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PUBLISHERS NOTE: PLUS ÇA CHANGE
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chos... The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's pretty much the only phrase I remember after umpteen years of high school French, except for J'aime mieux les frites, I prefer french fries. The latter phrase has proven extremely useful over the years, but I was reminded of the former during a seminar series which we recently co-sponsored with PIA/GATF called Mission:Possible: A Mutual Strategy For Creatives and Printers. You see, perhaps the first thing I was taught in this job two decades ago was that creatives and printers do not work or play well together. Though the problem dates back to Gutenberg, I clung to the belief that communication could easily resolve this problem. Indeed, the virtues of communication — among designers, clients, printers and vendors — has become a primary editorial theme over the years. And yet, clearly to no avail. During the lunch break punctuating one of the Mission:Possible all-day seminars, featured speaker Joseph Marin confided that the true take-home message for attendees is that "Printers need to do a better job of communicating their needs to their designer clients, and designers need to do a better job of communicating their needs and their questions to printers." Others referred to an "information chasm" and to "secretiveness" and that leads to waste and mediocrity. The Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation deserves to be saluted for their gallant effort, and we do that with a story in the upcoming October magazine. But, in the end, I have come to conclude that I'm more likely to give up french fries — which is to say never — than to see printers and designers bridge the gap.
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Pantone Finds Match
Grand Rapids MI: The Pantone company and its towering PANTONE® brand have been acquired by X-Rite. The Pantone Matching System has long been the premiere solution for identifying, matching and communicating colors in the graphic arts market, and the company has expanded to other color-critical industries such as digital technology, fashion, home, plastics, interiors, and paint. Says Richard Herbert, president of Pantone: "Pantone and X-Rite have a long established relationship as successful, strategic business partners. Pantone is known for the Pantone Brand and our commitment to innovation and quality in developing and marketing color communication standards, inspirational design tools and color management solutions. These values and core competencies will be enhanced by X-Rite's research and development expertise, engineering strength and global distribution infrastructure. As a combined company, we look forward to creating exciting new products and business solutions, providing greater value for our customers worldwide." Tom Vacchiano, chief executive officer X-Rite, a leading provider of color solutions for measuring, formulating, matching and simulating color, states: "This iconic brand is the perfect complement to X-Rite's business bringing Pantone's expertise and market position in color communication and standards to our color solutions product offerings." The price is estimated at $180 million.
Pinkberry
 Los Angeles, CA: Pinkberry, a new frozen yogurt enterprise, has rapidly taken Los Angeles and New York by storm, with the attendant lines, buzz and cult status. All aspects of Pinkberry's branding, including the website and print campaigns, was led by Yolanda Santosa. Santosa's approach was to translate Pinkberry's already popular sentiment into the branding while preserving the beauty of its minimal methodology. The result is a humorous, light-hearted sensibility. Santosa, who launched her own company, Ferroconcrete, in 2006 has an interesting background. Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Santosa moved to the States in 1997 where she attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, graduating with honors in 2000; and later earned an instructor position in 2004. She joined yU+co in 2000 a rose through the ranks to become a lead Art Director and manage large teams on film title and broadcast projects, including the memorable end title sequence for the highly stylized film '300', based on Frank Miller's graphic novel.
Annual Report Firm Acquired
Atlanta GA: Affirming its belief in the future of the annual report, marketing and advertising firm Van Winkle & Associates has acquired see see eye. The graphic design firm specializes in developing annual reports and corporate communications. Creative Director Kevin Sheehan assumes additional responsibilities as Creative Director of the parent firm. The account and design teams are to remain in place under the see see eye brand, and the company will maintain its Atlanta offices. Alex Van Winkle, President and CEO of Van Winkle & Associates told GDUSA: "Van Winkle & Associates thinks that corporate collateral including annual reports will continue to be a robust and growing sector. We believe that recent indications of an increased emphasis of corporate reputation with the investor community will lead to a more active strategy to complement financialsWe believe that this vision for building a more diversified enterprise will provide current and new clients with more resources and a wider range of options to meet their communications needs."
