Top Shelf is a newly-established bookbindery that specialises in creating products uniting traditional bookbinding methods with modern flair. The client requested a bespoke identity that communicated the same care and attention to detail demonstrated by their products. Designed by another aussie Ben Jennings.
One of my fav aussie studios Rinzen agian doing some bloody good work, Identity for Frankly! event in Brisbane Australia.
Great use of clean typography, nice balance of white space, great colour palette all supporting of what the actual content is. Beautiful. Designed by Ruiz+Company for Spanish chocolate company Chocolat Factory.
The warm color tones and textures makes this identity for LaStrada pleasingly cozy. Work by Transformer Studio.
Miles Newlyn created the latest Skittles logo. “Candy brands are some of the most enduring brands in the market. Skittles have the excellent & long standing tag line ‘Taste the Rainbow’, for which the the new ‘tongue’ icon has been designed”, interesting.
Hecker Phelan and Guthrie is one of Australia’s Leading Interior Design Consultancies. The Company’s unique approach to interiors has attracted local and international clients from the hospitality and hotel industries and their distinctive portfolio of work has been published in premium journals such as Wallpaper and Domus worldwide. With a growing international reputation the organisation recognised the need for a distinct identity – an Identity that clearly differentiated them from their architectonic competitors and represented the decorative/modern approach embodied in their work. The result is a strong and decisive identity which also suggests the flamboyant decorative nature of their vision. The identity delivers the essence of the HPG brand in each and every brand transaction created by Cornwell. Beautiful mark!
The Lollipop Shoppe brand identity by Studio Makgill is a modern furniture and accessories retailer. Founded in 2007, they are the new kids on the block. But with a successful premises in Brighton, a new one about to open in London and the start of their own product line on the cards, the Shoppe promises to be more than just another furniture store. Our challenge was to create something that reflects the heritage of their large line of classic products from manufacturers like Vitra, that fits in with the contemporary brands like Established & Sons and that conveyed the straightforward nature with which The Lollipop Shoppe conducts its business. On top of that, what was also important is that they trade in real objects, so we wanted to create an identity that didn’t have to only exist in two dimensions, an identity with the potential for three dimensions seemed far more fitting. We created a bespoke stencil typeface (part inspired by the 20th century modular stencils created by Josef Albers and Le Corbusier, but with a contemporary elegance). This allows the identity to be physical – it can be cut, it can be built, it can be stamped.
Some beautiful pieces from Toben another aussie studio, there is a shit load of talent in the land down under. We are Toben. We like to search and discover, to lift rocks and look underneath them. We lik eto playwith pensils and ideas. We value strategy to get to the core as much as the process of creation, to bring a concept to life. We believe in inspired, thoughtful and crafted design as a means to add value to any communication.
A new logo system will wipe away the year-to-year changes in the Super Bowl logo design. Last Super Bowl logo (top half of the image above) was created by attik (not bad but not great). Coming next year, the NFL is installing a sweeping new graphic system designed by Landor and the NFL’s in-house designers. So far, only the logo for Super Bowl XLV has been released, but the look and feel will carry across all of the individual playoff logos–from the wildcard game to the divisional finals. “The NFL realized that there’s a gathering excitement, approaching the Super Bowl,” says Nicolas Aparicio, Landor’s Executive Creative Director. “The audience grows from 4.6 million in the pre-season to 16 million by the playoffs. A logo system needs to express that, and help build on it.”
Though the other logos in the system haven’t been released yet–watch this space–Aparicio says they’ll all retain key elements, such as the shine of the Super Bowl logo above, inspired by the Vince Lombardi trophy itself. This is actually the first time the Vince Lombardi Trophy has been used in the Super Bowl logo–precisely because the NFL didn’t want it’s iconic piece of hardware sullied by year-to-year changes in the mark. In the future, the Super Bowl logos will only vary slightly–the one big changing element being the stadium in the background. (For Super Bowl XLV, that’s the new Cowboys arena, which wil host the event.) Meanwhile, Tiffany is also designing a succesively larger series of trophies for each round of the playoffs that will also echo the Vince Lombardi. (post from Fcompany). I personally think they are going the right direction, keeping in consistent over time will no doubt be stronger for the NF brand. Will actually have a nostalgia, romance feel to the brand.
