Case Studies
102 |
AdamsMorioka, Inc. |
106 |
Atelier Works |
110 |
blue river |
114 |
Cahan & Associates |
118 |
Chermayeff & Geismar, Inc. |
120 |
Concrete Design Communications, Inc. |
122 |
CPd |
124 |
Crosby Associates |
130 |
Doyle Partners |
136 |
Dynamo |
140 |
Format Design |
144 |
Frankfurt Balkind |
148 |
Johnson Banks |
152 |
Kinetic Singapore |
156 |
KINETIK |
158 |
KROG |
160 |
Landor Associates |
162 |
Landor Associates International Limited |
164 |
Liska + Associates, Inc. |
170 |
Manx Kommunikationsdesign |
174 |
Methodologie |
176 |
Morla Design |
178 |
Ogilvy & Mather/Brand Intergration Group |
182 |
Pentagram Design |
192 |
Pentagram Design Limited |
196 |
Ph.D |
200 |
Porto+Martinez designStudio |
204 |
Rigsby Design |
208 |
Steinbranding |
210 |
Stilradar |
214 |
Untitled |
218 |
VSA Partners |
222 |
John Bielenberg |
AdamsMorioka, Inc. |
Creative Directors: Sean Adams, Noreen Morioka |
Designers: Jennifer Hopkins, Volker Dürre |
CalArts is a multidisciplinary college encompassing fine art, graphic design, photography, film and video, theater, music, and dance. Founded by Walt Disney in 1971, the school quickly formed a reputation as an epicenter of the avant-garde. The original logo, however, had been considered too stifling and not representative of the school’s attitude. Lacking a clear identity, the CalArts community—potential students, faculty, and donors—was being lost. To get the school back on track it was decided that a logo and visual system that included the multidimensional attitudes of the school’s diverse population and that also spoke confidently to potential donors was needed.
The design process, which included approvals from the heads of each school (music, art, etc.), was complex. Over the course of six months and numerous meetings, a firm criteria was eventually developed. An internal sense of ownership was critical. The final mark, in two-dimensional form, can be utilized in a conservative fund-raising context; alternatively, the three-dimensional mark and multifaceted color palette can be used on communications to other audiences, such as potential and current students. The form of the mark is purposefully neutral, allowing the surrounding context to supply meaning. The decision to simplify the name California Institute of the Arts to CalArts and add the school names was made to facilitate development and enrollment.
The Calendar of Events newsletter prototype utilizes the three-dimensional version of the CalArts idenity.
The three-dimensional logo “lives” on a sphere, allowing its user to rotate the mark in space. The sphere is never revealed, it exists only as a hidden underlying structure that informs the shape of the logo.
Atelier Works |
Creative Director: Ian Chilvers |
Designer: Ian Chilvers |
The Blue Gallery is an independent gallery providing a venue for young contemporary artists, as well as a platform for the exploration of other aesthetic avenues, such as the relationship between science and art. Over a ten-year period the gallery had grown, relocated three times, and had undergone three identity revisions—all designed by Atelier. Currently, the gallery’s logo is formed from the fusion of a “b” and a “g.” The resulting abstraction is always recognizable, even when it has to compete with the most striking work of an artist—a key issue when designing an invite, press advertisement, poster, or catalog.
In many respects, the personality, culture, and brand attributes of The Blue Gallery are expressed through the fresh new work continually emerging from their artists. In this case, it would have been wrong for Atelier to help define a set of values and to impose an appropriate graphic structure onto all The Blue Gallery communications. Instead, the energy and creativity of the artists themselves make up the identity of The Blue Gallery.
The primary target audience that Atelier was designing for was the art buyers. It was important for this audience to recognize and become familiar with every item of communication from the gallery. Prospective buyers needed to be constantly updated on new exhibitions, and they needed to form the impression that the gallery was very much alive, with an essential vibrancy. The secondary target audience, the art critics, was a more difficult lot to cater to because the critics are quite savvy, and many artists and galleries compete for their attention. The final audience the design needed to resonate with was the artists themselves. For designer Ian Chilvers, this was the joy of working with the gallery—the chance to collaborate with artists, the most challenging people when it comes to design. After spending years preparing for a show, and after the exhibition has been shown and sold, often all the artist has left is a catalog. So what designers do is really important to fine artists, by both creating a record of, and interest in, their work.
Show Posters, seen above, are very important applications of The Blue Gallery identity. In these pieces, the logo must stand out but not compete with the images of the artists’ work.
When Atelier first started working with the gallery, there didn’t seem to be any independent galleries with strong identities; they all had their stand-alone logos, but never seemed to make it beyond a letterhead. Atelier was determined to bring a synergy to all The Blue Gallery communications, and they achieved this by using a single typeface and adopting a reverential respect for the work of every artist. With this attitude, the gallery owners left the designers alone to work directly with the featured artists.
The logo is compact and graphically simple. It looks the way it does because it functions purely as a marker, reminding clients of the gallery. The logo had to work on many applications: invites and catalogs (where it acts as a “tag” on the artists’ work), press advertisements (where it has to work in very crowded surroundings and often with low screen values), and on the gallery’s website (where it has to work digitally). Atelier has refrained from applying it directly onto the gallery, as this is where the artists’ work should prevail.
Because the gallery is always in a state of evolution, its identity can never be considered complete. As mentioned above, this is the third development of the logo in ten years. For some this may be heresy, but for The Blue Gallery it is important to be continually refreshed.
The Blue Gallery features contemporary fine art, and its logo was designed to be a graphically simple mark that acts as a “tag” on various promotional items such as ads, invitations, posters, catalogs, and the website.
The designers, Atelier Works, understood that after years of preparation for an exhibition, an artist is often left with only the show’s catalog. With crisp layouts and discreet use of the logo, these catalogs work to represent both the gallery and the individual artists.
blue river |
Art Director: James Askham |
Designer: James Askham |
VANE (Visual Arts North East) exists to encourage and develop opportunities for contemporary artists to exhibit, form collaborative partnerships, and promote their work to as wide an audience as possible. Local, national, and international promotion is achieved through the organization of visual arts exhibitions, video, performance, and multimedia events.
The client felt ready to rebrand; it had evolved into a larger, more well-known entity and needed an identity to reflect this. VANE felt they needed to have more visual “punch,” they wanted a flexible, contemporary identity that would be strong enough to further increase their profile.
Brand key words: Contemporary, current, sharp, dynamic, inspiring, cutting edge, cool yet professional.
VANE’s primary target audience was originally arts professionals and those interested in the arts. VANE’s aim was to expand the audience for contemporary art into wider areas of the general public, so blue river decided to take a clean, simple, and striking approach. The identity seeks to be professional yet approachable, businesslike on one level, yet relaxed and informal on another. The main logotype uses a customized typeface and is supported by subidentities for each project, such as the “Memento,” “Capital,” and “Space Between Us” logos, each of which represents a separate exhibition/project while maintaining a strong link to the VANE brand. The VANE identity system uses photography to illustrate the organization as a part of people’s everyday lives (including those to whom it caters), and as a part of the society it operates within. The brand presents VANE as an unpretentious and approachable organization in contemporary art.
Memento is an exhibition organized by VANE, a visual artists’ collective in England. The identity system developed for VANE is contemporary and professional. It features photography and illustration that help to convey the message that this arts organization is a part of the larger society it operates in and serves.
Blue river worked with VANE on identity development for approximately four months, from its first meeting until the finalized logo. The designers like to work closely with the client throughout all their projects, especially at the beginning. They find that getting to know one another and developing a good working relationship early on is an essential stage in the process. Working together over a period of months in a flexible and informal environment, such as at blue river’s studios, the designers can fully explore the design brief and respond to it intelligently. Once the identity was developed, blue river then applied the identity to a variety of promotional pieces, including stationery, specific exhibition materials (catalogs, leaflets, flyers, invites, tickets, postcard packs, press advertising), and the web. Advertising media avenues included mainly arts trade magazines.
Translator, another project of VANE, utilizes the same customized sans serif typeface as the main logo to create unification and increase recognition. The branding for VANE, created by blue river, positions the organization as an unpretentious and approachable contemporary fine-art institution.
Cahan & Associates |
Art Director: Bill Cahan |
Designers: Lian Ng (logo & packaging) Ben Pham (catalog) Illustrator: Lian Ng (packaging) |
Who is the client? What do they do?
Pottery Barn Kids (PBK) is a specialty retailer of children’s home furnishings, bedding, and accessories.
What problem were you asked to solve?
To launch the first-ever brand extension of a Williams-Sonoma brand, in this case Pottery Barn, targeting the children’s home furnishings and accessories market.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
To combine an upscale and sophisticated look and feel with a sprinkling of childlike whimsy.
Who was the target audience?
Current Pottery Barn customers who have kids, as well as customers new to the brand.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
We created a kid’s space at the agency with PBK products, fabrics, competitive toys, and accessories. Cahan & Associates assigned four designers to the project, each to individually interpret the strategy. We presented these four unique directions to the client and recommended a new approach to retail catalogs, something that is typically unheard of in the industry: opening the catalog with an editorial spread. Showing lifestyle without product information was a breakthrough technique.
What was the creative time frame?
We started by creating the new identity and then proceeded with the catalog and packaging icons and designs. We spent a year designing the first four catalogs.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
Retail catalog, stationery system, hangtags, packaging solutions, and gift wrap.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
They liked our strategic approach and related to the sophisticated brand work we had produced for other high-end consumer brands.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
The logo had to answer to the brand personality, and especially to fit in with the parent brand, Pottery Barn. It also had to work easily in a variety of applications: print, textiles, stitched labels, and so on.
—Bill Cahan
The package design, right, exemplifies the Pottery Barn Kids identity with its upscale, sophisticated look and feel that incorporates a sprinkling of childlike whimsy.
The Pottery Barn Kids catalog has a more editorial approach, showing lifestyle photographs along with product information. The logo, featured prominently on the catalog covers, is set in classic serif typography, all lowercase and letter-spaced rather loosely. Lowercase type suggests children, without resorting to stereotypical childlike fonts. The overall effect fits in with the sophisticated Pottery Barn brand, but gives the PBK brand extension its own unique identity.
Chermayeff & Geismar, Inc. |
Art Director: Tom Geismar |
Designer: Tom Geismar |
Who is the client? What do they do?
Chase Manhattan Bank is a revered financial institution headquartered in New York. Our client contacts were David Rockefeller, John McCloy, and George Champion, a triumvirate with aesthetic decisions being made by Mr. Rockefeller.
What problem were you asked to solve?
A symbol was needed to carry the Chase identity forward through a name change the bank was planning. At the time, Chase expected to drop “Manhattan” from its name in three years. In fact, it took seventeen years. Because the name is long, a symbol is easier to read. In the situation of the Chase Manhattan Bank, most people in New York see the bank’s image every day. There are more than 130 branches, daily newspaper ads, and since 1960, sponsorship of the evening news.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
As a bank, the symbol had to avoid negative connotations, such as an association with a particular ethnic group, or political party, or the like. If appropriate, and if possible, an abstract mark might subtly convey money. The Chase symbol is very slightly reminiscent of a Celtic coin, whether or not this is recognized is of little consequence. Otherwise the form of the symbol suggests forward motion; it is not static.
Who was the target audience?
The audience is every adult who is a wage earner.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
The process of the design development was such that any number of abstract marks might have worked equally well. Many were designed and presented. This one got the most votes. The difficulty was in convincing some officers of the bank at the second level that people would recognize the symbol as belonging to the Chase Manhattan Bank. Our argument was that the learning curve was steep and fast. As no one could live and move in the city without seeing the symbol frequently, we convinced all concerned that the public would learn in short order what that octagon stood for. The bank officers themselves proudly wore cuff links and had the symbol printed in a “fleur-de-lys” pattern on their neckties. Versions of the symbol were designed for very prominent presentations at all bank branches.
What was the creative time frame?
