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NEW PBS BRANDING BROADENS HORIZONS
 
NEW YORK NY
"Be More" is the message of a new PBS multiplatform brand package. It entails more than 600 elements — promo opens and closes, lower thirds, video bumps for IDs and support messaging, web elements, print templates and more — using live-action footage, contemporary colors and original music. Strategic direction for the new package was developed by PBS' Brand Management team and executed by New York-based Eyeball. "The new package expresses what people love best about PBS — that our shows invite every one, from every walk of life, to explore new ideas, discover new worlds and to broaden their horizons, in other words, to be more," says Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, PBS Brand Management and Promotion." John Ruppenthal is Senior Creative Director for PBS and Limore Shur is Chief Creative Officer of Eyeball.
Contact: www.eyeballnyc.com

TRI AWARDED AIGA MEDALS
 
NEW YORK NY
PABLO FERRO
who created groundbreaking openers for films as varied as Dr. Strangelove, Being There, and To Die For.

DOYALD YOUNG
for his contributions as a calligrapher, type designer, graphic designer, author and educator.

CARIN GOLDBERG
for "designing iconic pop-cultural and literary artifacts" as well as her commitment to design education.

The AIGA medal is awarded to individuals for their exceptional achievements, services or other contributions to the field of design and visual communication. It has been awarded since 1920. The three latest honorees spoke at the AIGA's late September Design Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan. (More on the speeches in the October GDUSA Enewsletter.

Contact: www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalists

DESIGNERS PLANT URBAN FOREST
 
ALBUQUERQUE NM
The Urban Forest Project — a series of outdoor banner exhibitions that are the brainchild of the Worldstudio design firm — has planted artwork by local designers on light poles throughout Albuquerque. Each banner uses a form or metaphor for the tree to make a statement about the environment. The hope is to raise awareness for the environment in general and AlbuquerqueGreen, the city's innovative program, in the specific. Once the banners come down, they will be recycled into tote bags exclusively for the project, with sales to benefit Tree New Mexico to support their tree planting efforts in Albuquerque and their mission to "keep New Mexico clean, beautiful and healthy." The Urban Forest Project was first executed in 2006 in Times Square, and there are plans afoot to replicate it in San Francisco and Washington DC this coming Spring.
Contact: www.worldstudioinc.com or www.ufp-abq.com

HORNALL ANDERSON'S SLAM DUNK
 
SEATTLE WA
Madison Square Garden, the New York sports landmark, called upon Hornall Anderson to create "an immersive guest experience" to showcase upgraded suite and partnership offerings. The Presentation Center space, as it is called, features a theatrical presentation that connects the past and the future of Madison Square Garden to evoke the thrill of an evening in the arena. Physical "keys" cue lighting and video and surround visitors with colorful and emotional content. In addition to the Presentation Center, the ongoing story of a re-imagined Garden is also shown through sales materials and a website. The project was done in collaboration with TPG Architecture. The makeover of the arena is slated for completion by 2011.
Contact: www.hornallanderson.com

REAL ITALIANS REJUVENATE A&P BRAND
 
NEW YORK NY
A&P Supermarkets tapped graphic design firm united to refresh the look of its latest array of private label brands, including the Via Roma range of Italian products. The first national supermarket chain in the U.S. has been selling its own proprietary brand products since 1880, but wanted something fresh for its new lines, especially as a tough economy raises demand for more affordable home labels. Creatives at united, which has offices in New York and San Francisco, shot unique portraits on location in Tuscany. "This new authentic Italian brand shows off their true character, expression and emotion, in a way that has not been presented before in U.S.," says united. The black and white portraits wrap around pasta packaging, jars of sauce and packets of Italian cookies, as well as adorning billboards and online ads.

WATERSHED MOMENT FOR PLASTIC BOTTLES
 
NEW YORK NY
An eco-art installation titled Watershed, made from 1,500 plastic water bottles, has been doing the rounds in New York City. Design firm MSLK developed the installation, whose first stop in September was the global premiere of the film The Age of Stupid, sponsored by eco-friendly organizations including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. Following the movie site display, the installation was reconfigured and displayed at the DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival. Mixed throughout the installation are facts about the growth of the bottled water industry, including the stunning tidbit that 1,500 bottles represent just one second of U.S. consumption and that bottled water costs 1000 times more than tap water. "When thinking about making a change to be more eco-friendly, abandoning plastic water is a great place to start," says MSLK principal Sheri L Koetting.
Contact: www.mslk.com

DESIGN ARMY RAISES THE BARRE
 
WASHINGTON DC
Design Army looked to the tale of Alice in Wonderland as inspiration for a commemorative book for The Washington Ballet (TWB). The book marks the upcoming 10th anniversary of artistic director Septime Webre's debut at the dance company. "It really was a dream project," says Jake Lefebure, Creative Director at the Washington DC design firm, which undertook the pro-bono project. Design Army has worked with TWB since 2003 and started thinking about the anniversary celebration some two years ago, envisaging a big artsy coffee-table book unlike anything generally done in Capital area arts circles. Using the Alice story as a backdrop, the creative team shot the dancers at seven locations around the city. "We had to create magic in a city full of connotations," says Lefebure. Besides using the book to raise funds for, and awareness, of TWB, he says the firm's creative goal was to "elevate creative awareness for Washington, which typically has a stale, political kind of image." Creative credits include photographer Cade Martin, Creative Directors Jake Lefebure and Pum Lefebure, Art Director Pum Lefebure, Designers Lucas Badger, Taylor Buckholz and Scott Vadas and Copywriter S.W. Smith. Only two thousand issues of Wonderland will be available for sale through TWB, with release slated for mid-October.
Contact: www.designarmy.com, www.washingtonballet.org