Dubya Roundup
The Dubya Roundup – it’s like what the Secret Service does at the end of a long weekend at Crawford! Maybe I’ll move on to E next because I’ve had about all the dubya I can stand.
First, some dubyas with a La Conner bridge I found in the depths of my photo collection, circa 2.0 mega pixels:
I could use a better bridge shot, but hopefully you get the idea.
Jack photographed some memorabilia, arranged in the shape of a dubya (working on his birthday, no less!). I liked it best in black and white:
Here’s one cropped around just the typewriter, also in black and white:
The oldies-but-goodies for comparison:
Since I’m posting I get to comment first! So far, I prefer the versions with single things in the letters – the bridge, the memorial, the typewriter, or single faces. They seem to hold up best from a distance, even if they’re black and white or posterized…or 2 mega pixels. Opinions?
I Don’t Have Isaac’s W font put here is a picture with the bridge across the whole thing *on
Isaac again here… Here are a couple of full Wedins – one with the bridge all the way across and two with different La Conner images:
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pete said:
Hey Isaac:
Good to talk to you and Mandi! I like the bridge in the W allot and the memorial is very familiar to me. The one with b+w faces (9) is good and could be visible enough, I think. Not sure how many slots you need, but it seems that nine is max on a W, so how many is that for an I? With 50 or so RSVP’s, I am thinking someone is getting left off? I would keep it simple and we can all work on an awesome poster-size collage for the brunch get-together. We could have a drawing for it or just present it to Jean or something. I have lots of photos that I could contribute. There are many reasons (time being the biggest) to keeping the t-shirt/mug design simple. Love, Dad
isaac said:
Mandi and I were discussing the potential shortage of space for faces and she said that if we asked for volunteers to be left out we’d get at least one, whatever that means. Mandi also suggested we could only use faces of kids under some arbitrary age.
As I’ve mentioned before, there are tons of opportunities to create alternative reunion swag at CafePress. If someone’s favorite design doesn’t make the cut, I’m willing to prepare art for them to use at CafePress (or wherever). At the very least, I’ll be doing a mug and a hat…after the shirt design is done, of course.
Any thoughts about sharp edges versus rounded edges on the letters? Colors?
pete said:
I like the sharp-edge letters and I tend toward darker shirts….black, green, blue, but I do have some white ones. My favorite right now is a “dirt shirt” from Kauai. Am wondering if the WFR ones should all be bright yellow (like the Honolulu Marathon’s) so that the folks in LaConner can see us coming? Good night. Love, Dad
cgillian said:
Great samples! I’m definitely for single things in the letters; the memorial and the bridge are my faves. I love the posterized color look in the single face sample. I’m all about the sharp-edge letters. Yes, the idea of using all children under a certain age is one we’ve also discussed and alluded to in a comment. I really think the lovelier, simpler, and more artistic the shirt, the happier most of us will be with it. I like the idea of using the collage, memorabilia idea in another way. For instance, each family could make something to bring to the reunion to share. Or something. As for colors, I’d like to know what our design(s) is/are before I throw in my two cents on that. I can agree with Peter that in the t-shirt category, I like them colored. And I also must wrap up this comment by saying I’m just not that big a fan of the multiple face or object in the letter approach.
I hope to be able to use the new bridge art in some of the logo designs tomorrow. I’ll try to get something new posted during the day. Had to serve cake and ice cream for somebody’s birthday this evening.
Love, C
jonburpee@wedin.org said:
I added to Isaac’s post a wedin with the bridge. One picture spanning the whole word came out so so Maybe a better picture of the bridge exists. *on
wedin54 said:
isaac…hey THANKS for the dubya marathon! starting with the memorabilia W, i’m in full agreement with everyone so far…it just doesn’t work. your idea to use the typewriter was good and it simplified it nicely, but it (and things in general) don’t compare to the scenes and faces. i LIKE pete’s idea of bringing pics and memorabilia for a reunion collage.
so…if we go with faces, i’m all for the idea of limiting those by age. since the younger family members pretty much run the gamut, maybe you could fit as you can from youngest on up. the consolation for the kids who don’t make the cut would be that they are officially one of the “big kids” (like the rest of us)
and…if we go with places, i’m leaning toward la conner scenes…or, just running a pic of the bridge across the whole name. we’ve got a pretty good selection of la conner scenes (jean’s garden, the prime rib place, the waterfront, the garden club, etc.). otherwise, we’re limited to scenes from five places and that seems like it could be difficult to narrow down which pics/places ought to be in there. if we just go with la conner scenes, those will be current and future touchstones for the reunion, especially for the kids.
at the end of the day (and it’s been a nice one!), i am leaning toward scenes in the letters vs. faces. part of that inclination is tied to the original concept of a classic postcard…those being scenes from a particular place. our family is about people and that’s what the reunion is all about…but we’ll have plenty of photo ops at the reunion and at least one good group shot for memories. the tee shirt can commemorate the reunion, the place we gather…la conner will be a touchstone for all of us, young and old. and, i think the scenes – after we have gathered there in those very places – will recall the people we shared them with.
oh yeah…i like the hard-edged letters over the rounded ones, and i like the idea of colored tees, too…i’m ok with opening it up to color choices, mainly because i think color preferences are fairly eclectic among the family.
last, thanks isaac and cheri for all your work on the myriad ideas and variations on themes that have been part of the logo evolutions…it’s time to nail down finals, so hope it’s smooth sailing to sunday at noon.
l, j
lisa said:
I am liking it on the black background with sharper edges. I do love gray tee shirts too. I like how the places and the typewriter looks. How dark the photos in the letters are seems to determine whether they pop on a dark or light background. The dark typewriter stands out on the white and the light bridge scence pops on the white. I think the single things have more presence.
