Red Lace Design is now Skyberry Studio

Red Lace Design has become Skyberry Studio. Please come by and check out our new website and take a moment to browse around and see our extended service offering and new interactive portfolio at http://www.skyberrystudio.com

This will be the final post to the RLD News Blog.  


Our new blog address: http://www.skyberrystudio.com/blog/ 

Op6 Gaming Logo

Red Lace Design has designed a new logo for Op6 Gaming, an XBOX Live Clan.

Op6 Gaming Logo - Letterform

Client: Op6 Gaming, Utah USA

Industry: Entertainment

Project Role: Logo Design, Letterform

Google Chrome is the Most Used Browser in the World

Google Chrome

For the first week in history, Internet Explorer fell to Google Chrome as the 'Most Used Browser in the World'.  While Chrome has been outperforming IE on weekends for some time now, the week of May 14th - 20th marks the first time Chrome has averaged higher traffic over a full seven day period.

However, Google Chrome is not the dominating browser in every country, despite being the most used browser in the world.

Here are some interesting facts;

• In North America, IE still leads Chrome 37 to 26 percent.
• In Europe, Firefox is 1st, followed by Chrome, then IE
• In Africa, Firefox is dominating both Chrome and IE
• In Japan, IE is the leader with over 50% of users
• In India, Chrome leads by 8%
• In South America, Chrom has nearly 50%
• In China and South Korea, three quarters of traffic comes through IE

Your Pet's Best Friend Logo and Business Card

Red Lace Design has designed a new logo and business card for Your Pet's Best Friend, dog walking and pet sitting.  "We love your work. You absolutely nailed it!!! The dog's face is priceless and the cat is adorable. Just what I had in mind. Thank you again for doing such a great job." - Sara Walters, Your Pet's Best Friend, client since 2012

Logo, Illustration by Red Lace Design

Business Card by Red Lace Design

Client: Your Pet's Best Friend, Hillsboro OR USA

Industry: Service Industries

Project Role: Logo Design, Illustration and Business Card Design

Sketchbook, Artist Girl & Computer Boy

Recent illustrations from the sketchbook of designer Lacey Johnston of Red Lace Design. 

Artist Girl © Red Lace Design

Computer Boy © Red Lace Design

The Art of Minimalist Design

Minimalist design is an art and the beauty behind this style of design is truly a skill that many strive to perfect. To better understand minimalist design lets take a look at where it began and what has attributed to it's recent rise in popularity. Many experts say it is due to the year 2000 with which came Flash animations, Photoshop graphics with lots of detail and it's famous drop shadows, along with lots of clutter.  So finally after all the noise on the web, sites that demanded focus in too many places at once and extremely non user-friendly layouts, users demand clean, simple design.

The key to minimalist website design is that nothing is on the website except for the things that absolutely need to be there, anything that is not essential to the sites goal is removed.  No clutter, no confusion, no mess and you know what the site is about almost instantly after viewing it.  A good designer is one who knows how to select only the few key elements, focus entirely on them and forget about the rest.  There is no reason to fill a page and pack it full of content, just because you can.  In fact, the less content on the page, the more likely all the content will be read.  Where as the more content on the page, the more likely none of the content will be read.  A good rule of thumb is to always think twice about what is really important for the site and what can be omitted, don't be afraid to leave out your entire life story on the 'About' page, just hit some key points instead.

A bonus of minimalist design is that with less elements on the site, the focus and attention goes to just those things, attention is not divided and those few key elements will be more likely to be done just right.  Increasing the overall quality of the site and it's content because let's face it, if anything in a minimalist design isn't done right, it will stand out, and not in a good way.

What's with all the whitespace? Whitespace is a crucial element of minimalist design.  Things need to be spaced evenly and be well balanced, whitespace is not to be frowned upon, it should be embraced.  Every possible piece of real estate on a site does not need to have something on it, if it doesn't have a purpose and it doesn't get you closer to your websites goals, it should be omitted.

How minimalist should I go? You know your design has achieved its minimalist 'sweet spot' when there are no more elements you can remove without affecting the site's ability to accomplish its goals.

Interested in a minimalist website design? Contact Red Lace Design today to get started.

3rd Place for 'Best Web Design'

Red Lace Design and it's client, Oregon Rain Harvesting, have been awarded 3rd place for 'Best Web Design' in the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards.  Red Lace Design designed the logo and website for Oregon Rain Harvesting during 2011. Congratulations Oregon Rain Harvesting!

Awarded 3rd place for 'Best Web Design'

Trademark Symbols, Can I Use Them?

Trademark symbols, can I use them? How do I use them? You often see major brands tacking on a ™ or ® to their logos, is this necessary or should you be using it with your logo?  Well, let's take a look at what each symbol means.

"If you claim rights to use a mark, you may use the "TM" (trademark) or "SM" (service mark) designation to alert the public to your claim of ownership of the mark, regardless of whether you have filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). However, you may only use the federal registration symbol "®" after the USPTO actually registers a mark, and not while an application is pending."

