A Good Business

December 17, 2021

A Good Business

Relationship Business design identity

Relationship Business is the latest endeavor of Goodstory (and Counsel Creative) founder, Kenny Morgan. As a writer, podcaster, and coach, Morgan champions a message of people-over-profit—relationships before business. Keen for a fresh perspective, Kenny asked Widgets & Stone to build a flexible visual identity to unite his many projects. The resulting system hinges on a versatile typographic strategy softened by a nature-made color palette and hand-drawn flourishes.

Be sure to keep an out eye for the book and the podcast as they roll out in the coming months!

Design Direction & Design: Mark Walter; Photography: Goodstory.

Making Smiles Blossom

November 30, 2021

Rodriguez Family Dentistry Logo

With her practice expanding to a new location, Maricela Rodriguez approached Widgets & Stone to redesign her Family Dentistry that would communicate the energy that distinguishes their team.

The Rodriguez visual identity consists of flexible a system of elements—the logo, typography, and color palette—that ground the Dentistry in fresh, modern aesthetics. The Rodriguez “flower” symbol features a halo of overlapping linear forms of petal shapes, playfully made of the iconic tooth. The brand typeface is styled in bold and all caps to increase legibility and structure, while the looping nature and color palette of the logomark counteract with softness and whimsy.

The logo design required a malleable logo that could work as new partners were added, or even if the practice were passed to another dentist altogether. As a means of remedying the unknown, the logomark was built with the flexibility to alter or remove the surname.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Emily Ricks.

Hello Monty on the Corner

November 24, 2021

Hello Monty on the Corner

Signage & Graphics

We told you about helping our long time collaborator Rob Gentry as he and his brother Clay worked to start the new restaurant and bar, Hello Monty. The construction was completed and Hello Monty opened to the public in October of 2020. We also were able to help put some finishing touches on the beautiful building remodel Rob and Clay did with Tucker Build: the signs.

Designed to be a classic neighborhood joint, Rob and Clay wanted the signage to be minimal and to complement the building. Art Director Mark Walter expanded on Designer Travis Hitchcock’s stacked type logo and identity to make an elegant sign that took advantage of being on the corner. A bright “Hello” neon sign in the script from the logo lights the way to the slightly hidden location of the front door.

Inside the bar, Mark added a wall mural of a vintage map. While now known as Main Street, it used to be called Montgomery Avenue, and that was the inspiration for the name.

Creative Director: Paul Rustand; Art Director: Mark Walter; Designers: Mark Walter, Travis Hitchcock; Exterior Sign Production/Installation: Victory Signs; Wall Mural Production/Installation: Adams Litho.

A Bright Start

November 12, 2021

A Bright Start

BrightBase Identity Design

BrightBase Management was founded by the grandson of what is now known as Republic Parking Services. With over 50 years of combined experience, the BrightBase team serves the Chattanooga area with a southern charm that is wise and welcoming.

As an new entity, BrightBase needed branding that reflected the expertise and insight that accompanies decades of management experience, while capturing the loyal, neighborly essence to be expected of a Chattanooga local’s entrepreneurial venture. Widgets & Stone helped guide the new company through naming and identity design. The typographic logomark, the brand’s jumping off point, subtly connotes driving lanes or parking lines, while grounding itself with a highly legible sans serif font.

The website guides customers and potential employees with bold buttons and simple drop-down menus. BrightBases’ web presence is so instinctive, a user could navigate it while driving—though we don’t recommend it!

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Brad Dicharry, Emily Ricks; Photography: Unsplash.

Growing the Mission Médicos

November 11, 2021

Growing the Mission

Médicos Mission Fund Logo and Identity

Clínica Médicos was founded in 2015 by Dr. Kelly Rodney Arnold to make quality, comprehensive healthcare accessible to Chattanooga’s underserved Latino community regardless of insurance status, language, pregnancy, age, or gender. In six short years, from their clinic at 1300 East 23rd Street, it has realized that mission by providing outstanding care and empowering the next generation of medical professionals through education and hands-on training.

Now, Clínica Médicos is growing. Dr. Arnold and her colleagues have acquired a new facility at 1148 East 23rd Street — a former automotive garage across from the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park — and will soon offer a fuller range of medical services, including mental health and counseling, dentistry, and more.

