Auman Video Production Logo (a work in progress)

The week has just begun and already my post-work time is set to be filled with personal projects. First project to tackle is a logo for my video production company (for site and end of video signage).

I'm attempting to utilize the astronaut images I'm so fond of while creating a simple and recognizable logo. The image was originally designed around the astronaut. Although I'm happy with the astronaut image I've created it wasn't simple or scalable for how I intend to use it.

I went back to simple shapes, such as the circle, in order to encapsulate the astronaut to make it scalable. Working from the circle I began to play with a combination of recognizable video shapes (stop, play, pause, fast forward). While I was at this step of the process I opened up to the idea of using the letters 'a' and 'v' from my production studio's name.

"AV" is not only Auman Video but it is also "audio/visual". I created a thin custom font for the letters and used the inner part of the 'a' to encapsulate my astronaut.

It may not be the final logo but it is a step in the right direction.

Be a Collector and Not Just a Consumer

"Where do your ideas come from?" If you've been in an interview for a creative position, you've probably have been asked this question. I've made it a point to ask any student I'm considering, for an internship position, this question and I think it's an important question to ask. It's insight into how a person thinks and their creative process.

When asked, I say "I'm a huge consumer of media." What this means is that I spend a lot of time watching film and video. I watch for styles, techniques, concepts, characters and ideas. If I find an interesting visual technique or style I write/sketch it so I wont forget. I wasn't the first to work in video and I'm not the last, so theres no point in reinventing the wheel.

But I'm not just consuming, I'm collecting. I save video links, I share them, and showcase them to others. I'm sure you've watched a video at some point and loved it so much you had to share it. There are entire sites dedicated to showcasing an individual's (or group's) collection of video, an example being www.devour.com.

If you stumble across a video, whether it's informative or entertaining, don't just be a consumer, be a collector. If you write a blog, share it with your readers, or if you or your business has a Facebook or Twitter account, share it with your friends and followers. What you choose to collect and share tells others just as much as what you produce.

30 Second Videos

When I meet with clients about potential video productions one of the first things we discuss is the length of the video. The average person/client will expect videos over 5 minutes and sometimes even 10 minutes. The ideal online video is 2 minutes or even shorter.



Recently at work, while discussing future projects with our writer, we decided we would pitch the next food district video less like a traditional 2 minute virtual tour but as a series of 30 second commercial-esque vignettes. With 30 second videos, we can hold attention more easily while making videos students will watch, share and post to Facebook/Twitter.

By creating 30 second vignettes, we could produce four videos in the same amount of time it would take to produce one 2 minute video. The smaller videos are more likely to be watched and by increasing the amount of videos on our Youtube channel it would also increase the total amount of views on all videos. This would then create more opportunities to click to our other videos or back to any Food District web page.


Jack Daniels has recently and successfully used this method of creating 30 second vignettes rather than one longer video for their new Tennessee Honey.




Their videos are short simple and by labeling it as a "Part", if you enjoy the video, you will proceed to their channel and continue to watch more of their videos. With a longer video, once the viewer is done watching they could easily move onto the next page leaving you and your product behind.

Simple short videos allow the user to watch more of them, while making viewer feel like they've spent less time watching and making viewers more likely to share them through social media channels.

North Food District

Check back for some behind the scenes look at my process.

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