GDUSA June 2019

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GD USA

GD USA GRAPHIC DESIGN USA

JUNE 2019

WEB DESIGN AWARDS SPONSORED BY

THE CREATIVE GROUP

PRINT 19 IS PURPOSE-DRIVEN LOGO TRENDS REPORT www.gdusa.com

56TH PRINT + PAPER SURVEY SPONSORED BY VERSO

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER | YES, IT’S A THING

Once again, there is almost too much content in this edition — a baker’s dozen one might say.

Interestingly, bakers started adding a 13th roll to the bag during the Industrial Revolution, not because they were generous by nature, but because if they accidentally short-changed a customer, they would end up in a gruesome prison. We are talking Dickensian. Our motivation is a bit more uplifting; we enjoy our community and we like to share. Even information on bakers in 19th century England. Anyway, more on food and money later in this column.

To the point, first up in this edition is our 2019 American Web Design Awards™ showcase. The annual competition about everything digital was the biggest yet — nearly 2,000 entries — and the combination of beautiful imagery, relevant communications, and quality experiences reached new heights. Needless to say, online GORDON KAYE IS THE PUBLISHER OF GDUSA Comments, suggestions and letters can be sent to gkaye @ gdusa.com.

media has a massive reach and, as our showcase demonstrates, designers are mastering its power.

At the same time, a GDUSA tradition — our 56th annual Print + Paper Survey — lives on. Would it surprise you that more than 80% of our readers still design for print as part of their professional mix, that nearly 70% of their projects involve a print component, and that more than 60% of their time is devoted to print design or production? Read and be woke. The showcase and the survey, taken together, remind me of a simple truth noted by a survey respondent: “Print and digital both have their roles to play. The important thing is not the medium, it is creating effective solutions for the client.”

YES, IT’S A THING That said, I am a print and paper fanboy. Yes, it’s a thing. Or it should be. I try to downplay it because, lets face it, in graphics and marketing and publishing circles, the buzz is elsewhere, and I want to fit in. That said, it is hard to miss the meaning of our annual reader survey: Print still matters — a lot — to creative professionals and their audiences.

For context, this survey started back in 1963, when JFK was president, Beatlemania was on the rise, Mister Ed the talking horse was cutting-edge television, the polio vaccine was first administered nationwide, I was still blissfully unaware that my hero Mickey Mantle had some issues with women and drink, and Bernie, Joe and the Donald were in their wonder years. (What ever happened to passing the torch to a new generation?)

Of course, at that time and for decades to come, print and paper dominated graphic communications. Today, print is a choice and an option and a role player, CONTINUED

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Create Cr eate Design Design n That Transcends Tr Transcends Expectations E xpectations Student work by Zili Ma

A graphic design degree from Academy of Art University gives you the practical skills to launch your career, and the creative conceptual skills to make a difference as a design professional. Learn to build memorable brands, develop innovative products, and create meaningful experiences—all through design.

Watch W atch what our graduates graduates are are doing at ac academyart.edu/gdusa ademyart .edu/ /gdusa Academy of Art University | San Francisco, 1929 | 888.680.8691 | ac academyart.edu/gdusa ademyart.edu/ /gdusa | Study on campus or online

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER | YES, IT’S A THING CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

and our survey has evolved from a look at print prac-

above the fascination with fleeting technological and

tices and techniques into an existential probe of the

cultural concerns that invite shallow, lazy, narcissistic

role and purpose of print today. And what have we

and transitory work. In the process, I try hard to avoid the

found? The answers are inside but here is the spoiler:

“get off my lawn” or “make design great again” grumpy

it’s good news for fanboys.

old man tone, admittedly with only mixed success.

NOT ENOUGH MONEY

Still, I do get a fair bit of positive response to this cri de

Whenever my son-in-law Rob Kaye-Walsh sees a ridicu-

coeur from graphic designers of all ages, captured in a

lously cheap fast-food offer — 10 chicken nuggets or

recent very kind email: “It’s so easy to get swept up in

a grilled breakfast burrito for a buck — he says in a

all the hype you see across all different media channels,

troubled voice “not enough money.” Meaning, of

and it’s tough to know what to believe. But you touch on

course, that any foodstuff so inexpensive feels risky to

a lot of really important points that resonate with me on

consume, and his warning (sometimes) stops me from

many levels. I love the idea of adhering to traditional

indulging. Is there an analogy in the graphic design field?

values and mindful thinking... Pretty inspiring stuff.”