Love the identity for U.S. Virgin Islands created by Iconologic another fav studio of mine. Here’s the backstory: “Long ago, before mortal life came to the islands; before tall ships and glittering parades, before pirates and great adventures, the spirits lived in the light: The inkblack-spirit of St. Thomas, his winking coat of many colors flashing; the green-spirit of St. John, kaleidoscope flowers for hair; and the blue-spirit of St. Croix, scaly-skinned with carbuncles of coral. All day and all night they made mischief-playing tricks, climbing high and howling from the islands’ peaks, lounging on the edge of the world where the water meets the land. And everywhere they went, they left bits of magic behind. In their footsteps the seas swelled with color. The skies filled with oddly beaked beasts. The land erupted fronds and feathers of every texture. Each day, the islands became more and more a paradise.
Then one day, a Jumbie arrived. He was tall and lean, his knife-edge silhouette cast like night on the water. The spirits did not like this intruder. Protective of their private world, they conspired to remove him. They pelted him with sticks. They burned his camp. They tried to blot out his shadow from the sands. Displeased with their childishness, the Jumbie gathered the spirits and scolded them.”Because you did not welcome me. Because you are selfish and secretive, you shall be forced, forever, to learn to share.” He then scooped up each spirit in his impossibly boned hand and tossed them to the sky. There, three stars were born in the pattern of the islands. They remain a beacon today-drawing weary travelers to a three-island paradise of blue water, green hills and sparkling nights.” Love the bloody story the images that conjures when reading it….
I’m liking the new identity for The Pew Center. (the identity has also be used as a navigational element online). Based in Philadelphia, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a collective of seven grant-making initiatives dedicated to supporting local artists and heritage organizations. Originally, each initiative had its own logo, lacking any consistency with the others. Because of that, there was no indication that it was part of a greater entity. Another problem was the absence of an umbrella logo for the Pew Center. The challenge for London-based johnson banks (one of my top 10 fav studios in the entire universe) was to solve a rather specific client brief.
Deeper in the system are treatments designed to push individual initiatives. Each maintains the typeface, 8-color standard, the word “Philadelphia”, and a tiny “The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.” It’s unclear whether these are meant to be the official logos for the initiative. If so, they certainly won’t work at small sizes. Other than that, the designs show just how recognizeable and flexible the “colored cards” concept can be. A minimal sans-in-square logo isn’t particularly groundbreaking for an art institution. What makes these logos worth noting is the ironic use of that solution — where the bombardment of simplicity creates a clutter that’s hard to miss. Aesthetically, it isn’t the most beautiful, nor the most interesting thing. A family of icons representing the initiatives would’ve been simpler to manage than type. Accusations of bad design decisions about scalability and printability are certainly expected and valid. In the end, though, it’s those risky decisions that make the logo stand out. Most importantly, the design tends to the client’s need of a flexible system that reflects the relationship of an organization and its constituents. love it. (from brandnew)
One of the nicest identity “creative platforms”, I’ve seen for a while for Honest Dons and the Chop Shop (love the bloody name to) done by Ptarmak. Reminds me of home where on any street corner you will find your trust worthy butcher giving you the best cuts of pork/steak etc etc. I should quit my job and start a butcher franchise here in the states and charge a premium, defintely chose the wrong career path.
Generative identity software for COP15 the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen in 2009. The software adds dynamic, real-time movement to the logo and takes the rigid grid of the logo and animates it with a series of parameters like flocking and flow fields. The animation software is customizable to render out a large variety of styles and moods in formats useable for broadcast HD-TV and vector-graphics for printed media.
Created using “Processing” an open source programming language and environment for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. It is used by students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists for learning, prototyping, and production. It is created to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context and to serve as a software sketchbook and professional production tool.
Amazing identity but…..The question is, will this absence of designer intuition and personal taste remove the heart and soul from design???
All the films were commissioned by Wolff Olins NY, creative direction is by Matt Pyke / Universal Everything, and sound design is by Simon Pyke. Universal Everything seems like they are doing every major brand these days, can’t blame them tho, there attention to detail and concepts/ideas are amazing.
