7TH ON SIXTH FASHION WEEK IS BRANDED THEN SHORTENED
New York NY: The annual Mercedes-Benz 7th On Sixth Fashion Week was a robust success for several days on the streets of Manhattan before it was appropriately cancelled on the fateful September 11. During the show's run, the much-remarked-upon graphic theme that branded and united the show was the work of ink&co branding and advertising. Agency creative director Sam Sohaili and senior art director Paul Slater tapped artist and fashion designer Stephen Sprouse to bring the "raw creative drive of street graffiti" to the look of the event. This was accomplished by having the team identify key words, which Sprouse handwrote in black marker, and which were then digitally scanned and designed into workable phrases. The graffiti was applied in fluorescent colors to numerous elements such as tents, bus covers, truck panels, park banners and indoor signage. Of the approach, art director Slater observes that whenever possible, instead of straight delivery of corporate-branded messages, visual communication "should be courageous and creative, challenging and surprising to the viewer."

STARBUCKS ICE CREAM PACKAGE ADDS PRODUCT SPECIFICS
San Francisco CA: While the Starbucks name has high consumer awareness, its association with the ice cream category is not so well known. Surrounded by fierce competition in the frozen desserts segment, the company invited Enterprise IG, San Francisco, to create a more exciting and unified brand identity. The Enterprise IG team concluded up front that the Starbucks logo should be the central focus of the package, but that the design also had to focus more on the communication of product specific attributes and less on the core corporate brand values. To achieve this balance, the logo was enlarged but it was also surrounded with a swirly, creamy light background that also expressed the notion of ice cream. Coffee beans and other ingredients were also photographed and added to enhance overall appetite appeal. Bold color bands and clean typography were incorporated to facilitate consumers' ability to quickly distinguish between flavors. Lastly, a "Fresh Roasted Ice Cream" stamp was added to reinforce its credentials. Officials note that Starbucks is in the ice cream business through a joint venture with Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.

AGENCY STRUCTURES FOR COMPENSATION ON PERFORMANCE
Chapel Hill NC: Newly formed and unconventionally structured advertising agency The Republik is organizing to deal with the difficult business climate. Under the arrangement all Republik stock is employee-owned and all management is elected by the employees/partners who are presently nine in number. Robert Shaw West has resigned as creative director at West & Vaughan to become president and ceo; previously he held creative posts at Ammirati & Puris, Earle Palmer Browne, and FCB in New York. Per its self-declared Manifesto, The Republik is four things: a partnership where employee compensation is a share of profits based on performance and agency fees are a share of client sales based on performance; a specialist in creative advertising while providing other services such as media buying through affiliates; a lean company where copywriter, art director and account planner report directly to the client and not through an account executive or creative director; and a simple company where client identity will be "uncovered, not assigned." In addition to West, the founders include David Smith, previously of J. Walter Thompson, Brian Murray and Scott Pridgen, previously of West & Vaughan, Philip Wilson, previously of DDB Chicago, Flint Cohen, previously of Garfield Group, Francis George, previously of Kirshenbaum, Troy Livingston, previously of Nortel, and Janine Levitt.

HORNALL ANDERSON NETS GREEN AND GOLD FOR NBA SONICS
Seattle WA: To evoke the tradition and heritage of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association, Hornall Anderson Design Works has unveiled an identity for the team that focuses on green and gold, and is reminiscent of the team's 1979 championship season. The identity is described as "a return to fundamentals — on and off the court... The logo emphasizes the renewal of passion, commitment, responsibility and respect for the game on both the fans' and the players' parts." The hope, say design firm officials, is to "create a timeless look, composed of the classic attributes shared by logos of such teams as the Cubs, Packers and Yankees, as well as the authenticity represented by great college athletic programs."

MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHERS RESPOND TO TWIN TOWERS CRISIS
New York NY: By now, the story of September 11 has been burned into our collective memory, but few have seen New York from the perspective of Magnum photographers. Eleven members of the famous photo agency immediately dispersed from their monthly meeting in New York as events unfolded to document the incomprehensible. Their photographs are collected together in 'New York September 11,' a hardcover book by Magnum Photographers and published by powerHouse Books. From their various vantage points, the images transport the reader to Ground Zero to witness the destruction of the World Trade Center, the buildings' implosion and the exodus out of Manhattan, as well as a return to quiet observation and admiration of the rescue workers. As a tribute to the World Trade Center's noted place in history, New York September 11, by Magnum Photographers will also include some of the most beloved photographs of the Twin Towers taken by Magnum over the last quarter of a century. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to an accredited charitable organization, The New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund.

The project is the result of the generosity and talents of many. On the products and services side, Smart Papers made a major donation of its new Knightkote Matte grade for a full printing of 100,000 books. Key services and products were also donated by Meridian Printing, Gist Inc. Prepress, Bindtech, Acme Bookbinding, Kappa Graphic Board USA, Duggal Visual Solutions and Laumont Photographics.

