Graphic Vendor Design Studio Blog | Santa Barbara

Ok. So triangles are big lately. I get it.

I also happen to like triangles (though I’m more of a Bucky Fuller oriented triangle nerd).

I am also admittedly insecure about jumping on-board with something that may be passé shortly (once the hipster kitsch triangle binge is over).

But whatever.  I’m not going to sit here and pretend I don’t think they’re awesome.

So here is me messing around with some imagery for several reasons.  Enjoy.  Or don’t.

Our latest web/identity (cards, logo, sign etc) project, the HAMLET Inn – is the newest in a family of boutique motel makeovers (see here and here)  that I’ve been involved in.  Big thanks to Chris Sewell, (who I have worked/collaborated with for over 4 years now) for bringing me into the planning and scheming for another exciting project.  Chris, and his ever style and design-savvy wife, Kenny, have great taste and great energy – and are always great to work with.

The HAMLET itself now boasts bocce ball court, sleek danish furniture, a schwanky little gazebo with loungers, and an abundance of other awesome & thoughtful amenities.

The new website, which we launched today,  was quickly designed (due to some external circumstances) but still came out very nice – and is in keeping with the whole ‘less is more‘ minimalist theme.  Actually reminds me of a recent piece in the Oatmeal.

Thanks also to Nancy Niel for her great photography and artful eye, Yani and Anthony (owners) and Jesse Keenan who has been a sounding-board for Chris and Kenny over the years.

And of course, big thanks to Raj Ojha, who handles all the ‘smart stuff’ with GV websites (aka: converting everything into nice, clean, compliant code).

Looking forward to what comes next.

Well this is awesome. Our longtime clients (and good friends) at The Presidio just got themselves featured in Sunset.com’s ‘Top 10 Cultural Trends Shaping the West‘. This is, of course, not *new* news here at GV headquarters (they’ve been doing it right for years), but always nice to see them getting some good PR.   Also happy to see the logo & sign design we did for them made the cut for the photo.

Congrats on the mention guys.

Now that the new HAMLET logo has been selected, we’ve started the process of tuning-in the rest of the identity.

We came up with the above (rough) concept sketch for the new sign and immediate surrounds. Something for Chris & Kenny to run by the Solvang ARB, and universe-willing, have approved.  The idea is to change the feel of the sign without changing it so radically as to get the city angry.  Also important is keeping things affordable for it’s construction/implementation.  So we’ve proposed building out the brick wall to create a more simple, straight line appearance, and added some simple blue/green/lavender foliage to help the sign colors stand out.

I sent a link to the above animated .gif to Chris last night. His response below.

To hell with testimonials.. I like gut reactions.

The first phase of the HAMLET identity is almost complete. Our [awesome] clients and friends, Chris Sewell & Kenny Osehan, who we’ve worked with to develop the Presidio and the Agave identities, have all but decided on this last round of narrowed down logo options. The HAMLET, unlike the other Santa Barbara botique motels, is in Solvang, and in a very (VERY) heavily Danish neighborhood.  So we’re striving to find a nice balance between Solvang (Danish) kitsch, americana, and modern/minimalism. I think we’ve got a pretty good start.

We got the great news this morning that one of our clients, SBNation has raised an additional 10.5M in funding and acquired SportsRadioInterviews.  More on that here.  And here.

It’s good to see ‘good guys’ kicking some ass.

Congratulations guys.  It’s well-deserved.  Onward.

We’re gearing up to start cracking on the block here with cool design examples, stuff we make for fun and commentary on everything from social media douchbaggery to architecture.  We’re also very aware that this blog template needs some considerable tweaking.