IN THIS ISSUE:
Quote of the Month
Graphic Design News
GDUSA Awards Entry Form
More News
Take Five! Career Tips
More News
Digital Print Cover Contest
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Brett Traylor of Thinkso in New York comments on the United-Continental airlines identity strategy.
There obviously wasn't a designer in the room
when the geniuses at United and Continental, negotiating the terms to
create the world's largest airline, settled on the meat-head approach
of pairing the United name with the Continental look and feel. Brand
identities are built strategically — or at least that's the gospel
we preach — carefully combining elements such as a name, a
symbol, a typeface, a color palette, imagery, a tone-of-voice, to create
a distinct personality. Pieces from one company's identity can't just
be swapped with that from another's, can they? But there it is, the
eighth bullet point at the top of their press release "Name of
Airline Will be United with Continental's Logo and Livery." That
solves that, I suppose. I spent a good chunk of my career working on
the very identity that now seems destined for history books, so
excuse my bitterness, but this is more of a corporate identity
prenuptial agreement than it is the creation of a super brand.
The question of whether or not the merger is a good idea will be answered over the next few years — with the survival or demise of the airline. But as for the quality of the new identity, well, that won't take but a minute. The Continental look and feel is tired. It's aircraft paint scheme is pure vanilla. It's "Work Hard" campaign has more than run its course. Its globe symbol is cliché, uncreative and unmemorable. And that typeface. Please, Lord, anything but that typeface! Don't get me wrong. It's not that the United identity is untouchable... But truly, if you had to choose one of the two identities, wouldn't it be United's? And if not, wouldn't the smart thing be to sit down, take a deep breath, and consult someone with, say, a BFA instead of a JD to come up with something more appropriate?
You can find Brett Traylor's entire commentary at...
http://www.thinkso.com/sayso/2010/05/04/
From Fallon To VSA
VSA Partners adds Executive Creative Directors Hans Hansen and Eric
Sorensen; both join VSA's new Partner/COO John Colasanti in
Minneapolis. They were each recently Group Creative Directors at Fallon
Worldwide where, for the past four years, they created award-winning
work for virtually every account in the agency including Citibank, Abu
Dhabi Commercial Bank, Holiday Inn, Nuveen, NYSE, Chrysler and
Traveler's Insurance. Each had previously spent a number of years with
Colasanti at Carmichael Lynch. "This is a company that values the
power of creativity," says Sorensen. Dana Arnett heads VSA.
Design Investment Reviving
The AIGA Design Leaders Confidence Index for the first quarter of 2010
reflects the strongest confidence yet in an economic recovery. The index
rose to 103.73 — up from a low of 51 in October 2008 — and
is the highest since AIGA began measuring confidence in the design
economy in early 2005. Most respondents rated conditions moderately
better, and the data and anecdotal evidence suggest investment in
design is reviving.
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/confidence-index
Illustrating The World Cup
The South African illustration house, Am I Collective, scored a creative
coup when it was commissioned to create 32 murals for ESPN's 2010 FIFA
World Cup campaign via Wieden+Kennedy. The 32 murals celebrate each of
the 32 teams that will be competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. ESPN
owns the broadcasting rights to the event in a number of territories
including the USA. See them all in one place at...
http://9gag.com/gag/25466/
We have extended our American Graphic
Design Awards flagship competition for a couple of weeks. The
final postmarked deadline is June 30. To download an entry form
or for more information, please visit...
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/agda.php
Quaker Lite
Wallace Church was asked to develop a new more contemporary branding — that
also gave a nod to the powerful heritage of the brand — for Quaker Lite
Snacks. The solution: a logo that incorporates the Quaker Oats man inside a more
rounded and modern serif "Q". The new logo is being debuted on all the
Lite Snacks including Mini Delights, Quakes, Tortillaz, and Rice Cakes.
Big Hearted
Big (Beatley Gravitt, Inc.) recently concluded several months of
collaboration with the American Heart Association, providing pro bono
marketing and design services in support of two Richmond fundraising
events, the Go Red For Women luncheon and the Richmond Heart Ball. For
both, Big worked closely with American Heart Association staff to
create a variety of marketing materials, including invitations, event
programs, auction guides, and more. Together they raised roughly
one millions dollars.
http://www.bigaddress.com/2010/05/07/looking-like-a-million-bucks-literally/
Orange Turn To Studio Blue
Studio Blue's recent collaboration with the College of Visual and
Performing Arts at Syracuse University started with a workshop to help
define a new mission, vision, and set of values to guide the
college. The resulting verbal tools became the foundation for a visual
identity system and culminated in a website launched this spring. Cheryl
Towler Weese says that Studio Blue positioned VPA as "a generator
that energizes whatever community in which it is engaged" and
that the website conveys the qualities of the brand at every level.
