We’ve recently completed a logo redesign for a nonprofit, the California Coalition for Civil Rights. CaCCR is a statewide alliance of civil rights organizations, activists, educators, lawyers, and advocates. Their existing logo (top) was a generic map of California matched with a wide, industrial-looking typeface. They wanted something that spoke more directly to their mission as a civil rights organization concerned with equal justice for Californians. At the same time, they wanted to place more emphasis on the acronym CaCCR, rather than their long name. We presented several options, and they chose the faces in profile image shown here.
According to Rabia Shirazi of Realize Ink, who managed this project, “Dan did an outstanding job for the client and now I’m working with him directly for my own shop. He’s talent and smarts and creativity rolled in one. Not to mention he’s super great to work with–first designer I’ve ever worked with that delivered ahead of time and went above and beyond for my client!!”
Filed under: New Projects by Dan
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We’ve recently completed two books for the same client, Red Cell Publishing, for which we recently won an award. The first, Iran’s Dirty Banking, delves into the Iranian government’s attempts to skirt monetary sanctions, and names the foreign and U.S. banks that are helping them do it. It contains approximately 100 pages of complex tables and was designed and laid out in just three weeks. The second, On the Trail of Terror Finance, is a companion to Tainted Money, a primer on money laundering, this time aimed directly at law enforcement. The covers for both of these were designed to pick up typographic elements of the Tainted Money cover, in order to create a consistent house style without sacrificing their individual voices. They’re printing now and will be available on Amazon shortly.
“I am very happy with the end product,” said John Cassara, coauthor of On the Trail of Terror Finance. “Dan listens to his clients. He is professional, innovative, responsive, on-time, and a delight to work with.”
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The new decade is here, and we at Sensical Design & Communication have decided to start it out by launching a new venture. We’ve had a great time running a graphic design business these past six years, and continue to love doing what we do. But for the past few years, we’ve also been harboring a dream. So we’ve decided to start a publishing company.
Without further preamble, then, let us introduce Ruka Press: An Illuminating Publisher. Ruka Press is a new, independent publisher of nonfiction books designed to beautifully and intelligently explain the world. We intend to publish nonfiction books with a strong information-design component for a general audience. (more…)
Filed under: New Projects, Sensical News by Dan
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At right is the cover for the book Tainted Money: Are We Losing the War on Money Laundering and Terrorism Finance? by Avi Jorisch. This book about money laundering and terrorism financing is primarily intended for a readership of policy makers, international law enforcement officials, and bankers. The cover needed to be dramatic, simple and interesting. We wanted a strong image that captures the sinister nature of the topic, without resorting to the obvious clichés that spring to mind when envisioning money laundering: clotheslines, washing machines, and the like. The bloody cash, photographed by Stefan Klein, was perfect.
Author Avi Jorisch said, “Working with Sensical Design was nothing short of a pleasure. This is a company that delivers high quality products on time and within the proposed budget. Dan designed an eye-catching cover for my book, Tainted Money. He also designed a sleek and easy-to-follow layout for what proved to be a complicated internal structure for each chapter. This firm’s record of professionalism and success speaks for itself.”
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This publication we designed for Kiplinger and the BBB is being distributed to U.S. military servicemembers around the world. The goal is to present them with practical, easy-to-understand information about being financially prepared for deployment, buying a home, minimizing taxes, holding down insurance costs, and avoiding financial schemes that too often target military families. Because the audience is young, and is often bombarded with dull military publications, we created a publication that is bright, colorful, and lively, and doesn’t yell “financial.”
Guide author Kim Lankford says, “The colorful and contemporary cover pops out amidst the drab military publications that most servicemembers receive, and the silhouette helps families of all ages identify with the publication, which can be a challenge with personal-finance guides. Inside, his smooth and streamlined design helped us include a lot of information in a clear and inviting way. Cool details, such as the recurring colorful arrow logo, bring all sections of the booklet together as a cohesive whole. Dan’s design adds excitement to the publication and helps attract readers of all ages. Plus, Dan is great to work with—he brought so much energy to the entire project.”
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