IN THIS ISSUE:
Publishers Note
Graphic Design News
Bridgeman Buzz
Quote Of Month
More News
Company Spotlight
More News
GDUSA Store
In the September GDUSA magazine, I quoted an Interbrand study to the
effect that transparency, instant communications and social media are
constantly “stress-testing” brands. As if to underscore the
point, a few days later The Gap debuted an updated logo. Designed by New
York-based creative firm Laird & Partners, it prompted customers to
unleash outsized anger about the change, and even to threaten boycott,
over the social networks. The company tried to tamp down the firestorm
by asking for customer ideas on their Facebook page, and then announced
restoration of the original symbol. About the discarded logo, I really
do not care. Smarter people than I disagree but most found that it
failed to connected to the company’s essence. About the larger
question of the ecosystem in which brand designers now operate, I do
care — alot — because that is how many GDUSA readers
make a living. The Gap presents a cautionary tale of why branding is,
increasingly, a high risk and stressful business. At the same time, we
can only hope that this singular event does not lead companies to
crowdsource logos at the expense of tapping the experience and
intelligence of graphic design professionals.
— Gordon Kaye
You can now download an entry form for GDUSA’s fastest-growing
national competition. It is presented by GDUSA and
sponsored by Neenah Paper. The deadline is December
10, and our Package Design Annual comes out in March.
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/apda.php
Democrats Change Logo
The Democratic National Committee’s new logo features a
dark-blue-encircled, lighter-blue capital D. The logo comes with a new
slogan, “Change That Matters,” as well as a new website. The
logo that had existed was block-letter DNC, red-white-blue color scheme.
SS+K, which has done considerable work for the Obama campaign, developed
the new look, the first since Bill Clinton’s presidency. The idea
of the logo is that it has a more grass-roots and less institutional
feel, and evokes a social media feel.
New MFA At Pratt
Pratt Institute’s Department of Communications and Package Design,
which has granted master of science degrees for decades, creates it
first master of fine arts degree program in communications design. The
school is now accepting applications for fall 2011. The program will
emphasize full-time studio practice and prepare its graduates to teach
at the college level. Pratt is opening a 10,000-square-foot facility to
house 125 student studios, a computer lab, printing facilities, a
resource center, and a lecture and seminar room. The two-year program
will emphasize full-time studio practice; research and scholarship;
design teaching methodologies; and academic studies of visual media such
as history, theory, critical analysis, aesthetics, and related
humanities and social sciences.
Accountable Identity
Differentiation is a challenge for professional services businesses. The
world’s top accountancy firms are often anonymously labeled the
Big 4. How to standout? Wolf Olins believes it has the answer,
developing a new identity for PricewaterhouseCoopers that includes a
logo of the initials “pwc” in lower case type, a new color
palette and fonts for online and offline company literature, which was
driven by the increasing importance of a brand’s online presence.
PwC’s global brand director Ian Duncan worked closely with Wolff
Olins to create the strategy, which he says will provide the 160,000
people in PwC globally with a common goal, as well as creating clear
differentiation in the market.
“Never have designers been expected to cultivate such a diverse set of skills and knowledge as today. Over the next 10 years the graphic design profession will experience a paradigm shift in what we do, how we do it, and why.
— Jeff Bellantoni, chair of Pratt’s Graduate
Communications and Package Design Department,
on why the
school is staring a new MFA degree program in
Communications Design.
THEThe Bridgeman Buzz for October is full of seasonal treats such as:
- Amazingly detailed and imaginative paintings of hell
- Haunted photographs from the Civil War and World War I
- Beautiful woodcuts from Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai
Follow us on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/bridgemanartny
Photo Comic Format
Building on Stanley Steemer’s latest national TV campaign,
Indianapolis ad agency Young & Laramore is rolling out a complementary
print and online campaign featuring technicians and their experiences in
the field, as inspired by real-life situations. The new ads —
designed for newspaper, direct mail, retail and digital —
showcase the Stanley Steemer TV spot story lines using the photo comic
format. The ads play up the humor while characterizing the technicians
as the experts who can save us from home cleaning disasters. Credits go
to agency executive creative director Carolyn Hadlock, creative director
and writer Bryan Judkins, and creative director/art director Trevor
Williams.
Accidental Fortune
Well-known pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging supplier, Keller
Crescent, will celebrate its125 year anniversary this year. The company
supplier got its start in the year 1885 when Captain William H.