The entire design process took about three months.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
The name (in a consistent, especially designed typeface exclusive to the bank) and the symbol were applied to flags and banners; all stationery and banking forms; branch banks; and newspaper, magazine, and television advertising.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
We were known to the bank leadership and recommended by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the architects of One Chase Manhattan Plaza, then under construction.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
The design met our criteria of being compact, simple, original, and dynamic. It could be used in a full-range of variations without any loss of identity.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
There are few abstract marks in existence in the business world outside of Japan. They can only exist meaningfully when there is a great deal of exposure in all media. Chase Manhattan Bank’s pervasive presence in New York, and in the world, made the birth of the most important abstract trademark in the United States possible.
—Ivan Chermayeff
The logo for Chase Manhattan Bank can stand alone to represent the financial institution, as in the building signage pictured above. The abstract mark resembles a coin and subtly conveys the idea of money without any specific associations that could be seen as a negative connotation.
Concrete Design Communications, Inc. |
Art Directors: Diti Katona, John Pylypczak |
Designers: John Pylypczak, Clarie Dawson Photography: Chris Chapman |
Umbra is a very modern home decor company based in Toronto, Canada, which provides reasonably priced products with an emphasis on good design. The company started in drapery hardware, then branched out into other home items such as frames, drawer pulls, mirrors, and clocks. They are now known for their interesting designs and good use of inexpensive materials, especially plastics, as well as the “Oh” chair designed by Karim Rashid. Their products are available through a variety of big-box and specialty stores, as well as online at the Umbra website.
Concrete, also based in Toronto, worked directly with the owners of Umbra, Paul Rowan and Les Mandelbaum. Originally, Concrete was hired to create a wholesale catalog, not a logo. The client wanted a catalog that was cleaned up and well-organized. They didn’t want to invest a huge amount of money, yet they wanted the catalog to show Umbra’s philosophy and attitude. As the designers were at work on the catalog, however, they discovered that there were several different versions of the Umbra logo in use. When Concrete brought this to their attention, Umbra realized that they needed to address the situation. Umbra needed to create a stronger identity. This would result not only in greater brand recognition, but would help to prevent knock-offs of their products as well.
CEO Rowan, a trained graphic designer, designed the original Umbra logo, but it was a bit illegible in some applications. Concrete’s challenge was to refine the logo, keeping its original character but insuring that it would function well when applied to all types of materials in a variety of sizes, some especially small. Concrete designed the “U” to mirror one of Umbra’s earliest and most successful products, a plastic flip-top garbage can. The designers kept in mind the young, design-savvy target consumer, as well as the shelf presence in major discount retail stores when they were reworking the logo. The Umbra identity needed to be clean, easy to read, immediately legible, and very recognizable. Concrete was mindful of the huge expense in retooling the dies required by Umbra in order to apply the logo on all their products. It was a big job that ran smoothly because the designers worked directly with the owners, who were not afraid to take risks and make decisions.
The Umbra logo was originally designed by the company’s CEO who was trained as a graphic designer, see right. Concrete was challenged to keep the original character of the logo while making refinements that would allow it to be applied to a wider range of Umbra products. The designers’ goal was legibility and immediate brand recognition for Umbra. The new logo is pictured above and opposite.
CPd |
Creative Directors: Chris Perks, Nigel Beechey |
Designers: Aggie Rozycka, Maurice Lai |
Cosmopak Pty Ltd. launched Kiss as a full range of cosmetics for the youth market in 1996. Kiss was highly successful in capturing the minds of both the consumer and the media as the cool, hip, must-have brand. However, five years later, in the face of greater competition, the range of Kiss products was looking tired and dated. So much so that it faced being de-listed by several of its major retailers. Kiss had already investigated reshaping the packages, but realized that the existing logo neither suited these new packs nor the brand image they wished to convey. CPd was approached to reinvigorate the brand to create a contemporary new look in keeping with the fun personality of the brand.
The Kiss girl has attitude. She is cheeky, smart, fun, and sexy. So is the brand. The primary audience for CPd’s work was fourteen- to nineteen-year-old girls seeking their own affordable brand. These customers have a thirst for the latest fashion, cosmetics, hairstyles, and celebrities. The secondary audience, twenty- to twenty-six-year-olds, are also interested in style and image and they associate with the provocative, sexy, fun nature of the brand.
CPd chose the expanded type style for both its modern aesthetic and its suitability for use on varied printing applications and restricted formats, such as eye pencils, lipsticks, blister cards, and collector packs. The right side of the “k” letterform resembles a pair of pouted lips that blow a kiss (“x”) above the “i.” The logo also needed to be easily translated to the design of display stands to create an exciting “new” stand-out brand.
Kiss is a successful cosmetics line geared toward the youth market. CPd was hired to reinvigorate the brand by creating a new identity and package design that captured a fun, sexy attitude. The new logo is pictured above, while the original logo is shown on the right. New product packaging for Kiss is seen on the opposite page.
CPd’s level of collaboration with this client varied during the developmental stages of the project. Because the initial identity development was on a tight time frame, there was very little time available for collaboration between the brief and the presentation of design concepts. In fact, because Kiss Cosmetics is based in Melbourne (and briefed CPd at their Melbourne office), it was necessary for the designers to produce the design concepts in their Sydney office, then ship them back to the Melbourne office for presentation to the client, in order to meet the client’s deadline. Fortunately, the client was able to visit the Sydney office of CPd often enough during the latter half of the design process to be assured that the designers were meeting their agreed-upon objectives. Recent projects between CPd and Cosmopak have been far more collaborative, with many brainstorming meetings to develop a vision for maintaining and refreshing the brand through a series of collectors’ packs and a new range of items. For CPd, the most gratifying aspect of this project was that its contribution to the Kiss brand not only revitalized the brand in the Australian marketplace, but also led to the product’s recent embrace by the UK’s largest pharmacy chain.
Crosby Associates |
Design Director: Bart Crosby |
Designers: Bart Crosby, Gosia Sobus |
The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is the leading professional association of graphic designers in the United States. The association has experienced tremendous growth over the last twenty years, expanding from approximately 1,500 to 15,000 members, and now comprising more than forty local chapters. Despite its size and influence within the design community, the association had little visibility, and there were no guidelines for naming or identifying local chapters. Consequently, the organization’s visual identity was an amalgam of thousands of graphic designers’ views on how their professional association should be presented.
AIGA needed to build a strong brand identity for several reasons:
• To gain greater recognition and respect and to ensure that the organization receives credit for all its actions and activities.
• To increase perception of the AIGA as the undisputed leader in supporting and promoting excellence in design.
• To build greater public awareness of, and respect for, the graphic design profession.
• To promote the value of professional graphic design, at a time when computer programs put the tools, but not the skills, of design within the reach of almost anyone.
• To help retain existing members and attract new members and build financial support for the organization.
In order to provide a greater presence, the designers, Crosby Associates, refined and strengthened the existing logotype, which had been developed by famed designer Paul Rand. Because the old logo was often lost among accompanying type and graphics, the new logo carries with it a bold background—a box that gives it more presence in cluttered environments. The letterforms were redrawn, respaced, and fattened for greater legibility, intentionally creating a signature that cannot be replicated with any existing typeface. The designers defined a system of formal and informal nomenclature for the national organization and its local chapters. The system works to express AIGA and its goals to a broad target audience of members, the design community including its media, the buying public for graphic design, and the general public.
The AIGA is the largest graphic design organization in the U.S. The logo needed to rise above trends and represent the profession over many years. It also needed to be perfectly crafted to withstand the scrutiny of the thousands of type aficionados within the AIGA’s membership.
The AIGA Identity and Branding Guidelines manual pictured at left (top) developed by Crosby Associates, allows for the consistent usage of the logo.
The AIGA logotype was designed to be contained within a box giving it greater presence in visually active environments. Sometimes the box itself conveys a particular personality, as seen above (bottom and opposite), when photographs are used.
To further define the new logo and its use, Crosby Associates created a graphically appealing manual that clearly and concisely explains why the new identity system was developed, what it is intended to accomplish, and how to use it. The fact that this manual—used by a large group of independent thinking graphic designers in a multitude of environments—was not contested, speaks to the resounding success of Crosby Associates on this project.
The AIGA Guidelines is a brilliant example of a beautifully designed, well organized, clear and concise identity standards manual.
Thousands of designers have used, and continue to use, the AIGA identity. Crosby Associates created a textbook example of an update to a revered logo, the flexible workable identity system, and a well conceived and presented standards manual, all of which will enduringly represent the profession well. AIGA supports the interests of professionals, educators, and students who are engaged in the process of design. The disciplines represented in the profession range from book and type design through traditional communication design disciplines to the newer disciplines of interaction design, experience design, and motion graphics. Crosby Associates was challenged to create a manual that would work for all of these disciplines.
Crosby Associates went on to design various applications of the logo both for the local chapter, AIGA Chicago, and for the national organization. They have created posters, event invitations, brochures, and more.
AdamsMorioka has developed a variety of materials for the organization using the Crosby Associates’ identity system for AIGA. At the upper right is a badge and guide for the AIGA Collision Conference, illustrated by Chip Wass. The AIGA Creative Leadership Campaign donor brochure is pictured lower right. AdamsMorioka occasionally has the privilege of creative directing their peers on behalf of AIGA, as they did for the AIGA Voice Conference. James Victore was the designer/illustrator for a “Save the Date” postcard for Voice, seen above.
Doyle Partners |
Creative Directors: Stephen Doyle, Tom Kluepfel |
Art Director: Rosemarie Turk Designers: Naomi Mizusaki, Craig Clark |
Barnes & Noble is the United States’ largest bookseller, with more than 800 big-box stores and an enormous online presence. The design brief for the redesign was that they needed an identity and an environment that would take them into the future, as well as a web presence that would enhance the image of the brand and link it in the customer’s mind to the experience of being in a Barnes & Noble store. Their old logo had become indecipherable, it had been stretched, redrawn, and made bolder by just about every designer/vendor who got their hands on it.
The new Barnes & Noble logotype needed to be bold and modern, easy to read from a highway, and retain its “bookseller” heritage. The Condensed Gothic letterforms signal the modern and forward thinking nature of the business, while the redrawn Mrs. Eaves ampersand, a bit old-fashioned, lends a note of heritage and history. This, juxtaposed to the Gothic letterforms, like the green juxtaposed to the orange, suggests personality, not mega-store retail. Ever-present in Doyle Partners’ mind while developing this identity was the memory of the pleasurable smell of cinnamon buns, and the fun of rifling through the magazine racks, and poring over the books.
The designers were commissioned to rethink (and especially) recolor, the entire brand experience, from the identity to store interiors (including custom wallpapers), signage, shopping bags, and marketing materials. Before the redesign of the Barnes & Noble brand, the client had equity in their name and in the “idea” of bookstore—but not in color. Their carpet was an arsenic green, and their shopping bags had black type on a beige field. According to creative director Stephen Doyle, “In my experience, you cannot have equity in beige, since it is a contradiction in terms.” What Doyle Partners did was to find a pleasing green carpet for use in the stores, and then made that color the official Barnes & Noble green. The orange is a modern accent, chosen for contrast and fun. As Doyle says, “Sophisticated green, by itself, just sits there. Green with orange, as you will see when you visit a B&N store, however, sparkles.”
The target audience for the new Barnes & Noble identity was people who buy books and music and calendars and pens and maps and wrapping paper and cinnamon buns and vente skim lattes and magazines and attend book signings and music performances and shop online. The target audience is the American public at large, as well as international consumers through the B&N website. Recently it was reported in a New York newspaper that traffic at libraries is dropping off because Barnes & Noble is just so much more darn convenient—consumers can have a coffee, and nobody “shooshes” them into silence like librarians do.
Launched in 2000, the entire design and production process lasted more than two years. The logo shows up everywhere—brazenly on shopping bags, more subtly in the wallpaper—acting as a metaphor for the store itself.
Barnes & Noble, the largest bookseller in the U.S., needed a bold, modern, easy-to-read logo. Doyle Partners designed an identity system that juxtaposes modern and traditional graphic elements for maximum impact, left, in exterior store signage.
The Barnes & Noble shopping bag prominently features the ampersand, which is a redrawn version of the font Mrs. Eves. The ampersand lends a note of history and heritage to the identity.
