I was very happy with the work of our printer (The Dot Printer in Irvine, CA); they worked hard to capture my intent with each picture.

When I get a minute (kinda busy right now), a few people have asked for a “before/after” comparison: what we did in the redesign to give the magazine a new identity. I would like to do that, although I must say that the design firm who did the magazine before HCS did a tremendous job for decades, so any “improvements” that I made truly attempted to take what had worked for years in the old magazine and bring it up to date.

But that will have to be in another blog post. For now, check out these beautiful spreads…

Join the Planetary Society today and get this magazine in your mailbox four times a year, and know that your donation goes towards space research, education, and advocating space within the governments of the world!

I am always inspired and intrigued by what modern science has to say about our brains. And this week, a bunch of new studies shed new light on how our creativity is affected by what we do to our brains. On CrazyTown, I wrote up my three favorite new science-and-creativity-related news stories from the past week. Hope you enjoy.

Building a new community center in Sendai

I just returned from a week-long trip filming relief and re-building work on the eastern coast of Japan. We traveled well over a thousand miles to capture stories of churches working amongst those who have been displaced by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This trip was part of an ongoing video project for longtime client Asian Access. Previous trips with them have taken me to Sri Lanka (after the 2004 tsunami), Mongolia, Cambodia, and other countries throughout Asia.

Interviewing a pastor surrounded by donations for tsunami victims

Here’s a breakdown of our gear:

• Sony Handycam
• Canon EOS-7D with 4 batteries and 3 lenses (18-55mm, 55-200mm, and a 50mm fast lens)
• Zoom H4N for audio recording
• Sennheiser G2 wireless microphone
• Audio-Technica AT897 shotgun microphone
• Manfrotto tripods
• Kessler-Crane Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly (4-ft. slider)
• Lots of Compact Flash and SDHC cards
• MacBookPro laptop
• G-Raid Mini 750gb hard drive

Plots still being cleared right next to brand-new houses

I could have used more than one G-Raid. As it was, I had one set of captures on the laptop and one set on the G-Raid. I think I should have had both on separate external drives (I started to run out of space on the laptop’s internal drive).

The Kessler-Crane slider was great for getting really smooth motion for b-roll, and even during some of the interviews. I was worried that it was going to be a pain to carry around and get through security at airports, but it wasn’t (and it’s still under the weight restrictions, so bringing it along didn’t cost me any extra).

The water in some places has not sunk back to pre-tsunami levels

The rest of the team was Joshua Clayton, Jeff Johnston (of Asian Access), and Takeshi Takazawa (also of Asian Access). We were a good team — we have all worked together before — so we got a lot of footage and some great interviews.

One issue that came up very quickly was the challenge of language. I felt that we would honor the interview subjects best by conducting the entire interview in Japanese, and then figure out what they discussed later. I don’t understand Japanese, so I had to get a synopsis of the interview from Takeshi before determining what b-roll would be needed to tell the story for each interview. We’ll see how well that went as I cut the pieces together over the next week or so.

Joshua capturing a small shrine to honor those who died in the tsunami

But all in all a very productive trip. I was happy with the portability of my kit (both audio and video) and how well everything worked. Can’t wait to show you all the footage as it gets finished…

(photos by Joshua Clayton & Loren A. Roberts)

We have actually done an update on this one, changing the typography to reflect the new organization. But the logomark still works wonderfully.

Included in the American Corporate Identity line of books.

These are just a few of the many successful logo design and re-design projects that we have worked on over the years. We have a long and successful track record of working with clients to

• determine need
• assess the values and strategies of the organization that should help shape the logo design process
• work with owners, management, and employees to come to consensus on marketing values
• present useful logo design strategies and work through the revision process, on time and on budget
• complete fulfilment of digital and physical artwork for use by other design firms as well as internal staff

We would love to work with you on your next logo design project.

Last summer I helped produce a reunion for the West Covina High School Chamber Singers. We had a wonderful time, and [finally] I was able to get the time to do an edit of all the footage that was shot at the event.

Purchasing the DVD via PayPal can be done on the WCHS Chamber Singers site.

This was a fun side project. No money was charged for my time; I hired a videographer to be at the event, so that I could participate in the event myself.

The whole process was a good learning experience, and another chance to bring a project from conception to completion.

