ArtbyHerbie.com » Case Studies

Case Study: Hassan Ali ‘The Lion’ Re-branding and Team Apparel

Herbie Hysteria — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:30:06 +0000

Who Is Hassan Ali ‘The Lion’?

For those who have been living under a rock for the past few years, Hassan Ali Ahmed, or Hassan Ali ‘The Lion’ as he is better known, is a young kickboxing champion from Burton, UK who has managed to attain great success in his chosen sport, all at a very young age, and he’s still going strong.

Hassan Ali at the British ICO Championships 2010

I was recently commissioned by his 2010 sponsor, Stylz Hairdressing (if you haven’t heard of SH by now, then you need to take a gander through my portfolio) to re-brand his official logo and supply his 2010 team apparel.

This guy is a phenomenal talent and was selected to become ‘Sports Personality of the Year 2009′ for the Staffordshire area – not a minor achievement, kids! He’s on top of his game and all set to join the British Olympic Team for 2012.

Hassan in action (with a swift kick to the chin!)

I take my hat off to him, because at the age of 16, I was just about learning to use the TV’s remote control(!)

Just goes to show really, hard-work and motivation gets you where you want in life, even at a young age(!)

Hassan’s Titles and Achievements

His official titles are:

World Kickboxing Association (WKA) – Junior Area – achieved at the age of 13 in 2007
International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) – Midlands Champion – achieved in 2009
European Gold Medalist – achieved at the age of 15 in 2009
World Association Kickboxing Organisation (WAKO) British – achieved at the age of 16 in February 2010
ICO International Combat Organisation – achieved at the age of 16 in June 2010

So, in a nutshell, you know he can kick some serious ass if he needs to(!)

The New Logo

The owner of Stylz Hairdressing, Haroon ‘Harris’ Yousaf, from my home town of Nelson (woohoo!) is a friend of mine as well as a valued client. We’ve shared a mutual social/professional relationship for years with lots of piss-taking and brotherly-banter thrown in for good measure (it kinda works!).

The final confirmed logo concept

So, apart from the usual signage, graphic design, printing and custom clothing I do for Harry, I knew THIS project was an important one for him because he was Hassan’s official sponsor for 2010 (jammy git!).

Anyways, as he had inked the deal with Hassan’s repesentatives, a few months ago, I was approached by Harris to design some new logo concepts for Hassan. I knew they had to be better than perfect so it was quite a challenge for me too, but within a few days, I had a draft prepared of possible concepts and Harry e-mailed them over to the guys in Hassan’s camp.

They were a hit and you can see the chosen logo above – slick, I know(!)
.

Printed Team Hoodies

Forward a few months to July 2010 and the order was given to supply a large number of sponsored team hoodies to be worn by Hassan, his training camp and colleagues.

He was due to perform in a charity event to help raise funds and awareness for Gaza and Palestine and they needed the hoodies in time for this – again, I take my hat off to Hassan for such a positive attitude towards the REAL issues in the world (I’m running outta hats here).

As usual when working with Harry, time wasn’t on our sides and the order came a few days before the event, so I had to get my ass in gear to supply them in time.

Confirmed design draft

I designed the hoodies within a day and whizzed the design-drafts over to get them confirmed. Confirmation came quick, so the race was on. You can see the design-draft on he left and how they opted for a gold and white logo on black hoodies – a great colour-choice.
.

Burning The Midnight Oil

For sharpness in detail, colour variation and quality purposes, I opted for vinyl-transfer printing. This meant having all the various colours and decals cut using my ‘ol’ faithful’ cutter, and then weeded to get rid of the excess. I used the best ‘Eco-Flex’ vinyl material to guarantee great results and vivid colours – especially the shiny gold which was part of the logo.

I enlisted the help of a coupla trusted ‘homies from the neighbourhood’ because this order consisted of highly detailed cuts and positioning – and we were pushed for time. In no time, my workshop was a mess and we were working till 3am both nights before the charity event.

Detailing on the back - gold vinyl looked great!

Some of the cuts, such as the upper arm detail were intricately small lettering, so my homie ‘Arthur’ came to the rescue, sat himself down at my desk and proceeded to weed the cuts. Of course, Arthur did a great job and impressed me with his ability to finely weed small lettering and decals. Go, Arthur!

After cutting, weeding and pressing the hoodies, they were swiftly packed and Harris set off, with Stylz staff in tow, for Burton, Staffordshire to personally deliver them to Hassan and his team. I would have loved to also go and meet the champ, but I had a meeting planned early next day so couldn’t justify the late-night road-trip, even if it meant missing out on meeting Hassan and co.

