COMMUNICATION ARTS TYPOGRAPHY ANNUAL 7 Kim Herbst Sleek Machine Dotdash Tyler Gourley Hello Monday Exhibit January/Feb
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COMMUNICATION ARTS TYPOGRAPHY ANNUAL 7
Kim Herbst Sleek Machine Dotdash Tyler Gourley Hello Monday Exhibit
January/February 2017 Twenty-Four Dollars commarts.com
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 VOLUME 58 NUMBER 6
COMMUNICATION ARTS ��
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FEATURES 28 Kim Herbst
by Ruth Hagopian This San Francisco–based artist infuses her illustrations with rich atmospheres and fantastic elements.
36 Sleek Machine
by Carey Dunne Budgets may be reasonable, but creativity runs high in this Boston ad agency.
COVER Oposta typeface, p. 163.
44 Tyler Gourley
by Anne Telford The work of this Los Angeles–based photographer exudes natural light and motion.
52 Dotdash
by Tonya Turner A design firm in Brisbane, Australia, brings clarity to spaces with wayfinding solutions.
60 Hello Monday
by Joe Shepter Nothing about this multinational digital design firm is conventional, from its work to its personality.
68 Exhibit
by Jean A. Coyne The latest and best in visual communication from here and abroad.
�� TYPOGRAPHY ANNUAL 76 92 100 106 113 118 124 128 133 136 138 146 151 165 170 173
Posters Brochures Advertising Ephemera Packaging Identity Books Periodicals Digital Media Motion Environmental Calligraphy Typeface Design Miscellaneous Unpublished Student Work
FRESH Editor/Designer Patrick Coyne Executive Editor Jean A. Coyne Managing Editor Michael Coyne
184
Daniel Ting Chong Humor and emotional connections enrich the work of this Cape Town, South Africa, artist.
186
Osborne Macharia A Nairobi-based photographer’s work rewrites misconceptions about African culture.
Associate Editor Esther Oh
188
Elana Schlenker From her studio in Pittsburgh, this designer combines vivid colors with pragmatic editorial aesthetics.
Art Director/Designer Jessica Reichard Production Manager/Competition Coordinator Lauren Coyne
COLUMNS 12
Advertising Ernie Schenck calls for a return to originality in advertising.
18
Typography Variability will revolutionize OpenType, and Thomas Phinney explains how.
190
Editor At Large Anne Telford
Business Rebecca Huval details the need to keep fighting for gender equality in advertising.
13
Design Culture Protection through art comes in many different forms, Wendy Richmond finds.
22
Voices Anne Telford discusses the current state of the illustration industry.
Print Producer Daniel Sambrano
14
Creativity John Clifford interviews three creatives who found success in switching disciplines.
Design/Production Associate Joni Rivas
24
Archivist Nancy Clark Lewis
Design Details Legal cannabis is a gold rush opportunity in the design world, Ellen Shapiro reports.
Production Assistant/Customer Service Representative Khader Yanni
Software Engineers Jiping Hu Srividhya Gopalakrishnan Technology Administrator Michael Hoyt
192
Insights Sarah Brooks uncovers how design can improve government programs.
Advertising Director Valerie Pippin Circulation Director Perry Fotos Accounting Lois Vega
DEPARTMENTS 8 10 23 194 196 198 201 202
Contributing Editors Sam McMillan Wendy Richmond Ernie Schenck
Editor’s Column Contributors Web Watch Book Reviews Favorites Index to Typography Annual 7 Directory Overheard
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EDITOR’S COLUMN
Patrick Coyne
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his year’s typography competition received 1,839 entries— a 5.5 percent increase over the previous year. Although we registered declines in some traditional print-based submissions, such as brochures and ephemera, we saw healthy increases in packaging projects, books, periodicals and typefaces.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the number of typefaces submitted,” juror Lara McCormick says. “It’s exciting to see fresh new faces designing typefaces! A few type families felt whimsical in a way I hadn’t encountered before.” “To see such a wide collection of work, many times with intelligent and thoughtful typographic decisions being made, reassured me that the craft is not dying,” says juror Neil Summerour. “It was a really interesting—if not always flattering—snapshot of the industry in 2016, but overall, it’s good to see that the craft is alive, diverse and well,” juror Craig Ward says.
“For me, it had to be the elaborate Sanborn Map Co.–style of typography and, of course, the hand-lettered brush script,” says Ward. “The latter wasn’t really a surprise, as it’s so rife on Instagram and social media, but the Sanborn-style type was a swerve, as I was expecting a lean toward geometry, flat graphics and patterns.” “It was interesting to see the strong influence that social media— especially Instagram accounts and trends—has on the typographic decisions of creatives,” Summerour says. “It called attention to those who moved past that, defined a style for themselves and their work, and stuck to it.” “I was pleased by the healthy number of entries that took a traditional, no-frills approach to typography,” says McCormick. “When working with type, deliberate
I asked the jurors which visual trends became apparent during judging.
gestures, both large and
“Brush lettering is a big trend, especially in combination with photography,” McCormick says. “A lot of the liquor packaging looked similar in a Jack Daniel’s, speakeasyera, Great Gatsby sort of way.”
When I asked the jurors
small, speak volumes.”
to name their greatest disappointments with the entries, they echoed complaints heard in
Photographs by Steve Castillo
previous years.
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Typography Annual 2017
“The lack of printed entries was disappointing,” McCormick says. “When something is embossed or letterpressed, you want to touch it and hold it in your hands. For large items, like posters, it’s also important to provide a sense of scale. A poster that covers an entire wall has an entirely different impact than when it is tabloid size.” “It is easier to send an electronic file, but the work loses so much when viewed as a collection of pixels instead of having a visceral connection to the creative who produced it,” Summerour says. When asked what he would like to see more of in future competitions, Summerour was emphatic. “More kinetic type,” he says. “So much of how we interact with type now is specifically created for a screen of some form. Decisions that are made for the screen are inherently different from those made for the printed page—and that matters.” I asked about other technical developments that may change the way we use typography in the future. “Web fonts just keep getting better,” says McCormick. “And the things that can be done with CSS are giving designers more options and control when it comes to digital typography.” “Virtual, 360-degree wayfinding systems and 3-D space have always been extremely difficult for designers in the past, and although new technologies will always pose challenges, they’re also great opportunities to move things forward,” Ward says.
LARA MCCORMICK is a nationally recognized designer and educator and is currently head of design education at the San Francisco–based online education platform CreativeLive. She is the author of Playing with Type: 50 Graphic Experiments for Exploring Typographic Design Principles (Rockport Press). McCormick holds an MFA in design from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and a postgraduate degree in typography from Cooper Union. She has taught design and typography at the University of California, Berkeley; General Assembly; the Pratt Institute and the SVA. Her workshops and presentations on typography focus on everything from fundamentals to web type to experimentation, and she continues to explore new ways of making and implementing letterforms.
Lastly, I asked about the challenges the next generation of type designers currently faces. “Staying relevant and producing worthwhile work in a saturated industry are going to be the biggest challenges,” Ward says. “Type design is such a huge undertaking,” says McCormick. “It’s a craft that takes years to master, and it’s important that this next generation recognizes the focus it takes to create a usable face. The creation of letterforms takes care and consideration and a true love of form and shape. Then there’s the other side, making it functional—which involves math and precision. Not every designer can do both.” “Type design is not for the wild side that flippantly draws letters with abandon, nor is it for the austere programmer. It is a fusion of both of those eccentrics,” Summerour says. “It requires constant, unrelenting commitment, self-examination and introspection, and a desire to make things that few will ever notice.” A minimum of two out of three votes was required for inclusion in this year’s typography annual. Judges were not permitted to vote on projects in which they were directly involved. I would like to extend our appreciation to our jurors for their conscientious efforts and to Kamal Mansour, manager of non-Latin products at Monotype, who graciously assisted our jurors by providing insights on the legibility and appropriateness of non-Latin typeface entries. ca
NEIL SUMMEROUR is a Jefferson, Georgia–based type designer and lettering artist. He’s founder of the type foundry Positype and the lettering studio Swash & Kern. He’s won the Type Directors Club’s Certificate of Typographic Excellence six times and was a 2012 recipient of the Morisawa Type Design Competition’s People’s Choice Award for his Japanese typeface, Tegaki. His type and lettering work is used by such renowned brands as ABC, Audible Inc., BBC News, Colliers International, David Bowie, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Good Housekeeping, id Software, L’Oréal, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Oculus VR, Panera Bread Company, PINK, Revlon and Victoria’s Secret. He currently serves as chair for the Society of Typographic Aficionados.
CRAIG WARD is a Britishborn designer and art director who recently became senior vice president, head of design at Deutsch, New York. Occasional artist, author of the best-selling book Popular Lies* About Graphic Design (Actar) and a frequent contributor to several industry journals, Ward is best known for his pioneering typographic work for an international roster of clients that includes Adobe, Calvin Klein, Dior, Hennessy, the New York Times, Nike, and countless others across the fashion, music, advertising and publishing industries. Ward is a former ADC Young Gun and a recipient of Communication Arts’ Award of Excellence in typography three years in a row. His work has been exhibited in Europe, the United States and the Far East and documented in many books and journals.
Communication Arts | commarts.com
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CONTRIBUTORS Features Carey Dunne ([email protected]) is a Brooklyn-based writer covering arts and culture. Her work has appeared in publications including Brooklyn Magazine, Fast Company, Hyperallergic and Time Out. In this issue, Dunne discovers the personality of Bostonian ad agency Sleek Machine. Ruth Hagopian ([email protected]) is a freelance writer and editor whose profiles of designers, photographers and artists have appeared in Create, Digital Graphics and Print magazines. She was also a partner at San Francisco–based design firm Visual Strategies. In this issue, Hagopian showcases San Francisco– based illustrator Kim Herbst. Joe Shepter ([email protected]) is a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter who has written for global CEOs as well as for brands such as AT&T, Coca-Cola and Microsoft. In this issue, Shepter describes the digital design firm Hello Monday. Tonya Turner (tonyaturner.com.au) likes words—especially writing them. She has worked as a journalist at newspapers across Australia, and now, based in Brisbane, she is writing about design, architecture, home interiors, food, the arts and travel. In this issue, Turner profiles the wayfinding solutions of Brisbane design studio Dotdash.
Columns John Clifford (thinkstudionyc.com) is an award-winning graphic designer and owner of New York City’s Think Studio. He authored the book Graphic Icons: Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design and has written for 99U, AIGA, ArtDesk magazine and Core77. In this issue’s Creativity
column, Clifford interviews three artists who switched disciplines mid-career. Rebecca Huval ([email protected]) writes about design and the many ways it intersects with our world. Her byline has appeared in publications such as the Awl, GOOD and Sactown Magazine. Formerly the managing editor of Communication Arts, she is now a journalist and writer based in Sacramento. In this issue’s Business column, Huval tackles the ad industry’s lack of gender equity. Thomas Phinney (thomasphinney.com) is a typographer, consultant, font detective and type designer. Previously the senior technical product manager at Extensis and part of Adobe’s type team, he has served as vice president of FontLab since 2014. In this issue’s Typography column, Phinney details how variable type will change design forever. Wendy Richmond (wendyrichmond.com) is a visual artist, writer and educator whose work explores public privacy, personal technology and creativity. Having taught at Harvard University, the International Center of Photography and the Rhode Island School of Design, she now serves on BRIC’s Artists Advisory Council and the MacDowell Fellows Executive Committee. Her latest book is Art Without Compromise*. In this issue’s Design Culture column, Richmond learns how multiple experts approach the concept of defense. Ernie Schenck (ernieschenckcreative.prosite. com) is a freelance writer, creative director and regular contributor to Communication Arts’ Advertising column. An Emmy finalist, three-time Kelly nominee, and perennial award winner at Cannes, the CLIOs, D&AD,
the FWAs and the One Show, he worked as executive creative director at Hill Holliday/ Boston and cofounded Pagano Schenck & Kay. In this issue’s Advertising column, Schenck discusses the need for original thought in advertising. Ellen Shapiro (visualanguage.net) is a graphic designer and writer based in Irvington, New York. Author of The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Clients and more than 200 articles about design, illustration, photography and visual culture, Shapiro has been contributing to Communication Arts since 1991. In this issue’s Design Details column, Shapiro uncovers the nascent marijuana market’s need for design.
Book Reviews Angelynn Grant (angelynngrant.com) is a Boston-based graphic designer, writer and educator. She has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Institute of Boston, Simmons College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sam McMillan (wordstrong.com) is a San Francisco Bay Area–based writer, brand strategist and regular contributor to Communication Arts.
Corrections In the 2016 November/December issue, on the contents page, we mistakenly printed that Judit Besze is based in Prague. She is based in Budapest. Our apologies. On page 93, Riley Shine should have been listed as an art director on the magazine ad series for YETI coolers. On page 137, Rob Sturch should have been listed as a creative director on the Volkswagen Canada online video.
Pictured contributors wrote features and columns: Carey Dunne, Ruth Hagopian, Joe Shepter, Tonya Turner, John Clifford, Rebecca Huval, Thomas Phinney, Wendy Richmond, Ernie Schenck and Ellen Shapiro. 10
Typography Annual 2017
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Are We Creative Anymore?
“It can make you wonder: How much is originality valued anymore? Look at Hollywood. Ninety percent of films are recycles or remakes. How many books are teen dystopias? Songs? Can you say sampling? Creatively, has stealing lost its pejorative? God, I hope not.”—James Overall
T
hat’s a comment James Overall left on a recent post of mine on Facebook. I had called out what was clearly a blatant case of advertising plagiarism, in which the victim was one of the most lauded TV spots of all time, “If You Let Me Play.” It was not an homage. It was not a coincidence. And the worst thing was that the people responsible for it knew they were drafting off one of the highest-profile commercials imaginable. Yet they did it anyway. Even though I didn’t say a thing about the agency, the brand or the creative team behind “If You Let Me Play”—that would be Janet Champ and Charlotte Moore—for most of you, it doesn’t matter. You know as surely as you would know the players behind Apple’s “1984” spot. But for a disturbing number of us… well, we apparently have no clue. This is mind-boggling at best. Professionally negligent at worst. It has been said that those who don’t learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. But think about this: those who don’t know or revere or learn from all the great work that has gone before them in this business are doomed to a career built on the hideously misguided belief that stealing has gotten a bum wrap.
Stealing has gone mainstream I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by this. As Overall says, stealing has gone mainstream. Does anyone know where The Hunger Games ends and Divergent begins? The songs all sound alike. The games all play alike. And although this author or that songwriter will cry foul now and then, for the most part the originality bar just gets lower and lower, inch by inch, year after year. To be sure, people like Faris Yakob aren’t wrong when they say that genius steals. On the surface, this sounds heretical, professionally sacrilegious, the flagrant musings of a person who needs to be burned at the stake. But what Faris means to say, of course, is that nothing comes from nothing, that every big idea is really just the unexpected union of other ideas that have gone before and that the real creative act lies in the genius of seeing and making those connections. You steal this and you steal that and you put them together and you make something the world has never seen before. This is nothing new. 12
Typography Annual 2017
Remember Honda’s “Cog” spot? Shortly after “Cog” appeared on television, Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) received a letter from Peter Fischli and David Weiss, creators of the 1987 art film Der Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go), which featured a Rube Goldberg–esque conceit similar to that of “Cog.” Plagiarism, Fischli and Weiss claimed. Not so, countered W+K, maintaining that there’s a big difference between being inspired by art and blatantly stealing it. Maybe so. Maybe not.
One man’s stealing is another woman’s homage “As much as advertising veterans would like to believe that young creatives remember, care about or hold 20-year-old ad executions up as the bar to reach, they don’t.” Laura Sweet is a creative director and an art director in Los Angeles. Unlike virtually everyone else weighing in on the “If You Let Me Play” heist, Sweet wasn’t buying into any of it. “I’d bet the creatives, the agency and the client weren’t even aware of ‘If You Let Me Play.’ And if they were? It’s akin to our generation’s homages to DDB’s Volkswagen ads that ran 20 years before we were in the business.” Perhaps. What I know for certain is this: If Hollywood wants to churn out one endless superhero movie after another, well, there is nothing I can do about that. If novelists want to rework each other’s dystopian stories ad nauseum, have at it. If young singers want to be Adele or Gaga or Sia, hey, knock yourselves out. But advertising? Please. We’re bigger than that. David Fincher puts it this way: “I watched a lot of creative directors get rope-a-doped. I could see that they wanted to be able to execute something, and the experts who were hired to help and support them would go, ‘We don’t really have the time for that.’ So I watched talented people I liked and admired get spun and worked, and I vowed never to let that happen. I was like, ‘I want to know what every muthaf---er in the room does.’ I never wanted to be the guy who was victimized by other people’s laziness.” Creative laziness doesn’t define us. It never used to. It doesn’t have to now. ca
DESIGN CULTURE
Wendy Richmond
A Conversation on the Art of Protection
W
hen you’re making art, you are immersed in periods of terrific, concentrated focus. But this can also create blinders, causing your vision to be narrow and restricted to your own ideas and experiences. When I feel this tendency coming on, I look for outside perspectives. My current artwork is about the contradictions of the body: a miraculous, self-healing machine that has an equally powerful capacity to wreak havoc on itself. I’ve been studying different examples of protection, from the literal, like advances in immunology, to the metaphorical, like mythical figures in medieval armor (see “Medusa Is My Armor,” November/December 2016). The broader the range of resources, the more my art is enriched. So when a friend recently asked me to put together a panel for Brooklyn’s Art Slope festival, I saw an opportunity. What if I could assemble professionals whose work addressed the same subject— our need to protect ourselves and our desire to protect others— but from different points of view? What a great way to expand my perceptions and knowledge! Selfish, yes, but I felt we would all gain from the exchange. I titled the panel “Body Armor: A Conversation on the Art of Protection.” I found four experts whose work responds to the body’s strength and fragility in diverse disciplines: tattoo artistry, medical science, fashion design and photography. Tattoo artist David Sena has many devotees—especially among those who find protection in metaphors. Sena showed us a stunning array of protective iconography: chrysanthemums, dragons, evil eyes, gods and writhing snakes, sometimes covering the entire body. Getting tattooed is a commitment to a long, painful procedure ending with a permanent adornment. That in itself is proof of strength. Dr. Diane Felsen is a scientist who views the body as a different kind of canvas: she researches skin cancer and the immune system. Dr. Felsen described our skin as armor: it serves as a protective barrier for infection control, and it provides crucial sensing for temperature and touch. But if damaged, our skin can turn against us, generating abnormal cell proliferation and tumors. Lucy Jones’s creations provide both physical and psychological protection. She designs clothing for people with disabilities, marrying style and function by altering mainstream fashion’s design process. In her project Seated Design, Jones modifies patterns to
accommodate the needs of people who are confined to wheelchairs as well as the needs of those who help them. The beauty of the garment (literally an art of protection) is vital. No one signifies strength—in both body and character—more than Muhammad Ali. Peter Angelo Simon is a photographer who chronicled Ali at his training camp in Pennsylvania as he prepared to reclaim the title of boxing’s heavyweight champion of the world. The resulting images were published in Simon’s new book, Muhammad Ali: Fighter’s Heaven 1974. In addition to physical preparation, the camp was designed to nourish Ali’s image of himself as a champion. In other words, Ali was developing both his physical and mental armor. It is particularly poignant that Ali, once seemingly invincible, succumbed to a disease that may have been related to his own forms of defense. After the panelists’ presentations, the discussion was ripe with connections. For example, Jones described a conversation with a woman she was designing for. The woman, who had a skin disorder, told Jones that she tattooed the adjacent skin to match her ailment. As I listened, it occurred to me that trying to fit in and be “normal” is not always the desired form of protection. I went home that night eager to put my new knowledge and insights to work. I planned to get up early and go straight to the studio. But the next morning, I checked the weather—unseasonably hot and sunny—and then looked for the fastest subway route to the ocean. I opened a tube of sunscreen (SPF 50) and was extra careful to cover all exposed parts of my body. I arrived at the beach and removed my sneakers, even though I was nervous about pieces of sharp litter (my skin provides no protective barrier against glass or metal). I put my feet in the water and was startled by the cold; gradually, it became tolerable, then pleasant. As I walked, I saw everything through the filter of the previous evening’s event. I witnessed a barrage of all sorts of protection, from tattoos, muscles and cover-ups to bravado and quiet contemplation. By the end of the day, I felt both energized and exhausted: I had consumed an emotional, intellectual and sensory feast. Armed with a surplus of new perspectives, I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time in my studio. I want to close the door behind me, put my blinders back on and see what happens. ca ©2017 W. Richmond
Communication Arts | commarts.com
13
CREATIVITY
John Clifford
Switch
Briar Levit, who has designed for books and publications like Bitch (left), plunged into the world of documentary filmmaking to create Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production (right). Her documentary covers design production from the 1950s to the 1990s, before digital media changed the industry.
C
hange or die.” Business writer Alan Deutschman’s words may sound dramatic, but ever-changing tools and media are transforming traditional approaches to visual communication. We cannot sit still and expect to thrive. Meet three designers who took Deutschman’s advice to heart and changed course, whether by adding a new skill, embracing digital interaction or switching to a related field.
The hardest part of trying something new is the fear that you shouldn’t be doing it, that you should really stay in your lane and focus on your own expertise. But if we all did that, design and art would never push forward. So many of the greats crossed disciplines, like Charles and Ray Eames and the members of the Bauhaus and constructivism movements.
Briar Levit
How quickly I was able to adapt to my new medium. I also found collaboration superexciting. I’ve worked in a solitary way for much of my graphic design career, and it was great to see people in other disciplines coming together to make something collaboratively.
“I never thought I would make a film,” says book and publication designer Briar Levit, who is an assistant professor at Portland (Oregon) State University. Yet here she is, wrapping up her feature-length documentary Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production. Why make a film? I decided to make the movie after showing my collection of obsolete design manuals to some younger designers I know. It was clear that they really had no idea about the processes of design production before the desktop computer. If I hadn’t already seen Linotype: The Film, directed by designer Doug Wilson, I don’t think making a film on this topic would have even occurred to me. How did you learn filmmaking? I read a lot on documentary direction, I went to workshops, I went to multiday Oregon Doc Camps (oregondoccamp.com), and, most important, I enlisted the help and expertise of friends and colleagues, like Dawn Jones Redstone, my director of photography. Wilson was incredibly helpful and encouraging, but also very realistic. There was no sugarcoating. What was the hardest part? 14
Typography Annual 2017
What surprised you most along the way?
How does your past work inform your current work? My experience with narrative in relation to graphic design offered a good foundation. As you’d expect, the titles and other typography for the film are very important to me. Your previous work was in print. Will you incorporate motion into your work now? The feeling of seeing my designs animated was intoxicating, no doubt. So I’m definitely interested in exploring it more and exploring film in general. I’ve also fully, unabashedly embraced design history, and I’ve met all these people along the way who are equally as obsessive and dorky about design artifacts as I am. What advice do you have for others who want to make a similar change? Do it! So much of it is just getting “invisible permission” to do this stuff. It’s really all a matter of the amount of time and effort you want to invest. Doing your research is critical—almost as important as choosing your collaborators and teachers.
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CREATIVITY
Three book jacket designs (left) by Barbara deWilde for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. DeWilde diversified her skills by getting an MFA in interaction design and now works for the New York Times (NYT) on projects like the NYT Cooking app (right).
Barbara deWilde Well known for her book jacket designs at the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and her design direction of Martha Stewart Living, Barbara deWilde left print behind in 2012 to earn her MFA in interaction design at the School of Visual Arts. She is now lead user experience strategist in the Digital Design department at the New York Times. Which turning point led you to switch from print design to user experience strategy? In 2012, I received an Alumni Achievement Award from my alma mater, Pennsylvania State University. I loved talking with all the students, and I thought that maybe, maybe, I should consider teaching. The first hurdle was that I had only an undergraduate degree; the second was that nearly every job posting asked for experience or degree work in interaction design. I had no idea what interaction design even was. I started by taking night classes in basic coding languages and animation. I finally decided that I needed to quit my job and commit to learning. What was it like to go back to school full time? Terrifying. I basically gave up my expertise and started at zero. How did it feel to be nearly twice the age of the other students and to be a nonnative digital designer? Horrible. But I found inspiration in my fellow classmates. Nearly 75 percent of them had relocated to the United States to study. They were in a new city, with nascent language skills and few friends or family. We all had different backgrounds. Everyone was challenged. My age and inexperience were just another challenge in the mix. What surprised you most? I thought that I would need to write code in order to work in this new field. But coding is an area of expertise that should remain in the hands of engineers. I’m code literate, but I don’t write it. 16
Typography Annual 2017
Money is obviously a concern when going back to school. How did you manage? I took on just enough client work to cover the tuition. I’m married, and we were at a point where none of our kids were in college. I also started teaching and got a small scholarship. Did you have a favorite class? Cybernetics, taught by Professor Paul Pangaro. It helps you think in loops of feedback instead of communication and narrative. That’s the key difference between the way I had been taught previously and the way I work now. It really was at the heart of going to this new world. Are there other people who encouraged you? Richard Wilde has run the design and advertising department at the School of Visual Arts for more than 40 years, and he’s forever current. I asked if he thought it would be a good idea for someone my age to apply to this program. He said, “Do it! Do it!” It was so immediate—there was no hesitation. I needed that person whom I truly admired to push me over the edge. How does your past work inform your current work? I use my graphic design skills, especially typography. It’s nice to understand how to design content for an audience and not struggle with that portion of my job. It frees me to focus on the experience and interaction design. Do you see this as the next step in the natural progression of a design career? That’s a tough call. I would encourage young people to get a degree in graphic design with interaction design as a component of their study. Most design now happens within a digital environment. But I don’t think of one as leading to the other. They relate to each other. Any advice for those considering a similar change?
Michael O’Neal previously worked as a creative director for Apple (left). Now, he creates breathtaking photography in the fashion (center) and lifestyle arenas, shooting in diverse locations like Kauai (right).
It takes a leap of faith to leave behind your career and to embark on a new path where you are not the expert. There were no guarantees. Still, I knew that my old skills were becoming devalued, and the only way to keep designing was to retool. I’m incredibly glad I did. I would encourage anyone to do the same.
How did you manage financially?
Michael O’Neal
Were there people who helped you along?
“There’s not a lot of routine to what I do, and that’s what keeps it exciting,” says San Francisco–based photographer Michael O’Neal. He studied graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked for some big agencies in New York before becoming a creative director at Apple. Now he shoots fashion and lifestyle photography for clients such as Marie Claire, Mercedes-Benz, Refinery29, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Vogue. Why did you pursue photography when you were in the middle of a successful design career? I realized I was having so much more fun working and collaborating with creative people on shoots. I enjoyed being out in the elements creating content rather than sitting in meetings. I just wanted to make the stuff. You didn’t study photography in school. How did you learn? My advertising and graphic design training, as well as my experience being on set as an art director and collaborating with photographers, prepared me. A lot of that type of hands-on experience just can’t be taught in school. Having been an art director, I learned the business side and how to deliver what the client wants and where the type is going to go. All the stuff I’ve ever learned is from on the job, watching other people work or making mistakes on my own, which is the best way to learn. When I started on my first commercial photography jobs in 2011, I made sure that I was surrounded by great assistants so we would work as a team to make a great photo.
Before I left, I made sure I had a good nest egg to survive for a year or two. It definitely helped me take the leap. I don’t have a wife and kids. If I did, I would have never made the jump because it’s very risky.
I worked for Chris Shipman, who used to be a creative director at Wieden+Kennedy. He really got me into the idea of the art director who’s a photographer as well. He not only art directed everything— came up with the concepts, did the layouts—but also shot everything. Ben Watts let me shoot on his set while I was an art director. That is very rare for a photographer! Ben also taught me how to get energy and reactions out of my subjects and how to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera. I remember Los Angeles–based photographer Frank W. Ockenfels III buying me a Polaroid camera during a shoot. He had noticed that I was passionate about making images and wanted to give me a nudge. It’s those small gestures that go a really long way! How does your past work inform your current work? With both, you have to be flexible and a team player and supercollaborative. I don’t care where the idea comes from, as long as we’re all talking. I love that—it’s my favorite thing about design and photography. It’s the process and figuring out how to get a great shot. What advice do you have for others who want to change careers? It’s a nice story: “You can do it. Take the leap. Follow your dreams.” But the more I do it, I’m like, “Be fucking sure you want to do this— because it’s hard as hell!” You just don’t know what’s around the corner, which is scary—and also part of the excitement. The freedom to choose what to work on is the payoff. ca Communication Arts | commarts.com
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TYPOGRAPHY
Thomas Phinney
Variable Fonts Are the Next Generation Apple, Microsoft, Adobe & Google Announce OpenType 1.8
O
n September 14, at the Association Typographique Internationale’s annual typography conference in Warsaw, Poland, representatives of four of the biggest companies behind operating systems, design and the web announced their support for a new standard: OpenType 1.8, featuring OpenType Font Variations (variable fonts). The 1.8 label is deceptive—widespread support for variable fonts is arguably the biggest development in fonts since OpenType was first announced 20 years ago. Its potential impact on design and designers is far greater than that of Monotype acquiring Linotype and of Hoefler & Frere-Jones splitting up. Variable fonts permit near-infinite variation along specified design axes and offer space-saving packaging of large font families. The former is appealing to designers in all media, including print and screen, and the latter interests web developers and companies involved in web infrastructure and devices with limited storage capacity. This intersection of interests, combined with the need for a common web platform, sparked the alliance of the four headline companies, with support and interest from type foundries and makers of font tools, including from us at FontLab.
We’ve seen very similar technologies in the past—Multiple Master (MM), GX/Apple Advanced Typography (GX)—that were not widely used. But there are a variety of reasons to think that the stars have aligned differently this time, starting with this broad-based alliance instead of a single company.
Design space A design axis is a style for variation in a variable font. The most 18
Typography Annual 2017
common axis in the past has been weight, but width is also common. Optical size is another useful axis; fonts can be optimized for use at very small sizes, very large sizes and anything in between. Note that these are typographically savvy variations, not like what you get through automatic algorithms to stretch or embolden. Beyond the everyday, type designers can do almost anything with design axes: go from sans to serif (Penumbra) or achieve countless wood type tweaks (Buffalo Gals). Each additional axis further multiplies the variations available for a font. This range of possibilities is referred to as a design space. So the design space for a single-axis font can be visualized as a line; for a two-axis font, a square; three axes, a cube. After that, one gets into hypercubes and beyond—challenging to visualize. A master is a design in the font source data, which might be thought of as a set of outlines at one point in a design space. The output variable font may store these more compactly as deltas to a main design, rather than storing multiple sets of outlines. For example, a variable font with just a weight axis might have an ExtraLight master and a Black master, with interpolation creating everything in between. If needed, masters can occupy intermediate points for the design and to finesse specific glyphs. Design axes have always been a very efficient way to design large font families, even those of plain ol’ invariant fonts. Many wellknown large font families of the past 25 years were designed partly or entirely using axis-based tools such as Superpolator or our own FontLab Studio, whether or not they ever shipped in a related format such as MM or GX.
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TYPOGRAPHY
op si tica ze l
width
width
weight
weight
weight
Spatial examples of design axes. The line (top left) represents weight, the most common axis. The rectangle (bottom left) shows both the weight and the width axes, width being another common axis by which type is transformed. The cube (right) adds the additional optical size axis, which transforms type along the point scale.
Saving space Font producers can represent large font families very compactly using variable fonts. The ability to store a master in terms of deltas rather than requiring a full set of outlines (as in an older format such as MM) makes for smaller fonts. Plus, with all the separate styles as a single font, OpenType code controlling things such as ligatures, alternates and small caps only needs to be stored once in the variable font, instead of once per style. Hence, a variable font will save considerable file size over that used by a stack of stand-alone fonts. Older MM/GX fonts updated to the new standard might still store more full sets of outlines than the minimum required, depending on how the translation is done. But even then, they will be smaller than individual fonts: Minion Pro was built from only sixteen masters, but it has three axes and 64 primary “instances,” spots anywhere in the design space of the variable font that work just like a stand-alone family of fonts—except that they are all part of a single font file.
What does the user see? A family of variable fonts typically consists of a single font file for the upright; if there is an italic, it will be a second, separate font. Variable fonts don’t need more than two font files for an entire family. What shows up in font menus (given a Variations-savvy operating system) are predefined instances. Even nonsavvy apps should see these on a savvy operating system. And if users are in a sufficiently 20
Typography Annual 2017
savvy application, they may also be given sliders (or some equivalent) to choose the level of variant they want on each axis. So in a savvy app with a variable font having weight and width axes, users could just dial in the precise weight and width they want. This is the dream of infinite variability in the hands of the user.
Devil in the details The new features are all very good, but what happens when you install these fonts in operating systems and apps that don’t fully support them yet? The answer is the often unappreciated, “it depends.” The fonts are currently expected to have the same file extension, creating some compatibility benefits—but also potential user confusion. In old or incompatible environments, an OpenType Variations font with TrueType outlines will display a single default style instead of a family in font menus. Variable fonts with PostScript style (CFF) outlines use CFF2, a new and more compact format. In today’s systems, such CFF2 fonts won’t work at all. Adobe Creative Cloud apps “roll their own” font support—so their support, or lack thereof, may not even match the host operating system.