In our new Comments section, Anthony Wood argues

Nice feedback and, as far as I know, not from my mother

that, yes, Fiverr and other freelance hubs are exploiting

or other relation.

the gig economy to the detriment of both creatives and clients. Whatever their intentions, there is not enough

All of which provides a smooth segue to Bill Gardner’s

money at stake for quality or standards to be a priority.

annual LogoLounge trends report, always a highlight of

Anthony’s point parallels Rob’s: You reap what you sow

GDUSA’s publishing year. Bill’s observations on logos

and you get what you pay for.

and identity — and, subtly woven therein, on our life and times — always yield perspective. This year is no

By the way, Comments is a new section of the GDUSA

exception; as evidence I offer one brief paragraph from

magazine where we hope guest columnists will say out-

his multi-page masterpiece:

rageous and irresponsible things that could be described as click bait; so far we’ve only gotten nothing but well-

“I’m compelled to remind that trends do not trendy

articulated, responsible and thoughtful views. Tomorrow

make. Unlike fads, true trends won’t effervesce with

is another day.

cultural shifts but instead reach out in both directions to shake hands with identities from past and future.

TRENDS DO NOT TRENDY MAKE

We keep leaving bread crumbs from past genres while

Perhaps it is advancing age (okay, it’s definitely advanc-

still carving a future path that will never look exactly

ing age) but I find myself increasingly emphasizing the

like what’s left behind.”

need for designers and students to embrace design fundamentals, problem solving and communication skills, and respect for design history — and raise them

4 GDUSA

Yes, I’m a Bill Gardner fanboy.

It’s a thing. Or it should be.

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CONTENTS | JUNE 2019

12

FRESH Rule29 says that only love will keep us together in these divisive times; Baltimore Art Museum campaign envisions alternative futures; co-creation is the next big thing and Nike

By You is all over it; cannabis growers find that the details are in the dirt; BRIGADE helps harness drink-pink momentum for vodka giant; Chase Design Group goes with the flow for all-natural energy drink; and more.

28

COMMENT Anthony Wood questions the wisdom of Fiverr and other low-cost freelance hubs; Katie Denton thinks product designers are especially good at brand design; Ritik Dholakia on succeeding as a values-driven designer; JoEllen Martinson Davis on trends in disability-considered design; and Alexander Jutkowitz contemplates today’s fraught relationship between man and screen and time.

78 PRINT DESIGN SURVEY In year 56 of our look into the print and paper activities of our readers, we find that print remains relevant to creative professionals. Among the findings: two-thirds of all client projects have a print component. The challenge is to harness print’s power, deploy it strategically, and continually explain its value to skeptical and/or resource-challenged clients.

88

LOGO TRENDS Dots. Wings. Periods. Doors. Holes. Spell Signs. Gradient Brakes. Orphan Shadows. All flavors-of-the-moment that Bill Gardner teases out of his study of logos and his proximity to the immersive LogoLounge website. Each specific observation is interesting, but it is Bill’s ability to find overarching themes, and to articulate the long game, that make this annual editorial feature a treat. No, a revelation.

101

HIRING AND CAREERS Diane Domeyer of The Creative Group advises hiring managers that the unicorn they yearn for probably does not exist, and that it may be time for a more open mind and flexible approach to evaluating talent.

GDUSA - Graphic Design USA Volume 56 / No. 23 May/June 2019 Kaye Publishing Corporation (ISSN0274-7499/USPS227020). Published 6 times a year with combined issues in January/February, March/April,

102

FREE INFORMATION

May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December. Executive, editorial and advertising offices at 89 Fifth Avenue, Suite 901, New York NY 10003. Phone: 212.696.4380, Fax: 212.696.4564, www.gdusa.com.

SUBSCRIPTION: Domestic, $72 one year. International, $140 one year.

Periodicals postage paid at New York NY and additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GDUSA - Graphic Design USA, PO Box 3072, Langhorne PA 19047. Permit #224.

WWW.GDUSA.COM

June 2019 TOC Impo_SEPT 07 TOC/Staff 6/5/19 10:57 PM Page 8

| 2019 |

WEB DESIGN AWARDS THE BEST IN WEB, DIGITAL + UX DESIGN

Our annual showcase of the power of design to enhance online communications and experiences.

