NEWS
ATHLETICISM IN BALLET BRAND SEEKS BROADER AUDIENCE
Philadelphia PA: The Pennsylvania Ballet brings the curtain up on a new logo and branding campaign that promotes the athleticism of ballet. The STAR Group created the program which includes print, broadcast and outdoor. The campaign features black and white photographic images of the dancers' muscular body parts paired with sports-related copy and headlines such as "Not all Philadelphia flyers wear skates" and "Professional wrestlers can lift over 110 pounds with one hand; we can do it with one toe."
Pennsylvania Ballet executive director Michael Scolamiero says the campaign's goal is to redefine the image of Pennsylvania Ballet and to reach a wider audience... communicating especially "the overall amazing athleticism these dancers demonstrate on a daily basis." STAR ceo Linda Rosanio notes that the organization has tended to focus on individual events and single ticket purchases whereas the new program focuses on corporate identity and branding, seeking "to increase overall awareness of the Pennsylvania Ballet and make it accessible to a broader audience throughout the region and encourage subscriptions as well as single ticket purchases... Philadelphia is a sports town. What better way to connect with potential ballet-goers than through something they already enjoy and connect with."
Creative credits to Jan Talamo, executive creative director; Tracy Donofry, creative director; John Boyle, art director; and Isaac Segal, copywriter.
EASON REVAMPS WASHINGTON POST'S METROLIFE GUIDE
Washington DC: As thousands flock to the capital city to join the new Administration, the Washington Post Company hired Eason Associates to give its newcomers guide, Metrolife, a facelift. Becky Eason, whose firm is well-known for publication design expertise, says her goal was to design a piece that is "chock full of tips on home buying, shopping, schools and getting around the region." Published twice a year as a guide to life in "Greater Washington," the publication first appeared in 1999 and the new design is making its debut this spring with a distribution of 100,000. The cover story: "Renaissance of Urban Living."
MORGAN STANLEY WRITES NEW SIGNATURE; LANDOR'S 'DIRECTIONAL TRIANGLE' POINTS TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS
New York NY: As part of an ongoing global branding initiative, venerable financial services firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter has changed its brand name to Morgan Stanley and unveiled its new signature, created by Landor Associates. The corporate signature is one element of what will be an entirely new look and feel for the organization. The identity is intended to communicate several concepts, including approachability, accessibility, "contemporary elegance" and heritage. The graphic element of the signature, appearing above the Morgan name, is a "directional triangle" which points toward the northeast, the general direction of financial success (though the denizens of Wall Street might question that this quarter). As a delta, the triangle symbolizes change and the inclination to innovate. The three points are said to symbolize the three groups served by the firm — clients, shareholders and employees — as well as Morgan Stanley's vision: connecting people, ideas, capital. The typeface is News Gothic. "Our logo is the visual anchor of a contemporary and dynamic identity," said Phil Raskin, chief marketing officer for Morgan Stanley. "The brand name Morgan Stanley is clear and memorable... and it brings the benefit of global recognition." Last year, Morgan Stanley launched a communications program to tout its commitment to client-tailored excellence including the "Well Connected" ad campaign for the firm's individual investor group, now featuring the new signature and running in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.
CONRAN WEB SITE REFLECTS COMPANY'S LIFESTYLE BRAND
London England: The Conran Group, the retailing empire built by Sir Terence Conran, has a redesigned web site by Deepend London. The goal of the site is to make "the diversity of a Conran lifestyle accessible to a global audience." To that end, Deepend distilled the Conran identity into four parts — Eat, Shop, Live, and Us — that serve as the cornerstone for the visit. Deepend design director Tony Phillips explains that the visual design concept draws on the brand's "core values of sophistication and style, offset with a touch of quirkiness that embodies the spirit of Conran." In all, the site has more than 300 pages. Focusing on clear signposting, highly structured information architecture and a rejection of the portal concept, visitors can enter at different levels and can make links between different facets from anywhere on the site.
