joseph ekloff

FUEL Modern Eatery

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:47:13 +0000

FUEL Modern Eatery is a multidimensional design concept that was chosen for implementation as an eating space connected to a recently redesigned recreational center. I worked on all aspects of the idea behind the restaurant from start to finish, starting with the identity and visual aesthetics of the building. The restaurant offers healthy, delicious fair, and includes an electrolyte water bar, with 6 branded enhanced waters on tap. My design effectively brands the café as a cozy, chic, and health-conscious dining option near the gym at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ.

Deliverables: brand and product logos, custom geometric typeface, menu design, website prototype, iPhone app UI, advertisements, labels, environmental signage, interior design (furniture selection, surfaces, wall treatments, etc.) and patio architecture.

My design was selected from a pool of proposals. I was then tasked with executing the designs, and refitting the concepts for precise specifications. The modern eatery was set to launch in a couple months before the original concept was developed, so much was needed for the concept to come to fruition. As a brand and design consultant, I met with Dining Service managers, the institution’s Marketing department, site architects, and various vendors. Adjustments and revisions were made according to budget, findings from market research, and restrictions due to accessibility and building codes.

In the media:
[video promo] (youtube)
[front page article] (daily newspaper)

Beach House (band)

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:39:37 +0000

With an emphasis on hand-drawn typography and non-digital investigations of type, I created some wordmarks, logos, custom designs, and ephemera for different potential applications for the band Beach House. Band identities are fluid and eclectic. They evolve as the music does and shifts as the location changes. Bands with a signature style develop strikingly new moods and compositions that can evoke different visuals at different times. Beach House is such a band, and this is such a project.

Deliverables: art direction, single reissue, tour flyer, t-shirt, gig poster, pin-on button, album covers, stickers

Destination Travel Network

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:38:48 +0000

Destination Travel Network, or DTN, is an online advertising network connecting brands with travel markets. They provide integrated internet solutions for leading convention and visitors bureaus and industry partners. They provide targeted ads for local and international businesses. This website is one of the projects completed while working at Simpleview Inc.

Deliverables: front-end website design and user-experience, interactive prototype

Launch site:
[live site] (still under development)
[html mockup] (click screenshot page to cycle through comps)

sunken pearl

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:38:19 +0000

sunken pearl is an identity concept for a tourism and research organization in San Deigo, California, offering deep ocean expeditions. The demographic targets were young, affluent adults, scholarly researchers, and thrill-seeking vacationers. Some special developments for sunken pearl’s identity included an exhaustive manual of brand guidelines, which included prototypes for company vehicles. This branding package was showcased at the 2010 Visual Communications Juried Exhibition at the Lionel Rombach gallery in Tucson, AZ.

Deliverables: identity manual booklet, logo design, sunkenpearl-sans typeface, business stationery, one-color newsletter, printed brochure & envelop, shopping bags and boxes, package design, sunscreen, monumental building signage, vehicle wraps

Lovebird’s Wedding

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:37:47 +0000

Wedding collateral for the engagement, bridal shower, and ceremony/reception. The clients wanted graphic design with a classic look with handmade lettering and illustration.

I came up with palate of a summery green, a creamy beige, and a warm black. The bird motif forms a heart shape in the negative space between the lovebird’s kiss. The floral tree elements reference the growth of a new family. Custom script typography and ornaments added personal elegance to the event.

Deliverables: save the date, bridal shower notice, wedding invitation & RSVP card, favor cards, table displays, custom typography, cake-topper, website [preview]

The invitational set won the Silver Award in its category at the 2010 VisCom Juried Exhibition at the Lionel Rombach gallery in Tucson, AZ.

Colon [U.C. Awareness Book]

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:37:21 +0000

This book describes Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic disease of the colon which has directly affected me. This quality-of-life altering condition affects many individuals and their families and friends. There is no definitively known cause or cure for the disease. Debilitating flares can come suddenly and at irregular intervals. Fear and stress can often exacerbate symptoms and make it difficult to cope with the pain and distress.

Although the unknowns of the illness are no emotional comfort, being educated about the UC and taking a humorous approach are ways to manage well-being. This book uses both informative information and witty remarks to inform and console.

Structured like a children’s book, this thick-paged book contains dictionary-style definitions of key terms regarding Ulcerative Colitis with matching illustrations. Throughout the book, the typographic colon glyph (:) appears in a fleshy pink color in the same position in each page spread. The book spine is wrapped in an I.V. tube, referencing the infusion of medicine or electrolytes given to patients who receive treatment in the hospital for the condition.

Launch the complete web version:
[PDF e-book]

Also, consider donating to the Chrohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Catalina Council, Boy Scouts of America

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:36:59 +0000

Catalina Council is a division of Boy Scouts of America that serves four districts, which have hundreds of scouting units (packs, troops, teams, etc.) in the Southwest. I developed their logo and and website comps while employed at Simpleview Inc. The logo incorporates an abstract horizon line suggesting the Catalina Mountains, located in the city of Catalina Council’s headquarters. The website contains information design with exciting visuals that provide the feeling of being a Boy Scout in the region. It caters to young, potential scouts and their parents.

Deliverables: logo, color scheme, website layouts and design,

Launch full size:
[click-through layouts] (HTML interface screenshots)
[live site] (coded by Commotion Studios)

Sustainable Tucson

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:35:04 +0000

Sustainable Tucson is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and proposes long-term solutions for local ecological practices.

The organization strives to make a difference and be noticed for its bold steps for the future. This proposed identity is equally bold in its colors and active presence. Since Sustainable Tucson has big ideas, I proposed a logo that identified their geographic roots in Tucson, with the iconic sun of the Southwest U.S. forming the bulb–a bright idea. But it’s not just an ordinary bulb–it’s an energy-efficient bulb that reinforces the local ties with a Saguaro cactus. Lastly, there are hands that are both reaching for warmth and supporting the environmental composition.

Tucson Folk Festival

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:34:18 +0000

The Annual Tucson Folk Festival is a large two-day event that celebrates roots music and the heritage of local musicians from blues and folk rock, to Mexican and Native American songs. The poster design was produced for the 25th Festival. When the Festival takes place in May, Tucson is extremely hot and dry. To illustrate this, smoke is blowing out of the harmonica and floating into the typography.

The Tucson Folk Festival features various live acts that fit into several genres, so two alternate posters were created to cater to the bluegrass and singer-songwriter acts.

Long Beach Guitar

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:33:28 +0000

This promotional guitar for Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau was designed during my employment at Simpleview Inc. The concept I created keeps in mind the organization’s existing color choices, and the sun and shoreline logo of Long Beach CVB. The guitar body employs dynamic waves with the organic divisions of sky and water. The plant life and flying birds suggest the active atmosphere of the city. The front of the guitar body is a day scene of a sunset, and the guitar back is a night scene. This digital design concept was handed off for production by others on the Simpleview team to be custom painted and finished.