MANVIL

Since the mid 80′s MANVIL has had a place in its heart for a small, now defunct Swedish auto manufacturer.

Maybe the love is brought on because it was a smaller, quirky European brand with odd designs and a utilitarian nature. Perhaps the love was exacerbated due to the overbuilt, somewhat simple design that featured safety over cosmetics, and driver comfort over several aspects of style. Maybe it was the city-proof bumpers, the oddly mounted motors and transmissions, or maybe it was the place they stuck the ignition keys. Whatever it was we still love mid-80′s early 90′s Saabs.

So when one of our clients mentioned the fact that they were going to attend Sweden’s Midnight Sun Rally, we were pretty jazzed.

When we learned that one of our client’s sponsor companies was named S2AB (spell it out people) we thought that would be a great graphic and we set to work on it.

Now the Swedish auto manufacturer WE love may not run with the “masculine” symbol, but we think the MANVIL S2AB logo works pretty well displaying the love we have for Saab. We also think it works pretty well in general, with a heart that is not overbearing, but clearly visible, and in just the right font.

Clean lines, the right color and a nice solid, pronounced font. We thought that would work for any company, and we still do.

Subsequently we learned that the folks at S2AB have their own logo. We humbly ask them to reconsider it. They design and produce innovative, world leading automotive projects, we at MANVIL wish they would look the part. (But we’re biased)

Good luck Travis!

We at MANVIL can’t profess to be the most travelled souls on the planet. Sure, we’ve enjoyed some pretty wonderful treks, seen a few beautiful places, and met some really great folks, but we don’t fly for a living.

That said, we know a few folks who do travel a lot, and on the last several jaunts out and about this great nation and beyond we’ve all noticed a somewhat disturbing trend: Carry-ons as big as tractor tires jammed in and about the cabin overheads.

Sure there are those silly things at the gates that will give you an idea whether your carry on will fit in the overhead, but they’re rarely used. And when they are, the flier at hand is usually glassy eyed and standing on their recently unpacked baggage.

Curiously proud and atop the dreaded “carry on baggage guide” they plead to the staff at the gate.

“See, it fits!” They’ll state, in a weepy tone with their most favoured worldly possessions strewn out around the baggage crammed sizing contraption. The gate staff shake their heads at the soon to be carry-on-less passenger. Now the bag-less faces will flow emotions that will run the gamut from disgruntled and confused to still drunk and blurrily resentful.

A purse, a fanny pack, OK. A briefcase or a small back-pack, we can agree with. But a duffel bag the size of manatees midsection? Get the hell out of here. That’s why we’re proposing this to the good people at Virgin America, who are opening a new flight path from LAX, and SFO to Portland’s PDX: Keep Calm: No Carry On.

If the gal at check-in can’t lift it above her head with ease… it goes underneath. You’re flying Virgin America, hayseed. If you need a big bag to prove your worth, you’ve chosen the wrong airline. Virgin isn’t a cattle car, nor is it a school bus. This, sir/madam, is a limo in the sky for beautiful people to mingle in. It has nothing to do with punching nylon into an overhead until it fits.

We are a luxuriously appointed staff, crew and cabin that make getting from point A to point B a delight… and carrying a bag through the airport, any airport, is not luxurious. So leave the bags to us, enjoy the flight and we’ll let you have your baggage back when you leave. We’re kinda like the psychiatrist in the sky you know you’ve needed for a long, long time.

Of course there are drawbacks for MANVIL in this plan… we’d need to win BIG with the good folks at Poker.dk in order to afford that grand flight to the UK this summer! But it never hurts to dream, does it Sir Richard.

With the goings on at SAAB, with the rally on the 14th and whatnot, a new client asked for a simple sticker to display his Oregon based love of Saab. Similar clients may be out there for Washington Saab owners, so we put that graphic together as well.

If cars represent the citizenry of countries (and we’re not suggesting that they ALL do) then the safety minded, enthusiast-driven Saab may well be a major part of Sweden’s image. In a country known for both fun-loving, zestfully adventurous citizens, and a somewhat stoic, solid minded (read: introverted) people, the reputations of Saab and Volvo seem to be plucked from central casting.

“We need somebody straight laced, mindful and safe, they’ll be driving a Volvo”

“We need an intelligent, loose cannon, let’s put them in a Saab”

Perhaps that’s not gibberish the way they’d say it in Hollywood, but it is somewhat close. MANVIL’s client wanted to be able to push their Oregon Saab pride subtly, so when a Saab owner wants to let their freak flag fly they can slap this on the back of their rigs. Here’s to the Oregon Saab owners, may you enjoy this in good health for many more years of driving.

The stickers are proper vinyl, with a UV layer for longevity. They should go on just fine and last for many years to come, which is more than you can say for that awkwardly spelled end table you bought after college. Go SAAB!

I can’t say I’m a big fan of protesting, but in these, the United States of America, it is an inalienable right to be able to do so. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

That said, we at MANVIL think this officer should made to pay for his heavy handed peacekeeping. Although he might win style points in hell for the cavalier nature with which he maced the UC Davis students, he was in the wrong, and should be subject to a severe reprimand for gross abuse of power… and also for being a dick. He’s not in hell yet, and up here, according to the law of the land, he should be judged by his peers. 

For Thanksgiving 2011, we at MANVIL give thanks for the great bounty afforded us as Americans, and thanks for friends, family, and viewers like you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Initially the client request was for a black and white image, and it was good.

No really it was. The idea was to make a VERY easily printable logo that would not only grab attention, but also get the point across. What could be simpler than black and white. (Our vote: not a lot.)