Magnum photographers responding on September 11 include Steve McCurry, Susan Meiselas, Larry Towell, Gilles Peress, Thomas Hoepker, Alex Webb, Paul Fusco, Eli Reed, David Alan Harvey, Bruce Gilden, Chien-Chi Chang. Classic World Trade Center photos have been provided by Bruce Davidson, Dennis Stock, Burt Glinn, Hiroji Kubota, Josef Koudelka, Richard Kalvar and Raymond Depardon. The book is designed by Yolanda Cuomo Design with an introduction by David Halberstam.

Contact: 212.604.9074 or sara@powerHouseBooks.com

AMERICANS SIDE BY SIDE POSTER COMMUNICATES HOPE
New York NY: In response to the World Trade Center disaster, Suka & Friends Design designed this poster and distributed it throughout New York and the country. The catalyst to create the piece, says president Susan Karlin, came from an AIGA communiqué one day after the attack whose message was, in essence, "Do not feel helpless. Each of you has an extraordinary and special gift — the creativity and skill to help people understand better." Mead donated the paper and Conceptual Litho Reproductions the printing. Needless to say, the red, white and blue poster is a silhouette of the twin towers.

LIENHART CREATES ILLINOIS ANTI-HATE CRIME IDENTITY
Chicago IL: Jim Lienhart has developed a new identity for the Illinois Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. The two-year-old Commission has recently stepped up its statewide education efforts to implement policies and state laws that battle violence and acts of discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender or disabilities. The Commission's goal: to help calm tensions created by discrimination and to reduce hate-related crimes. Lienhart, whose work has received more than 300 awards from major national design shows, comments: "This symbol was designed to reflect the spirit of freedom and justice, combined with a sense of care and help."

SKATEBOARDER TONY HAWK BALANCES BUSINESS AND STREET
Glendale CA:Tony Hawk, the Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods of the skateboard world, has a new corporate identity for his licensing and merchandising company, Tony Hawk Inc., as well as a related foundation. The challenge, explains Kevin Walker of the Boardwalk design agency, is to balance the company's positioning as a reliable business partner while remaining true to the athlete's "street" heritage. Boardwalk has a specialty in sports imagery, having created the Staples Center identity in Los Angeles and marketing materials for the Los Angeles Dodgers, among others.

PLAYERS TAKE OVER SEGA DREAMCAST SPORTS PACKAGING
San Diego CA: Delivering a dose of "in-your-face" design, Mires, a brand consulting and strategic design firm, recently created packaging for the new Sega Dreamcast Sports Pack 2K1 bundle. The design pairs the Dreamcast video game console with three of its popular sports games — football, baseball and basketball — and extends other packaging graphics that Mires has executed for the client. John Ball, principal of Mires, comments: "The design solution is more evocative of what's inside. The players in the games take over the package and sell the product... The story is that you're not just playing a game — you are a player in the game." Robert Schonfisch is director of creative services at Sega of America.

DOUBLE 'D' MONOGRAM EXPRESSES THE SPIRIT OF DORIS DUKE
New York NY: The Carbone Smolan Agency has completed design of a new identity for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, one of America's 25 largest philanthropies. The integrated program seeks to project a modern vision for the Foundation while graphically unifying the focus of its philanthropic efforts: medical research, performing arts, environmental conservation and child abuse prevention. Applied to print materials, marketing communications and the internet, the cornerstone of the identity is a logo of two overlapping, uppercase Ds, which resemble a monogram. Duke's initials in the grillwork at the entrance of her estate in Somerville, NJ, provided the starting point for the logo exploration. The resulting wordmark is rendered in Joanna, a half-century-old serif typeface, while "Charitable Foundation" appears in the modern sans-serif typeface Din. Says Leslie Smolan, co-founder and executive director for client relations at CSA: "There's no question that Miss Duke was an iconoclast whose generous spirit is reflected in the impressive contributions she made during her lifetime. As an agency, it has been a privilege to design a new identity that combines her personal philanthropic approach with a contemporary administrative model that positions [the Foundation] for the future."

US DESIGN, 1975-2000 EXHIBIT SET FOR DENVER ART MUSEUM
Denver CO: The Denver Art Museum and curator R. Craig Miller have announced plans for an ambitious exhibition — US Design, 1975-2000 — to be installed at the Denver Art Museum from February 23 to late May 2002. The exhibition represents the culmination of a five-year effort by Miller and an advisory team of design scholars and critics, and will seek to document the accomplishments of three generations of American graphic, industrial, architecture and furniture designers. Among the designers whose works will be featured are Robert Venturi, Frank Gehry, Deborah Sussman, Thom Mayne, Steven Holl and Katherine McCoy, as well as several rising young designers. The exhibit will travel to New York and other as yet undisclosed sites in 2003.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM SERVES ANIMATED WEB SITE
Portland OR: A logo, brochure and animated web site have been designed by gehrschoen for the law firm of Davidson, Davidson & Kappel, LLC. The logo links the DDK letterforms, while the web site uses the letterforms as well in an introductory animation, by designer Heidi Butenschoen and animator Cory Carr, that becomes the background for the rest of the site. It also includes information about the firm, as well as providing patent search links. The project also includes a German language brochure for the firm's new Frankfurt, Germany, office.

