The office will resume normal business operations at 7 am Mountain Time on Monday, February 6.

As the official Art Director for Fur Peace Ranch, Kevin Morgan Studio designed this product label for Jorma's Rhythm Tonic Tea

LIGHTNING LABELS: Thank you for letting us feature this one-of-a-kind label, which depicts a burly guitar player jamming out in a room with a wooden plank floor. Or maybe on a porch, it's hard to tell. A dog rests beneath his simple wooden chair. When I first saw this label, I thought the scene was straight out of a tiny country bar. But then I spotted a cup of tea steeping on a table in the background. What was the inspiration for this one-of-a-kind design?

Kevin Morgan Studio: Jorma Kaukonen was one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane and is still touring with Hot Tuna. Jorma has a guitar camp in southeast ohio called the Fur Peace Ranch — you know… a "Fur Peace" from anywhere. Musicians and Instructors from around the globe come to the Ranch, and it is becoming quite known in the guitar camp circles as one of the best in the world. You can see what they are all about at www.furpeaceranch.com.

How does it illustrate the Jorma product, and how will the label be used?

Jorma's Tea blend is one of the products they sell at the Ranch as part of their merchandise line.  They not only sell tour t-shirts and the like, but items that have a campy nature also, (e.g., campfire coffee and cookbooks.)

In closing, would you mind giving us a little background about your studio?

My Studio has a number of clients in the music industry we do work for. You can learn lots about what we do at www.kevinmorganstudio.com. We do everything from music posters and cds, to food labels and corporate graphics, plus most stuff in between. Thanks for your interest and the great work we always get from Lightning Labels!

For example, many foreign countries prefer metal packaging, which is driving investments in metal industries. Recent innovations in the production of metal are key factors, which with brands in the food, personal care, beverage and healthcare industries using the material for their product packaging.

As Packaging Digest notes, metal containers offer a variety of unique features, ranging from improved storage to low production costs. Moreover, metal containers tend to last longer than organic packages, which is ideal for some third-world countries.

Packaging and labeling are important concepts and are top-of-mind concerns for many manufacturers. However, it's easy to think exclusively of the home crowd when choosing containers. Manufacturers should remember to consider their global audience when designing their products.

The same can be said of labels — what works in one country may not work in another. Regardless, it's crucial that brands utilize a professional printer when they print their labels.

Because one set of colors may speak to one consumer demographic yet fall on the deaf ears of another one, product manufacturers should keep their target audiences in mind when choosing color combinations for their label designs. As Pallasweb notes, young people tend to be drawn to vibrant and strong colors. However, the same palette may effectively turn away older consumers, who find it to be too garish.

Moreover, individual colors can evoke a range of emotional responses, sometimes in the same consumer. For example, red is typically tied to passion, violence and aggression. Blue, on the other hand, is linked to loyalty, security and conservativeness. Manufacturers need to keep these connotations in mind as they work with their graphic artists to create their product labels.

Our custom labels website has a fresh new look for 2012. Bright and modern with a beautiful gallery of product photos up front and center on the home page, we think you'll love it as much as we do! Its streamlined navigation will make it even easier to use, too. And did I mention that you can get your instant, online quote without leaving the home page?

The website makeover is just one way we are celebrating our tenth anniversary of printing premium labels ... Lightning Fast!

Other Treats to Look Forward to in 2012 Include ...

• Ways to save more money when ordering labels
• Even MORE label material options (per your request)
• New materials will include Gold BOPP, a cost-effective coverup paper, and holographics — rainbow, sparkles, cracked ice, & stardust!

Stay tuned for more ways we are making it easier for you to do business with us.

Starting today, we are expanding our office hours here at Lightning Labels. New hours are as follows:

7 am to 5:30 pm (Mountain Time)

Monday through Friday

That means you'll have one more hour in the morning to chat with a Customer Service Representative about the slick new labels we're creating for you. One more hour to get as many quotes as you want if your computer happens to be on the blink. One more hour so you can cross "order custom labels" off your list ... first thing in the morning.

If you live on the West Coast and have a long commute, you can now call us as early as 6 am  from the road —  but only if you promise to use your headset and drink your coffee first. Safety always comes first. If you live on the other side of the country, you'll now be able to take care of any business you might have with us at 9 am when you're in "the zone." And if you live in the Mountain or Central Time zones, well, you know what they say about early birds ... Now you go-getters can ring us as early as 7 am and 8 am, respectively.

As usual, our online website will continue to work around the clock. So if you wake up in the middle of the night and realize you forgot to order those stickers you need in three days, no problem. Spend a few minutes on our website placing your order, then go back to sleep. If you work weekends, our website is open then, too. And although we won't be able to answer your messages outside of business hours, feel free email us whenever it's convenient for you. We'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Happy Monday, ya'll ... and Happy MLK Day, too!!

Yet, for some reason many companies forget to do this and have to recall their products — or even worse, they get sued by their customers as a result. Either way, these simple mistakes can cost thousands or even millions of dollars, depending on the size of the company and the popularity of its products. Not to mention the risk of creating permanent physical harm to consumers.

Manufacturers should always comply with any regulations governing their industries. When creating product packaging, it's vital that businesses design labels with this in mind.

As always, you may get an instant quote for your labels and stickers or start your online order 24/7 using the Lightning Labels website.

Our office will reopen tomorrow as usual at 8 am. Safe journeys, everyone — wherever you may be — and thank you for your patience!

This month's Customer Spotlight is on FHONIK®, a studio that specializes in providing creative direction and graphic design for musical artists like Indie rocker Res, and rappers Talib Kwel and Hi-Tek. Lightning Labels conducted the following interview with Owner/Creative Director Christopher Lee Lyons. Read on to find out who his favorite musical artist of all time is, how MTV influenced him as a designer, and why he has fond childhood memories of cleaning house.

