design incorporates a vintage educational illustration and a unique wordmark that is reflective of the script type used in years past. The inclusion of the Futura sans serif font creates a balance of vintage and modern.

Before and After of a graphic entryway. The design is very bold and inviting from the exterior, but the entire area can be seen through from inside.

If you have a son, watch this:

What did you get done today? Knowing the answer makes a huge difference in your motivation levels.

Instead of starting a consulting appointment with "Did you get your stuff done?", I asked, "How's your day going?". He quickly rattled off 4 quick projects that he had completed and mentioned that he felt better having them gone. He had a noticeable positive energy around him and was excited to talk about some really big projects that were stuck.

The focus on what was "done" gave us a great platform for discussing what we were going to "do". If we ever only focus on the to-do list, we never get a chance to feel the accomplishment, give a high-five, or learn from a mistake. We get stuck in the rut and tasks keep piling up.

This article talks about creating a "done list" every day. I don't do it exactly the way this describes (and wouldn't expect any of you to either), but the general concept is very strong and it helps me personally. I use notecards and task-lists that are paper-based. I feel joy when I place them in my recycling bin having crossed them off, completed them, tore them into shreds, etc. I keep the recycling bin next to my desk and at any given time I can look to my right and say, "Damn. I do a lot of stuff!"

This is a pretty quick read for anyone interested. Try it out and see if it motivates you. 

This is why Coca-Cola is #1 in the market and Pepsi is #2 (and always will be). Here are a few key lessons to take away:

Don't change your logo....ever. Only polish it like a gem.

Claim the dominant color in your marketplace. Red usually wins here. It's science, not preference.

If you make a mistake, hit "undo". New Coke was dumb, but it was a short deviation.