Connacher Design

Spruce Private Investors

2011-11-20T18:28:00.001-05:00

Spruce Logo

Website

Spruce 2011 Client Conference Material

Spruce 2011 Client Research Trip Material

Spruce 2010 Client Conference Material

Spruce Private Investors serves as the Chief InvestmentOfficer and asset manager for family offices and charitable institutions.Spruce has helped families and investors benefit from the ever-widening andsophisticated array of global investment opportunities.

As part of the aabalone[red] team to develop a new Sprucebranding expression, I participated in the development of a new logo andsubsequent branding applications. Spruce’s visual brand is all about growth andrich and diverse ways of achieving it.

Partnershipwith: aabalone[red]

Burstream

2011-11-20T17:44:00.001-05:00

Burstream is the creator of the NanoSpeed Market DataMesh™. The ‘NanoSpeed Mesh’ is a service-based offering for highfrequency proprietary trading firms who desire the fastest market dataprocessing speeds achievable while requiring rapid implementation and costeffective operations.

As part of the aabalone[red] team to develop a Burstreambranding expression, I participated in the development of a new logo, websiteand creation of schematics illustrating their business model. Burstream’svisual brand is all about direct, clean, unfettered speed.

Partnership with: aabalone[red]

Raylor Investments

2011-11-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

Website

Brochure

While most firms focus on either investors or advisors,Raylor Investments understands that the two are intrinsically linked. Theirholistic approach results in a single solution: a compelling investmentstrategy coupled with a sound business development strategy. From our perspective,the two are bound together—supporting the role of both an investment managerand a business manager.

As part of the aabalone[red] team to develop a expandedbranding expression, I participated in the development of a new brochure, website/blog that allowed for client interaction and the creation of schematicsillustrating their business model. Raylor’s brand is all about bringing peopletogether in a clear and individual way.

Partnership with: aabalone[red]

RayLign Foundation - 2011 Illustration

2011-11-20T17:19:00.001-05:00

RayLign facilitates family decisions that establisheffective leadership and decision-making processes that builds respect,communications and financial well-being. For RayLign’s annual gathering, that promotes dialoguebetween parents and adult children, I branded the 2011 event by creating a newillustration for the invitation that shows how family generations are connectedthrough patterns that rely on each other – music notes.

Partnership with: aabalone[red]

Making a real connection between Lutheran HealthCare & Brooklyn

2011-07-01T16:45:00.001-04:00

Lutheran HealthCare: 2010 Annual Report

Lutheran HealthCare is one of the nation’s most fully integrated health care systems and is an important part of keeping Brooklyn a vibrant community. To emphasize this fact, we highlighted 8 ways that Lutheran activity does this for Brooklyn and the benefits for both the hospital and the community in their 2010 annual report.

Partnership with: The Idea Factory, Inc.

Sysdyne Trade Show Booth Design

2011-04-21T20:27:00.000-04:00

Sysdyne is in the business of providing processing systemsfor ordering, mixing, and delivering concrete. They traditionally have workedexclusively with concrete mixing plants so their brand has been very workmanlike to match their audience.

With the development of their new “cloud” based dispatchsystem, Sysdyne needed a tradeshow brand that spoke more to the where theirtechnology was going – modern, digital, and multifaceted.

A new brand for a historical landmark.

2010-10-07T15:10:00.001-04:00

Stamford’s Old Town Hall, a historic landmark that once served as the center for city government, has now been given a new life. The Inaugural Art Exhibit in the galleries at Old Town Hall Museum represents the cultural and artistic diversity of Stamford as well as the surrounding communities.

Preventing electrical risk.

2010-02-09T14:13:00.006-05:00

In 2010 McPhee Electrical introduced a new preventive maintenance program called “PowerHawke” to protect their clients assets – buildings, business and people. PowerHawke is about keeping all the elements of your business in their place and being able to detect the ones that are not.

Partnership with: The Idea Factory, Inc.

Healthy lungs are the wind of life.

2010-02-09T14:10:00.003-05:00

PAKA Pulmonary Pharmaceuticals is a technology company that delivers drugs directly to the lungs for treatment of lung diseases. The name PAKA is derived from Paka'a, the Hawaiian god of wind. And like Paka’a restoring the winds to the sea, PARA restores the wind to patient’s lungs.

The logo, through the lightness and openness of the font and mark, illustrates the unrestricted passage of air.

Social Media Avatar for Goodwill of NY & NJ

2009-10-19T14:20:00.012-04:00

Like many organizations today, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and New Jersey has stepped into the social media environment to broaden their audience connections.

