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Dana has been a client since 2011, when we rebranded and created a new website that changed the trajectory of his business: Dana Sound Research Inc. Dana Sutcliffe is a Master Luthier, who provides the highest level of guitar/instrument repair and restoration to musicians and museums globally.

In 2011, when I first met Dana, he was one of the top luthiers in the country, but lacked professional branding and an accessible website. He provided services to local musicians out of a guitar shop, and had an amateurish logo and a flash website inaccessible to mobile phones. However, Dana had laid the groundwork for a successful web presence with a blog and an original logo, almost two decades prior — but had been steered away from it. Dana’s name was well known in the guitar community due to his success in 1992 with the Alvarez Dana Scoop electric guitar. His original logo was used on the guitar headstock and pickups and was instantly recognizable and iconic. You would not have even known that this was the same Dana — in fact, I didn’t — until after he became a client. And, as a guitarist, I was very familiar with the iconic “Dana” logomark. So, the first order of business was to reconnect him to his previous identity.

Our goal was to give Dana a professional appearance, and make him visible to the rest of the world on the internet. I proposed that we rebrand his identity using a modified version of the old, recognizable logo. After identifying the font that was used for his original logotype, I refined the typography, the overall shape, and shadow. We also restored many of his old blog posts, within a new HTML based WordPress website. The website design was intended to bring the tactile physical nature of these instruments into the digital realm by featuring tiled woodgrains. I created these graphics from actual photos I took of chunks of Rosewood and Birdseye Maple, that Dana had laying around. These graphics were incorporated into his brand identity, and have been used on the website, marketing materials, and ads.

The strategy for his site was to relate to a wide ranging audience: from acoustic musicians, metal electric guitar guys, the classic vintage group, to bluegrass banjo and mandolin players. We appealed to these different groups by targeting the very instruments they use, with several photoshoots of beautiful instruments that Dana had in his queue and that were featured at the top of the home page, along with a testimonial quote. This tactic uses the visual nature of these instruments to appeal to audiences that are separated by the nature of the different instrument. For example, a bluegrass picker sees a banjo and a testimonial and thinks: this guy is for me, I need work done on my banjo.

The website home page would serve as an all-in-one landing page, allowing a user to instantly find the contact information, understand detailed bullet points about the services, and also make an appointment through a contact form.

The first iteration of this website was launched in 2011, and has been a massive success. We have since launched several additional iterations. Since working together, Dana’s business has grown significantly. While I am awaiting final statistics, I can confidently write several statements about Dana’s growth.

• Expanded operations to an entire floor of a multiple suite studio — from originally working out of a small music shop.
• Employs a team of master and apprentice luthiers — from originally being a single-man operation.
• Clientele has grown significantly, from all over US, to many countries worldwide — from originally working only locally.
• Type of clientele has expanded, as he now works regularly with museums, and production companies.

Working with Dana has been the most rewarding relationship I have had in this business. Having a client in an industry of which I am passionate was wonderful, but witnessing how an incredible service provider can flourish when given the proper circumstances is truly meaningful. This case study is an excellent example of how a great client + great work = great success. This case was also unique in that he already had a successful identity to fall back on, and just needed the proper guidance to bring it back. To me, it was a no-brainer, but unusual to not have to design a new logo. Dana continues to be a client to this day, and we are in the process of updating his site again, to support his expanded needs for 2022.

Working with our team’s Creative Director, and alongside the A.A. Brand team — we pitched ideas for dimensional mailers that would “put the viewer in the scene” … while also expressing “30% more.” This favorite was designed, to provide intrigue through imagery of an Italian coast-line, ask the viewer a question — then putting the viewer in this new world.

Baiada was rebranded to communicate to clients having higher end weddings and events, who care about having beautiful documentation photography. The modern icon juxtaposed with the traditional logotype and filigree provides a contemporary identity with all the classicism of a wedding. The website is a custom Flash site, utilizing SlideShowPro Director, allowing them to easily make updates. The front-end is an ActionScript 3.0 built interface, which interacts with Director. The mobile version uses HTML5 slideshows from Director, and a WordPress HTML custom theme. The Baiada Photography website was the winner of SlideShowPro’s website of the month in March 2010.

This project was completed during my employment at Barclaycard. My role was Lead Designer, and I worked with the Choice Privileges Brand team, in addition to their separate legal team. I was guided through the process by our in-house Creative Director. I re-designed the credit card, and saw the entire process through to production. I worked alongside the credit card printing company, participating in several proof tests, and on-site approval of the final press check. The entire process resulted in the successful printing of over 100,000 cards.

The catalyst for this project was the re-design of Choice Privileges brand identity (which was done by Choice, in-house). Because they had a new logo and style rules, a new credit card needed to be designed. Using the brand style guide, I created dozens of card designs making mock-ups in Illustrator and Photoshop. The colors of the identity are reflected in the orange core of the card, the pearlescent white top, that features a spot gloss varnish. The card bottom features a metallic coating with a matte finish. The sub-brand logos, of all hotel chains that make-up the Choice Privileges network, are screened in white set within the curve of the front. And on the back, each sub-brand logo is printed in full color.

The sub-brand logos were a particularly challenging point for this design problem. We had to find a delicate compromise between Choices’ brand team, and their legal team. The brand team, accordingly to the new guidelines required the sub-brand logos not be displayed on the front of the card (their old card had them displayed on the front). However, the legal team required the exact opposite — they needed the logos on the front. My solution was to display the logos on the front, but in a textural manner. The logos are small, screened in white, set within a visual element. These logos read more as visual texture and less as brand logos. The full color sub-brand logos were printed on the back of the card — the first time we had ever printed full color on the back of a card. This was a clever solution to this problem, and satisfied the legal and brand requirements.

This was a unique design project because I had never worked within this medium before. The challenge of solving a unique problem by finding a compromise between two different clients (Choice brand team, Choice legal team). Working with the credit card manufacturer was particularly interesting because I was able to learn about the unique process of producing credit cards. The approval sign-off of the credit cards determined the success of 100,000’s of cards — so, it had to be absolutely final and perfect. It was. The whole process was very rewarding and educational. Although I don’t typically work on designing credit cards — the medium isn’t important — this project was all about problem solving, and working with disparate teams to find compromise.

The HS Design website was the first project I worked on at Möbius New Media. It was developed in HTML, CSS, jQuery and integrated into WordPress. Back-end work was involved, including hosting consultation, setup and maintenance. Google Analytics, tracking tools and an SEO campaign were created. The sites feature SVG graphics and animations. The interface was slick and modern, with significant interactivity, transitions, and animations.

My role and contributions

I was responsible for all development work — building a custom front-end for this site, starting with the home page. I worked alongside the Graphic Designer at Möbius, who provided me with a Photoshop mock-up of this approved design. It was highly detailed, and a challenge to develop. I met that challenge accurately and efficiently, as this was a test of my skill level, as a fresh hire at the agency. The images shown here are of the final developed home page. The other pages of the site were designed and developed in tandem, directly in WordPress.

I developed a Möbius theme, for all future WP websites to use as a starting point. It connected all necessary external files for writing custom CSS, and JS. In addition to easy access to all separate PHP files, with the ability to easily jump into a file and write custom HTML.

This project was one of the most challenging front-ends I have coded, as I had to match a design that I did not create — which was highly refined and detailed with exact specifications. It can be tough to develop using designs provided by designers who are not developers and don’t understand how something will be developed, how easy or hard it will be, or if it should be done that way at all. Nonetheless, this site was a success, and I went on to work at Möbius developing numerous additional websites.