Branding iron design - Lee Harker Memorial Hunt

Terry Desilets

Terry Desilets

Active member
Since 2005 I have donated a Branding Iron each year to the MLB in lieu of a decoy for fundraising efforts in association with their annual hunt. This year, with a heavy heart, I am doing so again, but the design will need to be changed to memorialize a fine man who passed, Lee Harker. I am looking for submissions and suggestions to be used in the design of a Brand for the Lee Harker Memorial Hunt. This is a design that will be used on donation decoys that are made in conjunction with their annual hunt. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email me. You can find my number and email address on my website.

Parameters:
Simple, simple, simple
No fine lines
No large areas of Black
Not long and thin
No tiny text
No large amounts of text
I'll size it to fit, so don't worry about size, but figure 1.5" x 2.5"

There is a time limit on this, I'm not sure right now what it is, I will repost with that as soon as I am able.

View attachment Mighty Layout Boys 2005.jpg
 
View attachment harkerpothat.jpg
If you could thicken up the lines a bit I'd think it would work, even if just the hat. Either that or someone trace an outline of one of his canvasback decoys. I'd think his own art work would be fitting.

Tim
 
I think Tim's is a good one...seriously. Lee would get a chuckle out of it. The pothead drawing was the first thing that came to mind for me too. I'd add his name the way it was on his brand under or above it.
 
Though his stick men were cutesie, they don't define who Lee was. I don't think he ever appreciated how good of a carver he had become and would feel honored to have something along the lines of one of his decoys as a brand. The other thought relates to the picture that his daughter has as her avatar with Blake leaning over Lee's shoulder - probably impossible to do as a brand but certainly captures Lee's ideals.
 
Though his stick men were cutesie, they don't define who Lee was. I don't think he ever appreciated how good of a carver he had become and would feel honored to have something along the lines of one of his decoys as a brand. The other thought relates to the picture that his daughter has as her avatar with Blake leaning over Lee's shoulder - probably impossible to do as a brand but certainly captures Lee's ideals.
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Pete,

I'll counter in that Lee's potheads originated from him trying to sketch out plans that was helping someone with - be it cutting a scarf or how to reinforce something or some sort of custom fabrication. The potheads were there, but not the point of the sketches - the pothead grew into something else with time and stood on its own as a Harker signature. I know you were a lot closer to Lee, but the pothead to me really gets back to what Lee was to everybody, someone who would take the time to draw a sketch for someone that maybe he didn't know to give them an idea to work from and adding a little bit of himself at the same time. He used those crude MSpaint sketches like a virtual envelope back or virtual napkin to sketch out his thoughts for a buddy to help with an idea - no better tribute in my mind.

T
 
I think it was Steve who had the picture of Lee's Can's in the snow, no? The same picture that Hitch used for the Westlake cd jewel cover. That would make a good brand IMO. I would also echo Pete's idea, if at all possible, to use the avatar of Blake and him. If you talked to Lee at all it wasn't long before Blake's name came up. That would certainly be a fitting tribute.
 
Gosh you guys are great! I read this post and immediately thought of the picture Mark Rongers had taken of dad and Blake in the Chuck Huff MLB boat and thought how cool something like that may be, resemble the 2005 one in some ways but with a child along with the male hunter... No better legacy for dad than the idea that he taught Blake to hunt and he taught him well.. Damn, Blake AKA bandslayer with his first duck this last year was one of dads proudest moments of his life I do believe.....

Just a thought...

Thanks for listening

Bridget

View attachment the big hunt.jpg
 
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I remember that picture and I agree, your Dad would've loved to have that as his legacy. I'd post the pic if I had it so we could all take another look.
 
I want to hear what everyone has to say before I move in any particular direction. I won't push one idea over another at this point. Please, everyone, go back to my original post and reread the parameters, the first point: Simple, simple, simple

For those unfamiliar with what I do, please go to my website www.branding-irons.biz (no, I'm not trying to sell you a Brand!) and look at the custom photo album. That may give you some idea as to the limitation of what a Brand can and cannot convey. I don't need to have a "complete" design, if you don't have artistic skills, describe it. Anyone that has one of my Brands can tell you, I'll make anything you TELL me to make, but my main goal it to produce a good design that conveys the message.

In case any have forgotten: ........................................Simple, simple, simple
 
No, I haven't forgotten. I know the whole boat, Blake and Lee idea is over the top for a brand but if we had something simple that conveyed the same sense of who he was ...................................?
 
I like it. It would be cool if somewhere you could fit in his brand where the L crosses through the H in Harker.
 
I'm working on using that picture to come up with a brand. Give me a couple of days messing with it in Photoshop and we'll see how simplistic and still retain the meaning of the picture.
 
how about something like this?? But make Lees name like his brand was.
harkercans11.jpg

 
Though his stick men were cutesie, they don't define who Lee was.
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You'll never define the man, and all he's about in a brand...what you can do, and should aim to do, is give an un-mistakeable symbol that once you lay eyes on it you will know who it represents.

I too would like to see Lee's own brand incorperated into this one. As far as the 'potheads' go, I really like Tod's analogy of the napkin sketch...puts it into perspective, and I don't think there is a guy here that wouldn't instantly relate a pot head drawing to Lee.

Chuck
 
Most of you know that I'm somewhat of an artist but I think that just text would be best. The oval outline with the LH in the middle and the words: Lee Harker Memorial Hunt 2009 around the oval. Either way I will be donating a decoy and hope to apply the brand to it......................You guys are good friends for sure!..................Kevin
 
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