Client Reviews & Testimonials

“We have worked with Murphy Empire on a variety of projects from major redesign to small projects. They are wonderful to work with, flexible and creative. I trust Ken to handle each project with intense professionalism and that each project will meet our aesthetic demands and match our brand standards.”

–Lizzy Jones, Assistant Director, Portland Museum of Art

“When I was looking for a designer to bring to life a new brand, I was struck by Ken’s work; the mixture of organic lines and curves, proportions, the gestalt of it. He made it to the top of my short list.

In our first conversation, it became very clear that Ken brought a profoundly wholistic sense to his design work. I was looking for more than a logo and some text; I began to have the distinct sense that Ken’s work was much, much bigger than the outputs of his creative process. Rather, Ken strove to deeply understand the nature of my work, and as an individual practitioner, me.

From our conversations and disconnected pieces of information I provided, Ken created what has become a profoundly moving visual communication of my work. His willingness to take what I loved of the early versions and leave the rest is collaboration at its best. When I questioned certain design elements he felt were critical, with patience and passion he conveyed why he felt it the right decision. Though I never experienced it as defensive, nor as I somehow “didn’t get it”, just that he wanted me to have as much information possible as I decided. And in most cases I followed his lead and ended up very glad I did.

In essence, Ken is a master of his craft. Not only of color, type, layout, and design; those are the commodities of the graphics trade. Ken’s mastery is an ability to understand why and how all of those elements work together; where the rules are, which to follow, bend, or break. And he brings a deep care and humility to the work as he strives to express what is critical.

Ken is not inexpensive to work with; mastery seldom is; if a quick logo is what you want or need, you might be better served somewhere else. Though the purely emotional reaction that I, and everyone I’ve showed the work Ken and I did together, have experienced did not come from a simple transaction. If you are ready to work with someone who will meet you at every step of your journey, and who will pour everything they have to offer into creating something that speaks to the very essence of what you bring into the world, I cannot recommend Ken Murphy enough. I have not a single hesitation about the value he delivered, and would do it all again without a second thought.”

–Kevin Callahan, Kevin Callahan Leadership Wayfinding

“We’ve been working with Ken and Murphy Empire since day 1 and wouldn’t trust our brand to anyone else. They’ve helped us from designing our logo and product labels, to developing our website, from helping with paint color selection in our distillery to marketing consults and merchandise design. I can’t even begin to count to number of compliments we’ve been paid for the design of our logo, labels or website. Ken and everyone else at Murphy Empire are a joy to work with, they put customer relationships on par with design to the point that they feel like an extension of our company, taking as much ownership of our brand as we do. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.”

–Ned Wight, Owner/Distiller, New England Distilling

“Getting a design from Ken Murphy is like receiving a gift you didn't know you wanted before it was placed in your hands. Ken has a remarkable talent for taking a few words about what you think you'd like to see in a logo and transforming letters, colors and images into exactly what you were hoping for. I have worked with Ken on three projects now and I am constantly recommending him to anyone who might be looking for design work - it's a recommendation I know I'll never regret making.”

–Jill Barkley, Caring Unlimited & Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

“Ken is unusual for the generation was born into. His life is driven to satisfy his aesthetic thirst for creative excitement. This passion is evident in every facet of Ken's life. It sustains him. It is what makes him achieve greatness in everything He attempts. It distinguishes him from his peers.

Murphy Empire is the outlet that Ken chose to utilize this gift. The work he does for us is of such high quality that it could not happen without the fire that burns within him. Our relationship with Ken has been so productive because Corrin and I share this same passion. He have been able to use his talent to put our story into a concrete form that expresses who and what we are. I hope never loses sight of this essence.

The other aspect of our collaboration is the joy we have all had working together to reach our goals. I appreciate the part of Ken Murphy that he has shared with us and look forward to the future.”

–Stephen Young, Former Owner, Youngs Furniture

“Ken and the team bring a fresh, bold and creative style (we call it the 'Murphy Touch') to every project. More than his outstanding creative design, however, it is his attention to detail, fantastic customer service, and warm, accommodating personality that keep us coming back year after year. We've worked with Ken since 2007 and plan to continue our relationship with him, and Murphy Empire, for many years to come. At this point, we see Murphy Empire as an integral piece of our marketing campaign and Ken as a true partner.”

–Chad Olcott, Director, Apogee Adventures

“Ken’s images are singular objects of perfection – clean, distilled and assured. His work renews lost and vernacular elements while utterly avoiding the ironic or the precious. The results embody his vision that there is a continuity of classic design in which less is more. Working with Ken as a commercial client has been a tremendous pleasure. The identity elements that he created reduce our message to its essence, communicating exactly what we want with immediacy and power. Reaction is constant and positive.”

–Marc D. Keffer, Principal, Stone Coast Hedge Fund Services

“Ken Murphy is an extremely talented designer and an absolute pleasure to work with. He was able to listen to us and readily distill our rambling and often disparate thoughts into an identity and website design that beautifully and simply captured exactly what we hope for and one for which we receive a steady stream of positive feedback. Given that we are a non-profit, Ken also knew how important it was to us to be able to update and maintain our wonderful new website on a largely do-it-ourselves basis and that'sexactly what we got. It couldn't possibly be easier. In fact, thanks to Ken, the entire experience was easy, fun, timely and ultimately rewarding and we couldn't be happier with the final result!”

–Cynthia Peoples, President, Caring Unlimited

“Ken Murphy was able to get inside my head and create the aesthetic that I wasn’t able to imagine that is exactly right for my business.”

–David Hodgkins, Founder, David Wood Clothiers

“Ken has been with Be a Girl Today since the inception. His creativity, good humor and thoughtfulness have carried us through many a crisis. I truly cannot say enough good things about working with Ken – he is talented, insightful and a great human being. Anyone would be lucky to have him on their team.”

–Paula Leavitt, President, Be A Girl Today