• Smile all you want – he’ll still toss you in the dirt. Come to a place where people appreciate a good smile.
• You’re not afraid of anything …unless it happens in the dentists’ chair.
• You may have to hang on longer than 8 seconds …but not much. At Dentus, we strive to make your dental visit efficient and convenient.

Ultimately, they chose my favorite headline of all (I love it when that happens), shown in the sample below. Often, what makes the difference between a generic, straightforward representation of your company, and something that is memorable and makes people smile, is the application of creativity and the confidence to step off the beaten path. Is this the sort of sign rodeo-goers would be expecting from a dentist? No. Is that a good thing? Yes.

Complete sign.

Sign detail.

We were approached by the leadership of a local Christian motorcycle organization to design a patch for a new club. It was a challenge to execute, but a lot of fun.

Patch detail

Some back story

Unbeknownst to me, there is very strict and organized administration of the various motorcycle clubs in Oregon, particularly those that elect to identify themselves with a membership patch. If the patch is not approved, you’d be smart not to wear it. There are many Christian motorcycle clubs and organizations in existence. I suppose the differentiating factor between a “Christian” motorcycle club and others, is the set of spiritual beliefs they hold to, and therefore a different focus in terms of their activities. Other than that, these clubs are united by a love for motorcycles, riding and the “outlaw” lifestyle.

Various club patches

The challenge

The most challenging part of this project was tackling the appropriate use of symbolic imagery. There are many symbols associated with the Christian faith, which are deeply meaningful to believers. Using spiritual iconography within the “visual framework” of contemporary motorcycle gang fashion (for lack of a better term) has some obvious potential for disaster, particularly if you don’t remain honest to the true nature of each group. In addition, some clubs are territorial about the specific symbols they’ve employed to uniquely identify their organization. With much help from the client (and from above), I feel pretty good about how this new patch turned out, and its ability to stand up among others in its genre.

Final patch design