Our Father’s Voice began with a call from author Felicia Graber. She and her brother. Dr. Leon Bialecki, spent many years of transcribing, translating, and editing their father’s interviews about his experiences during the Holocaust. The interviews with Salomon Lederberger were originally recorded in 1981. Felicia had turned them into a memoir and asked me to design the book cover and interior pages.

As we discussed cover ideas, I was curious and asked, “What media was used to tell your father’s story?” Felicia said all the interviews were recorded on cassette tapes. This was an “aha” moment. I would search for a cassette tape (stock photo) for the cover image.

The process: I found a sepia-tone cassette photo on Shutterstock.com. Sepia tones were perfect colors for this memoir because they had an archival feel. The photo had a portion of the recording tape pulled out to form a loop. This area seemed like a natural place to put the book title, but the loop was too small. Photoshop to the rescue. I copied and outlined the tape loop to a new layer. Now, I could use Photoshop’s warp tool to stretch and manipulate the shape. It took several tries before the title typography fit within the space.

Next, I added a speech recognition graphic behind the cassette to reinforce the key word “Voice.” My partner, Gary, and I felt that this was the finishing touch and a strong layout. However, when Felicia showed this cover design to her brother, he wanted to see a photo of their father instead of the speech graphic.

Solution: I scanned a pre-WWII war photo of Felicia’s father at the highest resolution and fixed a number of scratches, dust, and imperfections. I placed the image on a separate layer in Photoshop, outlined and ghosted it back so that the cassette tape remained strong in the forefront. However, adding the extra layer affected everything in the layout!

I rotated the cassette tape angle and move it down, stretch the tape loop, and reshape it again to wrap around the photo. I also had to tweak the placement of the title, subtitle, and authors’ names. One last subtle detail completed the cover: I added Salomon Lederberger’s name to the write-in space on the cassette tape. When Felicia and her family saw this revised alternative, they unanimously approved the cover design.

Felicia is a wonderful client. She was very involved and receptive to any design suggestions. It was extremely gratifying to help her accomplish her goal—to create a legacy of her father’s voice.

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Years ago, we had a wonderful opportunity to design a series of historic lapel pins for Coca-Cola. This point-of-purchase promotion was an offer to collect all five commemorative “World Championship Pins” for only 99¢ with any Coca-Cola purchase. The project consisted of three elements: a counter card to be displayed at participating convenience stores; five individual pin designs; and a card (to affix the pin).

Each pin was to include: The year the championship was won, number of games won, opposing team, the Reds logo, and the Coke logo. That’s a lot of information to squeeze on a one-inch lapel pin! Another requirement was the number of colors—no more than five colors per pin. For example, the 1990 design used the maximum allowable colors: red, blue, white, green, and light brown. The lapel pin production method was similar to enamel cloisonné. Ink was poured into shapes or compartments, like an inlay. Thus, brass (or gold) was not an inlay color, but was used as an outline to separate the colors. My two favorites are 1940, which uses a vintage typeface, and the 1990 design with brooms.

Being big baseball fans, this was a very rewarding project for N-K. We loved the assignment, which proved to be very successful. Following this promotion, we were asked to design other collectible pin sets.

To see other logo designs, please view our portfolio. N-K is available to design your custom lapel pin. Contact us at 314-548-6001.

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Our reaction: We thought it was silly and absurd, but we agreed to take on the project. It takes a talented artist to draw a character cartoon. We searched for an illustrator / cartoonist and made our decision based on the artist’s portfolio and cost estimate.

After the final artwork was approved, we added a logo and tag line to the character. In the meantime, we designed an advertising campaign to introduce the character.

For the primary launch of Mr. Happy Crack, we designed bus board ads, many of which were placed on the back of the bus, highly visible to the car driving behind. Additionally, we designed newspaper ads and other marketing materials featuring the cartoon character. They quickly spread throughout the local area.

Results: Mr. Happy Crack exceeded our expectations, as he became a popular national mascot. Bob also developed a line of merchandise: t-shirts, caps, and boxer shorts. A life-size costumed character was made for special appearances. Best of all, a Mr. Happy Crack ad was shown on the Jay Leno show. It was hysterical!  Crazy but true.

Let us help you bring your logo idea to life by contacting N-K. Call us 314-548-6001, or send a message to info@n-kcreative.com. To see more examples of our work, please click the portfolio link.

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Content + Photos + Page layout
Here’s an example. This article, Hearts that hold nothing back, is a photo essay about Sacred Heart schools in Africa. The writer, Claire Lorentzen, was also the photographer. Claire was delighted that the magazine editor wanted to feature her story in Heart magazine.

1. Content
Clair’s narrative of her trip was interesting, easy-to-follow, and brief. The short length of the copy gave me the opportunity to focus on the images.



2.  Photos
Pictures are the first things the reader sees on the page. Claire’s photos were exciting, emotional, and intriguing. What to do when you have too many great photos?  The editor and I picked our favorites, and we were fortunate to have high-resolution files that would look stunning when printed.

3. Page layout
The article opens with a bold, two-page spread. The most significant photo is the largest image on the page;  it bleeds off the sides and jumps the page gutter. It is complemented by two smaller contrasting photos and the left side had a perfect space for the captions to be close to all images. The headline is a welcoming entry point that can’t be missed! The third, and last, page repeats the same decorative stripe that separates the thin columns of text and includes three more photos of varying sizes.

“As editor of Hearts that hold nothing back, I give an enthusiastic thumbs-up to Peggy’s comments! And as a writer, I must admit that, especially for feature magazine layouts, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’” 
— Susan Switzer, Writer

Let Nehmen-Kodner help you with your next magazine design. Call us 314-548-6001 or send a message: info@n-kcreative.com. To see more examples of our work, please click the portfolio link.

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I used the colors shown in the graphic standards in my layout. On screen, the colors looked great, but a computer is not a reliable way to check color. When my client approved the designs, I sent the files to the vendor and requested proofs to check colors.

When the proofs arrived, the colors were off on both project proofs — on fabric, the green was too yellow, the purple too dull.

To solve the problem, I requested a color chart printed on fabric and reviewed it with my client. We compared the color chart with the graphic standards, and picked the closest color matches. Then I reworked my files. The new color proofs looked great. My client was very pleased.

Why go through all this trouble? Quality control. N-K wants to get it right for you. Color is critical; it reinforces your brand. We insist on colors being precise. Your logo colors need to match your specific graphic standards when applied in any medium, whether it’s fabric, paper or web.

Lessons learned:
•  Request color charts at the beginning of every project.
•  Discuss your project with all vendors to achieve consistent colors.
•  Always obtain a proof, a necessary precaution, and make adjustments if necessary.

Want to learn more? Contact Nehmen-Kodner, 314-548-6001.
To see more display designs and examples of our work, please click the portfolio link.

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