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PUBLISHERS NOTE
Success Is Overrated
I wish I had failed more often. By this, I do
not mean that I am always successful, but that I
too often stay in my comfort zone. Only in very
recent years, have I come to understand that allowing
yourself to fail is often a prelude to greater
success or, at least, to greater self-awareness. Which
leads me to "Design Disasters: Graphic
Designers, Fabulous Failures & Lesson's
Learned." Compiled by Steven Heller and published
by Allworth Press, the book explores the role of
failure in a design career through essays from the
likes of William Drenttel, Amanda Bowers, Ina
Saltz, Veronique Viennes, Debbie Millman, and
Stefan Sagmeister. The examples and anecdotes are
right on point, as are the lessons learned. While
some essays are strangely impersonal, others
— like Marian Bantjes' description of trying
early in her career — against all odds
— to get a duotone printing job right —
are warm and familiar. The book is a reminder that
failure can often be the catalyst for creative success.
Take Me Out
I like my job and, as my wife and children will
attest, it is hard to tear me away from the GDUSA
offices. Except during Yankee season. In late summer,
the interlocking white "NY" on a field of
dark blue, the most potent and dignified brand in
all of sports, exerts a powerful pull. Here I am with
John Sommers, Jr. of Allied Printing Services,
Manchester CT (a Boston Red Sox fan) celebrating
another pinstripe milestone. The Yankee Stadium
scoreboard reads: "Derek Jeter is now tied with
Lou Gehrig for most hits in franchise history with
2,721." Taking the picture was Jon Kaufman,
also of Allied Printing.
— Gordon Kaye
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Hinrichs: Third Chapter
After 23 years as a partner of Pentagram, Kit Hinrichs
has established an independent design firm, Studio Hinrichs,
in San Francisco. Hinrichs's influence has been seen in
both local and national companies and institutions. "Kit
has been committed not only to Pentagram, but to the
profession as a whole," says Michael Bierut, a partner
in the firm's New York office. "Through speaking,
exhibitions and publishing, Kit has moved design to a new
level... We will miss him." Adds Hinrichs, "I'm
excited by the possibilities presented in what I consider
the third chapter of my career. I look forward to building
on all that I've learned and ensuring that my best work is
still to come."
It's On Target
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, hosts its fourth
annual National Design Week from October 18 through October
24. The museum offers free admission, sponsored by Target,
along with a series of public programs and online resources
to celebrate the role that design plays in daily life. The
National Design Awards are held in conjunction, and winners
will be honored at an October gala at Cipriani 42nd Street
in New York.See more about the winners at...
http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2009/06_jun/
http://www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009/
The Gift of Education
A new campaign by Red Square Agency of Mobile AL is
comprised of tv, print, interactive and sales collateral
on behalf of the CollegeCounts 529 Fund. It uses humor
to position the college savings plan as a "smart
gift" against extremely unwise gifts; the target is
parents and grandparents. The fund is a college savings
product of the Alabama State Treasury Department, and
managed by Van Kampen Investments.
http://redsquareagency.com/collegecounts
Double Play
James C. Smith, founding partner of Smith Design in
Glen Ridge NJ, has been elected to both the New Jersey
Packaging Executives Club Hall of Fame and the Advertising
Hall of Fame of New Jersey. Smith founded his firm more
than 30 years ago in the basement of his home; it has since
grown to become a well-known and respected package design
firm, and a GDUSA favorite. "It's a tremendous honor
to be inducted into two halls of fame," says a modest
Smith. "A great deal of my success, however, is the
result of working with talented people, many of whom have
been at Smith Design for many years."
BRIDGEMAN BLANK CANVAS COMPETITION
The competition is on! Bridgeman invites graphic designers
and design students to participate in their first annual
competition. Here's your chance to redefine a fine art
masterpiece, by creating a modern version of what that work
means to you. The people at Bridgeman are giving you a
blank canvas with only one central rule: your design should
be inspired by one of ten pre-selected iconic paintings.
(Several thumbnails shown here.) Once the winner is chosen,
it will be featured on the Bridgeman website as well as in
GDUSA, print and online. Additionally, the winning design
could be chosen to be part of the permanent Bridgeman online
collection, available for third party licensing! See all
the paintings and find out how to enter at
http://www.bridgemanart.com/competitions
MORE NEWS
Reval Revealed
Reval is a leading financial technology company that
focuses on the complex and arcane world of derivatives
accounting. Founded in 1999, Reval was poised for its
next stage of growth, physically and geographically. The
Bernhardt Fudyma Design Group, known for its integrated
branding and graphics solutions, refined the typographic
detail of the company logo for better visual presentation,
and then went on to sharpen the positioning, create a
'kinetic data bar' with elements representative of Reval's
three core competencies — Derivatives, Accounting,
Technology — and develop stationery, collateral,
online, and even trade show materials to tell the
company's story.
