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Teatre CCCB
The Centre of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona was expanded by the construction of a Theatre. We were asked to produce a typographically led design for the opening campaign. We created sentences based on the entertainment business onomatopoeias.

Typefaces: Benton Modern Two / Futura Bold

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Gandules’11
The Centre of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona contacted us three years ago in order to design the outdoor cinema season called Gandules; the campaign we designed in 2009 would set the basis for the following years.
This cinema season is based on a different topic every year and for Gandules 2011 the topic was based on ‘Action’ and how crisis generates new approaches and possibilities. Our illustration of a “new dawn” is representative of this idea.

Typefaces: Haas Unica

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Taurus Publishing
Every year we design several book covers for long-time client Taurus, a book publisher based in Madrid, Spain. We enjoy working with them because we are given a lot of creative freedom. As a result every book cover has a unique design and visual language that will continue to evolve in future publications.

Typefaces:
George Soros: Benton Modern One
Breve Historia de la corrupción: Beton SH
Peor que la Guerra: Plakat & Scout Condensed

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Projecta’t
Projecta’t is a program, which supports 1,000 entrepreneurs’ projects that have consolidation and growth potential, carried out by Catalonia’s Government. The briefing was quite simple and clear — they wanted an image that summarized their project. We expressed the idea of growth by means of an illustration consisting of a layered composition of squares that stress the idea of growth and expansion.

Typefaces: Helvetica Neue 75 Bold

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Monocle Illustrations
Some time ago we sent a PDF document with a selection of our illustration work to Monocle’s Art Director thinking that we would not get an answer. But after a few months we were asked to create a few illustrations for the magazine; we could not believe it! For us Monocle is top class in every sense of the word and to be able to work for them was such a great opportunity. The style of the illustrations themselves were created in collaboration with Monocle’s Art team and we continue to develop and refine this style with each issue.
We have had such a great experience working with Monocle so far and we thank them for the exposure the magazine has given us.

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Laus Bases
This brochure is part of the identity of the Spanish Laus Design Awards which turned 40 in 2010. When we were initially asked to design the campaign, we could not believe it — for us it was a real challenge to design something for designers because all eyes would be on our design. We created an abstract campaign that reflected the passing of time. The “L” that stands for “Laus” was represented in different color paper sheets in the shape of a die.

Typefaces: Benton Modern One

A Few Words from the Editor

Hot off the heels of Mucho’s SI Special, we head back to the vibrant, cosmopolitan city that is Barcelona, featuring the work of Hey, a small studio, with big ideas who are producing crisp, contemporary work that gives a nod to classic Modernist design principles: Asymmetry, geometric shapes, flat colours, considered typography, what’s not to like? :)

Estoy enormemente agradecido a Verònica for providing the high-res imagery, projects texts and for helping me brush up on my Spanish ;)

About the Studio

Hey is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Barcelona, Spain specializing in brand management and editorial design, packaging and interactive design.

They share the profound conviction that good design means combining content, functionality, graphical expression and strategy. As a result, they offer their clients a personal service based on mutual understanding and trust, working to innovate from rationality and directing advice to meet actual needs.

www.heystudio.es

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Teatre CCCB
Pilot issue newsletter for Deutsche Bank’s CSR activities in the US.

Format and materials:
Berliner, printed 4–colour on 52gsm improved newsprint.

Typeface:
Univers Deutsche Bank

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Frieze 2011 sponsorship campaign
Campaign identity and materials for Deutsche Bank’s sponsorship of the recent Frieze Art Fair. The idea was inspired by the bank’s commissioned artist who was to create an installation from yellow paint at the event itself.

Format and materials:
White e-flute box that housed a number of A5 pieces of communication. Box was printed 4–colour process plus two specials. A5 items were Chromolux 250 gsm; gloss laminated one side, printed 4–colour + one special. Pack also included unique digitally-printed security passes and lanyard.

Typeface:
Univers Deutsche Bank

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Forum
Deutsche Bank’s inhouse magazine. Published quarterly in English and German, and with a circulation of 112,000.

Format and materials:
237 x 300mm, 56pp, printed 4-colour in Switzerland

Typefaces:
Dalton Maag’s Lexia, including specially commissioned, super-heavy, all-caps weight
Univers Deutsche Bank

A Few Words from the Editor

Whenever Studio 2br inform me of new work they’ve recently completed, I always get excited like a kid that’s had too much sugar :). I guess you could say I have a strong appreciation for what they do, especially their rational approach to grids and typography. (Links to more of their work can be found at the bottom of this speil)

Much of Studio 2br’s output is for Deutsche Bank, a global banking and financial services company with German roots. Not only do they design many of the Bank’s corporate comms and publications but they were also behind the beautiful brand guidelines too which probably explains why everything looks so consistent! Thank you once again to Dave for making this feature possible :)

Links:
Deutsche Bank Guidelines
Deutsche Bank Corporate Comms

About the Studio

Studio 2br is an independent design consultancy working with clients in the UK, Europe and the US.
They provide large organisations with clear thinking, plain speaking and graphic design craft.

www.2br.com

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2012 Calendar
Studio Lin teamed up with our favorite NYC newspaper printer to create a 2012 calendar. Each of the 12 poster sized months features a different spot color and paper. All together, the package represents everything that Linco Printing is capable of and serves as a great reference for designers looking to see actual paper and color samples.