So basically, if you feel the need to claim your mark (your logo), but don't want to file the necessary paperwork or your application is still pending, go ahead and use the "TM" (trademark) symbol to alert the rest of the world that this mark is yours. If you have filed the paperwork and your application has been approved, you can switch over to the use of the "®" (registered trademark). Below are some examples of how famous brands have chosen to use the trademark symbols.

Starbucks (Trademark)

Google (Trademark)

McDonald's (Registered Trademark)

Adidas (Registered Trademark)

Cassi Solutions Ltd. Logo

Red Lace Design has designed a new logo concept for Cassi Solutions Limited, an API integration and mobile application developer.

Client: Cassi Solutions Ltd, United Kingdom

Industry: Internet

Project Role: Logo Design, Pictoral Mark, Wordmark

Shout out from ClanGistics

"Lacey designed and produced the logo for our website. She is wonderful to work with in every aspect. Very quick communications via email or telephone, really had a vision for what we wanted, and she went the extra mile to make sure we were happy with the logo. If you are considering having a logo designed for your site, or know someone who is, we highly recommend Red Lace Design." - Jon Hull, Co-Founder, ClanGistics, Portland OR USA, client since 2011

Logo by Red Lace Design for ClanGistics

'Best Web Design' Finalist, About.com Awards

Red Lace Design's website design for Oregon Rain Harvesting has become a finalist in the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards for 'Best Web Design'.  While the website is up against some stiff competition, including Beetle.com (Volkswagen), voting is now open for the 5 finalists starting today and going through Mar 21 2012. Winners will be announced Mar 30 2012.

Vote Now

Finalist for 'Best Web Design' in About.com Readers' Choice Awards 2012
Oregon Rain Harvesting website and logo by Red Lace Design

RLD Attends Habitat for Humanity Women Build Event

Red Lace Design attended the Habitat for Humanity Women Build Event on Saturday Feb 11 2012 in Beaverton OR where Stacy Allison, the first American woman to summit Mt. Everest, spoke about both her failed and successful attempts of climbing Mt. Everest.

The Women Build for Habitat for Humanity West also introduced the family who will be living in the new home currently under construction in downtown Beaverton.

Riehl Sports Management Rebranding

Red Lace Design has designed a new logo, website and business card for Riehl Sports Management, a premier full-service sports management firm. "I love what you did with it and many of my friends and family love it too! You are amazing! I've recommended you to some friends who also own businesses. Your customer service is second to none. Seriously, you should teach a class on how to run a company. Thanks :)" - Joe Riehl, Founder & Agent, Riehl Sports Management LLC, client since 2011

Logo - Letterform

Business Card - Single Sided

Website - RiehlSports.com

Client: Riehl Sports Management LLC, Portland OR USA

Industry: Sports & Entertainment

Project Role: Logo Design, Letterform, Business Card Design, Website, PHP Form Development

'Top Web Design Firms of 2012'

Red Lace Design was selected by the International Business Times for the 'Top Web Design Firms of 2012' list. IB Times is a financial news website reaching 7 million unique visitors in the United States and 14 million worldwide.

'Top Web Design Firms of 2012'

Nominated for Readers' Choice Awards 2012

Winner of 10 Awards since 2009

A few of Red Lace Design's website design projects and clients from 2011 have been nominated for the About.com Readers' Choice Awards 2012 for 'Best Web Design' (see below).  Red Lace Design has won 10 awards in the About.com Readers' Choice since 2009 and we hope to continue to do so this year.

The nominations are;

• Yogurt Shack Frozen Yogurt
• Portland Neurosurgery
• Oregon Rain Harvesting
• Payments Agents
• Anna Lancaster Fine Art

Nominations will be accepted on About.com through Feb 15 2012.  Based on the nominations, experts will choose up to five finalists in each award category and readers will vote on their favorite finalists.  Winners will be announced Mar 30 2012.  To make your nominations, visit About.com.

.COM Prices to Increase Jan 15 2012

In Jan 15 2012, VeriSign (r), the registry for .COM domain names will increase prices by 7%.

To avoid this price increase, you can renew your domain names by adding an additional year to your current expiration dates.  You have the option to register or renew for multiple years to lock in long-term savings.  If you are registered with GoDaddy, call them now to renew 1-480-505-8821.

Troika Poster

Red Lace Design has designed a 4'x4' poster for a New York trade show for Troika.

4' x 4' poster for Troika

Client: Brand Node Inc., Portland OR USA

Industry: Manufacturing & Wholesale

Project Role: Graphic Design, Poster

Paper Thinks Posters

Red Lace Design has designed a 4'x4' poster and a 2.5' x 7' poster for a New York trade show for Paper Thinks recycled leather notebooks.

4' x 4' poster for Paper Thinks

2.5' x 7' poster for Paper Thinks

Client: Brand Node Inc., Portland OR USA

Industry: Manufacturing & Wholesale

Project Role: Graphic Design, Poster

Karim Rashid Poster

Red Lace Design has designed a 4'x4' poster for a New York trade show for Karim Rashid's key-ring collection Love Karim. "Looks good. Thanks!" - Jeroen Kuiper, Owner, Brand Node, client since 2010

4' x 4' poster for Love Karim

Client: Brand Node Inc., Portland OR USA

Industry: Manufacturing & Wholesale

Project Role: Graphic Design, Poster