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NYT, HOEFLER & FRERE-JONES HONORED
NEW YORK, NY
The New York Times Graphics Department is among the select few to be honored in the 10th Annual National Design Awards by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt. The newspaper takes the award for Communications Design, while Hoefler & Frere-Jones, renowned for the creation of unique typefaces, and the design firm Project Projects, were honored as finalists in the category. In addition to Communications Design, the Awards program recognizes excellence across a range of disciplines such as Architecture, Fashion, Interior and Landscape Design. In the Product Design category, Boym Partners was recognized for their Babel Blocks and many other innovative creations. The winners are to be honored at a gala dinner this fall at Cipriani in New York. “The years winners reflect the design climate of the times,” said Cooper-Hewitt Director Paul Warwick-Thompson. “We are in an era that demands public commitment and work that strives for change and the responsible use of resources,” he said. In that spirit, Armory B. Lovins was granted the Design Mind Award for his work in energy — especially its efficient use and sustainable supply. Bill Moggridge, a co-founder of global design consultancy IDEO and designer of the first laptop computer, will be presented the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Contact: www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009

VIRTUAL BUILDING IS VISUAL METAPHOR
SEATTLE, WA
remerinc has unveiled a new website for McKinstry, a company which designs, builds, operates and maintains buildings and which gained national attention when President Barack Obama cited it as a model for energy efficient construction during a pre-election campaign broadcast. McKinstry’s website uses illustration and animation to lure visitors to interactively learn more about the firm. “The virtual building at the core of the site is a visual metaphor for the wide range of environments that McKinstry serves,” says Andrea Jones, remerinc Vice President of Strategy and Client Services. “This discipline perfectly supports the multiple meanings of McKinstry’s tagline ‘For the Life of Your Building,’” Creative credits include remerinc’s Creative Director David Remer and Art Director Brett Siemen; 3-D Renderings from Studio 2a, Animation by Run and Development by BKWLD.
Contact: www.mckinstry.com

MASH-UPS TAKE BALLET TO MASSES
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Evolution Bureau, a San Francisco ad agency, is launching a year-long campaign for Smuin Ballet, lending a fresh image to the ballet company’s mix of classical and contemporary dance. EVB developed an out-of-home and print advertising campaign titled “Ballet But ...” to introduce the idea that Smuin provides more than a typical ballet experience. Posters, print ads and transit ads are being rolled out between now and year-end. Paying tribute to the late Michael Smuin’s philosophy, “Ballet But...” reinforces the accessible nature and popular appeal. EVB teamed with Scott Harben of SEE pictures to photograph the dancers and then mashed-up contrasting images that represent the ballet company’s contemporary approach to dance. As a result, six photographic mash-up titles — Entertaining, Sexy, Bold, Broadway, Spicy and Different — were developed. Creative credits include EVB’s Executive Creative Director Stephen Goldblatt and Art Directors Jeremy Stewart and Enrique Camacho.
Contact: www.evb.com

FACES OF DISTINCTION
NEW YORK, NY
An exuberant selection of typographic fonts and styles that trace the modern evolution of the printed letter is portrayed in Taschen’s new History of Type Face slated for release this summer. The book includes reproduced pages from exquisitely designed catalogs, as well as borders, ornaments, initial letters and decorations and examples of their use. Work by type designers William Casion, Fritz Helmuth Ehmcke, Peter Behrens, Jan Tschichold and Adrian Frutiger, among others, is also featured. To accommodate the vast amount of materials, the subject is divided into two volumes; this, the first volume covers pre-20th Century typeface specimens with texts by editor Cees W. de Jong and collector Jan Tholenaar.
Contact: www.taschen.com

PORTFOLIO CENTER HELPS IGNITE CHANGE
ATLANTA, GA
Innovative branding school Portfolio Center, with help from Design Ignites Change, has developed two Atlanta-specific projects that bring design thinking to local groups that need it. In Jovenes Con Voz, Portfolio Center students led by instructor Melissa Kuperminc, mentor area high-school students from a Georgia-based, domestic violence intervention program for Latino families. The mentoring teams are exploring complex issues including dating violence and immigration stereotypes in a series of informational posters to target Latino youth. In another new class, Branding the Future, students are creating a primary identity system that will effectively communicate the role of the Future Foundation in the lives of at-risk youth. Both projects are part of the broader Design Ignites Change program, a collaboration between New York marketing and design firm Worldstudio and the Adobe Foundation’s signature program Adobe Youth Voices, aimed at encouraging high school and college students to use the power of design to address local social issues.
Contact: www.designigniteschange.org or www.portfoliocenter.com

SUSTAINING SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Academy of Art University has signed on to participate in Design Ignites Change, focusing initially on the issue of sustainability, and how it relates to design and the quality of life in the Bay area. In that spirit, Sustaining San Francisco — a multidisciplinary design challenge to focus student energy on this dilemma— is underway. Envisioned as a three-year undertaking at minimum, Academy of Art University plans to roll out the Design Ignites Change program into all departments of the school, according to Susan Toland, who produces interdepartmental projects for Academy of Art University in partnership with outside groups and organizations. The Academy’s Spring Show included some of the early work. Phil Hamlett is Graduate Director of the School of Graphic Design, and he is working alongside other MFA departments to showcase Bay Area innovations while simultaneously envisioning additional possibilities for a greener future.
Contact: www.academyart.edu

VF GETS TWO-WAY TALK ANNUAL REPORT
NEW YORK, NY
For the sixth year, And Partners created the annual report for apparel giant VF Corporation. New this year: in addition to the print version, the firm created reporting.vfc.com, a dedicated reporting site that contains an online version of the annual report, as well as ongoing communications, videos and financial highlights. It’s “a testament to the company’s transparency and stakeholder engagement,” says And Partners President and Creative Director David Schimmel. The site includes share features and takes advantage of rich media as well as a platform for future growth of the site. As for an overall theme, Schimmel says that “In light of the challenging business environment we decided to focus on the company’s strength, vision, diversity and team: a testament to their ability to perform in any economic environment.
Contact: www.andpartnersny.com

IN SEARCH OF LOVE AND SHOOFLY PIE
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Indie creative agency Red Tettemer took a quirky approach to the spring/summer advertising campaign for the Pennsylvania Tourism Office. In a departure from the usual “stay-the-night” tourism ads, the Philadephia-based firm created a unique film — “Peter Arthur Stories” — that tells the tale of a 20-something guy who follows his heart across Pennsylvania in search of a long-lost love, a waitress named Meg that served him the best piece of Shoofly Pie he’d ever had. The 26-minute, four-episode feature premiered in May, and traditional and social media are planned to emulate the rollout of a new TV series or movie. The film even boasts an original soundtrack by the Taylor Brothers, one of whom — Todd Taylor — also happens to be a Creative Director at Red Tettemer. Creative credits also include creative direction by Steve Red, Michael Barker and Matt Lanzdorf.
Contact: www.redtettemer.com