We’re honored to be a part of the exhibit Logos, Icons & Images 1983-2009 – a Stuart Rowley Design Retrospective at Forartsake/Gallery 393 Above in Malone, New York.

Stuart Rowley’s logo designs are creative and smart but equally important, the working process in creating the logo with us was strategic, smooth and fun! You can view some of Stuart Rowley Design’s logos at www.stuartrowleydesign.com and here are some insights from Stuart himself:

“As a graphic designer, I have always believed that less is more. My rule of the thumb for designing a logo is: 1.) keep it simple (smart,) 2.) if it looks good at 3/4 inch it will look good on a billboard, 3.) never show a client something you wouldn’t use yourself, and 4.) avoid ‘art by committee’ at all costs!”

If you are in the Malone New York area, the show opens tonight, Friday May 22 at Forartsake/Gallery 393 Above with a reception at 6-8 pm. The show runs until June 13. For more information please call Forartsake at 483.9411.

Congratulations Stuart!

Details of the press release below.

PRESS RELEASE:

Logos, Icons and Images 1983-2009
Stuart Rowley Design Retrospective

Where/When:

Forartsake/Gallery 393 Above
May 22 – June 13
Opening reception Friday, May 22, 6-8 pm

A logo is both form and substance, image and idea. To be effective its form must be recognizable and unusual enough to be memorable. The design must be simple enough to be read in an instant and rich enough in detail or meaning to be interesting. It has to appeal to a wide audience and must look and feel timeless.

Stuart Rowley has designed logos and trademarks for the past 26 years, and yet it is difficult to tell which ones were done in the 80s, 90s or later. Stuart says, “Over the years I think the work has held up quite well. Each mark was designed to provide a distinctive, memorable and appropriate visual expression of the company or individual it represents.”

“As a graphic designer, I have always believed that less is more. My rule of the thumb for designing a logo is: 1.) keep it simple (smart,) 2.) if it looks good at 3/4 inch it will look good on a billboard, 3.) never show a client something you wouldn’t use yourself, and 4.) avoid ‘art by committee’ at all costs!”

Many of the 85 logos in this exhibition are still in use. They go beyond the fashion of the moment. They have thrived with repetition. They have survived changing markets, technology and business practices. A sample listing of some of the logos you will see in this exhibit: CVPH Medical Center, The Development Corporation, Franklin County 200th Anniversary, St Lawrence County Arts Council, Asept Pak, Mayor’s Cup, the new Forartsake, Gallery 393 Above, Plattsburgh International Airport, OneWorkSource, Bloom Search Marketing and Adirondack Pet Lodge.

Stuart Rowley studied graphic design at California State University at Northridge CA (BA Art/Graphic Design 1982) and at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena CA in the early 80s.

Logos, Icons and Images 1983-2009, Stuart Rowley Design Retrospective, opens Friday, May 22 at Forartsake/Gallery 393 Above with a reception at 6-8 pm. The show runs until June 13. For more information please call Forartsake at 483.9411.

Visit www.stuartrowleydesign.com

If you’re absolutely passionate about Pay Per Click marketing and are looking for an exciting and stimulating challenge, then check out the posting: http://www.makeitbloom.com/about/jobs/listing/ppc-account-manager.php

We’re looking forward to meeting you!

2 years ago on this day, Xurxo and I officially launched Bloom Search Marketing. Since then, we’ve learned a lot of things and met a lot of great people. 2008 was an exciting year for our team. Besides continuously sharpening our paid search skills, we learned quite a bit about growing our company, blogging, participating in social media and even office moving logistics with our move to new offices in July. Most importantly, we had the opportunity to work with great clients, forge strong partnerships and network with really smart and interesting colleagues in the industry.

We are excited to see what this year will bring and would like to wish everyone a very happy 2009 filled with much prosperity, health and happiness!