The outstanding work included here has been created by design firms, ad agencies, inhouse departments and more, and encompasses, website, microsites, apps, online advertising, social media, video and UX/UI Design. You can view this showcase, selected from nearly 2,000 entries, in both print and online at gdusa.com

SPONSORED BY THE CREATIVE GROUP

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n your workforce is happyy,, so is your bottom line. And what makes creative At The Creative Group, we believe that when people happy? Inspiration. Those moments when everything clicks and the absolute best idea is dreamed up and e help inspiration strike by placing highly skilled creative, digital, marketing, advertising and public We p written down. W relations professionals in the right roles at the right companies. The result? Happier creatives, engaged workforces and stronger businesses.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2019 AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS!

888.338.4075 roberthalf.com/creativegroup

Š 2019 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company ompanyy.. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/V Disability/V Veterans. eterans. TCG-0519

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THANKS TO THE SPONSORS THE CREATIVE GROUP A special thank you to The Creative Group (TCG) for its sponsorship of the GDUSA Web Design Awards — The Best In Digital + UX Design. TCG is a specialized staffing firm that connects interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent with a variety of firms. A division of Robert Half, TCG offers flexible solutions to meet companies’ project, contract-to-hire and full-time employment needs.

One of The Creative Group’s many valuable resources is the 2019 Salary Guide, for all the in-depth salary data needed to help you make the best hiring and career decisions, including starting salary figures

GD USA GRAPHIC DESIGN USA

Gordon Kaye Publisher

for 85 positions and insights into the latest hiring trends. For this, and many other reasons, working with The Creative Group gives companies and individual professionals a unique advantage. With offices located in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, TCG is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

ART & PRODUCTION Ilana Greenberg Creative Director

LEARN MORE AT ROBERTHALF.COM/CREATIVE GROUP

VERSO CORPORATION

Sasha Kaye-Walsh Production Director

Verso Corporation is the exclusive sponsor of GDUSA’s 56th Annual Print Design reader survey. A leading provider of specialty and graphic papers, packaging and pulp, Verso’s distinguished product line, stream-

Jay Lewis Photographer

lined supply chain and flexible manufacturing capabilities make it ultra-responsive to market demand, extending its ability to get you the products you need, when you need them. Verso offers the best quality printing papers with a broad selection of certified and recycled options for all types of printing applications. Its mills are strategically located near top industry printers across North America, so products are available when you need them. Verso states: “We provide expert customer support, on-press technical service and insightful solutions that bring added efficiency and productivity straight to your business.

And all of our products are MADE IN THE USA with pride and passion, vision and skill.” This special

ADMINISTRATION & READER SERVICES Althea Edwards Reader Services Manager Angelo Abbondante Accounts Manager

edition of GDUSA is printed on Influence® Gloss, 60 lb. Text from Verso. Influence® offers the highest quality coated freesheet in a No. 3 web paper.

LEARN MORE AT VERSOCO.COM

Jennifer Hoff Scott Sczcypiorski Internet Services Nolan Roth Circulation

ABOUT THE COVER EDITORIAL This portrait of actress and singer Carol Channing is part of a ‘Rest In Power’ social media campaign for Instagram and Facebook by 80east Design of Poughkeepsie NY. Trevor Messersmith is art director, designer and illustrator.

Gordon Kaye Editor Charlotte Kaye Associate Editor

It’s a winner in GDUSA’s 2019 Web Design Awards which begins at PAGE 40.

FOUNDER Milton L. Kaye (1921-2016)

ADVERTISING Ron Andriani Executive VP, Integrated Marketing + Business Development 201.485.8720 212.696.4380 randriani@ gdusa.com

COVER PAPER CREDIT: The cover of this special edition of GDUSA is printed on FSC-certified Kallima Coated Cover C2S, part of the Kallima Paper family of FSC-certified coated cover paperboard, manufactured by the Tembec Paper Group. A leading advocate of sustainability, Kallima has a distinct low-density high-bulk construction resulting in less trees used and significant cost savings to the customer. Contact: kallimapaper.com and 1.800.411.7011

Gordon Kaye Publisher 212.696.4380 gkaye @ gdusa.com COPYRIGHT 2019 BY KAYE PUBLISHING CORPORATION