Typeface: AG Book

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Fab Print Suite
Fab is an e-commerce site that features new designs every day. Fab commissioned us to come up with a set of printed materials to be used in each of their product shipments. We came up with a shortened “Fab” language and applied it in bold typographic way. The use of foil stamp on thick card stock and PVC helped elevate the print pieces into keepsakes.

Typeface: Avant Garde

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Core 77 Design Awards Identity and Call for Entries
Core77 Design Awards is a newly launched competition for design. The brief called for an identity that felt established yet new. The logotype was created as a flexible system allowing various configurations of the name to function on different collateral. Once the full identity system was worked out, it was printed on the back of the very first call for entries, thereby revealing the entire process of the identity’s creation. Two versions of the call for entries were created, one was a luxurious cloth mounted piece and the other a more economical 1 color poster which was sent to everyone that registered for the competition.

Typeface: “Proficiat” by Dries Wiewauters, Dutch 801, AG Book

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United Bamboo S/S & F/W Invitations
United Bamboo is a New York City and Tokyo based fashion house founded in 1998. We were commissioned to create invitations for their seasonal fashion shows. Our solution is based on only one design, which we produced in a different way for every season. For Spring/Summer the invitation took the form of an embroidered iron-on patch. After the show, it could be ironed on to clothing or bags. The shiny embroidered type and blue color scheme was reminiscent of a bright day on the ocean, the inspiration for the S/S collection. For Fall/Winter the invite was produced as a flexible refrigerator magnet to reflect that season’s masculine and somber mood.

Typeface: Custom “UB”

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United Bamboo 2011 Cat Calendar
United Bamboo is a New York City and Tokyo based fashion house founded in 1998. We were asked to design their second annual Cat Calendar, featuring cats dressed in exact miniatures of their ready-to-wear collection. Our solution featured months which were blind embossed onto each page for a subtle effect allowing the cats to be the main focus. On the back of each page, there is a story about each cat model. Comes in a silkscreened sleeve with foil stamped backing. Photography by Noah Sheldon.

Typeface: Custom, FF Bau

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Stampa Identity
A new e-commerce site created by the founder of the Illustration Division of Art Department. Stampa sells limited edition prints by artists. We were commissioned to create an identity and website that was bold, simple and functional. The logo is based on a rolled up print in an “S” formation. To keep the optical “vibration” in all sizes, we drew 4 versions accommodating a 2 inch logo all the way up to 10 inches.

Typeface: “Stampa” by Benjamin Critton/Colophon Foundry

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Studio Museum in Harlem Artists in Residence Catalog
The Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally. This catalog was commissioned for their annual Artists-in-Residence program. The catalog’s content is split into 3 artists essays in 1 color and an insert of 4 color images from each artist.

Typeface: Raisonne, Dutch 801, Bau

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AmDC DEMO Newsletter
A self published piece created with the American Design Club, a loose collective of New York’s leading young design talent. DEMO is a quarterly newsletter which highlights new products, up-and-coming designers, and influential industry professionals, offering news and insider details, all courtesy of the AmDC.
The first issue featured interviews with David Alhadeff/The Future Perfect, Artist; Glenn Ligon, and Rich Brilliant Willing. Primarily distributed as a PDF, it is also produced in a limited run on colored stock. Content and editorial completed in conjunction with AmDC, William Bostwick and Kelsey Keith.

Typeface: Trade Gothic, Adobe Caslon

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Roll & Hill Catalog
Roll & Hill is a New York City based manufacturer of high end contemporary lighting which produces original lighting products by American and international designers. As part of a project involving various print materials and a website, we were asked to create their catalogs. The catalogs needed to function as individual spec sheets as well as one full catalog. By punching notches into each spec sheet, they could be used individually as well as collated and bound by a rubber band. The solution allowed the catalog to expand or be customized according to each customer’s needs. The deluxe version is enclosed in a foil stamped cloth cover.

Typeface: Plantin, Akkurat

A Few Words from the Editor

Believe it or not, this feature has been in the works for while now (many months in fact!) So it’s nice to finally get this piece out into the world alongside the launch of Alex’s shiny new website. Big thank you once again to Alex for making this feature happen :)

About the Studio

Before opening Studio Lin, Alex Lin laid the foundation for his own design practice by collaborating with some of the field’s greatest minds. After receiving an MFA in graphic design from Yale University, Alex spent six years at the design firm 2×4 and three years as a partner at Default.

The studio’s approach is founded on a desire to explore new territory through challenging collaborations with creative visionaries in the fields of architecture, industrial design, art and fashion. Behind every Studio Lin design is a highly defined rationale but not a singular style. The common denominator is a fresh, modern sensibility that eschews the overtly trendy in favor of lasting impact.

studiolin.org

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Primero Primera
Identity and stationery for a hotel.

This boutique hotel was the home for two generations of a family. When starting the project we realized that it would be nice to reflect all the memories of this 7 brother family. So we collected personal pictures in which parts of the house are in the background, or important events for them during the time they were living in the building. We based the identity in making collages with the images. For the brand and signage we designed a stencil font that contains special characters that allowed us to mix in a unique way certain characters like the “i” an the “m” in the word “primero”.

Typefaces used: Primero Roman, Helvetica

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Thinking Furniture by Pepe Andreu
Book Design

This book collects the work of Pepe Andreu, a furniture designer who came to the profession by carpentry. Pepe’s furniture and the way he think are full of details of functionality but they are very respectful with the tradition of artisan furniture. It is therefore that the design of the book should be viewed as an object consistent with his view, the form of binding, the pace of the book (not linear) and the typeface and colour choice breathe the idea of the reinvention of the classic.

