Logo Design for QCS Electrical by Ellis Creative

Posted in: Blog, Logo design by Dan on June 30, 2010 | 5 Comments

It’s been a while since i posted any recent work up here – I know, I have been slack, but I have been sucked into the world of Twitter, and all the amazing material that people post! Which brings me to this post.

I am throwing open the doors here for your thoughts and opinions on a logo design I am in the process of doing for a new startup company called QCS Electrical, which will be based in suburban Melbourne. The company is a start-up business that don’t want to give the impression that they are small, and want to present a clean, professional logo, that will allow them to target professional clients, as opposed to appealing to a budget market.

So – what are your thoughts?

Benalla Trust Foundation trust Ellis Creative with their event promotion!

Posted in: Blog, Graphic Design, Portfolio by Dan on May 13, 2010 | No Comments

Benalla Trust Foundation approached me to design some marketing material for their upcoming themed events. The events were their Annual Black and White Ball, a Wine and Cocktail Party, and the New Year’s Eve Party.

Each event would need designed Tickets, Posters and Save the Date cards. After lots of proofs and brainstorming, the board decided to go with a simple scheme across all aspects of the job.
The design is simple, using a catching image, and works both individually, as well as part of a larger project.

Photography and Art Direction

Posted in: Photography, Portfolio by Dan on April 14, 2010 | No Comments

As a designer, I have a keen interest in photography, and have been lucky enough to participate in, and shoot a number of projects myself. This project is perhaps my favourite, as it was organised on a shoestring budget, using workmates, friends, and friends of friends. The shoot took approximately five hours, and was taken in Pakenham, Victoria, at some display homes were were lucky enough to get into. There was a lot of preparation involved, and I had a scrapbook of what I wanted each shot to look like. Of course, things never go according to plan, and we didn’t get as many outside shots as I had hoped for, as the heavens opened up for most of the time we were out there, but, thanks to a great photographer (Alan Mitchell Photography), good props, and great people, the results were much better than we imagined. Have a look for yourself.

The Boost Mobeel

Posted in: Logo design, Portfolio by Dan on | No Comments

The Client: Boost Juicebars

Project Description: This vehicle design was created back when I was still a baby in my design career, and Boost was nothing like the giant it is today.

The graphics were simple, a few strawberries and their logo and contact details on the front, back and sides, and it was off to the printers, and the job was finished in fairly short order. I keep this one in the folio because – well it’s Boost!

I have done plenty of car graphics, so give me a call if you’d like to spruce up your fleet, it’s great free advertising when you are out and about!

First National Real Estate rebrand

Posted in: Featured, Logo design, Portfolio by Dan on April 5, 2010 | No Comments

The Client: First National Real Estate

Project Description: One of my most recent projects was the design and development of the new corporate logo and identity for First National Real Estate – one of Australia’s largest real estate agencies. The new corporate look was designed to work in all forms of media, as well as all of the real estate associated products. Market research had shown that the old First National logo was dated in the eyes of the public, and no longer portrayed the image of a successful cutting edge real estate agency. The new corporate identity is cleaner, and presents as slick and professional. The rollout consisted of the planning and logistics involved with painting out the 600+ offices in Australia and New Zealand, the updating of logos on all print and online media, as well as updating all existing material.

Client Testimonial: “Dan – you and your team have done a fantastic job with the new look and coordinating the roll out. Well done.” Deanne Lamprey – National Board Member for Tasmania

From Freo to Portsea book design

Posted in: Logo design, Portfolio by Dan on May 27, 2009 | No Comments

The Client: Ray Ellis

Project Description: The book design below is still a work in progress. This is a personal project of Ray Ellis – the former CEO of the Melbourne Football Club, and details the journey his life has taken. I had an open slate regarding a design, which is rare, and to be taken full advantage of! I decided to make the design as simple as possible, which gives the photos and the text a chance to tell their story, without being complicated by the design. The simple white layout and the structure of the book enhance the readability of the book – and at 324 pages and counting, you will need some stamina!

Barmah Caravan Park business card design

Posted in: Logo design, Portfolio by Dan on April 17, 2009 | No Comments

The Client: Barmah Caravan Park

Project Description: I was commissioned to create some new contemporary business cards that depicted the nature of the park. The park is situated on the Murray River, and patrons are constantly angling for the famed Murray Cod, and the business cards reflect this.

Superagent web game

Posted in: Blog, Portfolio, Web Design, Web Design by Dan on | No Comments

The Client: First National Real Estate

Project Description: This project started out as quite a daunting prospect. In order to drive traffic to the First National Real Estate site, and it’s individual satellite offices, a public web campaign involving a simple flash based game was developed. Details were published on all the First National sites, banners were bought and featured on realestate.com, and newspaper adverts were taken out to promote the game,  and an interactive design agency (Nectarine – FYI, and they did an amazing job!) were hired to build the game. The network had had previous success in promoting their services with a mascot of a little red man who was constantly running ahead of the competition – their superagent, and it was decided that the game would revolve around this concept.

As the National Design Manager for the group, it was my job to make sure the game was user friendly, addictive, and fun, as it was hoped that the game would spread virally. The look and feel of the game evolved from being something that conformed with the Networks current style (a little old fashioned), to something that was totally new and engaging. This turned out to be a highly successful campaign for the Network, achieving it’s goals of driving traffic and leads to its offices, as well as raising awareness of the group to the general public.

Have a look at the game here, and let me know what you think. See if you can beat the high score by someone called the Riddler, I have been trying for ages…..in fact, it’s nearly time for another go – damn you riddlerrrrrr!!!

Catherine Elizabeth Jewellery business cards

Posted in: Logo design, Photography, Portfolio by Dan on April 2, 2009 | No Comments

The Client: Catherine Elizabeth Jewelery

Project Description: The client is a small work from home start up business. Her jewelery is handcrafted from high quality materials which differentiates her from her local competitors, who use cheaper products. The jewelery is primarily costume and her target are fashion conscious women of all ages.

Client Testimonial: “All I can say is wow!! I am so proud of my cards, and my customers just love them!”  – Catherine Squires.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming website!

Greening Australia – Native Plants booklet design

Posted in: Logo design, Portfolio by Dan on March 28, 2009 | No Comments

The Client: Greening Australia in conjunction with First National Real Estate Project Description: In part of a campaign to promote national awareness of environmental issues, Greening Australia joined forces with First National Real Estate to produce Energy Efficiency kits that would be distributed to all the Networks offices, and in turn to vendors. This booklet, which promotes the use of native vegetation, was a small part of the kit. This 52 page booklet is eyecatching, with the use of the bright kangaroo paw image on the cover, and it’s simple to follow tips and advice are easy to follow.