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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: 74 IS THE NEW 64
I am the only baby boomer in an office of twenty and thirty-somethings, and to my officemates, the
boomer generation is narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-serving, resource sucking, yuppie scum. In truth,
we are a mixed bag of achievement and failure, promise and disappointment, which deserves a
serious conversation at another time, maybe over some Duran Duran or Grand Funk Railroad. But most
of all, because of the population bulge that we represent, boomers are the subject of endless talk,
research and analysis. I bring this up today because Edelman Public Relations has conducted a major new
study of boomer consumers which, interestingly, warns marketers against lumping us all together in
a “one size fits all” mindset. An example: research reveals a significant gender gap on critical
issues, with men more in favor of globalization and women more supportive of national healthcare, and
women way more loyal to one brand. Indeed, we are a more diverse group than we may first appear in
our Banana Republic outfits. So, what unites all boomers? According to the survey, one thing that brings
us together is the wit and wisdom of Jay Leno. I guess stale jokes about Michael Jackson and Monica
Lewinsky will be around a bit longer. Another unifying force is the boomer definition of
“old.” Most survey respondents, all between the ages of 46 and 64, say they do not
consider someone old until they reach 74. As I remember it, when we were 20, old was 30. A generation
of self-serving narcissists? Well, duh.
— Gordon Kaye
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
More Gore
Al Gore is behind what is being described as the biggest public advocacy ad campaign
in history. The mission: to convince Americans that the government and politicians
need to act on climate change. The former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize
winner is contributing substantially to the $300 million print, television and online
campaign from the Alliance for Climate Protection that aims to push for action on
climate change from Washington. “The simple algorithm is this: It’s
important to change the light bulbs, but it's much more important to change the
laws,” Gore is quoted in the The Washington Post. The renowned Martin
Agency of Richmond VA is the agency and renowned graphic Brian Collins
developed the “we” logo. (More about this in the April GDUSA
Green Enewsletter and the May Graphic Design USA magazine.)
http://www.wecansolveit.org
Chinese-Language News
The Society for News Design has formed SND Chinese, a new affiliate for visual
journalists working at Chinese-language news organizations. SND Chinese is the
Society’s first formal affiliate in the Asia-Pacific region and is being done in
partnership with the China Society for News Design. Designers at Chinese-language
newspapers, magazines and websites may choose to belong to one or both
organizations. Initially, nine members of the China Society for News Design have
joined the American group. Among them: Alan Jin, executive director of the China
Society for News Design and art director for Xin Min Evening News in Shanghai.
Headquartered in Shanghai, the China Society for News Design has 17,000 members
in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, India, and other countries with
Chinese-language media organizations.
http://www.snd.org or
http://www.csnd.cn
Honest Labels
Honest Tea, the largest seller of ready-to-drink organic teas in the U.S., has unveiled
a new lineup of teas in PET plastic bottles. Moxie TM, a New York-based brand design
and development firm, designed the labels. “Because we wanted to distinguish
the brand from the sea of color that appears in this category, we started with a clean
white canvas,” explains Moxie TM principal Tammy Vaserstein. “In addition,
white has the most impact on shelf within this category while communicating freshness
and simplicity, whereas too much color says ‘artificial’ rather
than ‘organic’...” The level o f Epigallocatechin Gallate (known
as EGCG), the key antioxidant found in tea, takes a prominent position on the front of
label for the first time. A black border creates an anchor across all of product lines,
simple typography is used to underscore simplicity, and fruit illustrations help define
each flavor.
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MORE NEWS
Do To WongDoody
Alex Do has been named Associate Director of Brand Strategy at West Coast brand
strategy powerhouse WongDoody Brand Strategy. Do supports the brand development
practice, assisting with large-scale strategic branding efforts for new and existing
clients, including brand architecture, research and measurement, co-branding strategies,
and naming and nomenclature. Previously, Do has had leadership positions at various
marketing agencies, including Sedgwick Rd., McCann Worldgroup and MRM Worldwide.
He also held consultative positions with strategy and branding firms FutureBrand, Frog
Design and Arthur Andersen Consulting. Clients have included Microsoft, Washington
Mutual, Tower Records, SureFire, PayPal, Urban Science and RealNetworks. The agency,
with offices in Seattle and Los Angeles, currently has 154 employees.
http://www.wongdoody.com
BrandJunkies Speak
The brandjunkies have spoken and Apple comes out on top — big time. In an
article at brandchannel.com, Jim Thompson notes that Apple took the number one spot
in six out of ten questions in it’s annual Brandjunkie survey. Says Thompson,
“In the intersection between Apple's brand and its legions of loyal fans, there is
trust — one of the most complex and powerful sentiments in the human condition.
Just ask Shakespeare, Gandhi, or Tony Soprano. Trust is earned over time through
consistent behavior that is based on a shared system of values.” The report notes
that, according to the survey results, people value three things: innovation, reliability,
and simplicity, and Apple fulfills these desires with life affirming technologies, a sense
that customers come first, and that Steve Jobs dislikes buttons and has figured out
how to make sleek and smart products without them. Microsoft, the Virgin Group, Nike,
Google and Coca-Cola scored high as well.
www.brandchannel.com
Ritta Recognized
The Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood NJ will honor Ritta & Associates for years
of support and marketing contributions at the 3rd Annual Gala on May 17th. The marketing
communications agency, one of New Jersey’s foremost, has been a supporter and
benefactor of the facility since its original inception as the John Harms Center for the Arts
in 1976. They created the original John Harms Center logo and a range of marketing
materials, and Kay Ritta was honored in 1994 with the Harms’ Griffin Award for her
10 years of support and service. With the theater’s rebirth four years ago, the firm
created the logo and branding program, including brochures, ads, posters, website and
television. At the event, Paul Anka, Felix Cavaliere, the Rascals, Suzanne Vega, John Waite,
NJ Symphony violinists will be in concert.
