ventures in identity design
what’re yooo lookin’ at?
a logo is the foundation of all a company represents.
identity is everything made which displays that logo.
a brand is assets and actions which shape the perception of a company.
midcity zen center / new orleans / 2020
⊕ designed logo in early 2020.
⊕ when one walks into midcity zen center, the first thing one sees on the wall ahead is a large print of japanese calligraphy for the word “compassion.” wonderful.
⊕ the first iteration of the new logo was a two-week process. the covid pandemic hit before we could print anything you see. in late 2021, i revisited the logo and gently modified the fonts and angling the bamboo to give a better sense of flexibility, of no straight or obvious path. in zen, this is a foundational way of being.
typewriter.works /// technofascist free analog ART machines ///
2020-2024
⊕ typewriter.works is centered around the selling of customized typewriters with an edge, largely to gen-Z customers. the vintage communication devices become “technofascist free analog art machines.” these are not ‘writers for the masses. they are typewriters for the few.
⊕ typewriter.works is the home of the TECHNOFASCIST ELIMINATION MOVEMENT. what is that, exactly? CHECK IT OUT HERE!
logos / nationwide / 2001-2024
⊕ here are a mere few of the hundred or so logos i’ve created in the past 21 years. a few were quick designs on tight budgets (o’malley’s). others, months-long processes where creating a strong and relevant brand was imperative (phoenix typewriter, bikerMetric).
⊕ some of the logos you see on this page were 2-4 years in the making.
coffee before pants, a fun two-week t-shirt and sticker design project. same with phoenix typewriter.
⊕ the CruiserCustomizing logo you see here is the 2nd design. the first had a swoosh around the bike, like the capital one logo. this was a trendy thing in 2001 and i advised against it.
the owners agreed a year later and i made the update you see above. though the site has changed ownership, the same logo is being used 20 years later.
⊕ bikerMetric’s logo changed especially over the years, as you can see from the image next depicting first and final versions.
⊕ the design of a logo will simplify over time.
typewriter revolution / cincinnati / 2024
⊕ identity, website and product design for the godfather of the typewriter revolution, mister doctor professor richard polt.
⊕ the typewriter revolution website was an intense and satisfying design and development job. working to unite richard’s three sites (one to sell books, a blogger page and the 1995-era classic typewriter page) into one cohesive location with appropriate branding was challenging but rewarding.
⊕ here is the typewriter revolution logoset, built upon the foundational element of a typewriter ribbon.
⊕ the globe design has wings which pay homage to the “flying oliver,” the classic typewriter page’s “logo” from 1995, where richard took the famous oliver no. 9 typewriter and stuck hummingbird wings on the sides.
⊕ the original flying oliver was a mere 150 pixels wide so richard sent a high quality photo of the same typewriter which i then began to modify into the “flying oliver v.2024.” below you see a few of the numerous versions created before we settled on the image above.
dr.trentreker / everywhere man /
1998-2024
⊕ before there was a trentreker.com, there was ideografix.com. from 1998 until 2017, ideografix was my designer name. it was a nifty one-word url and probably worth a summer’s beer money, but i simply let it go, incorporated and segued to my name in both url and ein.
be your own brand, right?
⊕ above is the logo created at the end of 2019, consisting of the paintbrushed T and R with three rays above (painted red circle added in 2021). here you find the chinese symbols li (radiance) and chen (shake) added, which i used for various print and web applications. short of intricate dissertations on image and brand, the short of a long story is these symbols are tattooed on my neck since 1999.
⊕ at the time of this change from ideo to trentreker, i had been teaching zen to prisoners in louisiana three hours every week for a year and had been sitting (aka meditating) daily for five years and 2000 hours. the chinese lettering and japanese sun were homage to the philosophy which began as chan in china and migrated to japan to become the mahayana buddhist school we know as zen.
⊕ beginning 2024 it seemed greater simplification called. in keeping with the painted sun image and the combined T and R, i modified a font named japanese robot (ha!) using affinity designer, rounding all the pointy edges.
⊕ the clouds and waves backgrounds used throughout this site are also a zen metaphor denoting the transience of all things and simultaneously illustrating my “STOP KNOWING” mantra from the homepage.
⊕ finally, the bizcard. soon to be printed and showcased here, the shape of the card includes three layers of fine cotton paper with a thick gold middle layer. the top has the shapes of li and chen cut to reveal the gold underneath (which also appears around the edges). on the back is a QR code which leads to this website. beauty and simplicity with directed purpose.
if buddha held one up, maybe mahākāśyapa would smile.
beachside hostel / waikiki / 2005
⊕ ever have an unexpected adventure? sweet! we had one from november, 2004 until july, 2005. though poor, we were in paradise. the adventure culminated when i found a great gig creating new identity, airport flyers, t-shirts and a website for beachside hostel, in april, 2005.
we’d actually been living in a “private” room (shared kitchen & bath with one other in another room) for a few months when the design contract was finalized.