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FRESH | NIKE BY YOU BRANDING EMPHASIZES CO-CREATION

NEW YORK NY Creative agency Gretel has rebranded Nike ID

as Nike By You, which invites consumers to co-create their own sportswear with the iconic label. The branding positions Nike for a future where technology is increasingly making bespoke sportswear accessible, where consumers expect to have input with brands they love, and where Nike is as much a service as a product. “The next generation of consumers is setting a high bar for customization to express all facets of their identity and individuality,” observes Daniel Edmundson, Strategy Director at Gretel. “Nike’s audience craves creative input and the chance to be heard, and Nike needed a pivot not only in how they spoke about customized experiences, but also what the entire offering meant across the brand, inside and out. With this launch Nike is celebrating individuality, the value of being unique and standing out from the crowd. We needed to figure out a way to re-orientate the brand around co-creation, delivering something that is recognizably Nike, can stand out within Nike environments and flex across endless, unique applications.” The resulting identity, he says, consists of two layers. The first layer is “Nike”, a technical black and white layer representing Nike’s expertise via core elements of the brand such as the swoosh and the Futura Extra Bold Condensed typeface. The second layer is “You” which includes color, expression and personality. The base layer is controlled and functional; the second layer is free and expressive. The rebrand appears currently online and will gradually roll out in stores. gretelny.com

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— THE ART OF —

Christine Wilson, B.F.A., graphic design, 2018, Duluth, Georgia

ACHIEVEMENT

In the last two years, SCAD graphic design students have won more than 115 awards and honors from such top firms and publications as Applied Arts, Communication Arts, Core77, GDUSA, Graphis, HOW Design, Indigo Design Awards, International Design Awards, Red Dot and more. The SCAD graphic design program parallels the latest evolution of professional practice, delving into product packaging, entrepreneurship, mobile technology, immersive reality, interface design, user experience and more.

Design your career. scad.edu/graphic-design

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FRESH | BMA CAMPAIGN DISRUPTS TO SPARK DIALOG

BALTIMORE MD Can design carry a conversation beyond the walls

of a lecture hall? Can it create richer context for the event itself? Can it spark new dialog and debate? Design studio Post Typography and the Baltimore Museum of Art grappled with these questions as they collaborated to promote The Necessity of Tomorrow(s), a high-profile BMA lecture series featuring prominent Black artists and thought leaders on art, race, and social justice. In the end, the answer was a resounding “yes” — and radical, whimsical, and provocative visions of the future came to form the centerpiece of the campaign. Many of these visions appear on billboards, bus shelters and posters around Baltimore. An unusual aspect of the campaign is a series of “interrupted” objects where provocative messages disrupt vernacular advertising and signage. Says Bruce Willen, Creative Director and cofounder (with Nolen Strals) of Post Typography: “Many of the signs and messages we see each day are selling us unhealthy products and perpetuating unhealthy systems. Interrupting them with unexpected, optimistic messages, asks us to turn a more critical eye on these systems.” The campaign’s visual approach borrows equally from retrofuturist science fiction and contemporary design iconography, creating a look that is “decidedly weird and instantly recognizable.”

Appropriately, The Necessity of Tomorrow(s) lecture series takes its name from an essay by black science fiction author Samuel Delany on the importance of speculative futures. www.posttypography.com and bmatomorrows.org/#

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FRESH | RULE29 HOPES LOVE CONQUERS ALL

CHICAGO IL LEO, an online manifestation of the mandate to Love Each

Other, has a simple if challenging mission: to encourage everyone to show more love. LEO believes that love is the answer to the negativity and divisiveness of the moment, and that means accepting and supporting all people, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else that makes them different. The website and online community is the brainchild of Rule29 and the creative firm’s founder Justin Ahrens. Ahrens elaborates: “Today’s world is filled with complex and difficult issues that are hard to fully understand. LEO has curated a collection of resources, stories, and thoughts about current issues that affect all of us.

