Experience Matters

“Logos are the poetry of graphic design.”

Logo design is what first attracted me to the business of commercial art. A logo distills the essence of a business, an organization, or an idea into a single, enduring symbol. Every successful brand begins with understanding what makes it unique, then expressing its identity with clarity, simplicity, and purpose. That belief continues to guide my work.

Since founding Crawshaw Design in 1975, I, along with my partner, Helene, have developed more than 300 corporate identity and branding programs for organizations ranging from entrepreneurial businesses to nationally recognized corporations. While the tools have evolved—from drafting tables and mechanical art to today’s digital tools and artificial intelligence—the principles behind effective communication have remained remarkably consistent. Good design begins with understanding.

Building Brands

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of developing corporate identities and branding programs for clients ranging from individual proprietorships to major companies and institutions in a variety of industries. Among the branding programs I am especially proud of are Ben C. Gerwick / COWI; San Francisco Cuisine; Heritage Systems, Inc.; Hilton Waikoloa Village; La Quinta Resort & Club; the Grand Ole Opry (with MFP Consulting); and First Tennessee Bank / First Horizon (with MFP Consulting).

Every engagement has been different. Every client has had a unique story worth telling.

The Foundations

Before founding Crawshaw Design, I was a senior designer at The Studio in San Francisco, where I worked on accounts including Spice Islands, Creative World Travel, and United Vintners.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, I studied at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Those disciplines may seem unrelated. To me, they have always belonged together. Design is about people. Understanding people is where every successful design begins.

A Parable

My mentor and first employer, Doug Akagi, told me an amusing parable when I was learning the design trade. It went something like this:

An artist is commissioned to paint a particular subject for a client. Weeks pass, yet each time the client visits the studio, the canvas remains blank. Frustrated, the client demands either the finished artwork or his advance payment returned. The artist calmly picks up his paint palette and brush, completing a beautiful painting very quickly. The client is appalled, at a loss for words. The artist
asks, ‘Don’t you like the results?’ Taken aback, the client says, ‘It’s marvelous. That’s not the point. The point is, why should I pay you the full amount for something you created in less than a minute?’ The artist replies, ‘Actually, it took me years to create.’

It took me years to fully appreciate that parable. Clients are not investing in the amount of time it takes to create a particular project. They are investing in the designer’s judgment, experience, andability to produce the best possible results. Experience matters.