Our most recent projects and thoughts on business, branding, and the state of design.
When I first read Beatrice Warde’s 1930 lecture on printing, “The Crystal Goblet” (in Helen Armstrongs’ crucial Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field, 2009), I thought, fuck that shit. Mind you, I was just a few years removed from…
In America, the occupational title of the art director preceded that of the graphic designer. While the lines between roles have been blurred today, the importance of advertising in editorial created a more specific need for the Art Director in…
Kenneth Hine, a professor at Syracuse University, kept a bibliography of the most important books on design, cleverly titled, “Hine Sight.” He sold perfect-bound versions of it at the copy center, and I believe even offered course credit to anybody…
In the early 2000’s, Art Chantry was experiencing somewhat of a revival in popularity, partially due to the release of his recent monograph. In retrospect, the overwhelming response in awards can be seen as expected, after almost a decade of…
Introducing 4 ways brands can shift their marketing approach to keep up with Private Label success Branded packaged goods have dominated retail for almost a century, while private-label products have been seen as the lower-quality value option for thrifty shoppers…
Historically, one area private label fell short was design. Shoppers didn’t believe the store brand packaging reflect high-quality products. But the Revolution is being led with strong design. Shoprite just debuted “bowl & basket,” its new food and beverage private…
Retailers, no matter how big or small, are starting to realize the impact they are expected to have in their communities. For example, Family Dollar partnered with local Boys and Girls Clubs of America to produce a custom SKU of…
If bundling private label products with your brand drives traffic or increases basket size, the retailer will be interested. Bass Pro Shops, the national outdoor and sporting goods chain, has been partnering with national brands for years. Every catalog they…
A planning process seems obvious, but how many of your clients actually have one? Between your authors? None. When we think of planning, we think of long hours, battles between brand and shopper teams, so many great ideas on the…
The traditional 64-page, full color printed Annual Report stands at an interesting junction. On one hand, the Annual Report is an excellent device to inform company shareholders of their intelligent investment. On the other, it often takes more than 64 glossy pages to convince investors, institutional or individual, that their hard-earned dollars were put to good use — especially when corporate earnings don’t exactly beat analysts’ expectations. Certainly, company profits could be spent more wisely than printing these 64 pages, thousands of times.
On Monday, March 2nd, 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial average fell under 7,000 for the first time since 1997. NPR had assured me of this as I was packing up for the day. Since I rarely concern myself with the stock market, the numerically sound fact struck me as something that surely related to design, but I couldn’t remember what that was. I wrapped a scarf around my neck and headed out, one foot in front of the other trying to reconnect-the-dots in the frigid winter air. As soon as I entered my apartment, I began fervently shuffling through papers in the recycling bin. Whatever complacent connection I was trying to make was in there somewhere.
What to wear, what to wear… Most professionals habitually ask themselves this deceivingly simple question each and every weekday morning. It’s a valid question, with a solution usually made infinitely easier by looking for helpful cues around the workplace; construction workers throw on jeans and work boots, accountants select between a black or blue suit, and nurses slip into their scrubs. Graphic designers, on the other hand, have had a difficult time throughout history defining an appropriately unique look, and have, for the most part, resorted to inheriting the fashion trends of other professions. In an industry whose practitioners solve complex visual problems on a daily basis, it might come as a surprise that the most perplexing visual problem is what to put on before heading to work. Even so, designers remain undoubtedly confused when it comes to personal attire, and this isn’t simply a problem of individual identity; evidence suggests the dress code conundrum has been an underlying crisis for an entire occupational demographic since graphic design’s inception.
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