Linkedin top 1%

I recently received this little piece of good news. Apparently I’m rated in the top 1% most endorsed for Graphic Design in the United States on Linkedin.

New look for American Airlines

In 1968 American Airlines got themselves a new logo, courtesy of the designer Massimo Vignelli. Not since then have they updated their look, but American recently announced their new logo, and plane designs. FutureBrand handled the overhaul and personally I think it looks really cool. Clean, modern, fresh. It’s good design.

It’s funny what your corporate design says about you. The old logo was stagnant, old school, and unchanged in forty five years. What did that say to the public about the company. Stagnant, old school, not current. The subliminal messages that are conveyed to your customers are conveyed along the channels of your public image,

Customer support

Some web companies build you a website and send you on your way, telling you “Good luck with your new website!” or even worse, they trap you into an monthly retainer payment to update your site’s content. Not us. Our policy is a bit different. Once we launch a site, we’ll provide free training (if the site has a content management system, like WordPress) and we’ll give you 30 days of free support starting on the launch date. This includes updating the site for you, and providing help and maintenance on the existing approved site that we built (i.e. Not building additional unpaid features or functionality) and we’ll help you take control of your new online presence so that you can become your own webmaster.

The importance of logos

Logos and branding are super important to a company, large or small, because it’s the first thing a customer sees. It’s your brand. Your identity. It’s your name for Pete’s sake. Of course it’s important.

So why would you not devote the appropriate amount of energy into getting your brand presented the way it should be? It’s been said that you have 6 seconds to make a first impression. Hi. Meet my logo. (Start the 6 second clock now.) Get it? The same goes for your website or any design or promotional piece you send out. The impression created by that piece of marketing or promotion is one that leaves a lasting imprint on the end user’s mind.

Some happy clients

Here are a few good reviews we’ve received from happy clients.

“I love my website! I always get a wonderful response from fans and it’s given me a useful tool to keep them updated on my latest projects.” – John Travolta

“21TOWIN has been very helpful in updating my site and keeping it current and fresh.” – Kelly Preston

What makes good design?

Of course one could argue that it’s all subjective and hence no one really knows what makes good design, and therefore it’s all unknowable and why should we bother with this debate? On the other hand, one could argue that there are some general guidelines that make for attractive design, especially from a usability standpoint on the web, which narrow down the argument to a matter of what works best for your product.

Your social graph

This article published on proactivereport.com features a graphic which I created. Very interesting article and worth a read for anyone on the pulse of social media. – MF

Mapping Your Social Graph

As people become more connected and able to share information easily, reliance on friend’s opinion has only increased.   We’re social creatures.  We like to share and discuss our ideas and get feedback from people “just like us.”

Logo love

For all you logo lovers out there. Check out Mike Manoogian’s interview on this blog. Mike is one of the best designers around and has done amazing work for clients over the past few decades. Well worth a look… somuchpileup.blogspot.com

Actor websites

Despite rumors you may have heard, you don’t have to be a celebrity for us to design you a website. Granted, we’ve developed sites for a few well known celebrities out there, including John Travolta, Kathy Bates, Kelly Preston, Catherine Bell, Michelle Stafford, and a slew of others.

What’s in a name?

I was listening to a song by Rob Zombie one day in the car while driving through hellacious traffic in Los Angeles when it occurred to me that one of his lyrics “21 to win” sounded like a cool name for a company. So if you’re wondering “Why the name?”, and if you’re thinking I’m a gambler or I have a penchant for Blackjack, you’re mistaken.