The Process

The team at the BBB made the process very simple and straightforward. We initially contacted them requesting information on getting our business accredited. We were then contacted by the local chapter and after a few quick emails and a phone call, they scheduled an appointment to visit our offices in person. We had a great meeting where we explained what we do and showed them how we operate and work with our clients. We also went over the BBB’s code of business and advertising practises that are to be observed as well as the benefits that being a member of the BBB offered. We then completed the application online, paid the membership fee and after a few short weeks received the approval by email with the reliability seal and online profile page to link to. Our paper certificate followed by mail a couple of week later.

The Benefits of Being a Member

Having worked on the client side for companies that have been part of the BBB, we’ve experienced the benefits that being a member offers. For example,

• You get to place the BBB logo on your website and use it in marketing materials so that you can build trust with potential clients who do not know you yet.
• You also get to provide an extra level of transparency to potential clients, suppliers and business partners through business reliability reports. These reports provide information on member and non-member businesses alike, alerting them to any consumer complaint histories, law enforcement actions, and advertising practises.
• You get listed in printed and online member directories that give you the opportunity to participate in BBB co-op advertisements and to sponsor websites, publications and events.
• You get to network and build relationships with other BBB members who also adhere to the BBB’s code of business practises.

In summary, being a member of the BBB allows you gain additional exposure while reinforcing an image of trust and ethical business practices with potential clients, strategic partners, and suppliers.

What This Means

For us, business as usual, but at the same time it’s another instance of practicing what we preach. We recommend to our clients that they prominently display reliability seals and logos on their websites and landing pages to increase the level of trust (and conversions) of their website visitors. The BBB is one such seal that shows potential clients that you take a commitment to providing exceptional service and adhering to strict ethical business practices very seriously.

Already a member of the BBB or are considering joining? Share your thoughts! We’d especially love to hear your thoughts on the BBB and its benefits for consulting companies.

We’re Moving!

We’re excited to announce that on July 1st, Bloom will be moving to a new home. After quite a bit of searching, we recently took possession of a cool loft space in the Chateau Saint-Ambroise, a trendy and creatively stimulating building in one of Montreal’s chic and newly revamped neighbourhoods.

A Creative Place

This is an exciting time for Bloom – over the last few years, our search marketing agency has gone from being simply an idea to a full-time realization. This second office space is a natural evolution for us as our new office will give our team more space to grow while providing an environment that allows us to focus on our clients and work. We’ll also be surrounded by some cool, interesting, vibrant and creative companies and we’re looking forward to connecting with our new neighbours.

Want to Drop In?

Our new office space is located at 4020 St-Ambroise, Suite 480 in Montreal – conveniently located a few minutes from downtown, right off of the Lachine Canal and its beautiful bike path. As of July, stop by and visit us, we’ll be sure to fire up the espresso machine!

Photo credit: All About Eve via Flickr

To follow Martin’s tweets:

http://www.twitter.com/mperron

To follow Xurxo’s tweets:

http://www.twitter.com/XurxoVidal

Looking forward to seeing you there!

We hope it will complement our blog through shorter, more frequent updates (sorry about the delay between posts recently – we’re working on some new things for our site, stay tuned!) that will give some insights into our team’s day-to-day at Bloom. We’ll try to stay relevant, so no tweets about waiting in line at the grocery store – promise!

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a free social-networking service that enables communication and connecting through the exchange of quick update snippets of 140 characters or less via the web, SMS text messaging, or instant messaging. You can learn more about Twitter here, and below are a few posts we’ve enjoyed about Twitter:

http://blog.cre8asite.net/bwelford/2008/01/i-twitter-therefore-i-am/

http://www.socialdesire.com/2008/01/24/26-reasons-why-i-love-twitter/

We’d also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our clients, partners and associates who have placed their confidence in our paid search expertise. Besides the official launch of our company in 2007, in the last twelve fast-paced months, we’ve moved into new office spaces, attained Google AdWords Company Qualified Status and more importantly, had the opportunity to work on campaigns in really interesting industries with some great people. Despite these accomplishments, we humbly continue to learn and apply our strategic approach to paid search on daily basis.

That said, the whole team at Bloom looks forward to the upcoming year and are excited at contributing to the blogosphere and sparking a conversion!