The first part of the book is interspersed with ideas, thoughts and pieces from his collection (light green). In the last part the collection appears again but this time the furniture appears in lived, in-home environments. These photos are presented on cards with technical characteristics of the furniture. This card system allows us to produce new cards to complement the collection of Pepe as the production increases, thus making the book into a communication tool for the designer with his audience.

For this book we were interested in using an inline font and for the sake of consistency we decided to design a special cut of Akkurat Outline that for this book we called ‘Peppurat.’

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Escolà
Identity and packaging for a wine shop.

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Alma Hotels
Barcelona City Guide Book

Barcelona City Guide for Alma Hotels, a boutique hotel based in the exclusive Paseo de Gracia area. The content created by ‘It Comunicación’ is based on conversations among influential citizens from Barcelona, structured as Q&A’s. To link the image to that of the hotel (based on graphic drawings of the garden trees), a massive illustration of Barcelona was produced, portraying some key buildings, but also some hidden city treasures. This illustration was then used for the cover and inside dividers, giving identity to the publication. This was also brought to life by Rodrigo Diaz Wichmann’s fantastic photography of the conversations in a documentary and unforgiving manner that contrasts nicely with the graphic illustrations.

Fonts used were Alma’s own Helvetica Neue 75 Bold, plus DTL Fleischmann, in display and display italic versions for headlines and text version for the body copy.

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Buenas Migas (Focaccia) Restaurant
Corporate identity

Buenas Migas is a quality fast food chain of restaurants, which mixes Cornish with Genovese gastronomy to produce simple, fresh and tasty but healthy dishes at a value for money price. Their main distinctive trait when compared to their competitors is the high quality of their product, as a result of their artisan approach to their work.

When producing all of the communication materials: ranging from packaging pieces and poster promotions to signage, the main drive for the design was to show their core values of nature and craftsmanship. The idea is simple: everything they do is handmade, so all of the communication is handmade too—all of the products, the posters, the blackboards, the signage, the pricing tags, the service materials and any piece included in the restaurants is drawn by hand. Obviously, the pieces that are produced at a large scale are reproductions, but their initial design is handmade, and there is no serialized process allowed that can take away this truthful spirit to natural drawing, both of the type and the illustration.

A chunky, very commercial Futura Condensed Bold was chosen to complement this handmade approach. The use of this font tempers an otherwise ultra naturalistic view of the restaurant, and offers a commercial counterpoint which combined with the delicacy of watercolour illustrations we hope gives the whole image an edgy mainstream natural feel.

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‘Un año en Pago de los Capellanes’
DVD Packaging

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Andres Sarda: Fashion Love and Art
Book Design

Andres Sarda is a brand of lingerie and swimwear and a pioneer in haute couture and prêt-à-porter in Spain. After 50 years of life, they decided to publish a book containing photos, material fashion, editorials and highlights of its own history. This book consists of chapters, not organized in a linear way, opinion pieces relevant signatures and personal experiences of the designer in these 50 years. They asked us to design a series of pieces for an exhibition and book launch event. All pieces play with the sensuality of nudity in a graphic way, in the invitations and book, the cover paper can be unfolded to see the main image. In the pieces ‘Opi Totem and Bus’ we play more graphically with the number 50 so that it surrounds the picture and interacts with the silhouette of a woman.

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Murmuri
Identity and naming for hotel and restaurants

The identity plays with the repetitive character of the word ‘Murmuri’, using feminine typography but with attitude like the hotel. The graphic result is contemporary but respectful to the 19th century origin of the building. From there and based on that typography the identity of the restaurant and bar were created. The restaurant combines the two M’s and looks like an oriental ideogram, playing with superposition of grids. ‘Bar Marfil’ is the name of the bar and is rescued from a bar in Barcelona from the 50′s–60′s. This place was an icon of glamorous Barcelona. To visualize the identity we used a collage of old pictures saved from that period.

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Blau Restaurant
Menu design

Blau is a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant in Barcelona. For the menus, we based the idea on creating kinetic effects with the patterns inside the shape of the dishes. All the dishes are silkscreened on wood. We used the typeface: Calend (by atipo).

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Andres Sarda
Various Projects

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No Somos Hormigas: We Are No Ants
Book Design

This book dwells on the following idea: as a species, mankind is nowadays better off than ever, but there are certain issues unresolved which we have the obligation to address. It then shows a few initiatives, which are taking place, that to the author’s understanding are heading in the right direction towards social equilibrium and human relation with the environment.

The book is a compilation of strong concepts that are backed up by visual display of data. We had to create a visual language that was engaging enough, strong enough, and vindictive enough, but which kept the positive message that the book provides, while still being true to the statistics that illustrate each concept.

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Arte y Mecenazgo
Type Specimen

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Arte y Mecenazgo
Identity

An art foundation asked us for an identity. This foundation’s aim is to connect collectors, founders, galleries and artists in many different ways. As an important part of this project we created a typeface. The result consisted in designing a classic outline font using a geometric and rational approach often used in Sans Serif outline fonts but never in Serif. Based on the structure of a Didone typeface we designed a display and headline weight that could allow us to compose in a very classical way but with an edge, or be more daring in the composition and typesetting.

Some of the results of the type applied can be seen in these boards as well as a special edition type specimen designed for the board of trustees of this particular foundation. These pages also offer examples of the application of the typographical identity, event invitations and graphics.