Will variable fonts be more accepted than predecessors? Originally, Apple and Adobe both developed their own version of axis-based fonts independently in the early 1990s. OpenType Font Variations is based substantially on the GX variations font originally
if
width
serif
ser
weight
weight
al c ti e op siz
Serif can also be a design axis, as indicated by the square (left) that transforms type from sans-serif to serif. When added to the cube with width, weight and optical size axes, the serif axis creates a tesseract (right).
created by Apple for its GX Typography, a functional superset of Adobe’s approach for MM fonts. MM was a variant of PostScript Type 1 fonts and was briefly incorporated as part of the original OpenType specification (1996– 1998). But MM was only for fonts with PostScript outlines and was stripped from OpenType before any MM OpenType fonts shipped. The decision to kill MM was a contentious one inside Adobe, justified largely by two concerns: Microsoft wasn’t interested, and bundling an already failing technology with the new OpenType technology might have made OpenType’s success less certain.
Application support and the future As of this writing, it is a bit early to predict third-party support. Of course, Google, Microsoft and Apple cover most of the world’s web browsing, so that’s a start. Similarly, Adobe, Microsoft and Apple cover most of the world’s use of major creative design and productivity apps. There is an important caveat: At large companies like these, there are different divisions with differing agendas. Adobe’s or Microsoft’s or Apple’s fonts team supporting something is not the same as their frontline apps doing so.
GX Typography was never widely supported by font developers, nor outside Apple, for that matter. Although Apple system fonts use the advanced typography part of the technology extensively, any further support by font developers has been minimal.
In any case, having system-level support for variable fonts on all platforms (Mac, Windows, Android) is an improvement that will make it much easier for everyone. Portions of system-level support are already in place on both Mac and Windows as of this writing.
The variable fonts collaborators may also be at least somewhat chastened by recent events with color fonts, wherein they had the OpenType format enshrine not one, but three of their four distinct, independently developed approaches, none of which have yet seen much real-world traction in the ensuing confusion.
Web browsers may quickly embrace the new technology, and afterward, web developers should find it easy to do so as well. It offers a seductive promise of things like evening the slight weight differences we are used to seeing between Mac and Windows when viewing the “same” font.
This time around, all the players from the color fonts debacle are united. The typography advantages combine with space saving, exciting all the players. Nobody feels a need to keep things proprietary because the web just doesn’t work that way—a common movement toward broad support has already started and seems likely to continue.
Although not certain, the variable fonts revolution is very likely. But it will take time to rebuild existing fonts and make new ones and for operating system and app support to ramp up. We’re seeing a preview of the future—but its full realization, like that of OpenType before it, could be a decade or more unfolding. Even so, variable fonts make it an exciting time to be a designer. ca Communication Arts | commarts.com
21
VOICES
Anne Telford
Illustration’s New Frontiers
N
early 20 years after its 1999 inception, the Illustration Conference (now branded ICON) wrapped up its ninth iteration—ICON9—in 2016, in the sweltering July heat of Austin, Texas. Whether in Austin, Santa Fe, Philadelphia, New York City, San Francisco, Pasadena, Providence, or Portland, each conference has engaged the areas’ educational and cultural facilities, introducing illustrators to potential clients and art buyers and educating new generations of illustrators who are no longer bound by the printed page, but only by their own imaginations. New substrates and materials, new venues for work, printing on demand, pop-up art galleries, online stores, and lines of branded merchandise—today, the sky is the limit. Illustration is more immediate, accessible and affordable than ever. It can adorn a skateboard deck, appear as an animated cartoon or show up as a public mural. From the illustrations Rebecca Rebouche created for Anthropologie’s dishes to the socks and products Martha Rich illustrated for Blue Q to Catalina Estrada’s wallpaper lines to Matt Curtius and Gina Triplett’s shower curtain for Urban Outfitters, the possibilities are as endless as the new methods that enable today’s illustrators to make products they can then sell through Etsy and in their own online stores. ICON9’s ROADSHOW pop-up presented a panoply of work for purchase—such as Whitney Sherman’s ceramics and limited-edition prints, books, buttons, jewelry and zines—and each item demonstrated that entrepreneurial illustrators are on the rise. Emerging markets are out there, too. With more than 4,000 breweries and brewpubs now operating in the United States, craft beer has become a market for branding and illustration (see Charles Glaubitz’s edgy work for Miller Lite), as has marijuana. As ICON9 speaker Kyle T. Webster said, “What can you do with your fabulousness? Make it, show it, the Internet can grow it!” Webster and other superstars of illustration, along with its emerging talents, galvanized the 700 attendees at ICON9 with seamless main stage presentations covering every aspect of business and creativity. Hometown hero Marc Burckhardt flew in from Germany to speak about his illustration style evolving into fine art, the inspiration he gets from straddling two cultures and how to find your authentic voice. Henrik Drescher discussed how to develop picture architecture and use the structures to create images throughout your career. Although the topics concentrated on by the earliest ICONs are still relevant—such as connecting illustrators with organizations that offer assistance and clarity on hot-button topics, from orphan works to copyright protection— ICON9’s speakers showed that ICON’s focus has shifted to dynamic
22
Typography Annual 2017
panel discussions and creative presentations designed both to inspire and provide the audience with tools and information to enhance their creative approach. ICON’s format and infrastructure, including the Education Symposium—two days of workshops and presentations of papers—have also enabled the conference to grow and expand without losing its creative heart and soul. A growing cadre of devotees eagerly awaits each new location, each new theme, and how the theme’s branding and design will be carried through the conference. ICON has turned into a four-day biannual celebration of art and culture; ICON9, whose theme was Tall Tales, began with a spirited performance by Austin’s Ballet Folklórico and ended with a mini-concert by Charlyne Yi and Jet Elfman, accompanied by images from Yi’s illustrated novel, Oh the Moon: Stories from the Tortured Mind of Charlyne Yi. “ICON has become a mirror of our industry,” says ICON9’s president, Esther Pearl Watson. “Together, we share our stories, face the changing times, and see what is new and exciting in our community.” Melinda Beck, ICON9 vice president, urged attendees to be cockroaches, not dinosaurs—in other words, diversify and adapt. ICON9 also opened the door wider to inclusion. There were more speakers of color and openly gay and lesbian speakers, as well as an LGBTQ meetup one night. A panel moderated by Beck dealt with the issues facing women in the industry, including double standards. Dynamic, evocative, inspiring and personal presentations by a range of speakers reflected a more inclusive industry. Speaker Kayla E. said she is dedicated to advancing inclusivity in all creative fields and talked about valuing marginalized voices: “Real change is only possible if we’re all in on it.” In light of the divisive 2016 presidential race, issues of politics and social justice also made it to the big stage. Jamaican designer Michael Thompson spoke passionately about applying art and design to social activism. (Sadly, the pioneering reggae champion died of a heart attack on August 30, 2016.) 2016 was also a banner year for political and editorial illustrations. Steve Brodner moderated “A Global Conversation on Political Satire,” and included in the panel was Dutch editorial cartoonist Lars Morten Refn, who briefly had to go into hiding after depicting Muhammad in one of his cartoons. I have watched the conference grow over the years, and it’s rewarding to say that ICON9 succeeded on all fronts. No longer restrained by previous cultural boundaries, the illustration industry is opening the door to everyone with a compelling story to tell. ca
of each era, from the road networks built in 200 CE around Barcino—the Roman settlement that would later become Barcelona—to French architect Léon Jaussely’s plan to connect Barcelona’s neighborhoods by tram in 1903, which
Carta Històrica de Barcelona
went unrealized, but heavily influenced
History comes alive in this interactive cartographic website from Barcelona-
the city’s modern development. Built in open-source geographic
based data design studio 300.000 Km/s. Carta Històrica de Barcelona
information system software—such as OpenLayers (openlayers.org),
(cartahistorica.muhba.cat) shows the changing face of the city from
TileStache (tilestache.org), Mapnik (mapnik.org) and SpatiaLite (gaia-gis.it/
150 BCE to 2010 CE through bird’s-eye views. Cross-checked for accuracy
gaia-sins)—Carta Històrica can also superimpose Barcelona’s present-day
by the history museum Museu d’Història de Barcelona, which
map on those of different eras to offer a unique look at how the city has
commissioned the project, Carta Històrica presents a selection of 26
expanded. Carta Històrica de Barcelona provides a great resource for
maps gleaned from texts and historical, archaeological and contemporary
Barcelona’s urban planners, educators and historical researchers.
cartography. Each map represents a historical era, and visitors can explore
—Michael Coyne
them all by navigating via the main timeline at the bottom of the site.
300.000 Km/s, design and development firm; Museu d’Història de Barcelona, client.
Tidbits of text explain the design thinking that guided the infrastructure
Old type never dies
Find fonts fast
Fans of vintage typography will find plenty to celebrate at Type Hunting (typehunting.com), a blog run by graphic designer Jonathan Lawrence. This labor of love for old-school typography features the rusted, the busted, the faded and the falling apart. Every example—and there are hundreds—has been lovingly photographed and preserved by Lawrence, who hopes the blog will serve as a resource and an inspiration for today’s generation of typographers and designers.
Wonder what websites use which fonts? Type in the name of a font, and FontReach (fontreach.com) instantly scours millions of websites to find out. Type in “Gotham,” and you’ll see the font’s variations, along with the fact that, being used on 8,803 sites, it is ranked 57th. Another click reveals top sites using Gotham, like Dropbox. Click on Dropbox, and FontReach lists the fonts Dropbox’s site uses: Arial, Open Sans, Roboto and Gotham. A few clicks is all it takes for FontReach to become your next essential source for online type surveys. —Sam McMillan
Love letters Alphabettes (alphabettes.org). You have to look twice at the word to realize that this site is devoted to all things typographic, with an emphasis on women’s participation. The site takes a crowdsourcing approach, delivering news, commentary and professional advice in first-person articles. For the women around the world who contribute to Alphabettes, their love of lettering is enduring and informative. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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DESIGN DETAILS
Ellen Shapiro
Inhale. Exhale. Enjoy the aroma of the next big market for designers: cannabis.
Denver-based Dixie Elixirs’ soda line (left) visually communicates its flavors with colorful packaging. Carbonation speeds up the absorption process, making sodas an effective product to infuse with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Dixie Elixirs’ mints (right) contain lower doses for those seeking to increase their productivity. Grit (Denver, CO), design firm.
C
24
annabis? You know… grass, pot, reefer, weed. Except not
explode to $50 billion by 2026. That’s more than twice the size of
in the formats favored by Cheech & Chong. It’s more like
the perpetually lucrative video game market.
Sanofi and Starbucks. Or vintage wines and microbrews.
Mitch Earleywine, PhD, a cannabis researcher, author of Understanding
“Marijuana is a gold-rush opportunity for entrepreneurs and the
Marijuana, board member of the National Organization for the Reform
support services that annex themselves to brands: designers,
of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and professor of clinical psychology at
manufacturers and marketers,” says Vince Parry, a veteran pharma-
the State University of New York, thinks that full national repeal
ceutical brander who’s focusing on the medical marijuana industry.
will take twelve more years. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but if alcohol
Legal cannabis sales in the United States reached $5.7 billion in 2015,
repeal is a guide, we’ll have individual states making dramatic
according to the industry investment and research firm ArcView
changes and then federal repeal in 2028,” he predicts.
Group, which estimates 2016 sales at $7.9 billion. Until November
Lots of people aren’t waiting twelve years. They’re getting into it
8, cannabis was legal for medical use in 25 states and for recreational
now. They’re starting companies with names like Cannabrand and
use in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington, DC.
the Cannabis Marketing Lab. They’re leaving top advertising and
But all that changed on Election Day. Voters in Arkansas, Florida and
PR agencies to get in on the ground floor. Parry, whose ad agency
North Dakota approved medical marijuana. Voters in Montana
Parry Branding Group helped launch Allayent, a cannabis-based
removed restrictions blocking the creation of a market there. And
medical brand sold under New York’s Compassionate Care Act,
four more states—California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada—
was chief creative officer at Young & Rubicam’s flagship health-care
legalized recreational use. When retail dispensing licenses are
agency for thirteen years. Joe Hodas, previously director of
awarded in January 2018, more than 23 million adults in California
communications and investor relations at Frontier Airlines, is now
alone will be able to buy their favorite brand at a local pot store.
chief marketing officer of Dixie Elixirs, a Denver-based maker of
According to Bloomberg Markets, the industry is expected to
cannabis goodies. Ryan JD Christensen, founder of FORTUNE, which
Typography Annual 2017
From Mirth Provisions in Longview, Washington, comes Legal, a cannabis-infused drink with an elegantly minimal packaging system. Each flavor of Legal contains THC or a blend with cannabidiol (CBD) for different effects. Sockeye (Portland, OR), design firm.
sells “pre-rolled bliss,” was a director of brand strategy at top Portland marketing firms. Claire Kaufmann, previously the marketing manager at Kettle Foods, the chip company, now studies the forms of marijuana people are buying—beverages, edibles, elixirs, infusions, vapes and even old-fashioned joints—as northwest regional director of BDS Analytics. Generalist branding firms and social media strategists are adding #cannabiz companies to their A-list client rosters. All of them appreciate that it’s a wide-open category. There’s no established trade dress, like the metallic silver-white-redturquoise look of toothpaste. And in this industry, designers aren’t just tasked with designing the package; they can create the delivery system itself. At Sockeye, a Portland, Oregon–based branding firm that counts adidas among its clients, president Andy Fraser and executive creative director Peter Metz say they loved working on Mirth Provisions, a recreational brand. “We named the company; developed the strategy. Mirth is about joy. The logo is a heraldic squirrel, a playful creature,” Fraser says. More significant, though, is that in order to deliver fifteen milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the compound responsible for marijuana’s effects related to pleasure, memory, and sensory and time perception—they developed a whole new context: coffee drinks and sparkling sodas. “Many people don’t like smoking,” Metz asserts, “and our research showed that they don’t want the fat and sugar in candies and cookies. So we came up with a natural soda and a shelf-stable coffee that deliver a light euphoria. Everyone on the creative team clamored to be involved. This is such rich territory, and you’re making it up as you go along.” “The pitfalls in the industry create opportunities,” notes Amy Nathan, social media specialist at DnG Design & Development, the Orlando,
Florida, firm that helped position the FORTUNE brand “to appeal to the emerging recreational user.” She says that it’s exciting to be able to change mainstream perception through design. “But because cannabis is still illegal on the federal level,” she warns, “we’re prohibited from utilizing traditional advertising and marketing tactics. That pushes us to redefine the box. FORTUNE offers four joints packed with premium cannabis flower rolled in natural rice paper, and one joint rolled in 24k gold. It’s Madison Avenue luxury meets the cannabis industry.” She relishes telling the brand story, “which began when Ryan Christensen got intrigued by tales of fortunetelling gypsies who used cannabis for its therapeutic and mystical properties and were forced to go underground when prohibition began in the 1920s. FORTUNE is the soul of a modern mystic, guiding new and seasoned smokers to celestial and newly legal experiences.” “It’s great to be able to work in unchartered territory,” echoes Celeste Miranda, head of The Cannabis Marketing Lab in San Luis Obispo, California. “It’s the perfect storm for entrepreneurial startups.” Her fifteen-year-old firm has a team of 20 who serve 50 clients around the world, including dispensaries, growers and horticultural suppliers. Her firm’s site, thecannabismarketinglab.com, touts a magazine, a radio show, an e-book (Medical Turns Recreational), and an active RSS feed that delivers news content and opinion pieces. Even Pentagram has gotten into the act with branding and packaging for Leafs by Snoop, designed by Emily Oberman. “When established, respected international design firms take on these clients, they bring legitimacy to the whole industry,” comments Chris Scardino, a New York information technology consultant who counts design firms among his clients. “Any perceived notions of Snoop Dogg—that he’s pro-gang, antiauthority—were confirmed when he went into the pot business. But when Pentagram did high-end packaging, that narrative moved far away from the street corner.” Communication Arts | commarts.com
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DESIGN DETAILS But some people wonder if there’s still too much stigma surrounding brands that promise experiences that the US Food and Drug Administration still classifies as “Schedule I: Having no currently accepted medical use, high potential for abuse, and lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision”—that is, on the same level as hallucinogens and heroin. “Perceptually, yes,” states Parry. “Most publicly owned agencies steer clear, as do banks, for fear of federal prosecution or a tarnished reputation. That opens the market to private investors and privately owned agencies like mine. I welcome the challenge, just as I would welcome any therapeutic brand that helps alleviate human suffering and is relatively safe and nonaddicting. However,” he warns, “some medical marijuana brands are being done by consumer product designers and don’t reflect the values of doctors and seriously ill patients. That trivializes the healing potential of cannabis-based medicine. Marijuana leaves are the most common icon, which works against it as serious therapy. We’re talking about sick people who don’t want to get high, but rather, manage their loss of appetite due to cancer or AIDS, reduce the incidence of epileptic seizures, or reduce their pain from spinal cord injuries.” The Allayent website that Parry’s firm developed states, “You deserve less suffering” and features photos of white-coated doctors and researchers.
This page: With the advent of legalization, brands have been seeking to elevate their images away from harmful stereotypes associated with marijuana consumption. Some, like Colorado-based CW Hemp (above), have mimicked nutritional supplement brands with packaging that eschews images. Anthem Branding (Boulder, CO), design firm. FORTUNE (center), a pre-rolled cannabis company in Portland, Oregon, features a classically inspired cigar box–like design created by DnG Design & Development. Photographers have also sought to elevate marijuana photography, like in this photo from Ophelia Chong’s stockpotimages.com (bottom). 26
Typography Annual 2017
© Justin Mclvor/Stock Pot Images
When it comes to imagery, there’s nothing more controversial than the marijuana leaf. Many consultants eschew it as an overused cliché, and brands like CW Hemp are going for the premium-nutritional-supplement look: all type, deep solid colors, no images. Others, like Kiva Confections—“the higher chocolate experience”—take advantage of the leaf’s instant recognition. “Our recent campaign centers around our wholeplant cannabidiol [CBD] chocolate bars. CBD is the compound that has the medical benefits and doesn’t make people feel stoned, so the use of plant imagery and a celebration of the plant itself were appropriate,” says Christie Strong, Kiva’s marketing communications manager. “Our next product release will move beyond that format, so naturally, the design and campaign will branch out.”
California-based edibles company Kiva offers THC-infused chocolate-covered espresso beans (left) in typographically understated packaging. Instead of shying away from its key ingredient, Kiva transformed the marijuana leaf for its chocolate bar packaging (right). Jamie Lee/Nathan Sharp, designers; MINE (San Francisco, CA), design firm.
Is there a downer in all this euphoria and mirth? Only that state laws are changing so rapidly that marketers have to hustle to keep up. “The complex regulatory requirements are a big pitfall,” says Nathan. “Every state is different, and Oregon, where we launched FORTUNE, is the most complex.” Add Fraser and Metz: “You’ve got to be nimble and flexible. If the labeling laws change in six months, you send new files. It’s not that hard.” And consumers appreciate the labels, which let them know what they’re getting: the name of the strain, the percentages of CBD and THC, and standard-dose information, which—according to Earleywine—is what NORML has been advocating all along, in addition to opposing any use of imagery that would appeal to kids or imply that underage use is appropriate. What kinds of companies could designers call up if this industry makes good on its promised infusion of lucrative creative challenges? That’s still being debated. “Big pharma,” suggests Celeste Miranda. “Drug companies will come in poised. They are just waiting,” she says. “The market is simply too lucrative,” agrees Earleywine. Parry predicts that major drug companies will stay away in fear of ruining their reputations as ethical purveyors of respected therapies, but that smaller independent pharmaceutical companies will seize the opportunity. Everyone agrees that big tobacco is poised, too—as soon as it can legally market national brands. Agricultural companies—especially wineries, which already deal in varietals and strains—are seen as a natural fit. And clearly there will be more business for auxiliary services like greenhouse manufacturers,
makers of childproof vials and bottles, and security companies. The “careers” tabs on cannabis-related companies’ websites show that they’re in search of chief financial officers, chief marketing officers, accountants, attorneys and IT people. And every burgeoning industry needs more entrepreneurial creatives who understand the culture and the market. Last year, Ophelia Chong (“not related to Tommy”), a photography instructor at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, opened a dedicated stock photo agency, stockpotimages.com, which offers such categories as “the big chill” (about cocktails, not death), “the farm,” “the grow room” and “the strain.” “We give you in-depth coverage,” Chong says. “We’ve acquired over 14,000 images and videos, with 170 photographers around the world who are capturing every form of cannabis culture and dispelling the stereotypes.” However, just as quickly as the stereotypes are going up in smoke in the midst of changing regulations, the information reported here will change. Search Twitter for #cannabiz. You’ll find invites to industry conferences and events, tweets from investment advisors, continuously updated information about everything from new strains to projected tax revenue for state governments, and celebratory announcements that seem to be beckoning entrepreneurial creatives to add #cannabiz companies to their client rosters. ca Communication Arts | commarts.com
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KIM HERBST BY RUTH HAGOPIAN
B
y the time Kim Herbst was four, she knew. The rush of color, the motion and the flash in her favorite cartoon Sailor Moon had captured her attention like nothing else, ever. She had to be part of it. What could be more inspiring to a preschool illustrator than a superheroine and a talking cat? The Herbst family was living in Tokyo when Kim first realized cartoons are adventures that artists can draw. But even better, she understood that drawing is doodling, and Herbst was an avid doodler. After two years, when her family returned to the United States for her father’s post at the Federal Reserve, she recognized something else: Japanese cartoons like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball were light-years ahead of American shows. “Japanese animations had more frames, better color combinations and flashing light effects,” she says. “Very fun for a kid. I wanted to make stuff like that.” Today, comics are as vital to her art as when she copied characters off video boxes at Blockbuster. Herbst’s motto is, simply, “just keep drawing,” and that tenacity has paid off after years of trying to merge her personal and commercial work. A Herbst drawing embeds fantasy with an atmosphere of rich tones, reflections and shadows. She renders her characters—sometimes pretty and sometimes pretty scary—with vivid color blends and rim lighting that make their details pop. Above all, her flowing lines, swirls and motion add fluidity to her gaming and publishing projects.
“I found Kim by luck on hireanillustrator.com,” says Amy Noonan née Heidemann, winner of Rolling Stone’s 2012 Women Who Rock contest. The singer in the American pop duo Karmin asked Herbst to illustrate a zodiac-themed adventure series for the band’s new album, Leo Rising. “We were looking to connect the creative dots with an artist who could tell the story that accompanies the music and capture its feeling,” she says. “Kim’s aesthetic is that of my imagination. She was our top choice.” Partial to drawing women, cute animals and monsters, Herbst has expanded her content and injected more energy into her editorial work by mixing illustration and animation. When the nonprofit
Right: “Atom vs. Pluto was featured in Q POP Shop and Mini Gallery’s group show, celebrating Japan’s Showa-era (1920s to the 1980s) comics and animation. I chose Atom—known as Astro Boy in the United States—because he was one of the first shining stars of comics and cartoons during that era. I wanted to delve into the early steam-powered prototype designs of robots, and this piece gave me the fun opportunity to experiment with adding a lot more texture and pattern!” Q POP Shop and Mini Gallery, client. 28
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KIM HERBST in 2006. At first, MICA’s indepth illustration program seemed overwhelming, “like plunging into freezing cold water,” she remembers. “I was floundering for a while, but I wanted a school that would kick my ass and offer genuine mentorship.”
Kate Thomas, cofounder and editor of literary fiction maga zine Sixpenny, commented on Herbst’s “obvious intelligence” when it comes to interpreting material. “Our readers always go out of their way to respond to her work,” she says. “She’s incredibly versatile and able to meet tone while still maintaining her own style. Kim’s work gives instant credibility to any text it accompanies.”
The 2008 presidential election was the last straw. After voting in New Jersey, she commuted twoandahalf hours to the office in Brooklyn, then worked until midnight. Barack Obama won the election that night, but Herbst missed the entire spectacle, recalling: “That was our generation’s JFK moment, and I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’”
© Randall Smith
initiative SPIRE CoLab, a partner ship between the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Patterson Foundation, commissioned Herbst for a backtoschool image about sharing, she drew students helping each other climb a path made of school supplies. As they climb, leaves flutter and fall. Refreshing in its simplicity, the animation provides “something exciting to see as you’re reading the article,” she says, “like a breath of peace.”
The rigor of editorial work had a steep learning curve, but Herbst learned to balance accuracy with engaging design. Kathi Gulotta, senior acquisitions specialist for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, commissioned Herbst to illustrate “The Story of Shi Jin,” about a Robin Hood–type character from the classical Chinese novel Water Margin. “Our team chooses artists who can create exciting, contemporary art with an edge that will entice and encourage teen readers to delve into the material. Kim went the extra mile by researching the period in great detail and creating richly detailed, dynamic scenes centered around a charismatic teenage action hero. She embraces the collaborative process, and we really value that dedication.” Herbst’s studio is in a welltended neighborhood in San Francisco bordering Japantown, a lively enclave of restaurants and shops. Four floors up in a centuryold apartment building, Herbst, 32, shares a workspace with her husband, Randall Smith, a clay sculptor and 3D modeler. A Victorian parlor serves as their creative hub, loosely defined by a collection of brown sketchbooks on her desk and models of heads and torsos on his. They met at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, where Herbst studied illustration, graduating
Two years after graduation, she thought she was living the dream. A web game company hired Herbst to make 2D flash animation games for cartoons on nick.com and mtv.com. Learning to make her characters move excited her, but it couldn’t offset the restrictive work environment. The “no talking or laughing” policy was bad enough, but the place ment of desks—all facing a wall—made the office feel like a room of invisible cells. With each passing sixteenhour workday, she became more and more convinced: “This company is where dreams go to die.”
She couldn’t have quit at a worse time. By 2009, the US economy was in free fall, and her job applications were tossed on tall stacks of résumés from the rest of New York’s unemployed. After getting turned down by more than 100 job postings—including waitressing, clerking and frozen yogurt selling—a vision of moving back into her high school bedroom crept into her mind like a frightening apparition. “I rationed food and even considered dumpster diving at Trader Joe’s,” she says. “I made contingency plans like the zombie apocalypse was coming.” With only one month until her money ran out, she applied to three jobs in California and was quickly invited to meet with the companies. The interviews included the mandatory speeddrawing challenges, including the classic “draw a 16thcentury church that’s on fire.” The game company Serious Business in San Francisco hired Herbst right away. Her new wage (industry standard) was more than two times her salary in New York. As the office elevator descended after her interview, her dreamscome true moment finally arrived. “I screamed and threw my portfolio on the ground,” she says. “I was so excited. Employees were actually allowed to talk! I saw them playing Rock Band on their lunch break. Compared to where I had been working, it was night and day.”
Right: “Sixpenny magazine published three of my illustrations to accompany Hannah Nahar’s short story ‘Instructions on Owning a Body.’ I chose to illustrate Nahar’s story from its intriguing point of view about a woman who outwardly attempts to hold herself together, but is falling apart internally.” Kate Thomas Wood, designer; Sixpenny, client. “Scholastic contacted me to create a series of illustrations, for children’s educational materials to accompany text about the American historical figure Deborah Sampson. I thoroughly enjoy projects like this because of the research involved.” Kathi Gulotta, art director; Scholastic Corporation, client. “Q POP contacted me to pay tribute to artist Fujiko Fujio for its themed group gallery show. Fujio famously created comics about the Japanese pop culture icon Doraemon, a mechanical cat sent back to the past to better the life of his owner’s ancestor—and, ultimately, of his owner. My twisted take let Doraemon wreak havoc on the past so he wouldn’t have to answer to his owner in the future.” Q POP Shop and Mini Gallery, client. 30
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KIM HERBST The office camaraderie reminded Herbst of her old neighborhood’s ambiance growing up in New Jersey. The families in her South Brunswick suburb enjoyed block parties and frequent vacations together. Equipped with a freezing cold basement, her home was where the neighborhood kids gathered during their hot summers. “When the James Bond movie GoldenEye opened, a videogame based on the film came out with a split screen for four players,” Herbst says. “We were all screaming and killing each other over and over. It was so much fun.” At Serious Business, Herbst worked as one of 35 employees. Three months later, she became one of 800 after Zynga, producer of the wildly popular FarmVille, acquired the company. Zynga assigned her to its new Treasure Isle project, where she created cute animals and gifts that players could buy as they hunted for treasure. But after three years of monetizing her illustrations, Herbst was ready for new subjects and more freedom. She still works in gaming, but currently on a contract basis for Kongregate, a publisher known as the YouTube of web games. “I’d love to see more illustration styles come into play for games,” Herbst says. “I’m hoping for less super-realistic and more stylized figures in the future.” One of Herbst’s most powerful images is Sleep Paralysis, a personal work that draws viewers into her recurring
Left: “Dwight Junior, a rap artist from Ohio, contacted me to create a cover for his latest album, Runaway. Working together, we decided to depict a bursting suitcase full of items a runaway might take.” Dwight Junior, client. “Julie Showers, art director of the alternative weekly Portland newspaper Willamette Week, contacted me to create a spot illustration for an article involving ‘rich pigs eating fancy sandwiches.’ Julie gave me the description of the needed illustration, but absolutely no context. I explored a more gruesome-looking direction—turns out it was for the Feast Portland festival!” Julie Showers, art director; Willamette Week, client. “Illusionist Frederic Sharp reached out to ask me to create a Halloweenthemed cover for his latest music album, which was released right before the holiday. A few images were dropped into my e-mail as direction, including a young boy in a mouse costume and a detective father figure approaching a house on a hill. This was a new exploration of limited colors for me, combined with trying to evoke nostalgic films from my— and Frederic’s—childhood. Think 1980s horror films; I wanted scary, but I also wanted fun.” Frederic Sharp, client. This page: “Neoconservatives causing chaos in Europe. This was the subject of an article written by Robert Parry for New York’s free newspaper, the Indypendent. When Frank Reynoso e-mailed me, I decided I wanted to take a shot at more political-style work. I tend to stress out over abstract and representational imagery, but the word uprooted kept repeating in my head. Drawing up an idea to correlate with that word made it much easier.” Frank Reynoso, art director; The Indypendent, client. Personal work. “A condition that can happen to anyone, sleep paralysis usually occurs during stressful times. You wake up, but your brain only functions partway and has to connect back with your body to move. During this time, it’s common to sense a disturbing entity watching you out of the corner of your eye. For a personal illustration, I decided to depict what this entity feels like to me and how traumatizing the paralysis can seem.” Communication Arts | commarts.com
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KIM HERBST nightmare. On a moonlit night, a ghostly creature appears in a swirling vortex and terrorizes a woman in bed, tugging at her blanket. The illustration candidly reveals the fear of being unable to move while imagining a controlling presence in the room. Herbst posted the work on her blog, where it found new viewers. “It gets spread around,” she says. “That’s why I started posting process videos, animated GIFs, anything that moves.” She regularly posts on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter and enjoys showing the stages of her complex drawings, such as The Chessboard, an illustration for the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles. “It’s exciting, like having a backstage pass,” she says of seeing deconstructed work. “When an illustrator paints something and then completely changes her mind, I can see her struggle. I find it very reassuring.” Social media has helped Herbst differentiate her work and discover new ways to develop ideas. It has also promoted more innovation in indie games through crowdfunding sources. “Gaming is really going toward virtual reality,” she says. “One wouldn’t think that’s good for 2-D illustration. But I’ve seen artists like Goro Fujita and Wesley Allsbrook ‘draw’ 3-D illustrations using Quill by Oculus or other virtual reality tech. I’d love to see what becomes of that!” If 3-D is Herbst’s next frontier, her approach will be no different than when she was first transported by the thrill of animation. “Just draw it out,” she’d say to herself, knowing that art is not limited by anything but her imagination. ca
This page: “Hero Complex Gallery partnered with Disney to host an Alice Through the Looking Glass–themed art show, correlating with its upcoming film of the same title. I decided to portray imagery from Lewis Carroll’s original writings—I couldn’t resist researching Victorian-era fashion. This piece was an outlet for me to practice repeating shapes and patterns, but over and over, I’d find that I’d missed coloring in yet another rose.” Hero Complex Gallery/Disney, clients. Personal work. “Living in San Francisco, the most expensive city in the United States, I’ve read up on all sorts of excuses as to why the housing market has hiked up. A few articles surfaced, detailing that Chinese millionaires were purchasing expensive homes; yet, their dwellings would look practically abandoned because they didn’t even move in. I decided to practice my editorial drawing chops by creating a personal piece of artwork for the article, which didn’t have an illustration.” Right: “Kanzenshuu, a fan-run online database and community, spotted a personal illustration I had posted online for the 30th anniversary of Akira Toriyama’s legacy comic and anime Dragon Ball. Kanzenshuu loved the mysticism that my illustration portrayed and asked to use it on the cover of a special magazine issue that was going to connect with the anniversary.” Kanzenshuu.com, publisher.