The logo, simple, bold, and forward thinking, retains a traditional, lyrical ampersand, offering a nod to the store’s 100-plus-year heritage. The intentional use of an old-fashioned ampersand imparts a familiarity and subtly underscores tradition. The ampersand has also become a key design and branding element for the Barnes & Noble identity. Symbolizing the idea of “conjunction,” the ampersand stands for the nature of Barnes & Noble itself—not just one thing, but this PLUS that.
Store interiors were part of this all-over branding program, with signage, wallpaper, floor covering, posters, and promotions filling out this system. Signage in steel and frosted glass, lit from within, gives a simple, authoritative, and modern tone to the new stores, while wallpaper designed with the signature ampersand gives a feeling of warmth—a sense of home. The in-store experience continues the dialog between classic and modern.
Another aspect of this dialog comes to life with color: a sophisticated green is used on the modern typeface, while a modern orange is used for the classic ampersand. A distinctive color palette has been developed around the scheme of the logo, which infuses all the in-store and collateral material with distinction. The result is a vibrant and vital signature that is appropriate to their brand positioning.
The graphic language for the store has grown out of the logo itself, and the type begins to act like shelves full of books, overflowing with information—and energy.
Doyle Partners |
Creative Director: Stephen Doyle |
Designers: Tom Kluepfel, Rosemarie Turk, Lisa Yee, Ariel Apte, Vivian Ghazarian, John Clifford, Liz Ahrens, Gratia Gast, Michelle Cosentino, Jia Hwang, Craig Clark, Naomi Mizusaki, Lizzy Lee, Vanessa Eckstein |
Who is the client? What do they do?
Our clients were the large U.S. retail store Kmart, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), a brand known across four business segments (Publishing, Television, Merchandising, and Internet/Direct Commerce), which provides consumers with “how to” ideas, products, and other resources they need to raise the quality of living in and around their homes.
What problem were you asked to solve?
The mission was to create a visual identity and cohesive packaging program for thousands of products made by hundreds of vendors that explained the product assortment, highlighted the product design, and whose visuals were “magnetic” to shoppers in a self-serve, mass-market environment. Kmart was, at the time, the second largest retailer in the world. This program includes thousands of items in the following categories: housewares, home, baby, garden, and paint.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
The Martha Stewart brand is based on inspiration and information; the logo and crisp, colorful packaging provide a cohesive, unifying effect for products in many different categories. The values of the parent corporation are expressed by packaging that does not talk down to customers, is rife with information and tips and recipes and facts, and celebrates the beauty of everyday moments with excellent photography. The logo itself is variously colored and variously sized so that the brand keeps a vitality on the shelves.
Who was the target audience?
Kmart shoppers. Seventy-two million Americans shop at Kmart.
Doyle Partners designed packages for the thousands of Martha Stewart Everyday products. The crisp classic logo anchors the design, which is a visual stand out in the cluttered world of mass-market retailing.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
Obviously there was a lot of collaboration on the packaging with such a design leader as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia—notably the photography, which was art directed by the MSLO in-house team. The design of the packaging was also a collaborative effort with their experts (garden, home, cooking, etc.), writers, and most importantly, the creative director Gael Towey, as well as Martha herself. In terms of the logo as an isolated element (which it rarely, if ever, is) our inclination when designing it was to avoid the serif-y, script-y, and soft ways to represent this line. Martha Stewart Everyday is just that, good design for everyday use. We wanted to convey a sense of the utilitarian nature of the line, and let the color come in and be the element of play, celebration, and delight.
What was the creative time frame?
Doyle Partners has worked on the graphic identity for the Martha Stewart Everyday brand since the bed and bath programs were introduced in 1997. Following the launch, we’ve created extensive packaging, in-store signage, and shopping environments.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
Doyle Partners was brought into this relationship by our longtime client, Springs, for whom we were designing the packaging of its bedding products (Wamsutta and Springmaid). They were the lead vendor for the launch of this line, and once all their packaging proposals were rejected by “you-know-who” [Martha Stewart], they were in danger of missing their deadlines for printing and packaging. Knowing that I’m married to MSLO’s creative director, Gael Towey, and that Doyle Partners had designed prelaunch materials for the magazine Martha Stewart Living, hiring us seemed like a way to slamdunk the deadline and avoid lots of taste and tone issues with the client. Get it?
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
In a fluorescent, mass-market shopping experience, the simple authority and exuberance of the Martha Stewart logo and packaging commands consumer attention and trust. The program is designed with an overall clarity and authority that is synonymous with Martha Stewart’s brand, all delivered in a wide assortment of bold colors and accessible type. Utilitarian products come in bright, friendly packaging to show each product to its best advantage and enliven the shopping experience. Carefully conceived product photography and information (recipes, how-to’s, and references to complementary products) educate and encourage the shopper to enjoy and explore the brand.
—Stephen Doyle
The Martha Stewart Everyday logo is rarely used as an isolated element. It is typically incorporated with descriptive copy, fresh colors, and evocative photography, as seen in various packages for kitchen utensils.
Dynamo |
Art Directors: Jamie Helley, Brian Williams |
Designers: Jamie Helley, Brain Williams Photography: Conor Horgan, Jean Luc Morales |
Meteor Mobile Communications was Ireland’s third entrant into the mobile communications market in 1999. Owned by Western Wireless, Meteor is currently one of three mobile networks operating in Ireland, along with O2 and Vodafone. Dynamo won a three-way pitch to create a new brand identity for this start-up mobile network. Meteor’s basic problem was lack of recognition and credibility. Ireland’s burgeoning mobile communications market was dominated, at the time, by Esat Digifone (later acquired by UK network, O2) and Eircell (later acquired by Vodafone).
With a much smaller marketing budget than its two competitors, Meteor conceived a plan to recruit younger customers through an engaging visual identity that used bright colors to leverage maximum visibility. It was decided that the development of a bold logo would form the basis of the visual identity, acting as a signpost for the brand that could be applied to a variety of marketing material. Meteor wanted to attract a youthful customer base by portraying an energetic feel that young people could identify with. The brand promised to be accessible and approachable, and aimed to “make choosing a mobile phone operator simple and easy,” as product options and tariffs became more and more complex. Meteor’s brand values are honest, loyal, democratic, and unpretentious. The brand identity needed to project personality traits such as smart, fun, friendly, confident, and assertive to appeal to Meteor’s target audience of young professionals between the ages of seventeen and thirty-five. At present, 62 percent of their customer base is under twenty-five years old.
Dynamo worked with Meteor to establish a set of objectives that were derived from the company’s commercial goals set out in the brief. Having outlined a brand identity plan and positioning, the designers set about brainstorming potential names. When Meteor was selected as the new name, Dynamo developed a host of different visual interpretations for it by using vibrant contrasting colors and youthful hues. After a period of review and various modifications, a final logo design was selected for its bold legible type, its stark colors that would aid visibility, and its simple execution, which eschewed clichéd corporate symbolism.
Designed to attract a youthful consumer base, Dynamo developed a vibrant identity system for Meteor, consisting of bright colors, photographs of young people, and energetic graphic-patterned backgrounds.
The Meteor logo’s bold lowercase typographic style was selected to convey the strength and reliability of this new brand while adopting an alternative stance to the conventional iconography used by the majority of modern communications companies. The “o” was hand drawn to suggest a dynamic network of communications. An illustrated spark device was also included to highlight the “o” as well as to convey looseness and individuality. This hand drawn element seemed to project the fun side of Meteor’s personality, and has enabled the company to brand a variety of material using the illustrative elements in various forms.
These photos are an example of one of sixteen street retail outlets. The outlets were conceived as Meteor branded environments. These spaces offered a place where customers could interact with the brand, learn about new services, upgrade their phones, buy accessories, or enquire about repairs.
The stores were designed to communicate the youthful energy of Meteor through in-store posters, touch screen terminals, and colorful product displays.
The project progressed into a nine-month development period that involved the design of a variety of marketing applications—from retail environments to website design. Dynamo continues to work with Meteor as the brand evolves. They produce an extensive range of applications for Meteor that includes: retail environments, promotional material, a website, stationery, signage, product packaging, point of sale material, top-up cards, shopping bags, and more.
Dynamo was selected because of the company’s growing reputation as one of Ireland’s leading creative consultancies. They also responded to a proposal request with a detailed outline of their approach and credentials. As with all projects of this scale, Dynamo provided a detailed document that was supported by case study examples of similar work they had undertaken. In particular, the designers were able to draw on many large scale brand identities they have created for some of Ireland’s largest blue-chip organizations.
The Meteor logo eschewed clichéd corporate symbolism, instead utilizing bold lowercase type, and a fun hand-drawn “o” suggestive of a network—resulting in a slightly irreverent mark.
Format Design |
Creative Director: Knut Ettling |
Design: Knut Ettling Photographer: Kristian Rahtjen |
747 is a post-for-print studio in Hamburg, Germany. They provide photographic compositing of the highest quality, primarily for photographers and advertising agencies. Format Design was asked to create a name and corporate identity for this company that would convey the image of modernism and style. There were many names discussed, but the client decided on 747 because a company name comprised only of numbers is unusual in Germany, and, once learned, would be harder to forget. Also, the name leaves some room for everyone’s own image of what they see in the name. It’s open for interpretation. For the designer Knut Ettling, 747 reminded him of the Boeing airplane, a combination of high-tech and streamlined style (which also describes the client).
The client wanted a simple logo that could be used in one color and would reflect a midcentury modern style. The target audiences were photographers, art buyers, and advertising agencies. The brand attributes were modernism, high style, and state-of-the-art technology, tempered with a kind of understatement at the same time. In addition to the logo, Format Design created stationery (letterhead, business cards, compliment cards), various stickers for envelopes and folders, and the 747 website.
When asked about the aesthetics of the 747 logo, Knut Ettling replies, “Sorry for my bad English, but there were this early computers in the ’60s that worked with that little cards with a lot of holes in it. (I don’t know what they are called in English). I liked this look, it again transports something of the ’60s (style...) but is also looking very modern, like code cards. For me this works well for this corporate because as mentioned above, the main focus of this company is on the images. And so using this stitched-out logo was a good way for me to combine these images with some edgy, modern look, and I like it that the images are stitched through, like the 747 image mark. And then, it is simple, in print it can be use in every size, is clear, can even be used on shirts.”
The working process between Format Design and 747 was especially easy because one of the company founders is a photographer that Ettling had been working with for several years. Their relationship created a level of trust in each other’s profession that allowed the designers more freedom to design with less time spent in consultation. More often than not, their designs were approved by the client. Because Format Design was involved from an early stage when the first idea to launch the company came up, the project time frame was very loose. The time between the first layouts and the production of the applications was about a year.
The logo developed for 747, a photographic service bureau, is reminiscent of midcentury aviation company identities. Its abstract qualities allow for several interpretations. The high-tech modernism is evident in the sales brochure, pictures here, also developed by Format Design.
747 wanted to let the images speak for themselves. That is why all the corporate materials Format Design created are printed with work samples on the back, while the fronts are always very simple.
The logo design for 747 was created to be simple and streamlined so that it does not compete with the images. The mark, designed to convey modernism, style, and high technology was based on the old IBM punched-card data recording system, so the design team incorporated a die-cut of the logo in their business cards and stationery to further push the concept.
Frankfurt Balkind |
Art Director: Kent Hunter |
Designer: Kent Hunter |
Anthony Sosnick first came to Frankfurt Balkind to help create a women’s personal skin-care product line that would be sold on the web. Frankfurt Balkind’s specific role was to help position and create the “persona” of the brand, as well as to translate that into identity design and product packaging.
With prior experience in health and beauty products (Avon-by-Mail), the designers were aware of the lack of loyalty among young women toward their cosmetics and skin-care products. They conducted a competitive analysis that showed an overly crowded marketplace, both on and off the web, and learned that personal skin-care for men was an underdeveloped segment. With a limited budget, the designers recommended concentrating on men and the traditional offline arena as an alternative to the original plan.
To gain insight into how men would respond to a new skin-care concept, they conducted research that indicated that men frequently object to using these types of products—not because they don’t want or need them, but because the message society sends out is that “skin care is for women who care about their appearance and want something that makes them feel good.” They also discovered that men respond to more active appeals, such as practicality and necessity, and don’t want a product in the medicine cabinet that looks like it belongs to their wife or girlfriend.
