IN THIS ISSUE:
Publishers Note
Graphic Design News
Package Design Awards
More News
Bridgeman Buzz
More News
Special Gift Code
More News
Extending Global Reach
Creative Hiring Up
What would you do if you were not a designer? In our upcoming People To Watch edition, which mails in early February, we asked 20 leading creative professionals just that question. As you might expect, most people say they would gravitate toward careers that share similar characteristics and skillsets: architecture, illustration, photography, fashion design, interior design, carpentry, filmmaking, software development, psychologist, chef, children’s book author. Only a handful step entirely out of the box. In this, no one topped Myspace vp Mike Macadaan, who chose blimp pilot. But Jennifer Kinon (FBI agent) and Sarah Williams (rapper) came pretty close.
— Gordon Kaye
Starbucks Goes Wordless
Starbucks’ newly refreshed logo is intended to
celebrate the chain’s 40th anniversary, notably, with
the phrase “Starbucks Coffee” dropped from the
image. One theory is that Starbucks is looking to localize
and personalize its stores, many of which have lagging
sales, and get away from the one-size fits-all nature of
its retail operation. The official theory, described by a
Starbucks inhouse creative manager: “The result is
an evolved logo that celebrates the Siren in a much bolder
way – it’s more expressive and energetic and
still uses the same vibrant green circle that is so well
recognized by our customers around the world.” As of
this writing, response/backlash is building, from
“brilliant” to “boneheaded.”
Small Is Big In 2011
A new study suggests that a vast majority of small creative
companies are looking forward to a great year in 2011. A
stunning 95% surveyed expect to hire new employees or
maintain their current staffing levels in the coming year,
and 96% are anticipating stable or increased revenues. The
FunctionFox Creative Industry Outlook Survey “takes
the temperature” of creative business executives
employing 25 or fewer people, as they prepare for the
coming year. “2010 was an year of consolidation for
smaller creative companies,” said Mary-Lynn
Bellamy-Williams, Founder and CEO of FunctionFox, which
provides web-based time tracking and billing
tools. “Employers were able to build on a
solid -- and leaner -- base, established in 2009
and early 2010, and made steady gains despite
continuing economic challenges. Although there will
be continued financial pressures through 2011, smaller
creative firms are well positioned to ride out any
blips while capitalizing on emerging opportunities.”
http://www.functionfox.com/news/creative-outlook-2011.html
Say Cheese!
Smile! Kraft Macaroni & Cheese packaging has a new look
after more than 10 years. Kraft Foods and Landor Associates
teamed up to create a visual identity that locks
“Kraft” and “Macaroni & Cheese”
together on every package and seals it with a
large “noodle smile” the whole family can
enjoy. Among the goals of the project: to unify Kraft’s
Mac & Cheese portfolio of more than 50 products and
further differentiate on the shelf. The new packaging, which
is now starting to hit shelves, taps into the emotions that
the companies hope Kraft Mac & Cheese produces for
consumers – smiles, happiness and joy.
January 13 -- postmarked -- is the absolutely-final-no-matter-how-crazy-the-weather-has-been
deadline for entries. For a downloadable entry form for
GDUSA’s national package and p-o-p competition visit...
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/apda.php
Seeing The Problem
Pearlfisher has designed this year’s Annual Review for
ORBIS – a charity dedicated to “saving sight
worldwide” and eliminating avoidable blindness.
Pearlfisher Creative Director Natalie Chung says that many
charity brochures are photo led which makes them feel
interchangeable. To distinguish this one, however, she
says, “although we have used some scaled down
photographic images, each page contains one dominant and
impactful graphic device to reflect the written information
and facts contained within. For example, writing the words
‘seeing the problem’ in the format of an eye test
chart... The adoption of this visual language for the Review
continues to express the charity’s commitment to
visibility in everything they do.”
Color Lifts Spirits
Last year, the Pantone color of the year was turquoise due to
its calming effect. This year, a more vibrant color,
Honeysuckle, is king of the hill. According to Pantone Color
Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, “In times
of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle
is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline
going – perfect to ward off the blues.” Specifically,
the 2011 color of the year is PANTONE® 18-2120 Honeysuckle;
it is described as a a dynamic reddish pink. Eiseman notes
that Honeysuckle may also “bring a wave of nostalgia for
its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days
of spring and summer.” You can see samples at...
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20821&ca=4
Winning The Commonwealth Games
Glasgow and New York-based design and branding studio
Tangent Graphic has been appointed as the lead Graphic Design
Agency for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Tangent will
be responsible for the evolution and rollout of the brand in
partnership with the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee.
“We are looking forward to working on a wide range of
projects for Glasgow 2014, not least one of the most
eagerly-awaited design elements of any Games – the
pictograms. We want to capture the drive and motion of each
event in every pictogram, reflecting the energy and excitement
of The Games. The firm’s agenda: art direction, print and
digital design, project management and photography.
THEBridgeman Art Library is delighted to announce its representation of the Cincinnati Art Museum, one of the oldest arts institutions in the United States. The “Art Palace of the West” as it has come to be known, has a world class collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photography, costumes and textiles. Images from this remarkable collection are now available for licensing through Bridgeman. Read the full release.
