PUBLISHERS NOTE: BRAND DISCONNECT
 For years, Citigroup has promised customers better service and its investors better results. As of yesterday, Citigroup pitches a new message: "Let's Get It Done." This is the company's first global branding effort in a decade and is executed by Publicis in Seattle. Unlike past Citigroup ads, which relied on humor, the new ones have a more emotional tone and prominently feature the red arc that replaced the red umbrella as the company's logo. As the umbrella stood for protection, the arc is meant to represent connection. As a Citibank customer, I appreciate the initiative; it gives me something nice to look at while waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting in line for service. You know what else would be nice? Finding an employee who does not think the bank's real slogan is: "Let Someone Else Do It." Graphics are important but there will be a branding disconnect unless Citibank delivers on the promise.
— Gordon Kaye
AWARDS NEWS: ADOBE IS EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR
GDUSA's 31st American Graphic Design Awards program, open to the entire creative community, is off and running. Once again, we are honored to have Adobe (home to industry leading software such as the newly launched Adobe Creative Suite 3 and to industry standard services such as Adobe Stock Photos) as the exclusive corporate sponsor for the awards program and the upcoming 300-page design annual. For more information or to download an entry form, please visit... http://www.gdusa.com/contests/agda2.php
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Los Angeles CA: Fahrenheit Studio designed JossStone.com to support the British soul singer's third album, Introducing Joss Stone. "Joss Stone is a sweet hippy girl with a knockout, soulful voice, and we wanted to create a web environment that matches her personality," says Fahrenheit co-founder and director Bob Weitz. To that end, the site features a vibrant, psychedelic and animated user interface. http://www.fahrenheit.com
New York NY: Mekanism designed, created, and animated a series of characters and storylines set in a BP-branded environment to support the gas company's global integrated branding efforts. The animated characters are utilized across marketing and advertising efforts. Executive Producer Jason Harris notes that the chracters, "...will be seen online, at retail locations, outdoor ads, and ultimately will find their way onto hats, stickers, bags, and other merchandise found at BP stations all over the world." Ogilvy & Mather is the agency. http://www.mekanism.com
Chicago IL: Euro RSCG Chicago created a new print campaign for Wasa crispbreads highlighting the role the food can play in a woman's healthy lifestyle. The campaign shows women in yoga-inspired poses and bright collages of Wasa crispbreads with various toppings, all flanked by kaleidoscopic backgrounds. http://www.eurorscg.com
New York NY: Eschewing the traditional silvers and greys that connote age, Raison Pure opted for a rich burgundy color for Dove Pro-Age packaging. The product line includes face, body, hair care and deodorant for the 50+ woman. Matthew Okin led the package design team. http://www.doveproage.com/home.asp
Portland OR: Soul of a Free Man, the latest CD by R&B singer and saxman Patrick Lamb, is being supported by packaging and other materials from Oakley Design Studios. The assignment follows another CD packaging success story: Oakley's artwork for the CD, A NW Tribute to Ray Charles. The studio specializes in the music, feature film and surfing industries. http://www.oakleydesign.com
Glen Ridge NJ: Smith Design worked with Rubbermaid to develop its new PREMIER line of food storage containers, previously branded as Stainshield. "Food storage at Rubbermaid employs a good-better-best strategy, and this is the top level line," said Martha Seidner, vice president of Smith Design. The design approach is clean and modern, with a brushed steel color which alludes to the aspirational "stainless steel kitchen." The product recently launched in Target stores. http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/aboutus/press.jhtml
New York NY: "Give Passionately, Love Brilliantly." That's the message communicated by campaign architecture created by Irwin Slater for Fortunoff. The jewelry dealer's new spokesmodel, supermodel Petra Nemcova, appears in a monthly rotation of campaign themes. Print, posters, catalogs, direct mail and a website are included. http://www.irwinslater.com
 TAKE FIVE! CAREER TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP
A compelling portfolio can open doors to new opportunities, but the road to a book that shouts "hire me" is fraught with pitfalls. Following are five of the most common ones to avoid.
1. Showing more oldies than goodies. In general, it's best to omit items that are more than three years old, unless they were for a particularly memorable campaign.