The lads arrived very late, but there was still some time for a few photo-opps with Hassan, showing his new sponsored hoodies. Below are some snaps from the night they were delivered.

Hassan Ali and the staff from Stylz Hairdressing

Hassan and his Father

All in all, I’m glad I had the opportunity to work for such a promising young man, definately beats the usual teen flock of cider-drinking, dole-dossing, 2pac-impersonating teenagers who’s only projected claim to fame is a possible appearance on ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’.

From me, a big shout-out to Hassan and the boys from Stylz Hairdressing. Long may you all continue to do what you do best.

Case Study: Victor’s Liquors, Manchester, Lancashire

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:01:29 +0000

The finished article - slicker than your average!

Victor’s Liquors is a new off license and liquor store in Sale, Manchester. In the summer of 2009, I was approached by the owner to manage the whole project and get the store ready for it’s opening in August, 2009.

The Brief – ‘The Best Dressed Off License In Manchester’

Herbie Hysteria and Victor Victorious

Victor Shah, the owner, is a charismatic kind of individual who certainly knows what he wants. ‘Herbs, I want the slickest and most fuckin’ best-dressed offie in Manchester!’ was the brief he gave me. Hmm, ‘Thanks for the detailed brief, Vic’, I replied. Having secured the premises lease, a prominent property on the Sale Circle, Manchester, we set off one morning, Red Bull in hand, to view the battered property. Apparently, the previous owners also ran a liquor store there but it was evident they didn’t spend any money on making it look at least decent. It was a mess, here is what it was like – before, I got my filthy mitts on it:

The state of the shop, before the fun began

Logo Design and Branding

Victor's Liquors Logo

The project started with a brand new logo design and branding. At the time, I was contemplating using just the ‘V’ and ‘L’ in the logo. However, after some initial drafts, I thought a shield design would envisage Victor’s own personality – ‘authoritative’ and ‘outspoken’. Adding two crossed liquor bottles to the bottom of the logo made it instantly relevant to the service. We decided on the orange, white and black trim after reviewing all the other various shops around the property. Orange would make sure it stuck out like a sore thumb.

I chose two typefaces for the whole project. The main font used in the logo is called Anticlaire Display SSK, a personal favourite of mine. I think it’s clarity and elegance worked well whilst remaining simple and readable. I stuck with normal Arial to be used on information such as products, opening times and such.

Painting and Colour-Coordination (RAL)

Picking the correct shade of orange was extremely important. This is because the orange had to be exactly the same colour for the paint as well as the vinyls. I started by viewing all the possible orange shades available in outdoor-vinyl. The colour-matching system I used was the RAL system, of which ‘pure orange’ was RAL2004. this ensured the same shade would be used on both the vinyls, signs and paintwork.

The horrible green colour which adorned the exterior didn’t really make you jump out of your pants(!) Therefore, all the exterior wood, bollards and pillars were painted using exterior gloss paint. The pillars and bollards were painted orange and black with a small white trim to break the colours further. The metal window frame was painted black using gloss black metal paint-spray.

Window Graphics

Window vinyls and graphics

Initially, the idea was to cover both ground-floor windows. This was to create a real ‘hardcore liquor store’ feel. After contemplating the decision, I decided to cover the right-side window fully, but keep the left-side window only half-covered. This would ensure some natural light got through into the store. The window design was simple, a bullet-pointed list of products and services. The left window would show the opening times in a ‘week summary’ style, instead of listing each day of the week seperately.

I had to be careful I didn’t ‘over-design’ the windows, if you get my drift. This was because the first-floor window boards and light-box sign would be graphical and creative enough. The windows were covered with black vinyl and the text layerd on. I kept the bullet points of the text orange so the colour-co-ordination would match.

Light-Box Sign

The biggest and most expensive part of the project was the main light-box sign. Measuring nearly 16 foot across, it was big. This was great for the desired effect, an illuminated ‘Victor’s Liquors’ sign which shone like a beacon at night. The main lettering was left transparent so the light could shine through.

The light box, illuminating the neighbourhood!

The aluminium light-box was powder-coated the same orange (RAL 2004) colour. It matched the paintwork beautifully and fitted in great when it was installed. Hooking it up to the electrics was easy enough so the sign could be switched on or off from within the shop.

Window Boards

Hand-painting the window boards, HH in action!