PERSONALIZED SIGNATURE WARMS CONFERENCE CENTERS
Morristown NJ: Dolce International, which owns and operates conference centers worldwide, has a new identity intended to make it the first branded conference center company and to differentiate its niche from that of the general hotel industry. The company recently entered a partnership and received $100 million from Soros Real Estate Investors, and is expected to double its size to 35 properties in the next three to five years. The branding was executed by Trajectory, a New Jersey design firm, that developed a script version of Dolce's logo to provide a warm presentation of the name, like a personalized signature which, say the designers, "works well globally." Other elements of the identity: the inclusion of the word "International" to reflect current expansion plans into Europe; and the positioning line, "Conference Destinations," to diminish confusion as to whether the property is a hotel, a resort or otherwise. Thus far, the identity has been included on letterhead, corporate brochures, a Dolce/American Airlines brochure, cards and a CD-ROM.

GELLMAN CREATES INTERNAL BRAND FOR SMURFIT-STONE
St. Louis MO: Stan Gellman Graphic Design has created an internal brand identity for Smurfit-Stone, a major producer of paperboard and paper-based packaging products. The CustomerOne identity program is intended to assist in branding the vision, values and principles of the company. Barry Tilson, president of the design firm, explains that the "identity for CustomerOne imparts a vision in its presentation and evokes qualities of leadership, teamwork, continuous improvement and the culture of a quality program. The graphics convey a foundation for how to conduct business while embracing the entrepreneurial spirit of Smurfit-Stone." In addition to a logo, the design firm created an identity manual and overview, plant banners, packaging, plaques, posters, CDs and training manuals. An intranet site and electronic newsletter are also part of the program. In addition to Tilson, designers on the program were Mike Donovan, Jill Lampen and Erin Goter.

BELYEA CREATES EQUAL THREE-WAY DESIGN FIRM PARTNERSHIP
Seattle WA: Graphic design and marketing firm Belyea has a new ownership structure consisting of a three-way partnership between founder Patricia Belyea, senior designer Ron Lars Hansen and systems manager Michael Stone. Hansen, an oft-honored designer who has been with the firm for the last five years, directs creative services and leads the design team. Stone continues to manage the technical side which he has done since 1991. Patricia Belyea, who oversees client and strategic services as well as day-to-day operations, comments: "When Ron joined the firm in 1996, he had a vision to raise the level of design at Belyea. Since then he has put us on the map. With this partnership, Ron, Michael and I are committed to helping our clients realize success through strategic visual communications."

SIGN SERIES IDENTIFIES AND TEACHES AT LA'S WINNICK ZOO
Pasadena CA: Visitors to the Los Angeles Zoo's new Winnick Family Children's Zoo are greeted by a menagerie of informational signage designed to teach young people about animals and zoo life. Working closely with Zoo officials, Hunt Design Associates produced colorful, easy-to-read informational signs that are strategically placed in front of animal habitats. Although designed as a series, they showcase each animal individually, serve as identification, interpretive graphics with a bi-lingual component and attraction marquee. Three different types of design make up the series: one is backlit, the second is freestanding, and the third is made of easily interchangeable components that facilitate updating of facts and information.

FITCH IS DESIGNATED FLAGSHIP BRAND FOR CORDIANT EFFORT
Columbus OH: Fitch has been designated the flagship brand for all design and branding companies within Cordiant Communications Group. Nine companies and over 700 employees will belong to the Fitch network, constituting the second largest of its kind in the world. The constituent companies within the Fitch network will retain their names to capitalize on their respective positions but will add the Fitch name as a co-brand. For example, Primo Angeli, the 30-year-old design consultancy, will now be known as Primo Angeli-Fitch.

A new Fitch brand is currently being developed for the network and, when launched internationally in December 2001, will represent the unification of Cordiant's high-profile acquisition last year of the 17-company Lighthouse Global Network. The companies belonging to the Fitch network are AAD, Added Value Design, Bamber Forsyth, Decision Shop, The Leonhardt Group, Peclers, Primo Angeli, and PSD. The next step, say Cordiant Communications officials, will be to convert the Bates design subsidiaries located in Norway, Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa and Brazil into fully-fledged Fitch offices.

Cordiant is the ninth largest marketing services firm in the world and Bates is the principal operating unit of Cordiant. Paul Stead, ceo of the Cordiant Communications Group Branding and Design Division, comments: "It is an exciting time to be at the heart of building a real network that brings together a group of dynamic businesses to give clients the broadest design and branding solution available. By our individual agencies adopting a co-brand, it shows the level of commitment we have to making this alliance work..."