Also check out the Bridgeman Buzz for January: astrology, 2011 color trends, new contemporary artists and more.
http://www.bridgemanart.com/EN-US/Newsletters/Newsletters/Jan%2011.aspx
New Name On Door
Chicago’s Pressley Jacobs Design has changed it’s
name to Pressley Johnson Design by promoting Bill Johnson to
name partner. “Bill now becomes the ‘J’
in PJD,” says founding partner Wendy
Pressley-Jacobs. “It’s an incredible milestone
for both of us. Bill was my first full-time hire.” Pressley
Jacobs Design opened for business in September 1985. The
firm, synomymous with the Windy CIty design community,
specializes in identity programs for the financial, banking,
real estate, professional services, packaged goods and
health care sectors.
Freelander Fight
To underscore that the Freelander 2 is a car that excels in
both a natural environment and an urban landscape, Y&R
NY dramatizes the point by showing two characters fighting
over the car, one representing nature, the other city. The
agency for Land Rover turned to artist Levi van Veluw. As
Menno Kluin, Head of Art, states, “Once we had the
idea, we immediately thought of using Levi. His style is
ideally suited to the idea and we knew he could bring it
to the next level.” Credits include Executive CDs
Scott Vitrone and Ian Reichenthal, Global Creative Director
Graham Lang, Creative Directors Menno Kluin and Graeme
Hall, and Art Director Alexander Nowak.
Photo Exhibit Opens
The public exhibition of dramatic new work by 38 mentees
in the Young Photographers Alliance mentoring program opens
January 14. The purpose of the program is to provide
encouragement and assistance to young photographers entering
the field, through a project that explores the power of
photography. This year’s theme and exhibit is
“Answering Adversity,” with the YPA sending
teams of emerging photographers and their mentors into the
field to photograph stories of innovation, determination
and courage during hard times. The results are exhibited
at this free exhibit. When: January 14 - 28th, 8:30-5:30
Monday thru Friday and 9-5:30 on Saturday. Where: Calumet
Gallery, 2nd Floor, 22 W. 22 Street, NY 10010
http://www.youngphotographersalliance.org/events/index.php
From the decisions we make to the encounters we face… we are given a choice. Question is… Are we opening doors or closing them? It's easy to shut down, to limit and to select. It makes things a lot simpler. Not seeing means you don't have to take action. But sometimes, given a choice is better than having none at all.
Which brings us to 123RF.com. A microstock site that is
all about choices. 123RF.com give users a choice
between credits or subscriptions, allowing users the
freedom to pick the best plans that can make their dollars
go farther.For this new year, 123RF.com is giving our
readers a choice. They are giving away a gift code -
gdusa2011, where users get to enjoy 15% extra credits
or 15% discounts on subscriptions. So, here's one of
the very first choice you could make this year. The
gift code is valid till end February 2011!
Contact:
http://www.123rf.com… gift code gdusa2011
Nice By Splice
Best Buy recently called on the talented design team
at Splice Here to help brand the newly renamed Best
Buy Theater in the heart of Times Square in
Manhattan. The Best Buy Theater features an 85-foot
electronic marquee, as well as a 6-foot by 20-foot
HD video display spanning the theater's lobby,
featuring branding and design by Splice. Bill
Anderson, VP of Content & Creative Strategy for
Best Buy; freelance Creative Director on the project
was Mitch Monson; and Splice was led by Senior
Designer Brian Olson. To view Splice's Best Buy
Theater project...
http://splice.tv/best-buy-theater-times-square/
Quirky Critters
The 2010 Kansas State Fair advertising campaign
captured five first-place division awards –
including posters, advertising, print promotion and
tv – from the International Association of
Fairs and Expositions. The Greteman Group retained
the strong brand essence and “It’s a Wild
Ride, Baby!” themeline established in its
rebranding of the fair in 2004. New messages speak
to excitement and value, while maintaining a strong
connection to the fair’s agricultural roots.
The campaign features quirky barnyard critters: a
groovy, glasses-wearing “Raving Bull”
and a carousel animal offering “Sheep
Thrills.”
TAKEThe job outlook for creative professionals continues to show modest growth in the first quarter of 2011, according to The Creative Group Hiring Index for Marketing and Advertising Professionals. A net 4 percent of marketing and advertising executives surveyed anticipate increasing personnel in the next three months, up 1 point from the previous quarter. Following are the top five specialty areas in demand among executives who intend to hire:
1. Account services – 16%
2. Public relations – 15%
3. Social media – 15%
4. Interactive media – 14%
5. Media services – 13%
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.
Bigstock, one of the world’s top online
royalty-free stock image agencies, extends a big
welcome to the Latin American, Spanish and German
creative communities by offering its extensive
selection of stock photos, illustrations and vectors
via new Spanish and German-language websites. These
new language offerings arrive as part of a broader
effort to serve an increasingly global market. The
new language-specific sites are designed to make
finding stock images faster and easier for creative professionals throughout these respective
regions. In addition to having over 5.7 million
high quality stock images, the language-specific
search tool saves buyers time and energy by enabling
them to easily find the perfect stock photo,
illustration or vector. Comments CEO Jon
Oringer: “Our powerful, accurate search tools
and fresh images allow creative professionals to
save time without the higher price points of other
stock agencies. German and Spanish-speaking designers
and small businesses can now focus on what’s
most important: producing inspiring work.”
Contact:
http://www.bigstockphoto.com