So when the idea of coloring the image came up, we’re pretty sure the client said “easy peasy”. It wasn’t so cut and dry. Sure, “just put color in it” might have been the client’s response, but from a graphic designer’s standpoint, it wasn’t such a breeze.

Colors have qualities that work with one another as easily as they work against each other. The blue that works so well on the left might draw undue attention or recognition from the tan on the beach, the green on the grass and trees, or the red that provides the shape of the liner.

In honesty, we at MANVIL were against the colorization at first. Subsequently, we like how it pops and plays witht he eye.

The colors represent the vibrant allure of the Caribbean. It displays the vivid lifestyles of all the sea-going Caribbean folk who dwell within the non-pollution zone, while promoting the “don’t dump garbage in the sea” message.

There are thousands of beautiful places to visit in the Caribbean. Hopefully this image, backed by the multi-nationally signed and supported MARPOL treaty will get the idea to every boater in the region that there are facilities on shore to deal with rubbish. It’s not OK to simply toss stuff overboard.

We wonder how the image would look really large?

Caveat emptor means something like, “let the buyer beware’ and I’m not sure why that phrase hasn’t been on the tongues of all the pundits in the United States since Wall Street put the wood to the economy, but it is still something we hold dear at the MANVIL office.

When a client comes to us, we realize their money is often hard earned, and it needs to last them a while, so the graphic that we do for them is made the way they want it. Because they are paying for it.

Granted, we don’t want to show everybody what the client bought, but we can get close. Our client, who hasn’t actually ever bashed Sea-slugs with volleyballs, or vice-versa, has never wantonly harmed a sea creature in their life, unless, of course, that sea creature ate one of his lures. And at that point, all creatures within limits and size parameters are fare game, and good eating in the Pacific Northwest. (Yes, even the sea-slugs. And yes, we at MANVIL have eaten sea slugs. Raw, ‘picked from the coral on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon by a large boned sarong clad Samoan lady’ sea-slugs. Chewy, salty, chewy sea-slugs.)

So here is a brief peek at the business end of the client’s graphics. They had an idea, and we were able to put that idea together for them graphically. It’s not Charley Harper or Paul Rand, but it WAS in the client’s budget and the design they really liked.

For years now MANVIL has had questions as to whether we’d want to expand to a clothing line. We love product development, but due to a history of work in the construction trades, we have a heavy preference towards the durable, the over-sized, and the cotton or wool. (The waxed cotton in foul weather)

We’re not a huge fan of synthetic clothing. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but we’d never be able to look all modern and fashionable like in the Nike or adidas high fashion realm. Although we do have affiliates who’d sport that stuff with applomb, the hollow strands that make up poly-propy-whatever dont work for MANVIL’s core office.  Let’s just say that the strands retain our personal traits so well that we prefer cotton or wool due to their ability to become odor free. (Plug nose here)

So what does MANVIL do at this point when the fabric we love doesn’t come cheap? We keep on trying to figure out ways to make it work for us, and in the meantime, we introduce this, the MANVIL Apparel logo v.1.5.

Technology that will work for the luddite I am.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a designer is the opportunity to try new things. Whereas this isn’t quite re-inventing the wheel, it is a shot at changing the way bicycles are personalized.

Challenge one: Create a personalized graphic that speaks to and for the bike owner

Challenge two: (and the tough part) get it to stick… to titanium.

Yes there will be challenges to any project, but this one is particularly sticky. Titanium requires some fancy electro-something-or-rather to make colors show up, but when they are on, the image will be ingrained forever. The image provided is the one we want to make work, whether it does stay put or not is another question for another day.

This is the image we’re shooting for. Whether it can be transferred to a stencil to be electronified is the challenge. Isn’t technology grand!?

We’ll see if it takes, and if it does, I’ll get a pic to show off the goods… but the glasses and goatee will stay on for client privacy purposes.

A while back, before the real efforts for Soapbox all fell into place, MANVIL took on a project for an international client. (Cue “Oooh! Lah dee dah!”)

Well, “Lah dee freaking dah” is right, because the project was a blast to put together and although not entirely finished, it means a lot to us. The ocean’s a beauteous place, and apparently, folks who live in the Caribbean want to keep a giant mass of plastic from making a nest on their beaches and in their waterways.

We got this one worked out to the point where hopefully it is obvious that no ship should dump crap in the ocean. Trying to convey regional laws as well as international treaties isn’t our gig. Especially as some of the countries in the region haven’t signed the treaties. (Bone heads)

Anywho, this is how we’ve been keeping our noses clean lately. Enjoy it, we did!

So I suppose all sorts of folks started chasing their passions whilst youngsters. Maybe I fell for graphics late. Maybe I’m a delayed bloomer. Hell, maybe I left my keys in my ignition. Whatever reason there is for pursuing anything, there might be somebody wanting to help you make your off-center dreams come true. All it takes is to get the word out.

Enter the 2011 PDX Kids Soapbox race on August 27th. Curiously enough, the current (as of this week anyways) All-American Soap Box Derby World Champion calls Portland her home. She dreamt about running the PDX Adult Soapbox race, but realized she wasn’t going to be allowed to. (Not unless she can shotgun a beer like a champ, but that’s ill-advised at her age anyway.)

So here’s to letting the gremmies have free reign of Hawthorne from 50th to 55th. If you’ve got a yoongster who wants to roll, take a peek and look into the race. I’d imagine it’ll be a great time, and I am glad MANVIL may be a part of the events success. Some Assembly Required.