They needed a name. A name that inspired. Made you want to join a movement. A brand to go with it would be bonus. Through our conscientious dialogue of asking, listening, and asking some more, we found “it” for the Portland-based nonprofit’s founder Sean Patrick. Orangutan Swing works. Original post at Design Kompany, “How Million Monarchs got its name” 

A nightclub look for a dog day care? That’s a zag. Here’s how we sketched our way to the super silhouetted brand scheme for Barka Lounge. Different touch points, different approaches. Same concept. Barka Lounge: where dogs hang out. Original post at DesignKompany.com, “Nightclub look for Portland dog day care.”

Nothing says, “Pick now,” than a stack of dollar bills. “Your task is to rank these,” we say to clients oscillating over 200 or so words. “Slash to 5.” In this picture, Dave Eva and DK spread tiny slips of paper with printed words on a table at Victrola’s coffee shop a few steps from our shared Seattle office building. It took less than 10 minutes for Dave to pin the core of A1A’s brand essence. Getting to the creative brief is the hard part, after that, the design makes itself. “I am really pleased with the work the three of us did,” Dave wrote us later. “The logo is a perfect fit for our company.” Original post at DesignKompany.com, “DK brands a Northwest orthopaedic sales company.”

The rebrand for Matchbox Mobile was our hottest gig. We had to do a virtual version of our homemade Orangutan Swing method to dive into good conversation, because two thirds of the team was in Brighton, UK. It was fantastic to get to know them bit by bit. And hear them arrive at their own brand essence, and core identity. We found the name, and the rest was ablaze. “Setting your mobile vision alight” is Seattle and Brighton, UK-based Matchbox Mobile. Smart, wonderful people. We miss them :) Originally posted at <a ref=”http://www.design-kompany.com/work-done/1732/”>Design Kompany rebrands U.K./Seattle mobile software developers</a>

Aimee Gallo’s mood board collage was bright. Vivid. Juicy. Colors of liveliness. “Vibrance” was a really great name. It fit. Aimee (pictured above right) had done some good thinking about the tone, message, and audience of Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness. Through our conversations, Orangutan Swing style, we all started just talking. About what mattered. What she cared about. Her energy was contagious. Design? That was the easy part. With our art direction, our intern Angela Tomson (left), drew this logo.

Had to hint at the eclectic mix that makes up the gay, hipster, urban neighborhood of Seattle known as Capitol Hill. Round at the edges, but still smartly dressed. We had a couple of meetings with the team of people who “had to do this.” It was a nonprofit. They reported to a board. It started slow, but picked up momentum.

People started to see that design can drive strategy. Usually, that’s what our homebrewed Orangutan Swing method does. Drawing out their innermost ideas on what the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce could be really worked. Swells of excitement at the meeting with the mood board. Different people come together, and share their big-picture ideas. What makes a brand work is finding the overlap between what everyone really cares about and giving that a visual voice. Originally posted in 2007: “Design Kompany rebrands the Capitol Hill Chamber.”