http://www.studioblue.us/casestudies/syu_1.php
TAKEINCREASED CREATIVE HIRING FOR Q3
The employment outlook for creative professionals is looking up for the
coming quarter, according to The Creative Group Hiring Index for
Marketing and Advertising Professionals. A net 6 percent of marketing
and advertising executives surveyed anticipate increasing personnel
in the next three months — that's up five points from the
previous quarter's projection. Following are the top five specialty
areas in demand among executives who intend to hire:
1. Web Design/Production — 16%
2. Account Services — 12%
3. Creative/Art Direction — 12%
4. Print Design/Production — 11%
5. Social Media — 11%
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising, marketing and interactive professionals on a project basis. For more information, please visit creativegroup.com. Connect with The Creative Group at facebook.com/thecreativegroup or twitter.com/creativegroup.
Europe Has Changed
The Foundation Design den Haag asked for suggested new flags
to reflect Europe's growing diversity of cultures, languages,
traditions and beliefs. "Europe has changed," the
organization notes. They expected a few hundred entries and
receive 1,400 instead from 30 European and 33 additional
countries. Here is one of the more colorful submissions
designed by Victor Hertz.
http://www.designdenhaag.eu/en/node/128
21 In Dog Years
Dallas-based Black Lab Creative is celebrating its third
birthday. Three years ago, four talents with big brand and big
agency experience — Chad Costas, Brett Dougall, Eddie Hale
and John McFarland — were visiting at a bar and asked each
other how they could build a better creative agency. Their
answer: build it their way. "It dawned on us that there
was a better way to do things, and we were just the guys to
do it, darn it," said Black Lab Creative Partner Eddie
Hale. "We're not a frilly show dogs but rather just like
good ole, All-American labs. We work hard and play hard,
and we treat our clients like they are family."
Kraft Promotes Ma(yo)keover
Kraft's celebrity campaign for its flavored mayonnaise lineup
stars HGTV Design Star judges Candice Olson, Genevieve Gorder
and Vern Yip. TV spots, dubbed "Tastemakers," evoke
a makeover reality-show format. This is the first big ad push
for the new line. To push the reality show theme, Kraft has
expanded its print beyond traditional lifestyle and food titles
to include InStyle and House Beautiful. Agencies include
mcgarrybowen, Chicago, for creative; Upshot for promotional
marketing; AKQA, New York, for digital; and Hunter for
public relations.
Our special summer Dimensional Digital
Print Cover contest is now open and sponsored by Kodak. Creatives
are invited to submit the design for a printed insert that will
double as the September cover of GDUSA magazine. Winners will be
selected on overall visual appearance, tactile effectiveness and
integration of the easy-to-design-for
Kodak NexPress Dimensional Printing System.
For information and an entry form, contact...
http://www.gdusa.com/digitalprintingcontest/
MORE GRAPHIC
Stock Up On Ragu
Ragú wanted to celebrate its sponsorship as the official
pasta sauce of NASCAR as well as its licensing rights in using
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s image and signature. Targeting Ragú
users as well as NASCAR fans, Ragú turned to TFI Envision's
promotional expertise to gear up an instore merchandising program
to run in Kroger stores. The integrated pallet display consisted
of product trays, and an action packed riser card with Dale
Jr.'s image, signature and stock car crashing through a racing
flag for a very stunning and appealing visual.
Gateway To Fame
Full Sail University cut the ribbon on its Gateway Project, a
22,000 sq. ft. facility that features a 500-seat venue, and
game production and recording studio spaces. The day included
an induction ceremony for the institution's 2010 Hall of
Famers. New honorees are Leslie Brathwaite, Grammy-award winning
Mix Engineer; Steve Cainas, Production Coordinator for films
and primetime series including LOST; Troy DeVolld, Emmy-nominated
Supervising Producer; Marc Fishman, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
and Emmy-winner for HBO's John Adams; Kristifir Klein, Set
Modeling Lead at Pixar; and Martin "Tike" Santos,
Live Sound Engineer/Technician for the likes of Peter Frampton,
Faith Hill, and Paul McCartney.
http://www.fullsail.edu/
Dictating Fashion
This provocative billboard for a clothing company in Italy shows
Adolf Hitler in a pink uniform with a heart armband. The message
to young people: "Change style. Don't follow your leader."
On one level attention grabbing; on another a bit sickening; and on
yet a third hypocritical since the message comes from a fashion
house trying to dictate fashion.