Keller’s ship ran aground on a sandbar of the Ohio River near
Evansville, IN. The ship was loaded down with printing presses. Forced
by the accident to a decision, Keller set up shop in right there in
Evansville. Later he would merge his operations with those of his
competitor, Crescent Printing and Engraving Company, to form the new
company. The firm has grown to become is a leading supplier of
secondary packaging products in North America.
Brand Says Better Soda
Seattle-based Turnstyle designed the brand identity, packaging and
website for DRY Soda Co. The message is intended to reflect that it is
better tasting and better for you soda. Graphic silhouette illustrations
on clear bottles capture each flavor, while allowing product show
through. The new bottle design also features DRY’s low calorie
count on the neck of the bottle, and the name of the flavor in a graphic
of the corresponding fruit, flower or herb on the center of the bottle.
Design and packaging are rolling out this month.
http://www.drysoda.com/
Introducing Fonts.com Web Fonts,
great looking real fonts for your website. The selection
includes more than 7,500 fonts. You can see for
yourself by signing up for the free plan at...
http://www.gdusa.com/eblasts/2010/101013-monotype/msg.html
Welcome Back Poster
Rocco Piscatello designs his 19th poster for the Visiting Artist Program
at FIT. His latest poster welcomes back David Carson to the program. The
lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held at FIT's
Haft Auditorium on Thursday November 12. Rocco Piscatello continues
raising his own bar with his latest entry into the Visiting Artist
Program at FIT poster series,” comment Armin Vit and Bryony
Gomez-Palacio. Piscatello has won awards from the likes of AIGA, Print,
CA, and GDUSA.
http://www.fitvap.com
Rocky Mountain Low
Denver-based Amélie Company Advertising and PR has been selected
by the Coloradans Against Auto Theft (CAAT) coalition to develop public
awareness, and education and outreach tools surrounding auto theft in
Colorado. The CAAT coalition combines stakeholders from insurance
companies, non-profit organizations, law enforcement and the Colorado
Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA). Colorado ranks in the top
20% nationwide for stolen vehicles. Public relations, research, web
development and creative design are on the agenda.
Photolibrary, a leading global independent producer and distributor of
stock images, footage and music, has gone live with their new website. A
cleaner design is optimized to use the horizontal real estate of
professional monitors, and background color can now chosen by the user.
Basic searches are streamlined with similar images suggested, advanced
search options are easier to access and use, new image preview page
showcases alternative images (matched by color and keyword/s) make it
even easier to find the right image, and light boxes and shopping cars
can be accessed with a simple drag and drop system. Glenn Parker,
Photolibrary Group CEO comments: “As always Photolibrary seeks to
provide its clients with an improving experience when searching our
image, film and music content. We hope that our users like the changes
we have made.”
http://www.photolibrary.com/
Transparent Communication
The Arnell Group’s campaign for Naked Juice promises honesty in
ingredients and invites consumers to submit their own “naked
truth.” Digital banner ads show live conversations consumers are
having about the brand. Print ads target health-conscious consumers ages
25 to 35. “[Naked Juice] is all about the transparency in our
communication,” says marketing director Brad Armistead. “If
you turn to the label on the back of the bottle, you can see all the
fruit that’s inside. We list out what you get in that bottle and
our consumers have come to trust what we put inside.” Pepsico is
the owner; Naked Juice had previously relied on grassroots marketing.
The City That Never Sleeps
Interactive agency IdeaWork Studios has expanded into the New York
market, opening its third office in Manhattan. The office is headed by
David Rayner, vice president of strategy and development. Headquartered
in Santa Barbara CA since 1999, the agency has an office in Las Vegas
and works for clients like Hard Rock Hotels, MGM Resorts International,
Harrah’s Entertainment, Morgans Hotel Group, and Cirque du Soleil.
Says ceo Jay Schwartz: “New York has been and always will be the
hub for nightlife, entertainment, hospitality, finance and fashion, all
areas of expertise for this agency.”
THE GDUSA has teamed with Veer to offer creative professionals the most fun and interesting merchandise available. Current offerings include the following items and much more.
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Veer provides visual elements for use in professional creative work, such as graphic design, motion design, advertising and filmmaking. Products include stock photography, illustration, typefaces, and unique merchandise.