All posts of Rob Smelik

The Olympics Brand History

The Olympic Games have a long and diverse brand history. One that reflects both cultural influences from the cities where they were held as well as stylistic influences of time periods in which they took place.

The Story of an Iconic Design

Over the years you may have seen the image of a regal looking crown with the phrase "Keep Calm and Carry On" below it. This popular design has adorned everything from posters to coffee mugs. But do you know the true origins of this iconic design?

3D Printing Pushing Limitations

In the past, 3 dimensional design seemed to be reserved for large companies with seemingly infinite resources. And although many innovators did find their path despite these limitations it was extremely difficult. Difficult to prototype an idea and therefore difficult to pitch or sell an idea.

The Ampersand

The ampersand is one of the most beautiful symbols in the standard alphabet character set. Yet, technically speaking it is not really a character at all. Not many people know that the ampersand actually predates nearly every modern alphabet.

ICON A5 Light Aircraft

From the clean lines of the airframe to the innovative cockpit interior the A5 is a sight to behold. Beauty, however is not skin deep. This plane has innovations that rival many small aircraft yet it costs considerably less.

WordPress Admin Customization

So you chose WordPress to power your client’s website but you find that you want to make just a few tweaks to better customize the website’s back-end admin area. The only problem is, you simply don’t know where to start.

Best Type Foundries Revealed

For those who love print as much as I do, you know that it is the small details that can elevate a piece from mediocre to magical. You also know what it is like to search through hundreds of fonts to find the perfect typeface.

Kinetic Logo Design

Modifications to logos are fairly common. As a company or organization grows, new opportunities present themselves requiring change in structure both organizationally and visually. These changes may be subtle or dramatic but generally they are not continual but could they be?

Transformative Brands – Starbucks

Starbucks began as small local coffee shop in Seattle, Washington. Learn how this small company with a unique brand and some creative vision grew to be one of the largest coffee distributors in the world.

Mister Retro

If you've ever wanted to make an image look like a crumpled piece of paper you pulled out of your back pocket or a 50 year old sign that's been baking in the sun then you should check out Mister Retro's filters.
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