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SLEEK MACHINE BY CAREY DUNNE
I
f Bruce Springsteen ran an ad agency, it might look a little like Boston-based Sleek Machine. The agency’s name references the lyrics of “Jungleland,” from the album Born to Run (“The magic rat drove his sleek machine / Over the Jersey state line”). The Boss’s unpretentious aesthetic permeates the office. Cofounders Eric Montague, Sleek Machine president, and Tim Cawley, chief creative officer, wear Converse sneakers and jeans and decorate the walls with Pearl Jam posters, graffiti murals and their employees’ favorite album covers. “We are never going to spend money on a $3,000 chandelier or an expensive piece of art,” says Montague. “I wanna be like the caveman of advertising,” says Cawley, who grew up on the Jersey Shore consuming a musical diet of Springsteen and hair metal. In 2013, after working together for a year at Mullen Advertising, Cawley and Montague founded Sleek Machine. “In the beginning, we felt this Pinocchio sense of ‘When am I gonna be a real boy?’” Cawley says. Despite Montague’s decade at Mullen, most recently as senior vice president and group account director, and Cawley’s pile of medals— including from Cannes and the Webbys—the pair weren’t sure their new agency would be taken seriously right off the bat. They insisted on not displaying their past work on Sleek Machine’s website—“like not wanting to accept money from your parents after college,” Cawley remarks—even though their client list had included international brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, JetBlue and Miller Lite. The startup gained steam after hiring Dorothy Urlich, a former colleague of Cawley’s at Hill Holiday, as chief marketing officer, and Jeff Marois as the agency’s first copywriter. Now Sleek Machine’s clients include such brands as Century 21 Real Estate, Bertucci’s, the Connecticut Association of REALTORS Inc. (CTR), the Boston Celtics and men’s fashion line Ministry of Supply. With a sixteen-person staff, the ad agency rebels against the bureaucratic, stratified structures of
bigger agencies that can slow down production and hike up budgets. As a one-stop shop that offers earned media, brand strategy, design, filmmaking and community management services, it can cut out the middleman and work quickly with lower production budgets without sacrificing quality. Describing itself as “half ad agency, half production company,” it emphasizes efficiency and speedy productivity. “We conceived Sleek Machine as this factory of ideas that goes very quickly from concept to production—that would be the ‘machine,’” Montague says. This machine-like approach drew inspiration from Cawley’s experience directing and producing From Nothing, Something, a 2012 documentary about the creative process. Featuring the likes of comedian Maria Bamford, novelist Tom Perrotta, and Sara Quin of singer-songwriter duo Tegan and Sara, the documentary made ripples on the festival circuit. It also supplied Cawley with a fresh perspective on the ad-making business. Cawley says that at most big agencies, “[when] you go into work on Monday to shoot a simple tabletop spot, you’re told you can’t do it for less than $250,000.” But making a feature film over the course of two years cost “not even a third of that,” he observes. “All of a sudden, I had this dangerous knowledge of how much it really costs to make something and who to call to make it really good.” Companies often stress about their advertising choices because of the cost. “But when budgets are slightly lower and timelines are shorter, the client doesn’t get nervous,” Cawley says. “When people really care about what they make, they don’t need to earn $100,000 a day—nobody does!” Growing up in the town of Lincroft, New Jersey, Cawley was “always the kid putting on magic shows. I played in a heavy metal band called YNOTT and wrote a magazine about creek exploration,” he says. “When I saw the movie Nothing in Common—starring Tom Hanks as an ad guy, wearing jeans,
Captions supplied by Sleek Machine. Right: “Ministry of Supply, a boutique clothing company with stores in Boston, San Francisco and Washington, DC, combines high-end fashion with technological advances in material. Its clothing and approach are truly unique in the fashion industry. We wanted to make fashion print ads that worked harder—just like the clothing does—and spoke to each item’s unique features.” Alan Duda, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Leonard Greco/Kayana Szymczak, photographers; Ministry of Supply, client. 36
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© Guido Vitti
SLEEK MACHINE
“The agency in front of our office’s mural wall, created by Toronto artist Mike Parsons.”
playing guitar and shooting films at work—I was like, ‘That’s a job? That seems good.’” He went on to major in advertising at Syracuse University. Cawley recalls that he struggled to get a job after graduating. “I didn’t really have a portfolio,” he says. He freelanced at Pagano, Schenck & Kay, but was intimidated by his colleagues’ more advanced portfolios. “I thought, ‘I have to just out-hustle them somehow.’ But I never thought about money. I was never a careerist. I was always, like, a workist.” Now Cawley has out-hustled many. Lürzer’s Archive ranked him as one of the top ten US writers of all time. “I’m still always gonna think about the work and trust that the clients will come,” he says. “I hang old Skid Row band posters from my childhood in my office to remind myself: Don’t be a big fancy ad guy. Stay in touch with that kid who wanted to make weird little videos.” Weird little videos constitute a big chunk of Sleek Machine’s digital media–savvy work. Since most Internet users do their utmost to skip over ads to get to the next music video, cute cat photo or funny meme, it’s crucial for ads to not immediately announce themselves as ads. “Sometimes we’ll say, ‘Ugh, that kind of feels like an ad,’” Cawley remarks. “I don’t want stuff to feel slow and old-fashioned.” Fluent in “Internetspeak,” Sleek Machine uses the language of social media to make its ads double as music videos, cute cat photos and funny memes. For example, Sleek Machine
used Photoshop to dress up cats and dogs in medieval knight armor—complete with chainmail, plumed helmets and shields —to promote Lawn Doctor’s Yard Armour Mosquito and Tick Control. “Protect Your Pet,” the banners say. A necessary, but not cute product—pesticide—somehow seems adorable by association. “It was hilarious, out of the box, unlike any ad for the lawn care business,” says Chris McGeary, head of marketing at Lawn Doctor. “I’ve been at this for more than 20 years, but can count on one hand the number of folks I’ve worked with who do what Tim does as well as he does. He doesn’t just come with creative ideas, concepts and storyboards—he marries them with media strategy.” For Lawn Doctor, that strategy involved making more than 50 pieces of targeted creative—all shot over the course of two days—instead of one unified campaign. In addition to armored pets, Sleek Machine created a silly music video featuring a sad torch singer crooning about missing his yard and a series starring various “lawn doctors” with names like Dr. Wiffleheat and Dr. Hammocknookie. The agency seeded other ads as unbranded social posts and disguised them as clickbait, with titles like “Dog learning tricks in her yard gives her owner an AMAZING surprise!!” The “surprise” is a clever Lawn Doctor plug. Since the Internet likes prank videos almost as much as it likes cute animal videos, it was an effective strategy that subtly commented on the predictability of click psychology. In another series, titled “Embarrassed,” a man grills burgers on a patchy, dry lawn while wearing a brown paper bag over his head. Stripped of its context and judged as a cinematic clip, it’s funny and slightly surreal, making viewers ask, “Why is that guy wearing a paper bag?” The answer comes twelve seconds later as a textual punch line: “Don’t be embarrassed of your lawn.” “If you lined up a bunch of different creatives against a wall, you’d be hard pressed to determine which one’s which,” McGeary says. “They all start to look alike. But Sleek Machine is unique and fun. We’ve got a little swagger.” Ever the antisnobs, Sleek Machine’s writers pride themselves on coming up with out-of-the-box, entertaining spots for unsexy products and industries. “We tend not to hire from the cool kids’ table,” Cawley says. Instead of courting talent from top creative agencies, Cawley looks for people like the “22-year-old version of me who felt he had to prove himself, who was happy to work on anything and who tried to rise above his assignments.”
Right: “Empower Retirement, America’s second-largest retirement company, wants its investors to engage with their retirement funds early and often. In these commercials, we chose to highlight everyday moments, like when you might quickly glance at your savings, and how such simple actions could affect your future.” Jessica Ruggieri, art director; Tim Cawley/Jeff Marois, writers; Jedidiah Mitchell, editor; Candy Kennedy, director; Skyrmish, composer; Ben Ouellette/Dorothy Urlich, agency producers; Urban Sled/Zinc Productions, production companies; Empower Retirement, client. “Most people think of Stanley Black & Decker for hand tools. But as a global leader in manufacturing, the client wanted to tout its offerings beyond the garage and workshop. We used the classic Stanley toolbox as a glimpse into the wide range of industries that Stanley represents.” Jessica Ruggieri, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Stanley Black and Decker, client. 38
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SLEEK MACHINE For CTR, Sleek Machine created a clever out-of-home campaign that parodied traditional real estate signs. “Buying a home and stressing about the picocurie?” one sign asked. “Stressing about not knowing what ‘picocurie’ is?” Each introduced a term from real estate jargon, like “puffing” and “muniment,” and reassured viewers that CTR’s experts would take care of the obscure details of home buying. “Sleek Machine’s team throws a lot of ideas out there when we plan campaigns,” says Lisa Governale, vice president of communications at CTR. “They don’t bring one or two suggested plans; they always bring several really different ideas. Some are more conservative and traditional, while others are way out there.” Sleek Machine’s next campaign for CTR stars World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers helping families move their stuff. “Not what you’d typically expect to see in a real estate spot,” Governale says. In a Century 21 Real Estate campaign titled Empty Nesters, the strategy included releasing commercials to coincide with college and high school graduations. The short clips feature bird parents in their empty nests, overdubbed with reactions to their chicks’ leaving home. A pair of crows in a leafless tree squawk, “Brian! Listen to your mother!”; a father stork tries not to cry about “Mikey moving out”; a woodpecker calls into the empty “room”—or hole in a tree—of her college graduate. “It was a humorous take on the range of emotions that parents experience when their kids move out,” says Mike Callaghan, vice president of Digital Marketing at ProSight Specialty Insurance Group Inc. and a former client of Sleek Machine’s at Century 21. “It ended with a strong call to action that Century 21 agents are here for what’s next—in this case, finding a smaller home or condo.” The idea of limitations as drivers of creativity is baked into the company’s ethos. On Montague’s desk sits a shot glass imprinted with a portrait of Joe Grimaldi, former chairman and CEO of Mullen and his biggest influence. “Grimaldi always said, ‘Don’t let what you can’t do limit what you can
Left: “To show that Grayne makes engineered shingles that look just like real wood, we took a unique spin on the tried-and-true ‘testimonial’ campaign. These cute, cuddly woodland creatures stood out in the sea of ads typically found in construction magazines.” Jessica Ruggieri, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Sydney Hanson, illustrator; Grayne, client. “Part of a holiday ticket push for the Boston Celtics, this poster touts the excitement of getting tickets as a holiday gift. The push also included a Twitter campaign as well as subway posters.” Jessica Ruggieri, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Brian Babineua, photographer; Boston Celtics, client. This page: “This video series captures a simple human truth: Nobody wants to be that neighbor, the one with a sad, scraggly eyesore for a lawn. It’s just embarrassing. The series was part of a massive programmatic and broadcast effort that resulted in thirteen times as many leads as the previous year.” Alan Duda, art director; Tim Cawley, writer; Dave Shaw, editor; Sunny Zhao, director; Ben Ouellette, agency producer; Dreams Factory, production company; Lawn Doctor, client. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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SLEEK MACHINE do,’” Montague says. “A very simple phrase, but the more I thought about it, his words were like permission to play.” “The ad industry today is a sea of sameness,” McGeary says. “Many agencies are too timid or lack the creative firepower to help brands break through the media clutter. But not Sleek Machine. It’s a true partner—bold, brash, highly creative and, most important, the team gets it. The team understands that the creative is not the end product—it is what that creative can do to help elevate brands and exceed their business objectives.” Sleek Machine, it’s safe to say, has become a “real boy.” ca This page: “The Aloft Hotels feature live music. To celebrate the hotel chain’s grand opening in Boston, we created the World’s First Hotel Tour, an experiential campaign featuring recording artist Will Dailey. Each hotel served as a tour stop for Dailey to play an intimate set for a few lucky fans. It culminated with a live set and grand opening party for the press in Aloft Boston Seaport’s lobby bar, the W XYZ.” Jessica Ruggieri, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Dave Shaw, editor; Owen Mack, director; Ben Ouellette, agency producer; Cobrandit, production company; Aloft Hotels, client. Right: OOH campaign. “With the growing number of do-it-yourself real estate websites out there, Connecticut Association of REALTORS Inc. wanted to reestablish the importance of real estate agents to prospective homebuyers and sellers. We took one look at the vocabulary used in real estate transactions and knew it wasn’t going to be hard to do that.” Alan Duda, art director; Jeff Marois, writer; Craig Orsini, photographer; Connecticut Association of REALTORS Inc., client. “During the winter of 2014–2015, Boston had historic snowfalls. The city shivered in the grip of a never-ending whiteout. But the bleak cityscape had a bright spot: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s year-round indoor flower gardens. This Colors campaign ran as social and transit ads. We even mounted standalone posters atop towering gray slush piles on the street corners around the museum: ‘snowvertising.’” Alan Duda, art director; Tim Cawley, writer; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, client. “No one likes to wait to see a doctor. Luckily, AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care offers shorter wait times than most primary care physicians. So we created this OOH series to drive that point home in locations where AFC was opening.” Alan Duda/Jessica Ruggieri, art directors; Mike Heid, writer; Alex Terrill, animator/editor; Owen Mack, video director; AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care, client.
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TYLER GOURLEY BY ANNE TELFORD
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hotography—that’s how I want to talk,” Tyler Gourley confesses. It’s how he communicates, and given the wealth of awards and recognition he’s received for his work, it speaks volumes: a Cannes Gold Lion as well as multiple awards from publications and professional organizations, including Communication Arts, Photo District News, Graphis, Print and Lürzer’s Archive. His client list spans a range of industries, from the automobile industry to banking, and his commercial work touches on cars, fashion, sports and travel. Gourley, 41, has been photographing for 22 years, although he looks far too young to have had such a long career. While growing up, he would fantasize with his father about buying classic cars and fixing them up. Enthralled with drawing cars and all their interesting lines and curves, Gourley originally started taking photographs only as drawing resources. But he discovered that he reveled in finding the key attributes of a subject and featuring them in new and expressive ways, so he put down the pencil and picked up a camera. His commercial photography career has realized that early love of cars through large, complex shoots for BMW, Volvo, Jeep, Subaru, Lexus and Acura. “As objects, cars are very beautiful,” he says. “What makes a good car photographer is finding the key attributes and the lines and what really makes that car shine. How do I shoot it and make it look just as sexy as a car that costs 20 times the price?” Extensive travel is imprinted in his DNA. Gourley was born in Los Angeles, but when he was six months old, his family moved to Guadalajara, Mexico, packing him and their two collies into their Volkswagen van. They were always camping and traveling on road trips, he remembers. Then they went from Mexico to Philadelphia, where his father went to medical school. After that, his father’s job as an Air Force doctor required the family to move frequently, including to San Antonio, Texas, and to Northamptonshire, England. “I think we saw every castle in Europe,” he says. From England,
Right: “I value the great relationship I have with Carmichael Lynch and Subaru and was honored when they invited me to shoot both the launch video and the print campaign for the new Subaru WRX and WRX STI. There was never a dull moment during the four days of shooting and filming as we continuously pushed these cars hard over varied terrain.” Bob Berken, creative director; Vann Friesen, producer; Sandy Boss Febbo, agency producer; Carmichael Lynch, ad agency; Subaru, client. 44
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TYLER GOURLEY they returned to San Antonio, then moved to Fairfield, California, before settling in Salt Lake City for two decades—the longest he had lived anywhere.
© Lars Bergaust
Gourley was accepted into the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, but decided to study closer to home. He attended Salt Lake Community College, where teacher Terry Martin proved instrumental to his work ethic. “It’s what you put into it,” Gourley claims. “If you’re passionate enough, you are going to learn what you need.” Learn he did; personal work shot in his second year of school led to his first commercial job—an ad campaign for a ski resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Buoyed by success, he left school to pursue photography full time. Recently he has come full circle. After moving from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, he has moved back to Los Angeles, where he lives in the Los Feliz neighborhood. He shares a handsome Spanish revival house with his girlfriend, Sara Czosnyka, who owns Process and Content, a custom hat company outfitting the likes of Jeff Goldblum (who once came to their home to shop and tinkled their piano keys while he was there). The home boasts a lush yard surrounded by park space and a secluded pool; Boston terrier Coco has fallen in love with the pool to the extent that she has shed five pounds through her new love of swimming. It’s a perfect retreat for Gourley when he’s between assignments, which take him all over the world. His peripatetic youth exposed him to many museums as a child. Being introduced to culture and art in different cities and countries has made him comfortable traveling to exotic locations—although his lanky six-foot-five height often sets him apart from the crowd in places like Cambodia. His natural desire for exploration shows up in his work. Jeff Terwilliger,
associate creative director and partner of ad agency Carmichael Lynch, notes that even on set, Gourley is constantly exploring. “I instantly liked Tyler’s unique approach of shoot and move,” Terwilliger says. “He’s constantly shooting while he’s looking for that perfect camera position. He’s always open to that moment of discovery in his photography and almost always produces images that are so beyond what we initially envisioned. The rare and unexpected gems he finds make his images so interesting.” Whether he is shooting a hat factory or the story of tequila, Gourley imbues his work with natural light and a love of symmetry and classical proportions—techniques that show a strong commitment to a mastered craft, even after all these years. “I’m still excited about [photography],” Gourley says. “I look forward to each project.” In fact, he thrives on the camaraderie that forms on extended shoots, admitting he hates saying the good-byes at the end. Such camaraderie could come only from establishing a tight team of amazing producers and assistants, Carmichael Lynch’s executive content producer and art producer Sandy Boss Febbo confirms. “His team is his secret weapon,” she explains. “They all have similar approaches and work in unison to deliver the most seamless, professional, buttoned-up, drama-free and lighthearted productions one could imagine.” “Tyler brings a lot to the game,” adds creative director Bob Berken of Carmichael Lynch. “He’s extremely collaborative, doesn’t know the words stop or ego.” “Tyler’s style is very observational,” Terwilliger continues. “Much like how we as humans interact with our world. I think that’s why so many people—myself included—love and relate to his work. You see the people he photographs as they really are. Nothing feels staged. It’s all honest and authentic.” Gourley’s work first came to Terwilliger’s attention in 2007 when he was looking for someone to shoot an upcoming Harley-Davidson national print campaign. “Tyler’s eye very much became the visual voice of Harley-Davidson, up until we resigned the account in 2012,” he says. “But we loved Tyler’s work so much that we’ve continued to work with him on another agency client, Subaru. Now that he’s been shooting stills and also motion for Subaru, he’s been a vital
Right: Shot for the release of the new Acura ILX. Eric Schroeder, art director; Rocket Studio, retoucher; Vann Friesen, producer; Rob Beckon, agency producer; MullenLowe, ad agency; Acura, client. “Taken at Hotel Fasano Las Piedras in Punta del Este, Uruguay, as part of the global campaign for Leading Hotels of the World. We shot on three different continents in two weeks, and I also directed the campaign video. Fasano is one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed in, and those who work there are some of the most gracious people I have met. I expressed interest in photographing the striking white horse, which was not to be purchased for several months. The horse was acquired months earlier than the original plan’s deadline so I could use him in the shoot.” Lucia Orlandi, art director; Alison Tsoi, creative director; Deanna Shenn, agency producer; AKQA, ad agency; Leading Hotels of the World, client. 46
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TYLER GOURLEY part of Subaru’s success as a brand, one that has recorded record annual sales for seven to eight consecutive years.” Although Gourley misses the darkroom, his exploration of new media enables him to bring more personal influences into his work—like music, one of his biggest inspirations. “I love storytelling,” he explains. “Directing has allowed a lot of other elements to be brought into my work, like music. So much can come out of a song.” The mention of music leads him to recall how he ran into Björk on his last night of two weeks in Iceland, a trip that involved wild explorations in a rented Land Rover Defender to locations his Icelandic friends warned were too dangerous. The singer held the door open at a restaurant. When Gourley informed his dining companions, they responded breezily, “Oh, we see her all the time!” Iceland is, after all, a small country—although you would not know that from the beautiful, expansive horizons in the photographs he captured during his trip. A print from this photo shoot hangs prominently in his living room, showing a vast expanse of desolate landscape with one shining white building in the center distance. Michelle Mintz, senior art producer at ad agency Argonaut, details one memorable shoot. “I’ve been out on some really long car shoots with Tyler, but my favorite was a road trip from Salt Lake City to San Francisco—before a car launch— with some precision drivers who really pushed the cars on some crazy mountain roads. Tyler sat in the back seat of a really small hatchback to capture the drive, and he got thrown around quite a bit on the twisting, turning mountain roads. The drivers were going really fast on the hairpin turns—I was scared out of my mind—and Tyler kept shooting. It was one of the craziest, scariest shoots I’ve ever been on, and Tyler was a rock star!”
Left: Photographed during a three-day shoot for Allstate Motorcycle Insurance in Southern California. Mikal Pittman, creative director; Ricardo Capdepont, producer; Donna Varichak, agency producer; John Noonan, executive producer; Leo Burnett, ad agency; Allstate, client. Shot for the launch of the new Toyota 4Runner. Jera Mehrdad, art director; John Payne, creative director; Vann Friesen, producer; Dogan Dattilo, agency producer; Saatchi & Saatchi, ad agency; Toyota, client. This page: “I was asked to photograph Ken Fulk, a San Francisco–based interior designer, for a fashion story titled ‘Style Council.’ I shot Ken in various parts of his loft with wardrobe changes; then, he put on a beautiful long coat that I thought would look great against San Francisco’s foggy backdrop. We went out onto his balcony, where I asked him to balance on one of his side tables. He was a great sport; in the end, this became my favorite shot of the day.” Benjamin Harriman, design director; 7x7, client. “These two photographs were shot on an island in Croatia. This Jeep campaign had us shooting for five days, in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia.” Ana Sanchez, art director; John Norman, chief creative officer; Vann Friesen, producer; Peter Feldman, agency producer; Translation, ad agency; Jeep, client. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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TYLER GOURLEY Gourley adds to the tale that although, technically, the drivers were “precision drivers in the sense that they are trained to drive, they were really engineers.” He continues, “These were not necessarily high-performance cars either—I won’t name any clients!—but they weren’t cars that you’d think could do 80 around a corner on a cliff. There were elements that did not equal safe.” Experience has mellowed him somewhat. “Safety is first for crew and everyone,” he insists. “But I will personally get into a dangerous situation if it means I get the shot!” Composition and lighting aside, his images relate a palpable sense that a true moment has been captured. ca This page: “I spent a couple of days with US Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin, shooting Natalie at home and in training at the University of California, Berkeley. I added this quick shot after our original setup. I was a bit worried that Natalie would question my wanting to shoot her in an unkempt, cluttered storage area near the pool, but I think she saw what I saw and appreciated the texture and graphic nature of the environment.” Bonnie Ford, writer; Stephanie Weed, photo editor; ESPN The Magazine, client. “I spent three days shooting a wide variety of scenarios to create an image library for the Esquire Network. This image came from an early morning in Malibu, photographing a surfer coming out of the water.” Jonah Birns, art director; Brett Marx, producer; Esquire Network, client. “I shot Keira Knightley in Park City, Utah, where she was promoting her film The Jacket during the Sundance Film Festival.” Time Out, client. Right: For a print campaign and image library for the new Chevrolet Equinox. Dustin Smith, creative director; Ricardo Capdepont, producer; Michelle Mintz, agency producer; Goodby Silverstein & Partners, ad agency; Chevrolet, client. “For an ad campaign for Ram Trucks, we shot secondary photos to go alongside the main truck images we were shooting. These secondary images told a bit more of the story behind each of the truck owners featured in the ads.” Lori Wittig, art director; Jimmy Bonner, creative director; Ricardo Capdepont, producer; Julie Richards, agency producer; The Richards Group, ad agency; Ram Trucks, client.
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Dotdash By Tonya Turner
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t’s fitting that an old 1940s pin factory sets the stage for Dotdash, Despina Macris and Mark Ross’s wayfinding studio in Brisbane, Australia. The studio could find a needle in a haystack. Of course, it wouldn’t merely find said needle; it would work out the best way to navigate the haystack in order to reach it. It would place signage in just the right spots to lead you to the pin; design environmental graphics that convey a sense of the barn, the haystack in the barn and the pin in the haystack; and provide appropriate information—maybe which animals eat the hay or how far before you reach the needle—along the way. The Dotdash team knows how to get you exactly where you need to be. A lot of us would be lost without its wayfinding work—literally. Whether trying to find your gate at an international airport, looking for a ward in a hospital, seeking out a bus station in a foreign city or hunting down the zebra enclosure at a zoo, wayfinders help get you there.
The design firm’s building, spread over three levels, comprises a jumble of rooms. The main action happens on the old factory floor, now an open space with desks and Macs lined up in rows. A neon O taken from a discarded hotel sign shines from the back of the space like a creative power source. A reflective yellow street sign reads “THIS IS NOT A SIGN,” but you get the feeling it really should read “DOTDASH IS NOT A SIGN STUDIO.” Getting people to understand the studio’s purpose in the relatively emergent field of wayfinding design has proven a challenge. Macris and Ross lead a multidisciplinary team of ten designers. Senior designer Domenic Nastasi has been with them for eighteen years, and associate designer Heath Pedrola for ten. Both worked in the United Kingdom before starting at Dotdash; over the years, designers from Brazil, Canada, India, Norway, Poland and the United States have joined them. Finding people with wayfinding experience
requires a worldwide search. “I’ve even done Skype interviews with designers in Iceland and Mexico,” Macris says. Pepper, the unofficial office therapy poodle, trots across the timber floorboards to lay a ball next to Ross. Staff members are encouraged to take her for walks when they need some fresh air. At the moment, there are 50 live projects in the studio, but it’s all hands on deck to meet the deadline for a local council’s project. There are maps on screens and handsketched drawings on tables. “We’re about connecting people to place,” Macris says. “That’s what we do.” But that’s not what they did 30 years ago. Macris and Ross met in 1984 and married in 1987. That same year, they started Dotdash in a small living room studio. The name comes from the basic building blocks of Morse code. “The idea is that you can do a lot with just a little bit,” Ross says. It also had punch. “There’s a bit of a staccato, percussive sound to it. Boom, boom. It does help define us a bit. It’s not too serious. It’s not people’s surnames all strung in a row. It also represents the business rather than the principals, and that’s important. We’re only as good as the people who are here.” Before they met, Ross studied built environment, dance and choreography; Macris studied illustration and design. Then she worked with a multinational ad agency in Greece and Canada before starting her own fashion label in Brisbane; meanwhile, Ross was getting up to all kinds of creative mischief, including the creation of an architectural ballet involving ironing boards. But they were moving in the same circles and ended up meeting and subsequently working together on shows for festivals and nightclubs. Then they took the next big step and started their own business. From the beginning, Dotdash scooped up big clients. When Brisbane held the World Expo in 1988, the city brought the young design firm on board for laser graphics, costume design and choreography. And the studio continued to put its diverse
Right: “In early 2011, in the far north of Queensland, the Cardwell community experienced the savage force of Cyclone Yasi, which generated a storm surge so powerful that it left the Cardwell foreshore a desolate landscape. Since this devastation, Cardwell has reconstructed its foreshore with a new sense of identity and vibrancy. We worked with community representatives of Cardwell and the project’s landscape architects to design the signage, pathway treatments and interpretive elements of the three-mile foreshore. Our design approach had to be mindful of working with a community that had lost everything. It was never about the aha moment, but rather about how to work in a meaningful way with and for Cardwell’s residents.” Agata Dworaczek/Despina Macris/Mark Ross/Peter Rudledge, designers; Cassowary Coast Regional Council, client. 52
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© Andrew Watson
Captions provided by Dotdash.
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DOTDASH creative skills to work. In the early days, its projects included corporate identity, environmental graphic design, installations, signage, theming and wayfinding strategy, for such diverse clients as bus terminals, hospitals, libraries, shopping centers, theaters, theme parks and universities. © Reuben Ross
As the graphic design industry grew more competitive, Dotdash saw an opportunity to Despina Macris and Mark Ross. specialize and ran with it, becoming a pioneer in the largely unknown field of wayfinding. “We were interested in information design and—because of our architectural connections—that whole notion of signage and wayfinding and how you build it into a space to help people use it,” Ross says. “A client might say, ‘Let’s bring Dotdash on board to design signs,’ but designing signs is not the same as wayfinding. We’d say, ‘We need something here to tell people where to go—go left, go right, go straight ahead,’ and then clients would start to realize that wayfinding is actually a pretty valuable part of the design process.” In 1960, US architect and urban planner Kevin Lynch coined the term wayfinding in his book The Image of the City, defining it as “a consistent use and organization of definite sensory cues from the external environment.” Over the years, the concept developed into what wayfinding is known as today: information systems that guide people through a physical environment to enhance their understanding and experience of that place. As managing codirectors, Ross focuses on proposals and strategies, and Macris heads the visual communication department. Ross doesn’t use design software, opting to sketch his concepts by hand. “The traditional skills of graphic design had no computers in sight, relying on craftsmanship, skill, and using your hands and eyes,” he says. These skills
have served him well. Dotdash hit the big time with the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, hosted in Sydney. Towering yellow signs, nearly 20 feet tall and brighter than the Australian sun, guided thousands of visitors from all over the world around the city’s immense sporting venues. “We use color and scale a lot,” Ross says. “The signs were like big chess pieces—you could pick them up with a crane and move them anywhere.” He likes the chess analogy, using it to describe the kit of parts Dotdash helped develop for the games. It makes sense. Chess requires intellect, intellect and strategy—all qualities Ross applies to the design firm’s wayfinding work. The 2000 Olympics marked the beginning of a long relationship with the games, and the firm has since consulted with organizing committees for the games in Athens, Beijing, London and Sochi. Mostly, Dotdash works on long-term projects that take years to manifest. “People don’t come to us for the ephemeral stuff,” says Macris. “Our work is usually in the ground for ten to fifteen years.” Based in Brisbane, just an hour’s flight north of Sydney, Dotdash has developed a style embedded in the climate and culture of the subtropical city it calls home. Architect John Ilett of urban planning and design studio Lat27 has worked with Dotdash for eighteen years, including a recent collaboration for one of Brisbane’s most beloved annual events: the Royal Queensland Show. As part of its wayfinding task, Dotdash created brightly colored beacons with tops shaped like sawtooth roofs, echoing the surrounding buildings. “[The firm’s] at the top of its game in terms of wayfinding,” Ilett says. “It’s the design excellence in that company and the quality of what gets put on the ground that really sets them apart. I think its work is very fresh and contemporary. You get a feeling it’s of Australia.” Color and craftsmanship aren’t Dotdash’s only trademarks. Leigh Abernethy, former project manager for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, says simplicity also defines a typical Dotdash project. Bright maps that attract attention and organically shaped sculptural signs—like pebbles washed up on a beach—dot the coastal region as a result of the firm’s wayfinding work. “The team does very simple, bold color schemes and favors a simpler layout than other firms,” she says. “There’s more of an emphasis on function over form, and information always takes precedence.”
