At Jacob Tyler, we continually have the pleasure to work with a list of incredible people and stellar national and local San Diego brands. Our clients never cease to amaze us with their accomplishments and today, we’d like to direct the spotlight to 619 Vodka.

After the release of the 2012 SIP Awards International Spirits Competition, we’re proud to announce that 619 Vodka has received Silver for taste in their category!

619 has successfully poured the essence of America’s Finest City into a handcrafted masterpiece, and the SIP judges drank it up!

Beyond taste, we’d also like to mention that 619 Vodka took home the Silver medal for Packaging Design. These awards are yet another proud moment in the timeline of both 619 Vodka and Jacob Tyler indeed.

Congratulations Six One Nine – It’s time to enjoy the fruits of your hard work… most likely inside a chilled glass with a splash of olive brine and vermouth.

Pictures can be more powerful than the words that describe them, but the best images always speak for themselves. Good design does the same. With many companies relying on the web for exposure, branding your company with a clear, easily recognizable message is more important than ever.

Take a minute to think of your favorite brand. What’s the first idea that comes to mind? Is it a name, slogan or logo? Whatever it is, the image, the vision that flashed across your brain was designed to trigger recognition and spark action. Brands, in their own right, are designed to be instantly recognizable and completely unforgettable.

A symbol, color or even just a word can create thoughts and evoke feeling; with the greatest success rooted in its origin. We asked some of our most creative designers for insight into what makes a design successful. Here’s what they said:

1. Your design shouldn’t only ‘look good,’ but should have a clear thoughtful message to back it up.
2. Plan things out. Create a meaningful concept and make a few test sketches.
3. Read, check and double check. Make sure everything is balanced and spelled correctly.
4. Print a copy, stand back and take a look. Is it legible? Does it make sense?
5. Choose a theme you are passionate about.
6. Every design element, including color and type, should serve a purpose.
7. Evoke thought. Make viewers pause and think about your message.

By keeping these tips in mind, your brand will speak for itself. And that’s saying something.

By Michelle Peck

It’s that time of year, when we all spend our free time thinking about what gifts to buy, decorating the house with festive lights, planning parties, and singing along to a favorite Christmas carol. The holidays bring love, joy, and excitement year after year and sparks the inner designer in all of us. Design and art direction are all about providing a strategic look and feel to tell a story which is much like the well-planned gift giving and ornate ambiance of the holidays. So follow Santa’s lead to designing the perfect holiday this season with a few simple guidelines.

Think About Your Audience

Before hitting the shopping malls to purchase all the gifts on your list, you need to sit and spend time thinking about your audience and developing a strategy. Think about what each person wants, what their interests are, and how they like to spend their time. It’s important to understand how to speak to your audience, whether it’s finding the perfect gift, or promoting your brand.

Spark Emotion

By relating to your audience, you’ll be able to create a personal connection through your gift giving. You give gifts to people you care about and the right choice will evoke an emotional response in your recipient. Good art direction is all about finding this emotion and tapping into it. Good gifts should do the same thing.

Tell a Story

Christmas carols don’t only provide a festive tune, they tell a story and invite everyone to sing along. They make you feel joyous and bring out the holiday spirit. Creating a voice to convey a story is crucial in marketing a product or service. Conceptual writing makes you feel something beyond learning the facts. A catchy tune doesn’t only tell you what the Christmas story is all about, but you also feel the love and giving the season captures.

Choose a Color Scheme

Yes, it’s true everyone thinks about red and green as the traditional holiday color palette, but bringing true design into your holiday requires so much more. It’s about creating the ideal look for bringing holiday cheer into your home. Define what colors fit your personality and give the vibe your going for. Do you want your home to feel fun, formal, unique or traditional when the family arrives? A color scheme can make a huge impact on the tone of your design and create the appropriate mood.

Establish Your Brand

Ever wonder why the holidays are filled with snowflakes, santa hats, presents, and decorated trees? Visuals are a key element to good design. They are used to support the branding and concept by providing a consistent look throughout all components of a campaign. Visual cues create a culture that is quick to understand in any language. Ornaments and candy canes represent the holidays even without any mention of Christmas. They are ownable elements that can only be used when speaking about your brand.

Check Your Work

Santa knows the value of making a list and checking it twice. The last step for any designer is to proof, test, and share your work with others. The critiques and feedback you receive will only make you a better designer. So, be sure to check those holiday cards before sending them out and have a family member taste your favorite dish before placing it on the table.

In the spirit of the holidays, everyone can be a designer. Know your audience to find the perfect gift, create bliss with a well-told story, and incorporate the right visual elements into your home. You’ll be sure to have a very happy holiday season.

By Nicole Fletcher
Big news in the Social Media world yesterday when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of an interface redesign. This makeover got a spot front and center on 60 Minutes last night with Leslie Stahl…so why is it such a big deal? Good question.

I assumed there must be some changes with privacy or something earth shattering with all the media hype, but in fact, this really is a design change more than anything. The new features are intended to act as a digital ice breaker, if you will, or a virtual sum up of a bar chat with a stranger. In a nut shell, whereas a lot of your personal information used to be hidden behind the “Info” tab, your profile now provides most things people would learn about you in a casual bar conversation including where you live, where you’re from, what you do for a living, whether your single or in a relationship, etc. Further, the 5 most recently tagged photos of you will also be displayed front and center…so be sure to de tag any unflattering shots. You can of course, Mark’s no dummy, control who sees your photos, as has always been the case, and no one who is not already allowed to view them will be granted access. Finally, your friends can now be organized into groups, ie friends, family, co-workers etc, for easy viewing and organization.

I went ahead and watched clips (part 1 and part 2) from the 60 minutes piece and shockingly, the redesign was a minor fraction of the focus. Stahl elaborated much more on Mark himself, the history of facebook, the future of the company, the movie The Social Network and a lovely cameo from the attractive but still bitter Winklevoss twins.

Long story short, don’t be afraid of this new redesign (check out the image below). To avoid frightening users, you can choose to opt in gradually but  everyone should have the new design by January of 2011. No real changes have been made – they’re just trying to make the interface more user friendly and organized in hopes to refine search and sharing as, at this rate, Mark might very well supersede Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page as the defining web superstar of the 2000s.

Check out the Facebook Blog Post for details and the official introduction.