Indie rock turning synth pop darlings Tegan and Sara’s new album cover versus my photograph shot in Mexico City in 2005, funnily entitled ‘Two Apart’:

Creativity rarely runs a linear path, most creatives have artistic passions outside of their profession. As for myself, I turned my photography into a professional side gig that I share with our clients at times, but my passion for music is strictly separated and I only let it surface to this level once a year as I reveal my yearly ‘best of’ compilation. Take a listen, I am sure there are many new sounds you may enjoy, including a remix of Depeche Mode by yours truly (as ‘Happiness Won‘ together with my music partner in crime). With this last post of the year, and a little glimpse into my other creative passions, I want to wish all of you happy holidays and a great start into 2013! Let’s make it a creative one!

When we first presented our proposed new identity design of Co-opportunity Natural Foods to Marketing Director Ricardo Chavira, he noted ‘this logo has legs.’ True to his predictions, we are thrilled to see that our design was painstakingly re-created for a video initiative using actual fruits and vegetables. If a logo has legs a brand can go a long way…

Over the past few months I have been back on Art Center College of Design’s campus in a role that was different from student, alumni or even adjunct professor. This time I was on the client’s side as I have connected Geyrhalter & Company’s client Goodwill of Orange County with Art Center’s amazing Design Matters Department handing the recently developed retail enhancement campaign over to five groups of talented students to take their lifestyle upcycle spin on it. You can now learn more about this creative collaboration on Art Center’s web site.

When tasked to create a brand identity for a new high-end chain of pet groomers, G&Co was thrilled.

Catering to cats as well as dogs while entering a highly saturated market of lowbrow vans polluting the streets of Los Angeles (visually as well as figuratively), we knew the brand identity needed to shake things up with a dash of unexpected color and a fun, memorable and unique name. And of course it had to be damn cute, without that grooming kitsch with which we are all too familiar. G&Co also crafted the tongue-in-cheek tag line ‘Happiness is a pampered pet‘

Be the first to meet YelloUmbrello. No, you can’t take it home…yet.

For a great lesson on how to immediately connect with your audience (and audiences captured via immediate viral spread), watch this video. I took it with my iPhone at the concert of the legendary band James at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles last night. In a strategy that became a staple of the band’s entrance to their own concerts, the lead singer, sometimes accompanied by the band, starts the show in midst of the crowd (Figure A), slowly making his way onto the stage (Figure B, for your convenience), connecting with the non-die-hard fans in the back of the room, hence winning over the entire audience within the first 2 minutes of the show. More »

6 years ago Mike ‘Mouse’ McCoy approached us to create the brand identity for his production studio start up. Mouse had a very clear vision, and it was different from what Hollywood usually seeked from our firm. From day one Bandito Brothers was conceptualized to steer things up and not only to want to be different, but to actually do things differently. More »

This is in a reply to a twitter comment by @jwojchi about my compliments to Landor for their recent re-branding effort for DC Comics.

Great branding firms do not create for the past, they also just keep the present in mind when designing for the future.

Change is hard to give into, especially when it intrudes an era of historic connections with die-hard fans, but there is a larger chance that Landor’s work will in fact do what it promises to deliver, which is to turn DC Comics’ objectives into a lively, current and adjustable brand platform that is weathered for changes within DC Comics that outside spectators, like myself, can not be aware of. More »

Geyrhalter & Co. has an ideal location on Main Street in Santa Monica. It’s close to the ocean which makes for a perfect lunch hour. Walk two sunny blocks to the beach, take your shoes off, and eat your lunch. A true “sandwich,” as it were.

The lunch choices in our neighborhood are plentiful. Within a few-block radius we can choose omusubi or seitan and pico de gallo or pancakes. But with too many choices comes indecision. More »

9/11/11 is past us, and I am sure we are all a bit relieved as it is not a joyful day in any means, and it comes with many hurtful memories atop of fears of repeat attacks. When flipping through the great New York Times memorial issue, I paused to reflect on the way brands chose to walk the very delicate line of mixing honest sympathy with a hint of marketing message – all the way to a blunt in-your-face sales message hidden inside the memorial post. Here is a selection of the ones that grabbed my attention the most:

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