A Few Words from the Editor

What better way to kick start the new year, than with a very generous selection of work (as is the SI way) from Mucho a studio that may come as a pleasant surprise to many who may not have been familiar with their work before. Project information and typefaces used are notably absent from today’s feature, but they’re on their way don’t you worry! :)

Big thank you to Pablo, Marc, Ximena and the team for making this feature possible and for supporting SI :)

About the Studio

Founded in 2003 by Marc Català and Pablo Juncadella having worked at Grafica (Madrid/Barcelona) and Pentagram (London) respectively, Mucho is a visual communication and graphics studio based in Barcelona, Spain.

Ideas are at the heart of every project they undertake and all work is done with the intention of it being unique, with a constant effort to avoid repetitive formulas. Mucho values the visual ambition of projects as much as the commercial will, and considers excellence its permanent objective.

The studio specializes in art direction, strategic and corporate identity, editorial design, packaging, graphic communications, digital design and motion graphics for small clients through to large brands.

mucho.ws

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Logo
Since its launch in 2004, the Nooka logo has been increasing in boldness for reasons of legibility. Unlike most corporate logos in which the artwork needs to be legible at 25mm, the Nooka logo needs to be legible at about half that, sometimes less. The solution was two-fold. One—to increase boldness for maximum legibility both small and large sizes, and two—to simplify the letterforms to better express our ethos. Along with these changes, subtle details were also introduced to make the Nooka logotype more visually pleasing.

Aside from the increase in weight, the infinity sign remains a constant in our visual identity – representing the infinite possibilities the future has to offer. We introduced rounded corners on both the “N” and “A” to compliment this shape. The top of the “N” has a 90 degree corner that juxtaposes the round corners and calls point of entry to begin reading the logo. The simplification of the “A” by removing the cross-bar is meant to evoke a future beyond the planet earth.

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Retail/Packaging
Nooka is a global brand. Our products—through wide distribution—must maintain a consistent brand image. We eliminated our existing bulky packaging and introduced a sleek, mylar bag. These mylar bags come in three sizes—which allow universal use for a multitude of products. In addition to eliminating bulk, we stopped using acrylic stands for our watches. Instead we introduced corrugated cardboard pieces which ship flat—and fold when needed to display our watches.

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Stationery
Nooka is a global brand, with a growing number of distributors, business relationships and retailers worldwide. Much thought went into how we can create a system that can function in multiple regions yet maintain Nooka identity. The solution was to stamp paper blanks which could later be customized upon requests. By pre-stamping blanks at a high number, we save time and money by having ready-made materials.
The Nooka system is created of paper stock with our logo stamped in silver foil. The branded stock allows us to create any changes that occur with moving, adding people, different office locations, etc. Communications can then be printed, either digitally or by offset, by following our templates to ensure brand consistency. Like the letterhead, Stamped blanks allow for later customization for our distributors worldwide. This truly universal system allows full customization while maintaining a global identity.

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Brand Guidelines Poster
In place of cumbersome guidelines, we developed a poster which can be distributed digitally as an interactive pdf and can be printed at large ISO sizes. Each image on the pdf is a direct download for all basic brand assets—such as logo, typeface, stationary—to use on their own.

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Internal Documents
Being that Nooka describes it’s working area as a LAB, an internal system was needed to keep consistency as well as create an aesthetic that represents this cconcept. In keeping with efficiency, a grid system was developed which allows easy customization to a wide-array of medias that are requested. These documents are for internal use and distributors, yet allow for a consistent brand aesthetic throughout.

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Application
The Nooka logo will be applied to all new products with sizes ranging from the micro to macro.

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Universal Instruction Manuals
Being a global brand, Nooka is constantly confronted with translating materials for specific languages. One of Nooka’s core values is universal communication. With that value in mind, we went out to create a universal system to be applied to our instruction manuals—one that eliminates most uses of text as well as works for a wide range of products. Using symbols and illustrations, a key was developed to give users a reference when learning how to use their watch.

Based on ISO dimensions, the manuals were developed to be printed as a small manual as well as a large A0 poster. These posters would be used for retail and trade shows to get customers more familiar with Nooka.

Printed in Pantone 812C, these one color manuals are a cheaper solution to a four color process.

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The story of NOOKA
Shot on a 5d and Zazza Slider—this is the story of Nooka—a New York based futurist brand. Founded by artist/designer Matthew Waldman, the ethos of Nooka is universal communication,which guides the creation of products with enhanced functionality that engage the mind as well as the body—mindstyle™.

Most prominently known for its line of timepieces, Nooka has expanded their range, creating a
Mindstyle™ brand with the addition of innovative accessories and a fragrance.

Direction/Editing: Jon Patterson
Filming: Patrick Phillips
Soundtrack: Com Truise

Nooka Design Team

Senior Designer: Jon Patterson
Creative Director: Matthew Waldman
Industrial Design: Alexander Yoo/ Michael Ubbesen
www.nooka.com

A Few Words from the Editor

As I write this there are just 8 days until 2012; I’m sitting here wondering what happened to the rest of 2011! Time really does fly doesn’t it? To end the year right I thought I’d feature something a little different from what I usually feature — different in the sense that whilst it’s still conventional graphic design, it was done completely in-house by the NOOKA Design team as opposed to a rebrand from an external studio/agency.