What about a combo of places starting and ending with La Connor. The bridge in the W, then the fisherman’s memorial, Tokeland hotel, some other historic Wedin local, them ending with the bench or garden club or some other La Connor reunion local.
Those are my Saturday morning thoughts.
wedin54 said:
just now saw jon’s new logo and lisa’s latest comment. i don’t think this particular image works in the letters, BUT…your sample does demonstrate that separate single images will work well in the letters. thanks for doing that, jon. lisa, your idea of starting/ending with la conner images flanking three different ones in the middle is a good one – and i personally like your choices there – but this also underscores my concern for doing different places…we’d only have three instead of five.
as many of us have experienced, location has always been a roadblock to past reunions. over the years, each of several suggestions on a place to gather had detractors…even locations we thought were neutral and centrally located didn’t work out. la conner – owing mostly to jean, i think – was a unanimous choice as a welcome place for everyone who has responded. so…for images that are beautiful, memorable and relevant to all, i think going with la conner pics in the letters will ensure that no one feels their hometown or favorite historic place have been left out.
l,j/d/gp
prispig107 said:
Tim and i vote for the Sharp edge Wedin with the rainbow bridge…that is awsome. You know we could all put together pictures to display at the garden club for all to enjoy!!! I would have fun digging thru mine and making a collage (SP) of some sort.
isaac said:
I added some La Conner themed logos, with all the letters this time. I think they more-or-less work, but things get shaky in the multi-image ones around the I. The bridge by itself looks pretty good, even though scaling it up damaged my psyche.
*on, here’s a transparent tiff of the logo with empty letters for your remixing pleasure – let me know whether it works or not. If you’re using Gimp or Photoshop I can get you a file with all the layers. The font is Zurich Extra Black, but any old sans serif extra black font should look similar.
pete said:
Good Evening:
I talked to Markay today. She will call Ericka and then Ericka will call Dan/Kelli. She will watch the reunion photo page and vote when asked to. She has e-mail problems right now, but she sounded good and is anxious for the reunion. She did say that she felt that Jean, as our matriarch, should be a focus. I love the logo above with just the bridge…..I love it. I think it would work with blue, black or whatever….I love it. You guys are really doing good work. Have a wonderful weekend and hope to talk to some of you soon….Jack, sorry to miss your call today. Love, Pete
lisa said:
I am thinking the Wedin with the bridge spanning the whole Wedin looks great. I was just talking to Jon about how my concern with that idea(he likes it) was that the photo of the bridge wasn’t strong enough but Isaac really seems to have fixed that with the scaling up of the bridge. Sorry about the damage to your psyche. I am pretty sure a good dose of dark chocolate will fix that. At least that is what I always tell myself.
jonburpee@wedin.org said:
Thanks for the .tiff file Isaac I haven’t downloaded that program but i am planning to. I think the upscaled bridge logo looks great I vote for that one. Jon Oka* now m* J works but still no sill* * wh*? I don’t know.
wedin54 said:
wow. i like ALL of these! a lot. i can sure agree with pete, lisa and jon…the bridge is spectacular. my eye is drawn to that most. great job on the enhancing pic…excellent positioning and framing. meanwhile, i really like the interest and diversity of the scenes, too. cheri’s playing with the “transparent tiff”…she moved jean (garden club shot) over to the N (with jean in the right leg of the N)…that looks good. she also extended the bridge into the E. the tough one here is the restaurant. i WISH i’d taken better shots of it. maybe it’s gotta go. but…great job with what you’ve got to work with. if this is a preview of what’s on tap for tomorrow, we’ll have some amazing choices. way to go.
pete, glad you called markay…i had planned to do that, but got sidetracked. good deal that she can let ericka, danny and kelli know, too. i talked to bill and alerted them to the post tomorrow and tuesday vote. he promised to pass that along to deb, katie and willy. i emailed priss a reminder, too, but she’s current on the org, so i’m sure they’re up-to-speed on the presentation tomorrow and tuesday vote. l,j/d/gp
cgillian said:
Just so this can be the longest post in the world with the most images, I’ve loaded a few more in the original post. A few notes on these:
~ The 1-8 logos are those that have been favored in previous comments. Most have been tweaked and/or include new bridge art–either Isaac’s original brush stroke bridge or another new bridge I created using gimp
. Of Isaac’s brush stroke variety, the first one created worked by far the best. The one with the vertical struts just didn’t fit very well, and seemed to have lost the charm of the original. I had trouble using it satisfactorily and so did not include in this. I’m happy to put some art up if anyone would like to see it.