http://www.bergenpac.org
OfficeShui
On April 30,the Seattle Graphic Artists Guild’s monthly workshop presents office
productivity expert Piper Lauri Salogga of Natural Balance. Working from the theory that
a designer’s office affects how he or she feels about your work and your life,
Salogga provides practical tips to change workspaces into a places of inspiration and
productivity, combining practical feng shui, personal style and goal setting to leave you
feeling motivated and empowered at work. Salogga has been featured in the Seattle
Times, Seattle PI, NW Asian Weekly, The Olympian and KVI talk radio for her unique
approach to home and office design.
http://www.seattleguild.org
NEW TYPEFACE: THE ARCHER
FONT FAMILY FROM HOEFLER & FRERE-JONES
Archer is friendier than your average slab serif, forthright, colorful, credible, and
charming...
http://www.typography.com
MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Under The Microscope
MetaDesign of San Francisco CA has collaborated with SanDisk Corporation, the world's
largest supplier of Flash storage cards, to create a new brand identity for the company.
The new graphic identity has two main goals: to to shift perceptions of it from just a
Flash memory provider, to a genuine consumer electronics company; and to increase
legibility and presence from packaging way down to microscopic sizes including
silk-screening onto ultra small memory chips. Thus, the new logotype was redrawn in a
simplified fashion, dropping the original sun/flash mark, yet alluding to its heritage
with a parallelogram-shaped dot above the “i” in the logotype. The result
is an identity that reproduces well at microscopic sizes.
Chicago Posters
“While Chicago is well known for its architecture, fine art, public landscaping,
sculpture, and other art and design disciplines, there is a significant lack of applied
visual arts in public spaces,” says Lance Rutter, Chicago graphic designer and
former AIGA Chicago President. To remedy this, the Chicago International Poster
Biennial Association has been established to promote visual literacy, multiculturalism,
and international cooperation through the poster work of artists worldwide. It begins
with a competition, with contemporary posters published in the last two years eligible.
The association was conceived by Rutter and Yann Legendre, a French designer working
in Chicago. It has already received financial support from more than 40 area designers,
as well as the STA. Various departments within the City of Chicago are also assisting
with strategic and logistical efforts to mount a public and outdoor exhibition of
winners.
http://www.chicagobiennial.org
Taking Shape
Global packaging solutions leader MeadWestvaco Corporation has a new corporate
identity. “MWV: How brands take shape” is designed to articulate in a unified
voice its global packaging capabilities to... well... help customers’ brands take
shape. from design to delivery. “The new MWV brand identity is part of our company's
progression toward our vision of global leadership in packaging and packaging solutions,
” said John A. Luke, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. “Now, our visual
identity more clearly states to customers that with our complete platform of global capabilities
and innovative solutions, MWV is uniquely positioned to help their brands take shape.”
http://www.meadwestvaco.com
Print Shipments Down
Dr. Joe Webb, director of the WhatTheyThink research center, notes that “February
printing shipments were $7.07 billion or -1.6% over the same month in 2007. On
inflation-adjusted basis, however, shipments were down -$441 million or -5.4% compared
to 2007.” A current report titled “Monthly U.S. Printing Shipments, Issue
#29” is now available for purchase from WhatTheyThink, a leading online media
organization for the printing and publishing industry. Dr. Webb's report discusses how
the WhatTheyThink forecasts have been revised through 2012, and what the economic
environment holds for vendors and printers alike. “The distance between healthy
printers and others continues to widen. The pressure on marginal companies is increasing,
and industry mergers and acquisitions take on a defensive tone.”
http://www.wttstore.com/monthly-us-printing-shipments.html
SPECIAL EVENT: PANTONE SEMINAR
FOR COLOR FREAKS
Pantone and X-Rite’s popular color seminar “Color Control Freak
’08” continues to draw graphic designers from around the country.
Controlling color from inspiration to production is a dark path for many designers. But
Color Control Freak ’08 sheds a practical light on the subject, providing useful,
easy-to-understand recommendations for the color crazed and the color dazed. This
year’s seminar tour includes a special bonus discussion on emerging color
trends, the psychology of color, and Blue Iris, Pantone’s 2008 Color of the Year.
Learn what new colors and color palettes are driving the design world today.
Pantone’s new Goe System highlights the discussion on controlling spot colors in
a design. Discover how the Goe System works and how it can be used to accurately
reproduce designs across multiple media. Everyone who attends Color Control Freak
’08 will receive a comprehensive workbook that’s an excellent reference
tool back on the job. It also includes valuable gifts, discounts, and information on the
products and services used during the seminar. Sponsored by Pantone, HP, Eizo Displays,
and X-Rite, the one-day interactive seminar gives graphic designers the color knowledge
they need to capture, create, communicate, and control color from inspiration to
production.
Color Control Freak ’08 upcoming stops include visits to Los Angeles
(April 29), New York (April 29), Boston (May 6) and San Francisco (May 6). There are
more in May and early June. For information and registration, visit...
http://www.xrite.com/colorcontrol08/
IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT: GDUSA WEB DESIGN REPORT
Part 1 of our special web design reader survey can only be seen online; Part 2 will
be published April 22, The first portion is available now at...
http://www.gdusa.com/eblasts/080325_photos/msg2.html
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