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Visual Lure Project Featured in St. Louis AIGA Design Show 23

Posted on June 19, 2018 by JUSTEN HONG

Ever since I joined the St. Louis AIGA, while still studying Graphic Design at SIU Edwardsville, I would go to their Annual Design Show every year to see all the world-class design work coming out of Saint Louis. Eight years ago, I entered what I thought was one of my best logos, but it didn’t make the show. It discouraged me, and it wasn’t until this year that I decided to enter another piece. I am honored to share with you all that my project was selected, and one of my professional goals has been fulfilled.

When I received the email that read “Congratulations, your work has be selected to be in the AIGA St. Louis Design Show 23!” I was both excited and oddly relieved. I think the relieve came from a sense of accomplishment as I’ve had this goal for over 18 years. It also represents the second check mark off my “top three professional goal list”. While still in college, I used to dream of having a logo published in a book called LogoLounge, having a project in the AIGA Design Show, and lastly having work featured in Communication Arts.

To date, I’ve had 31 logos published in 7 different LogoLounge publications, and I can finally say that I’ve had a project in the St. Louis AIGA Design Show. I just have Communication Arts left. I share this not to brag, but to hopefully inspire other graphic designers as design really is a skill that is honed and crafted. You definitely need artistic skill and creativity, but everything else can be learned and improved upon with practice and dedication. A slight obsession with design, color, type and space helps, but if you have the foundation, you really can become a good designer. When I compare my portfolio coming out of college, to my work today, it really does confirm this statement.

This years judges included: Su Mathews Hale – a senior partner at Lippincott, Justin Ahrens – principal and creative director of Rule29, and Ilene Sandler – designer/owner of Treat Street Studios.

About the Project:

Bear River Brewing is a branding project we did for a Tampa, Florida craft beer brewer. Visual Lure actually came up with the name which is based on his son’s, Barrett (which they call Bear) and River, hence Bear River Brewing. The logo depicts a bear rowing a canoe down a river carrying a huge beer bottle with palm trees in the background as a nod to Tampa. One of our favorite pieces is the beer taps which are shaped like canoe paddles.

View the Entire Project »

Logo & Package Design for a St. Louis Supplements Company

Posted on November 10, 2016 by JUSTEN HONG

2nd Impact is a St. Louis, Missouri based supplement and nutrition company that produces a superior line of Whey Protein and Creatine products. They use the most expensive, highest grade ingredients to produce a premium line of supplements. They initially came to Visual Lure for a logo, and after completion of that, they immediately engaged us to design all their packaging. See the progression of the logo and packaging below.

2nd Impact provided the exact colors they wanted and requested a simple text-based logo. Here are the initial logo design options:

…and here is round 2 of the logo…

…and here are the final logos in both color and black and white:

Once the logo was completed we immediately went into designing the packaging as they wanted to get into production right away. Here are the first two design rounds of the package design:

…and here are all the final labels for their initial product line:

View the entire branding package here »

Click here to view our entire package design portfolio, or click here to learn more about our packaging design services.

For a package design quote, please call 618.407.9231 or email us at info@visuallure.com.

Package Design for Supplement Freeze Pops

Posted on October 14, 2016 by JUSTEN HONG

Visual Lure recently completed new packaging design for Amino Freeze Pops. Amino Freeze Pops are frozen treats for adult athletes and body builder that are packed with Electrolytes and BCAAs. Essentially, it is a frozen post-workout recovery drink. They provide a boost of energy, help with hydration, can increase stamina and aid in building muscle.

The old design featured icicle shapes that didn’t quite complement the logo/brand, and their attempt to visually highlight the Electrolytes and BCAAs fell short. The new design is much more cohesive and polished. Learn more about Amino at www.aminofreezepops.com.

The Power of a Hashtag

Are you using #hashtags in your social media strategy? If not, you should be, because you never know who will find you when you do. Landing this project is a great example of the power of a hashtag. Here’s the story: We recently completed new packaging design for 2nd Impact, a new supplement company based out of St. Louis, MO. We had just finished some of their designs and we posted them on our Visual Lure Instagram account. When we posted the images, we used the following hashtags: #PackagingDesign, #PackageDesign, #SupplementLabelDesign and #SupplementBrand. Within 30 minutes Amino Freeze Pops had followed us on Instagram, and we were having a conversation over the phone. We think that’s both crazy and amazing! A company based out of Boynton Beach, Florida, a company we would never have run into, is now a client all due to a hashtag.

Amino Freeze Pops Packaging

Our Packaging Design Services

Learn more about our package design services, or click here to view our packaging design portfolio »

Logo & Branding Package for Quebec Photography Studio

Posted on September 1, 2015 by JUSTEN HONG

Studios Elysium Photographie is a Rigaud, Quebec based wedding and portrait studio offering wedding, family and glamour photography in the Vaudreuil, Montreal and eastern Ontario area. They recently came to Visual Lure to create a new visual identity. They requested that we incorporate a dragonfly into the logo as it has a special meaning to this husband and wife photography team. We did so by making it form the letter ‘t” in Studios.

