Ampersand

DataBank gets wider

2010-10-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

In 2008, we redesigned the website for DataBank IMX, the premier full-service provider of Imaging and Information Solutions. At the time, 720 pixels was the standard width for web pages. Times have changed and that old, narrow site wasn't cutting it on high-definition flat screen monitors.

In July, we redesigned the site to a beefy 900 pixels wide. This served two purposes:
1. Fill-up the screen
2. Get more content above the fold

We also updated the quick navigation icons on the right-hand side of the page and did a major code overhaul for efficient and effective SEO keyword targeting. This document management company website is lean, mean and poised to dominate their specialty markets which include: healthcare, accounts payable, government and education document management services.

Check them out at databankimx.com

Industrial Honey from Canada

2010-10-01T08:05:00.001-07:00

Busy Summer for Vespagraphics!

2010-09-28T14:06:00.001-07:00

It's been a very productive summer for Vespagraphics. This hasn't left a lot of time for blog posts, but I promise to catch you up on our latest and greatest projects over the next few weeks.

Scott & Sue Got Married!

2010-08-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

When my good friend Scott asked his super-nice ladyfriend Sue to marry him last year, I offered to design their wedding invitations. This was a two-fer for me. I was not only given the honor of announcing the nuptials of 2 of my good friends, but also given the opportunity to work with Kristin at Twin Raven's Press again (yay, letterpress!).

Scott and Sue were great clients. They have brilliant taste. Of the 3 designs I presented, they went with my favorite. They were getting married on the shore of Lake Washington near Seattle. I designed a simple illustration of Mount Rainier peaking above the trees behind Lake Washington that would serve as a motif across the printed materials.

I designed an invitation, a half-and-half information card and tear-off RSVP, as well as coasters that would be the favors at their ceremony/reception. They wanted the coasters to be used by their guests (and themselves) long after the ceremony, so we went with just the illustration (no names/dates/etc) and they turned-out awesome.

Check out the photos below (some information blurred for privacy):

The Whole Set: Information Card/RSVP tear-off, A7 Envelope,
4-bar Envelope, Invitation, Coaster

Invitation, Information Card/RSVP tear-off

coasters (my coffee mug is on one now... Kristin might or might not
have a few that 'fell off' the letterpress)

close-up of Invitation

I love letterpress...look at how those plates dig into the paper

Information Card - illustration blind embossed behind the text

Scott, Sue, Barley, and the process server

Congratulations Scott & Sue, I wish you only the best!

Teacher and Staff Wellbeing Project!

2010-02-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

I am very proud to announce that the website for the Teacher and Staff Wellbeing Project was launched this week! Vespagraphics designed the site for Oregon Research Institute.
ORI wrote a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health with a plan to address the problem of teacher burnout. NIH funded The Teacher and Staff Wellbeing Project to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) in 48 Oregon Middle Schools. While stress cannot be eliminated, ACT has potential for increasing the well being of teachers and creating a more vital, collegial and productive educational environment. ORI expects that participation in this study will reduce stress, increase staff wellbeing and contribute to warmer collegial relations. In addition, it is anticipated that the effective use of positive behavior support practices will improve, leading to a decline in student misbehavior and victimization. Based on preliminary work they are confident that this approach can make a significant difference in both the lives of school staff and the lives of students.

The Teacher and Staff Wellbeing Project website is a great example of Vespagraphics' ability to support the dissemination aspects of nationally-funded grant proposals. We design websites, manuals, instructional aides, powerpoint/keynote presentations, etc. to help investigators recruit participants and publicize the results of their studies. If you are writing a grant proposal and would like written support for the design of a website, manual or any other publications/marketing/recruitment materials, fill out our contact form and we'll contact you quickly.

W.H. Lewis Financial website

2010-01-26T15:03:00.001-08:00

I'd like to direct your attention to www.whlewisfinancial.com, a site designed by Vespagraphics for William H. Lewis, our favorite local source of financial advice. William is a great guy who values each and every client. We can't recommend him enough!

About W.H. Lewis Financial:
W.H. Lewis Financial is an independent, privately owned, fee-only financial planning and investment management firm whose sole purpose is to provide you with the best financial advice available today. Our firm is predicated on providing trusted, ethical, realistic financial planning advice with bottom-line accountability. We pride ourselves on preparing high-quality financial planning and investment management solutions designed to assist you in having financial freedom.

Children of the Manse website is launched!

2010-01-06T14:30:00.001-08:00

www.childrenofthemanse.com has launched! The book and website were both designed by Vespagraphics. It's a great book by a local author, Lewis R. Luchs.

Description: A popular college town minister and his wife want to adopt a four-year-old girl but learn she has three older brothers and decide to welcome all four children into their home. They, arrive from a bleak county children’ s home, bringing with them invisible histories of neglect and abuse.

You can buy it at your local bookstore (Tsunami Books on Willamette and J Michaels downtown are both great), Lulu, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

77 Problems, but sticking ain't one

2009-12-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

For my self-promotion project, I wanted to keep it green...use repurposed, sustainable, and/or environmentally-friendly materials whenever possible. When it comes to certain materials, however, green alternatives aren't nearly as effective as the status quo. The 2 items I used that were definitely not environmentally-friendly were Krylon Sealer and 3M Super 77 Adhesive. Both items contain some serious health warnings on the back. Don't breathe it, don't touch it, wear goggles, ventilate the room, no open flames...and call a doctor if you decide to ignore any of these warnings.