To bring this vision to life, they have created the Médicos Mission Fund, a new non-proﬁt, 501c3 organization that will fund the growth of a new campus, outstanding educational experiences for our physicians and high-quality medical services and equipment for the families who rely on Clinica medicos.

Widgets & Stone helped to create a logo that pairs perfectly with the Clínica Médicos identity and dovetails into print materials as well.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design Direction: Liz Tapp; Design: Liz Tapp, Noah Marlowe; Photography: provided by the client.

The Opposite of Egocentric

October 31, 2021

The Opposite of Egocentric

The AlloHire identity design

Founded by Hudson Brock, AlloHire is a boutique tech recruiting agency. They are relationship-driven, they believe in quality over quantity, and they are distinctly tech-centric. For these reasons they drew their name from the little known word “allocentric” which means “having one’s interest and attention centered on others.” It is the exact opposite of egocentric and totally fits the young company’s personality.

We created a plainspoken, type-only logo for AlloHire. The macron (the line over the vowel that makes you say “its name”) puts the focus on a single character, centered in the name, hinting at how AlloHire focuses on each individual client. The macron also has connotations of “raising the bar” and moving upward, just like what the recruiters do for their customers.

To go with the logo, we built an extremely minimal web site and helped AlloHire put what they do into just the right words.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Brad Dicharry, Liz Tapp; Writing: Paul Rustand, Liz Tapp, Hudson Brock.

Chattanooga’s Creative Companies

October 28, 2021

Chattanooga Design/Creative Companies

A relatively up-to-date list

A basic overview of the city’s creative companies: anyone related to design, web, advertising, branding, marketing, strategy, film, video, writing and the like.

Hagan Copy (Good Words)

The Sasha Group (a VaynerX company)

Viget (Chattanooga Office)

Whiteboard

Refreshing the Body

October 21, 2021

Refreshing the Body

Design update for Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church

In 2015 designer Benjamin Dicks (formerly a designer with Widgets & Stone from 2012-2014) created an elegant identity design for Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (LMPC). The design served the church well for over six years.

In 2021 LMPC Communications Director Anna Moyle asked us to “refresh” the identity and provide design tools for the church’s communication needs. We kept the rose window symbol Ben created, but updated the type and colors and provided an alternate approach – reversing the symbol out of a solid circle.

The design team then updated the look and feel of stationery, documents, brochures, TV displays, and podcast graphics along with customizing an icon set. We also worked with web developer John Reeder to provide a wide array of web module design and styles to be applied to the new web site (which is currently in development). Lastly, we provided the working templates with design guidelines to help the communications team implement the new look.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Art Direction: Mark Walter; Design: Brad Dicharry, Emily Ricks, Mark Walter, Noah Marlowe; Photography: LMPC.

Plan, Manage, Build.

October 15, 2021

Plan, Manage, Build.

Tucker Build Identity

Tucker build is a commercial construction team, made up of design-build specialists. They know every project is unique, and that's why they break the mold again and again for their clients. Tucker Build’s expertise is in bespoke planning, managing, and building. Their process is defined by the specifics of each project and their job is to think of everything.

Since Widgets & Stone works in a very similar way in brand and identity design, we were a perfect fit to bring out the essence of Tucker Build in design applications. The dynamic and strong lettermark connotes movement and growth, while the practical stencil design reflects the down-to-earth, strong work ethic of the company.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Brad Dicharry, Mark Slawson; Web design + photography: Casey Yoshida.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

October 8, 2021

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

A web page for SealStorage.io

Our friends over at Stitzlein Studio helped to create a marvelous rebrand for Seal. They also designed an elegant and to-the-point web page for the company, but they needed help building it.

Design Director Liz Tapp worked closely with Joe and Leslie Stitzlein to build the site to their exacting specifications, and to build it onto a platform simple enough for anyone to use. The result is refreshingly clear and striking.

Visit the site here.

Creative Direction & Design: Joe & Leslie Stitzlein; Web development: Liz Tapp.

A Perfect Overlap

August 17, 2021

A Perfect Overlap

J. Billingsley Paint & Coatings Logo

Jacob and Sara Billingsley are striking out on their own after many years of experience in commercial paint and coating services. The new company will focus on residential projects.

