Matt Nebeker needed a sign design for his building.

(I am against driving under the influence of alcohol. See below.)

He already had a logo. He wanted his logo on the sign to be off to the side and small. I could see why he didn't want it to have a prominent position on his sign, even though a logo should. His logo was not appropriate for his company. His logo had a look that said, "classical, posh, for the wealthy, ancient, boring, old-fashioned, stuffed-shirt, government." He was a D.U.I. attorney who wanted to help people (target market ages 16-30) who are usually obedient but just happened to be caught driving under the influence of alcohol. He wanted them to feel that, even though nobody would listen to them, including their parents, he would listen, believe them, care about them personally, and help them with their legal battle. He wanted them to know he was down to earth, friendly, humble and nice. He also wanted them to know he would be fierce and fight their case like a tiger. He wanted them to be driving by, see his sign, remember it, and want to turn to him when they need legal help with a D.U.I. charge.

I told him he needed a logo that said all that about him. Although when taking on the challenge, neither he nor I knew how this would be possible, I knew I could find a solution. Determined to get a logo just right for his company, I kept sketching many possibilities for his logo. One early morning as I sat sketching at the breakfast table, I wondered what it would look like if I tried humble lowercase letters which were crisp, clear, modern and professional. When selecting colors in the computer, I decided to let "d.u.i." and "attorney" stand out so that it could also be read, sometimes, as "d.u.i. attorney," answering the question, "What do you do?" immediately. The lowercase letters bring out the "down to earth, good listener, humble," The red brings out the "I am fierce and will fight your case like a tiger." Matthew was a little reluctant to choose this logo over another, which was more like the logos of other legal companies. In my opinion, the logos of his competitors are very formal and say, "I am above you intellectually, legally, and economically, but I will help you, little peon who I care nothing about, for an amount of money that is beyond your wildest dreams. Come in and ask for help, if you dare!" I reminded him that he did not want his logo to look like all the rest, or it would not stand out and say all these things he wanted it to say.

I am very against driving under the influence of alcohol.

When I worked as a server at Camelot restaurant in Layton, sometimes I served a table of people who all wanted alcohol. I talked to them to remind them of the importance of not driving after drinking alcohol. "Oh, yes, we know," they'd say. After a while, one of them would volunteer not to drink and to drive the rest of them home. I also made sure that none of them would decide they had to drive home, and that everyone would promise not to drive after drinking alcohol. I even reminded them right before they left.

Matthew Nebeker is also against driving under the influence of alcohol. I believe those who disobey the law and drive under the influence should be punished by the law. I also believe that every person is innocent until proven guilty, has the right to defend themselves in court and has the right to an attorney. That is one of the things that makes the United States of America stand apart from many other nations.

As I did with this client, I will pour my energies and efforts into creating for your company what will be an awesome logo, brochure, or web site, and together we'll also make sure it fits in your bugdet.

Face to Face is Best!

I meet with local small business company owners face to face so that we can communicate clearly with each other. My clients say more to me face to face that they would not say over the internet or over the phone, as people always edit their words, and leave out what words they believe to be frivolous and unimportant, but which sometimes become my inspiration for their great logo. Meeting in person, I can clearly explain the process, and I can also read my client's body language and facial expressions. (For example, if I say something and they feel uncomfortable with it, they may say, "That is fine," but their facial expression, voice and fidgeting tell me the opposite, and I keep working at it until I see that, clearly, they understand, and are pleased and feel secure about it). My client and I can shake hands and I can show them styles of logos and the client can show me things they have brought to talk about. All of these are so vital to the process and are lost in these telephone, web, or E-mail dealings, which have in the past only caused poor communication.

E-mail: Lisa at Lisa Jackson dot biz-/-Phone: eight zero one - three one seven - four seven seven eight

Summer 2009 site version