The new idents see Universal Everything working with no less than 24 collaborators in nine different countries. “After the first phase of idents which were of a very abstract bias, this second phase of films had us working with live action and a lot more collaborators,” says Universal Everything’s Matt Pike of the idents. “The other great thing about these films is we were able to get on with them without having to ‘pitch’ them to MTV – which is creatively very liberating,” he adds. “I don’t think we could have achieved these results if we hadn’t worked in this way – and that’s why we’ve been turning down opportunities to pitch for work this year.” (post from CR).
Love the fact that they did not pitch any of this to MTV, MTV came to UniversalEverything for their expertise in the field and trusted them through the whole process, just brilliant, amazing what you can do when the “client” actually trusts you. Trust comes from the work you have done in the industry it is hard earned of course. MAtt Pyke you are my here. love it, brilliant!!!!!
This is a great example that shows you don’t need to have a Fortune 500 client to do great work. Signage for a local newsagent, the area attracts tourists daily any communication needs to be understood by all. The result was to make every day shopping a fun experience that brings a smile to your face. Love the simple icons used to create this classic identity, even tho it’s just for your local newsagent.
Another great young aussie studio (AFOM), producing some fresh, tight work. Description of work above: Carla works predominantly on a large loom, weaving rows of thread around the reeds of the loom to form her pieces. Her new identity graphically represents this process of weaving. The colour palette of black and white, inspired by technical weaving diagrams lends the identity an Op=art quality and also ties in with her tendency towards minimal color schemes. The business card is printed with raised ink to echo the tactile qualities of her woven pieces. The identity has different variations which playfully change for the business card, letterhead and website.
One of my heroes Matt Pyke of Universal Everything, has been asked directly to devise the on-air, web and print rebrand of MTV for an international audience of 524 million viewers. Its purpose to cement the channel’s reputation as a powerhouse of youth-oriented programming and creative output.
The sound design plays a key part in the branding, a unique MTV ‘pulse’ runs through all idents and promos – the content reacting and dancing along. The video above is my fav so far love the simplicity and the beats synchronized to the animation, just sweet.
Another example why Pentagram is the bench mark of design studios. The original Guitar Hero logotype expressed the brand’s heavy metal roots. Idiosyncratic with a vengeance, it became more and more complicated with the introduction of successive game versions. The extension of the “Hero” brand to new platforms, including Band Hero and DJ Hero, called for a redrawn logotype that could consistently work across the range of product types. Pentagram redrew the original Guitar Hero logotype, adjusting some of its more aggressively odd features to enable accurate reproduction at a variety of scales and in media from digital animations to temporary (or permanent) tattoos.
In addition, the new logotype serves as a basis of an extendable system, unifying the presentation of Guitar Hero, Band Hero, and DJ Hero in a consistent brand architecture. The new logotypes, simple and straightforward in black and white, are intended to serve as a starting point for an infinite range of visual expressions in the classic Guitar Hero tradition. To demonstrate the range of possibilities during the design exploration, Pentagram commissioned several designers to create variations using the same base artwork, this is also known as the classic MTV case-study. (post from Pentagram)
It’s a sad day when you hear that another Paul Rand classic being “updated”. First established in 1908 and operating from a small office in Manhattan, it wasn’t until 1961 that Yale University Press (YUP) officially became a part of Yale University while remaining, all this time, financially and operationally independent. YUP has published over 8,000 books and now does so at a rate of approximately 300 titles a year. And since 1985, much of these titles have carried the idiosyncratic logo designed by Paul Rand. After this point, 24 years later, Rand’s logo will no longer grace spines, instead, it will now be the primary Yale logo — typeset in Matthew Carter’s The Yale Typeface designed in 2004. (as reported by the Yale Daily News). A sad day no matter what the bloody rational they try and say to justify the change.
Everyone probably knows the debacle (CP+B, Brammo and Crowd Sourcing) Well have you actually seen the “winners” all I can say is ugly, you reap what you sow. CP+B pls stick to making 30 second spots that makes us laugh, and Brammo hire a design studio and pay next time around there are tonnes of great studios out there. Sign up for NO-SPEC work.
