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GRAPHIC DESIGN ENEWSLETTER / OCTOBER 7, 2008IN THIS ISSUE:
Publishers Note: R&D Not T&E |
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: R&D NOT T&EGiven the economic and political developments of the past few weeks, I have the urge to cling to my desk with a death grip - or hide under it - until the roller coaster ride is over. It’s scary out there! But staying in would be self-defeating since you and I would miss some stimulating events this fall such as the AIGA’s GAIN conference on business and design, the Picturehouse stock image confab, Moira Cullen’s seminar at the next Insource conference - and a long time favorite of mine, Graph Expo, which fills a large portion of McCormick Place in Chicago and so nicely blends creative and production matters. The future, albeit one with a less banks (bad) and less bankers (good), still belongs to those who grow, learn and innovate. As Bill Esler, my counterpart at the venerable printer’s magazine Graphic Arts Monthly recently wrote: “Don’t be shortsighted about cutting travel. Think broadly about regeneration of concepts. And allocate this travel not to T&E but to R&D.” Nice turn of phrase, interesting way of thinking. — Gordon Kaye GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWSObama Logo Elected Exquisite Design Bottle And Icon Harmonize Connill Is Guerilla In The Room Creativity Flows
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A study by DesignBay assesses the 2008 campaign logos for Barack Obama, John McCain and
Hillary Clinton based on a quantitative analysis of past campaign logos. It finds there are five
‘positive’ pieces of symbolism associated with successful candidates: use of the
surname; red stripes; use of the colors red, white and blue; use of the year; and use of a serif
font. Obama’s logo uses all five while John McCain’s uses just two. In addition, two
negative pieces of symbolism are used in campaign logos more frequently by unsuccessful
candidate: emphasis of the first name and use of the phrase ‘For President’.
Interestingly, Hillary Clinton’s logo used both. The study’s bottomline:
Obama’s logo should help him win. DesignBay is a self-described global graphic design
marketplace based in Sydney, Australia with over 300 graphic designers from the US, UK, India,
Singapore and Australia.
Bartons has undergone a package redesign for its entire brand. This includes the introduction of
Exquisite, a super premium chocolate line targeting mass market consumers. The rebranding, which
includes creation of a more contemporary, upscale looking logo, was handled by Smith Design, the
bicoastal (New Jersey/California) brand design firm. “Chocolate lovers are looking for quality
at every price point and the re-branding effort is intended to convey a more indulgent, higher end
offering,” said Jenna Smith, account director at Smith, who supervised the project. “The
new packaging helps position Bartons along side the industry’s leading names.”
Aligning with a new premium brand positioning of “simply better rum,” the company
retained Dragon Rouge to create a new packaging system - structure and graphics - for the Cruzan
Rum portfolio consisting of 16 SKUs. The primary goal of the redesign is to attract a more
sophisticated, discerning consumer and move away from the perception of being a value brand.
This incudes a new brand identity featuring a distinct handcrafted iconic crest device and a broad
shouldered bottle contoured to work in harmony with the crest and the structure tapering subtly
to the foot. The secondary goal: create a cohesive family feel.
The biggest winner at the 10th annual Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards show on Sept. 12 was
Hispanic agency Conill, with prizes for Toyota Motor Sales, Procter & Gamble and T-Mobile,
including the Best of Show for Toyota’s “Is That the Lineman?” campaign. La
Comunidad, LatinWorks, Dieste Harmel & Partners and JWT San Juan were other multiple
winners. From the nontraditional/guerrilla marketing category, “Is That the Lineman?”
involved entertaining videos along the bottom of the television screen during a soccer tournament
that appears to be part of the game but feature participants, such as the lineman, distracted by a
Toyota Corolla billboard on the field. Advertising Age magazine conducts the awards program in
cooperation with Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. Conill Chief Creative Officer, Pablo
Buffagni, was named the year’s top creative.
Graphic Systems Group produced six window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue, promoting the
world’s need for clean-water. It was all part of fundraiser, which, in fact, raised more than
$500,000 through the sale of charity: water bracelets in Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide.
100% of the money raised benefited freshwater projects in Central America, India and Sub-Saharan
Africa. charity: water’s president and founder Scott Harrison, notes, “GSG has been
a dear friend by continuously supporting us with creative direction, imaginative displays, and
thought-provoking imagery. Working with their team, we’ve been able to reach hundreds
of thousands with our message.”
TAKE
Creative service professionals will gain new insights into how to add value to client projects
through the Graphic Expo Seminar Program. More than 70 educational sessions, as well as
hands-on computer labs featuring the latest in software solutions, provide creative service
pros with real lessons that can be put to use as soon as they return to the office.
“Future success for professionals in creative services lies in knowing how to take
advantage of new media on behalf of their clients, including on-demand digital and customized
printing,” said Ralph Nappi, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company. “Graph
Expo’s value to attendees lies in the opportunity it provides to not only evaluate the
latest graphic communications technology first-hand on the show floor, but also to learn in
our many educational sessions how to apply them for greatest marketing response for their
clients.” All educational sessions are created by industry experts, with an eye toward
providing action-oriented solutions that creatives can easily apply to client projects. Workshops
cover the gamut of concerns for the creative design professional, from more high-level
evaluations on successful markets to in-depth coverage of color management and software
issues.
An advanced Print Buyers Forum chaired by Margie Dana, founder and president of Print Buyers
International, is also in the mix. It will examine the key influences impacting print buying today and
gain real-world strategies to be successful in today’s economy via a combination of
classroom learning and practical application at the Print Buyers Forum. The forum combines
high-level educational content with opportunities to see practical applications running live on
the show floor. The theme - “Beyond Survival: How to Thrive in Today’s Business of
Print Buying” - is designed specifically for the experienced print buyer rather than for those
new to the field. In-depth morning and lunchtime sessions - covering issues of greatest interest to
sophisticated print buyers-lead into time in the afternoons to tour the expansive GRAPH EXPO
show floor, where more than 600 exhibitors will demonstrate a full range of graphic communications
equipment live across 450,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. A handy pamphlet highlighting special
must-see technologies for the print buyer and floor plan with exhibit locator will be provided to
assist attendees in navigating the show floor.
Graphic designers and other creative professionals at this year’s show have a chance to
win Graph Expo’s Designer’s Dream Office Giveaway - a complete package of
top-of-the-line hardware and software guaranteed to increase efficiency and take their creativity
to new heights. A $20,000 value, the Designer's Dream Office Giveaway includes: the latest fully
loaded Mac Pro; a 30” flat screen monitor; all wireless system components -Bluetooth
keyboard, wireless mouse, and network; the latest flatbed scanner and printer; a designers
wish-list of the latest software; an ultra chic ergonomic workstation (chair and desk), and
much more.
For more details for creative professionals about the event, or to register for the exhibit floor
and/or seminars, visit…
GDUSA continues to grow to serve the graphic design community. In this spirit, we have been named
an official reseller of Pantone® products. Our offerings run the gamut from traditional Pantone®
Solid Colors Palette, the most widely used Pantone® palette with over 1,100 unique numbered
colors… to the new Pantone Goe System, a new vision of color that provides an extended range
of 2,058 chromatically-arranged solid colors that are easy to locate and specify using guide, chip and
software formats… to the fun and versatile ColorMunki tool…