Right: “The 54-acre Brisbane Showgrounds in the city’s central business district is undergoing a transformation into a vibrant mixed-use precinct, which includes hosting a variety of festivals and events throughout the year. We considered the site’s complexity and continually evolving traffic patterns to design signage that would become icons exclusive to the environment. Brightly colored, illuminated markers, which embody the high energy of the site all year long, draw from the whimsical colors and theatrical forms of street performers. Refined into a contemporary form, the design’s scale and vivid colors manifest the excitement of the site’s events.” Agata Dworaczek/Despina Macris/Heath Pedrola/Mark Ross/Keith Sullivan, designers; Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of QLD, client. “An elegant, contemporary addition to the urban fabric of Brisbane, 480 Queen Street is a newly completed commercial high-rise located in the city’s central business district. We were engaged to design a building identity that not only reflected the architecture’s tone, but also seamlessly integrated graphic language into the physical environment, extending into digital and published applications. With a high volume of foot traffic, two street-access points serve the building from different main streets. Differentiating these spaces while maintaining a consistent visual style was a key consideration of our wayfinding strategy.” Rachel Bateup/Despina Macris/Domenic Nastasi/Dan Pike, designers; Grocon, client. 54
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© Reuben Ross
© Reuben Ross and Larraine Herring
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© Scott Burrows
DOTDASH That’s because simplicity ranks high on Dotdash’s list of design principles. Ross cites Dieter Rams’s “less is more” approach as a major influence on the studio’s work. “A good solution for us is if people have done what they needed to do and gone where they needed to go without ever thinking about signage,” he says. Ironically, Ross doesn’t blame bad signage or poor wayfinding strategy whenever he gets lost. “I blame myself. I’ve usually missed a sign or I haven’t read something properly.” Perhaps this humility informs the open-mindedness that Dotdash brings to its projects. “The firm is very structured, but really responsive to client direction and ideas in a creative way,” Abernethy says. “There’s a lot of depth in the products it provides.” Ilett agrees. “They’re very collaborative, very flexible, and very open and relaxed. Very Australian,” he says. Although there is more awareness and appreciation for wayfinding today than ever before, some clients still take shortcuts. It’s a missed opportunity when that happens, according to Cox Rayner Architects’ design director, Casey Vallance, who has worked with Dotdash for more than a decade. “Often, people look at signage as pure pragmatics, checking information to tell you where to go,” he says. “But what Dotdash is doing is far more experiential and poetic
Left: “The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre at Southport is one of the first venues created for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The center’s architectural style references the Gold Coast’s golden era of modernism, which occurred during the 1960s and 1970s and followed the path of Californian modernist architecture. We worked closely with the architects to create a family of signage that complements and strengthens the architectural aesthetic. With a modern geometric typeface, an oceanic color palette, sculptural lettering and mosaic tiling, the signage elements further reference this era of design and connect with people and place.” Heath Pedrola/Erin Stromgren/Keith Sullivan, designers; Gold Coast City Council, client. “The Townsville Recreational Boating Park is the largest facility of its kind in Australia. Key considerations of our wayfinding strategy included the site’s scale and the amount of open space. Each oversized signage element achieved maximum visual contrast in the environment and contributed to the overall character and sense of place. The graphic language was inspired and informed by the maritime flag semaphore, a system for communicating and sending messages that captures the spirit of the park.” Heath Pedrola, designer; Townsville City Council, client. This page: “The city of Gladstone, Queensland, recently saw a major revival of its waterfront. The new Gladstone Coal Exporters Maritime Precinct offers recreational facilities, green space and strong references to the past, present and future of the city’s maritime industry. We created a family of signage both bold in form and bright in color. We developed a playful tone of voice for all the messaging and used bold, illustrative mapping to express fun and recreation, with a focus on children and family. The design references the site’s history of maritime industry in form, scale and material—in particular, industrial-quality laser-cut metal and large-scale sculptural silhouettes. We drew inspiration from various maritime artifacts, which have been reclaimed and placed throughout the site.” Despina Macris/Heath Pedrola/Mark Ross/Peter Rudledge, designers; Gladstone Maritime Port Authority, client. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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DOTDASH than that.” In 2014, Dotdash won a coveted Society for Experiential Graphic Design award for a wayfinding system involving multilingual pedestrian signage in Brisbane. The jury noted, “Using five languages in a single signage design is not an easy task. … This program accomplished it simply and elegantly.” As technology becomes more embedded into wayfinding, the big challenge for Dotdash’s future will be working with digital interface tools. “We have to grow with digital and understand more of it,” Ross says. “Demand is coming in from our clients, so we need to put the time and energy into more research and more partnerships. It’s starting to happen—that’s the new frontier for us.” As Dotdash has proven, the world is its chessboard. It’s your move, Dotdash. ca
This page: “The Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, situated in Brisbane’s busy cultural precinct, houses a collection of major cultural attractions. Approached to give the building a stronger presence in its environment, we developed a bold graphic identity for the building’s external facade, labeled internal spaces and created a network of internal wayfinding components. We applied a consistent visual language throughout, integrating graphics and text into existing architectural features to announce the building and its attractions without detracting from its iconic aesthetic. Internal wayfinding elements, which were designed as ‘cut-out collars’ fitted to existing structural columns, highlight the environment with their vibrant colors.” Mark Ross/Peter Rudledge, designers; Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, client.
“The newly completed University of Queensland Oral Health Centre is Australia’s largest and most advanced tertiary oral health center. Our wayfinding strategy ties together the center’s many teaching, research and treatment facilities by using a bold and consistent design language throughout. We worked closely with the project’s architects to integrate our designs into the center’s strong architectural language, resulting in a signage family that works in unity with the building’s form. The modern color palette deflects the clinical nature of oral health and instead communicates an elegant aesthetic.” Irené Ostash/Heath Pedrola/Juri Yamamura, designers; University of Queensland, client.
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© Christopher Frederick Jones and Reuben Ross
Right: “As part of a Brisbane City Council strategy to provide multilingual communication for international visitors, we developed a family of signage, consisting of brightly colored directional signs and more substantial information hub signs. The design brief, which required five languages to be incorporated into a single message, challenged us to balance the languages typographically without sacrificing legibility. We extracted the bold yellow from the iconic Brisbane City Council brand, extending and strengthening the existing visual identity of the city. This distinctly yellow family of signage provides a strong contrast to its surrounding urban environment while still integrating into the fabric of the city.” Laura Beattie/Dan Pike/ Mark Ross/Peter Rudledge, designers; Brisbane City Council, client.
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© Angus Martin
© Larraine Henning and Reuben Ross
HELLO HELLO MONDAY BY JOE SHEPTER
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t can be a little hard to explain just how charmingly weird Hello Monday can be. Top-flight digital shops tend to be quirky, but this small, 37-person firm based in New York and Denmark is in a class of its own.
Andreas Anderskou to lead the business) were then young 20-somethings in Aarhus, Denmark. They worked together at a big design agency that was trying to become one of the biggest in the world.
Don’t believe me? How many digital agencies are you aware of that have office moms? Chances are, zero—until now. In case you’re curious, the official title for Hello Monday’s office moms is “cultural coordinator,” and they don’t have to be female. Their job is similar to that of office managers, except that it also includes cooking a warm, homemade meal for lunch—which everyone sits down to eat together. (Communal lunch is a Danish thing; home-cooked meals in the office are not.)
But the three had a vision different from their employer. They wanted to create a company that was so fun and pleasant that it made Monday a happy word. That goal—not creative excellence—has always been the driving force behind Hello Monday. Not surprisingly, the firm’s first year was far from glamorous. The three kept their doors open by working on graphics for fashion T-shirts and bicycle frames. The fame thing, however, came soon enough. In 2007, a year after opening its doors, Hello Monday got the chance to build a website for the now-defunct fashion brand Minus. Though the budget was tiny, Hello Monday negotiated the right to do whatever it wanted—and took full advantage of the freedom. The resulting site featured an intriguing user experience (UX) that enabled visitors to zoom into the clothes’ fabric. It quickly won an FWA and garnered Hello Monday attention from around the world.
“[The moms] are very important carriers of our culture,” says founding partner Johanne Bruun Rasmussen. Judging by her and the rest of the team’s success, more firms could use them. Over the last ten years, Hello Monday has been among the most awarded makers of high-end digital experiences in the world. It has won 97 Favourite Website Awards (FWAs) to date, and it achieved that organization’s coveted Hall of Fame status in a mere five years. It has twice been named Creative Circle Agency of the Year, and it probably has more Webbys, Lions and Pencils than the team can count. Even rivals have nothing but nice things to say about them. For example, when FWA founder Rob Ford was looking for a redesign, he was surprised by the reaction. “I polled our judging team [of more than 200] and asked them, ‘If [you] could choose any agency in the world to design the new FWA, who would it be?’” he says. “The overwhelming response was Hello Monday.” That said, if you had been looking over the founders’ shoulders ten years ago, you would never have expected this or really any level of success. Founding partners Rasmussen, Anders Jessen and Jeppe Aaen (the company later added
“That’s when we found out what we needed to do,” says Rasmussen simply. “We’d do websites and do them so well that thousands of people would drop by and look.” Hello Monday slowly began to grow, but it was determined to keep its initial vision intact. The partners developed a set of cultural practices that not only reflects their Danish background, but also is unique to the firm. Home-cooked meals aside, one of the most unusual practices is that the creative partners—and Aaen in particular—are almost never exposed to discussions of budgets and finances. Financial success is not the company’s top priority. “You’ll never get rich working for Hello Monday,” admits Anderskou. The company also adopted a structure and working style that is “flat management for real,” as one Glassdoor reviewer put
Captions supplied by Hello Monday. Right: “Follow four bears from their points of view as they navigate the heart of Yellowstone National Park. Cameras collared to these bears provide us with footage, a lens into the never-before-seen lives of one of the animal kingdom’s most fearsome beasts. Utilizing geo-coordinate data captured every 20 seconds, we can pinpoint the bears’ exact geography within Yellowstone. Combined with expert analysis from researchers Kerry Gunther and Nate Bowers—delivered as intermittent audio captions—we gain a deeper understanding of the bears’ activity.” Steffen Christiansen/Morten Sølvstrøm, art directors; Joey Maese, developer; Anders Jessen, technology director; Johanne Bruun Rasmussen, illustrator; Megan Potter, senior producer; National Geographic, client. 60
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HELLO MONDAY body body body
A good example might be their recent site for the smartwatch Wove. Hello Monday noted that nearly everyone in the device business has followed Apple’s lead and adopted a clean, scrolling page structure. You don’t not do Apple in the tech industry. But Hello Monday asked, “Why not use everything in our toolkit?” HTML5 doesn’t limit itself to scrolling by any means. Instead, Wove’s site features a watch-shaped cursor and page transitions that involve whooshing through the device itself. “Everyone said it looked like an old Flash site,” says senior art director and illustrator Steffen Christiansen. “And I said, ‘Why not? Old Flash sites were much cooler and more interesting than a scrolling site.”
“A test shot from a photo studio we set up in our New York office last year.”
it. And if you want to work there, you don’t merely need to be good at your job. You also have to pass the “twelve-hour test.” This isn’t a real test; rather, the team has to imagine what it would be like to sit next to you on a flight for twelve hours. If they can’t see themselves enjoying the experience, you won’t be hired. As a result, Hello Monday has never had very many employees and can’t take on every project. That’s where the Fs come in: fun, fame, forward, fortune, fearless, future, freedom and footprint (“fearless” refers to innovation and “footprint” refers to global impact). The company uses them to evaluate potential projects. If a project doesn’t have enough Fs, Hello Monday won’t do it. Even the firm’s expansion—first to Copenhagen and later to New York—was not driven by rational considerations. In both cases, Hello Monday opened offices simply because a favorite employee fell in love with someone who lived in those cities. As Rasmussen puts it, “There always seems to be a woman involved.” All of this might appear quite random, but it serves a purpose: maximizing creativity. The twelve-hour test eliminates stress, friction and office politics—of which there is none. The lunch makes everyone take a break so they can recharge their creative batteries and chat about life. And designers don’t look at budgets because, well, numbers are creative cancer. So what does the Hello Monday team get out of such a culture? Most of the time in their work, they drive toward established conventions—and then veer hard right. They ask, “Why not?” and use that as inspiration for a new direction.
Digital design is largely driven by rules that make everything look the same. You can find data-based studies that tell you exactly how many characters a social media post should be. Eye-tracking studies show you where you should put a headline or image. There are even dynamic content tools that can generate and test 10,000 versions of an ad. But in Hello Monday’s vision, none of that can ever accomplish what’s really interesting: doing something “wrong” that somehow works. “We sometimes deliberately create experiences that may be hard to use because that’s what we want,” says senior UX designer Esben Hindhede. “It’s something no machine could ever do.” The YouTube Kids app provides a less obvious example of the firm’s approach. The chance for why-not creativity in the app was more limited, of course—Hello Monday needed to make a mass-market interface that would work for kids. It had to look a lot like YouTube and function like it, too. No room for going crazy, right? Wrong. In the first place, the team created an interactive assistant named The Dude. The Dude helps kids who can’t read yet by using voice to find content. Hello Monday excelled in the smaller details as well. For example, the logos and buttons animate when you use them (why not?). There are fun scrolls and sound effects, too. In fact, anywhere the studio could make things more interesting, it did. A final example of the agency’s approach might be the wonderful Bear’s-Eye View of Yellowstone. The sole all-digital component of a special National Geographic issue devoted to the park, it originally began as a research project that looked into bear diet and behavior. Researchers had fitted four bears with GPS trackers and cameras that took 20 seconds of video every 20 minutes, from just under the bears’
Right: “The Favourite Website Awards (FWAs) have celebrated digital innovation since May 2000, but the organization’s platform was not living up to the standards it celebrates. So we partnered with the FWA to completely revamp its site. One of the more interesting new concepts is the Live Judging feature, which invites users to follow judging as it happens. The new site also works as a single-page app, which makes seamless and quick transitions between pages. It’s new, simple and fast, but still the FWA.” Sarah Christiansen/Sebastian Gram/Emil Juul, art directors; Esben Hindhede, user experience director; Anders Jessen, technology director; Maja Andersen, senior producer; FWA, client. 62
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HELLO MONDAY mouths. In truth, that offers more of a bear’s-chin view, but no matter. National Geographic eventually brought in Hello Monday for its expertise in interactive storytelling, but soon realized that the firm’s personality was just as valuable. “For our first design review, they showed up on a Google Hangout wearing bear hats,” says Bethany Powell, digital creative director at National Geographic. “It’s wonderful when studios are just as excited about the content as we are, and they were genuinely engaged in the research and the story.” Although the site at heart is a simple scroll, its mix of video and illustrations gives the bears a surprising amount of personality. The strictly nonfictional presentation builds tension by asking questions and zeroing in on dangerous incidents. For example, it lays out the suspicion that one of the bears is a cannibal, explaining that a certain percentage of black bears kill and eat other black bears. This eventually turns out to be true. Another of the bears is young and
Left: “issuu is a digital publishing company with more than 80 million users and 25 million publications. Its goal: to become the default destination for online publications. Its target audience: everyone. Whether you’re a parent, student, traveler, hipster, gearhead, fashionista, techie, foodie or spiritual health guru, somewhere out there is a publication just for you. We worked with issuu to make its platform synonymous with digital publications, like YouTube with videos and Spotify with music streaming. We created a stylishly modern digital reading tool, incorporating user interface elements that encourage sharing, stacking, subscribing and discovery.” Sebastian Gram/Kasper Laigaard, art directors; Julie Clausen, project manager; issuu, client. “Polyera twists the concept of wearable technology into something that is always on, fully flexible and completely customizable. In this case, ‘flexible display technology’ is like taking your Kindle and wrapping the whole thing around your wrist. Much like the Kindle display, the band uses e-ink, which shows only sixteen shades of gray. This guided our conceptual design principles: simple, grayscale, nothing flashy. And when we realized the big challenge in terms of experience—conveying the physicality of the band to show users exactly how it can bend, turn and twist—we created renderings of the device based on Polyera’s working 3-D models, giving users a way to interact and play with the band to discover how it works and feels.” Steffen Christiansen/Morten Sølvstrøm, art directors; Torben Dalgaard, senior developer; Arne Van Kauter, developer; Anders Jessen, technology director; Kamron Robinson, motion graphics; Chelsea Cox, senior producer; Polyera, client. This page: “Designing a lookbook for a clothing collection depends a whole lot on the visual content and quality of the collection, and this Diesel collection and its photography, by world-class photographer Sharif Hamza, were nothing short of breathtaking. For our main concept, we went with Hot Summer Days, wrapping up the entire digital Diesel ecosystem with the theme’s summer feeling to celebrate the return of the beloved season on all platforms. We wanted visitors to leave the site with a strong sense of the brand, its new products and the overall campaign aesthetic, so we matched the imagery with a colorful user interface that gets warmer in tone the longer the user stays on the site. Diesel was so happy with the new user experience and visual aesthetics that it decided to change its entire site (diesel.com) to this new format.” Marcus Fuchs/Kasper Laigaard, art directors; Anders Jessen, senior developer; Karen Sørensen, project manager; Diesel, client. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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HELLO MONDAY on his own for the first time. In an anxious moment, he encounters a larger bear, but escapes. The site also features oddly haunting views of people’s homes through the bears’ eyes. Simply put, the site is far more human in its appeal than you’d expect. With work like this, Hello Monday has proved adept at staying in the digital spotlight. However, that remains a secondary concern. Fame (at least of the sort available in this industry) doesn’t matter as much as a good home-cooked meal, great conversation and a glass of wine after work. “In truth, we’re all a little wacky and weird,” confesses Christiansen. “But whenever we hire new people, most of them want to stay. They know they’ve joined a kind of weird company; it says that on the door.” And perhaps it should say that on a few more doors as well. ca
This page: “Feeling lost in his songwriting process led Grammy-nominated artist j.viewz to the refrain ‘Almost forgot the heart.’ For the lead single from his new album 401 Days, we created a digital experience that would help us feel fully in the moment—the very thing that j.viewz had struggled with. To create a music video completely controlled by the viewer’s own heart, we created an algorithm that would detect the slight changes in skin color that occur each time your heart pumps blood through your body—a process known as photoplethysmography—and then would adjust the song’s tempo and visuals to fluctuate in sync with your heartbeat. By placing your finger on the back of your device, you see a small creature traveling through a landscape that becomes increasingly colorful the longer you stay present.” Jérôme Bodin, art director; Liv Weile, designer; Torben Dalgaard/Lasse Moos/ Megan Potter, senior developers; Anders Jessen, technology director; Jeppe Aaen, illustration; j.viewz, client. Right: “Cutting-edge biological experiments conducted in space. Discoveries made in microgravity. This is NASA GeneLab, the largest open-source database for space life science research. NASA GeneLab conducts research in space, explores the molecular response of terrestrial biology to microgravity, uncovers findings that push forward the frontiers of human understanding on Earth, and makes all its discoveries available to a worldwide network of scientists and researchers in an open-access database. We helped NASA create a visual identity and platform design for GeneLab that would inspire laypeople, increase funding for the initiative and galvanize support from the scientific community.” Mads Bjerre/Sebastian Gram, art directors; Joey Maese, senior developer; Julia Wallin, developer; Megan Potter, senior producer; NASA, client. “YouTube has been a portal to the Internet’s best—and best of the worst— content for the past ten years. But when it comes to kids, YouTube is often not the best place for unsupervised exploration. A small child watching baby animals at play can accidentally click on a ‘related’ video and end up in a bad place. So we designed the entire brand identity and product interface for a kid-friendly YouTube. The interface uses icons and tips that any young mind can easily understand. Kids can easily find educational content, return to their favorite shows and explore new content based on their core interests. Most important, parents can see what their children are viewing and use smart parental settings to set up limits. Parents can also set a timer so the app shuts off just in time for bed. Even YouTube knows that everyone needs a little break from YouTube.” Jérôme Bodin/Steffen Christiansen/Emil Juul, art directors; Johanne Rasmussen, creative director; Megan Potter, senior producer; YouTube, Google, client. 66
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Starbird Chicken identity “When the food strategy firm Culinary Edge approached us with a new concept for Starbird Chicken, we embarked on workshops and strategy sessions to decide how to position the new restaurant. Cutting through the visual clutter usually found in the fast food world, the mark for Starbird’s brand identity combines the simplest forms of a chicken and an egg—the latter as a nod to the restaurant’s breakfast offerings. Clean, direct typography matches the optical weight of the mark, yet still has character. We didn’t overlook the physical presence of the restaurant’s building: a former Pizza Hut. The flagship’s new roof uses a facade of wooden pickets, and to complement this high-level finish, we crafted the building’s signage from dimensional aluminum and lit it from within. The response to Starbird has been overwhelmingly positive—its bright, modern design stands out from cluttered, dated chains.” Eric Strohl/Christine Strohl, creative directors; zero ten design, architect; Strohl (San Francisco, CA), design firm; The Culinary Edge, client.
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Wake Forest Athletics mailer “To excite Wake Forest University fans about the upcoming 2016–2017 basketball season, the Winston-Salem firm Wildfire transformed Wake Forest Athletics’ season ticket mailers into games of basketball. We crafted a three-piece design featuring die cut 24-pt stock, which could be folded into a functional 3-D minigoal. The backboard contained the upcoming game schedule, along with an invitation to a competition that further engaged fans with prizes. A single sheet of paper, printed on both sides with a realistic basketball graphic, served as a minibasketball when crumpled up. And when fans were done practicing jump shots, they could pick up the booklet, read all about the team and the season’s schedule and ticket pricing, and mark their calendars for the first game of the season.”
© Cynthia Linh
Christine Hancock, designer; Mike Grice, creative director; Wildfire (Winston Salem, NC), ad agency; Wake Forest Athletics, client.
We’re looking for new, outstanding collateral, packaging, print ads, television commercials, direct mail, books and exhibits. For submission details, visit: commarts.com/submissions.
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Boulevard Brewing Company packaging “For 25 years, the Boulevard Brewing Company, which has become a pioneer in craft brewing, has continued to package each new beer with an independently designed label. Enter Helms Workshop. To help the Boulevard team refine, redesign and ultimately reignite the brand, we unearthed a solution from the brand’s roots by referencing the original Boulevard diamond logo in our packaging design. Memorable, unique and quickly recognizable from a distance, the diamond label creates a consistent platform for expressing each current and future beer’s personality, and the new brand system aligns the full Boulevard portfolio, ensuring a cohesive brand identity that drinkers recognize as unmistakably Boulevard.” Lauren Dickens/Christian Helms/Drew Lakin, designers; Christian Helms, creative director; Helms Workshop (Austin, TX), design firm; Boulevard Brewing Company, client.
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Scotiabank spot “Hockey Dreams” :60 “The idea behind Scotiabank’s The Fifth Season campaign is simple. Mother Nature gives us four seasons, but in Canada, there’s one more: hockey season. As a sponsor of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey—in which more than 150 of the Canadian National Hockey League’s best players participated—and supporter of more than 8,000 community hockey teams, Scotiabank wanted to give Canadians something truly stirring. So we tapped into a hockey truth: the fifth season is when kids—and anyone who ever was a kid—dream big. It’s when they dream about donning a redand-white Team Canada jersey to hear the thunder of 18,000 roaring fans. By connecting childhood dreams to the most iconic goals in hockey history, we knew we could pull off something special.” Cam Hopkins, art director; Matt Valenzano, writer; Gints Bruveris/David Mueller, associate creative directors; Joseph Bonnici, executive creative director; Stéphane Fontaine, director of photography; Ross Birchall, editor; Saints Editorial, editorial company; Grayson Matthews, music company; Gary Freedman, director; Eric Whipp, Alter Ego, colorist; Matt MacLennan, producer; Michelle Pilling, agency producer; Stephanie Hickman/Harland Weiss, executive producers; OPC, production company; Alter Ego/The Vanity, post-production companies; Bensimon Byrne (Toronto, Canada), ad agency; Scotiabank, client.
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MAXON film “Versus” 1:22 “When MAXON commissioned us to create a showcase piece for its latest release, Cinema 4D R18, the software company gave us complete creative freedom—requesting only that we implement some of the new software’s features into the film’s production. MAXON trusted our expertise and barely intervened, although we always kept MAXON in the loop. We used the concept of ‘versus’ as a creative topline to develop ideas for the film. The inspiration of man versus machine evolved into nature versus structure and form versus function, and the film ultimately became a very playful discourse about nature, animals and conflict.” Resonate, sound design; ManvsMachine (Los Angeles, CA), design firm; MAXON, client.
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Meg’s Tailoring identity “When Meg’s Tailoring, a well-loved tailoring business with two stores in Auckland, New Zealand, wanted to communicate its ongoing ambition to provide exceptional service and customer experience, it looked to Studio South for an updated brand identity. After deciding to evolve the existing brand identity and build upon the equity generated from the brand’s 20 years of service, we commenced its redesign by redrawing Meg’s logotype, playing off the concept of the most basic of tailoring jobs: sewing on a button. This button is threaded throughout the identity in varied detail. While remaining subtle in print communications, it comes alive on both of Meg’s storefronts for a strong street presence. To keep the brand approachable and light, we added muted pink and warm gray to the monochromatic color palette, further pairing each color with a gloss foil to add the sense of sophistication and quality that customers can expect from Meg’s Tailoring. The final brand identity reintroduces Meg’s to the market as the first name in tailoring.” Jeremy Evans/Matt Kitto/Kirsty Randell, designers; Sam Southwell, creative director; Studio South (Dunedin, New Zealand), design firm; Meg’s Tailoring, client.
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Space Florida print ad “For millions of people every year, a visit to Florida means three things: sun, beaches and theme parks. But many of these visitors miss out on one of the most amazing attractions Florida has to offer: space. So Space Florida tasked Paradise Advertising with getting these visitors to make space part of their Florida vacations, whether watching a real rocket launch from Cape Canaveral or visiting one of the area’s many spacerelated attractions. The St. Petersburg–based agency created a unique campaign recruiting visitors to join the fictional Vacationauts program. Images were incorporated into promotional materials, which included print and digital ads, social executions, and a redesigned WeAreGoFL .com website. The end result is creating an exclusive community of like-minded space fans who will stay engaged with Space Florida before, during and long after their next visit to Florida.” Caspar Blattmann/Anthony DeLaura/Dylan Madigan, art directors; Brittany Weissler Einsmann, writer; Cedar Hames, principal; Brian Arndt/Glenn Bowman, creative directors; Tom Merrick, chief creative officer; Joe Boccia, motion graphic designer/sound design; Daniel Reyes, editor/director of photography; Dean West, photographer; Brian Arndt, video director/producer; Eric Hunter, sound designer; TriFin Labs, Inc., developer; Simon Faulkner, production manager; Susan Mulvey, senior producer; Glenn Bowman, digital production company; Paradise Advertising (St. Petersburg, FL), ad agency; Lab Partners, design firm; Space Florida, client.
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Metropolitan Ministries poster “Metropolitan Ministries provides food, clothing, shelter, education, counseling and jobs to assist poor families before they are overtaken by depressing homeless environments. To create a poster campaign for this nonprofit, the Tampa-based ad agency PP+K showed the harsh realities of a child becoming part of the street, a child living in a car and an uprooted mother residing in the woods. PP+K hoped these dramatic images would increase donations on Metropolitan Ministries’ website to help change such dire homeless situations.” Luke James/Trushar Patel, art directors; Michael Schillig, writer/creative director; Tom Kenney, executive creative director; PP+K (Tampa, FL), ad agency; Metropolitan Ministries, client. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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The Venetian Las Vegas print ad “Playing into the infectious sense of anticipation that guests feel as they get ready to stay at the Venetian Las Vegas, the campaign Come As You Are sparkles with a sense of individualism and crinkles with what Italians call ‘euphoria,’ a way of life evoking the vibrant, optimistic spirit of Venice. Created by Culver City, California–based ad agency Zambezi and the Venetian brand’s new chief marketing officer Lisa Marchese, the Come As You Are campaign also features a TV spot directed by acclaimed director/photographer Autumn de Wilde. It pops with the tunes of iconic vintage album Tintarella di luna, crooned by 1960s Italian singer Mina. Together with print ads, the spot not only celebrates the character of each Venetian guest and the excitement of travel, but also taps into the changing definition of luxury. At its core, the campaign jovially invites guests to come as they are to the Venetian—again and again.” Max Pollack, art director; Paula Coral, designer; Gavin Lester, creative director; Josh DiMarcantonio, executive creative director; Autumn de Wilde, project director/photographer; Matthew Lloyd, director of photography; Anonymous Content, production designer; Cindy Chapman, producer; Eric Stern, executive producer; Conrad Cunningham, project manager; Zambezi (Culver City, CA), ad agency; Rian Kirkman/Lisa Marchese, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, clients.
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Fifty-Nine Parks poster “The first national park was signed into law in 1872. The 59th was established in 2013. And soon, all 59 US national parks will provide inspiration for a series of posters called the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series. Born out of the internationally traveling National Poster Retrospecticus and produced by Austin-based designer JP Boneyard, this poster series pairs up America’s national parks with the best contemporary printmakers and poster designers. Drawing its strength from an eclectic mix of artists and the unique beauty of each park, the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series aspires to get national park fans into the posters and poster fans into the parks by releasing two posters every month through 2017. And the dream from there? Touring the national parks with the full 59-poster collection and hosting free shows for parkgoers and poster fans alike. All poster prints are available at 59parks.net, where 5 percent of every online poster sale is donated to the National Park Service.” JP Boneyard (Austin, TX), creative director; Curtis Jinkins, design; Riley Cran, typographer; DKNG, illustrator; The National Poster Retrospecticus, client.
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“
Classic typeface choices and unexpected typesetting decisions were a delight to see in a number of submissions.” —Lara McCormick
VERTIGO
TYPOGRAPHY 2017 ANNUAL Starring James Stewart and Kim Novak
Co Starring Barbara Bel Geddes and Tom Helmore
A masterpiece directed by Alfred Hitchcock
“
When you expose yourself to such a volume of work, it’s fascinating to watch trends emerge—and subsequently disappear.”—Craig Ward
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POSTERS 1 Ryan Curtis/Louis Johanson, designers Ant Donovan, art director Frost*collective (Sydney, Australia), design firm Michael Bullen, Brewster Murray, client “Founded in 1946, the architecture, interior and urban space design company Brewster Murray wanted to reposition its brand and build perceptions of the business as a contemporary, proactive design-led studio. Frost*collective did so simply and efficiently. The Sydney-based firm created a new corporate identity: a single, multipurpose character that conveys the significant brand equity of the existing BM mark and smartly demonstrates the intelligent resourcefulness underpinning Brewster Murray’s work. Restraint, in the form of a three-color palette and just two weights of a single typeface, completes the contemporary brand, which builds on Brewster Murray’s heritage while maintaining its long-established authenticity.” Typeface: Neue Helvetica.
2 Pedro Cruz/Thomas Starr (Boston, MA), designers Dietmar Offenhuber, art director Nathan Felde, writer Northeastern University Department of Art + Design, client
3 Jessica Lucia (Albany, NY), designer Sage College of Albany AIGA, client “The inspiration for this poster, Art on Lark, comes from the annual summer street festival that celebrates local art in Albany, New York. The scanned ribbon is featured prominently in the design to create movement that gives viewers a feeling of celebration. The poster was created to raise money for Sage College of Albany’s AIGA student group to attend the 2015 AIGA Design Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.” 24 × 36, 4-color, digital. Typeface: Avenir Next Heavy.
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25 JUNE
“The Indexical Design Symposium explored physical trace and its role as an expression of evidence, so in this poster, we conveyed indexicality—the causal connection between an object and its effects in the real world—by rendering the title indirectly, as a trace of itself, showing only evidence of its existence. We made the poster letterforms physical by generating them as stencils that were then overlaid on cyanotype paper and exposed to the sun.” 23½ × 33, 4-color, offset. Typeface: Berthold Akzidenz-Grotesk.
A symposium on the experience of information and materiality of data The MFA program in Information Design and Visualization presents Indexical Design 25 June 2016 The Fenway Center 77 St Stephen Street Boston northeastern.edu/indexical
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POSTERS 1 Olivier Laporte/Justin Lortie, designers Wedge (Montréal, Canada), design firm ON EST 10, client “Poster for ‘Apnée,’ a short film written and directed by Alexis Chartrand about a fictitious music student suffering from depression. To create a poster that reflected the spirit of the film—marked by the elegance of classical music and the depressed mood affecting the main character—we sought inspiration from traditional music sources, including the album designs of German classical record label Deutsche Grammophon.” 25 × 38, 1-color, on citrine yellow 100-lb. cover Colorplan paper by GF Smith. Typefaces: Neuzeit Grotesk, Perpetua.
MISE en SCÈNE, SCÉNARIO & MONTAGE par ALEXIS Chartrand Produit par Caroline Galipeau Basé sur l’oeuvre de Zviane. Avec Alexa-Jeanne Dubé, Camille Mongeau, Guillaume Laurin, Jade-Mariuka Robitaille, Daniel Malenfant, Marie-France Marcotte et Maurice Chartrand. DIRECTION de production par TamDan Vu. DIRECTION photo par Léna Mill-Reuillard. PrISE de son par Patrick Francke-Sirois . Direction artistique et costumes par Jenn Pocobene. Colorisation par Charles Boileau. Composition musicale par Eric Shaw. Design sonore par Jean Gaudreau. Mix audio par Jean-Philippe Villemure. Direction de casting par Balustrade Casting. Design graphique par Wedge. Distribution par 3.14 *Collectif
2 John Clark, designer Donald Miller Photography, art director Looking (El Segundo, CA), design firm AIGA Los Angeles, client “A call for mentor/mentee student teams in the twelve Los Angeles–based design programs to participate in the first event in AIGA Los Angeles’s celebration of the ‘neighborhoods’ that make up the greater Los Angeles area. Drawing inspiration from its local neighborhood, each team created a handmade poster. The series of ten posters will be compiled into an edition to be celebrated in a November A+D Museum show.” 23 × 36, digital. Typeface: DTL Haarlemmer.
APN ÉE
3 Margaret Urban (Fredonia, NY), typographer/designer Designers & Forests/MAKE by Þorpið/Sam-félagið, clients “Stefnumót við skógarsamfélag/Gathering Forest and Community, a collaborative workshop between the Icelandic company Sam-félagið and American and Swedish artists participating in the Designers & Forests project, focused on the history, environment and materials found in the Hallormsstaðaskógur forest of East Iceland. So it seemed fitting to draw inspiration from the topographic maps of the region. The illustration was created with 40 layers of cut paper, built off a base of Priori Sans and stacked and photographed to echo the terrain of Austerland. Additional typography was set in Garvis Pro.” 4-color, digital.
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MARTIN BECHTHOLD The Department of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut
MONDAY MARCH 23 2015 | 6:30 PM | ALH 80
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POSTERS 1 Ghiya Sleiman Haidar (London, United Kingdom), designer Reza Abedini, art director American University of Beirut, client “To reflect Martin Bechtold’s lecture on different unit-based systems in architecture and engineering, I based my poster design on the repetition of two units—a plus sign and a square—in a pattern. I then created another level of contrast between the units: the squares spelled out MATERIAL SYSTEMS, and the plus signs formed negative space, giving a double reading to the poster.” 16½ × 23�, 2-color. Typeface: Trade Gothic.
2 Jiyeon Choi, designer Joon Mo Kang, art director Ahn Graphics (Seoul, South Korea), design firm Jeonju International Film Festival, client “This poster reinterprets the Chilean film Much Ado About Nothing, based on a true story about a hit-and-run incident for which no one got punished. The many ripped typographic papers communicate the absurdity of a society where nothing changes no matter what happens.” 23� × 35½, 4-color, offset. Typeface: Decima Mono Pro.
