R L Geisman, Advertising · Design

09/21/2026

09/20/2026

Not all packaging solutions are created equal. This wine label took a round-about path, creating first a somewhat generic poster using the key graphic elements in this label simply "to try them out" on something first. This is a first look, so I am awaiting the client's reply that will go something like this: "Agrandis mon nom, espèce de designer stupide."

09/17/2026

Some projects just lend themselves to design. This is an 18" x 24" poster but it really is preliminary design for a new wine label.
The bicyclette started this project as a photographic image. I stripped away the background and if you look closely you will see what is now essentially an illustration or drawing.

My purpose was to give everything in this design a French feel from the 1920's. The little corner ornaments are purposefully simple and "moderne" as in keeping with design of that time. Since it is for a wine client, I just had to throw in a beat-up old wine crate filled with guess what?

08/17/2026

https://www.rlgad.com/logo-process

Ever wonder how a designer creates a client's new logo? Answer: a lot of thought goes into it as well as extended conversations followed by many iterations.

I've put together a slide show detailing the process for one logo.

07/06/2026

Alright, I admit it: I keep a large stack of Bon Appetit magazine handily located next to the bathroom. This weekend I was looking through a 20 year-old issue and came across snippets of a series of casual drawings used to decorate an article on Japan. Cool!

Still not being completely happy with a logo for Coastal Waters, feeling somehow it was too complex, I thought at least give these simpler drawings a shot. Drew out my own versions mimicking the style of the drawings and liked it! So here is a refined version, using a typeface called "Hank." Hank reflects the style of the drawings and I like the sense of simplicity that it imparts. So which of the three works best (I won't bore you with the other twenty or so iterations I created a while ago)?

07/01/2026

A couple days ago I posted a logo I designed for Coastal Waters. While I liked it, it still seemed visually awkward to me… not quite ready for prime time. The design shape reminded me of one of those large bowl pipes that Sherlock Holmes always seemed to puffing away and once I imagined that, the design was cooked for me. So back to work. This seems to me to be a lot better solution. Also, added another glyph for the "W" and then picked up upon that curlyque and used it in a couple other spots. It seems to compliment nicely the "bubbles."

06/30/2026

The client designs and builds swimming pools, spas and water features for larger resorts. How do you go about representing that in a logo/corporate identity? First thought: color. This is not the time to drag out reds and oranges. Second thought: design that is fluid. Final thought: make it somewhat fun. It's a time to play with fonts and glyphs (the "a" in Coastal is a glyph). There are plenty more glyphs for this particular font but I didn't want to get too cutesy with it—it still is a corporate identity for a serious business. I guess the idea for a flotilla of large rubber ducks wouldn't work?

06/25/2026

Okay, a client comes to you and says on their latest trip to France they got tipsy on this great unheard of French varietal red wine and are going to import it and make a million bucks. So go ahead, Ron, think up a name for it and make it a "serious" wine but with a "fun" aspect to it. Right. Serious but fun. And here you thought the only thing a designer has to do is learn Adobe's software.

06/22/2026

This past Saturday about twenty musicians/musical groups came to Laguna to hang out on various street corners and play their music. Given the event's name, I immediately had in my noggin a visual image of the event, and of course, it was French. This is my take: French from the 1920's. Did it just for fun. Not every design has to be for money—besides, my client this time didn't talk back or ask me to do it in taupe and make her more glam. Ahh, clients!

06/09/2026

Lately I have been doing a lot of book design so I thought, time to add a page about this on my website. On this page are a number of book covers and also some two-page spreads from the body of the books. Enjoy!

rlgad.com/books