Back before Fuller Theological Seminary had even hired any staff for this new venture, the Lloyd Ogilivie Institute of Preaching needed a multichannel piece that would bring in relevant candidates for the new chair of the program. So it needed to be high-end, concise, fast, and under-budget. We designed three pieces: a magazine ad, a direct-mail piece, and a (mini) website. In addition, we filmed several people on campus, all talking about what the Institute was going to do.

All design and filming (and subsequent printing and DVD replication) was turned around within one month, and perfectly on budget. The campaign was successful: Mark Labberton is now the chair of the academic program, and has successfully moved it from infancy to relevancy across the campus.

Click here to view the embedded video.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : October 2011

Planetary Society Headquarters, Pasadena, CA

Hearken Creative (www.hearkencreative.com) of Pasadena, CA is proud to announce a historic magazine redesign — the first in the magazine’s 31-year history. The Planetary Report is a highly-regarded quarterly member magazine, bringing space research and advocacy news to 50,000 readers worldwide and commissioned by the Planetary Society of Pasadena, CA. The first two redesigned issues were released in June 2011 and October 2011.

The Planetary Report was introduced soon after the Planetary Society was launched in 1980 by scientist/author Carl Sagan, JPL/Caltech professor Bruce Murray, and JPL scientist Louis Friedman. The desire for a new look and focus prompted incoming executive director Bill Nye to turn to Loren A. Roberts of Hearken Creative for a complete re-design of the magazine, including adding a brand new kids’ section that capitalizes on the Bill Nye the Science Guy™ brand.

“Loren gave our 31-year-old magazine a beautiful new look,” said Bill Nye, executive director of the Planetary Society. “Beautiful pictures just jump out at you, and the text is mysteriously easier than before to read. We are delighted with his work.”

“It’s an honor for us to assume the creative mantle for a magazine seen around the world,” said Loren A. Roberts, principal of Hearken Creative. “We are proud of the Planetary Society’s mission, and our partnership with them over fourteen years; and we look forward to this new chapter in our history together.”

The relationship between the Society and Hearken Creative began in 1997 when Roberts designed all of the graphics for Planetfest’97, a convention where tens of thousands of people watched Mars Pathfinder land on Mars using a real-time link from JPL at the Pasadena Convention Center. All printed graphics, banners, signage, advertising, and online graphics were designed by Hearken Creative. Since then the partnership has grown, with Hearken Creative designing t-shirts, logos, posters, websites, brochures and more for the Society.

ABOUT THE MAGAZINE :

The Planetary Report is the internationally-recognized flagship magazine of the Planetary Society, featuring insightful articles and gorgeous photos to provide comprehensive coverage of discoveries on Earth and other planets. The quarterly magazine reaches members of the Society all over the world, with news about planetary missions, spacefaring nations, intrepid explorers, planetary science controversies and the latest findings in humankind’s exploration of the solar system. The magazine is an exclusive benefit for Planetary Society members.

ABOUT HEARKEN CREATIVE :

Hearken Creative was founded by Loren A. Roberts in 1993 to service the marketing and design needs of Southern California’s nonprofit organizations — social services agencies, colleges, and museums. Hearken Creative has designed award-winning logos, magazines, brochures, direct-mail campaigns, and websites for both nonprofit and corporate clients from New York to Los Angeles to Tokyo. As advertising and marketing needs have changed, Hearken Creative diversified to offer consulting and services for various media including live/production/post-production sound, film and video producing, audio and video online broadcasting solutions, and fine arts and performing arts marketing consulting. He is a film/documentary director, editor, sound designer, and producer [IMDB credits]. Roberts has a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and experience in the entertainment industry as an advertising and packaging designer prior to starting Hearken Creative.

PRESS CONTACT :

Loren A. Roberts, Owner, Hearken Creative Services
626-396-1500 | loren@hearkencreative.com
261 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 208, Pasadena CA 91101
Link to press release : http://bit.ly/HCSpress2011 and http://bit.ly/HCSpress2011email
Larger images are available for print. Please call or e-mail for information.

Images of the The Planetary Report by Hearken Creative are copyright ©2011 The Planetary Society. Contact the Planetary Society for reproduction permission, for news/non-commercial purposes only.