3 Mark Fox/Angie Wang, designers Design is Play (San Francisco, CA), design firm/client “Trump 24K Gold-Plated is an unauthorized presidential campaign poster for Donald Trump. Composed of four T monograms, the poster uses the visual tension between foreground and background to reveal the metaphoric negative spaces created by Trump’s rhetoric.” 18¾ × 22½, foil stamped and embossed by Oscar Printing, San Francisco. Typeface: Oblong.
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POSTERS 1 Stéphane Monnet, designer/art director Monnet Design (Toronto, Canada), design firm Polaris Music Prize, client “A poster celebrating the Jessy Lanza album Oh No, one of the ten albums shortlisted for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize. Within the type, we incorporated switches inspired by those found on the Roland SH-101, a synthesizer used to create the album’s unique sound.” 18 × 24, 3 PMS, silkscreen. Typeface: Titling Gothic.
2 Brian Danaher (St. Paul, MN), designer/art director/illustrator Courtney Barnett, client “The song ‘Dead Fox’ on singer Courtney Barnett’s album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit uses images of roadkill to represent the idea of urban sprawl. I liked the idea of a majestic fox striking an iconic pose while squashed dead on the road—the trick was to make an image of roadkill that people would want to hang on their walls.” 18 × 24, 5-color on light green stock. Typefaces: Gotham, Knockout.
3 Jessica Carpenter, designer Carpenter Collective (Kansas City, MO), design firm Pipeline Productions, client “Poster for the Avett Brothers band that also honors the 25th anniversary of booking agency Pipeline Productions.” 18 × 24, silkscreen, 2-color. Typeface: Knockout.
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POSTERS 1 Tad Carpenter/Jessica Carpenter, designers Carpenter Collective (Kansas City, MO), design firm Up To Eleven, client Custom lettering and design for musician Frankie Rose. 18 × 24, 3-color, silkscreen.
2 Yan-Ting Chen (Keelung City, Taiwan), designer National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Architecture Exhibition, client Poster for an exhibition on the style of architecture found in the Jiangnan region of China. 27� × 39�, 1-color, silkscreen. Typeface: DF Ming Medium.
3 Garrett Wessman, designer Jason Johnson, art director John Johnson/Stewart West, creative directors Qualtrics Creative, design firm Qualtrics (Provo, UT), client “This poster for the annual Qualtrics holiday party conveys the sophisticated black tie aesthetic of Monte Carlo—the theme of the event was Casino Royale.” 22 × 38, 4-color, debossed. Typefaces: Gotham, Luxury Text.
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POSTERS 1 (series) Tré Seals (Accokeek, MD), typographer/designer Theodore Booker, client “The film 16 tells the story of Dane Smith Jr., a young college student who aspires to be a rapper, but whose dream his father—a pastor—tries everything within his power to prevent. This poster series shows the seemingly contrasting, but ultimately similar ideals and values of Dane and his father.” 24 × 36, 2-color, digital. Typefaces: Acumin Pro Extra Condensed, Factoria.
STEVENSON UNIVERSITY PRESENTS A BOOKER BOY PRODUCTION A THEODORE BOOKER FILM “16” STARRING ROBERT SMITH, CRIS DINWIDDIE, ANURA HARRISON, WENSTON
BLACK, AND ROBERT LEVINE ANIMATION BY DANIEL DOUGLAS MUSIC BY QUINTON JONES AND JOURI FRAZER. EDITED BY THEODORE BOOKER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEVIN CONNOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THEODORE BOOKER III AND PATRICIA BOOKER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CHANEL SMITH POSTER DESIGN BY TRÉ SEALS WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND DIRECTED BY THEODORE BOOKER
IN THEATERS 5.12.16 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOOKERBOYPRO
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ON MUSICALLY GIFTED AND SOCIALLY AWKWARD
STEVENSON UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
STEVENSON UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
A BOOKER BOY PRODUCTION A THEODORE BOOKER FILM “16” STARRING ROBERT SMITH, CRIS DINWIDDIE, ANURA HARRISON, WENSTON
A BOOKER BOY PRODUCTION A THEODORE BOOKER FILM “16” STARRING ROBERT SMITH, CRIS DINWIDDIE, ANURA HARRISON, WENSTON
BLACK, AND ROBERT LEVINE ANIMATION BY DANIEL DOUGLAS MUSIC BY QUINTON JONES AND JOURI FRAZER. EDITED BY THEODORE BOOKER
BLACK, AND ROBERT LEVINE ANIMATION BY DANIEL DOUGLAS MUSIC BY QUINTON JONES AND JOURI FRAZER. EDITED BY THEODORE BOOKER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEVIN CONNOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THEODORE BOOKER III AND PATRICIA BOOKER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CHANEL SMITH
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEVIN CONNOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THEODORE BOOKER III AND PATRICIA BOOKER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CHANEL SMITH
POSTER DESIGN BY TRÉ SEALS WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND DIRECTED BY THEODORE BOOKER
POSTER DESIGN BY TRÉ SEALS WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND DIRECTED BY THEODORE BOOKER
IN THEATERS 5.12.16 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOOKERBOYPRO
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IN THEATERS 5.12.16 SIXTEEN PUBLISHING RIGHTS © THEODORE BOOKER
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ON MUSICALLY GIFTED AND SOCIALLY AWKWARD
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOOKERBOYPRO
SIXTEEN PUBLISHING RIGHTS © THEODORE BOOKER
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ON MUSICALLY GIFTED AND SOCIALLY AWKWARD
STEVENSON UNIVERSITY PRESENTS A BOOKER BOY PRODUCTION A THEODORE BOOKER FILM “16” STARRING ROBERT SMITH, CRIS DINWIDDIE, ANURA HARRISON, WENSTON BLACK, AND ROBERT LEVINE ANIMATION BY DANIEL DOUGLAS MUSIC BY QUINTON JONES AND JOURI FRAZER. EDITED BY THEODORE BOOKER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEVIN CONNOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THEODORE BOOKER III AND PATRICIA BOOKER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CHANEL SMITH POSTER DESIGN BY TRÉ SEALS WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND DIRECTED BY THEODORE BOOKER IN THEATERS 5.12.16 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOOKERBOYPRO
SIXTEEN PUBLISHING RIGHTS © THEODORE BOOKER
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ON MUSICALLY GIFTED AND SOCIALLY AWKWARD
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CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF AIGA PHILADELPHIA In 1981, a group of Philadelphia designers formed AIGA Philadelphia, the first local chapter of AIGA. Poster design by Soonduk Krebs/SK Designworks. Member since 2006.
AIGA brings design to the world, and the world to designers. As the profession’s oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force. Learn more: philadelphia.aiga.org and @aigaphilly
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1 Soonduk Krebs, typographer/designer SK Designworks (Philadelphia, PA), design firm AIGA Philadelphia, client “For AIGA Philadelphia’s 35th anniversary. An old-fashioned drafting method with visible grids was used to represent the progress from analog to digital.” 20 × 28, 1-color, digital. Typefaces: GT Haptik, Minion Pro.
2 (series) Alex Egner (Denton, TX), designer UNT on the Square, client “Designed to promote a two-person exhibition featuring the work of Jude Landry and Alex Egner, these posters can be rotated to highlight either artist. The type and illustrations were created using masking tape.” 18 × 24, 3-color, silkscreen.
3 Cliff Scorso, art director Ryan Aquino, senior art director Jared Kozel, group creative director Karrie Larson, producer Yahoo Creative Department, design firm Yahoo (Sunnyvale, CA), client “The annual Summer Picnic is a favorite tradition at Yahoo, and we centered this year’s theme on the idea of summer camp. We took inspiration from traditional camp iconography and patterns, as well as Yahoo’s brand font Gotham, to create a fun, friendly custom typeface for the event’s mark that evoked days past. The typeface was used in the event’s design collateral, from promotional posters to pennants.” 18 × 30, 4-color, inkjet on heavy weight matte-coated paper. Typeface: Gotham Book, Gotham Thin. SummerPicnic16_Poster.pdf
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POSTERS 1 (series) Jon Hioki, designer Adam Brodsley/Eric Heiman, creative directors Volume Inc. (San Francisco, CA), design firm Boy Scouts of America/Allison Schapker/Trinity Works, clients “The twelve posters are part of a permanent exhibit at the Boy Scouts of America’s Walter Scott Summit Visitor Center in West Virginia, where they hang on the walls amongst a variety of Scouting artifacts and collectible ephemera. They visualize the revered Scout Law in a contemporary way and reflect the rich history of Scouting and its relevance today and in the future.” 18 × 24, 4-color, inkjet on white oak panel.
2 (series) Nikki Steeprock, senior designer Alice Brady/Mary Webster, associate creative directors Scott Scaggs, chief creative officer Tyler Northrup, photographer POD Imaging, retoucher Clean Design (Raleigh, NC), ad agency Carolina Ballet, client “To help Carolina Ballet promote attendance, the Raleigh-based ad agency Clean Design looked for a common thread among the year’s shows. This year’s ‘season of seduction’ threads together stories, music and elements that entice the senses. Given the sensual quality of body painting, this hand-lettered treatment naturally expressed the theme.” 16 × 30, 4-color, on smooth matte paper.
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2 CAROLINA BALLET
CAROLINA BALLET
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
NOVEMBER 2016
SEPTEMBER 2016 Location: Fletcher Opera Theater For Tickets & Information: CarolinaBallet.com 919-719-0900 • Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787
Location: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium For Tickets & Information: CarolinaBallet.com 919-719-0900 • Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787
Dancers: Lindsay Purrington, Ashley Hathaway, and Oliver Béres
Dancers: Adam Chavis, Adam Schiffer, and Rammaru Shindo
CAROLINA BALLET
CAROLINA BALLET
CAROLINA BALLET
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
M AY 2 0 1 7
DECEMBER 2016
APRIL 2017
Location: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium For Tickets & Information: CarolinaBallet.com 919-719-0900 • Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787
Locations: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium • DPAC For Tickets & Information: CarolinaBallet.com 919-719-0900 • Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787
Location: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium For Tickets & Information: CarolinaBallet.com 919-719-0900 • Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787
Dancers: Marcelo Martinez and Lilyan Vigo Ellis
Dancer: Lara O’Brien
Dancers: Randi Osetek and Alicia Fabry
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POSTERS 1 Pablo Londero (Montevideo, Uruguay), designer/art director Londer, ad agency Inc., client “For the seventh anniversary of the Inc. English Institute in Montevideo, the challenge was to synthesize a message using the classic element of any birthday or celebration: the cake. The image was used on posters, e-mails and social media, and a cake was made for the event.” 18 × 24, 4-color, digital.
2 Mike Tyson, design director Howard Belk, chief creative officer Siegel+Gale (New York, NY), design firm The University of the Arts, client “Border Crossing is an unprecedented new initiative commemorating the 140th anniversary of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Artists and designers from around the world will be invited to live, teach and collaborate with students at the university for an extended period of time. The goal is to expand the curriculum, broaden perspectives in students and faculty, and bring the school into the center of an ever-changing global conversation around the arts.” 24 × 36, 4-color, digital. Typeface: ITC Avant Garde Gothic.
BROCHURES 3 Mattias Sahlén, designer/art director Accidens (Sundsvall, Sweden), ad agency Sundfrakt, client “Founded in 1961, the Swedish corporate group Sundfrakt works in logistics and transportation. In 2016, we had the pleasure of designing its 2015 annual report. With a sleek, strict design and clean typography arranged in a specially developed double-grid system, combined with an artistic interpretation of its business areas, the report presents Sundfrakt in a classic, yet intriguing way.” 40 pages, 8¼ × 11, 4-color, saddle stitch. Typefaces: Helvetica, Utopia.
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BROCHURES 1 Lionel Ferreira/Laura Ferreira, designers Ferreira Design Company (Johns Creek, GA), design firm Chandra, client “The annual catalog for Chandra always displays the brand’s new rug, furniture and home accessory offerings. But the John’s Creek, Georgia–based studio Ferreira Design Company reinforced the brand’s positioning for its 2016 tenth-anniversary edition by including custom typography and textural font treatments. Silver foil–stamped covers with debossed textures and pages with painted edges further differentiate Chandra by stimulating the senses and relating to Chandra’s tactile product offerings.” 820 pages, 8 × 10 × 1�, 4-color, perfect bound, foil stamp, deboss, painted edge. Typefaces: Eveleth, Nudista, Sant’Elia Script, Sucrose, Veneer.
2 Ryan Crouchman/Jeff Watkins/Man Wai Wong, designers Steve Persico, writer Ryan Crouchman, group creative director Lisa Greenberg, creative director Judy John, chief creative officer Arash Moallemi, FUZE Reps, photographer Webnews Printing Inc., production company Leo Burnett, Toronto (Toronto, Canada), ad agency Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto_Canada, client “To announce the new factory location of the Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto_Canada, Leo Burnett Toronto set vertical typography and headlines in varying weights throughout this newspaper. These typographic treatments emulate the unique structural qualities of the building.” Ten pages, plus the cover, 4-color plus 1 PMS, 32 × 22 open, 16 × 22 closed. Typeface: Neue Haas Grotesk.
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BROCHURES 1 Laura Berglund, senior designer Stephanie Shih, writer Luke Williams, creative director PATTERNITY, illustrator Daniel Sky, photographer Paperless Post (New York, NY), design firm “For the 2015 London Design Festival, Paperless Post created an immersive installation filled with monochromatic patterns from an eleven-piece collection with British design studio PATTERNITY. This take-home zine allowed visitors a firsthand look at the literal and figurative connections made when patterns merge. As visitors folded the pages along designated lines, words evoking interpersonal interactions—relate, bond, repeat, expand—were revealed.” 16 pages, 53/4 × 81/4, 1 color, saddle stitch. Typeface: Avenir.
2 David Blumberg, designer David Blumberg/Roy Burns III, design directors/writers Rob Culpepper/Bob Miller/Cary Norton, photographers Leigh Ann Motley, producer Lewis Communications (Birmingham, AL), ad agency Design Week Birmingham, client “The annual, weeklong multidisciplinary event Design Week Birmingham promotes, discusses and celebrates great design and design thinking and their relevance to everyday life. Yet, its programs from previous years were oversized affairs that aimed to boldly establish the event, and the organizers were seeking a refresh. The event’s third-year program achieved practicality and economy without diminishing its visual impact and primary purpose—a striking, yet concise guide for the week’s happenings.” 20 pages plus cover, 5¼ × 8, 4-color, saddle stitch, vellum, wrap-around cover. Typefaces: NB Grotesk Pro Mono, NB International Pro.
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BROCHURES 1 (series) Preston Tham, designer Madeleine Poh, art director Yong Ng, creative director Somewhere Else (Singapore, Singapore), design firm National Gallery Singapore, client “These two books showcase the similarities between Wu Guanzhong and Chua Ek Kay by obeying the same layout system, in which thoughtful details abound. The covers boast custom type while the dividers feature intimate close-ups of each artist’s paintings, ending with tip-ins printed with poems written by Guanzhong and Ek Kay. Different paper stocks in similar color tones subtly guide readers through the books’ different content. And the extra attention paid to the captions and titles infuses character and personality into the publications without drawing attention from the artists’ works, creating a beautiful reading experience.” 200 pages, 9 × 11, 4-color plus 1 PMS, Ota-binding, blind emboss, foil stamp, tip-ins, mixed stock. Typeface: Whitney.
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BROCHURES 1 Pivot Design (Chicago, IL), design firm ICB New York, client “For International Concept Brand’s Spring/Summer 2016 campaign, Pivot Design juxtaposed ‘How to Be a Woman,’ an Emily Post– esque guide, with edgy, bold fashion photography, creating a satirical statement about what it means to be a woman. When torn open, French-folded pages filled with antiquated ideas reveal the woman inside, one who rejects all those notions in favor of her own modern identity.” 40 pages, 6½ × 9¾, 4-color offset plus 1 PMS, perfect bound, French-folded pages with perforation along the fold, gold foil stamped cover. Typefaces: Caslon, Neue Helvetica.”
ADVERTISING 2 (series) Christina Wall, calligrapher/art director Michael Minerva, design director Minerva Design (Rochester, NY), design firm Nalgene, client “This ad series for Nalgene, the world leader in reusable water bottles, appeared in the daily magazine distributed at the Outdoor Retailer trade show. Challenged to develop an ad series that represented Nalgene’s products in a bold, unique and earthy manner, the New York–based studio Minerva Design created a successful campaign that communicates key product features, hand-lettered to form the distinctive shapes of Nalgene bottles.”
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2 WIDE MOUTH by Nalgene Ask for it by name at our distributors: Adventure 16 (18027) and Liberty Mountain (6027).
FLASK by Nalgene Ask for it by name at our distributors: Adventure 16 (18027) and Liberty Mountain (6027).
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OASIS by Nalgene Ask for it by name at our distributors: Adventure 16 (18027) and Liberty Mountain (6027).
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ADVERTISING 1 (series) Kevin Cantrell, Kevin Cantrell Studio, letterer Cesar Finamori, art director Kara Goodrich, writer Cesar Finamori/Kara Goodrich, creative directors Danilo Boer/Marcos Kotlhar, executive creative directors David Lubars/Greg Hahn, chief creative officers Andre Maciel, illustrator Dan Smith, photographer Blane Robison, retoucher Mary Cook/Mike Musano/Ilona Siller, producers BBDO New York (New York, NY), ad agency Bacardi Havana Club, client “A new campaign to relaunch Havana Club’s timeless product in the United States. The beautiful illustrations and elegant typography work together to bring the golden era of Havana’s romanticism to life.”
2 Eric Erickson, designer David Kampa, design director Tim Cole, art director Colin Lapin, writer Derek Bishop/Tim Cole, creative directors James Mikus, executive creative director Jose Canales, illustrator McGarrah Jessee (Austin, TX), ad agency YETI Coolers, client “When Texas Monthly updated its list of the world’s best barbecue joints, YETI tasked us with finding a new way to show our appreciation. Crafted and displayed on butcher paper, this is our love letter to the men and women who make life worth living.”
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ADVERTISING 1 (series) Tristan Dunk/Colin Lee/Michael Thomason/Carl Warren, designers Michael Thomason, art director Jess Mallett/Mike Oughton, writers Sébastien Boutebel/Jean-Laurent Py, creative directors Rob Doubal/Laurence Thomson, chief creative officers Liam White, print producer Metz Fasano/Sarah-Louise van Uden, project managers Sergio Lopez, production company McCann London (London, United Kingdom), ad agency Ethos Travel, client “McCann London created a new typography made of calendar invitations spelling out phrases like FML, expressing the feeling a stuffed schedule can often provoke and screaming our message: it’s time to get away.”
2 Sheng Jin Ang/Alex Tan, typographers Sheng Jin Ang/Andrew Ho/Alex Tan, art directors Daniel Kee, writer Sheng Jin Ang/Daniel Kee, creative directors Erick Rosa, executive creative director Jeremy Wong, photographer Evan Lim, retoucher Jacqueline Wong, art buyer MullenLowe Singapore (Singapore, Singapore), ad agency Unilever, Breeze, client “To continue driving home Breeze’s efficacy in removing stains, we put out typography-based ads to reinforce the fact that no stain can hide from Breeze, no matter how hard it tries to blend into the fabric.” Typeface: Helvetica Rounded LT Std Bold Condensed.
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ADVERTISING 1 (series) Cristina Vanko, typographer Michele Underwood, art director Mark Hohenschau, writer Pam Mufson/Jeremy Smallwood, executive creative directors Y&R Chicago (Chicago, IL), ad agency Chicago Cutlery, client “Y&R Chicago utilized hand lettering to create print ads that look like standard butcher diagrams, but used slightly smaller specimens to show just how precisely Chicago Cutlery’s knives can cut.”
EPHEMERA 2 (series) Ryan Crouchman/Jeff Watkins/Man Wai Wong, designers Steve Persico, writer Ryan Crouchman, group creative director Lisa Greenberg, creative director Judy John, chief creative officer Mike Tijoe, photographer Leo Burnett Toronto (Toronto, Canada), ad agency Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto_Canada, client “We turned a press invitation to announce the Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto_Canada’s new location into limited edition artwork by hand-numbering each one. The use of spray paint was directly inspired by the layers of party graffiti plastered throughout the museum’s new space in an old factory building.” One page, 17 × 33, 1-color, plus spray paint, numbered by hand with spray paint. Printed by Somerset. Typeface: Neue Haas Grotesk.
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EPHEMERA 1 Eliza Hack, Anchors & Ampersands (Staten Island, NY), designer/ client “I wanted to brand our wedding with a geometric theme, so I started with the first thing our guests would see: the invitations. We did a few die cuts for our insert cards and added some elegance with gold foil.” 5¾ × 8¾, jacket: 1-color black on dual-side paper; invite and insert cards: 1-color gold foil. Printer: Publicide.
2 C. J. Yeh, typographer Christie Shin, art director Cynda Media Lab (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), design firm Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, client Invitation card for the #TYPE exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Typefaces: Akzidenz-Grotesk BQ Bold, Akzidenz-Grotesk BQ Light, Blackoak Std (modified).
3 David Rygiol (St. Louis, MO), designer Type Hike, client “Part of the collaborative design project Type Hike, which celebrates the National Parks Service centennial, this postcard design for the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve captures the landscape and mood of the dune fields at night. Neutraface Display Titling was used as a base for the letterforms, which are formed by dune contours and colored with particulate sprays of blue and pink.” 4 × 6 postcard, 4-color. Typeface: Bullshorn.
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EPHEMERA 1 Francesca Faber, senior designer Charles Gates, art director Howard Levine/Amy McDonald, creative directors 92nd Street Y (New York, NY), design/client “People of all ages and backgrounds in New York City can connect through culture, arts, entertainment, education, conversation and more at the cultural and community center 92nd Street Y. The center’s Spring Gala, its biggest fundraising event of the year, welcomed Darlene Love as 2016’s guest performer. To design an invitation that was formal with a retro feel, we created custom typography inspired by the 1960s that was featured throughout all event materials.” Invitation: 5¼ × 15¾, notecard: 4¼ × 5½, RSVP: 4¼ × 5½, save the date: 5 × 7.
2 Scott Biersack (Phoenix, AZ), designer/illustrator Piggyback Letterpress, print producer Art Directors Club, client “Letterpress invitation for the annual ADC Paper Expo, an event in New York City that gives practicing professionals an opportunity to meet with leading paper manufacturers and printers.” 5¾ × 9¼, 1-color. Typeface: Freight Text.
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PACKAGING 1 Sonia Delisle, art director Jacques de Varennes, creative director Melanie Chalifour/Sylvain Grégoire, contributing artists Roxanne Dupont/Christine Larouche/Tania Pons Kilfoil, project managers lg2boutique (Québec, Canada), ad agency Jacinthe Boulay/Éric Duguay/Céline Montreuil, Piazzetta, clients “For 25 years, Piazzetta has offered Italian-inspired dishes with quality ingredients. We revamped the branding of its pizza boxes to better reflect the quality and authenticity of Piazzetta.” Typefaces: Gotham, Helvetica.
2 Sara Golzari/Jeff Hester, art directors Cult Partners (Oakland, CA), design firm “Our holiday rum is a wintry wonderland of laser die cut paper typography.”
3 Kevin Cantrell, Kevin Cantrell Studio (Murray, UT), art director Big Secret/Studio On Fire, production companies theory11, client “The most intricate, breathtaking playing cards to be produced by theory11, these Citizens Playing Cards were inspired by Spanish currency and opulence, inside and out. Made and printed in the United States using Forest Stewardship Council–certified paper derived from sustainable forests, the deck also comes with a special edition wooden box featuring a 3-D interpretation of the ace of spades.” Typeface: Cottonhouse Slab.
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Mats Ottdal, designer Janicke Sæther, writer/project manager Kjetil Wold, creative director ANTI (Oslo, Norway), design firm Truls Røise, Basarene ØL, client “When we were tasked with designing a beer concept for Basarene ØL, we found that the solution lay out in the open. We gave the product a name associated with people and social situations: TALAS, which means ‘we’ll talk soon.’ It’s a local saying from the heart of Norway, the city of Hamar. It is a well-known fact that beer can lead to conversation, but you don’t often see bottle packaging that can do the same.”
5 Thomas Lee Bakofsky (Los Angeles, CA), designer/ design firm Eagle Rock Brewery, client “Packaging for a brown ale that was a collaboration between Eagle Rock Brewery and the National Forest Foundation to raise proceeds for the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. It’s part of a larger Day Trip Series, which celebrates the abundant natural beauty to be found just a short journey beyond the greater Los Angeles area. From the brewery, the San Gabriel Mountains lie less than an hour away, up the 2 North freeway.” Typefaces: Berthold AkzidenzGrotesk, ClearviewHwy, Eveleth. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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1 Sara Golzari/Jeff Hester, art directors Cult Partners (Oakland, CA), design firm WX Brands, client “G.W. Goodwynn Co. Classic Gin is a new gin brand inspired by prohibition-era speakeasies.” Typeface: Knockout.
2 Jessica Hische (San Francisco, CA), letterer Andy Erickson/Marta Harding/Corey Miller, art directors Barrel + Ink, client “Barrel + Ink pairs outstanding winemakers with artists to create unique special edition releases of wines. I was paired up with Andy Erickson, a match made in heaven—we got along terrifically, and it was an absolute pleasure getting to know him, his family and his wine over the course of our working together.”
“The Flock range has been a popular mainstay of the Hugh Hamilton portfolio, identified by a series of playful stage names like the Rascal, the Ratbag and the Scallywag. When paired with Hamilton’s iconic black sheep, the names describe both its rebellious personality and the wines themselves. Despite this, the existing packaging for the Flock range was conservative, so we asked, ‘What would a black sheep do in this situation?’ Scrawl upon the labels himself. This playful ‘vandalism’ identifies the range’s wines by their stage names and injects the black sheep’s irreverent and rebellious personality into the packaging.” Printer: Multi-Color Australia.
4 (series) Tara Lubonovich, designer Tosh Hall, executive creative director jones knowles ritchie (New York, NY), design firm Bacardi, client “In redesigning the packaging for Havana Club—the original Cuban rum—we wanted to honor the story and tenacity of the Arechabala family, the creators of the brand, and resurrect the richness and craft with which the rum is distilled.”
5 (series) Jackson Alves, calligrapher Grace Partridge/Karen Poon, senior designers Emily Pedriks, creative director Bernie Hadley-Beauregard, director of creative innovation Brandever (Vancouver, Canada), design firm Church & State Wines, client “Church & State Wines wished to cleanly separate from its archaic brand design, so Brandever decreed a brand revolution to symbolically confirm its personality. Now Church & State’s wines are authenticated with highly stylized, calligraphic signatures, hand-drawn emblems that exemplify the style of each wine Church & State meticulously produces. Confidently signed and intuitively suggestive, these emblems give Church & State an insightful way to communicate both its brand and the taste expectations for each of its exquisite wines.” Typefaces: Mrs Eaves, Trade Gothic. 114
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Kieran Wallis, typographer/designer Michael Halbert, illustrator Voice (Adelaide, Australia), design firm Hugh Hamilton Wines, client
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PACKAGING 1 (series) Ian Brignell, typographer Augustus Cook, designer Andy Baron/Daniel D’Arcy/Paul Sieka, design directors Tosh Hall, executive creative director Matthew Coluccio, retoucher jones knowles ritchie (New York, NY), design firm AB InBev, client “After an immersion in the Budweiser archives, the jones knowles ritchie team drew inspiration from the best parts of Budweiser’s 140-year design legacy. Our idea was simple: sweat the details. Every element of the brand’s design language— including the simplified ‘bowtie’ logo, optimized packaging and two bespoke typefaces—was recrafted, and the revitalized designs reflect a true commitment to craftsmanship. The iconic beer brand seems to have found its voice once again, using a bold and crafted design language. Through design, we can drive reappraisal and brand truth for this true American icon.”
2 (series) Garrett Owen, designer/art director Jeff Barfoot, creative director Lindsey Phaup, strategic planner RBMM (Dallas, TX), design firm Funked & Fermented Kimchi Lab, client “Funked & Fermented Kimchi Lab creates chefmade, small-batch kimchi in Louisville, Kentucky, by blending locally sourced ingredients in a fermentation station to invent funky kimchi varieties. And yes, things get weird, but they also get incredible. RBMM showcased these beautiful concoctions using glass jars with a minimal, modern identity. The ampersand logo and typography speak to the ingredient combinations while mimicking chopping, slicing and dicing.”
3 (series) Chad Michael Studio (Dallas, TX), design firm Tennessee Homemade Wines Co., client
© Martin Wonnacott
“To craft packaging that reflected Tennessee Homemade Wines’ southern attitude, whiteknuckle gumption and inviting hospitality, Chad Michael Studio sealed each of the bottles with a custom newspaper design that tells the wine brand’s story and describes the wine’s use ‘For Bartering, Pleasantries and Consumption.’” Printer: The Grove Street Press.
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IDENTITY 1 Meredith Dixon, designer Studio Dixon (Columbus, OH), design firm Corey Siegel, client “American chef Corey Siegel was looking for a logo that didn’t rely on stereotypical food motifs, but rather looked as serious as the way he feels about his craft. The solution, a custom monogram, gives the chef a refined, timeless look.”
2 Lila Symons (Kansas City, MO), calligrapher Alphabettes, client A header for Alphabettes.org, a site that showcases work, commentary and research on lettering, typography and type design.
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3 Carlos Zamora (St. Louis, MO), designer Dance St. Louis, client “The simple, illustrated line treatment in this logo captures the effortless simplicity of the art of ballet for Ballet Ball, the 50th anniversary of Dance St. Louis’s annual fundraiser gala. The ligature at the interception of the first two characters of each word resembles an improvised fouetté.”
4 Peter Bacallao, designer/creative director Whiskey & Branding (Hialeah, FL), design firm Plato 22 Bistro Argentino, client “This family-owned and -operated Argentinian bistro, rich in family customs with an upscale dining experience, desired an original, sophisticated new look to set it apart from the other local restaurants. We created a custom typographic wordmark that draws inspiration from the restaurant’s architecture, its family roots and its complex flavor-filled menu that is anchored in traditional Argentine cuisine.”
5 Nathan Savage (Portland, OR), Principal Type, designer Principal Type, client “Developed for a creative studio with a focus on graphic design education, this logo resembles a pilcrow, the typographical character signifying the beginning of another paragraph of thought.” Typeface: Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed.
6 C. J. Yeh, typographer Fred Pirlot, designer Christie Shin, art director Cynda Media Lab (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), design firm GUND, client “GUND is the oldest manufacturer of soft toys in America and the first teddy bear manufacturer to truly capture the emotions and facial expressions of its plush toys in its product shots. The bold, blocky letterforms of this Gill Sans Ultra Bold– inspired wordmark form squares that evoke children’s building blocks. The inflated, chubby appearance and rounded corners of the letters remind us of GUND’s soft and huggable products. The bold letterforms remain visible and legible when placed behind the product silhouettes.”
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8 Tim Frame, designer John McCollum, creative director Taylor Minor, director of creative innovation Element/Tim Frame Design (Westerville, OH), design firms Telemetry Coffee Roasters, client
9 Buck Smith, designer Tom Hudder, executive creative director FleishmanHillard Creative (St. Louis, MO), design firm Great Lakes Water Authority, client
“The Great Lakes Water Authority manages “Telemetry Coffee Roasters is a product of—and clean water delivery and wastewater services an homage to—a distinctly Midwestern ethos, in southeastern Michigan. The continuously so its complete renaming and rebranding was filtered drop of water in the logo represents how conceived as a celebration of the eclectic, water travels from Lake Huron to the homes iconoclastic spirit of Midwestern inventors, of Michiganders before beginning the process astronauts, tinkerers and test pilots. The all over again. As the water falls, it creates visual and verbal aspects of the brand a hand-drawn W and an A, for Water Authority.” reinforce notions of humble heroism, whimsical workmanship and approachable 10 Whitney Anderson (Milwaukee, WI), designer/ intellectualism.” client “Rather than branding my freelance design business under my full name, Whitney Anderson, I made the decision to work under a shorter brand, Wit And Co. Even though this is currently a solo act, the duality of the And works both as a condensed form of Anderson and, if I expand, as a bridge between me—Wit—and any future employees or partners.” Typeface: Baskerville Semibold.
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IDENTITY 1 (series) Julien Hébert, art director Louis Gagnon, creative director Paprika (Montréal, Canada), design firm QQCHOSE, client “QQCHOSE scours the world every day for the finest in fashion and the latest in trends so it can provide customers with the perfect mix of luxury products and inspirational content. Relying on its network of independent boutiques and avant-garde brands to replenish its site, in return, QQCHOSE has created a refined product showcase that accurately reflects the soul and spirit of all brands. For those who yearn for and dream of the extraordinary, QQCHOSE is there for your perfect object, item of clothing and idea.”
2 (series) Morgan Stephens, designer Ingred Sidie/Michelle Sonderegger, art directors Claire Gude Harrison, writer Design Ranch (Kansas City, MO), ad agency Finefolk, client “When stylist and jewelry designer Leslie Fraley asked us to brand her new shop and studio, we were flattered. She has impeccable taste paired with an artful eye. Inspired by the high-end craft of the pieces in her shop, we named and designed the Finefolk brand. A sophisticated, beautiful look reminds everyone, ‘We are Finefolk.’” Typefaces: DIN, AT Sackers.
