Wow... it's hard to believe the [ b ] logo is 10 years old this month! Back in the summer and fall of '98... in just my second season as a wedding photographer (my first full year in business), I was lucky enough to connect with an incredibly talented individual, Mr. Tim Holmes. When I met him, he didn't ask me if I needed a new logo or if I wanted to use him to create it... he told me something to the effect of, "You need a new logo and I am going to do it for you!" Needless to say, I liked his attitude. Young... confident... passionate about his work... reminded my of someone I knew! ;-)

I am so thankful for everything he has done for me and my brand over the years. While the logo itself, is just the service mark for my company, Tim has also helped me develop my brand and communicate it to the world. To me, the [ b ] logo, in it's understated simplicity, symbolizes a commitment to quality and a brand that will stand the test of time. The logo itself is simple, clean, classic... which I like to think of my photography that way as well. Hopefully when a bride sees my logo, they think of my consistent style of relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments, all blended in a cool, comfortable and casual approach to capturing their memories. And hopefully when a photographer sees the [ b ], they think of a guy who is stoked to help the photo community at large, who is eager to teach, inspire and hopefully entertain. I like to think of myself as a connector as described in Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point.

I just wanted to take a few moments and share what the [ b ] means to me:

So let's go back to the summer of '98. I'm in the middle of an incredibly busy summer. I ended up shooting 61 weddings that year. I was 24 for most of the year and my business was on fire. I was booking just about every couple that met me, I was the hot new kid on the block here in the OC and I was starting to make a name for myself among other photographers because I had one of those fancy website things and I was connecting with people across the country and even around the world. It's crazy to think that website weren't very common at all back then, now everyone and their mother has a website, but back then, not even all of my clients had email.

I actually had a few other professionally designed business ID systems back in the early 90s (I'll scan a few of my cards and share them at a later date), but nothing like what was to come. Once I got my new business cards, letterhead & envelops... I invested in a very fancy brochure, that cost an arm and a leg to produce. But I packaged it all up, send out a little promo kit along with a little note introducing myself to all the nicest venues in SoCal, my past clients, all of the top wedding planners and other industry professionals. The response was phenomenal. I was meeting getting more referrals than I knew what to do with and my photo friends benefitted. That's when I started to realize that the "Image", was every bit as important as the "Images" when running a successful business.

So again, the [ b ] is much more than a logo. It's an attitude. I was a young guy, who was very passionate about what I was doing. I wanted to make a name for myself. I wanted to be memorable to my clients. When the [ b ] logo was launched, I dropped the first name and was just known as "Becker". I've always said, "Ya know... like Bono, Sting, Madonna... but nor Cher". I often joked that I was just: [ b ], the photographer formerly known as Becker. Thanks Prince! I then have to explain to people that I am not as pretentious as I pretend to be... I just wanted to be memorable and remarkable and have a little fun making a name for myself.

Over the years, many of my fans and friends have send me nice customized items with the [ b ] logo on it. Some of my favorites include my poker chips, my cufflinks and. I've also received a flask, mugs, glassware, a ww[ b ]d bracelet, towels, stickers, temporary tattoos, and the [ b ] has even appeared on toast.

I've had it printed on business cards & letter head of course, but also several different versions of t-shirts, mouse pads, magnets, hats, sweatshirts, stickers and women's panties (ok, that last part was a joke). I am very excited about the new promo kit my team is producing for '09. Or course I'll share when the time is right.

We now have three versions to the [ b ] logo: the original for my wedding work, the one for my personal work and the version I use for my education and inspiration to photographers (see the top right of this blog to see them side by side).

Here are a few images of [ b ] inspired swag:

Current business card (I'll dig up and scan some old ones soon):

It's not mine, I swear!:

The other night, after our annual Christmas dinner with a few of my close friends, Tim presented me with a painting commemorating the 10 years of the [ b ] logo and I was blown away. The 10 squares represent the 10 years, and the rectangle on the right represent the future. The cool thing is that the color of the squares represent the different color schemes I've had that went along with the [ b ]. Starting out with a tan/brown version, then switching to an olive green, then the aqua blue inspired by Apple and finally settling on the silver and white. I plan on keeping that forever (mainly because I ordered 100,000 metal business cards). Ok, that was just an exaggeration, but I am sticking with the silver regardless.

While I continue to work with Tim on all of my visual and communication needs, I am more stoked for the friendship that has developed over the years. He is truly an amazing individual and I am so thankful for what he is in my life. If you could use a little Tim in your life... you can find him at Reddoor Creative. He's ridiculously expensive but so worth it - just like me! ;-)