2. But wait... there's more! Avoid the temptation to include too many items; in general, 10 to 12 work best.
3. Things that make you go 'hmmm.' Not sure whether it's appropriate to include a particular item in your book? Err on the conservative side. More than one-quarter of advertising and marketing executives surveyed by The Creative Group said including inappropriate material is the most common portfolio mistake.
4. 'My book speaks for itself.' Be prepared to describe the rationale behind your creative decisions when presenting your portfolio, as well as your role in each project.
5. Identity crisis. Your portfolio is an extension of your personal "brand" of talent and should reflect your unique creative style. Your brand also should be carried through in your resume and business cards.
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service providing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project basis. For more portfolio advice, call 888.846.1668 for the office nearest you to order a free copy of our portfolio guide, Book Smarts.
TRENDSPOTTING
Revenge of the Nerds:
Avant-Nerdism is gaining steam and will hit the mainstream in 2009. "Avantnerdiwhat?" you say. Zandl Group researchers, the ultimate trendspotters, define the term as "a stylish, cool or social person who engages in nerd culture; especially one who purposely embraces nerdish qualities with full awareness of the irony and/or symbolism of their action." Irma Zandl says this is the new creative class, with a "compact, eco-friendly, quirk and smart" aesthetic. Avant-Nerdism taps into retro style and reflects a more European sensibility. Avant-Nerds are highly social; they merge a participatory DIY mentality with nerdy interests to make art, music and happenings/events. They ironically re-appropriate nerd culture, transforming the formerly nerdy into Avant-Nerdism. The aesthetic is influencing fashion, industrial design and interior design. Instances include the geek band Weezer, The O.C.'s Seth Cohen, and the rise of Spelling Bees and Wii and Cheese parties at hip bars and locales. www.ZandlGroup.com
The Vast Waistland
Tweens see more food ads on television than other age groups. That from the Kaiser Family Foundation, whose report, Food for Thought, analyzed content of television ads and children's viewing habits to gauge the frequency and types of ads seen by kids in various age groups. Included were the likes of the Cartoon Network, PBS, ABC, Disney, MTV, Nickelodeon and Black Entertainment Television. The study found that tweens ages 8-12 see the most food ads at an average of 21 ads daily. "Children of all ages see thousands of food ads a year, but tweens see more than any other age group," Vicky Rideout, vp/director in charge of the study. "Since tweens are at an age where they're just becoming independent consumers, understanding what type of advertising they are exposed to is especially important." For all age groups, food ads were the top category. And of all food ads to target kids or teens, 34% are for candy and snacks, 28% for cereal and 10% for fast foods. Ads for fruit juices and dairy products were miniscule, zero for fruits and vegetables. Amid rising childhood obesity rates, food advertising to children has come under increasing scrutiny by consumer watchdog groups, government regulatory agencies like the FDA and FTC, policymakers in Congress and public health agencies.
CSI: LogoLounge
From Bill Gardner's Logolounge 2007 report in the April issue of Graphic Design USA:
"Deoxyribonucleic acid really sounds like the last thing that could influence design until you knock it down to the initials DNA. It's the root of life and the code responsible for the past and the future of any living entity. The double helix strand has now transcended the field of science and, over the last generation, moved comfortably into the field of pop culture. Hollywood has turned DNA into the glow-in-the-dark plot twist of "CSI [Insert City Here]". The design community has latched onto the twisting double helix structure as the public now sees this shape as a spark of life or the signature of an individual. Representing the genus or the seed of life, health and longevity, a family tree, a code, a mystery or an unbroken sequence, these strands have a certain symbolic power that can be agreed upon by science or religion alike."
You can read the entire, ultimate logo trend story at... http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2007/04_apr/
CREATIVE EXPRESS BY GETTY IMAGES
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UPCOMING EVENTS
May 9-June 23: The Seven Sisters (the magazines, not the colleges) are the focus of this Society of Illustrators exhibition in Manhattan. Artistic legends like Austin Briggs, Bart Forbes and Mark English helped Redbook, McCall's, Ladies Home Journal et. al. rule the roost from the 50s to the 80s. www.societyillustators.org.