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IDENTITY 1 (series) Erin Ellis (Yardville, NJ), letterer/illustrator Amane Cárdenas, designer Laura Verner, photographer Pasture, client “Earthy, artisanal, natural, warm, humble, simple, experimental and pioneering—all describe the Pasture restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand. Under the trusting direction of Laura and Ed Verner, I created a hand-lettered, textural wordmark in traditional brush and ink and illustrated a wild carrot flower with which to pair it. An unusual choice, this edible ‘weed’ serves to introduce the concept of foraging, a notable facet of Pasture’s menu. Nina Stössinger’s beautiful typeface Ernestine complements the logo, creating an interesting, approachable identity.” Typeface: Ernestine.
2 (series) Dejan Djuric, designer Dejan Djuric/Mike Morelli, art directors Marty Hoefkes, writer Ryan Crouchman, group creative director Sean Ganann/Lisa Greenberg, creative directors Judy John, chief creative officer Nick Wong, photographer Gord Cathmoir/Milena Malovic/Franca Piacente, producers Leo Burnett Toronto (Toronto, Canada), ad agency Yellow Pages, client “Lemons are squeezed and squished for our lemonade, so we squeezed and squished the letters in our logo.” Typefaces: Circular, Futura (modified).
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IDENTITY 1 (series) Ashford Stamper, designer Katy Fischer, creative director Eric Thoelke, chief creative officer TOKY (St. Louis, MO), design firm Baileys’ Restaurants, client “Shift, Test Kitchen & Take Out serves a menu that rotates daily, giving its chefs the chance to experiment with a range of different cuisines. The restaurant needed a brand that would reflect the menu’s constant evolution while creating an approachable, lunch-friendly aesthetic. So St. Louis, Missouri–based design studio TOKY created an identity that ‘shifts’ between traditional and experimental typefaces, creating a look that feels familiar, but with a touch of the unexpected.” Typefaces: AkzidenzGrotesk, Cheltenham.
BOOKS 2 Zak Jensen/Adam Sherkanowski, designers Steven Waldron, creative director Micah Buis/Adam McGee, editors Becky Hunt, production manager Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA), client Cover for Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia, edited by Stephen Gilchrist. “Indigenous concepts of time play a critical role in the works of many contemporary indigenous Australian artists. Everywhen showcases prime examples, featuring many works of art that have never before been exhibited outside Australia. The cover design expresses a primary theme—the notion of time as circular, without a beginning or an end—by wrapping the title around the entire exterior of the book. That horizontal movement is continued inside, implied through typography to connect the front of the book to the back.” Typeface: Neutral.
3 Rob Gonzalez/Jonathan Quainton, designers Sawdust (New York, NY), design firm OFFF, client “Cover design for OFFF’s book Archetype (2016), which collates words, concepts, ideas, thoughts, images and emotions from more than 100 practicing artists and designers to explore the world of art and design with firsthand insight.”
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BOOKS 1 Willem H. Lucas (Los Angeles, CA), designer Jenny Lin, University of Oregon, client “This book, curated by Professor Jenny Lin, shares images showing the identity crisis and friction in China, depicting its traditional world and its highly technological, Westerninfluenced modern one. Based on traditional Chinese books, the design combines Western and Chinese text with small black-and-white images. For a vertical look, the English text was rotated 90 degrees; the book reads from back to front in Chinese and from front to back in English. It is both perfect bound and Chinese bound—or hand-stitched—and also features French folds perforated near the spine that, when ripped open, reveal big full-color images.” Typefaces: Akkurat Bold, Akkurat Regular, Heiti TC Medium.
2 Natalie Ann Garneau, associate designer Stefan Canuel, designer/art director Catherine Crowston/Ryan Doherty/Josée Drouin-Brisebois, curators National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Canada), client “The catalog design for the Chris Cran, Sincerely Yours exhibition is sympathetic to the contemporary artist’s work. The halftone cover alludes to the use of this element as a constant in Cran’s career. The color sleeve references the many layers in his practice. Clear typography over the image creates a visual link with Cran’s work. A spot-UV varnish gives the cover image a 3-D quality similar to his paintings.” Typefaces: Press Gothic, Sina.
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BOOKS 1 Neda Segovic/Nedjeljko Spoljar/Kristina Spoljar, designers Nedjeljko Spoljar, art director Toni Bešlić/Zlatko Karač/Iva Körbler/Hela Vukadin-Doronjga/ Alen Žunić, writers Slavica Marković, editor Boško Opalić, project manager Sensus Design Factory (Zagreb, Croatia), design firm Kabinet grafike HAZU/Branko Kincl, clients “This Branko Kincl monograph, by Zlatko Karač, Alen Žunić, Iva Körbler, Hela Vukadin-Doronjga and Toni Bešlić, overviews the most notable work from architect, urbanist and educator Branko Kincl’s five-decade-long career, from urban systems and monumental airports to residential building complexes and sports complexes to large-scale industrial architecture. The images, supplemented by meticulously treated, highly contrasting typography, are divided into six sections. The optical-illusion details contained in the covers and openings are nods to Kincl’s use of modernist graphic elements in his designs of facades and surfaces.” Typefaces: Akzidenz-Grotesk, Vista Sans.
2 Abby Haddican (Saint Paul, MN), designer Black Ocean, client “Cover design and custom typography for the poetry volume L’Heure Bleue, or The Judy Poems, by Elisa Gabbert, which engages with themes of memory, identity, desire, surveillance, fear and the dissolution of a marriage. L’Heure Bleue, French for ‘the blue hour,’ is also the name of a perfume created in 1912 by Jacques Guerlain.” Typefaces: GT Walsheim.
3 Rodrigo Corral/Zak Tebbal, designers Paolo Pepe, art director Random House Publishing Group (New York, NY), design Random House, publisher “Cover of Alice & Oliver: A Novel, by Charles Bock. A book about love, marriage, family and fighting for your life.” Watercolor typography.
PERIODICALS 4 Andre Jointé, designer Fred Woodward, design director GQ (New York, NY), client “‘Lady and the Trump’ was part of a two-story package called ‘Running Mates,’ profiling Melania Trump and Bill Clinton, that ran in GQ’s June 2016 issue. Both stories featured striped, 3-D custom-made type, which reference the streamers and confetti that fall from the ceiling at political conventions.”
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PERIODICALS 1 Gail Bichler/Sean Freeman, typographers Matt Willey, art director Sean Freeman, photographer Eve Steben, stylist/producer THERE IS (London, United Kingdom), design firm The New York Times Magazine, client “This great creative collaboration with the New York Times Magazine adorned the cover of an issue with a special European Union (EU) feature, ‘Has Europe Reached the Breaking Point?’ by Jim Yardley. For the artwork, we created bold, monolithic concrete lettering as a custom cast piece, which we eroded, broke and photographed to illustrate the breakdown of the EU.”
2 Charles Williams, typographer Marcy Atarod/Beth Rakouskas, art directors American Association for the Advancement of Science (Washington, DC), client “Cover and intro spread for Science magazine’s special issue ‘Signals in RNA.’ The signals along the typographic track represent the latest developments in RNA research. Ribosome ‘trains’ travel along an mRNA track populated with signals that speed the trains up, slow them down and interrupt the process of protein synthesis.” Headline Typeface: Benton Sans Condensed.
3 Griffin Funk, designer Fred Woodward, design director Pari Dukovic, photographer GQ (New York, NY), client “For GQ’s September 2015 story ‘Willie and the Weed Factory,’ about Willie Nelson and his transition from marijuana smoker to marijuana businessman, we used a mix of black letter type, clip art and a font made out of illustrated trees to reference the subject matter (marijuana), the headline (‘Willie and the Weed Factory’) and the visual language of children’s books (Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).”
2 Why Europe rules the field of ancient DNA p. 1384
iPhone, FBI, and tech-savvy law enforcement p. 1398
Habits control the behavior of cocaine users p. 1468
$15 17 JUNE 2016 sciencemag.org
4 Nancy Campbell/Trevett McCandliss (New York, NY), designers/ creative directors Katie Belloff, art director Zoe Adlersberg, photographer Mariah Walker, stylist Kristin Young, editor Earnshaw’s, client “We created a whimsical type design to introduce this feature on children’s spring fashion in the September 2016 issue of Earnshaw’s magazine.” Typefaces: Bella Stencil, Casey, Ecuyer DAX, Orwellian, Squirrel.
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PERIODICALS 1 Marisa Falcigno/Shantanu Suman typographers/designers Open Door Design Studio (Asheville, NC), design firm Condé Nast Publications Ltd., client “When WIRED UK was planning to do a feature on Indian startups, it contacted us to design the editorial spread introducing the article. The publication gave us a simple brief: hand-painted typography on a textured background, created using Devanagari script. After exploring a few concepts, we used the colors and typographic style of truck art in India. The main title of the project is a Hindi translation of ‘WIRED INDIA.’”
2 Katie Belloff/Nancy Campbell/Trevett McCandliss (New York, NY), designers Nancy Campbell/Trevett McCandliss, creative directors Trevett McCandliss, photographer Tara Anne Dalbow, stylist Greg Dutter, editor Footwear Plus, client “To open a feature on classic men’s fashion, we took a literary approach by drawing the display type on vintage books.”
DIGITAL MEDIA 3 (series) Leo Espinosa (Salt Lake City, UT), designer Shiu Pei Luu, art director Facebook, client “Users of Facebook’s messaging app enhance their messages and comments with its sticker sets, which include groups of emoticons based on themes ranging from sports to events to entertainment properties to holidays to countries. This set, El Combito, which means ‘group of friends’ in Colombian Spanish, celebrates Colombian culture through the use of playful illustrations, hand-drawn typography and a tropical palette that includes the yellow, blue and red from the national flag of Colombia.”
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DIGITAL MEDIA 1 (series) Yuin Chien/Zachary Gibson, designers Rob Giampietro, art director Google Design, design firm Google (San Francisco, CA), client “The best way to bring personality and performance to websites and products is through great design and technology. We simplify that process by offering an intuitive and robust directory of open source designer web fonts. By using our extensive catalog, you can share and integrate typography into any design project seamlessly—no matter where you are in the world.” Typeface: Roboto.
2 (series) Shane Bzdok (Austin, TX), designer/curator James Walton, web developer “Did you know that the first copies of the US Declaration of Independence were printed using Caslon, a font designed by a British typographer? Or that the custom Pantone number for Tiffany & Co.’s robin’s-egg blue, PMS 1837, is based on the year the company was founded? There’s so much to know, but so little time. Lucky for you, the self-initiated project Design Facts adds facts highlighting the lesser-known history of graphic design and those who influenced it to its ever-growing collection of bite-sized servings.” Typefaces: Crimson Text, Playfair Display, PT Sans.
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MOTION 1 Michelle Dougherty, creative director Peter Frankfurt, executive creative director Eric Demeusy/Arisu Kashiwagi/My Tran, designers Eric Demeusy, animator Eric Mason, Flame artist Dunja Vitolic, producer Ben Apley, executive producer Tina Starkweather, head of production Imaginary Forces (New York, NY), production company Netflix, client “Stranger Things” :50 “The typefaces we used in this title sequence for the TV show Stranger Things have a lot to do with the sequence’s success. We mimicked a real optical title, which was the way a lot of titles were being made into the 1980s. Optical sequences use film, and the nature of light passing through film creates a more analog look. This, along with other inconsistencies with film, gives a haptic quality that speaks to the era and evokes emotion. The texture of film makes our eyes want to touch it. Who wouldn’t want to look at art forms close up?” Typefaces: Avant Garde, Benguiat.
2 Shirleen Lavalais, Salesforce, art director Michael Manning, Salesforce/Mike Mazza, Salesforce/Phil Spitler, Bonfire Labs, creative directors Jason Luster, Salesforce, executive creative director John Zissimos, Salesforce, chief creative officer Chris Carmichael/Devin Earthman, Bonfire Labs, design/animation Mike Mazza, Salesforce, design director Robbie Proctor, Bonfire Labs, editor Conner Jones, Bonfire Labs, sound designer Marc Hochman, Salesforce/Sheila Smith, Bonfire Labs, producers Mary Mathaisell, Bonfire Labs/Katie Rinki, Salesforce, executive producers Laine Riley, Salesforce, project manager Bonfire Labs, animation company Taylor Hilficker, Salesforce, development partner Salesforce (San Francisco, CA), client “World Interrupted” 1:20 “This film opened the 2016 Salesforce Design Leadership Conference held at the de Young museum in San Francisco. The conference included talks by an acclaimed user experience product designer, a preeminent architect, a New York Times best-selling novelist, a biodiversity scientist and an aviation engineer, all speaking to the subject of disruptive design. In the film, each letterform disrupts the next to convey the conference theme—World Interrupted: The Remarkable Effects of Disruptive Design.”
3 Camille Chu, art director Gilbert Haslam/Reid Thompson, creative directors Troika (Los Angeles, CA), ad agency Molly Battin/Michael Tatum, clients “Turner logo video” :40 “We reflected the transformation of the Turner brand with a new corporate mark, a logo designed to powerfully signal the next era of Turner while holding on to key design signatures from the brand’s past. As a media brand, it was essential for Turner to present the new logo in motion, so this short film was created for a global town hall to introduce the new corporate identity to 20,000 Turner employees worldwide.”
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ENVIRONMENTAL 1 In-Hee Bae, typeface designer/designer Tony Lee, art director Hsien-yin Ingrid Chou, creative director Department of Graphic Design and Advertising, Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), design The Museum of Modern Art, client “The Museum of Modern Art exhibition Joaquín Torres-García: The Arcadian Modern featured works by the Uruguayan artist ranging from the late 19th century into the 1940s, including drawings, paintings, objects, sculptures, original artist notebooks and rare publications. Inspired by the hand-drawn typography Torres-García often incorporated into his work, we created a dynamic custom typeface in which characters have various proportions and forms. By combining letters with different proportions together, we developed a particular rhythm for each word that referenced the way Torres-García used typography in his pieces.”
2 Ben Johnston (Toronto, Canada), designer Drake General Store/J.P. Wiser’s, clients “From a collaboration with two great Canadian brands to celebrate the cultural landscape in our home and native land, this mural aims to inspire locals and tourists in the Queen Street West area and urge them to question what it means to be Canadian.”
3 Matthew Tapia (Honolulu, HI), designer The Vanguard Theory, co-creative director Wall-to-Wall Studios, creative director Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, client
© Martin Seck
“Adding lettering to the pool floor was an essential part of setting the tone at the Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club. Many phrases were considered, but ‘Wish You Were Here’ embodied positivity and playfulness, making it a highly photographed, signature moment shared among hotel guests and their loved ones. The logistics of hand painting letters that would live under immense water pressure and direct sunlight were challenging, but seeing people embrace the design has made it worthwhile.”
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ENVIRONMENTAL 1 (series) Sam Skidmore, letterer Andrew Thomsom, designer David Blumberg, design director Larry Norris/Spencer Till, executive creative directors Leigh Ann Motley, producer Dixie Flag & Banner Company/Fravert Services/Option Signs, fabricators Lewis Communications (Birmingham, AL), ad agency/client “The Birmingham office of Lewis Communications recently relocated to a renovated midcentury building in the heart of downtown. The need for identifying signage and intuitive wayfinding dovetailed with the opportunity to evolve our existing brand into a bold, confident identity with a dash of playfulness. We primarily employed production and fabrication techniques to honor the era of our new building. The flagpole, original to this former bank building, provided the perfect opportunity to announce ourselves to our neighbors.” Typefaces: Suisse International Mono, GT Walsheim Bold.
2 Dirty Bandits (Brooklyn, NY), typographer Melissa Stammer, art director Amy Werblin, writer Daniel Bremmer/Alex Shulhafer/ Megan Skelly, co-creative directors No Entry Design/Very Fine Signs, contributing artists 360i, ad agency Lean Cuisine, client “Women should not be weighed by the number it says on a scale, but by their accomplishments. So women tweeted their greatest successes in life, which were then hand painted on more than 240 bathroom scales. The scales were mounted on a temporary wall in Grand Central Terminal, where, over the course of two days, passersby could view these personal declarations.”
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ENVIRONMENTAL 1 (series) Spencer Till, letterer/executive creative director Andrew Thomson, designer David Blumberg, senior designer Roy Burns III, design director George Griswold/Leigh Ann Motley, producers Lewis Communications (Birmingham, AL), ad agency Auto & Truck Services, client “Auto & Truck Services views what it does as an art form. An extension of the Art of Repair branding campaign, the exterior building signage playfully and artfully renders phrases inspired by the service-driven language of 1950s advertising. Big, bold, hand-painted letterforms strategically placed around the building harken back to the golden age of auto repair while enlivening the characteristically gritty, utilitarian space for employees and patrons alike.”
2 Henrik Kubel, typographer
3
Vince Frost, designer Chunk Design, fabricator Frost*collective (Sydney, Australia), design firm 16 Eveleigh Street, client “This typographic artwork connected the narrative of ‘luck’ to the history of a building when it was tenanted circa 1950 by Sheldon Leather Goods, a luxury women’s handbag company. To spread good luck, Sheldon Leather Goods would place a copper penny in the pocket of each handbag, a brand gesture that came to be affectionately known as the ‘lucky penny.’ Using an adaptation of Danish typographer and designer Henrik Kubel’s font India, the artwork was constructed using 20-millimeter plumbing pipe manufactured by Chunk Design. The industrial design company electronically cut each individual piece to exact specifications.”
3 Stefan G. Bucher, 344 Design, LLC (Pasadena, CA), letterer/designer/writer Leslie Escudero, La Sierra University/Maureen Perry/Grace Saunders, La Sierra University/Terrill Thomas, La Sierra University, contributing artists Timothy Musso, Brandstater Gallery, curator Brandstater Gallery, client
4
“Brandstater Gallery staged Everything Is Going Exactly As Planned, an exhibition of my life’s work from 1985 up to my mysterious disappearance in 2075. Over the course of three days and nights, we painted the exhibition’s title as a photogenic piece of custom lettering that would take its perfect form only when seen from one carefully chosen point in space, symbolizing the distortion of reality that comes with curated nostalgia.”
4 Alexa Viscius, designer Renata Graw, art director Normal (Chicago, IL), design firm MAS Studio, client “For the exhibition BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago, curated by MAS Studio as part of the first Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago design firm Normal explored the relationship between time and line. To project viewers into the future while they were still connected to the present, the design firm extended the horizontal lines of the exhibition graphics’ typography to interrupt the conventional flow, thus opening spaces in unexpected places. These blanks offered room for new ideas. Instead of confining the typography to the boundaries of the 2-D plane, Normal applied it to 3-D objects within the exhibition, inviting visitors to physically move to decipher the whole.” Typeface: Circular. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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ENVIRONMENTAL 1 (series) Alan Giberson, letterer Joey Parlett, designer Damien Ware, writer Roger Frank, creative director Little Jacket (Cleveland, OH), design firm L|A|N|D Studio, client “L|A|N|D Studio, which specializes in connecting people through public art, brought us this dream project: to make the type provocative in its environment. Our team included a writer who lives in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood—he brought a beautiful voice to the project—and Alan Giberson of Alan’s Signs, who impeccably executed the type.” Typeface: Gothic Condensed by American Wood Type Mfg. Co.
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ENVIRONMENTAL 1 Renata Graw, designer Normal (Chicago, IL), design firm Volume Gallery, client “For Christy Matson’s Haptic exhibition at Chicago’s Volume Gallery—a contemporary gallery showcasing emerging American designers—Normal took inspiration from the artist’s medium and process of weaving, expressing its rhythmic quality through typography.” Typeface: Avant Garde.
CALLIGRAPHY/HAND LETTERING 2 Kate Hursthouse (Auckland, New Zealand), calligrapher “Gothic H is an experimental calligraphic artwork produced for Talente Competition 2016 in Munich, Germany.”
3 Anna Keville Joyce, AKJ Foodstyling (Ham Lake, MN), designer Anna Keville Joyce, creative director/stylist Agustín Nieto, photographer Moët Hennessy, client “A food typography project created for Moët Hennessy’s wine brand Terrazas de los Andes, produced in Mendoza, Argentina. The project served as the logo for the advertising campaign Ruta de Sabores (‘route of flavors’), providing wine pairings in various fine-dining restaurants throughout Buenos Aires. Anna Keville Joyce, the creative director and stylist for the project, utilized elements from the wines’ tasting notes to create the logo out of food typography.”
4 Xavier Casalta (Châteauneuf-Val-Saint-Donat, France), typographer “This tribute to Goyard’s packaging label was created on an A4 sheet of paper. I wanted the piece to evoke a feeling of tradition, using old-school letters, ornaments and composition rules. Using only tiny black dots and a 0.1-millimeter nib, it took me more than 60 hours to complete the inking, which contains approximately one million inked dots.”
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CALLIGRAPHY/ HAND LETTERING 1 (series) Petra Dočekalová (Prague, Czech Republic), calligrapher/client “The craft of sign painting did not survive the advance of cheap printing technology in the Czech Republic. Schools that taught this craft have removed it from their curriculums; trade magazines have long gone out of print; and the public has stopped noticing the aesthetics of handmade signs. That’s why I mapped out publications that focus on the subject and neatly organized the historical scripts into a book. I then established continuity by designing contemporary handwritten script styles that follow the local traditions of this craft while responding to contemporary aesthetics.”
2 Ana Gómez Bernaus (Venice, CA), designer Jessica Arana, art director AIGA Los Angeles, client “AIGA Los Angeles commissioned me to create a lettering piece depicting the month of April. Within the word’s design, everything is blooming and spring is in full swing, radiating energy and happiness.”
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Marcus Tullius Cicero
“The First Oration Against Catiline”
63
B.C.; Rome
“If, O Catiline, I should now
order you to be arrested, to be put to
death, I should, I suppose, have to fear lest all good men should
say that I had acted tardily, rather than that any one should
affirm that I acted cruelly.” abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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Sans Light Sans Book Sans Medium Sans Bold Serif Text Light Serif Text Book Light Italic Serif Text Book
TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 (series) Franziska Hubmann/Igor Labudovic/Chiara Mattersdorfer, Schriftlabor, typeface designers Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer, Schriftlabor, type director Matteo Bologna, Mucca Design (New York, NY), creative director Sephora, client “Created by Mucca Design, the Sephora type system was commissioned by Sephora to give the brand its own unique voice throughout its communications. Sephora Serif Display has an elegant high contrast often found in the world of beauty, but its tilted axis and expressive bracketed serifs set it apart from the crowd. Sephora Sans is an extremely versatile typeface and can be used on any of the brand’s applications, whereas Sephora Serif Text was designed for longer text, with high legibility in small sizes.”
Serif Text Book Italic Serif Text Medium Serif Text Medium Italic Serif Text Bold Seri f Text Bold Italics
Serif Display Light Serif Display Light Italic Serif Display Book Serif Display Book Italic Serif Display Medium Serif Display Medium Italic Serif Display Bold Serif Display Bold Italic Communication Arts | commarts.com
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TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 (series) Lucas Sharp, typeface designer Sharp Type Co. (Brooklyn, NY), foundry “Swiss styling collides with the unexpected construction and wonky imperfections of 20th-century American wood type in Lucas Sharp’s monument to Adrian Frutiger: Sharp Grotesk. With such an intense range of width and weight in roman and italic, nearly endless variety is possible. From the sprawling 25s to the barcode narrow 05s, from the Thins to the incredibly dense Blacks, Sharp Grotesk goes to wild extremes and contains everything in-between.”
Thin 5 Thin 6 Thin 7 Thin 8 Thin 9 Thin 10 Thin 11 Thin 12 Thin 13 Thin 14 Thin 15 Thin 16 Thin 17 Thin 18 Thin 19 Thin 20 Thin 21 Thin 22 Thin 23 Thin 24 Thin 25 Thin Italic 5 Thin Italic 6 Thin Italic 7 Thin Italic 8 Thin Italic 9 Thin Italic 10 Thin Italic 11 Thin Italic 12 Thin Italic 13
Thin Italic 14 Thin Italic 15 Thin Italic 16 Thin Italic 17 Thin Italic 18 Thin Italic 19 Thin Italic 20
Light 5 Light 6 Light 7 Light 8 Light 9 Light 10 Light 11 Light 12 Light 13 Light 14 Light 15
Light 16 Light 17 Light 18 Light 19 Light 20 Light 21
Light 22 Light 23 Light 24 Light 25
Book 5 Book 6 Book 7 Book 8 Book 9 Book 10 Book 11 Book 12 Book 13 Book 14 Book 15
Book 16 Book 17 Book 18 Book 19 Book 20 Book 21
Book 22 Book 23 Book 24 Book 25
Medium 5 Medium 6 Medium 7 Medium 8 Medium 9 Medium 10 Medium 11 Medium 12 Medium 13
Medium 14 Medium 15 Medium 16 Medium 17 Medium 18
Medium 19 Medium 20 Medium 21 Medium 22
Medium 23 Medium 24 Medium 25
Semibold 5 Semibold 6 Semibold 7 Semibold 8 Semibold 9 Semibold 10 Semibold 11 Semibold 12 Semibold 13
Semibold 14 Semibold 15 Semibold 16 Semibold 17 Semibold 18 Semibold 19 Semibold 20
Semibold 21 Semibold 22 Semibold 23
Semibold 24 Semibold 25
Bold 5 Bold 6 Bold 7 Bold 8 Bold 9 Bold 10 Bold 11 Bold 12 Bold 13 Bold 14 Bold 15
Bold 16 Bold 17 Bold 18 Bold 19 Bold 20 Bold 21
Bold 22 Bold 23 Bold 24 Bold 25 Bold Italic 5 Bold Italic 6 Bold Italic 7 Bold Italic 8 Bold Italic 9 Bold Italic 10 Bold Italic 11 Bold Italic 12 Bold Italic 13
Bold Italic 14 Bold Italic 15 Bold Italic 16 Bold Italic 17 Bold Italic 18 Bold Italic 19 Bold Italic 20
Black 5 Black 6 Black 7 Black 8 Black 9 Black 10 Black 11 Black 12 Black 13 Black 14 Black 15
Black 16 Black 17 Black 18 Black 19 Black 20 Black 21 Black 22
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“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Patrick Henry March 23, 1775; Richmond, VA
“Why stand we here idle? What
is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as
to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God! I know
not what course others may take; but as for me, give
me liberty, or give me death!”
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LOU GEHRIG July 4, 1939; Yankee Stadium “Farewell to Baseball Address” 1
“Fans, for the past two weeks you
have been reading about
a bad break I got. Yet today I consider
myself the luckiest man
on the face of the earth. I have been in
ballparks for seventeen
years and have never received
anything but kindness
and encouragement from you fans.”
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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Thin Extra Light Light Regular Medium Semibold Bold Black Ultra Black Thin Italic Extra Light Italic Light Italic Italic Medium Italic Semibold Italic Bold Italic
Black Italic Ultra Black Italic Condensed Thin Condensed Extra Light Condensed Light Condensed Regular
Condensed Medium Condensed Semibold Condensed
Bold Condensed Black Condensed Ultra Black
Condensed Thin Italic Condensed Extra Light Italic Condensed Light Italic
Condensed Italic Condensed Medium Italic Condensed Semibold Italic Condensed Bold Italic Condensed
TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 (series) Robert Slimbach, typeface designer Adobe (San Jose, CA), client “When Adobe asked Robert Slimbach to rethink the traditional neogrotesque typeface, he observed that this midcentury modernist style works much better at large sizes than for blocks of text. As a text-oriented designer, Slimbach set out to bring this classic look to a family that reads well in body copy. The resulting typeface, Acumin, offers a wide range of weights and widths for many uses, with intermediate weights and widths specifically optimized for running text.”
Black Italic Condensed Ultra Black Italic Extra Condensed Thin Extra Condensed Extra Light Extra Condensed Light Extra Condensed Regular
Extra Condensed Medium Extra Condensed Semibold Extra Condensed Bold
Extra Condensed Black Extra Condensed Ultra Black Extra Condensed Thin Italic Extra Condensed Extra Light Italic Extra Condensed Light Italic Extra Condensed Italic
Extra Condensed Medium Italic Extra Condensed Semibold Italic Extra Condensed Bold Italic Extra Condensed Black Italic Extra Condensed Ultra Black Italic Wide Thin Wide Extra Light Wide Light Wide Regular
Wide Medium Wide Semibold Wide Bold
Wide Black Wide Ultra Black
Wide Thin Italic Wide Extra Light Italic Wide Light Italic Wide Italic
Wide Medium Italic Wide Semibold Italic
Wide Bold ItalicWide Black Italic
Wide Ultra Black Italic SemiCondensed Thin SemiCondensed Extra Light SemiCondensed Light
SemiCondensed Regular SemiCondensed Medium SemiCondensed Semibold SemiCondensed Bold SemiCondensed Black SemiCondensed Ultra SemiCondensed Thin Italic SemiCondensed Extra Light Italic
SemiCondensed Light Italic SemiCondensed Italic SemiCondensed Medium Italic SemiCondensed
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TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 Ryan Crouchman/Travis Miller/Kristina Marija Valiunas, designers Ryan Crouchman/Lisa Greenberg/Judy John, creative directors Leo Burnett Toronto (Toronto, Canada), design firm FUZE Reps, client
Winston Churchill
' ' Their Finest Hour ''
June 18, 1940 House of Commons, London
“For FUZE Rep’s seaside party, we created a nostalgic font inspired by hand-painted lettering found on boardwalk trollies, carts and snack stands.”
2 (series) Rick Banks, designer Face37 Ltd (London, United Kingdom), foundry “Inspired by Günter Gerhard Lange, the F37 Bolton typeface features distinctive horizontal ascenders and descenders. The font contains alternatives and covers an extensive range of Latin-based languages, including Western and Eastern European languages.”
,,
Let us therefore brace
ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if thE British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, , men will still say, This ,,, was their finest hour.
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“Speech of Alexander the Great” Alexander the Great 326 B.C.; Hydaspes River, India
“I could not have blamed you for being the first to lose heart if I, your commander, had not
shared in your exhausting marches and your perilous campaigns; it would have been
natural enough if you had done all the work merely for others to reap the reward.”
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh
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GEORGE WASHINGTON
“Resignation Speech”
December 23, 1784; Annapolis, Maryland
"Having now finished the work assigned me,
I retire from the great
theater of Action; and bidding an Affectionate
farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted,
I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.”
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Martin Luther KingJr.
2
“ I Have a Dream” August 28, 1963; Washing�on, D.C.
“ I have a dream that
my four li�le �ildren will �e day
live in a nati� w�ere they will not be judged by the
TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 (series) Nina Stössinger (Brooklyn, NY), typeface designer Monokrom, foundry “Nordvest is a serif typeface suitable for text whose horizontals are just slightly thicker than its verticals. This subtle reversal of the traditional weighting of thick and thin strokes lends it a unique voice and texture that emphasizes the horizontal direction of the line. A versatile type family in four weights and eight styles, Nordvest combines more displayoriented heavy weights that pack quite a punch with text styles that have been carefully optimized to be useful first and interesting second. Nordvest started as Nina Stössinger’s graduation project in the type and media program at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Den Haag, Netherlands, and was published by Monokrom in 2016.”
2 Maximiliano R. Sproviero (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Lián Types, typeface designer “Skill is a font based on my own way of making gestural calligraphy with a pointed brush. The challenge—keeping the essentials of that style and turning it into a typeface without losing the handmade feel—necessitated an in-depth study of the brush behavior before and during the design of the font.”
color of their s�in but by the c�tent of their �aracter.
I have a dream �oday!”
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Mahatma Gandhi ,,
1
Quit India August 8, 1942, India
,,
TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 (series)
“Stéphane Elbaz created the typeface PS Fournier in tribute to Pierre Simon Fournier, the prolific Parisian type designer whose work is best known for its iconic representation of French transitional style. PS Fournier elegantly represents the transition to the modern era of typography. The 42 styles of the family include romans and italics, with weights ranging from light to black, and three optical sizes to accommodate a wide range of uses. PS Fournier also includes a large set of glyphs variations, ligatures, and more than 100 glyphs for borders, rules and vignettes.”
2 Alejandro Paul, typeface designer Sudtipos (Buenos Aires, Argentina), foundry “Prangs is an attempt to revive an old lettering for sign painters that was found in a book by American printer Louis Prang. The lettering that caught Alejandro Paul’s eye, an Italic Didone with an interesting twist of almost entirely connected lowercase letters, created a superb interplay between modern typography and classic calligraphy. So Paul decided to create Prangs, an Italic Didone consisting of three weights—Light, Regular and Bold.”
,,
Stéphane Elbaz, typeface designer Typofonderie (Clamart, France), foundry
In the democracy which
I have envisaged,
a democracy established
by non-violence,
there will be equal freedom
for all. Everybody
will be his own master. It is
to join a struggle for such democracy that ,,
I invite you today. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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abcd abcd abcd abcd abcd abcd
1
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Socrates 2
“Apology” 399 B.C.; Athens
“And if I say again
that daily to
discourse about virtue, and of those other things about which you hear me
TYPEFACE DESIGN 1 Vedran Erakovic (Belgrade, Serbia), typeface designer/foundry “Ana Pro is an autochromatic typeface consisting of 26 uppercase Latin characters, inspired by arabesque designs from the 19th century. Programmed to enable users to easily create multicolored drop caps and initials, the typeface features a different ornament for every letter that fits perfectly with its glyph shape. These initials are valuable for use in large sizes, like posters, magazines and fairy tales.”