'LIVING THE BRAND' IS KEYNOTE AT DMI IDENTITY EVENT
Boston MA: The necessity of "living the brand" in today's fast moving society will be the focus
of brand expert Lynn Upshaw's keynote presentation at the 13th International Corporate/Brand Identity
Conference to be presented by the Design Management Institute June 10-12 in Montreal, Canada. The
conference will examine corporate core values and brand integrity and provide attendees with opportunities to
meet in small groups. The importance of using brand asset management as a key component of corporate
strategy will be explored by Scott M. Davis, managing partner of Prophet and author of the book Brand Asset
Management. These theories and ideas will be supported by case studies on the new BP brand strategy, as
well as the repositioning of the Pampers, HP and Claro Digital brands. The conference will also feature two
other presentations: Finding the Corporate Soul, presented by Tony Spaeth, president of Tony
Spaeth/Identity; and Brand Backlash and the New Branding, presented by David Borstein, brand strategist.
DMI is a non-profit organization dedicated to demonstrating the strategic role of design in business and to
improving the management and utilization of design.
Contact: www.dmi.org
HELFAND|DRENTTEL RELEASES DIGITAL MOVIE FOR AIGA
Falls Village CT: Graphic Design Is, a two-minute short movie that ran through mid-April — and will appear periodically throughout the year on the facade of the National Design Center in New York City — was produced by Jessica Helfand|William Drenttel. The movie is a primer-style definition of graphic design that illuminates the powerful and ubiquitous role of the discipline in business, communications and society. The text is excerpted from an essay by Jessica Helfand originally published in "Paul Rand: American Modernist" (The New Republic, December 29, 1997). The designers shot all of the video footage and produced the film as a digital Apple QuickTime movie. Interestingly, the work was produced in English and Spanish, with the goal of reaching the general public — particularly at the street level in New York — with more cultural breadth. Helfand's text concludes: "Graphic Design is a popular art, a practical art, an applied art and an ancient art. Simply put, it is the art of visualizing ideas."
LEONHARDT PLACES TWIST ON AIDS RIBBON
Seattle WA: The Leonhardt Group has just completed the naming and corporate identity for Lifelong AIDS Alliance, a Seattle provider of services for people living with HIV and AIDS. "The mandate for the disease has changed," says Anne Connell, director of brand development at the design firm. "The name Lifelong is an affirmation . . . " For the symbol itself, The Leonhardt Group designers literally placed a new twist on the red ribbon that is synonymous with the fight against AIDS by morphing it into an infinity sign. Finally, the firm developed a series of slogans - Lifelong Battle, Lifelong Support, Lifelong Commitment, Lifelong Friend — to reinforce the branding.
PRETENDING TO BE A KID HELPS HI-C PACKAGE DESIGN
Houston TX: New 10-pack Hi-C single-serve drink boxes are rolling out this year with a new look created by CMA Brand Presence and Design. Says the client's marketing director John Roddey, "Our objectives were clear. We wanted to better communicate the colorful and explosive fruit taste of Hi-C, as well as some exciting new flavor names. Additionally, we wanted to further differentiate the brand and give the flavors a personality of their own, and to make the nutritional elements evident." The result: a visual dramatization of the fruit flavor names such as an erupting volcano of Orange Lavaburst. Adds Bryan Sawyer, president of CMA: "We had a lot of fun developing these designs because we had to pretend we were kids again. It was critical that we created a design architecture that supported Hi-C's brand positioning and communication objectives with distinctive and relevant visual imagery that appeals to kids."
