Action Figure
Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)
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Client
Action Figure is an Austin-based design firm specializ-
ing in print and motion graphics.
DESIGNER
Matt Hovis
FIRM
Action Figure
Process
Like many design firms, Action Figure had created logos for numerous clients, but
had put off designing one for its own business. “We couldn’t figure out how we
wanted to market ourselves,” says Kevin Whitely, a principal of the firm. “We tried
different things, got them printed, then threw them away.” After months of indeci-
sion, he and co-partner Matt Hovis decided “to go dorky,” as Whitely puts it. “We
thought, ‘Look, we’re just a couple of dudes. That’s all we are. Let’s go for something
that says that.’” So he, Hovis, and the newly hired Christa Mayre went outside and
snapped some Polaroids of each other against a wall. “With Matt and I, we just
fuddy-duddied out into the alley and took the pictures,” says Whitely, “but with
Christa, we got a little artsy. We had her make an extravagant bun.” The Polaroids
were then scanned into a computer, turned into silhouettes in Photoshop, and con-
verted to vectors in Illustrator. A thick, outlined circle was added to contain the three
figures, and a black-and-white palette was chosen to give the mark a 1960’s feel,
similar to that of the TV show “Mod Squad.”
What Works
The logo features a circle containing silhouettes of two men and a woman standing
with feet firmly planted on the ground and arms dangling at their sides. A humorous
take on the name “Action Figure”—there’s not much action, after all, in these fig-
ures—the logo reflects the playful approach the firm brings to its work.
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