Graphic Design Archives - Pam Winters Studio

Custom Logo: Rebel Rebel Hair Salon

Creative collaborations always inspire and teach me things, and ones that allow me to employ my graphic design skills in the way of custom logo work are particularly satisfying. It’s rewarding to work with small business owners to take an idea to the next level and do something fun and unexpected. Last year, my go-to hair stylist, Miste Hart, was planning the expansion and relocation of her successful hair salon, Rebel Rebel, to a larger, renovated space in Oceanside. Rebel Rebel is a salon with a distinct rock ‘n’ roll vibe that is playfully mixed with a sophisticated and modern aesthetic evident in the décor and various products for sale, as well as in the hair styling and treatments its customers enjoy. A short time before her move, Miste and I had discussed the possibility of working together on a project that would introduce some custom items to her shop—possibly something custom and for fun. Miste came up with the idea to have me rework the Rebel Rebel logo (just for this project) into one that mimicked the very well-known Iron Maiden logo, with its distinctively geometric slants, sharp corners and bright red letters with thick white outlines. Miste selected the items she wanted the special custom logo treatment to appear on, and this included black t-shirts, tank tops and beverage holders.

Once we finalized the logo and all related details, each custom item was printed in a limited production run and the final products made it to the salon in plenty of time for the grand reopening party. Friends, family and customers alike grabbed up the Iron Maiden-inspired pieces and they were gone not long after the special event. Rebel Rebel is not just a hair salon, but also a unique small business that values community and the celebration art, design and creativity in general.

Read about Miste’s experience working with me.

Business Branding: Winters Masonry, Inc.

By Pam Winters

Business branding is graphic design work that I am trained to do and enjoy working on immensely. Helping a business define or refine their branding is satisfying because a logo is often the first impression a business makes, even before clients/customers delve into its products and/or services. My earliest experience observing a small business at work centers on my parents’ business, Winters Masonry, Inc. My parents, Doug and Padie, started the business over three decades ago when my dad finished his professional training and licensing as a brick mason and masonry contractor, and they have gradually built something rooted in their strengths and skill sets. Every day, they work together to provide custom and commercial services focused on brick, block and stone.

Early on in the business, my mom came up with the letterhead suite. Bricks were a visually appealing way to showcase one of my dad’s specialties: things built out of bricks (e.g., walls and fireplaces). Two rows of red bricks stacked on one another stretched across the business card, etc., with the words “Winters Masonry” floating in a thick black font just above. In recent years, it became evident that the branding could benefit from an update. A skilled graphic designer by that time, I came up with a logo mark that would tie in with the two rows of bricks and become the symbol of the stable business my parents have built over time. A trowel is one of the main tools I associate with the work my dad does. I did many sketches and ended up stacking and adjusting the W and M (i.e., the first letters in “Winters” and “Masonry,” respectively) in such a way that a trowel silhouette appeared within the negative space between the letters. My parents were very happy the new business branding managed to be more contemporary and representative of the business without losing the original visual statement.

Pineapple Expression

By Pam Winters

Pineapples have been dancing through our minds and hearts in recent years. Based on this trend, I had pineapples on the brain when I met with some coworkers for a craft night. Before long, while chatting with my friends, I found myself sketching a pineapple, and then began hand carving a stamp using the supplies I had with me. As we wrapped up for the evening, sharing our projects with one another, I tested out the pineapple stamp on a piece of scrap paper. Not bad, I thought. Someone suggested the possibility of making pineapple gift wrap with the stamp, so I decided then and there that was exactly what I would do! I mean, even at the height of the pineapple’s popularity, it’s not every day you see pineapple gift wrap, right?

I came home that night, and stamped it again using darker ink. I could see my pineapple vision taking shape. Within the next day or two, I got the image carved the way I wanted, and that’s when the process of surface pattern experimentation really began for me. The pineapple looked good stamped on its own, but it needed something—a bit of color to fill it in. I started with colored pencils, making a few cards for friends that way, before gradually expanding my reach to other tools, including the Silhouette CAMEO and special stamp material for the CAMEO to cut. I now had shapes I could stamp first for the color portions of the pineapple, with the pineapple stamp being layered in a darker (chocolate) color on top. This was happening!

There is something unmistakably special about handmade gift wrap, but it’s also quite a challenge. Encouraged to keep going, I decided it was time to take my art to the professionals for the production side of things. So, I digitally traced a scan of the stamped pineapple image in Adobe Illustrator, for the purpose of creating a pattern to upload to Spoonflower’s website. Soon, my first roll of custom gift wrap made with the pineapple pattern arrived in the mail, and it was literally just what I had imagined!

It’s fun to look back and see how this project unfolded, one bit of inspiration at a time. How many things inspire us every day that we could potentially turn into something we only dream of right now? Please take a moment to let me know what’s inspiring YOU these days in the comments section!

Graphic Design: Easter Event at the Red Door

By Pam Winters

Ads and Signage for a Festive Easter Event

The project pictured here was done for a special seasonal event at the Red Door, located in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The Red Door is known for its original seasonal menus based on fresh, local, organic and sustainable ingredients, as well as for offering a unique “casual fine dining” experience. This particular event was to be an all-natural Easter egg dyeing party for children, held at the restaurant and hosted by the Red Door’s chef, Karrie Hills. I met with Kelsey Doonan, the event coordinator, who gave me a rundown on event details, including the specific printed pieces needed. I was excited to start work on these promotional and event signage pieces, which were to coincide with the look and feel of the restaurant’s branding, but also bring to mind the playful fun of spring and egg dyeing, through colorful touches of pastels and watercolor effects.

Kelsey followed up with several digital inspiration boards full of spring party ideas, which helped steer me in the right direction, so that I could quickly create and find the perfect design elements to bring together. Most of the work was done on the computer, including digital brushes I used to create the watercolor effects on the signs. The final pieces were utilized in both print and digital format (e.g., for advertising the event at the restaurant, as well as online). The Red Door has a phenomenal staff, and one of the bonuses of working on this was getting to know many of the wonderful people involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. I was also fortunate enough to work with my sister, Stacey, on this project, as she was brought on to be the photographer for the event; the slideshow above gives a glimpse of the beautiful job she did of capturing the day.

Read about Kelsey’s experience working with me.

Program: Kaslin & Andrew Wedding

By Pam Winters

Custom Logo: Rebel Rebel Hair Salon

Business Branding: Winters Masonry, Inc.

Pineapple Expression

Graphic Design: Easter Event at the Red Door

Ads and Signage for a Festive Easter Event

Program: Kaslin & Andrew Wedding

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