The designer’s recommendation was to develop a men’s skin-care line that focused more on utility—a characteristic not embodied by existing skin-care lines—and less on style or fashion. However, they also recognized that the brand needed to appeal to women, who play a key role in introducing and encouraging their men to try new products.
The identity system for Anthony Logistics for Men positions these skin-care products as a practical necessity by using a simple functional graphic style, as seen in the package design, right.
A schematic drawing of the entire Anthony Logistics for Men product line, right, illustrates the practical, clean utility of the design. The logo, applied consistently to the packages, features a clean, modern wordmark paired with a Bauhuas red dot icon. The arrow within the icon evokes both a directional arrow and an abstract “A.”
When setting out to position the products and create brand identity, the team decided that the skin-care line needed to be perceived as a necessary part of a man’s daily routine—like shaving or washing his hair. It needed to be functional and utilitarian. Emotionally, it should encourage men to create their own solutions to their own problems. This needed to be communicated, first and foremost, in the brand identity—its name, graphic expression, and packaging. And, without a budget for advertising, it was vital that the product communicate with clarity and strength from a store shelf or in a press photograph.
To establish credibility, they chose to associate the product with a real person and marry it to the key characteristics of the identity: clean, simple, functional, and male. From there they explored a variety of naming options, such as Anthony Products, Anthony Tactics, Anthony Strategies, and others that fit within the creative parameters established. Taking a short list of the most promising names into focus groups, the clear winner was “Anthony Logistics for Men.” Respondents felt this name best communicated strength, modernity, utility, cleanliness, and masculinity.
After a thorough creative exploration, the chosen visual identity was a strong, clean, and modern wordmark paired with a red dot reminiscent of the Bauhaus. The arrow symbol evokes a map icon “directing” the user to his end objective. Alternatively, this arrow triangle can be seen as an abstract letter “A.” The overall feeling: essentially useful, essentially male.
The label was designed to project concise, matter-of-fact simplicity (without seeming clinical), while catching the purchaser’s eye in an engaging and entertaining manner. Consistent with the overall attitude, the label uses witty copy in a way that helps the consumer reach his mission with a smile. The “Objective” tells the purpose; the “Strategy” explains the ingredients and their effect; the “Method of Use” explains how to use the product. A deoderant stick invites users to “Laugh at the sun and sneer at the wind!” A shampoo suggests, “Hair so rich it will pay for dinner.”
The package—created to be stylish, yet timeless, rather than trendy—uses gray, black, and white utilitarian lines to achieve a clean, masculine look. The bottles are constructed of clear or opaque plastic with off-white coloration, reinforcing the idea that the customer is paying for function, rather than packaging. The products themselves are light in texture and alcohol-free, attributes that proved essential to potential purchasers during testing.
Anthony Logistic for Men is a true success story. They have been able to attract partnerships with established names in the cosmetic, fashion, and personal-care arenas and commitments from specialty stores like Sephora and Fred Siegel, as well as major department stores, including New York’s fashionable Barney’s, who showcased Anthony products in its windows. The line has expanded to include additional men’s products, and sales have exponentially exceeded projections.
Johnson Banks |
Creative Director: Michael Johnson |
Designers: Michael Johnson, Andrew Ross |
Who is the client? What do they do?
More TH>N was developed as an off-shoot of the large U.K.-based insurance company Royal and SunAlliance (RSA), to provide direct insurance (i.e., by phone, mail, or web) for all sorts of insurance needs—homes, pets, cars, etc. They also offer some financial products and a credit card.
What problem were you asked to solve?
Royal and SunAlliance, itself a merger of two older British insurance and pension companies, had been trying to develop a direct insurance offer, without any great success. The decision was made to create a separate company that would have a new name and brand identity, and RSA would be there to back them up for those worried about heritage and other issues of continuity.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
It was pretty clear that the new company had to be modern—RSA is not seen as a “modern” company and thus struggled to compete in the rather fast and furious direct-insurance market. It was also highly desirable to be clear, open, trustworthy, and helpful. The core of the MORE TH>N brand is to help people get their lives in order by letting MORE TH>N take care of all the details.
Who was the target audience?
It basically splits into two, along roughly age-based lines: fifty-somethings with money to invest, and insurance to take out, and then the more critical younger twenty- to forty-somethings, to whom RSA had not previously been reaching out to.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client?
The core of the process was ourselves, the client, and the branding/naming consultants, Brand Guardians. Two names were short listed and initial designs developed, a period of internal and external review took place, then MORE TH>N was chosen as the agreed-upon name and identity.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
To demonstrate the “legs” of the identity, we routinely tested the identity across many media: print, electronic, TV, etc. In this case much of our work was theoretical, used as examples to show other agencies “what it should look like” so they could progress to their own applications. The main output from us was the production of a substantial design manual and regular attendance at design reviews. The applications are carried out by above- and below-the-line specialists: web designers, ad agencies, etc.
Johnson Banks designed the MORE TH>N logo to set this insurance company apart from its competition. Playing off the name, the designers incorporated the scientific symbol for “greater than” in conjunction with custom drawn sans serif, all-caps type. The theatrically styled photograph above was created to represent an advertising concept that is as unusual as the logo itself.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
We had had a conversation with them about their plans for a direct insurance arm many years before, and had advised them that the Royal and SunAlliance “brand” wasn’t really elastic enough to do the job. The time wasn’t right then, but three years later, in conjunction with Brand Guardians, they returned to us for more advice and we were appointed to do the project.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
The name chosen is a remarkable one really—almost on the first day of work we began drawing logos with more-than or greater-than symbols in them, it just seemed the logical thing to do. And in research no one seemed to have any problems with it either. We were a little worried about the use of a slightly obscure keystroke, but it seems to work well, and it’s rare that you can identify a company by creating the logo simply by typing with standard keys, so that it looks like this: MORE TH>N.
The ideas evolved. We began to develop a kind of MORE TH>N language which was very useful when making comparative points (more this th>n that, don’t accept less than more th>n, etc.).
The identity worked well using caps, in a rounded typeface that we developed specially for the job with type designers The Foundry. The use of capitals has become a kind of brand property in itself (perhaps as a reaction to the lowercase fever set off by the dotcom thing). We also wanted the company to try and “own” a limited color palette, knowing that recognition would be crucial in this area of direct insurance. We recommended a bright green.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Well, it seems to work—unprompted awareness of the brand is already good, and this is for a new brand, only two years old. It seems that even when competing with other analogous products, the MORE TH>N brand is already strong enough to differentiate itself.
—Michael Johnson
Pages from the MORE TH>N style manual, above, demonstrate the use of graphic elements that are naturally derived from the logo, as well as the limited color palette, so unusual for insurance company branding. Johnson Banks designed the manual to be a set of “friendly rules, not restrictions.” Therefore the manual contains more do’s than don’ts.
The billboard, above, is another example of the use of iconography borrowed from an industry other than insurance, and incorporated into the logo for a clever, contemporary approach to messaging.
Kinetic Singapore |
Art Director: Kinetic |
Designers: Pann Lim & Roy Poh Illustration: Pann Lim |
Yellowbox Studios, a multiple-award-winning sound production house located in Singapore, provides a full range of audio and music services, including music composition and arrangement, and sound design for TV and radio programming, feature films, and documentaries.
Yellowbox Studios needed a logo that would update their image and bring across the professionalism and sophistication for which they were known. The challenge for Kinetic Singapore was to create a simple and strong identity, which would be easily recognized and remembered. The identity needed to convey that the brand is sleek, young, and fun, yet professional and modern. The designers decided on the concept of the “yellow box,” a widely recognized international traffic convention, designating that no stopping or waiting is permitted. The symbol is used in many countries mainly to control the traffic and to prevent congestion and chaos. Likewise, Yellowbox Studios believes in getting the job done smoothly and swiftly.
Most of Yellowbox Studios’ clients are part of the creative industry—advertising, design, film production, etc. This meant the designers had a very tough job to accomplish—to impress creative people!
Yellowbox Studios knew exactly what they wanted and appreciated what Kinetic Singapore was able to do. It was a relatively seamless process for the designers and a fun collaboration that took about two months to complete.
In addition to the logo, Pann Lim and Roy Poh designed name cards, envelopes, letterheads, CD sleeves, video-tape sleeves and stickers, cassette-tape sleeves, and DAT tape sleeves. These applications became the client’s advertisements, all effectively promoting Yellowbox Studios.
The Yellowbox Studios logo literally incorporates a yellow box containing an “x,” which is an internationally recognized traffic symbol for “no stopping or waiting permitted.” It is a concept that works well for this sound production company that believes in getting the job done smoothly and swiftly.
Kinetic Singapore applied the Yellowbox Studios logo to a variety of stationery and video and audio tape labels, as seen right. This approach provided Yellowbox Studios strong brand recognition with standard items required by the client’s business.
The video-tape sleeves, left, and the video cassette itself, above, became Yellowbox Studios’ main self-promotional items by prominently incoporating the fun and easily remembered logo.
KINETIK |
Design Team: Jeff Fabian, Sam Shelton, Beth Clawson, Michael Dyer, Beverley Hunter, Ali Kooistra, Jason Powell, Scott Rier, Katie Roland, Kamoni Solidum, Mathew Wahl |
ELink Communications is a company that retrofits existing buildings with fiber-optic cables capable of delivering high-speed Internet access. They also provide Internet access as a service to the tenants of every building they wire.
ELink was a startup company when they contacted KINETIK. As part of the highly competitive Internet access marketplace, they required a brand that would set them apart. They were interested in a logo that would convey the opposite of startup. Stability, reliability, and creativity were all attributes they asked the designers to consider. KINETIK was charged with creating an identity for a target audience of potential clients that would include building owners and their tenants, investors, and the media. Although ELink did not have the history, establishing a long-term bond with their clients was a core business objective for them.
The company’s three founders, as well as their in-house marketing team, were all actively involved in the logo development process from start to finish. They definitely understood the importance of getting their identity right from the beginning and KINETIK was treated as an equal strategic partner in crafting this solution. All work for ELink was done quickly—it took approximately four weeks from kick-off to final mark.
As well as developing the identity, KINETIK created a complete stationery suite and marketing brochure for their client. Web application was handled by ELink’s in-house electronic design team using KINETIK’s design strategy for the logo as an inspiration.
In addition to the obvious reference of the linking “Es,” the mark is meant to suggest both a three-dimensional structure and the fiber optic “backbone” (their terminology) that ELink installs in buildings.
The Elink logo seen in the stationery package, right, suggests a three-dimensional structure that expresses the company’s business of retrofitting buildings with fiber optics to deliver high-speed Internet access.
KROG |
Creative Director: Edi Berk |
Designer: Edi Berk |
Who is the client? What do they do?
My client was Pravna fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Slovenia, which means in English, The Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
What problem were you asked to solve?
The client didn’t have a logo and corporate identity system, but when they moved to a new location, and hired some new faculty, they become aware that they needed a logo. The faculty members of Slovenian universities are perhaps more independent than those in school systems in other western countries. The law faculty in Ljubljana didn’t want to get lost among the twenty-six other departments at the university. They wanted to have their own unique identity system. Also, the Pravna fakulteta is recognized in the field of law as having a strong book-publishing department. I suggested “Littera Scripta Manet” as the brand name for all publishing activities, because the department is divided into three subdivisions: LITTERA for science articles, SCRIPTA for books and publications on educational programs, and MANET for books with legal themes. Within the Pravna fakulteta Univerze there are also several institutes (e.g., the Institute of Public Administration and the Institute of Comparative Law, which has several Centres), so the new identity system had to work on many levels for a variety of entities.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
The client wished to be distinctive and to convey a sense of calmness.
Who was the target audience?
The target audiences were professors and students, as well as other educational institutions of law and science.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your clients.
When they were at their old location, I was not able to convince the client to develop a new logo. The law and higher education are slow-changing, conservative fields. After several years, when renovation was completed and the faculty had moved to the new building, our first project was to produce a brochure about the renovation, the architecture, and the story of the many years it took to move from the central university building to their own separate one. The brochure was finished in December 2001. Since that time I have also designed some materials for their New Year celebrations. Over time, the client’s trust has grown. When the faculty’s new secretary general came with the request for a publishing department identity, I proposed the name “Littera Scripta Manet,” and designed the logo, both of which were well received by the client.