May 15: The New York Chapter of AIGA hosts Small Talk, this time with Jason Fried of the influential Chicago-based web application design firm 37signals. aigany.org
May 16: AIGA New York presents Design Remixed: Paul Matthaeus. The founder and creative chief of Digital Kitchen speaks at the Apple Store in New York's Soho, 103 Prince Street. www.aigany.org/events
May 16: The Nance College of Business at Cleveland State University teams with AIGA Cleveland for a forum geared to the importance of the creative process and the ROI of creativity with marketers and business execs as the audience target. www.aigacleveland.org
May 17-20: The Association of Professional Design Firms hosts its annual exchange in Las Vegas at the Wynn. This year's theme: For Love or Money. www.apdf.org
May 17: The Art Directors Club of New York presents the next installment of the Young Guns series, this time on the subject of BIG/small, featuring BBDO (big) and WSDIA (small). res@adcglobal.org
May 20-22: SURTEX, the premier trade show geared exclusively toward the sale and license of art and design, at the Javits Center in New York. It takes place side-by-side with The Supply Side, a b-to-b showcase of resources for the social stationery, giftware and graphic arts industries. Contact: 1.800.272.Show or www.surtex.com
May 22: PIA/GATF takes its popular Mission: Possible—A Mutual Strategy for Creatives and Printers on the road. The tour starts May 22 in Charlotte and continues to seven other cities. GDUSA is the design publication sponsor; Adobe, Apple, Kodak, Sun Chemical, Quark and ICS are corporate sponsors. www.missionpossible07.com
May 30-June 2: Society for Environmental Graphic Design 2007 Annual Conference & Expo at The World Trade Center in Boston. The theme is ReThink. http://www.segd.org/conference/conference.html
May 31: Helvetica, the film, screened at The Walker Art Center. It features the most illustrious designers and typographers, including ERRik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Rick Poyner. Co-sponsored by AIGA Minnesota. http://calendar.walkerart.org/search.wac?toCategory-tickets
June 6-8: The Design Management Institute's 19th Brand Design Conference, looking a cross-discipline collaboration, in Chicago at the Drake Hotel. www.dmi.org
June 7: The BoNE Show Award Ceremony, at MassArt, showcasing New Englands's best work of the past two years.
www.boneshow.org
June 21: InSource, the association for corporate creatives, sponsors "Generating Ideas That Stick." It takes place at SAS World Headquarters in Cary NC, and features Dan Heath, who wrote the book on why some ideas survive and others die. Extremely relevant to inhouse design departments. http://www.in-source.org
PRODUCT AND SERVICE NEWS
May 1 saw the release of Quite HOT Imposing 1.0, a standalone software product that will enable OEMs, systems integrators and independent vendors to create customized workflows. The product is built on the "rock-solid foundation" of Quite Imposing Plus plug-in and the Adobe Acrobat PDF Library. (Quite is known for its innovative PDF solutions and plug-ins). It is available for the Mac or Windows. http://www.quite.com
Watercolor Artist Linda Nagel of Imagine That Studios, Montrose CO, has been selcted the Wally Awards Designer's Choice winner for her collection of various watercolor paintings on YUPO synthetic paper. Designers can see the work online or in a special outsert printed on YUPO Synthetic Paper and delivered with the April 2007 issue of Graphic Design USA. http://www.wallyawards.com or http://www.yupo.com
QUOTES OF THE MONTH
Rise Above Ambient Noise: "Our clients are passionately visual creatures of all ages, with varied aesthetic tastes and multicultural backgrounds. If we want to communicate with them, we have to rise above the ambient noise of parochial marketing messages by challenging and engaging their visual sensibilities."
John McDonald, Vice-President, Marketing at Masterfile, a global stock agency, which has received over 30 awards for its print prices, multimedia productions and photography in the past year from the likes of CLIO, AIGA, London International Awards, Communication Arts, Canadian Art Directors and Applied Arts.
Simply Not Credible: "It is obvious that YouTube has knowledge of infringing material on their site and they are profiting from it. It is simply not credible that a company whose mission is to organize the world's information claims that it can't find what's on YouTube."
A statement by Viacom supporting it's $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google-owned YouTube. Viacom's position is that Google is guilty of infringement because it is republishing copyrighted works, has prior knowledge of the infringing material and profits through YouTube from pirated works.
COMING NEXT WEEK
Coming next week in the GDUSA Enewsletter, the results of our inaugural Internet Design Reader Survey. What designers are thinking, planning and doing. This is a first for GDUSA, as we release the initial results of a reader survey online. It's all sponsored by Getty Images.
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