Lead designer Jon (who just so happens to be a big fan of SI — thank you sir!) got in touch a week ago informing me that NOOKA had just relaunched a rebrand (complete with universal instruction manuals) and had recently finished gathering all the assets for yours truly to review and potentially feature on the site. Bit of a no-brainer really ;)

Thank you once again to Jon and the rest of the cool cats at NOOKA for making this feature possible, and I wish all the lovely readers of SI a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for continuing to support this site (I couldn’t appreciate it more) and I’ll be back in January with your weekly dose of visual crack ;) I also have rather large plans for this site next year so stay tuned…

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Carte Blanche
Identity / Stationery / Brochure / Website / Advertising / Marketing

Based on our experience of the luxury travel sector, our client came to us with an idea for a boutique travel company that offered tailored travel in exclusive style. As well as naming the company, we produced an identity and supporting material that emphasised the ‘blank canvas’ approach of the company. Acting as the lynchpin of the brand, the brochure is an inspirational guide to the world’s most luxurious and unique destinations.

Typeface: Helvetica

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Land Securities Wellington House
Identity / Brochure / Website / Marketing & Exhibition Materials

Even in the heart of London some addresses stand out. Wellington House, situated
on Buckingham Gate, a few hundred yards from St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace
is one of them. We were appointed to deliver an identity and a comprehensive set of marketing materials by Land Securities.

The logo was applied to a number of materials and combined with a variety of finishes to create a truly unique identity. These included etching key messages on samples of the stone being used on the building itself, which we then photographed and incorporated into the designs. The marketing brochure is presented in a beautiful, laser-cut slipcase.

Display Face: Custom (inspired by Neu Alphabet)
Typeface: Helvetica

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Tang Dynasty Diary
Book Design

We were approached by a renowned art collector to produce a presentation diary showcasing the private collection of precious cups from the Tang Dynasty. Celebrating the new decade, the diary needed to present their annual calendar in a way that was both functional and a highly collectible item in its own right. The solution was a diary that doubles up as a beautiful art book. Each month highlights an individual cup, with high gloss images detailing these beautiful 7th/8th century objects.

The case-bound book was hand finished with the glossy pages tipped in to the book block and decorated with ribbon page markers. It was delivered in a magnificent presentation box containing a decorative pencil and accompanying laser cut card.

Typeface: Modern 880

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Ideas Factory
Poster

As part of our re-branding process, a test sheet, exploring colour, typography & layout was produced. Ever the conservationists, whilst rebranding ourselves, we turned the test sheet process into the perfect opportunity announce our new identity to the world. By using the reverse side, we created a poster that was sent out to past, present and future clients. Showing off our commitment to print & attention to detail, the poster perfectly summed up our ethos.

Typeface: Helvetica

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Westcity
Identity / Brochure / Marketing Material

Westcity Wates asked us to design a book to celebrate the completion of their latest landmark development. The book is structured around the characteristics of the building. Imagery is divided into Light+Space, reflecting the physicality of the building, and Form+Soul, focusing on architectural details and finishing. The typography ranges up and down the page, informing the reader as to which levels within the house the images are from.

The 148 page casebound book features a number of high quality finishes: Externally, the spine was left on show connecting the cover with the cloth end papers, while the blind-embossed cover was both bold and restrained. Internally there was a metallic ink overprinted throughout. This was used as a graphic treatment throughout the book, evoking the light that permeates the building so beautifully.

Typeface: Helvetica

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Roundhouse
Identity / Brochure / Website

The Roundhouse founders come from an architectural background, which taught them to value independent thinking and innovative solutions to design issues. Building on the success of our 2006 re-branding, we embarked on producing an image based, 100 page look-book.

A sense of confidence was built through minimal layout, conversational copy and attention to detail. Coated paper embellished the beautifully shot case studies, while the small information section was printed in the two brand colours on a tactile uncoated stock. Production values were extremely high and the cloth covered case bound tome was finished with foiled details to both sides.

Following the successful completion of the look-book, we have recently designed & launched the new Roundhouse website.

Typeface: Century Schoolbook

From the Editor

Making their SI debut this week with a brand new website and a clear, considered selection of new work is Ideas Factory, a London based studio who have carved a niche out for themselves in the lifestyle and property sectors. In their own words: “We’re not big, but our ideas are. Over our 25 year life-span, we have chosen independence and integrity over expansion and commercialism. Our approach to our business is one of collaboration, not opposition. Rather than employ accounts staff, our clients deal direct with designers,so they become part of the creative process, not a spectator.”

www.ideasfactory.co.uk

Thank you once again to Mr. Jonathan Davies @ Ideas Factory for the imagery and info. Hope you (dear SI reader) enjoyed this feature and have a great weekend :)

If you’re new here, don’t forget to Subscribe & follow SI on Twitter for your weekly dose of visual crack. ;)

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Design Assembly – 3
Design: Matt Judge
Company: Assembly
Project website: da3.designassembly.org

Fonts Used: 
Book 01 — Hermes
Book 02 — Haas Unica and Austin
Book 03 — Georgia

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Limited Edition Print
To coincide with the release of the book, the illustrator Paul Davis has produced a unique Limited Edition artwork, Charlie, on the theme of 3 with the cause firmly in mind. Again, all proceeds will go to the chosen charities.

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Launch Invite

MATT JUDGE on ’3′

In October 2011 — 148 posts, 904 comments and over 2.5m visits later — Design Assembly celebrated it’s 3rd anniversary.

Spurred by losing my father to cancer last year, and the frightening statistic that 1-in-3 of us will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in our lifetime, I made the decision to donate the past 3 years of energy and effort to a greater cause — fighting cancer.