They wanted to stay away from tired or trite references to painting—paint brush imagery, rollers, cans etc. Our Senior Designer, Mark Walter, decided that a more subtle or abstract reference to paints and coatings – coupled with the use of a monogram – focuses on the professionals at the core of the business. The result helps to differentiate them from your run-of-the mill local house painting business.

Mark wanted the type choices and implementation to lend a sort of blue-collar, hardworking tradesman, no-nonsense tone. On a design-related note: color transparency experiments that play into the final color palette were inspired by Josef Albers. It’s an interesting connection that a lot of his color theory work was essentially cutting and arranging paint swatches!

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Mark Walter.

Widgets T-Shirts are back!

August 1, 2021

Widgets T-Shirts are back!

New designs available now

Thanks to our friends at Wonder Press, we can offer these lovely and super comfortable new t-shirts to the public. Get your official Widgets & Stone t-shirts now for $25 + shipping and handling (were applicable). Email us at info@widgetsandstone.com with your order of your favorite designs in any adult sizes, ranging from S - XXL!

The Future is Now

July 1, 2021

The Future is Now

Social media designs for Future Capital

Future Capital (by ProNvest) offers a suite of financial tools that takes the heavy lifting out of planning and investing for retirement by automating the day-to-day work of managing your retirement accounts. Their technology gives you access to institutional investment advice and management at a low cost.

While Widgets & Stone was helping develop designs and illustrations for an explainer video for ProNvest, we were also creating a graphic style that could easily move to their new brand: Future Capital.

The sharp and fresh illustrations we created paired perfectly with the expanded ProNvest / Future Capital color palette to create an inviting set of social graphics for the experienced members of the ProvNvest team to spread the word about their state-of-the-art account analysis tools.

Design Direction: Liz Tapp; Design: Liz Tapp and Travis Hitchcock; Illustration: Travis Hitchcock; Animation: Liz Tapp and Travis Hitchcock.

A Sea Change for Education

May 18, 2021

A Sea Change for Education

izzi web redesign

For almost 40 years, Izzi Early Education (formerly IHSD Inc.) has provided the highest-quality education and family services to ensure that all children in the San Matteo County, California community get the care they deserve.

Izzi believes that every child and every family deserve access to high-quality early child education. Their comprehensive early care, education, and family services ensure that all children, regardless of circumstances, get the care they need, where they need it.

Stitzlein Studio (founded by the creative team of Joe and Leslie Stitzlein) had recently led Izzi’s rebrand, and they approached Widgets & Stone about designing and building a website for the non-profit.

The new web design includes a revamp of their current content along with microsite news and information pages for 11 locations. Our design team built animated SVG files to help keep the site mobile friendly and make use of the colorful vector shapes Stitzlein Studio created.

The new design showcases Izzi’s comprehensive program and service offerings, as well as the unique spirit that is behind Izzi’s approach— a surging confluence of culture and purpose, of hope and need, of talent and ambition, of will and willingness, of optimism and opportunity.

Visit the izzi web site here.

Creative Direction: Joe & Leslie Stitzlein, Stitzlein Studio; Design Direction: Liz Tapp; Design: Liz Tapp and John Le; Writing: Mark Gibson and Austin Howe; Photography: Joshua Chun and Izzi Staff.

Classic cocktails. Straight up.

February 28, 2021

ROBAR was a mid-century modern cocktail bar in downtown Chattanooga, opened by experienced restaurateur Rob Gentry in 2015. Inspired by Ted Saucier’s Bottoms Up cocktail book, Rob converted a small unused space behind The Blue Plate into a cozy bar space. Designed by Revival Chattanooga, the space evoked the glamour of a 1950s lounge with an emphasis on intimate ambiance and refined aesthetics.

Our goal was to create a distinctive identity for the bar that offered both sophistication and comfort, capturing the essence of mid-century elegance while appealing to a modern, yet older, audience.

The design solution embraced 1950s design elements—reflecting the brass accents, velvet drapery, and rich textures—to create a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.

The layout fostered intimacy, with dim lighting and plush seating to encourage conversation and lingered visits. Everything from the custom cocktail menu to the curated playlist reinforced a private and intimate “speakeasy” feel, tying the visual design into a holistic experience.

ROBAR quickly became a local favorite, praised for both its visual identity and elevated guest experience. Though it closed in 2021, it left a notable impact on Chattanooga’s cocktail culture, remembered for its unique blend of design sophistication and hospitality.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Travis Hitchcock, Mark Slawson; Photography: Graham Yelton.

