“Meet the Mayfarers” is a webseries that chronicles the story of an estranged, dysfunctional family who is forced to live together for one year in order to get their grandfather’s massive inheritance.

The first thing I did was re-watch the entire series. After that I worked up a couple of quick sketches. The client (writer/director/actor/creator Todd Norwood) approved the sketch and I started drawing. A couple of the characters didn’t work right away, but some adjustments were made and the poster was finished!

I spent more time on patterns and textures this time around and I’m happy with the results. The printed posters arrived the other day and the colors are perfect.

You can check out the webseries here.

You can purchase one from here.

After designing the logo (see details here) I started designing the website. My first layout was based on a wordpress blog that would highlight a few recent photo shoots. Jess didn’t want it to look so “blogg-y”. I then opted to keep it simple and design a clean website that would keep the focus on her photography. A white website with a single row of buttons that would be broken up by a centered logo would work perfectly.

The photo galleries were based on another site that Jess had seen before. She was able to find a free photo-viewer. Building it as an XML-based Flash gallery also gave her the opportunity to update her galleries when she wants to.

As I said, her previous site was a blog, so I wanted to add an area where she could post new photos and allow viewers to comment. I modified WordPress’ “default” theme so that it matched up with the rest of the site.

For the home page, I wanted something that would grab the viewer’s attention. A crisp collage showcasing Jess’ specialties would work perfectly. I usually like to design using bold colors and shapes, but this project allowed me to try something far from my comfort zone.

UPDATE: Sialia Photography has moved to a new web host/design. If you would like to see the site that I created, please click here.

Before I began designing, it was determined that she needed a logo. On her previous blogspot site her primary colors were pink and black.  I wanted to stick with that, but soften it up a bit. I opted to tone it down, and work with a gray and magenta color scheme. Jess’ photography has a feminine feel, so I knew I would have to branch out from my regular design style.

The “S” in the logo came fairly quickly.  After a few little sketches, I was off and running. I showed the photographer a few different options, and after one round of edits, the logo was approved. I was initially thinking of using some sort of camera imagery, but I’ve seen it a thousand times. The goal was that this logo should look different than the rest of the pack. No cameras, no lenses, no film.  But the circles that run up the left of the “S” were inspired by the sprocket holes that are on film.  

Since we were able to secure the entire name as the domain name (SialiaPhotography.com) I wanted to make sure that the entire name would be included in the logo, not just the commonly used name. “Sialia” uses a font called Harrington. The curves worked well with the “S”. For the “Photography” line, I wanted a clean font that would also work as a button or headline font on the website (Gill Sans, in case you’re wondering).

This logo breaks my general rule that a logo needs to work in solid black and white. I figured that this logo would be used in places that would allow for a four color process, or tints of the logo.

Something else that I had to consider with this logo was that it would be used as a watermark on her photos. After watching a few hours of TV (where every network has a watermark) I had some ideas of how I could effectively use different opacities. For the watermark, the text has a higher opacity level than the “S”. But the “S” is the most noticeable part.

This logo works well with the website because they were designed as parts of a whole. Since I wanted to have a logo centered website, I needed to make sure that the logo would be centered. Plus, it allows Jess the opportunity to use the logo anywhere on her photos without being a distraction.

With the first logo, I was looking to incorpoate a couple elements that are commonly associated with motorcycles: flames and exhaust pipes. I also wanted to try to create the illusion of chrome shine. This is a modified Benguiat font. It’s not a “blocky” as motorcycle fonts usually tend to be, but I was looking for a font that has curves, but also has sharp edges.

With the second logo, I was looking for a more iconic, “T” logo.  This is a great example of how sometimes a design doesn’t work with one project, but then it can help inspire a project for a different client.  Parts of this logo were originally conceived for a different company’s new identity.  It was never presented because the logo was too “sharp” and didn’t embody what that company was trying to convey. But, when it came to Twisted Cycles, I took that failed concept, added and subtracted elements, and presented this new logo.