I did this by producing a book, 3 in fact, archiving the past 3 years of discourse, and showcasing new and exclusive material from leading industry professionals. Each book is distinct in content, design and form — joined together only by a unique binding, and a highlight colour palette of RGB.

Book 01: An Introduction to the project, the cause and its contributors
Book 02: New material, split into 4 sections — Design Discourse, Inspiration, Showcase and Good Design.
Book 03: An archive of the Design Assembly website, including user comments.

100% of the profits from the sale of this publication will be shared between 3 charities with a combined global reach:
—Cancer Research UK (United Kingdom)
—LIVESTRONG (N.America)
—WCRF International (Rest of world)

The total amount raised will be distributed proportionately between the charities, according to the percentage of profits generated by each catchment. For example, if 50% of profits are raised by pledges from US billing addresses, 50% of profits will be donated to LIVESTRONG, and so on.

da3.designassembly.org

Hat tip to Matt for providing the high-res imagery, but more importantly producing a great piece of design for a cause close to many our hearts. Design can make a positive difference in the world :)

If you’re new here, don’t forget to Subscribe & follow SI on Twitter for your weekly dose of visual crack. ;)

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APA Identity
Font Used: Helvetica Neue

APA’s (Angus Pond Architects) aim is to be ‘independent, optimistic and free’. The practice has a unique approach, defined by the use of interesting materials and led by an ambition to ‘provide buildings, objects and spaces with a strong sense of purpose, meaning and emotion’. APA felt strongly that they did not want their practice represented by a traditional logo or wordmark, but instead, they were interested in the development of an ‘anti-logo’ which is dynamic and free to evolve and reflect their reactive working method.

Our solution was to develop a graphic pattern, based around geometrical interpretations of the lowercase letters ‘apa’. This pattern can be reconfigured in numerous different ways to create a flexible identity system. The challenge was to produce an ever-changing pattern while retaining a clear and recognisable identity. On letterheads and business cards the pattern is reproduced using a combination of blind embossing and delicate printed line. On the website the pattern comes alive as an animation. There are three variations of the animation which are linked to APA’s three key areas of work: buildings, objects and spaces.

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MoreySmith: Fifteen Newspaper
Fonts Used: Logotype – Bespoke, Body copy – Helvetica Neue

‘Fifteen’ is a newspaper designed for interior designers and architects MoreySmith in celebration of fifteen years of business. The newspaper consists of project highlights from the practice’s portfolio with client quotes. The cover contains a fold-out project timeline. The newspaper and its visual language is an important part of our identity for MoreySmith.

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Ellis Miller Architects Identity
Font Used: Helvetica Neue

Ellis Miller architects’ ethos is rooted in the modernist British architectural tradition. They design sustainable, humane buildings which are sensitive to their context. In our early discussions with the practice, key phrases used to describe their work emerged such as ‘brutal simplicity’ and ‘making the everyday beautiful’. These became drivers in our conceptual approach to the identity. We created a bold, typographic logotype based on vertical, structural connections between the letter forms.

We applied the logotype to various media in a number of ways. It is screen-printed onto raw cardboard CD covers, stencilled directly onto the weathered yard office doors and animated for digital use such as the website and screensavers. A bold colour palette and rigorous typography form the visual language which is applied across all office communication material. We also developed the website which forms an integral part of the identity.

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Stanton Williams: Volume
Font: Logotype: Bespoke, Body copy: Avant Garde

Volume is a book documenting the first 25 years of internationally renowned architects, Stanton Williams. The book was conceived to be forward-looking rather than retrospective and represents a shift in the work and working methods of the practice with the emergence, over recent years, of large-scale buildings and public realm projects. As well as presenting the practice to an external audience the book was also conceived as a ‘spiritual guide’ and manual for the Stanton Williams studio. Working closely with the directors throughout the entire process, we designed the book in parallel with the practice identity. This provided a unique opportunity to extend and develop the visual language beyond the basic communication requirements. The stencil font, that we created for the logotype, was extended into a full alphabet and is used for the front cover and chapter divider pages.

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Crafts Council: Japanese Jewellery exhibition
Font Used: Helvetica Neue

We designed the marketing identity, exhibition graphics and gallery guide for Contemporary Japanese Jewellery, an exhibition at the Crafts Council, London. The exhibition revealed the depth and development of contemporary jewellery-making in Japan. Working closely with Stickland Coombe architects, we produced a labelling system for the display cases that played on the sushi-style conveyor belt concept, this worked in conjunction with the printed gallery guide.

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Design Museum: Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Awards 2010
Font Used: Helvetica Neue

Designs of the Year is the Design Museum’s annual awards event. An exhibition showcases approximately one hundred of the most innovative and forward looking designs from around the world and the winners are announced at an event held at the Design Museum, London.

We were commissioned to design the exhibition and related graphic material for the 2010 awards which we applied to all communication materials including invitations, event graphics and the awards catalogue.

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Derwent London: The River & the Railway
Fonts Used: Le Corbusier, Helvetica Neue

The River and the Railway tells the story of property investment company Derwent London. The book outlines the 25 year history of Derwent Valley Holdings and its merger with London Merchant Securities in 2007 which has its origins in the nineteenth century. The book reveals Derwent’s philosophy and approach and how it works closely with leading architects, artists and designers to produce inspiring office spaces in London. The book consists of 160 pages with a case bound cloth cover and slipcase. Screen printed card dividers are inserted at the beginning of each chapter. A six page fold-out features a photo-montage of a fictitious street composed entirely of Derwent London buildings. We were involved in all stages of the process from planning and story-boarding to design. We worked closely with Derwent London and writer Hugh Pearman. The book was produced in an edition of 2,000 copies with a limited run of 100 slipcases.