LOR GOLD IS PROMOTION CD AT DRAFTWORLDWIDE; BURGER KING AND KELLOGG'S AMONG HIS ACCOUNTS
Chicago IL: DraftWorldwide, the $3 billion integrated global marketing agency, has hired Lawrence (Lor) Gold as senior executive vice president, promotion creative director for its pivotal Chicago office. His responsibilities include overseeing the agency's creative on its promotional and retailing accounts, which include Burger King, Kellogg's, M&M/Mars, Sprint PCS, and Brown-Forman. Gold has more than a quarter century of creative experience ranging from retail to packaged goods to service industries. Since 1999, he has headed The Sales Machine, the promotional marketing unit of EuroRSCG Tatham; there he was responsible for business and creative strategies on accounts the likes of Red Lobster, Midas, Hunt/ Wesson, Alberto-Culver, Dean's Milk and Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn. At The Sales Machine, he was also charged with building the agency into a full-service communications brand that would serve as the "integration engine" for Tatham and thus eliminate for that agency the outdated concept of "above and below the line" marketing. Gold has also served as vice president, group creative director at Frankel & Company, where he focused on creating national promotions and branded retail communications for McDonald's restaurants. Other creative management posts were at Jack Levy & Associates, DDB in Denver, and Tracy-Locke.
HOLOCAUST PROJECT EVOKES PERSONAL CONNECTIONS
Los Angeles CA: Top Design Studio has created the invitations and a souvenir tribute book for the Survivors of the Shoah Historical Foundation, an organization established by Steven Spielberg to preserve the testimony of Holocaust survivors. Peleg Top, whose firm developed the pieces for the foundation's annual benefit, is himself a grandson of Holocaust survivors and an Israeli citizen who emigrated to the U.S. in 1983. He comments: "I accepted this client and chose to work on this project as I felt that my family connection to the subject matter would help the creative process. Our challenge for the studio was to design an event identity that would deal sensitively with the historical tragedy and the courage of the survivors." Top's firm specializes in design for music, entertainment, non-profit and retail, and he is currently president of the Southern California Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild.
SEITZ HONORED AS FIRST AIGA MINNESOTA FELLOW
Minneapolis MN: In recognition of personal and professional contributions to the design community, the AIGA Minnesota Chapter has honored Peter Seitz with its first AIGA Fellow Award. The program recognizes mature designers who have made a significant contribution in raising standards of excellence in practice and conduct, and it is the highest award an AIGA chapter can bestow. AIGA national executive director Richard Grefé, national board representative Eric Madsen, Minnesota board president Joelle Anderlik, and advisory board member Tim Eaton presented Seitz with the medal and certificate at a black tie event. Of Seitz's career, which has included posts at I.M. Pei & Associates, the Walker Art Center, InterDesign Inc., Seitz Yamamoto Moss and a professorship at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Ric Grefé commented: "Those who know Peter describe him as a generous soul, one with the highest ethical and design standards. A legend in the local design community, with a sterling reputation on the national and international design scene, he is recognized not only for his early acceptance of the computer as a design tool but as an innovator in the interdisciplinary professional practice."
EARTH TONES BRING KITCHEN'S WARMTH TO BAKEWARE
New York NY: The objective in redesigning packaging for Baker's Secret metal bakeware was to reflect the brand's new positioning as "loving baking." Ceradini Design, based in New York City, redesigned the master brand and sub-brand logos, and a new packaging system that features rustic earth tones that suggest the warmth and comfort of baking in a kitchen. The logo is intended to reflect the brand as a baking authority. The inclusion of lifestyle photography on each label is unusual in this category. Design layouts are formatted to accommodate multilingual requirements and include individual recipes for each product. Over 100 SKUs representing various shapes, sizes and uses were refreshed.
SOFTWARE WATCHDOG SETTLES WITH 8 ORGANIZATIONS
Washington DC: The Business Software Alliance, a watchdog group representing the nation's leading software manufacturers, announced that eight California organizations have agreed to pay a combined total of more than $512,000 to settle claims relating to unlicensed copies of software programs installed on office computers. In addition to making their respective payments, the organizations have agreed to delete any unlicensed copies, purchase replacement software and strengthen their software management policies. "Many reputable businesses and organizations, small and large, learn too late that they have software management problems," said Bob Kruger, BSA's vp of enforcement. BSA emphasizes the importance and benefits of a sound software management program. Any organization can request tools and information such as the Software Audit tool, training videos and a Guide to Software Management, at no cost, to ensure legal use of software. BSA educates computer users on software copyright, advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities, and fights software piracy. Members include Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Microsoft, Symantec. The organizations settling claims: Aero Machining Co.; Ernie Ball, musical instruments company; George Rice & Sons, graphics company; Metropolitan Education District; Multilingual Translations; Playhut, toy manufacturer; RMA Group, engineering firm; White, Zuckerman, Warsavsky, Luna & Wolf, accounting firm.