LEO invites you to learn, empathize, and expand your knowledge in the following ways: develop strong empathy skills; participate in open and honest dialogue; and perform positive acts of service.” leomoments.com

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FRESH | RECOGNIZABLE SYMBOLS BRAND MEDICAL CANNABIS ADVISOR

LONDON UK Medical Cannabis Mentor, a new online

learning platform for healthcare professionals, patients and dispensary personnel, has launched with a brand identity by Here Design. With legislation around cannabis use changing rapidly across many U.S. states and the world, co-founders of Medical Cannabis Mentor Dr. Junella Chin and Joe Dolce identified a need for medical professionals and dispensary workers to undertake training in how to dose and deliver the drug with confidence and accuracy. Keen to move away from the traditional design codes of the cannabis sector, Dolce and Dr. Chin approached the London-based design firm to create a “modern, intelligent and approachable look and feel” for the online education platform. The logo brings together two recognizable symbols — the cannabis leaf and medical cross — to create an image that is visually engaging and clear in its intentions. A refined color palette of green and neutral tones is used across the online learning platform and downloadable materials.

The project includes brand identity, printed and digital collateral, brand guidelines, and promotional materials. www.heredesign.co.uk

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FRESH | DETAILS ARE IN THE DIRT FOR CANNABIS GROWERS

DENVER CO LRXD has created new packaging for Growers, a Colorado company that sells soil and nutrients specifically

developed to grow verdant cannabis crops. Growers combines the handcrafted art of cultivation with emerging technologies to produce their product line and LRXD — which describes itself as a “health and happiness agency” — created package designs that juxtapose expository iconography with playful type treatments to create a legacy look associated with farm and seed companies. To show shoppers that “the details are in the dirt,” packages are rendered in a vintage industrial style that jumbles elements of decorative text with simple two-color images in a modular format that highlights specific product benefits. Through different font treatments, information such as “Small Batch” and “Colorado Made” and “Contains Starter Nutrients” can stand out. Each Growers’ product is assigned a different ink color and combined with a black base.

Says LRXD Creative Director Andy Dutlinger. “Chip Baker, who founded the company, grew up on a farm and has been perfecting soil and fertilizer from his own cultivation of cannabis. We wanted to showcase his vast knowledge and utilization of cutting-edge technology, as well as his colorful personality, with this brand.” In addition to Dutlinger, agency credits go to designers Drew Bentley, Tyler Merritt, copywriter Greg Lewis, chief digital officer John Gilbert, lead developer Dan Alexander and account manager Clayton Warwick. www.lrxd.com

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FRESH | BRIGADE SWEETENS SVEDKA BRAND EXTENSION

HADLEY MA BRIGADE worked closely with SVEDKA to

design and launch their first vodka brand extension: SVEDKA RosĂŠ. The western MA-based design firm has had a decadelong relationship with SVEDKA, the number one importer of vodka in the United States. In addition to concepting, designing, and producing the packaging for the product, BRIGADE worked with the client marketing team to anticipate and alleviate potential communication challenges inherent to launching a product that consumers may not be familiar with. From headlines to visual hierarchy, the design team created a strategic and disruptive creative platform that harnesses the drink-pink momentum of rosĂŠ in the marketplace and engages an LDA (legal drinking age) millennial+ audience off-premise. wearebrigade.com

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June 2019 FRESH Impo_feb news play 6/5/19 10:49 PM Page 24

FRESH | CHASE CAPTURES NATURAL FLOW FOR ENERGY DRINK

LOS ANGELES CA The global energy drinks market size is

anticipated to reach $84.70 billion by 2026 according to a new report published by Polaris Market Research. But, although consumers appreciate the boost energy drinks provide, they are concerned about high sugar content, artificial and unknown ingredients that produce jitters and crashes, and fear of an unpleasant taste. To counter this perception â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to emphasize that X2 is an all-natural energy drink â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Chase Design Group rebuilt the brand from the ground up to convey a sense of the natural flow of energy that X2 delivers.

Energy wave graphics, modern typography, and a clear hierarchy with bold logo comprise the new brand look. Ultimately, Chase extended the new design language across the entire X2 portfolio to include their sport, and pro sport lines for a cohesive family of products. www.chasedesigngroup.com

24 G D U S A

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Jan an nT Ts schichold an a d the New T Tyypograp phy Graphic Design Between the World Wars

Exhibition E xhibition On On V View iew T Through hrough JJuly uly 7 7,, 2019 2019

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June 2019 FRESH Impo_feb news play 6/5/19 10:50 PM Page 28

TWO MOVEMENTS WITH STAYING POWER JOELLEN MARTINSON DAVIS

Representation: Including individuals with disabilities in the creation process is crucial. Sumaira Latif, a consultant with Proctor & Gamble who is blind, did just that when she recommended small, textural bumps on the Herbal Essence hair care bottles to differentiate between shampoo and conditioner.