2 Dino dos Santos, designer DSType (Porto, Portugal), foundry “Oposta is the kind of typeface that you get when you draw a high-contrast typeface, then rotate the axis by 90 degrees. Much more interested in visual performance than readability, with Oposta, we intended to achieve the perfect balance of negative and positive space while keeping the texture that only a reverse-contrast typeface can provide.”
examining myself
and others, is the
greatest good of man, and that the unexamined life is
not worth living, you are still less likely to believe me.”
0123456789
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MISCELLANEOUS 1 Ana Gómez Bernaus (Venice, CA), designer TypeEd, client “Dimensional and energetic uppercase T for TypeEd, a typography school located in downtown Los Angeles.”
2 Mark Caneso, designer Sean McMahon, production manager pprwrk studio (Beaverton, OR), design firm “A limited-edition, wearable ‘drop cap,’ created as both a stand-alone product and a promotional item for an upcoming typeface. The parameters used to create the artwork for 3-D embroidery on the cap were then replicated to develop the remaining character set in the typeface.” Typeface: Drop Inline.
2
3 Mark Caneso, typographer/designer pprwrk studio (Beaverton, OR), design firm ps.type.lab, client “Set your status to ‘home’ or ‘away’ by flipping this custom-lettered symbiotogram doormat, inspired by recent travels and relocation.”
4 (series) Måns Swanberg (Brooklyn, NY), Famous OTO, designer
© Tiffany Gosden
“The Famous OTO Brooklyn House for Cats is a playhouse for cats, as well as a tribute to the wonderfully patched-up houses of my home borough. It features a French bistro in the front and a truck repair garage in the back. There’s also a G-train stop, which works approximately as well as the real thing—zing! It even has a side window for serving coffee—or perhaps a mauling by your cat.” Typefaces: Hand Shop, Sign Painter, Vitrina.
3
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MISCELLANEOUS 1 Fabiola Mejía (Miami, FL), letterer/designer SatisFACTORY PopUp, curator “I created the lettering piece ¿Dónde están las Mujeres?, or Where are the women? for an art exhibit in Costa Rica that’s attempting to bring more visibility to female artists’ work in response to the predominance of men in the art scene. Through letterforms, I portrayed the energy and passion driving the artists. The piece was sold as ten-by-eleven-inch prints in black and in pink versions.”
2 Mamoun Sakkal, Sakkal Design (Bothell, WA), designer Rahim Akbar, fabricator Anonymous, client “The client wanted an arabesque panel to decorate the ceiling of a dining room in a private residence. Dr. Mamoun Sakkal added another dimension to the work by creating the pattern using Arabic script. ‘This is a favor from my Lord,’ a traditional phrase for this type of setting, was written in Arabic. Based on the typeface Bustan, designed by Jamal Bustan and Sakkal, the panel formed a star pattern. The design was carved on wood using computer numerical control milling and suspended from the dining room ceiling with backlighting.”
3 (series) Justin Kowalczuk, typographer/art director DDB Canada (Edmonton, Canada), ad agency Hope Mission, client “These custom, hand-burned skateboards were created as a donation item for Share DDB, an annual event whose proceeds are donated to a local charity. Before the skateboards were auctioned off, they were used to teach the youth of the Tegler Youth Centre Hope Mission about the importance of failure and its necessity for success.” Typeface: Erotica (modified).
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MISCELLANEOUS 1 (series) Jeff Watkins, designer Lisa Greenberg/Jeff Watkins, art directors Ryan Crouchman, group creative director Lisa Greenberg, creative director Judy John, chief creative officer Arash Moallemi, FUZE Reps, photographer Webnews Printing Inc., production company Leo Burnett Toronto (Toronto, Canada), ad agency Smith Restaurant + Bar, client “Brunch: the start of something good. This ever-changing newspaper menu has become a Smith restaurant signature. Its new menu showcases brunch items in their raw forms on the cover and reveals the delicious possibilities on the inside.” 4 pages, 4-color plus 1 PMS, 35 × 22¾. Typefaces: Chronicle Display, Hudson, Neue Helvetica.
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MISCELLANEOUS 1 Juan Carlos Pagan, designer Kevin Cantrell, Kevin Cantrell Studio (Murray, UT), art director John Moon, Nike, creative director Big Secret, production company Nike, client “Nike commissioned Kevin Cantrell Studio to design the Perfect Game, All American Classic, Home Run King bat trophy. Inspired by old-world typography that imbues the spirit of baseball, we created an illustrative, typographic treatment that envelops the entire circumference of the bat. The Richmond, Virginia–based production company Big Secret used a state-of-the-art, proprietary technique to laser etch artwork around the bat’s circumference in a seamless finish. Kevin Cantrell Studio and Big Secret produced the first-ever bat to be laser etched across its entire circumference—a singular award for a singular baseball king.”
UNPUBLISHED 2 Tad Carpenter, designer Carpenter Collective (Kansas City, MO), design firm “Custom lettering and design for a passion project titled SUNday SUNS, for which designer Tad Carpenter designs a sun each and every SUNday.”
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3 VERTIGO
Starring James Stewart and Kim Novak
Co Starring Barbara Bel Geddes and Tom Helmore
A masterpiece directed by Alfred Hitchcock
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UNPUBLISHED 1 Jenna Stempel (Brooklyn, NY), typographer “Just a tenth of the rats I’ve seen in the city, drawn in pen and ink with type based on Tobias Frere-Jones’s Interstate Bold Compressed.”
STUDENT WORK 2 Sha Feng, designer/art director/typographer Paolo Parisi, instructor Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (Florence, Italy), school A poster for the 2015 International Typography Design Awards. 27½ × 39�, 2-color, silkscreen. © Sha Feng, designer/art director/typographer.
3 Evan Tolleson, designer Roland Young, instructor Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA), school “This typographic poster depicts the literal and metaphoric experience of Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo.” 23¼ × 36, 4-color, offset. Typefaces: Graphik, Lyon Display. © Evan Tolleson
4 Krishnapriya Dutta Gupta, designer John Nettleton, instructor Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA), school “Staples, proud of its commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen, takes a holistic, green approach to business in order to positively impact its associates, the larger community and the planet. With these values of sustainability and responsibility in mind, I redesigned its corporate social responsibility report using 100 percent recycled paper for the production. I also designed around two-color printing and used Staples’ brand of colored recycled papers to create contrast as section breakers.” Typefaces: Clarendon Bold, Univers Condensed. © Krishnapriya Dutta Gupta
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A Ä B C D
2
E F G
I
J K L
N
O Ö P
STUDENT WORK 1 Emily Atwood/Rob Carmona/Winston Elliott/ Philip Park/Samantha Yick, designers Michael Stinson, instructor Laguna College of Art + Design (Laguna Beach, CA), school “Students of Laguna College of Art + Design’s Typography II class were challenged to update the design of the once-popular typography journal U&lc using fundamental typography skills. Each student had to re-create the banner for the cover and pick an article from a past issue to reinterpret, redesign and lay out as one spread. Each student received real, full-sized, newsprint paper copies of the redesigns from newspaperclub.com.” 40 pages, 147/8 × 20�, 1-color, collate and fold. Typefaces: Alright Sans, Harriet.
R
GRIMMS MÄRCHEN
© Emily Atwood/Rob Carmona/Winston Elliott/Philip Park/Samantha Yick.
2 Analee Paz, designer Claudia Röschmann, instructor Texas State University (San Marcos, TX), school
U Ü
S ß
V W X
DAS ALPHABET
ASCHENPUTTEL
DER EISENOFENDER
“Cultural storytelling is an influential part of my work, so while traveling in Germany, I was fascinated by the German folklore and fairy tales of childhood and how they still relate to German adults as part of their daily lives. Grimm’s Märchen: Das Alphabet is a 28-letter alphabet set that interrelates the historical and cultural uses of scherenschnitte, or ‘scissor cuts,’ with the German typography of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. I then applied the scherenschnitte technique to my own piece.”
Z
© Analee Puz
3 Chusheng Chen, designer
3 DIE SECHS SCHWÄNE
HÄNSEL UND GRETEL
DER HASE UND DER IGEL
DAS FÜRCHTEN ZU LERNEN WEIßE SCHLANGE
BLAUBART
DER NAGEL
DER CHARMANTE PRINZ
JORINDE UND JORINGEL
OLL RINKRANK
DORNRÖSCHEN DER KRAUTESEL
DIE NIXE IM TEICH
LÄUSCHEN UND FLÖHCHEN
DER RANZEN, DAS HÜTLEIN UND DAS HÖRNLEIN
TISCHCHENDECK DICH, GOLDESEL UND KNÜPPEL AUS DEM SACK
DAS WASSER DES LEBENS
DIE SIEBEN ZWERGE
FROSCHKÖNIG
UP REISEN GOHN
RAPUNZEL
HÄNSEL UND GRETEL
MÄRCHEN VON EINEM, DER AUSZOG
ROTKÄPPCHEN
VON DEM TODE DES HÜHNCHENS
SCHNEEWITTCHEN
DIE
VOM KLUGEN SCHNEIDERLEIN
Louise Fili, instructor School of Visual Arts (New York, NY), school “Vosges Haut-Chocolat is a high-end handmade chocolate brand in New York City that delivers its brand experience through the high quality and craftsmanship of artisanal chocolate. To design packaging to match this experience and interact with all audiences, I created a monogram and all custom letters from scratch.” © Chusheng Chen
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STUDENT WORK 1 Rachel Peckman, designer Scott Laserow/Dustin Summers, instructors Temple University, Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, PA), school “Tasked with creating a project that celebrates a US state, I focused on the US Space & Rocket Center, a museum that celebrates Alabama’s contributions to the American space journey. The end result is a lengthy, detailed poster book inspired by outsider art to be completely hand drawn. The book is a call to action not only for Alabamans, but also for all Americans to celebrate this national treasure of a museum.” 9 × 12, 60 pages, hand bound, printed on various shades of French Paper. © Rachel Packman
2 Lisa Nettler/Joseph Przybylo/ Haileé Tabor, typeface designers Susan LaPorte, instructor College for Creative Studies (Detroit, MI), school “Terminals, Returns, and the Freak Show, a collaborative type specimen book by Lisa Nettler, Joe Przybylo and Haileé Tabor, showcases the individual typographic explorations LN930, JTP Mono and Cirque du Display. The LN930 typeface, inspired by airport flight board typography, offers four weights and iconography. JTP Mono, inspired by the monospacing of IBM’s typewriters, offers three weights. And the display typeface Cirque du Display, inspired by historical circus typography, offers three ornamental styles.” 96 pages, 7½ × 12½, 2-color, perfect bound. © Lisa Nettler/Joe Przybylo/Haileé Tabor
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TERMINALS, RETURNS & THE FREAKSHOW
LN930 Process
v.1: 0.125 angled inner corner
TERMINALS, RETURNS & THE FREAKSHOW
LN930 Process
v.2: 0.06 angled inner corner
v.3: 0.06 rounded inner corner
6 › 7
v.1: horizontal cross stroke
i LN: i JP: i HH:
v.2: angled cross stroke
Although I like the intricacy of the left K I still like the simplicity of the right K. The right K brings the "Lisa" sass.
i LN:
Glyphs. Colorized.
I'm glad you went with the one on the right.
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STUDENT WORK 1 (series) Alistair McCready, designer Sheahan Huri, instructor Auckland University of Technology (Auckland, New Zealand), school “Monolith is the beginning of a wider inquiry into type as a monument. A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a large stone or rock; therefore, to label an object as monolithic is to suggest it is akin to a rigidity beyond that which is man-made. At the center of this project stands two very different typefaces, each founded on its own individual circumstance—this project is about their collective context. These typefaces are showcased through a series of books, along with a collection of hand-crafted panels that offer an exhibitable element to the project.” 340 pages, 6¼ × 8¾, 1-color, perfect bound. © Alistair McCready
2 (series) Krishnapriya Dutta Gupta, designer Kathrin Blatter, instructor Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA), school “This project, designing a set of three posters for a hypothetical architectural event, required the chosen concept to be expressed in 3-D type. I designed these posters for a lecture series, ‘Forgotten Windows,’ that would explore some classic window designs across geographies and millennia in order to tease out insights into function and form that are applicable even today.” 18 × 24, 4-color. Typefaces: Klint, ATF Poster Gothic. © Krishnapriya Dutta Gupta
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STUDENT WORK 1 (series) Shyronn Smardon, designer Si Huynh, instructor Capilano University (North Vancouver, BC, Canada), school “Spatial Shift balances the common medium of graphic designers (paper) with the common medium of architects (space). Each character is shaped from 360 layers of shifted laser-cut paper, enabling the final forms to develop into sculptural, topographic typography.” Typeface: Aery. © Shyronn Smardon
2 Alija Sule, designer Carma Gorman, instructor The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX), school “Two kinds of names exist: one conferred on an individual after birth and one received from peers based on peculiar behavioral traits. Indians have a deep fascination for the second kind of name, having developed a special lingo to serve the purpose. Most of these coined words have now become an integral part of India’s language and culture. I have presented some of these typical Indian words in a style that is also typically Indian.” © Alija Sule
3 Ran Zheng, designer Jason Mathews Gottlieb/Ellen Lupton/Jennifer Cole Phillips/James Rouvelle, instructors Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, MD), school “My thesis show project LOOK/HEAR, exhibited at the Maryland Institute College of Art, explores the relationship between scenes and soundscapes. A system of aural and visual signals generates shifting typographic forms to trigger associations about people and environment. I chose five sound scenes from our everyday lives and selected the pair of words look and hear to demonstrate the change in letters.” Typeface: Neutral. © Ran Zheng
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STUDENT WORK 1 (series) Samantha Watson, designer/calligrapher Chris Lyons, instructor Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), school “Bees are responsible for more than one in every three bites of food we eat, but they are declining at an extraordinary rate. Hum was created as a solution to help reverse the declining health of bee colonies. All proceeds made from Hum products go back to the contributing beekeepers so they can maintain and care for their bee colonies. Hand lettering is a very organic type treatment, and the use of watercolor emulates honey. The unevenness of the letterforms is a nod to the way pesticides affect bees.” Typeface: Verlag. © Samantha Watson
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years of
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FRESH DANIEL TING CHONG
If there’s a creative solution that fosters an emotional response, Daniel Ting Chong will discover it. “I will always try to convey a sense of humor or clever resolution in my work,” says the designer and illustrator. “I think that if a communication can create an emotional connection with someone, then it is quite powerful and coherently memorable.” After graduating with a BA in creative brand communications from the Vega School and cutting his teeth at Cape Town–based design firm The President, Ting Chong took the leap into freelancing. Now he shares a space in Cape Town’s Woodstock neighborhood with five other designers and illustrators, who have helped support him with business insight and creative feedback. Whether working in a minimal or a hyperdetailed style, Ting Chong consistently expresses the raw, emotional tone of brand stories with charm and alacrity. His secret? “I have been very fortunate over the years to have clients who trust me enough to let me direct the creative process,” he says. danieltingchong.com
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1. “A set of minipostcards for friends and clients.” 2. “Poster illustration for Hunter’s, a local alcohol brand in South Africa.” Quirk, ad agency; Hunter’s, client. 3. “An American-style fast-food burger joint, Mr Big Stuff makes crispy fried chicken the old-fashioned way. The branding takes a lighthearted approach to the culture of classic American diners.” Mr Big Stuff, client. 4. “Brand identity for F I G M E N T, a production house in Cape Town. The use of neon green represents chroma key color, a film technique to replace a section with a composited image.” F I G M E N T, client. 5. “Anatomy, Johannesburg’s first-ever premium sneaker store, specializes in exclusive sneakers and limited-edition apparel and accessories. My approach to the branding and physical space involved revealing nuances of dissection and organic elements.” The Bread, ad agency; Anatomy, client. 6. “Nike Sandton, the first Nike Women’s partner store on the African continent, features bespoke services, weekly programming and tailored events. Nike commissioned me to design two glass murals for the store.” Nike, client. F
F
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FRESH OSBORNE MACHARIA
A blessing in disguise led Osborne Macharia to pursue photography. “I failed a unit in my fourth year of studying for a degree in architecture and had to stay out for an academic year,” he recalls. “During that year, I stumbled upon the photography of Joey L. That was when I knew I wanted to follow this path.” Completely self-taught, Macharia turned his passion into a creative career and has gone on to shoot for various high-profile clients, including Guinness, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Co., Volkswagen, Kenya Airways, Oxfam and Samsung. Highly inspired by the stories surrounding him in Kenya, he bases his projects’ concepts on three principles: identity, fiction and culture. “Africa has tons of stories that the world doesn’t know about,” he says. “As a continent, we have our issues—but that’s not all there is to see. A lot of times, we are misunderstood. My work intends to change that misconception by showcasing what’s around me in the most aesthetically spectacular way possible.” k63studio.com
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1. “Promotional image created for Kenya’s foremost pop group, Sauti Sol, in anticipation of their album Live and Die in Afrika. Used to promote the album on iTunes.” Sunny Dolat, stylist; Sauti Sol Entertainment, client. 2. “Gargar, an award-winning women’s music group from Garissa, Kenya. Photographed for the 2015 calendar of telecommunications company Safaricom.” Jason Bruckner, creative director; SCANAD Africa, ad agency; Safaricom Ltd, client. 3. “Artwork for Afro-Electric maestro Franck Biyong’s album Moon Watching.” Sinitta Akello, artist; Kevin Abraham, stylist; Saiton Righa, producer; Franck Biyong, client. 4. “A personal project revolving around a fictional unit of the Mau Mau, Kenya’s freedom fighters. The unit is made up of opticians who build special spectacles to spot the enemy at night.” Kevin Abraham, stylist/producer. 5. “Forest-themed shoot for Fierce magazine featuring an array of designers and jewelers.” Tim Mwangi, creative director; Fierce Magazine, client. 6. “A personal project about the fictional League of Extravagant Grannies: the retired corporate and government heads of 1970s Kenya. As retirees, they travel to exotic and remote areas within Africa to explore, party and enjoy exclusivity.” Richard Kinyua/Valary Mdeizi, artists; Kevin Abraham, stylist/producer. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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FRESH ELANA SCHLENKER
Angular forms and vivid colors suffuse designer Elana Schlenker’s work with a sense of playfulness, but it’s impossible to miss the well-crafted compositions she brings to her projects. Schlenker attributes this to her editor’s eye—she previously worked as a book designer for Princeton Architectural Press, and at the same time, she was publishing Gratuitous Type, her own graphic design magazine. “At Princeton Architectural Press, I reached a tipping point when I realized that I had to choose between my job [there] and my studio practice,” she says. “I decided it was time to try it—it’s been the best career move I’ve made so far.” Traveling between her plant-and-book-filled home studio in Pittsburgh and the Pencil Factory in Brooklyn, Schlenker creates design work for clients using a variety of media, curates Gratuitous Type and runs Less Than 100, a pop-up shop that promotes parity to close the gender wage gap. Her ambition for the future? “I’d like to buy a storefront studio space to house a more permanent office for myself and Gratuitous Type,” she says. “The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that there’s lots of affordable space to do something like that!” elanaschlenker.com
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1. “Branding for Brooklyn-based lingerie shop Narcisse NYC. Voluptuous, art deco–inspired typography mixed with a strong mark celebrating the female form makes for a playful visual identity that’s sexy, but not intimidating or cliché.” Jonathan Calugi, illustrator; Narcisse, client. 2. “Online shop for Brooklyn-based home and fashion line Dusen Dusen. Showcasing founder Ellen Van Dusen’s love of color and patterns, as well as her dog, Snips, I packed the site with playful backgrounds, transitions, buttons, hidden games and other Easter eggs.” Dusen Dusen, client. 3. “Branding for Scratch Food & Beverage, a fine-casual restaurant and bar. Taking cues from the establishment’s accessible menu, make-do interior and welcoming atmosphere, I developed a playful hand-lettered identity complete with a library of one-color line drawings created by Pete Gamlen.” Pete Gamlen, illustrator; Scratch Food & Beverage, client. 4. “Exhibition catalog for Reverberations, a group show exploring points of intersection and influence in the work of faculty from the University of Pittsburgh’s Studio Arts department.” University of Pittsburgh, client. 5. “Gratuitous Type appropriates conventions of pornography magazines to frame its otherwise innocuous subject matter. For this issue, a dust jacket printed with a one-color image obscures its full-color companion below while a die cut C offers a suggestive glimpse of what’s underneath.” Communication Arts | commarts.com
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BUSINESS
Rebecca Huval
The Elephant in the Agency
T
he game looks like a regular bingo board. But look more closely at the squares, and the plaything reveals its cutting commentary: “Only addressing the males in the room.” “Saying ‘moms’ when you mean nontechnical people.” “Having ‘female’ or ‘girl’ added to your job title (would you say ‘account boy’?).” All of these things have actually happened to women in advertising, as told by Kate Catalinac, creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. She created Sexism Bingo to keep advertising’s gender imbalance front-of-mind—especially at a time when certain ad executives think diversity and gender equality is tied up in a neat bow. Last year, Kevin Roberts, former chairman at Saatchi & Saatchi, resigned after telling Business Insider: “The fucking debate is all over.” He said women lacked “vertical ambition.” Digging his grave even
Today in agencies, “you don’t slap someone on the ass, but there are more subtle ways to make women feel more uncomfortable in the workplace that slip by,” Catalinac says. “Well-intended people make mistakes they don’t realize they’re making. Not everyone is in Mad Men, making people feel awful all the time. It’s the more subtle forms of sexism that are eroding agency culture.”
Invisible damage Lately, a few advertising executives have either denied sexism or displayed it themselves—until they were sued, such as J. Walter Thompson CEO Gustavo Martinez in 2016. In this atmosphere of denial and repeated mistakes, the 3% Conference decided to show how suffocating chauvinism feels for ad women on an everyday basis. Gordon expanded beyond the organization’s emphasis on data and sought out firsthand, anonymous stories of sexism—haunting anecdotes that would show just how alive and real sexism is today. Thus was born the Elephant of Madison Avenue survey.
“It’s exhausting. To love what you do, to know in your heart that you’re good at it, but to have to fight tooth and nail to be allowed to excel at it.” —3% Conference survey respondent deeper, Roberts accused Cindy Gallop, an advertising consultant and feminist advocate, of “making up” women’s problems in the industry “to create a profile and to take applause.” Guess what is not made up? Women account for about half of the advertising workforce, yet only 11.5 percent of creative directors in Communication Arts’ 2013 Advertising Annual were women, according to a 2014 survey by 3% Conference, which champions female creative leadership. Research completed by University of Texas at Austin graduate student Kasey Windels in 2008 found that only 3.6 percent of creative directors featured in Communication Arts’ 1984, 1994 and 2004 issues were women—hence the 3% Conference’s name when it launched in 2012. Although the industry is improving, we still have a long way to go, says Kat Gordon, the conference’s founder. “I don’t think 11 percent of women being creative directors is a victory at all,” says Gordon. “I would settle for 50 percent because if you look at the buying power of women, it’s more than half. The representation of women in advertising needs to be even heavier from a business perspective.” Women in advertising are still playing a game that is rigged against them. They are held back by day-to-day acts of sexism and of micro aggression that signal to women: You don’t belong here. The peers and leaders holding them back might not even be aware they are doing it. 190
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Gordon contacted Michele Madansky, a market research consultant and the very same data whiz who created the Elephant in the Valley survey, which revealed the gender bias in another notoriously macho business culture: the technology industry. She applied her tools to turn a mirror on the ad industry. After collecting stories and data last summer, the 3% Conference revealed its findings in the fall. Almost predictably, the numbers are disheartening. It shows what little cultural progress agencies have made. Ninety percent of women had heard “demeaning comments” from male colleagues. Nearly as many had experienced the deflating moment of a colleague or client asking questions of a male peer that should have been directed at the female expert. The high-powered executives I spoke with all shared similar stories. “There were times throughout my career when I would find out the guys had a meeting because they were all in the men’s room or they were playing golf, and a decision was made that I was left out of,” says Nancy Hill, CEO of the 4A’s. “These are my peers, and I should have been included in that conversation.” Catalinac says these under-the-radar moments make a lasting impact on a worker’s psyche. “When you’re in a presentation and the males are only addressing the males, it creeps into your mind that you shouldn’t speak up,” she says. “It hushes us in ways that we’re not even aware of.” Most personally frustrating to Gordon, about half of working mothers surveyed said parenthood had negatively impacted their
careers. “The reason that hurt my feelings is that these women are creative directors,” she says. “I am certain that any major life experience—whether you’re caring for a parent with multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer’s or joining the military—any experience is better for you as a creative. The way it taxes you as an individual is good for how you see the world. The consumers you’re speaking to have had life experiences. The more life experiences you have make you more valuable as a creative. I was so sad to hear that most creative moms feel that being a mom hurt their career.” To collect anonymous stories, Gordon made sure that the online text entry box was as big as possible—encouraging women to offload the emotional workplace baggage they normally keep buried. Her method seems to have worked. One woman said, “I’m making $15,000 less than my male counterpart, and I’m doing 90 percent of the work,” and another disclosed, “I have been sexually harassed by a colleague. He continued to sexually harass women of all ages in my department until he was fired—not for sexual harassment, but for trying to steal clients from the company.” These and the survey’s other stories offer a more harrowing version of Sexism Bingo, and it should shame the industry.
clients have imposed on their agencies to fix the problem and present a plan that will give a better balance. But the clients have to do their role, too. They need to treat their agencies in a way that people can survive there. When clients call at 8 p.m. and say they want this in the morning, they are also responsible for the culture in the agency. That’s not going to work, and it’s something we need to think about.” In the midst of their own tornados of creative work, some agency leaders have started to think about how to enact change. In March, following the lawsuit against J. Walter Thompson, Nancy Hill gave a speech about gender equality at the 4A’s annual conference. “Real change has to start with you, at the top,” she said in her speech. After hearing her words, an ad executive e-mailed Hill to pledge that he would only do blind résumé reviews that conceal the names of the applicants. (Hill declined to reveal who the executive was.) Since then, the executive has reported back to her to say that it’s working—he’s begun hiring a more diverse creative team. “Make sure you look yourself in the mirror and ask: What is the solution here?” Hill says. As soon as more women become executives—as soon as that 11.5 percent of female creative directors edges closer to or higher than 50 percent—many of these problems will resolve themselves, Gordon says. “If you could only do one thing at a position of management, the absolute fastest way [to improve company culture] is to have 25 percent of your senior management become female, and these issues will go away. … You solve for their needs being met, and it trickles down—it’s so expedient in solving these issues.”
“I was propositioned—not once, but twice—to go to bed with the CMO of a major Fortune 500 company. After I said no—twice—we lost the business the following month.” —3% Conference survey respondent
Visible repairs To make forward strides and address sexism head on, ad agency executives have work to do. Some of it will be obvious and relatively easy, whereas other tasks will require uncomfortable conversations. The bedrock of the ad agency—the client relationship—might even need to be restructured to welcome more women. “Clients demand things on a moment’s notice, and it’s fire-drill creativity,” says Gordon. This behavior not only goes against research on what’s conducive to creative work, but also excludes women and working mothers. “Agencies end up valuing availability over creativity: who can work all night versus who’s the right person to fill this creative challenge. The whole paradigm is broken.” In the rush of responding to clients’ demands, agencies struggle to have deeper discussions, such as improving working conditions to support equality and diversity. And clients have begun to take notice. Hewlett-Packard has demanded that its agencies of record show substantial plans to improve hiring of women and people of color in creative departments—or else they will get the boot. General Mills has asked that the creative workers at its agencies comprise at least 50 percent women and 20 percent people of color. “We’re always in crisis mode in agencies,” says Anne-Marie Marcus, owner of creative recruitment agency Marcus St. Jean. “We talk about [the gender problem] and then we forget—which is why two
Looking forward, Hill places faith in younger workers to stand their ground. “This generation isn’t going to put up with it. They’re going to call people out on it. Women’s B.S. meter has gone up. They say, ‘I’ll freelance.’ They don’t need to be in that environment. I wish I had a number of [how many] women [sexism] has impacted to the point where they left the industry, but I’m sure it’s a very large number.” Meanwhile, Catalinac hopes to be among the women calling people out on their B.S. Creative workers, in particular, have the tools to have difficult conversations with leaders and coworkers about their sexist tone and policies, she says. “In advertising, we are in the business of knowing how to speak to people, getting on their level and choosing our tone of voice wisely. The same should be applied to the office. It shouldn’t be an angry tirade, but calling it out and talking about it—like Sexism Bingo!” She encourages men and women alike to approach the frank talks ahead with the same spirit of her game: not angry, but instead, optimistic that with the right words, we can make change. ca For more tips on how to balance your office’s gender, check out 3% Conference’s “100 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Drive the 3% Number Upward” at 3percentconf.com/downloads/100-things. Communication Arts | commarts.com
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INSIGHTS Sarah Brooks Serving US Veterans
Every day, from El Paso to Syracuse, millions upon millions of veterans wake up in the United States, and it’s Sarah Brooks’s job to think about how the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can improve its service for each and every one. It’s certainly a tall order, but for Brooks, it’s par for the course. Take her stint as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, which first placed her with the VA to improve the veteran experience—Brooks started by fearlessly examining the VA’s culture, the mindsets of its staff. Then there’s the Compostmodern conference that she produced for AIGA San Francisco, and her experience lecturing students on topics like large-scale sustainable transformation. If there’s anything that Brooks, the VA’s chief design officer, learned in San Francisco during its dot-com days, it’s that large-scale change can be enacted through humancentered design. —Esther Oh
How did you get started in design? I came to design in 1996 after completing a BFA in textiles and printmaking at the California College of the Arts. I was living in San Francisco, where people were migrating from all kinds of creative disciplines to work on the web. Immediately drawn to this new medium’s creative potential, I discovered human-centered design through the work of Hot Studio founder Maria Giudice. I was hooked. I walked a winding road through startups and design studios in many industries before dedicating myself to projects focusing on social innovation in 2008. In 2012, I had the opportunity to mentor Code for America fellows who were working on civic design projects with city governments. Their inspiring work opened my eyes to the possibility that design could directly affect civic life. When I learned about the White House’s Presidential Innovation Fellows program in 2014 and saw that the VA wanted to bring human-centered design to its transformation, I knew I wanted to get involved.
What are the challenges of using design thinking to transform the VA? As in any effort to create change, the biggest challenge is our natural resistance to change. As systems thinker Donella Meadows noted, the most powerful lever for change exists at the level of 192
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the mindset, or paradigms. Without changing mindsets, we can make incremental changes in a system—but not foundational, lasting change. To change mindsets, we have to first consciously identify the thinking patterns that maintain the status quo in a system, which in this case is a large bureaucratic organization. It’s tricky, but possible.
How are you driving change as the chief design officer for the VA’s Veterans Experience Office? Tom Allin, who became the chief veterans experience officer, Julia Kim, Walt Cooper and I created the Veterans Experience Office in January 2015 to be veterans’ “steward” and “honest broker” in the VA. It has none of the traditional barriers of bureaucracy: its sleek, fast-acting, imaginative and all-encompassing approaches are breaking down bureaucracy’s traditional barriers. The Insight and Design team conducts ongoing ethnographic field research across the United States to understand female and male veterans from all eras and branches of service. We also lead a program of service design interventions based on our field research. One example is the letters we send veterans. We learned from veterans that the letters the VA sends them are often confusing, are too long and bureaucratic, and are not clearly actionable. This leads many people to pick up the phone and dial a call center or reach out to a veteran service officer or a member
of Congress for help deciphering their meaning. As a result, we have begun a project to rewrite all of the VA’s customer-facing letters.
What excites and frustrates you about the design field right now? I’m excited by: civic design; designers taking on complex adaptive challenges and learning more about systems thinking; dialogues about implicit hiring biases in the workplace that disproportionately affect women and people of color; founders who are designers; and the myth of the lone genius designer biting the dust and the rise in recognition of the designer as a catalyzer, convener and cocreator. I’m frustrated by: big data without big stories on why it matters; software companies overusing “save the world” language to describe the challenges they tackle to make the world more comfortable for highly privileged people; and technological utopianism.
Should more designers apply their talents to the public sector? Over the last two years, it’s become clearer to me that government is not monolithic. Like any institution, the government is thousands of individuals working at the federal, local and state levels. We are the government. And we can make it work better. But government hasn’t kept pace with the innovations in design and engineering in the private sector. There are career civil servants in every agency, at every level, working to make change without the
support, resources or top cover that shiny new programs like the White House’s Presidential Innovation Fellows program and the United States Digital Service have. It’s important to learn from these people about how to be operationally feasible, align to government budget cycles, navigate the land of government procurement and build alliances within the agency to get things done. Working in government as a change maker is hard. But the work matters. And it’s fulfilling. It affects the everyday lives of millions of people. Your work can help a struggling family get food stamps. It can help someone achieve her or his dream of becoming a US citizen. It can help a veteran access mental health resources, a senior citizen get Social Security payments and the US Department of Justice crack down on cyber bullying. Designers, bring your talents to the public sector. Think of it as a tour of duty to serve your country. Consider taking six months or a couple of years out of your long career to contribute.