Below you can see the vertical and horizontal logo formats, the sample identity/letterhead system, proposed packaging and a sample watermark. At the very bottom are two unselected logos that we really liked. The bottom right logo was a fleur de lis that also created a dragonfly. We thought this one was genius, but after speaking to the clients, they informed me that it would be controversial using a French symbol in their logo. I guess there is a dispute whether Quebec should be politically aligned and influenced by France. They didn’t tell me which they preferred, simply that they didn’t want their business logo to be controversial.

Photography Logo Design & Visual Branding Package for Connecticut Wedding Photographer

Posted on April 30, 2015 by JUSTEN HONG

Nick Benson, a very talented wedding photographer from Monroe, CT, recently came to Visual Lure for a rebrand. During the discovery stages, Nick was consistently referring to one of his wife’s favorite brands, Tory Burch. They both loved the look and feel of the brand and its popular monogram icon.

Inspired by the embellished block serif of the Tory Burch logo, we started sketching similar custom N’s and B’s. That’s when we came across a pleasant little surprise. While drawing a custom letter N, we discovered we could hide a very subtle B in the negative space of the N, similar to how the FedEx logo has the hidden arrow in between the E and the X. It may take a second or two to see it, but once you do, you always will.

At that point we quit sketching as we knew this would be the final mark. We usually provide anywhere from four to eight initial logo options, but for this one, it was the only option we presented to our client. Nick still wanted to see what else I had done but quickly agreed that this logo was it.

Below you can see Nick’s new logo in all its glory with additional format options, one with a shiny golden brass effect added to it along with some sample packaging. We think this mark feels very high-end and screams luxury, two of the main traits our client wanted his new logo to feel.

View more of our photography logos & branding projects »

Laundry Detergent Package Design for St. Louis Area Manufacturer

Posted on April 27, 2015 by JUSTEN HONG

Stellar Manufacturing recently contracted Visual Lure to spruce up a couple labels for their new line of laundry detergent. The store buyer, the person in charge of selecting what products will go in a store, turned down the initial labels that were designed by another graphic designer. Stellar came to us to develop package designs that the buyer wouldn’t say no to, and we did just that. With only one minor round of revisions, the buyer accepted our designs.

The moral of this story is to hire and invest in a good package designer the first time around. Subpar package design is one of the main reasons products get turned down by buyers. Having visual pleasing, eye-catching packaging is critical in the success of a product. With all the other products on the shelf, yours needs to stand out, look professionally designed and give buyers an immediate sense of trust.

Below are the before and afters of the first two scents in Stellar’s new line of Bright House Laundry Detergents, Fresh Scent and Lavender.

BH-BfrAtr-package-design

…and here are our original designs, which we still feel are stronger:

BHLDFS-package-design

BHLDLS-package-design

Contact Visual Lure today at 618.407.9231 for a FREE package design quote. We would love to help you get your products past the store buyer and onto shelves.

Logo Design & Branding for a Pennsylvania Photographer

Posted on April 20, 2015 by JUSTEN HONG

We had the pleasure of meeting Pam Baumann at this years Shutterfest. Pam is a professional photographer based out of Limerick, Pennsylvania. She originally started out as a nature photographer and is now focusing more on family and individual portraiture. When we met Pam she had no idea what she wanted her brand to look like. Since we were in the trade show area, I decided to start helping her define her brand by visiting the Photo Flash Drive booth. I asked her what style of zip drive or box was she drawn to. She walked right past the modern crystal drive, and the high-fashion alligator skinned boxes and went immediately towards the premium wood packaging. This was the start of defining her brand. We then discussed what large named brands have an aesthetic that she gravitates towards but she couldn’t think of any. As we walked through the trade show we were discussing the booth designs, that’s when she saw one she really loved. I can’t recall the name of the company, but the booth used worn corrugated metal, reclaimed wood, earth tones and had a very rustic look and feel, yet it still felt inviting and warm. She instantly said that was the direction she wanted to go. Once I saw that booth it reminded me of Timberland, the boot company, so I mentioned that brand to her and she agreed that it had elements she liked.

From there, we discussed what type of logo she wanted, a type-based logo, a monogram, a crest of some kind or one with an icon. Without hesitation Pam said she wanted an icon. We then talked about what the icon could be, as the best ones have some type of meaning behind them. The conversation started with Pam possibly wanting to use hills, a sunset with trees, etc. but I told her icons need to be simple. It then went into possibly using a camera aperture or shutter, which I hate to use unless it is incorporated in a clever and memorable way. We despise photography logos that use generic cameras or shutters, they feel so impersonal and cliche.

This led us to the discussion of possibly using a tree which is a great symbol for family. We talked about using a tree with her initials hidden in the branches, but she was not sold. The conversation then moved into using a leaf or leaves. By this time Pam’s visual brand was pretty well defined. It was natural, rustic and colorful yet warm. That is when it hit me, using leaves to create an camera aperture. I drew a quick sketch and Pam was instantly sold. My first concern was has it been done before, I searched a couple of the largest logo databases along with Google Images and found nothing. This made us both extremely happy.

Below in Pam’s new logo along with the beginning stages of her visual branding package, including sample identity, flash drive packaging, typefaces and color palettes.

Do you need help defining your brand and implementing a full identity package to match? Give Visual Lure a call today at 618-407-9231, we would love to help you find your brand.