Authenticity: From corporate missions to incorporating the voices of those with disabilities, it’s about finding ways to elevate the overall brand experience and change the narrative. Companies need to trust people with disabilities in their own expertise, take care to listen and let them direct how they wish to be represented.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN Houseplants started to gain mass appeal in 2016 and established some of the earliest plantfluencers with massive social followings. Their Insta-impact quickly evolved from prop to signifier in today’s wellness world because of their positive impact.

The language of design is constantly evolving.

Plants keep our bodies and minds active, reduce sick days and

As a creative, I look to see what is resonating with

absentee rates in work and boost productivity. Biophilic design

consumers and prompting long-term behavior

incorporates elements of nature into our environments and architecture in order to facilitate that wellness. While there are

change. Two trends that have staying power are how

grand examples of this, like the Liuzhou Forest City and Amazon

brands are addressing disabilities and how they

Spheres, there are also smaller every day examples.

are incorporating natural cues into their products.

On a recent trip to buy a box of Band-Aids, I noticed sitting next to one of the brand’s designer partnership SKUs with Oh Joy, a

DESIGN AND DISABILITY

collection of Band-Aid designs featuring tropical plants well

There’s a movement to drop “idealized” depictions of people in

known on Instagram. These designs are born out of a strong

advertising campaigns in an effort to show “real and authentic”

visual trend, but in thinking about biophilic design’s ability to

imagery. Companies and retailers are including more people of

promote wellness, could this SKU be doing that by way of illus-

all sizes, shapes, backgrounds, and skin tones. They are being

tration and representation? Can biophilic design become a key

pushed to provide more inclusive, representative and accessible

semiotic in health and wellness design, and have an impact on

design to include the now 1 in 4 people with disabilities. We see

the wellness of consumers?

it happening in a few ways: Inclusion: Brands are elevating people with disabilities in their ad campaigns. For example, Gerber chose Lucas Warren, a baby

JOELLEN MARTINSON DAVIS is an Associate Creative Director at Ultra Creative.

She’s been with Ultra for 17 years, using her talents through a variety of media to bring campaigns, packaging, and brands to life. She’s worked as a project lead for

with Down syndrome, as its brand ambassador in 2018. Addi-

clients like General Mills, Children’s Hospitals of MN, Hershey’s, and Heinz, and is the

tionally, Getty Images is updating their stock photography to

recipient of numerous design awards. JoEllen excels at idea generation and brings her

better represent people with disabilities.

thoughtful integrity to help clients discover emotionally engaging creative. A devotee of Mister Rogers, she champions kindness and is an advocate of inclusion for all.

Accessibility: Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats adding free Braille sticker sheets to their “Love Notes” treat packaging when they realized that not all families had the same ability to use the original written notes.

28 G D U S A

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June 2019 FRESH Impo_feb news play 6/5/19 10:51 PM Page 30

TURNING THE DIGITAL INTO THE PHYSICAL: A MEDITATION ON TIME ALEXANDER JUTKOWITZ

Select a silver mylar bag labeled “Facebook” and out pops a 4’ x 4’ acrylic mirror with engraved text that reads: “Your great aunt tagged you in a profile picture from 3 years ago.” Or pick a bag titled “Instagram” and receive a card with the words: “Photo of a couple walking hand in hand down the hallway of a political residence.”

But the goods are only released after watching a countdown clock projected on the floor, ticking away the time value attached to your bag of choice. And there’s no cheating the system – if you lift your head up, facial recognition technology knows you’re no longer spending your time and tells the machine to pause the countdown.

Our hope for the Time Machine is that the forced meditation ultimately prompts users to more consciously decide whether to spend seconds reading a funny tweet, skimming a news story or watching a funny cat video. And just like the real media on these channels, the machine’s products vary from the generic to the nuanced, from the insipid to the imaginative.

Reconnecting with a friend you haven’t seen since childhood. Reading the front page of the New York Times from the day you were born. Searching for a soul mate — or at least a date for Saturday night. Thanks to the internet, all of these activities are now possible without speaking to another person, leaving your apartment or even getting out of bed.

