Columnists :: Inbusiness
Alphabet Arm doing well despite recession by Gary Grace
MySouthEnd.com ContributorWednesday Mar 18, 2009 Even now, amid a recession, Alphabet Arm Design, a full-service design studio on Harrison Avenue that specializes in print design solutions, has shown it’s possible to stay afloat and remain successful in the South End. Alphabet Arm has added eighteen new clients so far in 2009 and has had steady, impressive growth of 20 percent for three consecutive years.
Alphabet Arm’s founder, Aaron Belyea, attributes his firm’s growth to its "high-touch customer service and bold ’un-corporate’ design that is valued by clients with budgets that need to do more with less."
Belyea is a former guitarist and a self-taught designer who designed the collateral (posters, record covers, etc.) for bands he played with before he entered the world of design professionally. When other bands that saw his work some asked him if he would create their artwork, which led to the founding of Alphabet Arm in 2001. The company now designs work for musicians across the U.S. as well as for recording studios, record stores, artist management companies, record labels, merchandise companies, entrepreneurs, consumer products, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and business-to-business media, and has worked with several well-known artists, including the Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, the Dresden Dolls, and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.
Belyea’s love of typography influenced him to tattoo all the letters of the alphabet on his right arm, earning him the moniker ’Alphabet Arm,’ which he then lent to his company.
"Aaron likes to say a successful logo is like a song that captures your heart when performed with a single voice and an acoustic guitar," said Maryanne Keeney, who handles public relations for Alphabet Arm. "If it doesn’t work at that level, all the bells and whistles and special effects in the world won’t save it."
Alphabet Arm also recently received the honor of being included in Gestalten’s latest version of its best-selling book series, Los Logos 4. The book will include 18 of the boutique’s logos and merchandising designs.
"We are proud to have so many of our designs included in the latest Los Logos 4," said Belyea. "The team at Alphabet Arm is self-confessed typ-o-holics. Our work is loaded with energy and customized to every project."
|
|
|
Email
Print
Share