~ Using the transparent template created by Isaac (you’ll have to let me know how you created those outline letters–I just COULD NOT do it) I’ve filled in with a variation of the multiple La Conner photo theme. Also, I doctored up a bridge only version with two variations. In one, the bridge is featured prominently, but there is also some context, some surroundings. In the other, the bridge is large and surroundings are minimized.
I, too, like the single image of the bridge best. Of course we won’t need the text (date/place/etc.) on both sides of the shirts, but I included it here so you can see how it would work in conjunction with the photo filled “Wedin.”
isaac said:
Lisa, I did have some chocolate ice cream atop bananas – I think that helped.
I like the full bridge versions best…of those I prefer the one with more bridge and less surroundings. I do like the boat on the canal though – if we could dig up more shots of the restaurant to choose from, a multi-image version might work better. Do we have a delegate with a camera we can dispatch to La Conner?
Cheri, it’s possible to do the letters in Gimp using the text tool and some careful selecting, inverting, growing the selection, and filling, but it worked a LOT better to use an Illustrator-like vector art program called Inkscape, then import the letters from there to Gimp. I see there’s a Windows version of Inkscape, but have no idea about how well it works. Here’s the layered Gimp file and here’s the Inkscape file. If you don’t have my awesome font the Inkscape file probably won’t do much good, but with the Gimp file you’ve at least got all the layers – it should be easy to switch around the background and letter outline colors.
pete said:
Wow, allot goes on here while we sleep! All good stuff. I, too, came up with more than five brands (all athletic companies)and Hanes and their “beefy-T” was predominant. I told Markay to monitor the reunion photo page for latest versions, is that still current? Also, I see mention of today being a deadline and this Tuesday voting? I looked back and thought it was Sunday the 13th and Tuesday the 15th for voting. Just to clarify. If it would help, I would be glad to tabulate results and they could be sent via e-mail or on the org, as long as I was alerted as to where to look. I could post results as they come in or wait until they are all in. Have a relaxing Sunday. Love, Pete
pete said:
This just in….my new “dirt shirt” is a “hefty-T” by Hanes. P
cgillian said:
Here’s the dirt from me on my latest preferences:
For their own merit I like 2, 3 and 5 best. Although surprisingly (to me, anyway), now that it looks like there’s a growing consensus for the WEDIN-chock-full-of-bridge image, I think one of the versions of number 4 would really work on the front pocket area with the filled WEDIN on the reverse. It would give a spare–but provocative–hint of the lush and lovely image awaiting on the back . . .
Numbers 4 and 5 work in just one color. 2 or 3 require two ink colors minimum in order to distinguish the bridge from the letters. Sam and Jake express a strong, consistent preference for 2 or 3.
wedin54 said:
pete…yeah, despite having my birthday as a frame of reference, i totally got off-track on the deadline. for some reason, i was thinking it was THIS weekend. and maybe that’s BECAUSE of my birthday (59). maybe it’s time to go back on massive doses of ginkgo biloba
based on current line-up of front logos, i like 5 and both 2/3. for the back, the full bridge concept definitely LOOKS better than the multiple images. the beauty, tie-in with the front logo AND the simple and meaningful metaphor make this darn near perfect. i think cheri is working on some front/back logo pairings and refinements…looking forward to seeing those.
so…we’ve got a whole week left. seems to me we’ve got some terrific choices already, but after the amazing evolution this past week, it can only get better in the coming days.
good stuff! l,j
isaac said:
What do you think about taking the bridge artwork out of the front and putting it in the letters on the back instead? That would cut our color count considerably and prevent having the bridge on both sides, which is causing me heartburn (could also be that double espresso I had, hard to say). I’ll do a front-back set of this idea for your consideration later, but right now I’m hopping on the motorcycle since it’s in the 60s here!
wedin54 said:
isaac…first, i think any viable option should be explored. so…i’m all for seeing the artwork in the big logo…AND, any other options that have merit. if you feel strongly about this, you should definitely go for it and see how it plays out.
that said, my gut tells me that this is not the way to go (NOTE: my “gut” has been right – at best – HALF the time on these designs so far). anyhow, i think my resistance stems mostly from how much i LIKE what we have so far. also, i think the bridge as art (small on the front) carrying over to the panoramic photo on the back (spanning WEDIN) not only looks good, but works well from a visual standpoint. last, i’ve always figured that the small logo on the front is what we’d use on coffee mugs. the bridge – for me, anyway – has become iconic, if not synonymous, with the reunion. and that’s why, for me…it is not redundant front and back…it simply reinforces a wonderful metaphor.
still…we haven’t left many (if ANY) stones unturned in the process here, so with a week to go…i think another angle is always welcome. we can think all we want, but seeing is believing, eh?
l,j