⊕ if you’ve ever flown into honolulu, you’ve seen the display shelves holding dozens of flyers and pamphlets for services ranging from hotels to tours. the flyer design was a big deal as it seems hostel travelers don’t book in advance. fascinating. therefore, the flyers had to grab eyeballs in a sea of bright and awesome.
beachside flyers were gonna be awesomer.
⊕ six weeks later, what you see here and much more was created. i wanted images that were not prosaic and insignificant. started by offering a buxom hula girl logo. yes! uh, no. a backpack? yawning with obviousness. surfboards? seems kids from scotland and austria don’t surf. go figure.
we settled on coconut palm & sea waves. other logos would be used on the website and painted around the facility.
the hostel’s identity needed to stand out. i was still rooting for buxom hula girl but the place is named “beachside.”
⊕ management was cool with a worn retro feel to the logo as long as it wasn’t too grungy. “let’s do a subtle offset,” i requested. bingo!
a glitzy logo was created with photoshop. the black & white version was easy to retrofy, but in a series of trips to the front desk copy machine to get prints in “color” and black & white, i then scanned the “best” copies and layered them onto the shiny photoshop thing i’d made. the logo took almost three weeks.
now you can just click a few times and get what you see here in minutes. but it was old school. i hadn’t done that kind of thing in years. it was fun.
⊕ flush with cash, my girl and i flew back to the states and decided to return to new orleans. it was the end of june, 2005. remember the summer of 2005? there was this thing called katrina. we didn’t leave. we were there.
the unexpected adventures never stop.
sweet.
⊕ unfortunately, beachside has closed. seems the covid pandemic took another unique and independent business.
one less place for adventure.
orlena, the owner/manager, was a pleasure to work with. it’s easy to tell you beachside hostel is the best client i’ve ever had. it was a blessing to have the opportunity to create for them. here’s hoping all turns out well for the folks who owned and ran it.
dharmapocalyptruck / a dr.trentreker world domination specialist chick magnet production / 2021
⊕ who likes old beater muscle trucks? YOU like old beater muscle trucks!
⊕ no computers in this growling world domination machine. first gear is way too low but overdrive’ll do 100.
⊕ the dharmapocalyptruck logo is a subtle take on the vintage ’60s & ’70s dodge charger R/T grille ornament.
⊕ dharmapocalyptruck (aka: the buddhadude) is a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.
⊕ she’s probably not safe. which is likely why chicks smile and flirt when i’m driving around. chicks who like freedom. chicks who like dangerous men.
⊕ gotta stay away from those kinda chicks.
yellow / what is it? / 2006-2021
⊕ yellow is a young duck trying to find himself. or herself. or theyself. thyself? self!
⊕ zen teaches self doesn’t exist outside our ego-driven concepts separating every thing. with tears laughing as i stomped ten thousand blades of grass surrounded by razorwire i discovered what no self means. this cannot be taught. it can only be realized. look at me. pointing. how impolite.
⊕ yellow understands the fundamental reality of every thing. seeing and hearing but never speaking. is yellow pointing to the truth of self?
⊕ ball gag. it’s a metaphor. the story of yellow, an allegory for you, sentient working class human being. the allegory of yellow, a young duck looking to realize the kind of truth one cannot convey by mere words.
worldomination.org / foundation to lighten up
and help each other / 2022-24
⊕ meet professor of quantum physics and neurosurgified fetus litigation, gonzo zen master anne la monde-le-veut, CEO of the WORLDOMINATION™ foundation to lighten up and help each other.
⊕ she’s an intrepid pipe smoking antifa rock bass player astronaut pirate and world record holder of most cheese eaten with a pitchfork, then gargled.
⊕ professor-master la monde-le-veut is four-time WORLDOMINATION 5000 beaters-only dirt road endurance race champion. she beat the world while delivering life-saving nutrition to hurting people throughout the race wearing only a thong, knee-high leather equestrian boots and a pipe.
⊕ she’s the world’s only amazon musk manufacturer. do you know which species of howler monkey possesses the sphincter gland that comes from? anne does!
⊕ professor-master la monde-le-veut buys typewriters, has no mustache and never talks to the police. she’s why unlimited power and control dreams come true! GO ANNE! the world wants what you’ve got!
⊕ send WORLDOMINATION™ one BILLION dollars and see what we can do for all beings. let’s lighten up and help each other. we’re asking nicely.
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