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V&A Ceramics Galleries
Fonts Used: Helvetica Neue

The V&A’s ceramics collections are one of its greatest glories and unrivalled in the world. The galleries were purpose-built in 1909 and were refurbished and reconfigured by architects Stanton Williams in 2009. The display presents over 3,000 objects which tell the story of ceramics, from the earliest Chinese pottery to contemporary ceramic art. We designed the gallery identity and interpretation graphics, working closely with architects Stanton Williams and the V&A curatorial team. There is a sequence of seven connected galleries, each with an individual theme. At the heart of the display is a rigorous label information system which can be easily updated by the V&A. The labels are printed onto magnetic substrate which carefully integrates with the display cases. Large scale graphics, such as dates, are painted directly onto wall surfaces to provide narrative and aid navigation. Relief letters are inlaid into the ceiling cornicing listing the rich vocabulary of the ceramic process.

In the gallery devoted to materials and techniques, a unique piece of low-tech interactive furniture, ‘Basic Making’, explains the process of making ceramics. The display is designed to appeal to a family audience – engaging and educational without becoming over-simplistic.

From the Editor

It was only a matter of time before I featured the newly updated Cartlidge Levene website—because events like this only occur once every five or so years ;) They’ve gone out with the old flash site and in with html, oh and did I forget to mention that they have a plethora of new work as well? ;)

If you’re not familiar with Cartlidge Levene, let me break it down for you: Established in 1987, legends of British typographic design, a studio where some of the best got their start still going strong today. For more of their work head on over to the archives.

Thank you once again to Melissa and the rest of the Cartlidge Levene crew for making this feature possible and as always for the support :)

www.cartlidgelevene.co.uk

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El Camino

Husky Rescue and El Camino are both projects by Marko Nyberg, an artist and a producer. Husky Rescue is a well-known music group with a strong visual language, which we wanted to remain on the foreground throughout the website. El Camino Helsinki is Marko Nyberg’s audio design studio. Tsto based El Camino’s identity around an embossing stamp and a custom typeface, which was used for both projects. The forms of the typeface were shaped from ten geometric modules, resulting in a geometric sans with characteristic faults.

Typefaces: Custom, Neuzeit Grotesk

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Minni f. Ronya

Minni f. Ronya is a ready-to-wear women’s label from Helsinki. A mix of functionality and spontaneity, the label pays attention to detail in fit and finish while introducing wild printed patterns and avant-garde shapes in ultimately wearable garments.

Typefaces: P22 Underground, Linotype Brewery

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Flow

The identity for Flow Festival builds on the idea of the festival crowd as an urban tribe, united by a metaphorical mantra of a visual wordplay set in the bespoke Flow-typeface influenced by contemporary central European trends of postmodern craftsmanship. We see the font as smart, approachable, and humorous. Together with the amulet-like illustrations of Santtu Mustonen, the repetition of letters and images resembles the rhythm of music and creates the core visual language and imagery for the project. This arrangement of elements was used across all media platforms, from web and print to motion graphics, and from venue signage to office stationery.

Illustrator Santtu Mustonen, digital agency Byroo, video production Beige/Harmaa, and musician Matti Pentikäinen worked as Tsto’s key collaborators.

Typeface: Custom

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Regina

Regina is a three-piece band consisting of husband and wife duo Mikko and Iisa, and a third wheel also going by the name Mikko. Soita mulle is their fourth album and is heavily influenced by the youth and indie music of the 90′s. The band gave us a few iconic music videos of that era as a reference point. Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys struck us the most. The video is directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber. After digging more into Mr. Weber’s body of work, we came across the 90′s Calvin Klein advertisements shot by him. So you may notice the slight resemblance between Calvin Klein’s Eternity and Regina logotypes. The photo is by Megan McIsaacs.

Typefaces: Futura, Custom

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Vuoden Huiput

With Vuoden Huiput (The Best of the Year in Finnish advertising and design) we wanted to experiment with the relatively dubious and unpredictable nature of crowdsourcing and the visual language of anonymous internet users. Together with a programmer we created an application that transformed any written word or sentence into a rebus, an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. In English, a rebus often uses homonyms, as seen in the classic IBM logo consisting of a picture of an eye, a picture of a bee and the letter M. However, homonyms are rare in Finnish language, therefore a rebus was constructed from a list of some 5000 words with the most used syllables and matched with an image search result from Google. The combinations of images and letters may seem just a visual gimmick at first glance, but challenged the audience to look beneath the mere surface.

Typeface: Sofia

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Duotone

Duotone is a photography bureau founded by photographers Taavetti Alin and Juho Huttunen. The brand was based on the dualism found in the focusing lenses of vintage cameras.

Typeface: Sofia

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We Are Helsinki

We Are Helsinki is a free city magazine. It is published six times a year and distributed to nearly 200 distribution spots in Helsinki. In connection with our redesign of We Are Helsinki, the magazine grew in content as well. New sections include the Product Placement spread (a conceptual photographic story connected with the different theme of each issue), the Portfolio section, articles by think tank duo OK-Do, and a follow up series on Helsinki World Design Capital.

