Design Rangers Camp Blog

How many people have been to an amusement park? Any one will do… From hometown favorites to the Six-Flags giants, these parks bring back memories of excitement and adventure (and perhaps a bit of queasiness). Young or old, everyone can recall their favorite ride or attraction and how it made them feel. The adrenaline rush that fuels the giddy laughter. The taste of cotton candy or an ice cream cone on a Summer day.

The rides, the rush, the ice cream, it’s all been crafted to take you to another world. Every detail has been thought through and any deviation from the theme can change the experience. Design plays a large role, from the art-deco signs at Lakeside Amusements in Denver to the alternate reality that is Disney, the look helps create the world you’ll be living in for that day.

It’s these images and memories that helped inspire the logo for the Cave of the Winds’ newest attraction, the Wind Walker Challenge Course. The Wind Walker, a ropes course that will let participants traverse and dangle precariously (but safely) out over the floor of  Williams Canyon is sure to attract thrill-seekers and cave-dwellers alike. Opening in Summer 2011, the Wind Walker needed a design that captured the experience while extending the sense discovery and exploration present in the rest of the property.

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In the Summer of 2010 our good friend Tammy Oler began talking to us about creating a new business that would focus on marketing and organizational strategy for companies, non-profits, and entrepreneurs. She asked us if we would be interested in doing the identity work and website design, we of course said yes! (Well, let me tell the truth here – we agreed to the identity work and said that we were too busy to dedicate the time to her new website. Then, after hearing about all of the cool ideas she had for the website, Chris couldn’t resist and we agreed to that as well.)

In the fall, Tammy sent us an email with the business name – StellarEngine. I immediately fell in love and became super excited to work on her identity. The crazy thing is, after presenting her with 12 different type-only logos, she chose the one I “saw” in my head the very first time I heard the name StellarEngine. (more…)

Chef Corey Wilson has been a friend of the Design Rangers for many, many years. I worked with him a whole lifetime ago at the Stagecoach Inn, and Chris and I would run into him occasionally at the Blue Star (as he was responsible for creating thousands of fabulous menu items). Most recently, we kept seeing him in the produce section at our local King Soopers. We knew he was up to something, as at each of our run-ins with him he weighed less (and less) and seemed happier (and happier). (more…)

Sometimes the end result of a design project is a single, focused piece for a specific use – a brochure, trade show signage, an infographic, etc. But sometimes, the final deliverable is just a jumping-off point to allow a design to take on a life of its own.

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