The logo for the Pravna fakulteta utilizes the concept of balance, historically symbolic of justice. The “f” suggests a scale that weighs the “P” (pravo, Slovenian for law) and the “I” (iuridica, Latin for law). The stationery system, below, conveys conservative elegance.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
Balance is a very old symbol for the law, especially for the courts. Truth, an essential component of the law, is typically in dynamic balance between two opposing sides—the plaintiff and the defendant. For the faculty, I developed a symbol that plays on the concept of balance, with the center of the “f” acting as the pivot point between the “P” (pravo is the Slovenian word for law) and the “I” (iuridica is the Latin word for law). I love to work in classical proportions to create a timeless quality, but I also think that a logo should be dynamic, a little bit witty, and ingenious. I chose the color blue because it represents wisdom.
What applications did you design using the logo? In what media?
The corporate identity has thirty-two elements, such as memorandum, invoices, envelopes, business cards, etc. I only design elements for print applications, another agency creates web pages, which also use a new identity system.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
We were chosen for several reasons—first, our studio’s architect, Andrej Mlakar, has experience in renovation projects and was involved in the new building, and second because our promotional brochure gave the client trust in KROG’s work.
—Edi Berk
Landor Associates |
Executive Creative Director: Margaret Youngblood |
Art Directors: Margaret Youngblood, Eric Scott; Designer: Kisitina Wong, Cameron Imani (Enviromental Graphics); Production: Tom Venegas, Wayne De Jager; Consultants: Liz Magnusson, Russ Meyer; Project Manager: Bill Larsen, Stephen Lapaz (Identity System) |
H&R Block, traditionally known as a reliable, approachable tax expert, was revitalizing its organization with a new vision to expand well beyond this role. Through acquisitions and new business developments, H&R Block had developed a portfolio of diversified product and service offerings designed to meet all the financial needs of current, as well as prospective, clients. From home mortgages to financial planning and investing, H&R Block’s vision was to become an approachable provider of financial services to Main Street America and beyond.
The H&R Block corporate identity needed to be revitalized to express the new vision for the company. They asked Landor Associates to develop a new brand identity that would expand the perception of the H&R brand beyond its historical roots in tax preparation. Since H&R Block has more than 10,000 retail offices, one of the key applications for the new identity system would be signage and interiors. The new identity elements needed to be interchangeable in order to have stature, as well as bold promotional attitude, in both the retail environment and on corporate materials. Originally, H&R Block was known as middle America’s tax preparator, but the new identity helps expand the perception of H&R Block as a financial services company for both middle- and high-income individuals alike.
Landor developed a new corporate identity system, anchored by the green block. The block, an obvious graphic representation of the company’s name, expresses the solid relationship between H&R Block and its customers. Overall, the contemporary yet flexible identity system communicates a dynamic, new and expanded H&R Block—emotionally engaged with its financial services clients, and able to communicate different key messages to its expanding audience.
The H&R Block identity, seen left in building signage, and above in the company’s sales brochure, features a green block symbol, which is an obvious graphic representation on the company’s name, as well as an expression of the solid relationship between this financial services company and its customers. The green square is often used as a super graphic and a freestanding element as long as H&R Block is clearly identified with the primary signature, seen upper left, somewhere else in the application. The logo is used in a variety of media, including environmental, web, print, broadcast, and identity systems and was designed to be flexible enough to work well in all of these.
Landor Associates International Limited |
Creative Director: Tsutomu Egawa |
Landor, Tokyo worked with Japan Airlines to create a new identity when Japan Airlines and Japan Air System merged to become JAL. The resulting JAL brand mark needed to express a fresh business philosophy and strategy, while being flexible enough to apply at every touchpoint that travelers, airline employees, and travel advisors have exposure to the brand.
Landor was presented with the challenge of developing a global design worthy of representing JAL’s position as Japan’s leading airline in the twenty-first century. JAL strove to improve their brand value with their primary target audience: the passenger. Landor, an acknowledged expert in branding as well as airline identity projects, had designed the previous JAL logo fourteen years ago. Clearly, JAL had confidence in the firm.
The project was started in April 2002, and is scheduled to be finished in April 2004, when the integration and rollout process will be complete. The development of the new JAL mark took approximately three months. Several other related projects, such as implementing the logo on numerous and varied applications, is an ongoing task. Airline identity programs are, of course, large undertakings. In JAL’s case, Landor designed approximately 300,000 items, including aircraft graphics, ticket counter signage, tickets, amenity packages, uniforms, and so forth.
In terms of the aesthetics and concept of the new logo, Landor designed “The Arc” symbol that reaches dynamically toward the sky and represents the sun. The arc was derived from the motif of a rising sun, one of the best known icons of Japan.
Japan Airlines’ new JAL brand mark, as seen on the aircraft, right, features a graphic element that designers at Landor’s Toyko office call “The Arc.” In its dynamic rise toward the sky, the arc symbol also represents the sun, one of the best known icons of Japan.
Liska + Associates, Inc. |
Creative Director: Steve Liska |
Art Director: Stev Liska Designer: Kim Fry Photography: Todd Rosenberg, Cheryl Mann |
Since 1977, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) has earned the reputation as one of the most innovative contemporary American dance troupes. It is known throughout the U.S. and the world for its passionate and eclectic approach to performance. HSDC has grown to include a second company, Hubbard Street 2, as well as the Lou Conte Dance School, a division that runs dance-based education and community programs. The company now brings challenging work from both American and international choreographers to audiences worldwide.
The client’s most urgent goal was to create materials for HSDC’s twenty-fifth anniversary Spring 2003 Engagement that would help increase ticket sales. But before designers Liska + Associates could produce appropriate materials, they needed to redefine the company brand. This would involve designing an updated identity and crafting a brand strategy that the company could grow with.
HSDC began with choreographer Lou Conte and four dancers who performed for senior citizens. Gradually it evolved into an internationally known troupe featuring Broadway-inspired American dance. In recent years, however, HSDC had shifted its focus from performing purely American dance to performing new work from international choreographers. When Jim Vincent became artistic director, his experience and professional relationships ensured that the company would continue to pursue a global artistic vision.
The Hubbard Street Dance Company logo, designed by Liska + Associates, uses an icon formed by the juxtaposition of a bold typographic “H” intersecting with a fluid “S,” all contained within a formal square, as seen right, in a poster for the group.
While HSDC was changing, however, its brand did not—consequently, it no longer represented the company. Part of the challenge was to design a brand that did. In addition, Liska + Associates had to address issues of awareness to achieve the client’s goal of attracting new audiences, sponsors, and donors. Although many people were familiar with the Hubbard Street name, quite a few did not know what type of dance the company now featured, or what to expect from a performance. Ironically, the company was better known outside of its hometown, as it spends only a few weeks performing in Chicago and the remainder of the year traveling around the globe. The twenty-fifth anniversary Spring Engagement debuted with a three-week dance series in Chicago, which gave the designers the opportunity to rebuild interest and awareness in local audiences, and to communicate what Hubbard Street embodies today.
Liska + Associates’ final challenge, once the rebranding project was completed, was to make sure that all the twenty-fifth anniversary program materials were available to the various promoters around the world who bring Hubbard Street to their cities. In the past, promoters had created their own marketing materials, which were inconsistent with the Hubbard Street brand and contributed to the public’s confusion. An easy-to-use, cost-effective program for distributing HSDC marketing materials anywhere in the world needed to be developed.
The target audience for the redesign were the HSDC insiders—dance aficionados, cultural tourists, dance and arts media people, badge-value people (those who attend the most popular arts performances to maintain their image and social status). Of course, it was also important to attract new audience members—people either unaware of the company or who don’t typically attend dance performances.
The first step in Liska + Associates’ strategy was defining what makes the brand. Since it was critical to define the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago brand before expressing it through new materials, the designers started a dialog with key people at the dance company to establish its attributes, personality, and key points of difference. They discussed what was different about the HSDC of today versus what it had been in the past. Working with this information, the core audience was defined. Market research data that the company had gathered from audience members was also analyzed. With this information came an understanding of what Hubbard Street embodies today.
Although a key difference is that Hubbard Street was now performing pieces from choreographers around the world, it was determined that the troupe’s most consistent characteristic has always been its imaginative and bold approach. It became clear that the HSDC brand essence is defined by its artistic style, not by its repertoire, which is constantly changing. Above all, Liska + Associates remained focused on how they could help achieve Hubbard Street’s goal of selling more tickets than ever to its twenty-fifth anniversary Spring Engagement.
Once Hubbard Street’s personality was defined, the second step was to begin developing HSDC’s new visual branding. This involved creating logos for each of the troupe’s divisions: Hubbard Street 2 and the Lou Conte Dance School.
The new identity reflects the company’s artistic vision, as it juxtaposes formal elements with fluid, changing ones. Each of the four divisions has a logo that clearly links it to the equity of the Hubbard Street name so that people will recognize that all the divisions are connected. Liska + Associates also developed all aspects of the brand, from its color palettes, imagery, and fonts, to a tagline that emphasized HSDC’s longevity and personality.
To communicate what the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago brand represents Liska + Associates made design choices that would capture the energy of an HSDC performance, project boldness (the company’s most distinguishing characteristic), visually connect the four divisions under the HSDC umbrella, show the range of dance genres that HSDC performs, avoid dance clichés in the treatment of HSDC images and their art direction, and ultimately, compel people to want to attend a performance.
Liska + Associates designed ads that project Hubbard Street’s boldness as a company by using dynamic images of dancers, vivid colors and strong, bold typography. The ads were the first item released to the public to introduce the twenty-fifth anniversary Spring Engagement, and were key to ticket sales. Photo: Todd Rosenberg
The third step was forming a long-term brand strategy. To succeed in building ticket sales for Hubbard Street, the new brand needed to appeal to a broad range of people. Once they attend, people generally react to a Hubbard Street performance with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response that often transforms them into long-term fans. So the company’s brand materials were infused with the same excitement and energy as a HSDC performance. Each piece became an opportunity to give potential audience members a better idea of what a performance is like and to break down their preconceptions about dance.
Rather than choosing cold, impersonal images, the designers promoted an empathy with dancers who appear very human. Clichéd dance images were avoided. Instead, Liska + Associates sought individual ones that fit the personality of the troupe. The Hubbard Street materials project elements of anticipation and suspended movement to intrigue people on an emotional level while capturing their attention. The HSDC identity system uses drama to present the company’s performances as events not to be missed, emphasizing their boldness and excitement through color, type, and imagery.
The fourth step was developing the twenty-fifth anniversary materials. With this new brand strategy as a foundation, the designers used the identity system to create both the twenty-fifth anniversary Spring Engagement materials and general brand materials for the dance company and its various divisions. Liska + Associates designed applications for a comprehensive range of media: ads, direct mail pieces, brochures, posters, signage, banners, a website, and a television commercial.
The final step in the collaboration between Liska + Associates and their client was to leave instructions for others who will continue to produce brand materials, either internally at HSDC or through external vendors. Liska + Associates developed a solution that would also support promoters around the world with consistently branded marketing materials that could be used to advertise a twenty-fifth anniversary Hubbard Street performance in their cities. An online brand manual now contains all the brand standards, including everything from a general definition of the brand’s personality and attributes to specifications for its color palette and typography. It also includes approved art files that users can download to create Hubbard Street materials, as well as detailed instructions for reproducing brand elements such as ads. This interactive, password protected manual is accessible from anywhere through the Internet and costs nothing to distribute.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago not only met their goal for increased ticket sales during their twenty-fifth anniversary Spring Engagement, they exceeded them. At a time when arts organizations around the country were forced to adapt to the challenges of a slow economy, the new communication program succeeded in helping Hubbard Street expand interest and draw new audiences to see the dance company in action. The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago rebranding program also attracted attention from the local business media, including columnist Lewis Lazare at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Banners on streetlight poles outside the Chicago theater where Hubbard Street performs built awareness about the company and encouraged people to find out more about attending a performance by visiting the HSDC website. These banners also connected Hubbard Street’s various divisions by picturing each logo.