LIGHTNING LABELS: How did you end up specializing in graphic design and creative direction for the music industry? In other words, how did your business get started?

FHONIK: I've had an interest, bordering on obsession, with music design since my childhood. I always
knew that eventually that interest would lead to a career. I've been a graphic designer for 14 years, mostly specializing in print and packaging for consumer goods, always knowing that music design was truly where my heart was. So three years ago I contacted one of my favorite musicians, Res, and sent her samples of my work. We immediately struck up a creative relationship. (Res is not only immensely talented musically, but also has a great eye and appreciation for design/art.) She was prepping her sophomore release, Black.Girls.Rock! and asked me to design the artwork for it. This was the birth of FHONIK, which is my music design alias.

I understand that you have been obsessed with music and design since growing up in the 1980s. What fed that obsession then, and how does it influence your work today?

Music was always surrounding me as a child. I grew up with two older sisters who loved and played music non-stop. I have very fond memories of my mom putting records on while we

cleaned the house every weekend. And from a very early age, I found myself constantly drawing everything from portraits to logos to lettering. And growing up in the 80s I had an immense appreciation for the visualization of music that I attribute to the birth of the MTV and the music video. And even though it's not graphic design, it still had a major impact on me. I think MTV really cemented my love for mixing the two genres. I loved the early videos from those days by Madonna, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson and the work of phenomenally talented directors like Dominic Sena, Russell Mulcahy, Mark Romanek and my all-time favorite director, David Fincher. Their music videos were some of the works that really sparked my imagination about how music can so vibrantly come to life visually. Some day down the road I would even love the chance to dabble in making music videos.

How did you become a graphic artist?

I studied graphic design and first became a designer in the consumer goods industry designing packaging and/or print materials for brands like Tide, Downy, Crest, Iams, Kroger, Meijer and many more.

Who are some of your favorite musical artists of all time? What’s in your iPod’s “Top 25 Most Played” list right now?

Without a doubt, my all-time favorite artist is Madonna. Others include: Björk, Duran Duran, Res, Sade, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Marvin Gaye, Jamiroquai, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, George Michael, Jeff Buckley, Basement Jaxx, Róisín Murphy, Annie Lennox, Robyn, Michael Jackson ... okay, I need to stop because as you've probably guessed, I could go on with this for forever.

My iTunes Top 25 Most Played are: well, there's of course a very unhealthy amount of Madonna ... Bob Dylan, Pet Shop Boys, The Postal Service, Res, Idle Warship, Goldfrapp, Télépopmusik, Björk, George Michael, just to name a few.

You’ve designed everything from iTunes LPs and vinyl covers to digital booklets and t-shirts for some pretty high-profile musical artists — including rappers Talib Kwell and Hi-Tek, and indie rocker Res. What was it like working with them?

I've been lucky enough to work with Res on a few projects and each time is better than the last. She's truly not only great to work with visually because her music is superb (which makes my job easier when I can appreciate the music I'm designing for) but she has a keen understanding of art and design. And I'm forever grateful to her for all that she's done for me. She took a chance on an unknown ... she's opened many doors for me.

Talib has also been a pleasure to work with and has been kind enough to use FHONIK repeatedly. I know that I'm extremely lucky to have worked with two of the most talented musicians around today but also two of the kindest as well. It's something I know I won't always be so lucky to encounter.

In 140 characters or less, describe your design style.

It's hard to pinpoint my design style. Although I tend to like more modern and sophisticated design I also have an appreciation for anything done by hand, whether it be an illustration or hand-lettering. There's something to be said about a more hand-crafted touch in today's overly digital world. But at the end of the day, I'd like to think that my design style changes based on the needs of an individual project.

You’ve done pro bono work for Amnesty International. Why Amnesty? Does FHONIK support any other charitable causes?

I was approached by Amnesty via a relationship I had built with Warner Bros. Records. I've also admired their work in ensuring everyone on the planet has basic rights (rights I think we sometimes take for granted). I was more than happy to donate my time to such a great cause and would welcome future opportunities to help them out design-wise. I would also love to design work for other causes ... especially close to my heart is that of people living in poverty and the homeless. If the opportunity ever presents itself for me to donate my design services for either cause, especially if it were a music related project like the Amnesty/John Lennon project was, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

If you could collaborate with any musical artist on a design project (living or dead), who would it be?

Hands down, Madonna. Not only do I love and appreciate her music but her visual representation over the years, from music videos to album covers, is nothing short of phenomenal. She is on another level like no one else and has had so many re-inventions and visual interpretations of her music that creating visuals for her would not only be exhilarating but a challenge as well. If I was able to ever work with Madonna, I would die a very happy and content designer.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy your job?

10. I thoroughly enjoy what I do for a living and consider myself extremely fortunate to get paid for doing something I'm so passionate about. Designing for the music industry has been a lifelong dream of mine. For me music + design = bliss.

How did you hear about Lightning Labels?

You have to love Google. I simply did a Google search and found Lightning Labels. After doing research and comparing other companies, it was a no-brainer for me to choose Lightning Labels. From the quality to the pricing to the customer service, it was a smart decision.

Is there anything else you wish to share with our readers?

I try to live by this quote from director Pedro Almodovar: "You are more authentic the more you resemble what you’ve dreamed of being." I've dreamt of designing for the music industry for so long and have always known it was/is what I'm meant to do. In the early days of FHONIK and even now, Pedro's quote kept/keeps me going ... I'm always striving to be what I've always dreamt of being. And like his quote says, when you fully realize and fulfill your dreams, you are at your most true self.