RESTAURANT IS RENAMED TO REFLECT LANDMARK STATUS
Des Moines IA: When owners of the Hotel Fort Des Moines wanted to refurbish the property's signature restaurant, they assigned the project to Sayles Graphic Design. Since the hotel is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, principal John Sayles capitalized on the status and renamed the restaurant The Landmark Grille. Sayles then hand-rendered a dignified typeface for the logo and chose a palette of colors, featuring dark blue and burgundy accented with gold. For the interior of the restaurant, Sayles focused on having craftspeople restore the original tile ceiling and add wainscotting to the walls. Frosted lanterns were hung to add a soft glow and sandblasted glass divides seating areas. Shown here: the exterior entry, the interior entry, and the new menus and matchboxes embossed with The Landmark Grille logo.
DIRECT MAIL GIGGLING TUBE USES SOUND CHIP
Minneapolis MN: Playground manufacturer Landscape Structures is having the last laugh. The annual Play Area Design Awards that it sponsors is promoted by a business-to-business direct mail piece that incorporates the sound chip of giggling children. Designed by Arnold/Ostrom Advertising, the chip is activated each time the mailing tube is opened. Inside the tube: an entry form, letter, business card of a company representative, and an 11" x 17" insert providing information about the contest. The tagline, "We keep hearing great things about your work," is intended to refer to the laughter. The piece, reports agency president Dan Arnold, has already won a gold at the 2001 Summit Creative Awards.
ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS GROUP HONORS 36; WINNERS INCLUDE VIGNELLI, GIRVIN, APPELBAUM AND PENTAGRAM
Washington DC: The Society for Environmental Graphic Design selected 36 outstanding designs for recognition and to become part of a traveling exhibition from the 337 worldwide entries received in the 2001 SEGD Design Awards Program. Projects were submitted in the environmental categories of Office/Workplace, Leisure/Entertainment, Educational/Institutional, Transportation, Retail/Commercial, Residential, Urban/Cityscape, Exhibition Design/Museum, Trade Shows/Events/Temporary Environments, Student Projects, and Master Plans/Planning/Research. The diverse group of winning projects includes a palmtop navigation system, the identity for a world class racing boat, a museum exhibit, and an airport identity program. Entries were received from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia and the U.S.
Jan Lorenc, of Lorenc/Yoo Design, chaired the program with a panel of jurors consisting of: David Harvey, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; Takenobu Igarashi, Los Angeles, CA; Mitchell Mauk, Mauk Design, San Francisco, CA; Kalvin Platt, FAIA, SWA Group, Sausalito, CA; Jamie Reynolds, Interiors, New York, NY; and Martha J. Spatz, Urban Retail Properties Co., Chicago, IL. Honor Award winners, the top of the heap, were: Christina Wallach + the Wallach Glass Studio, Santa Rosa, CA, for Miami Project Lobby Art Glass and Dedication Signage, University of Miami; Pentagram Design, New York, NY, for Brooklyn Academy of Music Signage; Ralph Appelbaum Associates, New York, NY, for the New Steuben Flagship Store and for 50 Years of TV and More, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Selbert Perkins Design, Santa Monica, CA, for LAX Gateway; Minale, Tattersfield, Bryce & Partners, Sydney, Australia, for Prince of Wales Hospital Memorial Garden; Scenic Designs, Santa Rosa, CA, for The Point at Cal-Expo; Girvin, Inc., Seattle, WA, for Microsoft Museum; Vignelli Associates, New York, NY, for Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Audrey Jones Beck Building; and PLEX GmbH, Berlin, Germany, for VEAG Media Facade.
SEGD is an international non-profit organization that provides resources for design specialists in the field of
environmental graphic design. Members are designers of directional and attraction sign systems, destination
graphics, identity programs, exhibits and themed environments.