Typeface: P22 Underground, Custom, Linotype Gneisenauette

From the Editor

This week on SI we continue the Scandinavian theme, moving from Heydays in Oslo last week to Tsto in Helsinki this week. It would have been nice to have gone full circle and include Stockholm and Copenhagen, but I guess that will have to wait until next time wont it? ;)

Tsto is a (one year old) creative agency founded by six designers. Their approach is thorough and hands-on, they tackle projects by first taking it apart to its bare essentials, and then building it in a new way that best serves the client. This design philosophy allows Tsto to go deeper than the surface, to the essence of each case.

Besides having a great selection of work, Tsto have a equally impressive website to showcase their work on. It’s colourful, functional, distinctive and just like Heydays’ website last week, it’s built entirely on WordPress!

It’ll certainly be interesting to see what this studio produces next year (provided we’re all still here) ;)

Kiitos to Antti and the rest of the lovely crew @ Tsto for supporting SI, providing all the high-res imagery and I hope you (discerning SI reader) enjoyed what you saw in today’s feature :)

tsto.org

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Blokk – Identity

Blokk provides full architecture and interior design services. We created their identity and wanted to reflect their philosophy on embracing openness, a straightforward attitude and clear communication with their clients. With a bold word mark as a base, we wanted to investigate how typography could translate into architectonic shapes and landscapes. Creating a reference to light and shadows hitting the surface, and how the relationship between typography and printed material created hints to landscapes and architectural compositions.

Typeface: Neuzeit

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Heydays – identity

Our own identity comments on our own design principles. A development from the start in 2008, the identity is based on a dividing line half way through every surface, emphasizing a new period in time and a more confident studio. Paper stock, materials and print methods are carefully selected to make every surface a crafted production, with a feeling of quality and timelessness. Beneath, our logotype remains the same, accompanied by the single ‘H’.

Typeface: Univers

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Anorak – Identity

Anorak is a creative agency developing strategies and solutions for ad campaigns. They pride themselves on being creatives first, working close with their clients throughout their projects. We wanted to visualize the cut-through attitude that represents their approach towards their clients. An energetic green line divides every surface, creating to equal surfaces – Anorak and the client they’re working with. This green line appears in numerous ways, making each surface a new representation of this relationship.

Typeface: Trade Gothic

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Snitt – Magazine Redesign

Magazine on visual communication by Grafill, the norwegian trade organization. Snitts purpose was to raise the professional standard of visual communication in Norway and raise awareness by providing inspiration, information and grounds for debate. We were assigned to redesign Snitt. Our goal was to create a open layout, but maintain a good structure for the reader throughout. The purpose was to facilitate the reading flow, but create more room for experimenting in the layout and interpretations of the editorial content. We divided Snitt into three sections and used various paper stock to highlight these. The masthead reflects the name. We wanted the circular shape, inspired by a cross-section, to follow the reader in both section pages, detailing and iconography.

Typefaces: Aperçu, ITC Pacella

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Holien Mo – Identity

A young norwegian photographer with an eye for documenting stories and moments between people. Our task was to create a versatile identity that communicated his craftsmanship and sense of presence in his images. We created a solution based on a simple wordmark, a distinctive triangular shape later used in patterns, stamping and embossing. This, implemented on various tactile paper stocks, creating a warm, but sophisticated feel.

Typeface: Grotesque MT

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OD 2011 – Campaign Identity

Operation Day’s Work is today Norway’s largest solidarity campaign for youth, gathering students to collect funds for an elected international cause. Since 1964 ODW has grown to over 62 countries under slogans such as “Youth, Regardless”. The 2011 campaign were aimed at norwegian youth, challenging the negative perceptions many have on opportunities in Africa. The identity is based on visualizing a strong contrast between the negative and the positive through typography. This years funds were given to Plan Norway, working for better educational opportunities for youth in Rwanda.

Typeface: LL Brown

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Kibsgaard-Petersen – Identity

A full range architecture company that work on both public as well as private housing, founded in Ålesund 1966. The identity, based on the hyphen, communicates a bold and strong architectural language and visualizes the energy that represents Kibsgaard-Petersen, through young innovation combined with years of experience. Their solid red color combined with stamping and embossing tools tells a story of a modern company with solid traditions.

Typeface: DIN

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The Schmucks – Record Sleeve

The Schmucks is a punk band from Oslo. We did the art direction for their EP – Axes of Evil. We contacted illustrator Kristian Hammerstad to do the illustrations, as we felt his style matched both the genre and the title. Evil yet humorous. Togheter we came up with the idea and concept for the cover. Based on the title, it was only right that the cover typography got chopped off, just like in the illustration.

Typefaces: Helvetica Black Condensed, Times

From the Editor

It’s been a pretty eventful month to say the least, life has thrown some unexpected curve balls my way, but I’ve already started to throw a few of those balls back ;) More importantly SI is finally back in business and if you (dear reader) thought for a second that this was might have been the end, you’re sadly mistaken – this is only at the beginning as cliché as that sounds… ;)

Onto today’s main event: Heydays launched their new website a few days ago containing a plethora of new work and sporting a slick, new interface that ditches flash in favour of html – wise decision gents ;) Their work, both the new stuff and the old, speaks for itself the same way it always does and once again reaffirms their commitment to creative excellence. As a result they still have the most popular feature on SI and it wouldn’t surprise me if it happens again with this one too :)

Takk once again to Mathias and Lars @ HEYDAYS for making this feature possible and I hope you (discerning SI reader) enjoyed this visual treat and have a great a weekend :)

heydays.no

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