Graphic Design News

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN’S SNACK

In honor of the Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, Marmite has released a limited edition – Ma’amite – in observation of the royal occasion. Featuring the Union flag, the package is now rolling out in stores across the U.K. As all you Anglophiles know, the Queen is celebrating 60 years on the throne at her Diamond Jubilee on June 5, and Marmite is the venerable yeasty spread to which only Brits truly relate. The design is by Hornall Anderson UK, Marmite’s creative partner and the developer of branding and packaging for its entire product range. At the launch of its 'Ma'amite' jars, with patriotic artwork and a distinctive red top, a Unilever spokesman declared that it was a “fitting tribute from one British institution to another,” adding: “We just hope Ma'am loves it!”

NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS NAMED

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, has announced the winners of the 2012 National Design Awards. They include: Lifetime Achievement for Richard Saul Wurman; Corporate and Institutional Achievement for Design that Matters; Communication Design for Rebeca Méndez; Interaction Design for Evan Roth; Design Mind for Janine Benyus; Architecture Design for Mack Scogin Merrill Elam; Fashion Design for Thom Browne; Interior Design for Clive Wilkinson Architects; Landscape Design for Stoss Landscape Urbanism; and Product Design: Scott Wilson. There’ll be extensive coverage in the June GDUSA magazine. The winners are to be feted on October 17 at Pier Sixty in New York.
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AIGA CT HONORS PAM WILLIAMS

The 2012 AIGA Connecticut Fellow Award was recently presented to Pam Williams. Known as a founding partner of Williams and House, an award-winning integrated communications practice, and a strong advocate for design and social change, Williams has served on the AIGA National Board and is an advisor to the Connecticut chapter. She is also the key architect of the Design Ignites Change communications strategy and has volunteered her time for a variety of social causes. Shown here: the 2012 honoree with past AIGA CT Fellows Peter Good and Mike Scricco at the ceremony before an appreciative crowd at Hartford’s Lyceum. Speakers included Laura Shore of Mohawk and Mary Scott of Academy of Art University, as well as chapter head Rich Hollant. Says the ever-eloquent Peter Good: “As Cole Porter said, ‘She's the top! She's the Coliseum! She's the top! She's the Louvre Museum!’ An unequivocal and wise choice by the AIGA CT to honor Pam. Brilliance and compassion embracing wit and grace. A disarming cocktail of talent and charm! That's Pam Williams!”

JAY-Z MAY WANT TO KEEP DAY JOB

The Brooklyn Nets are open for business, and the team’s formal attire is black and white. The NBA team, moving from New Jersey to the $1 billion Barclay Center in Brooklyn, is now the sole team in the league with black and white as its only primary colors. The shield logo has Nets spelled out above a basketball with a block B on it. Below the shield, Brooklyn is printed. Net management says the logo and color scheme are the work of minority owner Jay-Z, and inspired by the New York City Transit Authority subway signs from 1957, a reference to the moment when the Brooklyn Dodgers so coldly abandoned the borough.

BRIGHT LIGHTS SHINE

Late last month, the design community gathered in New York City for the second annual “Bright Lights: The AIGA Awards” celebration, honoring the lives and careers of four AIGA Medalists: Ralph Caplan, influential author and design advocate; Elaine Lustig Cohen, pioneering graphic designer, artist and archivist; Armin Hofmann, legendary Swiss graphic designer and educator; and Robert Vogele, ground-breaking design entrepreneur and mentor. “Bright Lights” was co-chaired by DJ Stout, Pentagram and Su Mathews, (Shown here, l to r, Caplan, Vogele, Lustig Cohen.) READ MORE >

FENWAY’S ‘MODERN NOSTALGIA’

With this season marking the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park, Ashton Design felt it was perfect timing to create a limited edition book that highlights its role in the historic revitalization of the iconic Red Sox ballpark. For more than 10 years, the environmental graphics firm has teamed with Fenway Park’s architects and management team to bring “modern nostalgia” back to the site. Ashton Design’s mission was to ensure that the integrity of its nostalgia did not fade; the book chronicles the project. SEE MORE >

COKE PRESENTS OLYMPIC BEAT

Coca-Cola is mounting a music-based global marketing campaign in connection with the London Olympics. It is partnering with leading music app, Spotify, on Facebook to distribute free music. As such, Spotify is the primary technology for Coca-Cola Music worldwide, with its app integrated into Coke's Facebook presence and Timeline. Part of Coke's sponsorship of this summer's Olympic Games includes branding the Olympic torch relay across the UK, during which interactive vehicles on the relay will embed Coca-Cola’s umbrella “Move to the Beat” Olympic messaging by allowing consumers to create and share their own versions of the campaign’s song. “Coca-Cola we have long recognized the power of music to connect people around the world,” added Joe Belliotti, Director, Global Entertainment Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company.

BREAKING MEDICAL CONVENTION

Webb deVlam’s brand identity program for NayaMed pacemakers and defibrillators breaks the conventions traditionally associated with the medical sector. Instead of blue and green palettes, and packaging graphics with lifestyle images of patients and practitioners, the program adopts a simple orange dot and equally simple visual language. The pneumonic is intended to stand out in the hospital and surgery environment for immediate recognition. The campaign includes packaging, print materials, digital assets, and integrated RFID technology using the dot. “Simple and intuitive, like their products and positioning, the identity is immediate and consistent within a busy marketplace,” says John-Paul Hunter, Webb deVlam creative director.