Manx Kommunikationdesign |
Creative Director: Peter Howe Art Director: Tim Ulrich |
Designers: Peter Howe, Tim Ulrich Photography: Christian Nielinger, Various |
Who is the client? What do they do?
Our client was the Philharmonie Essen, the institution which manages the Philharmonic Orchestra of Essen, Germany, as well as its concert hall.
What problem were you asked to solve?
Essen, one of the biggest towns in Germany, is located in the highly populated and industrialized area along the river Ruhr. There is a vibrant cultural scene with numerous internationally acclaimed music and art festivals. Formerly under joint administration with Essen’s theater and ballet, the Philharmonie Essen was now to be established as an autonomous institution. The Philharmonie Essen aims to play a major part in the development and cultivation of the city’s cultural scene, and to extend its already excellent reputation, both nationally and internationally. A strong corporate identity was needed to communicate the new independent status, as well as to deliver a lasting visual framework to represent the client.
Who was the target audience?
We were designing primarily for an educated audience.
What was the creative time frame?
It took about three months.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
Mostly we developed all kinds of print material—stationery, business cards, advertisements, programs, brochures—but we did some work for use on the Internet as well.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
Our presentations, coupled with our conceptual approach, convinced the client of Manx’s ability to cope with the challenge of developing a successful and strong corporate identity for a renowned cultural institution.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
The whole design is based upon a handwritten typeface, exclusively designed for the Philharmonie Essen. This was done to reflect the one-of-a-kindness of a great concert or performance captured in the uniqueness of handwriting. A number of meta-signs were derived from this typeface, including the logo.
—Iris Thieme
Manx designed the elegant identity for the Philharmonie Essen Orchestra of Essen, Germany, based on a handwritten version of a classic serif typeface.
The stationery system, opposite, and print advertisement, left, both make use of the Philharmonie Essen icon, which features a handwritten, unconnected circle surrounding a central dot, visually expressing the experience of a performance by this renowned cultural institution.
Methodologie |
Creative Director: Dale Hart |
Designer: Dale Hart |
Vendaria, an Internet company whose technology and services enable manufacturers to showcase their product to online shoppers, entered the market just as e-commerce began to lose its initial luster. The startup company needed to be positioned as exceptionally tech-savvy, professional, and stable.
Methodologie coined the name Vendaria to emphasize the two major aspects of their core business: selling products (vend) and making them sing (aria). The tagline—moving pictures, moving products—captures these related aspects. The signature is a strong reflection of the brand platform, the free-form “V” symbol lends movement and emotional energy, which complements the stable, confident logo of the company name presented in all-caps.
A clean, sophisticated website and business-paper system express the company’s credibility. Shades of gray and red evoke a highly professional image, while subtle touches of design originality capture Vendaria’s innovative offerings.
The Vendaria logo expresses the energy and movement of the client’s Internet retailing services. The business card, above, and web page, right, speak to a balance of credibility and innovation.
Morla Design |
Art Director: Jennifer Morla |
Designers: Jennifer Morla, Hizam Haron |
SculptureCenter is a New York–based, not-for-profit gallery space showcasing new and upcoming artists. When SculptureCenter made the shift in their programming from traditional three-dimensional sculpture to art that insinuates volume and dimension, Morla Design was called upon to create an identity system that would raise awareness of the center’s new purpose.
Morla Design’s solution, as applied to posters, announcements, press kits, and invitations uses a mixture of typographic variations of the “SC” monogram throughout the system to reinforce SculptureCenter’s identity and appeal to a younger, downtown audience. A simple yet aggressive color palette of silver, black, and day-glo colors add bold elegance, while straightforward layouts provide easy updates for future rollout.
The poster, left, and stationery systems, right, for SculptureCenter, an artists’ gallery space in New York, boldly feature a logo created by Morla Design. Insinuating volume and dimension, the logo uses an aggressive color palette of silver, black, and day-glo colors to add a strong progressive elegance.
Ogilvy & Mather/Brand Integration Group New York/Los Angeles |
Executive Creative Director: Brain Collins; Managing Director/Brand Strategy: Judd Harner; Senior Brand Strategist: Laurie Cohen |
Design Director: Thomas Vasquez; Designer: Jason Ring (Identity System); Designers: Edward Chiquitucto, Jason Ring (Packaging System); Creative Director: Michael Ian Kaye; Senior Designer: Alan Dye; Designers: Bill Darling, Sooyhyen Park (CeBit Booth) |
Motorola, a global technology leader and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cell phones, hired Ogilvy & Mather in late 2000 to revitalize their 72-year-old brand. Although Motorola had literally invented the mobile phone in 1983, it was beginning to lose market share.
When Motorola introduced a line of cutting-edge phones, Ogilvy & Mather seized that opportunity to recast the brand’s image by positioning it at the intersection of fashion and advanced technology. The brand name “Moto,” an abbreviation of Motorola, was adopted globally as a key part of the brand’s new identity and communication platform.
In 2001, Motorola was hunting for a firm to redesign its famous logo when it talked to Ogilvy’s Brand Integration Group (BIG). Brian Collins, executive creative director of BIG, lobbied Motorola to retain their classic “em-signia” mark and make it more contemporary with fresh meaning. Motorola hired BIG to create a new identity and global packaging system based on this direction. The project had to be completed within one year.
BIG worked closely with its agency partners to drive the new identity system throughout the advertising campaign, which included print, TV, outdoor, direct response, interactive, and retail communications. The launch of Moto dovetailed with the emerging consumer trend to view cell phones as an expression of personal style. The bold graphics and iconic, high-fashion photography in the advertising resonated with the very consumers Motorola needed to attract. By the end of 2002, Motorola had overtaken Nokia as the number one cell-phone manufacturer in North America.
As part of the Moto launch, BIG developed the design system for a 32,000-square-foot retail/trade show environment called MotoWorld for CeBit, the world’s leading telecommunications trade show, held in Hanover, Germany. MotoWorld simultaneously brings the flexible, larger-than-life design platform of the new identity system to life and showcases Motorola products, accessories, and services. From 2002 to 2003, more than one million people have visited the exhibit and experienced Motorola’s blend of leading-edge technology and style.
The redesigned Motorola identity system retains the classic “em-sigia” mark, while repositioning it as the leading U.S. mobile phone manufacturing company, at the intersection of fashion and advanced technology.
The product packaging, above, is an important part of the Motorola “Moto” re-brand, and features both the logotype and symbol, as well as bold graphics to attract youthful consumers.
As part of the Moto launch, BIG developed the design system for a retail/trade show environment called “MotoWorld,” pictured right, as well as print advertisements, seen above. Both applications have a larger-than-life quality with a prominent use of high-fashion style photography.
Pentagram Design |
Partner/Designer: Paula Scher |
Designers: Rion Byrd, Dok Chon, Bob Stren, Tina Chang Project Architects: Platt Byard Dovell Photographer: Peter Mauss/Esto |
The New 42nd Street Studios is a new building on 42nd Street, located between Broadway and Eighth Avenue in New York, developed by New 42nd Street and designed by Charles Platt of Platt Byard Dovell. The building houses ten floors of rehearsal space for performing-arts groups, as well as the 199-seat Duke Theater on the second floor.
Paula Scher and her team at Pentagram saw the building as a factory for performers. The branding is influenced by de Stijl (an art movement characteized by the use of rectangular shapes and primary colors, as exemplified in the work of Piet Mondrian) and Dutch modernist typefaces. So Pentagram created an identity system that relies heavily on large words set in varied fonts. The logo is an example of the abstract geometric style that alludes to the mathematical order and harmony so prized by de Stijl.
The Pentagram team was broken into two segments: the graphic designers who worked on the identity and the print applications, and the environmental designers who determined ways to integrate and implement the identity within the architecture. According to creative director, Paula Scher, “the project phases were: 1) the big idea, 2) demonstration of the big idea in a variety of situations, 3) shop drawings, and 4) installation. The finished signage installation was almost a direct translation of our initial idea and drawings.” The designers created environmental graphics and wayfinding signage for the building based on the new identity, which respects the architecture, activity, and spirit of the place. The environmental graphics are the primary application of the new identity. Throughout the building, graphics perform in the space—oversized words fill narrow hallways, pointing visitors to different floors and rooms. The floor-based system of wayfinding was inspired by the tape marks put down on stages to indicate performers’ positioning. The directional words are inlaid on the floor in durable laser-cut vinyl and continue up the walls when necessary. In the elevators the word “floor” appears inside the car, with the corresponding number positioned at the opening on each level. Applications of typography on the building directory (and in etched mirrored glass on the donor wall) are more traditionally placed but still reflect the frenzy of live performance and the jumble of signage in nearby Times Square.
The New 42nd Street Studios is a ten-floor performing-arts rehearsal space in New York City. Pentagram’s identity system, as seen in the exterior marquee sign, right, for the studios was influenced by de Stijl and Dutch modernist graphics.
The identity system (opposite) utilizes floor-based wayfinding signs inspired by the tape marks put down on stages to indicate performers’ positioning, as seen opposite. The typography works in conjunction with the sense of factory, that the building is a “factory” for performers.
Pentagram had an existing relationship with the architect of the New 42nd Street Studios, Charles Platt. Scher says, “We had a great relationship, and I love Charles’s work. On this project he was very open to having the building graphics collaborate with the architecture.” The collaboration was a success. Identity graphics, a distillation of 42nd Street’s pulsating neighborhood, make the street and building look good. Since completing the 42nd Street project, Pentagram has since designed a new identity and website for the architects Platt Byard Dovell.
Pentagram Design |
Art Director: Michael Beirut |
Designers: Michael Beirut, Brett Taylor |
The Museum of Sex is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and cultural significance of human sexuality. Pentagram’s logotype for the museum is simple: the words are presented in a single line of delicate, sans serif typography, culminating in an extra-bold “x” at the end of the word “sex.” An “x” has been the traditional rating of movies with strong sexual content, and the designation has become more broadly associated with any “forbidden” material. Emphasizing the “x” creates a point of distinction for the logo and also provides a design element that can be used elsewhere on its own (in tickets, signage, etc.). The graphic program is intended to communicate the message that the museum is serious, but not boring; candid, but not prurient. The identity is accessible and does not try to be too clever about referencing the subject matter, which should speak for itself.
Emphasizing the “x” with extra-bold letterforms at the end of a delicate line of typography is an effective logo for New York’s Museum of Sex. The “x” also works alone as an icon to symbolize forbidden and erotic material, as seen above and right, in the entrance tickets and stickers for the museum.
Pentagram Design |
Art Director: Kit Hinrichs |
Designers: Kit Hinrichs, David Asari |
Design Within Reach (DWR) is a contemporary furniture catalog retailer for a design-sensitive public. Much of modern furniture is manufactured by international furniture companies, and many purveyors of these products are unable to get the stock to the customer in a timely and affordable manner. DWR is a breakthrough retailer because they warehouse the stock, and can get products quickly and reasonably to the buyer. It is truly “design within reach” as the name promises.
Pentagram’s creative director Kit Hinrichs had worked with DWR founder Rob Forbes, when Forbes was at The Nature Company, another catalog retailer. When Forbes decided to start his own catalog retail business, Design Within Reach, he looked to Hinrichs and the Pentagram team, who worked and partnered with him right from the beginning to help shape the brand. Forbes had little money, but he had a good idea. Since Hinrichs and Forbes had a history of working together in the past, there was a lot of trust, and, very importantly, they share a common design aesthetic. Pentagram truly helped to incubate Design Within Reach.
Pentagram was challenged to visualize the DWR concept by designing the company’s first catalog. The logo came out of the development of the catalog. The name itself clarified the concept, and represented the idea of the design-based business, so the logo is representative of the look of the furniture as well as the client’s business idea. The brand attributes are: simplicity, modernism, and clarity. Also the logo needed to express a professional, architectural quality—to feel a bit “inside” to designers.
