PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Talk Is Cheap:
Compostmodern '08, an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to design solutions,
was recently presented by AIGA San Francisco and the Center for Sustainable Design.
Held at the Academy of Art University in downtown San Francisco, the event was,
by all accounts, a success on many levels.
Attendees, conference organizers and presenters from 14 states shared a sense of
optimism and an urgency to address sustainability as an everyday practice and mode
of thinking, rather than as a niche way of working.
GDUSA was the (proud) media sponsor and — for your edification — we
will provide more details later this month in our Green Enewsletter.
But right now — for your entertainment — here is a quote from moderator
Joel Mackower of GreenBiz who set the tone with his opening remark: "
Sustainability is like teenage sex.
Everybody says they're doing it but no one really is.
And those who are doing it aren't doing it very well."
All Politics Is Personal:
I am worried about the results of the Democratic primaries tonight.
I wish this concern arises from weighty considerations such as universal
health care or tax policy or NAFTA.
But the real reason, less lofty and more personal, is that the March
magazine, now at the printer, includes a joke at the expense of Hillary
Clinton's sputtering campaign.
Thus, if Hillary wins big, the remark is no longer amusing and if she is
beaten soundly enough to quit, it's no longer relevant.
I bet the farm that her performance falls somewhere in between, and that
she limps on, in which case the joke may be lame but at least it is not
ridiculous.
On the other hand, it is hard to depend on my political predictions.
In last September's article on Annual Report trends, I wrote that
extravagant and wasteful trophy annuals are "deader than John
McCain's presidential campaign."
And the only candidate I contributed money to in this election
cycle was Tom Vilsack.
Remember him? Not likely.
The former Iowa governor was the first candidate to quit the race,
just days after cashing my check. Oh well.
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Larsen Lauded
In 1971, Tim Larsen got his start as a young graphic designer,
working for one of the two major graphic design firms in Minneapolis.
When he opened up his own design firm four years later, simply known as
Larsen, he launched the next wave of companies that built the vibrant
Minnesota design community we all know today.
Three decades later, the Minnesota Chapter of AIGA has recognized Tim
for his contributions to the design community with an AIGA Fellow Award,
marking only the second time in 24 years that the chapter has honored a
local design leader.
Says Jim Madson, president, AIGA Minnesota: "We owe so much to Tim
Larsen. As an innovator and leader, he has helped set the bar for professionalism
and talent, both locally and nationally."
www.larsen.com
Smokin' Package
As the communications channels for cigarette companies narrow, they depend
increasingly on package design as a standalone advertising tool.
Thus, the iconic Camel cigarette pack has undergone its first makeover since
it hit store shelves nearly a century ago.
Though the image of the camel has not changed in the updated packaging, the
animal is surrounded by a fresh look — rounded graphics to highlight
the oasis scene, larger and clearer pyramids in the distance, darker lettering
emphasizing the name, and color-coded ribbons.
"The challenge was taking something that was an iconic brand —
a sort of flagship — and giving it a more modern look and feel,"
said David Howard, a spokesman for the Winston-Salem-based tobacco company.
More Q&A
Seattle's Quesinberry and Associates relaunches after a three-year hiatus
during which Wendy Quesinberry was a partner and creative director at Golden Lasso.
Wendy, a former GDUSA Person To Watch, among her many honors, says: "I'm
excited about getting back to my roots: the craft of design and applying that
craft to the hospitality, travel and leisure industries I know so well."
Since restarting Q&A, Wendy has developed identities for three California hotel
restaurants, Formaggio in the Sacramento Sheraton, Ducca at the Westin San Francisco,
and Estéban at the historic Casa Munras Hotel in Monterey.
www.quesinberry.com
March Madness
Lift has gotten into the spirit of college hoops.
The Chicago-based motion graphics studio has designed and produced a revved
up show package for Race to March Madness, a new college basketball
series created by Chicago-based Intersport for ABC.
Lift's work included the show's logo and main title sequence.
The latter reimagines the basketball season as an actual race with souped
up school buses vying to reach the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, site of this
year's men's basketball championship.
"Lift creative director Jason White says: "The buses allowed us to
highlight some of the traditional rivalries and reflect the national scope of
the event."
Says CG artist Curt Cooper. "We built the biggest, bad-ass buses we
could imagine."
www.liftmotion.com
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MORE GRAPHICS NEWS
Shopping's A Breeze
Committed to making Tomy Bahama online shopping as easy as a trip to one of
it's stores, Hornall Anderson has redesigned the new website to produce
"a beautiful marriage between brand and ecommerce."
In addition to freshening the look and feel of the graphics, the site
allows visitors to see great product detail by dragging a handy magnifying
glass found on every page over the image;
to obtain advice on complementary sizes and colors; and to make easy
purchases by clicking on a shopping bag icon at the lower right hand corner of product pages.
The design firm collaborated with the Tommy Bahama team and retail site expert Acquity Group.
www.tommybahama.com
Paula Scher At Princeton
In another sign of the growing recognition of graphic design in the broader
society, Princeton University held its first graphic design conference on campus.
Faculty and students from 15 colleges participated. Princeton's Student
Design Agency organized the event, dubbed UDesign.
Panels addressed brand identity, environmental design, web design and
sustainable design.
The keynote speaker: Paula Scher.