In 2002, 3M reformulated super 77 to use an acetone solvent (not considered a VOC) instead of cyclohexane (an extra-nasty VOC). The big stink from the Krylon sealer is from toluene, the VOC in paint thinner that makes you light-headed. The sealer also has an acetone base. With all of these active ingredients, the biggest problem is with long-term exposure. Overexposure to solvents can cause permanent brain and nervous system damage. If you live near a production facility that stores/uses large quantities of these products, groundwater contamination can potentially be a concern.

Even with all that said, Super 77 sticks paper to other stuff better than any other product I know (besides maybe 3M Hi-Strength 90)...and Krylon Sealer seals and maintains the color of wood better than anything else I've tried.

I'm definitely open to suggestions. If you know a better way to seal wood or stick paper to things, contact me and I'll try it out.

Self Promo Cover

2009-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

I started production of the self-promotional project with a visit to Bring Recycling in Springfield. I knew that I wanted a large, thin board to use as a cover for the portfolio. After digging through rows of doors, shelves and furniture, I came across a shelf filled with random, discarded dresser drawers. I was looking for a big drawer with a nice, well-worn interior. I found an extra-ugly drawer for $3 that had a big, beautiful, dusty, crusty bottom piece.

I took the drawer home and extracted the nails and brads that held the bottom in place. I then looked around my garage and realized I didn't have any tools for cutting the board without it looking like a kindergartener chopped up some oak tag with safety scissors. I called my buddy Ames and traded a case of Sessions for the use of his table saw. We made the cuts, sanded the wood, then drank the beer and admired our craftsmanship.

I wanted it to look like my signature had been seared into the front cover with a cattle brand. It wasn't going to be practical for me to forge a metal brand, so I considered my alternatives. I visited Jeff Franklin at Refocus Engraving in Junction City to explore my options. I worked closely with Jeff on a piece of scrap wood from the drawer bottom to get the marks just right. He had to defocus the beam to make the lines look less exacting (and to char only the surface of the wood). The results exceeded my expectations.

scrap piece for test burn

video of the laser

cover after burn

After sealing the wood, I attached the piano hinge to the inside and the cover was good to go. Next up: the inside.

piano hinge

finished cover

Self Promo Part 1

2009-11-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

Recently, I started working on a self-promotion piece to take with me when I visit clients. I want a hand-crafted feel and I want to use environmentally-responsible materials.

As always, I start with a few pages of sketches. The plan is to take a trip over to BRING Recycling in Springfield to find some wood for the cover. I originally considered a top-hinge with screw-post design, but it started looking a little cutesy/ scrapbooky in the sketches. Now I'm thinking more along the lines of two boards and a piano hinge. Inside, I want a pocket for a cover letter and a pocket that will hold a mini- portfolio. I'd like to burn my signature into the cover or maybe do a wood inlay, but I think I'll let the type/condition of the wood help me with that decision.

First Impression

2009-11-13T12:51:00.001-08:00

Last Friday, I visited Twin Ravens Press here in Eugene. For those of you who don't know, Twin Ravens is a letterpress shop run by one of the least-surly press operators that I've ever met, Kristin. I approached Kristin about a month ago to help me with my new business cards. The contact information on my old cards (printed by greenerprinter.com) was outdated and the design left a lot to be desired. The conditions were perfect. It was business card time.

I was as interested in the process as I was in the final product, so I passed along the information I wanted on the card and then gave Kristin carte blanche to design the cards. I was so incredibly pleased when Kristin came back with nearly a dozen designs, 3 of which were so spot-on that it took a while to decide which was the most awesome.

I went with a 2-color die-cut design printed with soy inks on handmade, custom, seeded, 100% recycled, 100% cotton paper by Porridge Papers. Once we fine-tuned the design, Kristin ordered the plates. The plates are made out of a photopolymer material. The cool thing about the plate maker, Boxcar Press, is that they have a brilliant recycling program for the plates after they are printed. Usually, these big chunks of plastic get tossed in a landfill. The used plates are recycled into car parts and consumer goods. How cool is that?

On Friday, Kristin invited me over to watch the printing process, start to finish. My inner print-nerd was stoked! I brought my little point+shoot camera along to watch the 1912 Chandler & Price letterpress spring into action. I was not disappointed. I'll post a short video and a handful of pictures below. If you want to see more pictures from press day at Twin Ravens, check out my flickr set.

Welcome to Ampersand!

2009-11-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,
I'm Keith, the Owner & Creative Director of Vespagraphics, a sustainability-minded, multi-faceted graphic design company located in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. We design a lot of interesting stuff for our awesome clients. It's been tough to keep the portfolio section of vespagraphics.com up to date with our latest and greatest projects, so I decided to start this blog to give folks a quick look at what we're up to. Hopefully, you'll also see the creative process at work through sketches and alternate designs. I'll also introduce you to some of our clients and the hardest-working print and design vendors this side of the Willamette River.