With this action, it was important to create a icon/avatar for the organization that used the nationally recognized Goodwill logo but at the same time made the individual organization the visual hero while promoting a youthful attitude.

Partnership with: The Vanderbilt Agency, Norwalk, CT

Rockledge Properties – Website Design

2009-07-08T13:48:00.010-04:00

Rockledge Properties transforms historical Harlem properties into apartments that are spacious, secure, and beautiful. Tenants are primarily: college students, recent graduates starting careers, young professionals, professors and staff at nearby colleges/universities, or young families.

To appeal to the primary tenants, I designed a site that was simple and direct, reflecting a warm and modern living style.

www.rockledgeproperties.com

Partnership with: Ann Zeller, Eastern Consolidated

SSJR Site Live

2009-05-04T11:59:00.008-04:00

SSJR is a law firm specializing in intellectual property matters. Focusing exclusively on IP issues, SSJR builds long-term partnerships with their clients that result in extraordinary effective legal solutions.

As part of the aabalone[red] team the developed the new SSJR website, I created a web site design the highlighted the technical and professional aspect of SSJR’s business, while emphasizing their commitment to their clients by highlighting the individual lawyers who make those extraordinary legal solutions possible.

www.ssjr.com

Partnership with: aabalone[red]

Blue Back - Know the Way

2009-02-20T13:29:00.009-05:00

(Click on logo to see applications.)

Blue Back Group is an employee benefit advisory and business improvement firm dedicated to helping improve employee performance. Their collaborative way of working allows them to, through knowledge and conversation, lead businesses to successful choices and results.

Blue Back’s new logo illustrates how, through conversations, they open doors of knowledge that leads their clients on a clear path to success.

Partnership with: The Idea Factory, Inc.

RayLign Foundation – patterns of behavior.

2009-02-08T10:23:00.009-05:00

(Click on illustration to see invitation.)

RayLign facilitates family decisions that establish effective leadership and decision-making processes that builds respect, communications and financial well-being.

For RayLign’s annual gathering, that promotes dialogue between parents and adult children, I branded the event by creating both an illustration and logo for the invitation that shows how family generations are connected through patterns of behavior.

Partnership with: aabalone[red]

Whitserve – igniting a creative spark.

2009-02-07T17:29:00.009-05:00

Whitserve re-thinks work applications by inventing friendly web-based tools for professional services. To leverage the company’s inventive and unique approach to problems, Gail Wiggin at aabalone[red], created the unexpected, a friendly creative spark. My job was to design the web site and gave the spark a place(s) to live. The other requirement was to show Whitserve’s actual patents within the site – no pop-up windows. (see “What have we done?” section)

www.whitserve.com

Partnership with:

aabalone[red]

Why a Design Consultant?

2009-01-28T21:10:00.001-05:00

It’s all about change.

Where there was product and company loyalty, now there is none. Where there were large demographic groups, now there are many micro groups. Standard communication paths to employees, customers, and prospects have been replaced by multiple paths.

Businesses are being subjected to revolutionary pressures and issues seldom dealt with in the past. Corporate downsizing has shifted the workforce. Cellular and internet technology is shifting the work environment. A better educated audience has shifted the markets.

In this ever-shifting business environment, you must find new and flexible connection points with your audiences – connection points that overcome the visible and invisible barriers created by culture, locations, and technology. Only a visual dialogue between you and your customers can bridge this change.

Only dialogue that is effective and efficient gets results.

What do designers do?

2009-01-28T21:08:00.004-05:00

As designers we are cultural generalists, understanding the barriers and bridges between clients and their audiences. We find common connection points in written and visual languages that allow for a visual dialogue to exist and flourish.

Dialogue is based on a need to formulate and communicate a clear message. A message that is clear is based on three principles. Integrity – honesty to a set of values and an audience. Purpose – courage to attain announced goals. Passion – a devotion to an aim or cause. These principles are the foundation to effective communications. How they are combined and emphasized determines the intellectual and emotional intimacy of the message.

By managing this process, we combine your message and budget goals with your audience’s expectations, creating a unique visual voice that is heard over the noise of the competition and culture.

Finding my inner NASCAR!

2009-01-06T19:11:00.020-05:00

So sometimes it's fun and rewarding to push outside ones own comfort zone - in 2008, using the NASCAR theme was my design push.

To promote a healthy lifestyle through the use of health assessments and checkups to a business population comprised largely of healthy, thirty-something aged men, we tapped into the NASCAR attitude and image.

Partnership with:

The Idea Factory Inc.