Greteman For Goodall
2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall's
groundbreaking work in western Tanzania with our closest
genetic relatives, the chimpanzee. In honor of this
milestone, Wichita KS-based Greteman Group is assisting
with awareness and fundraising efforts to support the
Jane Goodall Institute's ongoing efforts in Africa and
its Roots & Shoots youth program. Greteman Group is
designing kid-friendly kiosks for zoos across the U.S.
that have chimpanzees in their care.
Yu's A Gamer
For Lakeshore Entertainment/Lionsgate's sci-fi thriller,
'Gamer,' yU+co. visualizes a futuristic world using
motion graphics applied as visual effects. Designing and
executing over 568 shots and elements, this undertaking is
being called one of the most elaborate motion graphics
projects committed to film. Set in a dystopian future
where entertainment and gaming have merged, humans play
other humans to inflict pain or to experience pleasure.
Creative director is Garson Yu.
http://gamerthemovie.com/#/trailer/
FTC Cracks Down On Blogs
The FTC, by a 4-0 vote, moved to make product information
and online reviews more accurate for consumers on the
internet. The Commission now requires that writers on the
web — including bloggers — clearly disclose any
freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing
their products. The commission also said advertisers
featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results
cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren't
typical. The requirements go into effect December 1.
TAKE FIVE! CAREER TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP
HIRING MAY BE PICKING UP
Hiring may be picking up in the creative field, according
to a new survey by The Creative Group. One-third (34 percent)
of advertising and marketing executives expect to increase
their staffing levels in the next 12 months. Following are
the top five hiring areas for those anticipating personnel
increases:
| 1. Web design or production |
52% |
| 2. Creative or art direction |
50% |
| 3. Interactive |
48% |
| 4. Account services |
48% |
| 5. Brand/product management |
35% |
The Creative Group is a
specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising,
marketing and web professionals on a project basis. For
more information, please visit
www.creativegroup.com
MORE NEWS
Strength and Stability
LPK, working with the Art Academy of Cincinnati, has
developed a new brand identity for the institution. A color
palette of orange and steel (blue/black) combined with a
contemporized design of the AAC icon and sans-serif typeface,
in a unique vertical application, expressing "strength
and stability while communicating accessibility, possibilities
and creative energy."
Siegel+Gale Celebrates
Siegel+Gale's is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this
month. One of the first strategic branding firms, Siegel+Gale
is the only one still run by its founder, Alan Siegel. It
has survived recessions, downturns, and paradigm shifts. It
has been sold and bought-back and sold again. It has gone
from Siegel & Gale at the outset, to siegelgale during
the dotcom boom, to Siegel+Gale, today. And, note a firm
spokesperson, "700 major branding projects later, it
is still creating and revitalizing iconic brands from Dell
and Uniroyal to American Express and AARP."
Investing In A Brand
To thrive and grow in Manhattan's crowded investment community,
brokerage firms have to differentiate themselves. R.F. Lafferty
& Co., a 60-year-old family firm, wanted to gain more exposure
in traditional markets and to reach out to new high net-worth
clients for wealth management services. To that end, Pisarkiewicz
Mazur & Co. repositioned the firm with a branding program
centered on the theme "Where old world service meets fresh
ideas", and a bold brochure to showcase Lafferty's difference.
Designing For Designers
Quango recently launched a redesigned web presence for the
Association of Professional Design Firms (APDF) to give members
a place to connect via social networks, while staying in touch
with group news and upcoming events. "We knew we were
designing a web presence for designers," said Dave Anolik,
Chief Creative Officer at the Portland OR graphic design agency.
