-- let's put it a better way and say -- 360° Home Inspections, LLC

An old acquaintance, from 360° Home Inspections, LLC approached me recently with a pitch. He recently finalized the towers of paperwork for his new company, but he lacked an image. A recognizable "Who Am I " for his brand. So luckily for me, a buzz resonates loudly from thy phone from which "Identity" need come forth. Or some wierd wording like that, lol.

Our story starts in Irving, Texas and like any new company, Mr. Allen above all things, needs to be... noticed.

Before starting on this project, I already knew John through an acquaintance in Columbia. So because I had already had the pleasure of meeting with him before, I had a sense of his attitude and outlook. This made it much easier for us to get on the same page.

-- Bold | Direct | Professional | Simple -- (oh yeah, Round too)

Above is my game plan. A four-word -- plus one -- summary to help the old hamster Wake Up and begin its marathon run to victory.

After agreeing on the terms and getting through the estimate, the time assumptions, and blah - blah - blah.... all that boring mess. It was then time to get to work. So I started sketching out ideas. Nothing special just letting the hand move with a pencil in tow. The wonderful aspect of this project is simply the name. Its a hell of a great building block for ideas and symbolism. 360° allows for so much variety and freedom in a design and I was giddy with anticipation of how this would turn out.

So lets begin with the picture show, shall we.

When creating a brand for a company, there is no tool greater, no item more valuable than a pencil and paper. I constantly find myself finishing up for the evening and after about 20 minutes of lying in bed, staring off into oblivion, I pop up and reach for my pad to jot down ideas. I do this during dinner, walking the dog, damn near anywhere. What makes the pen/paper so mighty. How often are you going to have your computer on hand in such a timely manner. And beyond that, only paper gives you the ability to free draw.

IMPORTANT: You do not have to be Michelangelo to utilize a pad. Think of it like, notes for class. Rarely were they pretty and many of you out there had your own short hand. This is the same thing. Its a sketchpad. -- "Sketch" --it's just a different way of saying "notes."

Sally Forth to the, uhh, yeah... in the corner. Its got -- all those blinking lights and.. its... humming. Oh yeah, The computer.

Here is the first few drafts I started to pull out of the air. It's nothing special, just good starting points. And this is a plus... do not let yourself get too far ahead before you show the client some progress. Nine times out of Ten they go the direction you completely would have voted out.

Well, here is a good example of my previous advice. I was very much leaning toward the top left design, but as time moved ok my client was VERY persistent on wanting "360" as part of the logo. This is not a disadvantage, but more of the many times in a designers life where you must pull back your opinion and roll with the tide.

Putting in that extra seasoning.

Above I am attempting to show how the arrow evolved. This is probably my favorite part of the logo. It holds so much meaning for the company. The symbolism of the circle portrays the companies outlook on completion of a job. John was also very interested in getting across the idea of turnaround time. A key part of his start up that he intends to focus on to set himself above the masses. I found this in the wrap around arrow. The way is carries fully around... and then some, defining the diligence of his laborers.

A close up of the arrow. I tend to take a bit of a draftsman eye on some of my work. Not always necessary but definitely helpful in keeping proper proportions.

Color Sets

This is the first wave I sent. There is really no rhyme or reason here. I was simply feeling out the client, trying to see where they stand.

Here I find myself in another position where I must go with the clients requests, when they are contrary to my opinion. While I enjoy the bold nature of the clients requested Red/Black Scheme. I would have preferred to remain with the more natural "homely" color scheme of the browns. But my client is a bold, strong willed individual, meaning a BOLD statement will best capture his essence into the company image.

There you have it. The New -- Amazing -- Almighty -- BRAND!

"360° Home Inspections, LLC"

I was initially referred to you as someone who offered the perfect compliment of affordable pricing and some of the finest design work in the industry. Following our initial consultation, there was no doubt in my mind that a partnership with Casper Design would save me a tremendous amount of time, money and frustration as I "ramped up" my new business. I greatly appreciate your willingness to explore my ideas and provide an interpretation that would be well received in the market. Thanks to you I have a logo, business cards, letter head, envelops and agreement that will make a positive impression and allow me to begin generating revenue. Casper Design delivered my work on time and under budget. As a small business owner I carefully scrutinize all expenditures... this was money well spent! I fully anticipate Casper Design playing a vital role in the continued development of my new business   Client: John Allen Company: 360° Home Inspections, LLC Position: President Project: Identity Package