• Logo/Identity Design
• Advertising Design
• Posters/Outdoor/Environmental
• Presentation
• News/Contact Information

Steve Carver has been designing for clients of all shapes and sizes. We have worked with advertising agencies, book publishers, magazines, theaters, software designers, real estate developers, food companies, not-for-profits–the list goes on and on.

The size of the client does not matter. Doing good work is what matters.

Yes, we’ve worked for CitiCorp and Random House, but we’ve also helped the Tompkins County SPCA, local theater groups and small restaurants. All SCDC clients deserve–and receive–the same attention.

Our company’s business is communication design.

What is communication design? It is a process in which we work with the client to improve the way his or her company presents itself to the public.

Design services range from consultation, to developing a logo, or producing an entire advertising campaign and strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identity design is one of the core aspects of our business, and it should be one of yours.

We subscribe to the theory that when it comes to a trademark or logo, simplicity is almost always better than complexity. That doesn’t mean it has to be plain, or boring. But it has to be DIRECT and not overly ornate.

No logo will be recognized by the public, no matter how well designed, without repeated exposure; designing it simply, however, is the first step on the road to easy recall.

We’ve done it: magazine ads and vehicle graphics; from packaging and brochures to grocery store “shelf talkers,” there is little in the way of advertising design that’s new to us.

The key to good, memorable advertising, is to blaze your own trail. The temptation is to follow what seems to be working for the competition, but that’s just as likely to drive customers to THEM, rather than to YOU.

To paraphrase the old proverb, in a room full of shouting people, it’s easiest to be heard by whispering–or vice versa.

 

 

This is a category of design that takes in a lot of territory. Everyone knows what a poster is, and probably what outdoor advertising looks like. But it also includes environmental signs on buildings and trade show displays.

The solutions to these challenges can be very simple and direct, using production techniques not unlike those to produce a logo or a magazine ad. Or, circumstances may demand the use of more exotic materials and manufacturing. A lot depends on the intended use and expected longevity of the end product. Signage for an airport or a trade show display for a hardware company have very different shelf-life requirements than a standard wall poster.

As with all our projects, it’s all about what is appropriate to solve a specific problem. And a specific budget.

 

 

If you’d like to see a wider range of projects than those few shown here, we’ve produced a very brief Quicktime movie that goes a little deeper into our design philosophy and shows more examples from each category.

The run time is only 3 and a half minutes; it is self-timed and requires only the Quicktime Player, which most computers now have. Just click on the image to the left to view the web movie. If you need the player, click on the “Q” link and get the free download.

If you’d like to see it with a larger screen and more “cinematic” transitions, please contact us at 607-257-7141 or via email at sc@stevecarverdesign.com and we’ll send the larger version to you on a universal platform CD.