It’s a simple, straightforward logo, with the name set in Futura, a great turn-of-the-century typeface that is modern and geometric. Pentagram felt that it conveyed modernism, and represented the furniture well. The designers chose red because it is a great accent color. Hinrichs liked the clean simplicity of a primary color and the fact that after yellow, red is the most attention-getting color for humans. Also, red worked well in conjunction with the natural materials used in the DWR products.
From the beginning, DWR was targeted to a niche market of people in the design profession. The preferred customers are people who appreciate design, and will purchase furniture through a catalog (about 90% of DWR’s business is catalog sales). DWR started out with a list of 100,000 names; they now run millions of catalogs every season. According to Hinrichs, “Rob Forbes’s catalog reaches more designers than any other design publication.”
Spreads from the Design Within Reach catalog, left, as well as the logo itself, represent the clean modern lines of the furniture that the company sells. Simple typography, classic geometry, and an accent of red are at the heart of the logo, conveying a sense of modern “design.”
The creative time frame for the logo was a couple of weeks in development, however there were about six months of research and development on the branding and catalog prior to logo design. The total time for development of the logo and first catalog was about six to eight months. Pentagram is now in their fourth year of working with Design Within Reach.
Pentagram developed the DWR catalog, which is now designed and produced by an internal team at DWR, as well as the DWR website, and some retail environmental graphics. They also participated in the design of some experimental work and created a calendar for DWR that is available for purchase through the catalog. Currently, Hinrichs is developing the new DWR Profile Catalog and Pentagram partner, Rob Bruner, is designing some tables that DWR will retail.
In response to DWR’s success, Kit Hinrichs says, “It’s great to see a place in the retail environment for this company. People were starved for good design. Design Within Reach has an economical point of view, they made sure that design is not just for rich people.” Pentagram believed in their client, and played an integral part in the development of the company.
High style without high prices, literally, “design within reach” is the goal of this furniture retailer. Pentagram was challenged to present these ideas in graphic terms as seen in the DWR launch poster, above.
Catalog covers feature the Design Within Reach logo, which uses the Futura typeface contained with a rule and a red box, as seen at right.
Pentagram Design, Limited |
Art Director: David Hillman |
Designers: David Hillman, Deborah Osborne Photography: Nick Turner |
Cathay Pacific Airlines required an identity for their new first-class and business-class lounges, restaurants, bars, and spas at Chep Lap Kok, the new international airport in Hong Kong, designed by Foster and Partners. The project required the generation of lounge names, as well as the development of related visual identities and a functional, clear, and appropriate signage system.
The objective was to create an overall visual attitude communicating a sense of sophistication and elegance—an oasis for the stressed or exhausted traveler. It was also important for the names, identities, and graphic language to complement the minimalist lounge interiors, designed by architect John Pawson. Pentagram named the first-class and business-class lounges “The Wing,” and created a horizontal, bilingual logotype that is appealing and legible to both local and global travelers. Bars and lounge areas within The Wing were individually named in order to differentiate one from the other, and included “The Haven,” “The Long Bar,” and “The Runway Bar.”
The logotypes were combined with a sophisticated graphic language. A number of cool, serene images were commissioned for printed collateral, with a simple palette of fresh, aquatic colors. The business-class area of The Wing features a range of atmospheric soft-focus photographs, while the first-class area displays a series of sharper black-and-white images. These visual devices were just as important as the logotype in defining the spirit of the identity.
Creative director David Hillman and his team at the London office of Pentagram had a very close working relationship with project architect John Pawson to ensure that the identity and visual elements were complementary to the interiors. The project was completed in approximately three months, and was launched in the summer of 1999.
The Wing logo, which communicates a sense of sophistication and elegance, was applied to a variety of objects, including pencils, above, used in the lounge to create brand continuity.
Pentagram designed print applications including menus, corporate (and passenger) stationery, and bar accessories such as napkins, coasters, and sugar sachets. The design program also included a signage system with a series of brushed, acid-etched, stainless-steel plates, in-filled with cool gray. In addition, the client asked Pentagram to select the crockery, cutlery, and other accoutrements for all lounge areas, bars, and restaurants to maintain a strong and consistent visual language.
Cathay Pacific chose to work with Pentagram because the firm had created many effective and appropriate logos in the past for a number of Hong Kong–based and other far-eastern clients. Pentagram had also worked with one of the clients in Hong Kong on another project, who recommended Pentagram for the Cathay Pacific job.
Aesthetically, the identity reflects the need to present The Wing (and other areas) as an oasis for exhausted travelers, and to complement the sophistication and elegance of the lounges themselves. It was also integral for the solution to be legible to travelers from around the world, and to reflect the brand values of Cathay Pacific without conflicting with their core identity.
The Wing notepad, above, and the stationery system, opposite, reflect the fresh aquatic color palette, and atmospheric soft-focus photographs used by Pentagram to convey a sense of serenity for weary travelers at Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok International Airport.
Ph.D |
Creative Director: Clice Piercy Art Director: Clive Piercy |
Designer: Clive Piercy Photography: David Tsay, Coliena Rentmeester |
Alex Goes is an up-market women’s sportswear line launched by Quiksilver. Ph.D was involved in all aspects of the development of this clothing line from the beginning. They developed the name and identity, worked on product development, and the art direction and advertising.
Targeted for smart, hip, active women, Alex Goes is a flexible identity. There is no single logo for Alex. A lone green dot—a Go Light—appears on the exterior of the garments, whereas one of thirty different custom-woven labels adorns the inside of each piece. The project was essentially an exercise in nonbranding to establish a brand. Ph.D tries to be smart, and reflect the intelligence of their clients in the work they produce, and Alex Goes is a great example of this philosophy.
In addition to the identity, Ph.D designed a full range of applications, including stationery, advertising, print collateral, clothing labels, hangtags, and promotional items.
One of the thirty different custom-woven labels for Quicksilver’s Alex Goes brand of women’s sportswear features one of the many logos created for the company.
Promotional sales brochures for Alex Goes fit inside a slipcase with finger tab. These pieces reflect the hip, active women who are the brand’s customers.
Ph.D creative director Clive Piercy calls their work for Alex Goes “an exercise in un-branding.” They developed a variety of logos, not just one, for their client. These logos were used very discreetly because the designers believe that the target audience for this product line is sophisticated and weary of being advertised to. The promotional pieces above illustrate the Alex Goes logo in use both in the collateral and on the products themselves.
Porto+Martinez designStudio |
Design: Bruno Porto, Marcelo Martinez Illustration: Bruno Porto, Marcelo Martinez |
Who is the client? What do they do?
The Irmãos Brothers is a clown group that has gone through different members, sizes, and styles since 1993, but have always worn the “Blues Brothers” style of sunglasses and the red clown nose. The Brothers produce theater, live performances, magic and humor variety shows, and act in commercials, TV shows, and stunts.
What problem were you asked to solve?
In the two opportunities we had to design the Irmãos Brothers logo, 1996 and 2002, we were asked to design the sunglasses and a red-nose clown face for each member of the group. In 1996, the original quartet of guys had become a trio of two guys and one girl, each with a characteristic feature (personality and face). It was also important to maintain an emphasis on the group’s name, which was inspired by the Blues Brothers movie. Because the first logo had been around for a few years, we didn’t want to lose its main characteristic, which was the faces of the performers.
In 2002, the group became a real company, with a different number of “Brothers” depending on the gig. A television commercial would require two or three Brothers with greater acting skills, while an intermission show at a beach soccer game, for instance, would call for up to nine acrobat Brothers. Therefore, we decided to create a logo that would symbolize a “universal Brother,” rather than portraying a specific number of Brothers. The logo can also be read as the groups initials, “iB.” The typography was slightly redesigned (more chubby), in keeping with the dancing letters mood, and applied to a stylized bow-tie over a colored background shape.
The evolution of the logo for the clown troupe, The Irmãos Brothers, can be seen at right. All the logos feature a version of a clown face. As the group evolved from the original four members, to three clowns, to an ensemble group of variable size the logo had to change. Their most recent incarnation is represented by the most abstract logo.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
Circus clown fun, but with a modern approach.
Who was the target audience?
Kids (ages five to twelve) needed to be able to relate to the group’s red-nose clown style, but adults (parents and clients) needed to feel that the Brothers were reliable and meant business.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
They are great to work with. The 1996 logo and stationery were very well-received by the two remaining Brothers from the original team, Nehemias Rezende and Alberto Magalhães. Although they were really eager to abandon the original logo, since it didn’t represent the actual crew anymore, they were still kind of attached to the idea of having their faces on it. After the 1996 logo helped them to acquire national recognition and some really nice work opportunities, they’ve trusted our suggestions and given us complete freedom. In the 2001 redesign, they were once again surprised by the “one face to represent many” concept. We feel that we always give them a bit more than they expect, and it is always a pleasure to work with creative, good-humored clients who respect the work you do.
What was the creative time frame?
Two to three weeks, from the phone ringing with the project to “We love it, here’s the check!”
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
For the 1996 logo, the low budget years, we created one-color stationery and two-color business cards, as well as postcards, posters, flyers, show tickets, silk-screened T-shirts, etc. From 2001 on: four-color stationery, posters, invitations, announcements, banners, postcards for three different shows, logos, newspaper ads, silk-screened T-shirts, set decorations, and a Brothers unicase font.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
The writer of the Irmãos Brothers’ 1996 show “Olimpíadas Brothers” (“The Brothers Olympics”) knew Porto+Martinez’s Marcelo Martinez (who is also an award-winning cartoonist) from the years when both were contributors to the Brazilian edition of MAD magazine.
—Bruno Porto
The 1996 version (2nd) of the Irmãos Brothers identity system helped the clowns acquire national attention. The system features both the character-driven logo and actual photographs of the entertainers.
Rigsby Design |
Creative Director: Lana Rigsby Art Director: Lana Rigsby |
Designers: Pamela Zuccker, Thomas Hull, Raul Pavon Photography: Terry Vine, and Ashford in-house studio |
Ashford.com, the largest luxury retailer online, sells exclusively high-end items such as watches, jewelry, diamonds, other accessories, and gifts. Ashford.com had been the first company to sell expensive watches online, but with the addition of a visionary new CEO, the company believed that it could be a bigger enterprise, and emerge as an exclusive high-end retailer. Rigsby Design was asked to create the main corporate identity to support that growth and the consequent repositioning of their client in the marketplace.
Rigsby started the identity project with a month of market research. They looked at how people buy, especially online, and what the value of Ashford.com might be to customers versus a “bricks and mortar” store. The question came down to “Why would someone buy a $30,000 watch online?” The client had retained the consulting firm Rosetta, which had done a lot of consumer, e-commerce, and general Internet research. When Rigsby reviewed and evaluated this research, the identity solution became apparent. The designers then synthesized the information to develop appropriate business, marketing, and identity strategies.
Typically, Rigsby Design does extensive research on their larger projects so that background data informs their design. This was the case with the Ashford.com identity, where the logo answered the design criteria. The identity system was strategic—everything the designers and client thought it should be. It was also unique in relation to Ashford.com’s competitors—it definitely stood out.
Rigsby Design defined the personality and brand attributes as: sophisticated, upscale, luxury. They created an identity system that is classically elegant and appeals to both male and female customers. Asford.com’s core target customers are wealthy, busy, time-restricted people from twenty to thirty years of age. The identity project took almost two years in total to implement.
Rigsby Design worked with Ashford.com, a luxury goods retailer, to create a sophisticated, upscale identity system. The designers carried the branding through the packaging, seen above.
Besides the logo, Rigsby designed packaging, the annual report, various corporate communications, and the website. Because of the designer’s extensive involvement with the client, everything spoke with one cohesive voice. Although Ashford.com has recently been bought out, they are still adhering to the templates developed by Rigsby Design.
Rigsby came to the project with a strong background in identity programs. Personality-wise the firm was a good fit with the new CEO/director of marketing Kenneth (Kenny) Kurtzman. Kurtzman gave the designers a good deal of license to form recommendations. It was a highly collaborative, great working relationship with a lot of trust and respect on both sides. In the case of Ashford.com, dealing directly with the CEO made all the difference in the success of the identity design.
The Ashford.com print materials, at right, use the simple logo as a focal point on covers.
The stationery system, opposite, features classic typography, rich stock, and quality printing to reflect the upscale merchandise sold by Ashford.com.
