From the Process Archives

Creating a Value Based Design Business

The key to any business’s success is all about the value it creates. Same goes for employees, products, or any relationship. As designers, we often struggle in defining the value we create beyond “we can make it look nice” especially as more of our industry is commoditized by talented production artists and DYI platforms. Why… Read more »


Mountain Mama Meals Logo

Everyone knows that a logo is the backbone of a brand, however, this post isn’t about the value of a well designed logo. Instead, it’s intention is to highlight the fact that the creation of a logo doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process. While setting expectations and maintaining open communication is critical to… Read more »


Merle on Willie on Doing What You Love

Willie has some wisdom about that. He says, “Do what you want to do. In case somebody likes it, then you have to go do it again.” In other words, Sturgill’s doing what he wants to do. That’s the most important thing. No advice from this corner. I’m a fan. I want to see what… Read more »


Brian Koppelman On Being Authentic

What you’re bringing, it matters to you; it’s real and you’re not doing something just to sell me or to get my eyeballs for a second. Brian Koppelman from, The Moment, with Seth Godin Yes, I know that #authentic has become the go to buzzword of the moment for brands, marketers, and anyone with a… Read more »


To Be Boring

The world is so huge, so many things to do and see … And for us, in the West, with more money and power and freedom than any other people in history … To be bored is really a crime. It’s an insult to everyone who doesn’t have money and power and freedom. From Skippy… Read more »


1973 Bell Vintage Camper Adventure Rig Restoration

After years of sleeping on the ground, we decided that a camper-trailer would be worthwhile investment for extending our days on the road. We’ve been considering a number of options from pop-up and slide-in campers, to dedicated rigs such as Sportsmobiles and VW camper vans, but with our current vehicle setup a bumper-pull style camper… Read more »


StartUp Podcast

StartUp is a new series with Alex Blumberg from This American Life & Planet Money that follows Blumberg as he starts a podcast company. I’ve been hooked from the beginning, listening and re-listening to episodes as soon as they come out. The series is currently on it’s seventh episode and packed full with lessons pertaining… Read more »


In Praise of Data-Driven Design

When designers don’t know which problems to solve, we spin our wheels. We make products prettier when we could be solving customer’s needs and generating real value. So any company that’s serious about design should get equally serious about listening to customers. What Fuels Great Design by Braden Kowitz


Are You a Commodity?

There are two sets of design professionals. The first set are commodities, and deliver value on a production level. These designers set their rates by the hour, and have a direct relationship between time and money. Typically these professionals have a fair amount of competition, and their market becomes saturated over time. They possess no… Read more »


Show Your Work : SCPW Logo Process (Part III)

We left off with Part 2 of my logo process with a set of refined sketches. The next step is presenting the sketches to the client and determine a final direction, as well as gather any potential feedback they may have. In this case, the client felt the above sketch best communicated the intended brand… Read more »