FORE-SIGHT Logo

2009-01-06T15:02:00.012-05:00

FORE-SIGHT is CASMED's Cerebral Oximeter. It's the world's first non-invasive monitor that measures a patient's brain oxygenation during complex surgery.

The FORE-SIGHT monitor works by projecting harmless near-infrared light through the scalp and skull and into the brain.

Partnership with

The Idea Factory

CASMED - For what's vital

2009-01-06T14:25:00.011-05:00

CASMED is a leading developer of innovative, non-invasive vital sign monitoring technologies and products that deliver accurate, reliable patient data.

The search and development of the CASMED identity focused on building a brand that was modern, stable and suggested what their business was about - vital sign monitoring.

www.casmed.com

Partnership with:

The Idea Factory

Premise - software for the healthcare industry

2009-01-03T14:09:00.001-05:00

The most important gauge in the success of a hospital is how a patient is admitted, treated and released. Premise provides decision support software tools to the healthcare industry in the area of capacity management.

Partnership with:

The Idea Factory

Celera Genomics - deciphering the human DNA

2009-01-02T18:08:00.006-05:00

Some projects come with schedules that makes you clarify the objectives! Celera was named and designed in just 13 weeks, with the final logo design being picked by the great Craig Venter himself, the decoder of the human genome! He did not pick from the proposed designs but from the rough sketches - the least conventional solution! The final logo design combined the human element with a confident wordmark.

Partnership with:

Tony Spaeth

Orbital - a Rocket & Satellite Communications Business

2009-01-01T18:24:00.001-05:00

There are many times in the design business that best or most unique ideas are not implemented - for whatever reason. Orbital is such an example - drawn on a airline napkin, flying home from the final design presentation!

Try as we might, the client had their hearts set on a swish and so the positive/negative globe was not to be. Still love the mark though!

Partnership with:

Tony Spaeth

Footstar - a Wall Street Brand

2009-01-01T17:59:00.008-05:00

Foorstar was the parent company of Footaction & Kmart's shoe operations. The goal for this mark was for it to be straight forward with no icons, or embellishments - in it's simplicity the Footstar mark showed confidence and strength.

Partnership with:

Tony Spaeth

Shakespeare on the Sound

2008-12-10T13:40:00.009-05:00

Developing marketing materials for this regional theater that includes: poster, mailers, web consulting and advertising.

Expressive Typography

2008-12-08T17:49:00.009-05:00

(Click on poster to see more.)

A series of posters for the CIO office of IBM highlighting how e-business was changing IBM.

Partnership with:

Brent Hood, Tangent Design

Bob Devol, Writer

Essextec

2008-12-08T17:30:00.014-05:00

Created a brand for this IBM software/hardware reseller company that included: identity, print material, trade show booths, web site and sale presentations.

Outward Bound

2008-12-08T17:00:00.011-05:00

The challenge was to re-brand the organization from both a strategic and functional purpose. The original logo was difficult to use and was often replace by a type solution. Also, the original identity did not allow for a clear visual representation of Outward Bound’s 5 core programs.

By developing a new logo and signature system that was built around a simplified compass symbol, each core division could stand on its own while building on the Outward Bound mission.

In 2008, the Outward Bound identity was highlighted in Jeff Fisher's "Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands."

In 2006 the Outward Bound identity also won a Merit Award from ReBranding 100 for myself, Tony Spaeth and Margaret Miller, Director of Marketing & PR Outward Bound.

Partnership with:

Tony Spaeth, Corporate Identity Consultant

IBM PC Company

2008-12-08T16:45:00.001-05:00

Proposed advanced interface designs, created package designs and developed several versions of the Access ThinkPad interface currently on the iSeries ThinkPads, IntelliStations, and NetVistas.

Partnership with:

Brent Hood, Tangent Design

Design Philosophy

2008-12-08T16:30:00.001-05:00

My objective is to create a uniquely clear and direct visual voice that is heard over the noise of competition and culture. My creativity is sparked by the challenge of making visual sense of complex information and discovering the core ideas of a business issue. I believe that it is the open collaboration with clients that make a project successful and exciting.

The ability to create a visual dialogue of sufficient power to accomplish objectives requires the design team and client to adhere to a specific set of principals: a clear purpose, integrity of message, and a passion for their deliverable. By managing the intricacies of this delicate creative and financial process, with the client, I can express the intellectual and emotional intimacy of the message.

The majority of my projects fall into 3 major categories:

• Corporate Identity and Branding

• Internet and Intranet Design

•  Interface and Information Design

Small Steps

2008-12-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have started out on a new adventure to leave my passive nature behind and embrace a more dynamic life.