"Interaction, visuals, content ... they all had to flow
together seamlessly while effectively capturing the APDF brand
and its objectives," he said.
http://www.apdf.org
TECH SPOTLIGHT: myPANTONE APP
Over the last several years, there has
been a fundamental shift in the way designers work — more
digitally and more spontaneously. myPANTONE, a new iPhone
application responds, giving enabling designers to capture,
create and share PANTONE Color Palettes wherever they go and
whenever inspiration strikes. With myPANTONE, designers have
access to all the PANTONE Color Libraries. In addition, the
application enables designers to easily create harmonious color
palettes by finding complementary, analogous and triadic
combinations for selected colors. myPANTONE also takes
advantage of the iPhone's built-in camera to let designers
capture whatever inspires them; colors can be extracted from
any photo on the iPhone and then matched to the closest PANTONE
Colors. Says Andy Hatkoff, vice president of technology licensing
for Pantone: "myPANTONE marries the power of the iPhone
with the inspiration of PANTONE Color Palettes... Providing a
digital, portable design studio and essential color tools at
their fingertips, myPANTONE gives designers the freedom to
access Pantone Colors anywhere, without the need to be in
their office or carry around cumbersome guides. Now with
myPANTONE's Portable Color Memory in their pocket, designers
no longer need to agonize trying to recall an exact color."
More information about myPANTONE and the app at...
http://www.mypantone.com/pages/pantone/index.aspx
GRAPHIC DESIGN EVENTS
October 14. New York NY. Picturehouse is
the only event of its kind bringing together the buyers
of stock imagery with the suppliers, all in one key
location, all in one day. It takes place at the Metropolitan
Pavillion, and is free to GDUSA readers but you must
register in advance at...
http://www.picturehouse-us.com/GDUSA
October 16. Miami FL. PACA, the trade association of stock image companies, is focusing on social media and new technologies its 14th Annual International Conference. It takes place at Eden Roc resort and spa.
http://www.pacaoffice.org or execdirector@pacaoffice.org
October 18-20. Cambridge MA. Design, Complexity, and Change is the Design Management Institute's 34th Annual conference. In collaboration with MIT. The conference is about people and practices that are designing at the edge of change.
http://www.dmi.org/annual
November 18-24. New York NY. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, hosts its fourth annual National Design Week from October 18 through October 24. The museum offers free admission, sponsored by Target, along with a series of public programs and online resources to celebrate the role that design plays in daily life.
http://www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009/
October 21-23. Monaco. Luxe Pack 2009. At the Grimaldi Forum, this annual meeting has become the must-do reference in the luxury packaging sector and a location for international exchange between the worlds of luxury and packaging.
http://www.luxepack.com
October 26. Seattle WA. The Art and Craft of Branding in the Era of Social Media. From the Graphic Artists Guild. Branding and social media specialist Eric Weaver will discuss the practice and importance of branding in the social media era.
Contact: 1.206.682.3377 or http://www.seattleguild.org/index.php
November 5. Portland OR. The Shift: A Green Salon, at the Pop Art Community Room. A chance to hear and share green ideas/solutions/materials with other hungry designers and creatives that are making communication better and more sustainable.
Contact: Lisa Holmes, sustainability@portland.aiga.org
November 6. Omaha NE. The 18th Annual AIGA Nebraska Show. At the Bemis Underground, the winners will be unveiled. The Judges were David Barringer, Christine Taylor and Armin Vit.
http://nebraska.aiga.org
November 7/12. Los Angeles CA/Wilsonville OR. Jennifer Larsen Morrow of Creative Company runs a marketing workshop, BrandACT, focusing on how to distinguish your message from the competition and compel response.
http://brandact09-november-7.eventbrite.com/
November 12. San Francisco CA. AIGA Annual Fall Gala: Hung Up. Hosted at The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center, the event attracts 700 attendees and will feature a celebration of the skating culture.
http://aigasf.org
November 12-13, San Francisco CA. Design Management Institute. Designing Future Competitive Advantage seminar by Richard Green.
http://www.dmi.org
November 18. New York NY. Designism 4.0. Art Directors Club Gallery is the place to explore the responsibility and experiences of creatives to drive social and political change through their work and career focus. The lineup is Blake Mycoskie, Bill Drenttel, Paula Scher, Mark Randall. Moderator is Helen Walters, Business Week Innovation & Design Channel and contributing editor to Creative Review.
http://www.adcglobal.org/adc/events/calendar/
November 19. Salt Lake City UT. Brad Weed is the director of user experience design and research for the Windows and Windows Live product line at Microsoft. His contributing work on Office 2007 is widely recognized as one of the biggest paradigm shifts in industry history.
http://saltlakecity.aiga.org
NOW ON GDUSA.COM
Free Stuff From Advertisers...
http://gdusa.com/freestuff.php
September GDUSA Magazine... including Annual
& Corporate Report trends and our yearly Stock
Photo Reader Survey...
http://gdusa.com/issue_2009/09_sep/
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