In the age of the Internet, one of the creative world’s key challenges has been to translate the physical into the digital. But to encourage us to step back and better understand how this translation has changed the relationship we have with information, other people and ourselves, the Time Machine turns the challenge of digitization on its head.

As content creators, communicators and designers of visual experiences, our greater objective with the Time Machine is to push us to constantly consider: Are the stories we publish every day really worth our audience’s time? Do they go beyond the expected? Do they inspire human connection?

Convenient, undoubtedly. And, on their own, these digitized moments may even retain their analog meaning. But, too often,

In a sense, the Time Machine is our North Star, a living reminder to

one online interaction cascades into another, sucking you in like a

deliver experiences that only and always value our audiences’ time.

black hole until you realize you can’t account for hours of your day.

Eventually, it makes you wonder: What do we lose when we gain access to seemingly everything, just by spending time online?

Group SJR is a WPP digital content creation agency on a mission to make people more reflective about the time they spend on the internet. Alexander Jutkowitz is the CEO and founder of SJR. Jutkowitz also serves as a board member of The Advertising

That’s the question behind the Time Machine, a retrofitted

Council and The New School, is an adjunct professor at USC’s Annenberg School

90s-era vending machine, designed to deconstruct the modern

of Communications and Journalism, and is the author of The Strategic Storyteller,

relationship between man and screen. Built by my agency, SJR,

published by Wiley in 2017.

the machine is a physical manifestation of the internet. Instead of chips, cookies or soda, it vends the virtual moments that somehow define too much of our days. But the only payment it accepts is time.

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CELEBR ATE THE PO WER OF PRINT AND PAPER INTRODUCING

PAPER.DOMT APER TAR.COM

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T’S MEMOR A B LE . I T ’ S L A S T I N G . T HAT ’ S W HY W E ’ V E C R E AT E D P APER MATTERS ® MA G A ZI N E — T O C E LE B R AT E A N D I N S PI R E T HE E V O LVING W O RLD O F T HE G R A P HI C DE S I G N , P A P E R AN D P RI N T I N G C O MMUN I T I E S .

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June 2019 FRESH Impo_feb news play 6/5/19 10:51 PM Page 32

HOW TO SUCCEED AS A VALUES-DRIVEN DESIGNER RITIK DHOLAKIA

Achieving financial stability, taking care of your team, and delivering consistently meaningful work is not easy. There are four principles that help us strike the balance — and I think they apply just as much to individual designers as they do to any agency.

• CLEARLY DEFINE VALUES – make them specific and something the whole team can be accountable to. They must be more than just high-minded inspirational words; you must hold your own feet to the fire.

• BE TRANSPARENT. Every year, we have a studio-wide review of our financials and business plan, where we collectively decide what to take on. Often, we offer the team a choice between projects that will earn everyone an additional $5K bonus and something pro bono or discounted, but which means them forgoing extra bonuses. They always choose the latter.

• INVEST IN MISSION-DRIVEN WORK THE SAME AS ANYTHING ELSE. Don’t sell it short. Too often, pro bono or discounted work is treated like a step-child — it’s in the family but doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Studio Rodrigo will be seven years old this February. Each year, we’re always a bit amazed to still be in business — given that we try and balance the commercial reality of our business with a foundation of core values that guide how we operate.

• STAY INDEPENDENT. We don’t have financial masters outside the agency so we can do what we want.

All of this means we get to work with the kind of mission-driven clients that really fire us up. And they get a partner that understands their approach and is fully behind what they’re trying to do.

We put in 100% whatever we’re working on, but it’s the projects we feel passionately about that result in our best work.

Those values: to do quality work, to empower people, to make an impact by working with companies doing meaningful things, to give something back, and to be transparent.

RITIK DHOLAKIA is the Founder and Product Lead at Studio Rodrigo, an independent New York design studio which he started with Khoi Uong in 2012. The stu-

We have strong personal and practical reasons to stick to these

dio focuses on creating digital products and services, specializing in helping

values. At a personal level: we have a limited number of hours

companies identify and evaluate new product opportunities, develop product strate-

to do productive work in our careers. We want to make our

gies, and design and bringing new products and services to market. He has worked

hours count.

with companies including Comcast, Spotify and Pace Gallery. Ritik excels at earlystage product management, managing design teams and connecting the dots be-

On the practical side, younger designers are more motivated by values than previous generations were, and they’re more likely to seek out places to work where their views are shared. Being values-led means we get the right kind of people working with us.

