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WINK EYES GREEN AND EDGY BRAND
MINNEAPOLIS MN
Rebel Green, a new breed of responsibly made products, reached out to Wink for branding and product development for its chic and edgy range of eco-friendly, made in America, organic cotton products. From apparel to reusable shopping bags and even a fruit and veggie clean spray, the result is “a brand that’s authentic and a product line that’s uniquely Eco-Americana,” say design firm principals Richard Boynton and Scott Thares. They note that the designs for Rebel Green also include “just a dash of ‘you’re not the boss of me’ thrown in for good measure.” The quirky graphics blend contemporary and retro designs that take names such as Peace Girl, Pretty Princess, Bubble Girl and Free Bird. The company is the brainchild of co-founders Melina Marcus and Ali Ruvin.
Contact: www.wink-mpls.com

GROUP HAS DESIGNS ON REDFORD
LOS ANGELES CA
Promax|BDA, the global association for entertainment marketing, promotion and design professionals, will award Robert Redford its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Conference to be held in New York next month. Redford “is a worldwide icon and a visionary leader who has nurtured the artistry of independent film and entertainment while promoting environmental and social responsibility, all through his Sundance brand,” says Jonathan Block-Verk, association president. Redford established the Sundance Institute in 1980, dedicating it to the discovery and development of independent artists to tell their stories in their own ways; the rest, as they say, is history. The Promax|BDA North America conference will be held June 16-18. Contact: www.promaxbda.org

MAKING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS
An Amsterdam ad agency, aptly named Nothing, has constructed its entire workspace using cardboard, from the stairs to the chairs. Nothing commissioned two designers, Alrik Koudenburg and Joost van Bleiswijk, to produce an entire office using a “no screw, no glue” motto — relying only on interlocking cardboard to form furniture capable of supporting computers and overhead lighting, as well as the weight of employees. FIve hundred square meters of cardboard to produce 1500 separate pieces. “Nothing is about the power of ideas, about how a single idea can transform nothing into something,” said ad agency founder Michael Jansen. “Using a cheap, throwaway material to build a unique and memorable workspace seemed a good way to materialize this thought.” Contact: www.nothingamsterdam.com

NINI TEES UP GRAPHIC LEGENDS
COLUMBUS OH
Graphic design heroes — from Milton Glaser to Wolfgang Weingart — are being immortalized on a series of t-shirts, designed by Paul Nini, professor of design at Ohio State University. The shirts are made and sold through Skreened.com, a Columbus OH-based company that makes Ethical Custom Apparel, or t-shirts and other items printed on-demand on American Apparel products. Skreened.com founder Daniel Fox, an alumnus of the Visual Communciation Design program at Ohio State, called on his former professor Nini to contribute some of his creations for the Graphic Design Heroes T-Shirt Series. Among the featured designers are Massimo Vignelli, Paul Rand, Jan Tschichold, Josef Muller-Brockmann, Saul Bass, Herbert Matter, and the sole woman, April Greiman. Nini’s design projects are made under the name General Pragmatics and besides Graphic Design Heroes, his Skreened shops include Great Typefaces and GenPrag Konstructs. Contact: www.skreened.com/adheroes

MAMMOTH GROOMED FOR SKI SEASON
SEATTLE WA
Hornall Anderson has revitalized the brand identity for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, touting the laid-back, Come As You Are mantra of the California resort. The challenge included working around Mammoth’s current mascot Woolly (as in woolly Mammoth), which appeared in the client’s original identity and represented a lot of heritage. The new logo forms an “M” out of what is a set of ski tracks to some or mammoth tusks to others. Overall, the new identity covers everything from the initial strategy, business cards, gondola graphics and building signage to uniforms, ski jackets, employee and season passes and gift cards. The Seattle agency’s rebrand also extends to Mammoth’s snowboard park Unbound, resulting in a more radical, loose and expressive logo of a post-applied element, like a spray-painted image that turned upside-down to be more freestyle. Mammoth had been through three logos in the past 10 years, but the Hornall Anderson presentation is seen as striking the right balance of an international ski destination with a laid-back, sunny lifestyle. Contact: www.hornallanderson.com

BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF GROWING BAKERY
ST. LOUIS MO
Birds chatting about life, bread and friendship form the foundation for a brand strategy makeover for artisan baking company, Companion, which is embarking on an ambitious expansion to its bakery/cafe business after a decade. As part of the expansion, St. Louis MO-based designlab, inc. and Atlanta-based Patrick Davis Partners were enlisted to come up with a unique identity: hence a wordmark and logo featuring crumb-nibbling birds engaged in conversation. Since much of the design is produced inhouse, a Brand Expression Guide was developed to assist designers and vendors in keeping a cohesive presence. Contact: www.designlabinc.com, www.patrickdavis.com