Contact: www.segd.org
SEESAW STUDIOS BRANDS MUSICCOUNTRY FOR GAYLORD
Los Angeles CA: Seesaw Studios' brand identity and on-air packaging for MusicCountry helps Gaylord Cable Networks relaunch its CMT International music tv channels. A single brand was needed for channels located in areas as diverse as Australia/the Pacific Rim, Argentina and Brazil. A new name and identity is meant to reflect the broader mix of authentic music being programmed on the channels. Seesaw, under the direction of founder Judy Korin, sought to translate the idea of music as the universal language into an identity for the channels. The project was designed by Jeanne LeBlanc, who comments, "MusicCountry presented us with a great design challenge: three different cultures and languages which were united under the one theme of candid, spirited music. We used musical notes and the unique, guitar pick shape of the logo to create a look reminiscent of concert posters and album covers. The packaging doesn't fight for attention with the programming, it complements it and gives it context." Package includes launch spots, IDs, primetime block packaging, toolkits for promotion, navigation and interstitials, as well as print ad templates and an indepth style guide.
WEDDING GOWN WEB SITE VOWS TO KEEP IT SIMPLE
New York NY: SJI Associates has launched a 220-page fashion site for Amsale, a leading couture wedding gown designer. Amsale (pronounced am-SA-la) commissioned a site that would feature her originals, as well as become a destination for sophisticated women and feature her online magazine name, appropriate enough, Amsale Woman. Anthony Cinturati of SJI notes that the client's direction was to keep the site simple and uncluttered.
"Paradoxically," he says, "keeping it simple is one of the most difficult aspects of organizing a large web site. Among the elements to the solution: graphic designer Karen Lemcke kept the palette muted and utilized a color-coded navigational menu.
ENFAMIL OVERHAUL GIVES BIRTH TO NEW BRAND STAMP
New York NY: The Biondo Group helped Mead Johnson, a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, to overhaul its family of Enfamil prenatal and infant products as well as to introduce EnfaGrow toddler foods. Given the strength of the Enfamil name and the global nature of the distribution, the Biondo firm's strategy was to create a megabrand that would leverage the "Enfa" portion of the client's product line across all products and all countries, and to implement the idea with a worldwide "brand stamp" that would unify and upgrade the brand, and yet accommodate the local graphics needs of each national market.
Explains Charles Biondo: "Working with Mead Johnson, we developed the Enfamil brand stamp, a graphic identifier showing the brand name Enfamil dropped out in white on a dark blue, rectangular field enclosed by a satin ribbon capped off with a proprietary 'Enfamil bow' in the center of the arch at the top. This brand stamp is now the visual mark for all stages of pediatric products from prenatal to infant and toddler foods." He asserts that this creates "a powerful, universal Enfamil identity while allowing individual markets, such as the U.S., Europe, and Asia to leverage vested market equities of graphic elements characteristic of each area's Enfamil brand." And Biondo observes that by putting the brand stamp on the new EnfaGrow line of toddler foods, "the Enfa line has managed to expand and redefine itself within the pediatric nutritional marketplace."
BRANDEQUITY CREATES OUT OF THIS WORLD IDENTITY
Newton MA: After three years in the music business and 19 stores in the chain, Mars Music retained BrandEquity International to help them upgrade their brand image, make it unique, contemporary and, most important, protectable. The first thing BrandEquity noticed was that the Mars Music trademark was a generic visual of the planet Mars. It was not distinguishable from other companies using the same name and trademark. Most importantly it was not visible or distinctive, especially as an exterior sign on the retail stores. BrandEquity designed the new protectable Mars Music brandmark and coordinated it into the entire operation — from the external appearance of its superstores, to their interior identity and design, and extending to its web site. It also appears on all store packaging, company vehicles and employee uniforms. Credits to Aetna Sign Group and its president Larry Gottsman for putting up Mars Music signage all over the world. According to Mars Music president Mark Begelman and BrandEquity designer Joe Selame, the identity "entertains the entertainers, it's great fun."