The Lost Album Archive

February 3, 2021

The Lost Album Archive

Promo for Adams Litho printing company

Adams Litho is a world class printing company that wanted to showcase their coated paper printing techniques. Widgets & Stone came up with a project concept that would allow for a wide variety of printing methods with diverse design and photography styles in a generous format: album cover designs.

Widgets & Stone and 26 Tools paired real artists with fake albums, songs and record companies to create a diverse visual landscape to display all of their coated paper printing techniques.

The entire book is printed on Sterling coated papers in a limited edition of 500, and was bound by Bind Tech. The book showcases all kinds of printing techniques from soft-touch finishes, to foil stamping, iridescent varnishes, embossing, thermography and so much more.

See more on Behance.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Writing: 26 Tools and Widgets & Stone; Design: Virginia Brooks, Brad Dicharry, Nick DuPey, Stephanie Fast, Travis Hitchcock, Mandy Lamb, Laura Michael, Mark Slawson, Liz Tapp. Photography: Getty Images, iStock, Brad Dicharry.

Thriving Together

January 13, 2021

Thriving Together

Social media and email campaigns

There’s so much more to Thrive Farmers than simply their ability to craft exceptional coffee. They are an uncommon partner, continually striving to form and grow intentional relationships to ensure that the purchase of their products directly supports coffee farmers. Thrive is committed to providing those same farmers with stable incomes today, so their families and communities can thrive tomorrow.

Widgets & Stone connected with Thrive Farmers through their non-profit initiative Thriveworx and CEO Mike Mannina. After working on a successful small project together, Mike asked us to help Thrive Farmers with social media and email campaigns.

Our team conducted a thorough audit of Thrive’s brand documents and media channels, then crafted a 12-month social media strategy to accomplish Thrive’s goals for growth and outreach. Widgets has designed, written, and deployed several social media and email campaigns, plus weekly social media updates over the past several months.

The Thrive team leverages our work into successful, well-designed targeted campaigns today, and we look forward to seeing them continue thriving in the future!

Check out Thrive Farmers on social media or better yet, try their exceptional coffee. As Thrive puts it, “You Drink, Farmers Thrive.”

Design Direction: Liz Tapp; Design: Liz Tapp, Stephanie Fast; Social Media Strategy: Stephanie Fast.

Photo Op

January 12, 2021

Photo Op

Mural for HiFi Clyde’s

After being closed for the better part of 2020 in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, HiFi Clyde’s has now re-opened for business! Widgets & Stone created a new mural design for the restaurant to give a fresh look and to encourage unique photo opportunities for patrons.

The Monen Family Restaurant Group asked for an interpretation of vintage tourism postcards, and designer Mark Slawson delivered playful designs that fit the bill. Taylor Monen painted it by hand, so it is perfect for “Greetings from Nashville.”

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Mark Slawson.

Painted Ridge

January 12, 2021

Painted Ridge

Logo design and typography

Located just 10-minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Painted Ridge is Greentech’s newest pocket community of single-family homes. Residents will enjoy the short commute to downtown Chattanooga and quick access to shopping and restaurants.

Painted Ridge will have expertly designed community features, including; blue water ponds and water fountains, shared green spaces, walking trails, lamp-lit sidewalks, and more.

The developers were inspired by the beauty of US National Parks and drew inspiration from their names for the community. Widgets & Stone pulled from the visual vernacular of the National Parks signage and wayfinding to create the logo and identity.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Travis Hitchcock.

To Wit

January 6, 2021

To Wit

Designs for Five Wits Brewery

In 2019 Nathan Michaels, Elliott Kehoe, Brian Harris and Mike & Taylor Monen launched a new brewery: Five Wits. The team brought brewing know-how from Colorado to add to the growing craft-brewing scene in Chattanooga.

The Five Wits identity and original packaging designs were created by Charleston designer Gil Shuler. But as the brewery opened in late 2019 and marketing needs grew, Five Wits turned to help from the local designers at Widgets & Stone.

Widgets & Stone built and expanded on the lively design styles Shuler established, then supplied much needed materials like sales sheets, product photography, web design, vehicle wraps and concept art.

Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design: Mark Slawson; Photography: John Le; Web Design: Mark Slawson, Liz Tapp.