Every once in a while a design project comes along that is not only a challenge but also a personal investment. In the fall of 2008, some close friends of mine got engaged and wanted to entrust the design of their wedding stationery to me. Barron has been one of my closest friends through high school and college; Betsy became a dear friend in college and was pivotal in introducing me to my wife (they were roommates).

I’ll be honest, sometimes I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to projects like this (weddings are extremely personal and it would seem people not even in the wedding have strong opinions). What made this wedding project different was the close friendship I have with both Barron and Betsy and the amazing story of their courtship and engagement. I felt honored that they would have me play such an important part in the overall design of their wedding day.

With that said, the traditional challenges of a wedding identity system (and any project in general) still existed. Barron and Betsy both had initial ideas they wanted to incorporate, but we took time upfront to sit down and hash through their needs and wants. Early on, Barron and Betsy had settled upon a black and silver color scheme to correspond with their winter wedding day (February 6) and to reflect the formality of the evening ceremony time. They also wanted to incorporate a damask pattern to continue the elegance in the overall design. Finally, we had to keep a modest budget in mind, but since I was doing the project pro bono as their wedding gift, we could funnel the entire budget to printing. Beyond those few key requirements, Barron and Betsy were very open to seeing what I would come up with. Having that kind of creative freedom is a designer’s dream and yet can be very overwhelming.

There were a few things I started brainstorming immediately; I pitched the idea of developing for them a personal monogram that would brand the entire wedding and serve as a unique identifier for the couple well into their marriage. The idea was well received and—coupled with the decision to print everything in two-color (black and silver)—set the tone for the overall design system.

Interestingly, the monogram concept came very quickly. The idea was to show the concept of covenant marriage—the sacrificial promise of two becoming one—by interweaving their initials into a unique logotype. Their first initials—B and B—along with Barron’s last initial—H—allowed for an interesting juxtaposition of the bars to create an cohesive, symmetrical symbol. Adobe Garamond was chosen as the primary typeface for its old style elegance, graceful thick-to-thin contrast in the strokes, and extensive character set for page layout. Several variations of the monogram were shown to Barron and Betsy who gave a warm reception to the overall concept. Minor refinements were made including subtle typographic adjustments and the development of the logotype into an enclosed logo.

Once the monogram was finalized, I searched for just the right damask pattern. Betsy had a definitive idea in her mind about how she wanted the pattern to look so we sifted through a variety of possible pattern candidates. We finally found one that had great formal characteristics and could be stitched together to create a repeating pattern. Put together, the monogram and the damask band created an elegant design element that created the feel of haute couture. The intricacy and grace in the pattern and letterforms created a beautiful femininity balanced by the masculine weight of the black and the overall symmetry of the design.

We narrowed down what kind of pieces Barron and Betsy wanted to incorporate into their stationery. Having worked on tight-budgeted print projects before, I pitched the idea of doing a gang run for the printing. Since all of the pieces were two-color and using the same paper stock, we could print a variety of pieces very efficiently and affordably. After some deliberation we settled on a stationery system that would include the invitation, hotel and map cards, thank you note, and guest gift tag. Additionally we were able to include a tri-fold program and personal correspondence cards. Paired with envelopes in matching stock and a custom monogram stamp, the stationery created a formal, uniform look for the wedding.

The set motif was applied carefully and intentionally to each piece, allowing the distinct forms in the monogram to determine the feel of each layout. Elements in the map card were custom-designed from Adobe Garamond letterforms to create a one-of-a-kind illustration that worked within the overall system. Finally, typography was laid out with generous white space, allowing for readability and sophistication.

Printing was done with local printer Cantrell-Barnes whom I have worked with before. They are great to work with and did an exceptional job nailing the registration of the intricate patterns.

The final result was a wedding stationery set Barron and Betsy were incredibly pleased with and I was honored to work on. Congratulations to Barron and Betsy on their new lives together and many thanks for the opportunity to help visualize their special day!

One of my first identity projects at Ozark-based Robison Creative Studios was for a growing church in Oklahoma called Noble Assembly of God. The primary requirement for the project was to incorporate a dove and a flame—and do it creatively, of course. This proved to be the mantra for future church branding projects (with additional juxtapositions including hearts and crosses) and a request that I would come to dread. But in my design naivete I took on the request with idealism and excitement.

I love typography so one of my favorite places to start with any logo project is manipulating letterforms. With the Noble Assembly of God logo I started with the typeface Futura as my base (one of a handful of typefaces I find to be ubiquitous in design). Futura added a modern flare to the overall design without being overly-trendy. The geometric precision of the letterforms also provided a great foundation for the icon, specifically the symmetry of the Futura “O.”

With a typographic base established, I began to experiment with the curves of the flame. It’s always an interesting challenge graphically portraying a flame; there’s this fine line you walk where it can look like corny clip art or go to the extreme of cliched tattoo, but every once in a while you find a great balance. I finally styled a flame that I felt was a good balance and started playing with the juxtaposition of the flame and letterform. As I overlapped and masked I started to see the curves of the dove manifest. The form was subtle at first, but with some refinements of the flame I was able to make the negative space take on a more defined dove shape. The challenge of merging dove and flame was complete; the leadership at Noble now had a clean, contemporary icon that looked sharp on a letterhead and had a bold, dramatic presence when enlarged on massive banners within their sanctuary. But I still needed to integrate the logotype.

The icon had such a clean, modern feel that I decided it needed to be grounded with a slightly more conservative typeface. This was a bit of an update for Noble Assembly of God; we wanted to make sure we didn’t alienate the congregation by thrusting them into a hyper-modern identity. I tried some of my standbys like Adobe Garamond Pro, but felt it was a bit too conservative. Finally I decided to give Bodoni a shot and loved how the geometric precision worked with that of Futura and the icon itself. The thick-to-thin contrast also gave some variety and rhythm to the logo, keeping it from feeling too heavy.

The final touch was to add a splash of color to allow the icon to pop. I chose a muted red to keep with the classic, sophisticated theme already established and to tie the symbolism together with the blood of Christ.

All together the Noble Assembly of God logo has become one of my all-time favorite marks I have worked on and is a case-study of how some of the most cliched symbols can work together to form a compelling graphic icon.

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