Ford, Gap, Motorola Stumble
New York NY: Google, Zara, Apple and Nintendo are among this year's top gainers in BusinessWeek's annual ranking of The Best Global Brands, while Ford, Gap and Motorola lost significant percentages of their brand value. For the seventeenth consecutive year, BusinessWeek has teamed up with Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy, to publish a ranking of the top 100 global brands by brand value. BusinessWeek chose Interbrand's methodology because it evaluates brand value in the same way any other corporate asset is valued — on the basis of how much it is likely to earn for the company in the future. Intebrand uses a combination of resources and its own qualitative and quantitative analysis to arrive at a net present value of those earnings. Based purely on value, which combines volume of sales and performance, Coca-Cola topped the rankings, followed by Microsoft, IBM, GE, and Nokia, Toyota, Intel, McDonald's, Disney and Mercedes-Benz.
Contact: www.brandchannel.com, www.businessweek.com
Martha Stewart
 New York NY: In keeping with the industry's longstanding tradition of holding an annual Franklin Event, the Printing Industries Alliance is hosting a gala reception at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The Awards presentation provides an opportunity to honor industry leaders, network with colleagues, exchange ideas, and extend support to the major voice and advocate for the graphic communications industry. Receiving the Franklin Award this year is none other than Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, for her unique sensibility and design aesthetic are reflected in MSLO's expansive multimedia portfolio, which includes Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, Everyday Food, body + soul, and Blueprint: Design Your Life, a radio and tv show and website, as well as a broad assortment of branded merchandise. In past years, the Franklin Award has been presented to nationally known luminaries that include several US. Presidents, New York Governors George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, New York City Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani, as well as notables such as Norman Rockwell and Walter Cronkite.
Number One Creative At G2
New York NY: Leslie Singer has been appointed Chief Creative Officer of G2 Branding & Design. She leads the group's 60-strong design team in North America, reporting to Jason Press, G2 Branding & Design's President, and will lead the growth of the group's design capabilities. A 25-year industry expert, she ran her own firm, Singer Design, which was eventually purchsed by McCann Erickson WorldGroup, where she continued to lead the custom publishing unit. Clients over the years have included Coca-Cola, American Express, Sony, and USPS, General Motors. The design team part of the G2 global network of companies.
Contact: www.g2.com/brandinganddesign
Spell Check
New York NY: Artist, poet and education activist Bruce Price recently brought to our attention the shocking — shocking! — fact that GDUSA is a perpetrator of the ubiquitious "its/it's" spelling confusion. Prompted by our failure, Bruce notes that "some schools do a lousy job, and graphics people are often not too interested in language. It's going to hurt them because the top people are usually Creative Directors who work with both image and language." In response, he sent us an article he has written entitled "Spelling for Busy Execs" — (just Google this phrase) — a quick run-down of the most offensive typos, such as your/you're, who's/whose and the various incarnations of "there." Other essays on education and the English language by Bruce can at www.Improve-Education.org
Spa'ing At Caesers
 Las Vegas CA: Brand strategists and designers Addis Creson of Berkeley CA eschewed conventional spa branding for client Caesars Palace in Las Vegas by creating an entirely new spa destination. The firm helped Caesars reimagine the entire concept, developing a brand that promises an experience reminiscent of the glorious baths of ancient Rome. This includes the name QUA meaning 'here' in Italian and is also evocative of 'aqua' or water. The concept was to take people on an 'immersive' journey through the spa, showing how QUA offers something. Building upon the vision of the brand, Addis Creson created a brand identity and logo that symbolically reinforced the three pools — all different temperatures — of the Roman Baths, using three different shades of watercolor, each pool handdrawn. This identity is featured on all marketing materials, stationery, business and note cards, packaging and a spa menu. Photography shows male and female forms sheathed in blue fabric, floating in water, relaxing, and in social interplay.