Steinbranding |
Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Stein |
Creative Director: Federico Reca Designers: Gustavo Calebich, Nicolás Benedict, Estsban Ron, Juan Pablo Cionci |
Who is the client? What do they do?
Aerorpuertos Argentina 2000 is the Argentinean consortium that manages thirty-three airports throughout the country, including Ezeiza International Airport, Bariloche International Airport, and Cordoba International Airport.
What problem were you asked to solve?
Argentinian airports had a high level of visual pollution and traffic flow through the airports was chaotic—these had a direct impact on service and on the passengers.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
It was necessary to create a corporate image for the company, as well as to provide the airport system with visual coherence. The logotype we developed refers to the world as a runway.
Who was the target audience?
The target audience was mainly international and domestic passengers. This category also included couriers, airport employees, and service providers working in the airports.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
An extensive series of meetings, with a lot of content and feedback, occurred during the whole creative process between our company and the client. Every single point of view was taken into account when designing the identity. Emphasis was placed mainly on passengers’ needs, however, employees’ issues and concerns also impacted our work.
What was the time frame?
It took three years of creation and implementation. Implementation was done on a daily basis, at all airport locations, all over the country.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
Applications included: airplane interiors and exteriors, indoor and outdoor design of offices, security system elements, signage, check-in counter graphics, totems, airway vehicles, luggage tags, boarding passes, catering elements, stationery, television commercials, and magazine and newspaper advertisements.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
The logotype is a combination of the world and a runway. The color palette provides a kind of solidness and calmness. This was contrasted with the yellow, which enhances security and generated the brand’s presence through the repetition of reference icons throughout the airports.
—Guillermo Stein
Steinbranding’s logo for Aeropuertos Argentina, an Argentine airport management company, evokes the world of aviation. A combination of a globe and an airplane runway, it also suggests the letter “A.” Pictured above are a variety of logo applications in use at airports.
Stilradar |
Creative Directors: Raphael Pohland, Simone Winter |
Designers: Raphael Pohland, Simone Winter |
Sichtbar Augenoptik is an exclusive optician in the midtown area of Stuttgart, Germany. The focus of the boutique is excellent individual service and an outstanding range of products. They offer only high-quality glasses by select designers, as well as other choice optical products with well-known labels.
Angela and Hans Schneider, the owners of Sichtbar, asked Stilradar to redesign their entire communication concept because the logo and corporate identity system no longer reflected the client’s philosophy. The client wished to use the circle of the existing logo in the new design. A key problem was the integration of this circle with a typographic wordmark.
Stilradar had to come up with a logo that was unique and fresh, though it did not require a long duration of validity. The target audience was design-oriented consumers. In addition, existing clients, familiar with the old logo, needed to be able to recognize and accept the new one.
The collaborative process between Stilradar and their client was very good. The conceptual ideas, the style of typography, the circle signet, and the arrangement of a set of pictogram icons were accepted by the client very quickly. Defining the color palette, however, took much longer. The old identity color was blue. The designers suggested that keeping this color would be a good idea, but the client wanted something different. A wide range of colors were recommended by the designers; Sichtbar opted for a deep purple for the logo and a smooth green as an accent. When the stationery was being printed, though, the client stopped the run and decided to return to the original blue color. Nevertheless, the designers found their client to be very relaxed and open-minded. One of Stilradar’s first clients, they remain among their favorites.
The logo is designed in one color for easy and effective use in all medias. It was applied to a variety of pieces, including graphics used in the shop, and for mailings and stationery. There was no exact deadline for launching the new corporate identity, but from the first briefing to the printed result, it took nearly two months.
When Stilradar asked the client why they were chosen for the project, Sichtbar replied that they wanted a small graphic design agency that could provide intensive support. Furthermore, they loved the designers’ work and the creative potential for collaboration. Sichtbar also realized that the designers understood their philosophy and the new direction they wanted to go with the company.
In the briefing the designers were asked to integrate the circle into the new identity. Their initial thought was to separate the circle from the Sichtbar name. The circle signet is a stylized “eye,” which also suggests an “s.” So, the icon is a symbiosis of “eye” (optician) and “s” (Sichtbar). The first step was to develop a typeface for “Sichtbar” that was modern but not too trendy. It was for this reason that the seraphs were integrated into the typeface. Next, Stilradar tried to combine the typeface and the signet. However, they noticed that the equal combination of signet and typeface was not harmonic. This led to the next step, which was to find a solution using both elements in a balanced way. The concept was to develop a story around the “s” signet. Toward that end, three more icons were developed that tell the story—if you have any problems with your eyes, then you might need glasses, therefore go to Sichtbar. It is a playful and unusual identity incorporating several logo icons. Continuing in this metaphorical style, the Sichtbar address graphic was designed to resemble a vision test.
The address graphic element designed as part of the Sichtbar identity, above left, resembles an eye examination chart.
Sichtbar, an optic boutique, needed a unique identity system that reflected high quality and high style. The company challenged Stilradar to integrate the circle symbol of the existing logo with the new icon’s signet “s.”
A series of direct mail promotions incorporate stylish illustrations reminiscent of old travel postcards were created as a fresh way to appeal to Sichtbar’s design-oriented customers. Milan (above), Paris, and the Strand (opposite) are a few of the luxe destinations featured in the promos.
Untitled |
Creative Director: Zoë Scutts Art Director: Zoë Scutts |
Designer: Zoë Scutts Illustration: Zoë Scutts |
Who is the client? What do they do?
The Design Dimension Educational Trust is a charity that leads a wide range of cultural education projects. It is renowned for its innovative work with young people and teachers. Focus on Food is a food-education program led and managed by The Design Dimension Educational Trust that supports the teaching of cooking in school curricula. Food education forms only part of the UK’s primary and secondary school design and technology curriculum. At the core of Design Dimension’s work is teaching young people and their teachers about design and how to use it to benefit education.
What problem were you asked to solve?
We were asked to create a symbol that communicates the ethos of what Focus on Food is, and what its aims are for its target audience, which is primary and secondary school teachers and children.
What personality and brand attributes were you asked to convey?
We were asked to convey the concepts of fresh, educational, and fun to both teachers and children. The logo needed to be an instantly recognizable symbol that would become synonymous with excellence in food teaching.
Who was the target audience?
Primarily the audience was children four to nineteen years of age. Secondarily, we were targeting teachers, from their initial teacher training through their continuing professional development.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you and your client.
The client is a very design-aware organization. Focus on Food is an RSA (Royal Society of Arts) program. The RSA is a charity that encourages sustainable economic development and the release of human potential. The initial design concept meetings went extremely well. Subsequently, a strong bond and common understanding of the theme developed. It steered the identity and formed the basis of a mutually productive working relationship that exists to this day.
What was the time frame?
The initial time frame was one month to get the identity and supporting materials (such as stationery) produced. The quarterly educational magazine, which is approximately sixty-four pages long, is geared toward students and teachers and usually takes between two and three months to produce an issue from design to production.
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
Applications range from stationery, printed literature, stickers, aprons, a website, carrier bags, posters, brochures, magazines, a video, and the Cooking Bus. There are many more, but this is the main remit of materials I have produced. We are currently aiming to produce a range of kitchen items: crockery, magnets, tea towels, and aprons.
Education packs developed for the Focus on Food program, right, have a bright, timeless quality designed to appeal to young children.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
Evidence of previous design work, instant empathy with client, excellent communication and understanding of Focus on Food’s aims and its clientele, and the way in which the elements of the education program fit together.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made?
It says bright, fresh, modern, but timeless. Fun, with an educational message. Our goal was to appeal to a broad audience, from young children to adults, so a strong visual link to fruit labeling, as seen on individual pieces of fruit for sale in shops and supermarkets, seemed appropriate. Linking a familiar labeling system to an educational identity gave the Focus on Food logo a cheery familiarity and a positive association.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
The response from the clients’ key audiences—teachers, children/students, and decision makers—has been extremely positive. The identity has tremendous visual appeal, is easily recognizable, and the client is convinced that the identity has helped Focus on Food become the leading support for food education in the country.
—Zoë Scutts
The Cooking Bus, left, is a mobile classroom that trains secondary school children to prepare food.
The Focus on Food logo, seen above in a series of brochures, suggests product code stickers frequently seen on individual pieces of fruit for sale in supermarkets. Designers at Untitled, kept the typography simple and bold for easy recognition.
VSA Partners |
Creative Director: Jamie Koval |
Designer Directors: Dan Knuckey, Thom Wolfe Designers: Ashley Wasem, Andrew Reeves, Nichole Dillon Photography: Tom Maday |
Cingular
A name that stands alone.
When BellSouth and SBC Communications merged their eleven existing wireless properties in 2000, the result wasn’t just the second-largest wireless company in the U.S. It was also the nation’s most relevant wireless brand.
This was no accident. Early on, BellSouth and SBC asked VSA to develop their new company’s brand, from strategy to name to visual identity. To make the company stand out in an overcrowded, communication-saturated marketplace, VSA positioned the company as the “refreshing alternative” in the wireless industry. They focused on technology as an enabler of human communications—as a single source for interaction and individualized services, as a channel for personal expression, and as a means for individual achievement. No matter what form technology may take, Cingular promised to make it understandable, usable, and valuable in your life.
This brand positioning led VSA and its client to the Cingular name. In a nationwide marketplace where its peers’ names bring to mind “The Phone Company,” Cingular offered simplicity that was differentiating. The graphic identity of the new company followed the same logic, capturing the essence of the company through its human form and feel—simple, playful, enabling—and lending itself to a powerful retail presence.
Today, the Cingular name and identity are everywhere. Built on more than pervasiveness, the value of the brand is its relevant, resonant message in a consumer-unfriendly marketplace.
The identity for Cingular, the second-largest wireless company in the U.S., reflects the brand positioning of technology as an enabler of human communication. The figurative icon, opposite, captures the essence of the company in a simple, playful graphic form.
The strength of the Cingular logo is apparent in the advertisement on the taxi top, left, and on the billboard ad, above, as it cuts through the clutter of messages in the urban environment.
John Bielenberg Founder, Project M, The Bielenberg Institute at the Edge of the Earth Co-Founder: C2 |
Creative Director: John Bielenberg |
Designers: John Bielenberg, Chuck Denison Photography: Victor John Penner |
Who is the client? What business/service/product do they provide?
Virtual Telemetrix, Inc. (VT) is a forward-thinking, risk-taking, global enterprise offering best-of-breed solutions to empower mission-critical synergies.
What problem were you asked to solve? Why make a logo?
VT asked us to design a symbol to be embossed on the urinal cakes in the executive bathroom. Lucky for us, we were able to expand that small assignment into a global branding initiative.
What personality, culture, brand attributes, were you asked to convey?
VT wanted to borrow the accumulated power and equity associated with fascist iconography throughout world history. Their motto was “a huge %&#*! Company needs a huge %&#*! “brand.”
Who was the target audience your were designing for?
Primarily small, medium, and large.
Talk about the collaborative working process between you & your client.
It was very strange. We never actually talked to, or met, the actual “client.” Very unusual.
What was the time frame? How long did it take to create this.
I think it took about forty minutes to design the symbol but we were able to stretch the retainer for two years. We refer to this as a “total cash extraction solution.”
What applications did you design for this logo? In what media?
All media! From patterns sewn into sock fabric to vapor trails from the VT Gulfstream jet.
Why did the client choose you to design this logo?
We spent six months on the urinal cake RFP and honestly I think it just wore them down.
Why did you make the aesthetic choices you made? Ultimately, why does this logo look like it does?
I like the international paper logo a lot, so I just turned it upside down and adapted it into a VT.
Anything else you’d like to add?
You should see the VT fountain. It’s really neat.
—John Bielenberg
The idea of identity changes as our culture shifts. Virtual Telemetrix is a fictional corporation created by John Bielenberg. The visuals, copy, and tone force the viewer to question credibility and content. Once it becomes clear that the information presented is fiction, the viewer then will apply the same filter to actual companies. The VT presentation is more than a parody of “market-ese” and corporate vernacular, it is a concise point of view on contemporary corporate message and identity.