Graphic Design News

MAKING FARM CREDIT COOL

When Minneapolis-based Colle+McVoy relaunched the brand of Farm Credit Service of Mid-America, they gave the farm industry institution a little swagger. The Strength In Numbers brand platform is helping to re-invigorated the brand with a new logo and identity system that conveys its strength in rural lending, tells the Farm Credit story, and makes the farm and credit industry look as cool as any other. At Colle+McVoy, credits include: Chief Creative Officer Mike Caguin, Group Creative Director Joe Monnens, Associate Creative Director Derek Till, Design Director Ed Bennett, Designers Anna Giacomini and Anne Ulku, Interactive Designer Brit Ryan, Art Directors Derek Till, Brit Ryan and Anthony DiNicola, Art Buyer Chris Peters and Print Producers Tom Holler and Brad Smith.

COLOR IN ACTION EASES BULLYING

Pantone and Academy of Art University have announced the winners of Color in Action, an ambitious project exploring the positive influence of color on social change. The judges selected “Team Bullying,” one of eight student teams to compete. The team which posed the question: “How Does Color Affect a Developing Brain and Can We Use it to Lower Aggression and Teach Tolerance?” The goal was to use color as a tool for enhancing the school environment, building community, and embracing diversity. The winners were recognized at the Academy’s 2012 Annual Spring Show in San Francisco. “Color in Action is undoubtedly a remarkable project that challenges students to not only look at today’s pressing social issues but to also inspire change through creativity and color,” said Giovanni Marra, director of corporate marketing at Pantone. Added Academy of Art University instructor Tom Sieu, who along with instructor John Barretto oversaw the teams: “I am proud of the in-depth research and how well each team incorporated color to bring recognition to their social action campaigns in a very short timeframe. It is important for young graphic designers to not just create beautiful things, but to also think about the social conditions that shape them. Pantone has given these students a hands-on, real-world learning opportunity that will undoubtedly have an impact on how they will approach projects as graphic designers in the future.”
LEARN MORE >

POM LEGAL BATTLE GETS JUICIER

Juice maker Pom and the Federal Trade Commission continue to jab at each other. Locked in a legal battle since 2010, last month a Federal administrative judge upheld a FTC finding that POM Wonderful deceptively advertised its pomegranate products when it claimed the juices could treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease. Pom in turn is hanging its hat on parts of the decision that were more favorable and trumpeting those aspects in a print ad campaign. In newspapers across the country, the company boasts that the judge agreed its products “provide significant health benefits.” The ads made no mention of criticisms. Legal experts note that In recent years, the FTC has taken high-profile enforcement actions against the likes of Dannon, Nestle and Kellogg, all of whom settled their cases without admitting wrongdoing. Pom is the first in recent times to aggressively test the limits of the FTC’s power and go public with the issue.

GUIDING EYES EMBRACES FREEDOM

This year, Guiding Eyes for the Blind was looking for a change in the look and content of their Annual Report. TFI Envision of Norwalk CT was asked to bring to life how the organization listens and responds to the needs of their clients, and helps them achieve independence and self satisfaction. “The powerful stories of Guiding Eyes graduates are what motivate people to support our work. For this year’s annual report, we sought a fresh, contemporary look that would highlight these incredible accounts of embracing freedom,” said Michelle Brier, Director of Marketing and Communications at Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Each story is accompanied by a monotone editorial-type image that reflects the content of the story and a full color image of the GEB client with their guide dog. Mary Ellen Butkus, Vice President of TFI Envision, notes that this is the fifth consecutive year the firm has designed the report.

STOCK EXCHANGE TRANSPARENT

NYSE Euronext has unveiled a new logo, an abstract vision of the globe in a vibrant blue and green that, says Euronext marketing chief Marisa Ricciardi, represents “growth and optimism.” The lighter hues, she adds, “convey our commitment to transparency, and the bolder colors recall our storied historical role in developing the world economy.” Interbrand developed the creative platform to position NYSE Euronext as the hub of a global community. At the core of the new visual system is the logo that “carries the ideas of collaboration and growth forward into a flexible, globally relatable graphic language.” The company operates, among other trading exchanges, the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext and NYSE Amex.

FITCH OPENS IN MINNEAPOLIS

FITCH has opened a new studio in Minneapolis. The newest office is the fourth location in North America, and the twelfth globally. “Minneapolis is home to lots of innovative companies, so it was a natural fit for FITCH,” says Vicky Leavitt, Managing Director North America, who herself previously spent ten years in the Minnesota agency community. Client Director Char Roseblade and Creative Director Jay Highland anchor the studio. Other FITCH studios in the U.S. include Columbus, Phoenix and Seattle.

KRAFT RENAMES SNACK BUSINESS

Kraft Foods Inc. says shareholders approved the name “Mondelez” for its new global snack food business. The name – pronounced “mon-dah-LEEZ” – takes effect when the company officially splits into two publicly traded companies later this year. Mondelez International Inc. will be home to global brands like Oreo and Nabisco. The North American grocery business will continue to carry the name Kraft and include Velveeta, Miracle Whip and Oscar Mayer. The new, custom-made wordmark is in purple with red accents, and has not yet received a design credit publicly. The name was crowdsourced and derives from “delicious” and “world.”

MULLEN TO MINE CREATIVE GOLD

Mullen is opening a Bay Area “talent hub” to work on accounts at the agency’s Boston headquarters as well as help out with local client Google, which is primarily handled out of the agency’s Boston and N.Y. offices. Known for its creative capabilities, the idea came from Chief Creative Officer Mark Wenneker and Alex Leikikh who heads the Boston office. Wenneker spent more than a dozen years at San Francisco’s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners before heading East. In a memo, Wenneker wrote: “This has been something that I’ve dreamt about over the last year and a half. The San Francisco area is legendary for producing great creative talent and is obviously a hotbed of innovation in the technology space.” The S.F. office is expected to open soon in downtown San Francisco, and hiring has reportedly begun.

WALLACE CHURCH GETS REAL AT 35

In honor of its 35th anniversary, Wallace Church, the brand identity and package design firm, has partnered with Aurasma, a leading augmented reality platform, to create “The 35 Collection.” It’s an exclusive, short-run augmented reality video, accessible only for the month of June. In commemoration, Wallace Church asked its design team to create unique visual representations of the number 35. By downloading the free Aurasma Lite app from the App Store or Google Play, Aurasma’s technology “unlocks” the collection to reveal the images in a dynamic slideshow. Viewers canl access the Wallace Church augmented reality “aura”, through a trigger image, via email or on the company blog. Stan Church, Founder and Executive Creative Director of Wallace Church, originally envisioned a project that would both challenge the graphic artistry of his eam and be available to as wide an audience as possible. “Normally, when we create our unique promotions, only a limited amount of industry professionals receive them. For this, we wanted to share the special anniversary collection with more viewers,” he explained. “People in the design world are always doing great things, but not everyone gets to see them. With Aurasma, we’re able to showcase our design team’s talents in a unique experience that reaches a broader audience and demonstrates our creativity. By working with Aurasma; once [this collection] is published, we all have a chance to enjoy it.”
SEE MORE >