The first floor windows of the property were in a horrible state. The wooden frames were rotting and the paint was flaking off. Just giving them a lick of paint wasn’t going to be enough. Replacing the window frames was not within the budget. So, I improvised and suggested covering the windows with half-inch thick wooden boards, hand-painted of course.

Custom Printed Sweatshirts

To really finish the project off, I supplied printed sweatshirts for Victor and his staff to wear as their uniform. The big shield logo was transferred onto the backs of the sweatshirts, which also provided added promotion for the shop. In closing, this was a project I thoroughly enjoyed and the locals absolutely loved it. Job well done!

Case Study: Mansha Sweet Centre, Nelson

Herbie Hysteria — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:31:21 +0000

Mansha Sweet Centre, A Hit With The Locals!

The renovated exterior - looks slick!

Mansha Sweet Centre started of with their first branch in ‘home sweet home’ Nelson, Lancashire, back in 1999. Their selection of freshly-cooked asian sweets, confectionary and savouries made them quickly become ‘jam-packed’ (forgive the pun) with customers every time you visited. Yes, be it morning, lunch or evening, Mansha’s on Manchester Road, Nelson was heaving with hungry heads buying their ladoos, samosas or chicken rolls – with mint sauce, please. So with the new food a hit amongst the locals and afar, it’s no surprise that a few more branches quickly opened in nearby Burnley and Bolton.

In around August 2009, the Nelson branch was being extended to cover the shop next door. Everything was fully renovated and no expense was spared. New lightings and fixtures, tiling, windows, doors and just about everything else was upgraded and the work was done to a seriously high standard. The owner of Mansha’s, a very humble and polite chap called Sajid, had a keen eye for design anyway. He knew exactly what he wanted and took a hands-on approach during the renovation. He approached me to commision two 30″ x 20″ abstract portraits that would be the centre-piece of the new extended shops.

The Two Subjects

Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer (Late)

The sentimental aspect of the project was that both subjects of the portraits were deceased. The portraits would be a fitting tribute and would immortalise their memories. Mansha’s is named after Sajid’s late father, Ghulam Mansha. The second portrait was of renowned Pakistani scholar and spiritual leader Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer, who passed away in February, 2009. Two photographs were provided to me and I set about visualising the project. I wanted to create something that would be totally unique, yet resemble the subjects with true likenesses.

Hand-Painting

Work in progress - slowly does it!

Using acrylic paints on flat-canvas-board, I opted for an ‘abstract yet life-like’ feel to the portraits. Instead of using real-life flesh and hair tones, I discussed with Sajid the possibility of using the same green within the Mansha Sweet Centre branding, and using the various shades of green in and around the faces. Highlights and tones would be depicted using light and dark shades of the same green colour. It would give a more contemporary feel to the portraits, yet still keep them life-like. The background would be beige geometric shapes so it stood out against the green. He liked the idea and trusted my judgement.

Frames, Mounts, Glass and Placque

Custom engraved placques - matched with frames

The hand-painting was finished within eight days. However, to create a real visual spectacle, both portraits were to be framed and mounted. I chose a ‘double-frame’ consisting of a thin aluminium outer frame and a thicker ‘black-wood’ inner frame. The grey and black colours contrasted well with the green and beige paints used. The canvas was mounted inside a 1″ white mount and covered with glass. This made the portraits look bigger and more ‘exclusive’, I should say. The finishing touches were a matching black and silver engraved placque for each portrait reading ‘Ghulam Mansha – by Herbie Hysteria’ and ‘Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer – by Herbie Hysteria’ respectively. Colour co-ordination of the placques and frames was standard to me. It just HAD to be perfect. Nothing short of perfect.

Prime Positioning

The final placement - perfecto-mondo!

With the existing floor-plan of the shop, there was a perfect position for the portraits to be hung. This was on either side of the main entrance. The door was in a corner so both sides were angled towards you as you left the shop. The width on each side was just about right to accomodate the width of the portraits once they were mounted and framed.

For me, this was a thoroughly satisfying project. The fact that it had a huge sentimental factor to it made me push myself further to make my client proud. I’ve had some great feedback and am happy I could deliver a custom product to a client who is already way-ahead in his game! Here’s to Mansha’s! Two chicken-rolls with mint sauce, please(!)

Your Comments and Feedback

Have you been to Mansha’s and seen the portraits? What do you think? I’d love all your feedback and responses to this project. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.