Blowing In The Wind
Bellevue WA: Image Ink Studio recently completed logo and label designs for Milbrandt Vineyards, a winery located in the Columbia Valley area of Eastern Washington. This recent production marks Milbrandt Vineyards first release of privately-labled wines to regional consumers. Two lines — Legacy and Traditions lines received new labels with graphics representing the winds that sweep the Eastern Washington landscape and contribute to the unique, rich soil characeteristics that produce award-winning grapes. The logo and labels were designed by senior designers Chric McInerney and Tom Hession-Herzog of Image Ink Studio, with direction by studio principal Dennis Richter.
Contact: www.imageink.com
CREATIVE EXPRESS BY GETTY IMAGES
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http://www.gettyimages.com/c-exp
 TAKE FIVE! TOO COMPETITIVE?
A little healthy competition in the office can be a good thing. In fact, nearly nine out of 10 advertising and marketing executives with competitive work environments said a bit of professional rivalry keeps employees on their toes. But, gamesmanship can go too far. Following are five signs that your competitive drive isn't "winning over" your colleagues and you may need to take a few for the team:
1. Vacations make you nervous. Those who are overly competitive may fear that the person who assumes their responsibilities in their absence may outshine them.
2. You're leery of your peers. If you view coworkers as more of a threat than a resource, the competition level is too high.
3. You badmouth others to your boss. Occasionally it may be necessary to discuss a problem colleague, but too many of these conversations signal insecurity on your part.
4. You're the last one to know. If colleagues share their creative gems with you, it's a sign they don't trust you to support their concepts or worry you'll pass them off as your own.
5. There's a paper trail. Cube mates who frequently email instead of speaking to you may want to keep a record of their communications — another sign that trust has eroded.
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project basis. For more team-building activities, visit our web site. www.creativegroup.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 9-12: Graph Expo, recently named one of America's top trade shows, will fill more than 450,000 square feet at Chicago's McCormick Place. 703.264.7200 or www.graphexpo.com
September 15: Think Tank is the first event of its kind to take place in Nashville, a full day AIGA-sponsored format of 8 speaker presentations and breakout sessions. More than 200 attendees are expected at the Ezell Center. Contact: www.thinktanknashville.com
September 17-18: RefineDesign 2007 Conference will return to Seattle at the events facility of the newly built Central Library in the heart of downtown. The conference will feature industry experts who will provide training on new graphics and web technologies. Contact: www.refinedesignconference.com
September 18: In the longstanding tradition of the annual Franklin Event, The Printing Industries Alliance is hosting a gala reception at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Martha Stewart is among the awards recipients. www.PIAlliance.org
September 19: The fourth annual AIGA Design Legends Gala will honor... well, duh... design legends. This year's honorees are Edward Fella, Ellen Lupton, Bruce Mau and Greg Olden. www.aiga.org
September 19: picturehouse, the event which brings leading image suppliers together with serious stock visual buyers, makes its first appearance in San Francisco, at Fort Mason on the bay. Free to creative professionals but advanced registration is required. www.picturehouse.org
September 21: Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It is being screened at Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL. Contact: www.helveticafilm.com
September 23-26: The Design Management Institute explores the changing role of design and design management in business at Thinking Ahead, its 32nd International Design Management Conference in Williamsburg VA. Contact: www.dmi.org/dmi/html/conference/annual07/annual.htm
September 27: As part of AIGA Minnesota's Luncheon Series, Andrew Blauvelt discusses the Walker Art Center's new graphic identity launched on the occasion of its recent building expansion. It takes place at 275 Market St., Minneapolis. Contact: www.minnesota.aiga.org
September 29-October 2: The University & College Designers Association presents its 37th Conference in Toronto. Conference includes speakers, hands-on workshops, studio tours and publication reviews. www.ucda.com
October 5-7: AIGA Minnesota Design Camp 2007 at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN, brings together 300 designers, students, educators and business partners to explore the fine line between exaggeration and fabrication. Contact: www.minnesota.aiga.org