What would you say to designers who don’t believe in their ability to create positive change? Design is an optimistic endeavor. Every designer I know believes she or he is changing the world in some fashion by virtue of creating something new or improving what already exists. The question is: How and at what level do you want to change the world? ca
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Essential Type An Illustrated Guide to Understanding and Using Fonts
Emigre Fonts Type Specimens 1986–2016
By Tony Seddon
By Rudy VanderLans 752 pages, hardbound, $35 Published by Gingko Press gingkopress.com
The printed type specimen, an artifact that’s been produced, archived and collected for centuries, is becoming increasingly rare in today’s age of PDF downloadables. But in the mid-1980s, with their pioneering studio Emigre and a groundbreaking magazine of the same name, Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko boldly decided to start creating typefaces for the new design tool: the Macintosh. So began one of the first independent digital type foundries. Digital type was the frontier, and despite less-than-optimal screen and printing resolutions, Emigre forged ahead, exploring it from both a scientific and a commercial aspect—and to great success. It meticulously designed, printed and bound artful booklets for each new typeface and still does to this day. These specimens are lovingly and gloriously displayed in Emigre Fonts in their original sizes. Even though one can download specimens from emigre.com, VanderLans extols the benefits of holding a self-contained printed booklet that “smells of printing ink and, best of all, shows you exactly how type will look in print.” You’ll get that print smell from Emigre Fonts, along with what VanderLans dubs “creative indulgences,” both visual and verbal. Some pages jump out with jarring imagery to match equally jarring letterforms, like filmic dream sequences, and others are quietly lovely, like Licko’s beautiful Mrs Eaves typeface displayed through Aesop’s fables. Most specimens tell of the fascinating and varied creative processes behind the designs.
EMIGRE
VanderLans admits that Emigre “broke rules and raised eyebrows,” yet earned its place long ago as one of American design’s best— not just for visually defining a digital era and inspiring countless other type designers, but also for its artistry. —Angelynn Grant
FONTS
1986 2016
TYPE SPECIMENS GINGKO PRESS
Rr
Council
> Featured on pages 20, 22, 25, 27
DesigneD by John Downer in 1999
northwestern
C
WINNETOU GIANTS CUBS
Dalliance
> Featured on pages 1, 4, 15, 21, 22, 25
Typography Annual 2017
national
> Featured on page 30
D
Arrow
Environmental
WANTED
ANTHROPOLOGY
MANHATTAN
Graphics
Chromolithography
www.eMigre.coM | 40
eMigre fonts tyPe saMPler | 41
V
D
DesigneD by zuzana licko in 1994
ANTHROPOLOGy
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> Featured on page 26
Orange grand Dogma
Water Kitchenette
DesigneD by frank heine in 2000
Dead History
DesigneD by P. scott Makela in 1990
QUICK
When a book’s introduction hails “type nerds,” I can’t resist. Indeed, my skin tingles at the sight of the type anatomy illustrations—every finial, bowl and gadzook—found on the very first page of Essential Type. In this book, Tony Seddon equips you with all the facts you might need for any rigorous typography debate with fellow nerds. Character anatomies are further fleshed out in a dedicated chapter, as are various glyphs and type terms. Some are commonly known by most designers, some fairly obscure. An expanded type classification adds categories reflecting type design in the last several decades, like newhumanist sans (e.g., Officina Sans) and contemporary serifs (e.g., Neue Swift). The rest of the book features select specimens both of old classics and new goodies, like Neil Summerour’s Lust and Tobias Frere-Jones’s Gotham, covering insights for identification and use. Get it for the keyboard shortcut list alone: the quickest way to that pilcrow. 192 pages, hardbound, $25, Yale University Press. —A.G.
Transforming Type New Directions in Kinetic Typography By Barbara Brownie
Plenty of studies have been devoted to printed typography and its taxonomies. But now, with the advent of new media and interactive spaces, there emerges a whole new species of typography: kinetic. Barbara Brownie illuminates how kinetic type—as found in credit sequences, opening titles, TV idents and web animations—has expanded typography’s boundaries. Brownie defines a new vocabulary for discussing the construction and movement of type in a 3-D space. Especially compelling is her discussion on morphing type and asemisis, which refers to an uninterpretable glyph, and how typographers must consider “asemic” symbols in metamorphic animations. 110 pages, softcover, $35.95, Bloomsbury. —Michael Coyne
Designing for the Common Good By Kees Dorst, Lucy Kaldor, Lucy Klippan and Rodger Watson 216 pages, softcover, $45.00 Published by BIS Publishers bispublishers.com
the importance of conducting site visits and building conceptual models to visualize potential solutions. Each of these individual approaches is supported by “frame-creation,” a nine-step process that zooms in to consider the problem in context, zooms out to widen the scope of possible solutions, identifies themes that can be explored, then creates a framework in which these themes can be acted on. For the authors of Designing for the Common Good, there’s no problem so difficult that it can’t be solved once a proper framework is found. —Sam McMillan
In Designing for the Common Good, the unique perspectives that designers bring to problems are showcased for an audience of urban planners, public safety agencies, real estate developers, transit officials and others. The book is an essential guide to solving problems in the public sector by using design thinking as a tool. It begins with firsthand accounts that introduce design as an approach to solving the problems that plague today’s urban society. The 21 case studies included in Designing for the Common Good examine how we actually live in the real world: teenagers getting drunk in Sydney’s downtown nightlife district, the creation of a park over a twelve-lane tunnel in Amsterdam, a simplified process to negotiate the bureaucracy at the Department of Motor Vehicles. But where Designing for the Common Good really shines is its ability to describe the fundamental processes that underlie its problemsolving methodology. These include how to conduct a research interview, the use of point-and-shoot photography to tell a story,
The Physics of Brand Understand the Forces Behind Brands That Matter By Aaron Keller, Renée Marino and Dan Wallace 192 pages, hardbound, $32.99 Published by HOW Books howdesign.com/design-books
Branding isn’t rocket science, but its practitioners benefit from learning other sciences—especially those of the mind and the heart. The Physics of Brand applies a meatier focus than the “soft touch” of most branding books. After all, even Albert Einstein has a brand —as you’ll learn from marketing experts Aaron Keller, Renée Marino and Dan Wallace. In an age when many consumers have tuned out traditional advertising, these shrewd authors look for new answers in the realms of neuroscience and physics. (Don’t worry—the science is very basic and explained by cheerful and well-designed diagrams!)
many advertisers fall into: measuring views and clicks willy-nilly. Instead, the book builds an argument for tracking “moments” over minutes, tapping into consumers’ more lasting emotional memories—one might even say “seminal” memories (you’ll learn some smart-sounding terms to impress your clients). To help the reader digest abstract ideas, the book is written in an amusing, familiar tone, like a science lesson delivered by your funniest friend. Welcome tangents lead to such unexpected stories as Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson sharing a joint over a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Brands shouldn’t be boring—and learning about them shouldn’t be either. —Rebecca Huval
Rather than drifting off into space with fluffy descriptions of branding, the authors probe for a complete definition of what branding means. Case studies of some of today’s successful companies, like KIND Snacks and SmartWool, as well as historical examples, like Singer Corporation, ground the authors’ theories in reality so that other designers can apply the lessons. The authors also avoid the trap that Communication Arts | commarts.com
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Five Typographers Share Their Treasured Finds MARIA MONTES
Freelance Melbourne, Australia
Cheap diamond: In 2011, I purchased the book Lettering for Reproduction, by David Gates. I paid around five dollars on eBay for this gem, and I have revisited this book more than any other in my library. Conference euphoria: TYPO Talks (typotalks.com) is one of my favorite digital conferences. I am interested in the history of typography, so talks like Yves Peters’s “Type with Character(s)— Reclaiming Control over OpenType Fonts” put a big smile on my face. Self-initiated series: This year, I am working on the Shit series, an ongoing side project using calligraphy and lettering to feature common expressions in English using the word shit. So far, I have 37 expressions. Kindred voices: This year, I became a proud member of Alphabettes (alphabettes.org), an amazing group of women kicking ass in the type design world. I have a huge admiration for its members, with a special mention for Indra Kupferschmid. Listening to female voices in the industry means a lot to me; they encourage my work and help me build my confidence.
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NICK SHERMAN Fonts in Use Brooklyn, NY
Buttons upon buttons: I love the Busy Beaver Button Museum (buttonmuseum .org), an amazing collection of pin-back buttons created and maintained by the Busy Beaver Button Co. Though the site doesn’t have the slickest design, the contents of the collection more than make up for it. All the button designs are great on their own, but what really makes the museum’s site an amazing resource is all the history and metadata attached to every item. It transcends many online collections by taking a more legitimate approach to archiving the material. Delightful zine: Type foundry La Police’s recently launched Footnotes periodical (lapolice.ch/publications) is one of my favorite new typography publications. It has great content and is well designed— compact and concise with a very accessible format. Mad genius: I have been closely following all the insanely inventive reinterpretations of nineteenth-century type that Ellmer Stefan has been releasing every week through his company, the Pyte Foundry (thepytefoundry.net). His ability to make so many weird ideas work, and with such a high rate of output, is consistently impressive.
KRISTYAN SARKIS
NINA STÖSSINGER
TPTQ Arabic The Hague, The Netherlands
Frere-Jones Type Brooklyn, NY
Vintage finds: On a recent trip to Beirut,
Analog heavyweights: A good sketchpad
Lebanon, I discovered several books written
—I like the Graphics 360 rag translucent
in Arabic and Turkish about Arabic script,
marker paper from Bienfang. It’s very nice
published from the 1960s into the 1990s.
to draw on, but also translucent enough
These books are gems that provide precious
for tracing. Also, Wite-Out. Wite-Out
information from a local’s perspective on
is underrated.
the script, the historical and sociopolitical
Plug into the future: Exciting experiments
context for its birth, and its development.
with live interpolation, making letter shapes
Useful app: The Glyphs app is a very
or illustrations respond dynamically in the
promising font editor that caters specif-
browser. Erik van Blokland’s Responsive
ically to Arabic script. I am positive it will
Lettering plug-in for the RoboFont editor
continue to do so as the requirements of
enables the creation of flexible graphics.
Arabic type designers become more
It’s still in the early days, but I am holding
precise and complex.
my breath for these techniques to hit
Script survey: In 2016, I cofounded Arabic
the mainstream.
Type Design Beirut (arabictypedesign
Hi, Mallory: I was very excited last winter
.com), the first intensive program entirely
about the release of Tobias Frere-Jones’s
dedicated to Arabic type design. It was
Mallory typeface from the foundry
a rich, productive experience that not only
I have since joined. Drawing from British
helped define our vision for the program
seriousness and American cheerfulness,
itself, but also challenged our perspectives
it’s a fantastically fresh, strong take on
of contemporaneity in Arabic type and
a style that’s also classic, well spoken and
typography and the extent to which the
“neutral” enough to pair nicely with many
Arabic script still needs exploration.
other typefaces. It has popped up in a few
MARTA CERDÀ ALIMBAU
Freelance Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Barcelona, Spain Amsterdam’s curly letter: I’ve just moved to Amsterdam, and it thrills me to see the old Amsterdamse Krulletter on the windows of some pubs in the Jordaan area, where I live. It has influences from seventeenth-century Dutch penmanship and people like Jan van de Velde, Felix van Sambix and Cornelis Boissens. Leo Beukeboom is the author of many beautiful examples of this lettering; he began painting them in 1967. It is a wonderful reference for the future. Local letterpress: Amsterdam has a long tradition in printing. There are some very talented letterpress printers in town. I want to take a workshop soon with Thomas Gravemaker, from letterpressamsterdam .com, an expert in this field and a true craftsman with extensive experience and knowledge. He does workshops all around the globe, so it is great to have him around the corner. Emerging talent: The work of Felix Pfäffli is mind-blowing, contemporary, yet classical, and is bringing some fresh air to the industry.
places, but the world could do with much more Mallory in it.
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INDEX TO TYPOGRAPHY ANNUAL 7 a
AB InBev 116 Abedini, Reza 81 Academy of Art University 173, 179 Accidens 92 Adlersberg, Zoe 130 Adobe 155 Ahn Graphics 81 AIGA Los Angeles 78, 149 AIGA Philadelphia 89 Akbar, Rahim 166 AKJ Foodstyling 146 Sage College of Albany AIGA 76 Alphabettes 118 Alves, Jackson 114 American Association for the Advancement of Science 130 Anchors & Ampersands 108 Anderson, Whitney 119 Ang, Sheng Jin 105 anonymous 166 ANTI 113 Apley, Ben 136 Aquino, Ryan 76 Arana, Jessica 149 Art Directors Club 110 Atarod, Marcy 130 Atwood, Emily 175 Auckland University of Technology 179 Auto & Truck Services 143
b
Bacallao, Peter 118 Bacardi 114 Bacardi Havana Club 103 Bae, In-Hee 138 Baileys’ Restaurants 124 Bakofsky, Thomas Lee 113 Banks, Rick 156 Barfoot, Jeff 116 Barnett, Courtney 82 Baron, Andy 116 Barrel + Ink 114 Basarene Øl 113 Battin, Molly 136 BBDO New York 103 American University of Beirut 81 Belk, Howard 92 Belloff, Katie 130, 133 Berglund, Laura 97 Bešlieć, Toni 128 Bichler, Gail 130 Biersack, Scott 110 Big Secret 113, 170 Bishop, Derek 103 Black Ocean 128 Blatter, Kathrin 179
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Blumberg, David 97, 140, 143 Boer, Danilo 103 Bologna, Matteo 151 Bonfire Labs 136 Booker, Theodore 86 Boulay, Jacinthe 113 Boutebel, Sébastien 105 Boy Scouts of America 90 Brady, Alice 90 Brandever 114 Brandstater Gallery 143 Bremmer, Daniel 140 Brewster Murray 78 Brignell, Ian 116 Brodsley, Adam 90 Bucher, Stefan G. 143 Buis, Micah 124 Bullen, Michael 78 Leo Burnett Toronto 94, 106, 122, 156, 169 Burns III, Roy 97, 143 Bzdok, Shane 135
c
Element 119 Elliott, Winston 175 Ellis, Erin 122 Erakovic, Vedran 163 Erickson, Andy 114 Erickson, Eric 103 Escudero, Leslie 143 Espinosa, Leo 133 Ethos Travel 105
Coluccio, Matthew 116 Condé Nast Publications Ltd. 133 Cook, Augustus 116 Cook, Mary 103 Corral, Rodrigo 128 Crouchman, Ryan 94, 106, 122, 156, 169 Crowston, Catherine 127 Cruz, Pedro 76 Culpepper, Rob 97 Cult Partners 113, 114 Curtis, Ryan 78 Cynda Media Lab 108, 118
d
Campbell, Nancy 130, 133 National Gallery of Canada 127 Canales, Jose 103 Caneso, Mark 164 Cantrell, Kevin 103, 113, 170 Kevin Cantrell Studio 103, 113, 170 Canuel, Stefan 127 Capilano University 180 Cárdenas, Amane 122 Carmichael, Chris 136 Carmona, Rob 175 Carolina Ballet 90 Carpenter Collective 83, 85, 170 Carpenter, Jessica 83, 85 Carpenter, Tad 85, 170 Casalta, Xavier 146 Cathmoir, Gord 122 Chalifour, Melanie 113 Chandra 94 Chen, Chusheng 175 Chen, Yan-Ting 85 Chicago Cutlery 106 Chien, Yuin 135 Choi, Jiyeon 81 Chou, Hsien-yin Ingrid 138 Chu, Camille 136 Chunk Design 143 Church & State Wines 114 Clark, John 78 Clean Design 90 Cole, Tim 103 College for Creative Studies 176
f
h
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i j
Dalbow, Tara Anne 133 Danaher, Brian 82 Dance St. Louis 118 D’Arcy, Daniel 116 DDB Canada 166 de Varennes, Jacques 113 Delisle, Sonia 113 Demeusy, Eric 136 Department of Graphic Design and Advertising, Museum of Modern Art 138 Design is Play 81 Design Ranch 121 Design Week Birmingham 97 Designers & Forests 78 Dirty Bandits 140 Dixie Flag & Banner Company 140 Dixon, Meredith 118 Djuric, Dejan 122 Dočekalová, Petra 149 Doherty, Ryan 127 Donovan, Ant 78 dos Santos, Dino 163 Doubal, Rob 105 Dougherty, Michelle 136 Drake General Store 138 Drouin-Brisebois, Josée 127 DSType 163 Duguay, Éric 113 Dukovic, Pari 130 Dunk, Tristan 105 Dupont, Roxanne 113 Dutta Gupta, Krishnapriya 173, 179 Dutter, Greg 133
e
Eagle Rock Brewery 113 Earnshaw’s 130 Earthman, Devin 136 Egner, Alex 89 Elbaz, Stéphane 160
Graw, Renata 143, 146 Great Lakes Water Authority 119 Greenberg, Lisa 94, 106, 122, 156, 169 Grégoire, Sylvain 113 Griswold, George 143 Gude Harrison, Claire 121 GUND 118
Faber, Francesca 110 Facebook 133 Face37 Ltd 156 Falcigno, Marisa 133 Famous OTO 164 Fasano, Metz 105 Felde, Nathan 76 Feng, Sha 173 Ferreira Design Company 94 Ferreira, Laura 94 Ferreira, Lionel 94 Fili, Louise 175 Finamori, Cesar 103 Finefolk 121 Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze 173 Fischer, Katy 124 FleishmanHillard Creative 119 Footwear Plus 133 Fox, Mark 81 Frame, Tim 119 Tim Frame Design 119 Frank, Roger 144 Frankfurt, Peter 136 Fravert Services 140 Freeman, Sean 130 Frost, Vince 143 Frost*collective 78, 143 Funk, Griffin 130 Funked & Fermented Kimchi Lab 116 FUZE Reps 94, 156, 169
Gagnon, Louis 120 Ganann, Sean 122 Garneau, Natalie Ann 127 Gates, Charles 110 Giampietro, Rob 135 Giberson, Alan 144 Gibson, Zachary 135 Golzari, Sara 113, 114 Gómez Bernaus, Ana 149, 164 Gonzalez, Rob 124 Goodrich, Kara 103 Google 135 Google Design 135 Gorman, Carma 180 Gottlieb, Jason Mathews 180 GQ 128, 130
Hack, Eliza 108 Haddican, Abby 128 Hadley-Beauregard, Bernie 114 Hahn, Greg 103 Halbert, Michael 114 Hall, Tosh 114, 116 Hugh Hamilton Wines 114 Harding, Marta 114 Harvard Art Museums 124 Haslam, Gilbert 136 Hébert, Julien 120 Heiman, Eric 90 Hester, Jeff 113, 114 Hilficker, Taylor 136 Hioki, Jon 90 Hische, Jessica 114 Ho, Andrew 105 Hochman, Marc 136 Hoefkes, Marty 122 Hohenschau, Mark 106 Hope Mission 166 Hubmann, Franziska 151 Hudder, Tom 119 Hunt, Becky 124 Huri, Sheahan 179 Hursthouse, Kate 146 Huynh, Si 180 ICB New York 100 Imaginary Forces 136 Inc. 92 Jensen, Zak 124 Jeonju International Film Festival 81 Johanson, Louis 78 John, Judy 94, 106, 122, 156, 169 Johnson, Jason 85 Johnson, John 85 Johnston, Ben 138 Jointé, Andre 128 Jones, Conner 136 jones knowles ritchie 114, 116 Joyce, Anna Keville 146
k
Kabinet grafike HAZU 128 Kampa, David 103 Kang, Joon Mo 81 Karač, Zlatko 128 Kashiwagi, Arisu 136 Kee, Daniel 105 Kincl, Branko 128 Körbler, Iva 128 Kotlhar, Marcos 103 Kowalczuk, Justin 166 Kozel, Jared 76 Krebs, Soonduk 89 Kubel, Henrik 143
l
L|A|N|D Studio 144 La Sierra University 143 Labudovic, Igor 151 Laguna College of Art + Design 175 Lapin, Colin 103 Laporte, Olivier 78 LaPorte, Susan 176 Larouche, Christine 113 Larson, Karrie 76 Laserow, Scott 176 Lavalais, Shirleen 136 Lean Cuisine 140 Lee, Colin 105 Lee, Tony 138 Levine, Howard 110 Lewis Communications 97, 140, 143 lg2boutique 113 Lián Types 159 Lim, Evan 105 Lin, Jenny 127 Little Jacket 144 Londer 92 Londero, Pablo 92 Looking 78 Lopez, Sergio 105 Lortie, Justin 78 Lubars, David 103 Lubonovich, Tara 114 Lucas, Willem H. 127 Lucia, Jessica 76 Lupton, Ellen 180 Luster, Jason 136 Luu, Shiu Pei 133 Lyons, Chris 182
m
Maciel, Andre 103 MAKE by Þorpið 78 Mallett, Jess 105 Malovic, Milena 122 Manning, Michael 136 Markovic, Slavica 128 Maryland Institute College of Art 180 MAS Studio 143 Mason, Eric 136
Mathaisell, Mary 136 Mattersdorfer, Chiara 151 Mazza, Mike 136 McCandliss, Trevett 130, 133 McCann London 105 McCollum, John 119 McCready, Alistair 179 McDonald, Amy 110 McGarrah Jessee 103 McGee, Adam 124 McMahon, Sean 164 Mejía, Fabiola 166 Chad Michael Studio 116 Mikus, James 103 Miller, Bob 97 Miller, Corey 114 Donald Miller Photography 78 Miller, Travis 156 Minerva Design 100 Minerva, Michael 100 Minnich, Zach 119 Minor, Taylor 119 Moallemi, Arash 94, 169 Moët Hennessy 146 Monnet Design 82 Monnet, Stéphane 82 Monokrom 159 Montreuil, Céline 113 Moon, John 170 Morelli, Mike 122 Motley, Leigh Ann 97, 140, 143 Mucca Design 151 Mufson, Pam 106 MullenLowe Singapore 105 Musano, Mike 103 Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology 108 Museum of Contemporary Art_Toronto_Canada 94, 106 The Museum of Modern Art 138 Musso, Timothy 143
Northrup, Tyler 90 Norton, Cary 97
o
Offenhuber, Dietmar 76 OFFF 124 ON EST 10 78 Opalic, Bosko 128 Open Door Design Studio (ODDS) 133 Option Signs 140 University of Oregon 127 Ottdal, Mats 113 Oughton, Mike 105 Owen, Garrett 116
p
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Nalgene 100 Netflix 136 Nettler, Lisa 176 Nettleton, John 173 The New York Times Magazine 130 Ng, Yong 98 Nieto, Agustín 146 Nike 170 92nd Street Y 110 No Entry Design 140 Normal 143, 146 Norris, Larry 140 Northeastern University Department of Art + Design 76
Pagan, Juan Carlos 170 Paperless Post 97 Paprika 120 Parisi, Paolo 173 Park, Philip 175 Parlett, Joey 144 Partridge, Grace 114 Pasture 122 PATTERNITY 97 Paul, Alejandro 160 Paz, Analee 175 Peckman, Rachel 176 Pedriks, Emily 114 Pepe, Paolo 128 Perry, Maureen 143 Persico, Steve 94, 106 Phaup, Lindsey 116 Phillips, Jennifer Cole 180 Piacente, Franca 122 Piazzetta 113 Piggyback Letterpress 110 Pipeline Productions 83 Pirlot, Fred 118 Pivot Design 100 Plato 22 Bistro Argentino 118 Pobojewski, John 119 POD Imaging 90 Poh, Madeleine 98 Polaris Music Prize 82 Pons Kilfoil, Tania 113 Poon, Karen 114 pprwrk studio 164 Principal Type 118 Proctor, Robbie 136 Przybylo, Joseph 176 ps.type.lab 164 Py, Jean-Laurent 105
q
QQCHOSE 120 Quainton, Jonathan 124 Qualtrics 85 Qualtrics Creative 85
r
Rakouskas, Beth 130 Random House 128 Random House Publishing Group 128 RBMM 116 Riley, Laine 136 Rinki, Katie 136 Robison, Blane 103 Rochester Institute of Technology 182 Rodecker, Bud 119 Røise, Truls 113 Rosa, Erick 105 Röschmann, Claudia 175 Rouvelle, James 180 Rygiol, David 108
s
Sæther, Janicke 113 Sahlén, Mattias 92 Sakkal Design 166 Sakkal, Mamoun 166 Salesforce 136 Sam-félagið 78 SatisFACTORY PopUp 166 Saunders, Grace 143 Savage, Nathan 118 Sawdust 124 Scaggs, Scott 90 Schapker, Allison 90 Scheichelbauer, Rainer Erich 151 School of Visual Arts 175 Schriftlabor 151 Scorso, Cliff 76 Seals, Tré 86 Segovic, Neda 128 Sensus Design Factory Zagreb 128 Sephora 151 Sharp, Lucas 152 Sharp Type Co. 152 Sherkanowski, Adam 124 Shih, Stephanie 97 Shin, Christie 108, 118 Shulhafer, Alex 140 Sidie, Ingred 121 Siegel, Corey 118 Siegel+Gale 92 Sieka, Paul 116 Siller, Ilona 103 National Gallery Singapore 98 16 Eveleigh Street 143 SK Designworks 89 Skelly, Megan 140 Skidmore, Sam 140 Sky, Daniel 97 Sleiman Haidar, Ghiya 81 Slimbach, Robert 155 Smallwood, Jeremy 106 Smardon, Shyronn 180 Smith, Buck 119 Smith, Dan 103 Smith Restaurant + Bar 169
Smith, Sheila 136 Somewhere Else 98 Sonderegger, Michelle 121 Spitler, Phil 136 Spoljar, Kristina 128 Spoljar, Nedjeljko 128 Sproviero, Maximiliano R 159 Stammer, Melissa 140 Stamper, Ashford 124 Starkweather, Tina 136 Starr, Thomas 76 Steben, Eve 130 Steeprock, Nikki 90 Stempel, Jenna 173 Stephens, Morgan 121 Stinson, Michael 175 Stössinger, Nina 159 Studio Dixon 118 Studio On Fire 113 Sudtipos 160 Sule, Alija 180 Suman, Shantanu 133 Summers, Dustin 176 Sundfrakt 92 Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club 138 Swanberg, Måns 164 Symons, Lila 118
t
Tabor, Haileé 176 National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Architecture Exhibition 85 Tan, Alex 105 Tapia, Matthew 138 Tatum, Michael 136 Tebbal, Zak 128 Telemetry Coffee Roasters 119 Temple University, Tyler School of Art 176 Temporis 119 Tennessee Homemade Wines Co. 116 The University of Texas at Austin 180 Texas State University, M.F.A. Communication Design 175 Tham, Preston 98 theory11 113 THERE IS Studio 130 Thirst 119 Thoelke, Eric 124 Thomas, Terrill 143 Thomason, Michael 105 Thompson, Reid 136 Thomson, Andrew 140, 143 Thomson, Laurence 105 344 Design, LLC 143 360i 140
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INDEX TO TYPOGRAPHY ANNUAL 7
v
Tijoe, Mike 106 Till, Spencer 140, 143 TOKY 124 Tolleson, Evan 173 Tran, My 136 Trinity Works 90 Troika 136 Type Hike 108 TypeEd 164 Typofonderie 160 Tyson, Mike 92
Valicenti, Rick 119 Valiunas, Kristina Marija 156 van Uden, Sarah-Louise 105 The Vanguard Theory 138 Vanko, Cristina 106 Verner, Laura 122 Very Fine Signs 140 Viscius, Alexa 143 Vitolic, Dunja 136 Voice 114 Volume Gallery 146 Volume Inc. 90 Vukadin-Doronjga, Hela 128
u
Underwood, Michele 106 Unilever, Breeze 105 The University of the Arts 92 UNT on the Square 89 Up To Eleven 85 Urban, Margaret 78
w
Waldron, Steven 124 Walker, Mariah 130 Wall, Christina 100
Wall-to-Wall Studios 138 Wallis, Kieran 114 Walton, James 135 Wang, Angie 81 Ware, Damien 144 Warren, Carl 105 Watkins, Jeff 94, 106, 169 Watson, Samantha 182 Webnews Printing Inc. 94, 169 Webster, Mary 90 Wedge 78 Werblin, Amy 140 Wessman, Garrett 85 West, Stewart 85 Whiskey & Branding 118 White, Liam 105 Willey, Matt 130 Williams, Charles 130
z
Williams, Luke 97 J.P. Wiser’s 138 Wold, Kjetil 113 Wong, Jacqueline 105 Wong, Jeremy 105 Wong, Man Wai 94, 106 Wong, Nick 122 Wonnacott, Martin 116 Woodward, Fred 128, 130 WX Brands 114
y
Y&R Chicago 106 Yahoo 76 Yahoo Creative Department 76 Yeh, C. J. 108, 118 Yellow Pages 122 YETI Coolers 103 Yick, Samantha 175 Young, Kristin 130 Young, Roland 173
Zamora, Carlos 118 Zheng, Ran 180 Zissimos, John 136 Žunić, Alen 128
Editor’s Note Every effort has been made to ensure that the credits comply with information supplied to us. If, for any reason, a misspelling, omission or other error has occurred, notify us within 30 days and we will be able to issue corrected award certificates.
INDEX TO TYPEFACES USED a
c
Acumin Pro 155 Acumin Pro Extra Condensed 86 Aery 180 Akkurat Bold 127 Akkurat Regular 127 Akzidenz-Grotesk 124, 128 Berthold Akzidenz-Grotesk 76, 113 Akzidenz-Grotesk BQ Bold 108 Akzidenz-Grotesk BQ Light 108 Alright Sans 175 Ana Pro 163 Avant Garde 136, 146 ITC Avant Garde Gothic 92 Avenir 97 Avenir Next Heavy 76
b
Baskerville Semibold 119 Bella Stencil 130 Benguiat 136 Benton Sans Condensed 130 Blackoak Std 108 Boardwalk 156 F37 Bolton 156 Bullshorn 108 Bustan 166
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Typography Annual 2017
Casey 130 Caslon 100 Cheltenham 124 Chronicle Display 169 Circular 122, 143 Clarendon Bold 173 ClearviewHwy 113 Cottonhouse Slab 113 Crimson Text 135
d e f
Decima Mono Pro DIN 120 Drop Inline 164 Ecuyer DAX 130 Ernestine 122 Erotica 166 Eveleth 94, 113 Factoria 86 PS Fournier 160 Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed 118 Freight Text 110 Futura 122
g
Garvis Pro 78 Gotham 82, 85, 113 Gotham Book 76
81
Gotham Thin 76 American Wood Type Mfg. Co. Gothic Condensed 144 Graphik 173 NB Grotesk Pro Mono 97
h
DTL Haarlemmer 78 Hand Shop 164 GT Haptik 89 Harriet 175 Heiti TC Medium 127 Helvetica 92, 113 Helvetica Rounded LT Std Bold Condensed 105 Hudson 169
i k l m
NB International Pro
Neue Haas Grotesk 94, 106 Neue Helvetica 78, 100, 169 Neutraface Display Titling 108 Neutral 124, 180 Neuzeit Grotesk 78 Nordvest 159 Nudista 94
o p
Oblong 81 Oposta 163 Orwellian 130 Perpetua 78 Playfair Display 135 ATF Poster Gothic 179 Prangs 160 Press Gothic 127
r s
Klint 179 Knockout 82, 114
Roboto
Luxury Text 85 Lyon Display 173 DF Ming Medium Minion Pro 89 Mrs Eaves 114
97
n
85
135
AT Sackers 120 PT Sans 135 Sant’Elia Script 94 Sephora Sans 151 Sephora Serif Text 151
Sharp Grotesk 152 Sign Painter 164 Sina 127 Skill 159 Squirrel 130 Sucrose 94 Suisse International Mono 140
t u v w
Titling Gothic Trade Gothic
82 81, 114
Univers Condensed Utopia 92
173
Veneer 94 Verlag 182 Vista Sans 128 Vitrina 164 GT Walsheim 128 GT Walsheim Bold 140 Whitney 98
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“ARE WE “I CAN SEE A TOO DUMB FAUX BOLD FOR SMART WEB FONT FROM FONTS?” 6,132 KM AWAY.” —Florian Hardwig, via Fonts in Use
“‘Typefaces are like the air we breathe, the water we drink and the pot we smoke.’ #typenite is off to a great start.” —Lily Feinberg, via Twitter
—Indra Kupferschmid, via Twitter
“Fonts are kind of like children. You see your own as beautiful, but other people might see them as monsters.”
“AM i ALONE “You can do a good ad IN FINDING AN without good typography, but you can’t do a great ad AMPERSAND HANGING OUT without good typography.” —Matteo Bologna, TYPO Berlin 2016 ON THE END OF A LINE “PSA: Don’t alter type just so you can OF DISPLAY claim your logo is unique, designers. TEXT TO BE Just don’t do it, especially if you AN EYESORE?” don’t understand proportion.” —Herb Lubalin, via Baseline
—Tiffany Wardle, via Twitter
—Elizabeth Carey Smith, via Twitter
WOLFGANG ZAC
PATRICK MOLNAR
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TAYLOR CASTLE
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