Shape, form, contrast, color – nature has it all worked out.

I have always been inspired by the vintage Ocean Pacific (OP) surf shirts of the 1980’s. They have the greatest color palates.

The inspiration for these shirts’ designs and colors were beautiful San Diego sunsets.

The third week of this past January in Southern California there were some massive rainstorms followed by some incredible sunsets.

I was lucky enough to be in SoCal and took several great shots of the storms and their aftermath.

Taking these pictures reminded me of the vintage OP shirts. It also reminded me that inspiration is just outside my front door.

I thought it would be fun to do a side by side comparison of my own shirt collection and these photos.

January 12, 2010 – The Cove, La Jolla, CA

White Vintage OP Shirt, circa 1980’s

January 23, 2010 – From the Bridge Club, La Jolla, CA

Yellow Vintage OP Shirt, circa 1980’s

January 28, 2010 – At the end of Mission Blvd, Pacific Beach, CA

Blue Vintage OP Shirt, circa 1980’s

In 1998, as an intern, I was lucky enough to be encouraged to create my own business card (thank you David Griffin).

Later the same day, the words “Visual Rhythm” came to me while taking a shower.

The next morning I created mockup’s using Macromedia Freehand for my first card.

I saved that original sheet, see below:

circa 1998

The design I chose was the top right (red/black). A small run of those cards were printed. Sadly, today no more exist.

Three years later, Visual Rhythm went two sided. I also dropped the word ‘design’ from the front of the card.

circa 2001

A face-lift was needed. Inspired by colors from my fathers $.29 1960’s notebooks Visual Rhythm adopted the brown, blue and orange color palate it currently has.

The stripes also became “3D” and the underline of the title was dropped.

circa 2004

Business begins to grow, fast. Freelance becomes full time. Time to roll with the change. Let’s GO! Visual Rhythm finds inspiration in the ever popular brocade. The crowd cheers:

circa 2008

Maturity sinks in, everything becomes clear. Heck! Let’s take the name right off the front. My favorite card yet. Printed on 100% recycled content, 50% post-consumer waste, and processed on chlorine-free paper by greenerprinter.com.
I snack on one when I’m hungry.

January 2010

It’s really amazing to observe a brand evolve. This article by DKmar M. showcases a great collection of major brands and their transformations. I hate to admit it, but in 1975 Microsoft looked pretty fresh; I would totally rock a T-Shirt with the Microsoft Disco Font.

I am curious to further explore the topic on how updating ones logo directly responds with the growth of a business.

What did your business’s first logo look like? Do you miss any logo’s from the past? Which ones?

Please share your thoughts, experiences or questions by leaving a comment below.

The inn’s original logo was restored by Visual Rhythm using a relic of stationary.

Ahhh! Vermont is simply beautiful in the summer, make your reservations today and start dreaming of relaxation in your near future.

One of the most valuable uses of social media is the ability to give a voice to grass roots movements. Visual Rhythm continues to work closely with San Diego Seal Watch providing ongoing support for launching their email newsletter and donation campaigns. The story continues to unfold, under a national spotlight.

Currently we are working on Sara’s new business cards. They will be HOT.

Her testimonial below makes us blush.

Thankfully, Visual Rhythm and Dov’è Designs are a dynamic pair. In a matter of weeks, the Dov’è Design brand came to life.

Visitors to the website will experience Dov’è Designs through images of events and eloquent content.

In January 2009, On The Edge Personal Training Was born with a new logo and website.

Working with copywriter extraordinaire, John Harrison, OnTheEdgePersonalTraining.com has intrigued it’s visitors and boast an average visitor time of over three minutes (that’s a long time for a website).