October 5-7: To address numerous problems of non-Latin type design, the Type Directors Club offers a series of two-day professional seminars and workshops, with Gerry Leonidas as the instructor-moderator. Contact: www.tdc.org/events/index.html
October 11-13: SNDBoston has gathered speakers from around the world — many from outside of newspaper industry — for this conference. Additions include portfolio critiques and practical hands-on sessions. Contact: www.sndboston.com/index.php
October 11-14: AIGA, the professional association for design, explores the future at its 12th biennial conference. Entitled "Next", it takes place in Denver CO. Contact: designconference2007.aiga.org
October 12-16: Held semi-annually, CMG's International Conferences focus on color forecasts for the real world. "For the Love of Color," to be held in Tampa FL, promises exciting networking and educational opportunities. Contact: www.colormarketing.org
October 14-20: National Design Week promotes a better understanding of the role design plays in all aspects of daily life. National design winners, including Chip Kidd for Communications Design, have been selected for honors through the auspices of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. www.nationaldesignawards.org
October 17-19: 8th Annual DesignThinkers Conference takes place in Toronto; it's the largest annual conference of graphic design and branding in Canada. www.designthinkers.com
October 19: Influx Ideas 07 is the fourth marketing conference hosted by Influx Strategic Consulting. The theme is Marketing 2.0. The event takes place in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Club. Contact: www.influxidesconference.com
October 22-December 1: Steven Heller, once called "graphic design's biggest fan," is being honored by the School of Visual Arts with the Masters Series Award and retrospective exhibition. The exhibition kicks off with a reception on October 22 and lecture October 23. Contact: 212.592.2145
October 24: picturehouse, the event which brings leading image suppliers together with serious stock visual buyers, returns to Manhattan's Puck Building. The event is free to creative professionals but advanced registration is required. www.picturehouse.org
November 30: Sponsored by the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, the Dynamic Environments conference is targeted to architects, content designers, marketing professionals, advertising experts and environmental graphic designers. Its at the TimesCenter in NYC. Contact: www.segd.org/prof/workshops.html
FREE BRITISH IMAGES
Britain on View, the official image library of VisitBritain, is offering 300 free images to graphic designers who work with travel trade clients. Britain on View has added new imagery from all around Britain to the Free Travel Trade Gallery increasing the number of images that are available for free from 250 to 300. Ed Veasey at Britain on View said "The offering of free images to clients is a great value proposition for designers and might mean the difference between winning the pitch and not. This coupled with the fact that we are currently offering a 15% discount on all other images for any use means that we are a resource offering real value and quality on a wide range of subjects.
Take a trip to... http://www.britainonview.com
IN MEMORIUM
Richard W. Kerans: 35 Years At Crane & Co.
Dick Kerans, one of the bright lights and most decent people in the paper world passed away after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his family at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield MA. Born on March 11, 1928, the son of Howard and Beulah Sillars Kerans, Kerans graduated from Suffolk University in Boston with a degree in business. In 1952, he married his wife of 55 years, the former Barbara H. Houle, and then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Following his discharge in 1954, he joined Brightwater Paper Co. In 1957, he began a 35-year career with the legendary Crane & Co. in Dalton MA. There, Kerans rose to head of marketing and sales for the Commercial Paper division. He first built a North American paper distributor network, followed by an international network that included Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Upon his retirement from Crane & Co. in 1992, he established Fine Papers International, a consulting firm providing assistance to European paper mills seeking to market their products in the United States. He also maintained his association with Crane in an advisory role. In addition, to being a devoted family man, he was a passionate golfer and loved the natural beauty and history of New England. Richard leaves his wife, Barbara; his daughter, Moira; four sons, Michael, Timothy, Patrick, and Terence; and seven grandchildren.
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