Case Study: Splash Car Valeting, Nelson

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:32:42 +0000

Should've been the full wall, I say(!)

Splash Car Valeting is a vehicle hand-wash business from Nelson, Lancashire. They have two sites, one in Nelson within a covered business unit, and one in Brierfield, Lancashire (about 2 miles away) on the main road running through the town. During summer, both sites are extremely busy where people get their prides and joys washed, soaped, rinsed and polished. The site on the main road was already great for attracting customers because ‘you just couldn’t miss it’ as it is on the main A-road going into Burnley and coming out, going towards Nelson.

Brierfield, Lancashire (Long and Narrow)

Exterior gloss paint used..

The owner approached me because he wanted the plain main wall behind the car wash ‘to make people’s heads turn as they walked or drove by’, as he put it. As he had not put up any signs as yet, he also wanted the wall to identify the name of the business and a short description about what the business does, whilst at the same time being colourful and creative. After a short discussion, I suggested to him a simple, bold and abstract design to cover the entire length of the wall. The wall was long, so I suggested a large ‘graffiti like’ design for the word ‘Splash!’, riding on a wave of water and a cartoon-like bi-plane pulling a long banner with a motto for the business, flying over a choppy sea with curvy waves to depict the water. He liked the design on paper, but the motto which was to go inside the ‘banner’ was a separate issue(!)

‘Washes In A Dash ‘n’ Valets In a Flash’

‘Some people are naturally creative, others who are not should stick to their day job!’ I replied to the owner in a light-hearted manner when he suggested a possible idea for the motto. He suggested: ‘You’ve Tried The Rest, Now Try The Best!’. ‘Hmm, not very original is it Mr. Owner?’, I replied. You see, the motto was important because it would reflect the business and also my creativity. After a lengthy discussion, I suggested ‘Washes In A Dash ‘n’ Valets In A Flash’ which was original, fresh and suggested to his customers that their vehicles would be valeted without any waiting around. He liked it, just. Phew, that was a close one!

Nelson, Lancashire (Long and High)

Twit twooo!

After completing the Brierfield wall, I was on a bit of a high as everyone liked the design. Their second car wash wall was different because it wasn’t on a main road, although it was still in a busy area where people would see it daily. It was about the same length as Brierfield (approx 45ft) but it was TWICE the height. A new fresh design was needed whilst still keeping the same motto. My thinking-cap was well and truly ‘on’. Again, I suggested a bold and abstract design but this time it had to have some functionality as well. The wall itself could be seen from the main road, but it was across a busy car park and the entrance to the wall was obscured by a building in the foreground.

I suggested a huge yellow arrow that would stretch from edge-to-edge and point towards the car wash entrance. Again, a ‘graffiti-like’ design for the word ‘Splash!’ would run across the middle of the arrow, but the design and lettering was twice the size of the Brierfield design. The motto would be split to run half along the top of the arrow, and the other half along the bottom edge of the arrow.

How it USED to be..

The Big Yellow Arrow

A lot of yellow to apply..

The arrow was the fundamental feature of the design, and it had to be marked out in such a way that it was straight and fitted the wall’s edges perfectly. I had to use a ‘chalk-line’ tool to mark the straight edges out.

Also, to make sure the arrow ‘point’ was smack-bang in the middle of the wall, I had to measure the wall’s height and put the point in the middle of the height. From this point, I could angle the arrow head so it aligned correctly within itself, and also within the wall. After marking the arrow out, I had to view it from a distance to see it wasn’t cock-eyed(!) Of course, it wasn’t and was as straight as a die.

Paint and Materials

You see, all walls ‘breathe’. They let air circulate in and around them as most materials used such as cement and plaster ARE porous, to an extent. Just slapping a load of gloss or emulsion paint would have resulted in the paint cracking after a while. The solution was to choose the right paints for the job. I selected ‘Johnstone’s Exterior Weather-Shield Emulsion’ for the larger areas of colour because this paint was designed to resist the wear and tear caused by the weather, whilst also allowing the walls to let in air.

All in all both jobs took about a month to complete, with one full week of rain. So I would say three weeks in total. The amont of extra advertising and promotion the business recieved as a result of me ‘pimping’ their walls was phenomenol. So next time you’re in Nelson or Brierfield, you know EXACTLY where to take your dirty little ‘passion wagon’!

Your Comments and Feedback

Have you seen these two walls on your travels? What do you think? Maybe you’re a regular and get your car valeted from Splash. I’d love all your feedback and responses to this project. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley, Colne or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.