Dr. Sam Lam Art

I wanted to share that I designed my other two websites based on trying to look beautiful but NOT like other surgery-related sites.  I looked at the Ritz Carlton and the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong for ideas for my site.  I worked very hard on the 25 images for my home page for LFP and 12 home image for my HTX site to deliver a message that was true to what I stand for and what I love.  Also, I came up with a way that the image evoked the message, but the image was also selected on the basis of color, design, and aesthetics.  Hey, it’s got to look good too!  But the message to me was as important as the art work.

I was thinking of other things I have designed, and I immediately turned to my designs for my books (in collaboration with my sister Vina).  I remember seeing the first cover design for my first book, Comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation, that Lippincott gave back to me and I almost vomited.  The colors were purple, green, and yellow.  It looked like a children’s coloring book.  I immediately turned the project over to my sister, who has excellent taste and who works as a graphic designer and web designer.  She worked with my idea of wanting a Brancusi sculpture, “Sleeping Muse”, which she then picked a beautiful brown gray color to complement it and finished the font, etc., to make it work.

For my Asian book, I had no ability to design the cover since the publisher has a standardized cover design. However, I spent hours combing through stock images until I found the perfect Asian model to adorn the cover.  For my fat transfer book, I picked the model from a local photographer whom I hired to do the project.  Then I designed the overlays using Illustrator over her face.  My sister then did an amazing job creating the color scheme to match her eyes and also the font work with the word “fat” thicker than the other title text.  Brilliant!

Exterior & Interior Signage Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

I did all the interior and exterior signage for my building.  To me signage is very important as an indicator of taste and aesthetics.  I simply did not want to hire out that task.  It was also a pleasure for me to design the font, layout, and other specifications that I thought expressed the spirit of my building.

I designed all the interior signs for my office (that are also AAAHC/JCAHO compliant).

Common Area Bathroom Signage (with Braille) Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Spa Sign Floating on Wall

Lobby Waterfall Sign & Logo Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Interior Building Directory Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Frosted Glass Entry to LFP Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Spa Menu Listing Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

AVC Sign

Exterior Building Signage Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Exterior Building Directory Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Exterior Building WBW Front Signage Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Spa and Salon Sign Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Brochures, Folders, Gift Cards, Envelopes Designed by Dr. Sam LamBrochures, Folder, Envelopes Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

I have literally designed every piece of stationery or related stationery for my office.  I do not micromanage my office except when it comes to aesthetic work.  As you see, I really like even tone on tone work for my folders, brochures, etc.  The embossed logo is for me a subtler means of expression than writing the name of my company on the front.  The bronze on brown is a tone on tone stamp on the front of my folder.  For my brochure, I used a very heavy cardboard-like stock and created multiple insert leaflets that express subtle color in metallics.  For the envelope, I used the same bronze color that appears on my business cards.  For my gift cards, I used very heavy cardstock with inverted bronze ink for each sides displaying my logos on each side.  I have recently changed my website and now am thinking about moving toward a silver/dark blue-green combo but that is a major overhaul that I am not ready to commit to yet.  I have too many folders left!  Also, sorry, I ran out of stationery so no image of my letterhead except my envelope to show here.

Front of LFP Brochure

LFP Brochure Opened To the First Inside Section

LFP Brochure Opened To The Second Inside Section

Detail of LFP Brochure's Insets, Partly Removed

Detail of LFP Brochure's Insets, Partly Removed & Turned

Gift Cards Front Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Gift Cards Inside Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Large Envelope (Detail), Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Folder, Front Embossed Detail 1 Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

Folder, Front Detail 2 (Metallic Lettering) Designed by Dr. Sam Lam

I designed my business cards in fact many of the business cards for the other businesses in my building too (as shown) along with their logos.  I chose a very very heavy cardstock of 30 pounds or more to create a strong textural feel and heft when picking up my card.  I chose a matte white background and my favorite sans serif fonts.  I placed on one side my name in bold black with my board certifications and fellowship status in metallic bronze.  The contact information is on the other side with the logo in bronze, and text in black.  I like this splitting of the business card into two sides.  It allows me plenty of room for my contact information while making the front side of the card much cleaner.  As you may know, I love using metals in many of my paintings.  I have done so for my business cards because they create an understated elegance and a dash of color without being obtrusive or gaudy.

Lam Facial Plastics logo by Dr Sam Lam

The accompanying logo on this page is the simplest expression of beauty to me, as it conveys the heightened elegance of what i love. Two, unjoined strokes that that are calligraphic in their sweep and entirely distinct entities. Together, they conveyed abstract beauty and also hint at an “L” for Lam Facial Plastics without over stating it.  Fortunately, this logo design is my all time favorite!

The Spa at Willow Bend

This is my first logo created without the aid of Illustrator, as you can clearly see it is not computer rendered.  As my spa has a zen feel, I looked to find a logo that would capture that very essence.  In so doing, I came up with the enso, a symbol that many zen masters paint repeatedly every day in search of their own enlightenment.  I myself created about 40 versions of this design with acrylic paint until I arrived at the exact one that I wanted.  Some efforts were “too perfect”, whereas others were too unshapely.  I found the combination of painterly crumbles and a relatively more perfect circled shape to be what I was seeking.  The enso can be drawn as either a completely enclosed circle or one that retains an opening.  The former represents the perfection that can be attained with life; the latter represents life’s incomplete journey.  I always love the journey more than the destination.  Also, I believe that my spa’s mission is not for you attain your destination but to help you along life’s journey.

The Organization for Facial Plastic Surgery Assistants Logo designed by Dr Samuel Lam.

Well, a lot of my logos never got used but they were fun anyway to create.  What is interesting is that I find that almost all of my artwork in all shapes and sizes (except perhaps my photography) have been created for utilitarian purposes:  to adorn my building, as illustrations for my books, as logos for my practice, etc.  Dianne, my staff member who led the OFPSA as their president, asked me to create a simple logo for this organization.  I thought that the OFPSA was already a mouthful and that the letters should be better recalled by the uninitiated.  Accordingly, I created a simple logo using all of the letter elements with the circular O being the strong framing element.  This somehow reminds me of the London Tube signs in their modernity and simple graphic message.

Solberg Center for Structural Integration logo designed by Dr Samuel Lam.

This is personally one of my favorite logos that I designed, which was for my buddy and tenant, Michael Solberg.  As a rolfer, he works to straighten bodies out and make them less heavy.  As this logo illustrates, the contorted, heavier body is slowly transformed to a lighter straighter form to the right.  In addition, obviously, the curves represent the first letters for his center (SCFSI).  The curved f design was used as a stylistic anchoring point that centered the logo.  The logo was originally designed in an aqua blue green but was asked by Michael’s wife, Virigina, to be changed to a more organic green.  I actually like this green version better.  So much for the rigid artist in me!

Curved N Logo designed by Dr Samuel Lam

This logo was designed for a close friend of mine, who never used it for his business.  His last name began with an “N” and he is in the beauty business.  I like the feminine streaks that still are vertically in proper alignment, rendering them more masculine in their demeanor.  Not one of my best designs but a fun one nevertheless.