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A RHYTHMIC LOOK FOR LISTEN
NEW YORK NY
LISTEN is new magazine for the classic music market. Noting that starting a print publication these days is "counterintuitive," publisher Eric Feidner knew he needed something visually impressive. He got it via Point Five Design principals Alissa Levin and Benjamin Levine and designer Nathan Eames, who are responsible for the art direction and design of the magazine. Of the design, Alissa Levin says: "Inspired by the mathematics of the music, we created a rhythmic grid system — vertically and horizontally — that shifts from thirds to fourths to fifths and back. This gives us a clean, elegant structure, but also allows for some improvisation." The latest issue features Yuko Shimizu's portrait of Gustavo Dudamel, the much-in-demand musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In naming the quarterly one of the top ten magazines of the year, Library Journal described LISTEN "as classy, tastefully designed." Point Five, which has a cultural, educational and political focus, also executed a website. The publisher is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical instruments.
Contact: www.point5.com

Webster Design Meets the (Taste) Test
OMAHA NE
Webster Design took on the tasty task as design partner to Jones Bros. The family-owned and run bakery and cafe specializes in cupcakes, as well as coffee and wines to accompany a bevy of signature desserts. Among Webster Design's creative tasks was to brand the new business, situated in Omaha's fashionable Aksarben Village development, and give it a visual identity. "We developed a simple, yet highly marketable name for the restaurant and designed an iconic brand identity," says Dave Webster of Webster Design. From that identity, which has a quaintly retro feel, grew the look of the indoor and outdoor signage, packaging and interior appointments.
Contact: www.websterdesign.com

Hanson Puts Green Fairy Online
NEW YORK NY
Hanson Design has recreated the Absinthe experience online for Pernod Ricard Absinthe, long celebrated as a symbol of bohemian European culture. The website pays homage to the history, artwork, drinking ritual and recipes surrounding the famous spirit that was a muse for the likes of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, Baudelaire, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec, and then was banned for nearly a century as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The Hanson firm developed Pernodabsinthe.com in eight weeks, tapping into the vast Pernod archives and its treasure trove of 19th and 20th century art, advertising and literature to create a compelling destination. The website tells the Pernod Absinthe story — commonly referred to in historical literature as the Green Fairy—with rich media of animated v-clips, timelines, and imagery. The imagery for recipe and ritual Flash shows were created by Peter Pioppo, a well-known photographer of exotic food and drink. Says Gil Hanson, who has worked in the food, beverage and spirits categories for two decades: "It's a passion of mine to do something that I love in categories I'm invested in personally and professionally."
Contact: www.hansondesign.com and www.pernodabsinthe.com

PENTAGRAM KEEPS TABS ON ENERGY USE
NEW YORK NY
Ever wanted to know how much energy you really are saving by turning out the light or shutting down a computer when you're not using it? For GE, Pentagram's Lisa Strausfeld and her team have designed a new visualization that calculates energy use of home appliances in terms that are easily understood. The calculator tracks the energy use of some 53 electrical appliances found in homes, from refrigerators to curling irons and laptops. Consumers immediately see the energy use of each appliance in terms of watts used and the equivalent cost in dollars. Launched last month on GE's Healthymagination and Ecomagination websites, this is the first part of an ambitious new collaboration between the companies. In addition to Lisa Strausfeld, credits go to Hilla Katki, data architect and designer, and Adam Suharja, developer and designer.
Contact: www.pentagram.com

VISUALIZING A VITAL GOAL
NEW YORK NY
Tyco International is setting aggressive environmental goals and turned to Ideas on Purpose to create a visual identity for the initiative. Under the Vital World umbrella, Tyco hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste over the next five years. The identity program starts with a logo symbolizing the earth and its natural resources, and is made up of smaller shapes representing a collaboration of Tyco businesses and its 100,000+ employees.
Contact: www.ideasonpurpose.com

CBX Refashions Tampon Packaging
NEW YORK NY
Black packaging accented with bright colors presents a new look for U by Kotex, a brand of feminine products that recently hit store shelves. With CBX at the design helm, the product line, which includes tampons, liners and pads for 14-22 year olds, banishes staid floral patterns and pastel hues. "The black package is attention-grabbing on the shelf, yet discreet when sitting in the shopping cart, purse or home," says Rick Barrack, Chief Creative Officer at CBX. The letter "U" stands out on the box, he says, as an icon for the brand. "Contemporary, straightforward, clean fonts are used to call out brand, product type and form," Barrack continues. He says CBX drastically altered the visual landscape of the feminine health aisle by "creating a graphic vocabulary for U by Kotex that leverages color palettes and abstract patterns from the fashion world. "The brand's new compact tampon U by Kotex Click is merchandised with reusable tin containers that come in 56 different patterns for taking products on the go; it's the first U.S. brand in this category to offer tins, says Barrack, noting that this can help expand the brand's reach from the feminine hygiene aisle to checkout counter, cosmetics aisle and other areas.
Contact: www.cbx.com