Other speakers included: Jonathan Harris, a Princeton alum and founder
of the internet art website Number 27;
Alice Chung of Omnivore Designs, which designs publications for
Princeton's School of Architecture;
Israel Kandarian and Glen Cummings of the firm 2x4, which won the
2006 National Design Award;
and Joey Roth, a Brooklyn-based industrial designer.
www.princeton.edu/design/conference.
Lorenc Gives A Hand
With the help of Jan Lorenc — principal of Lorenc+Yoo Design —
Samsung Electronics is stepping away from traditional billboards in favor of a
more artistic approach to advertising.
Samsung has unveiled its newest mobile phone atop a 50-foot-tall sculpture of
a hand at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany.
Curving toward the sky to symbolize "the limitless possibilities in the
future of communication,"
Lorenc's sculpture embodies Samsung's philosophy of "The World in Your Hand."
Inspired by a traditional Greek column, Lorenc reduces the hand to its basic
anatomical elements —
it narrows as it rises, culminating with a grasping hand holding a mobile phone.
Similar structures will be unveiled in Austria, the Ukraine and other
global locations.
http://www.lorencyoodesign.com
Pro Bono Partner
Yamamoto Moss Mackenzie is providing pro bono rebranding services for
The Children's Theatre Company (CTC) in 2008.
Each year, YMM works in partnership with a non-profit organization to
provide a full range of brand strategy and creative services.
"We appreciate YMM's inspired choice of Children's Theatre Company
as its 2008 pro bono partner," says Kathy Schaaf, CTC director of external relations.
"We look forward to an exciting year of rebranding.
YMM's branding direction will help CTC broaden its reach to bring the
best possible artistic work and education programs to our community.
As a result we will be better positioned to focus our message and
deliver it more effectively to children and their families throughout
Minnesota as well as nationally."
www.ymm.com.
TAKE FIVE!
CAREER TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP:
GIMMICKS ARE GAMBLES
Who needs to mail a resume, when you could "bowl" a potential
employer over by sending him or her a bowling pin?
While gimmicky job-hunting techniques like this can open doors, they do pose a risk:
Half of marketing executives and one-quarter of advertising executives
polled by The Creative Group said they view them as unprofessional.
Not all unconventional approaches leave a poor impression, however.
Following are five unusual strategies that survey respondents found impressive:
1. "We had someone make wrapping paper out of
aluminum can ends. They graphically put them on paper and had their resume
inside. It was very well done."
2. "One individual began to send model train cars
over a span of six months. Finally, he sent the front of the train, the
engine, with his resume. It was clever."
3. "A candidate sent a glass piggy bank with his
artwork inside. I called to find out how he got it into the bank."
4. "A designer rented a billboard across from our
location. He did get the job."
5. "We had a person who had gone to about seven
of our 10 clients and had her picture taken with them.
She didn't get the position with us, but one of our clients ended up
hiring her for a role she was perfect for."
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing
creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project basis.
Find more unusual job-hunting tactics and tips for landing a new job at...
www.creativegroup.com/PressRoom.
MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Spring Fling
Spring is quickly approaching and so is the return of Picturehouse to Chicago.
The event takes place April 16 at the River East Art Center, centrally located at 435 E. Illinois.
Picturehouse events are a convenient, fun and free way to keep up with
the latest in the world of stock imagery from still photography to
illustration and footage agencies.
The event is all about intimacy — a chance for stock users and
providers to speak face to face in a comfortable setting —
and hospitality — plenty of food and beverages all day long.
Please note: Admittance is free but you must register in advance.
www.picturehouse-us.com/chicago
Irish Tea
Susan Newman has completed the book design, jacket, hard case, end papers,
and interior design for Celtic Teas With Friends by Elizabeth Knight.
The book is illustrated by watercolor artist Hugh Harrison.
It has monthly chapters with stories, recipes, lore, tea information,
etiquette, and more.
Susan describes the project as "a joy to work on."
Published by Benjamin Press, it should be ready by St. Patrick's Day.
Based in Jersey City, Susan Newman Design has won awards from the Art
Directors Club, Society of Illustrators, GDUSA, Graphics and Print, among others.
http://www.susannewmandesign.com
Foundation For Learning
Kent State University Emeritus Professors of Visual Communication Design,
J. Charles Walker and John Brett Buchanan have created the J.
Charles Walker & John Brett Buchanan Foundation.
When fully funded by their estates, the foundation will provide
scholarships for college and graduate students majoring in
(and Kent State alumni teaching) visual communication design.
In addition, it will also provide funds for the promotion of
design education by underwriting programs and seminars offered by
the University & College Designers Association and the UCDA Foundation.
Both men have been awarded the UCDA Gold Award, and both currently
serve on the UCDA Foundation board.
http://www.ucda.com
Adieu To Adobe Stock Photos
Effective April 1, 2008, Adobe will discontinue operations of
Adobe Stock Photos, its royalty free image service for creative professionals.
Search and comp download features in the service were disabled as of yesterday.
All other functionalities including viewing order history and re-downloading
and purchasing of images will remain available until March 31.
Discontinuation of the service will not terminate valid license agreements
for royalty free images already purchased.
Image suppliers included in the Adobe Stock Photos service can, of course,
be reached directly via their respective websites.
http://www.adobe.com/adobestockphotos.
HOUSEKEEPING
The entry deadline for the 2008 American Inhouse Design Awards
has been briefly extended to March 20.
To request a hardcopy entry form, please email your street address
to awards@gdusa.com.
To download an entry form, please visit...
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/aida.php
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