We recently designed a new website for Astro Industries in West Monroe, LA.  Astro Industries (formerly Bayou Plastics) specializes in recycling various forms of plastic waste.  They had an existing website that was a bit outdated, so we designed a completely new site with improved navigation and a much cleaner and more modern look.  Check out the screenshots of the comparison below!

Old

New

We’ve been working with NewRockIT to develop a completely new website for Christ Church in West Monroe, LA.  Their old website was slow, inefficient, and lacking some key functionality that they desired.  The new site design is much more scalable for future additions, and includes new functionality such as watching archived sermons and online giving.  Got a minute? Head on over to ChristChurchWM.org and tell us what you think, and give the guys at NewRockIT a shout out too!

We recently designed and printed large format signage for The Pentecostals of the Twin Cities in West Monroe, LA.  They wanted to advertise their yearly theme “Elevate 2011″.  We also designed other promotional materials to correspond with their marketing campaign.  Check out a shot of the final product below!

We’ve mentioned before that we host a Line Quality Test for pingtest.net.  Ookla, the company behind pingtest.net and speedtest.net specializes in broadband speed testing and web-based network diagnostic applications.

We’re proud to say that we host roughly 3,500 line quality tests for Ookla each and every month.  That’s a lot of tests!  So if you’re in northeast Louisiana or surrounding area, head on over to pingtest.net and check the quality of your broadband connection against our server!

While we mainly focus on web design and graphic design, we also have our hands in marketing, which is a direct application of both web and graphic design.  Here’s a quick look at a postcard we recently designed for The Pentecostals of the Twin Cities in West Monroe, LA.  They wanted a postcard to advertise their upcoming sermon series, The End Times.  Of course in the actual production of the postcards, we removed the “mailing label here” tag.  This was merely for proof purposes.

Mass mailing postcards is an excellent way to get your image/message/name/[insert your purpose here] in front of a large audience.  There are so many effective communication tools available to fit your individual needs.  Email marketing is a very scalable (and inexpensive) way to reach your audience.  We’re currently prepping our new email newsletter.  Want to sign up for quarterly updates? Send an email to info [at] squareplanit [dot] com!

We’ve recently been working on promotional materials and other identity-centered products for Donald Driskill Memorial Foundation, which leads us to the writing of this post.  We’ve talked about branding in the past, but it’s always good to mention it again every so often.  When we first started working with the Driskill Memorial Foundation, they had an existing logo (see below), but not an identity. Sure, they had some brochures and business cards with their name on them, but not a consistent, recognizable look.

We’ve since worked very closely with them to enhance their public image and brand, introducing a common look and feel to all materials.  We just finished producing new letterhead, donation receipts, and memorial cards with their refreshed look, and will soon be developing new brochures and other print materials.

I’ve recently been working on a portal login interface and decided it was be a great time to share a couple of icons.  The link below contains both PNG and PSD formats.  Enjoy!

Download

All files are free for personal and commercial use, no attribution necessary, but certainly appreciated! Re-sale or re-distribution is prohibited. You may not offer this resource for download on your own site, please link to this page if you would like to share.

We recently produced a short informational video for the Donald Driskill Memorial Foundation.  They wanted a ‘slideshow style’ promotional video that highlighted their mission, purpose and some of the endeavors that they have supported.  Check it out below!

I really wanted to entitle this post “The Importance of a Good Identity and a Solid Brand”, but decided that the title would have been WAY too long!  A good logo/ business identity (which ultimately leads to a solid brand) is invaluable.  It’s incredibly important to keep a consistent look throughout the entire branding process, whether you’re branding yourself or your business.  A memorable logo is key in today’s society.  It’s important to evaluate your competitors’ look and style to ensure that your look is unique and different.  Make your brand something to remember.  Make it stand out among the ever growing crowd.  Create a catchy tagline.  If you don’t, you’ll just be lost in the shuffle.  A good logo doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either.  Sometimes, the simpler the better!

Here’s a quick example.  We recently had our logo ‘redesigned’ by Horrible Logos ($5 for a hilarious rendition of your logo).  I’ll say one thing: it’s definitely unique.  A logo should be visually appealing to the masses to stand out and be truly effective.  We’d say that this one stands out, but not in a good way.  It’s anything but pretty (thus the name, Horrible Logos).  It’s a funny example, but the point is simple: A good logo is invaluable.

Lately, logo design seems to have been the hot topic among creative professionals.  I follow many technology and design blogs, so I’m usually aware of the latest and greatest tech toys, trends, and waves, and I often see the same story written from 25 different viewpoints.  I like the diversity because I enjoy the varying opinions on the topic at hand.  The World Wide Web has been abuzz about GAP’s new logo.  Interestingly enough, I have yet to see a single positive review.  I have to admit that I agree with the masses: it’s severely lacking in creativity and taste.

Although it’s merely my personal opinion, I still don’t know why the new design wasn’t immediately discarded in the development phase.  Granted, the old GAP logo wasn’t overly exciting, but it had strong brand presence and recognition.  The new logo looks like a cheap knockoff, plain and simple.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Helvetica.  It’s a beautiful font.  But I can’t get over the cheap gradient square that’s hiding behind the P.  Does it serve any purpose?

I want to highlight one particular creative blog that I follow: imjustcreative.  This blog focuses mainly on logo design (especially as it relates to typography), but offers creative tips and insight on graphic design and overall style.  I frequent the site daily, and have nothing but good things to say about it.  Check it out at imjustcreative.com/blog.

That’s all for now!