GIRVIN

06/04/2026

GIRVIN’s Tailored Typography | Movie Logos

How to illustrate a story with letterform design. My kickoff work on Francis Ford’s Coppola’s "Apocalypse Now,” began with a question: he said, ["can you send me some graffiti logos, I saw your work in U&lc.”] I had no idea what he was talking about, never had done a “logo for a movie.” I took out handmade Japanese washi, Mulberry made—brushes and drew up dozens of ideas—and shipped them all off....

How to illustrate a story with letterform design. My kickoff work on Francis Ford’s Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” began with a question: he said, [“can you send me some graffiti logos, I saw your work in U&lc.”] I had no idea what he was talking about, never had done a “logo for a movie....

05/27/2026

The Soul Summit of the Wave

Trends, Surfing Allegories, and the Soul of the Sea The storm-riven roil of the sea— which is stirring the waves of change—and riding the future. Where I surf the waves are irregular and wild—they gather steam from global swells and mix up in a frothy mix that is distinctly inarticulate on the Northerly shores of the Washington coast, by comparison rollers running California....

Trends, Surfing Allegories, and the Soul of the Sea The storm-riven roil of the sea— which is stirring the waves of change—and riding the future. Where I surf the waves are irregular and wild—they gather steam from global swells and mix up in a frothy mix that is distinctly inarticulate on the...

05/20/2026

Brandwisdom in Bold Brushwork

The font work of the road, the remote walls, restroom stalls and using industrial brush tools. I was influenced by graffiti artists and hobo code markers. To know graffiti, practice the art. In the 70s, I started marking stalls in funky bathrooms in NYC, marking over the expletive, slanderous notations in the men’s room, with wildly calligraphic, over-the-top elegant scripts, marked with metallic pens....

The font work of the road, the remote walls, restroom stalls and using industrial brush tools. I was influenced by graffiti artists and hobo code markers. To know graffiti, practice the art. In the 70s, I started marking stalls in funky bathrooms in NYC, marking over the expletive, slanderous notati...

05/07/2026

Ann Wilson, and Heart, are on tour again. And so are we, touring with our logo for the Wilsons and the Heart group.

05/06/2026

Designing a sensate place | GIRVIN’s 14th Design Office

Since 1972, I’ve created a long string of design environments—from my on-campus college office in 1973, while at The Evergreen State College, as a student and associate professor—with my first business license—the cabin that I lived and worked in on Eld Inlet—named Tim Girvin+Alphabet, off Murray Court Road, Olympia, WA. Then a studio on Bainbridge Island, Winslow, followed by the…...

Since 1972, I’ve created a long string of design environments—from my on-campus college office in 1973, while at The Evergreen State College, as a student and associate professor—with my first business license—the cabin that I lived and worked in on Eld Inlet—named Tim Girvin+Alphabet, off...

04/29/2026

Brand Patterning and Unexpected Messaging

When you work in a place, perhaps there’s a way to offer an uplifting message? A place could be a statement of mission— “I’m here, this is a reminder of why. I’m here.” Having been in probably 100s of offices in my history as a designer, I’ve explored a variety of ways in which leadership look towards way of deploying messaging that relates a corporate proposition—it could be a promise, a mission, characters of value—messages intended to inspire, encircle employees and guests with notes of commitment, creativity and visioning....

When you work in a place, perhaps there’s a way to offer an uplifting message? A place could be a statement of mission— “I’m here, this is a reminder of why. I’m here.” Having been in probably 100s of offices in my history as a designer, I’ve explored a variety of ways in which leaders...

04/22/2026

Brand Feel | Emotionalism in Branded Sensations

Feelingness in the realm of design thinking, sensation and brand. Speaking of the sensate place of feelingness, making some-thing—as above—I took some old Italian handmade paper, folded-it, tore it with a bone folder, punched a hole in the head of the strip, and strung red binding thread into the opening and hung it in the trees, and there it flapped, amidst the rain, snow and storms—salt air, bleached paper that lashes out at the remote shore....

Feelingness in the realm of design thinking, sensation and brand. Speaking of the sensate place of feelingness, making some-thing—as above—I took some old Italian handmade paper, folded-it, tore it with a bone folder, punched a hole in the head of the strip, and strung red binding thread into th...

04/15/2026

https://www.girvin.com/strategic-branding-and-the-game-of-chess

Integrative moves on the brand board of enterprise. The logo above, for the US / China Chess Summit, is a global tournament that GIRVIN created for a group of chess aficionados that see chess as a investment forum for growing acute thinking—the agency to strategic planning, poise, calmness in the ...

04/09/2026

A chat with Robert Evans | Schulberg Building | Paramount Studios

A walk-around hello, on the Lot, Summer, 2007 When I was working on the Paramount lot on Melrose—with the executive team in the theatrical advertising office—I frequently worked onsite in hand-drawing and tuning, improving logo art for various projects, including, for example, redrawing movie logos for Iron Man, Transformers, Star Trek, and Mission:Impossible treatments, as an on-the-lot typographical stylist. “I think that this logo could be better,” and Nancy would say—“OK, can you improve this logo?”...

A walk-around hello, on the Lot, Summer, 2007 When I was working on the Paramount lot on Melrose—with the executive team in the theatrical advertising office—I frequently worked onsite in hand-drawing and tuning, improving logo art for various projects, including, for example, redrawing movie lo...

02/27/2026

Designing Brand Experiences and Strong Sensation

Jáime les sensation forte Wind at my back, ocean waves roaring overhead, standing in the middle of the storm-cast river running, & climbing an old tree in the middle of winter, snow falling. I like the strong sensation…and here it is, in the weaving of winds, early morning, the stinging spattering of rain, in the clouded oysterlight. Get close, get in, stand near and feel....

Jáime les sensation forte Wind at my back, ocean waves roaring overhead, standing in the middle of the storm-cast river running, & climbing an old tree in the middle of winter, snow falling. I like the strong sensation…and here it is, in the weaving of winds, early morning, the stinging spatterin...