32 G D U S A

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June 2019 FRESH Impo_feb news play 6/5/19 10:52 PM Page 34

DESIGN SHOWDOWN BETWEEN FIVERR VS. PROFESSIONALS ANTHONY WOOD

Ethical concerns aside, my goal isn’t to knock the hardworking men and women who are simply trying to make a living in the gig economy. Instead, I just want to explain the difference between a $5 logo and one from a top-notch designer, which comes down to the following: - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. - DESIGN IS A CRITICAL PART OF YOUR BRAND, AND NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SKIMP ON. - QUALIFIED, EXPERIENCED DESIGNERS HAVE CERTAIN STANDARDS (AND EXPENSES).

QUALITY COSTS MONEY Yes, you can get a design on the cheap. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. The fundamental problem of a cheap design centers around quality: $5 doesn’t go very far, and because it’s difficult to stretch their dollars, low-cost freelancers are likely to cut corners — drastically.

Take this revealing experiment, from Osaka-based designer and

If you’ve taken mass transit in a major city lately — or simply watched buses or billboards go by — you’ve seen them.

entrepreneur Sacha Greif. Curious to see what $5 could buy, Greif posed as a burgeoning SaaS startup and contacted three logo designers on Fiverr. Unfortunately, Greif noticed a recurring theme: though the first few pages of the portfolio had snazzy, eye-catching designs, the quality soon dropped drastically as he clicked through.

Puzzled by this discrepancy, Greif realized that these designers

Glossy, expansive, black-and-white images feature wan-faced

were copying other designers’ work — and claiming it as their

men and women — ambition, drive, and insomnia etched into

own. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident; even the

their features. Brows furrowed in determination, their faces are

designers he chose — all of whom had relatively original work

perched above action-oriented headlines that range from bold

in their portfolios, and some of whom were paid more than

(“Do first. Ask forgiveness later.”) to downright masochistic

Fiverr’s $5 base fee — copied their designs from stock templates.

(“You eat a coffee for lunch ... sleep deprivation is your drug of

Of the three, only one designer created original work — which

choice...you might be a doer.”).

Greif found lacking.

A preview of a dystopian, automated future? Flyers for medical

But this experiment raises an interesting question: at such a low

school? Motivational ads for side hustles?

rate, should designers even be expected to create original, mindblowing work? After all, at this price point, margins are incredibly

Actually, it’s none of the above. Instead, this is a new ad campaign

thin; clearly, a designer on Fiverr has to rely on volume to make

for Fiverr, the website where every service begins at the base

money, hoping to rush out as many designs as quickly as possible.

price of $5. That’s right: for the starting price of $5, clients can hire Fiverr freelancers to sing birthday songs, make videos —

And unfortunately, when prices are this low (and work volume

and yes, design layouts, ads, logos, and even entire products.

is this high), clients simply can’t expect quality. By the very nature CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

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DESIGN SHOWDOWN BETWEEN FIVERR VS. PROFESSIONALS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

of a low-cost model (of which Fiverr is only one example), designers can’t spend too much time on any individual gig.

Websites like Upwork (one of the largest freelancer sites) aren’t much better. Not only do they take massive fees from freelancers, they also encourage a race to the bottom as clients seek out the cheapest (and most desperate) freelancers.

The point is, serious freelancers avoid online marketplaces.

And if you’re a serious client with an actual business to run, you will too.

DON’T SKIMP ON DESIGN

QUALIFICATIONS Much like the disparity between someone with a camera and a professional photographer, the difference between a Fiverr “designer” and a working designer lies in skill, training, experience, and an eye for aesthetics.

First, design equipment is not cheap. Adobe Creative Cloud (which includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign), is one of the industry standard-programs, priced on a subscriptiononly model that can run for anywhere from $30-50 per month, depending on the programs you choose (with nonprofit, student, and teacher discounts). Of course, you need a computer that

In almost any industry, design is your brand: the voice of your

can run the software in the first place; given the long history

product, the personality of your company, and most importantly,

of Apple products playing a leading role in graphic design,

the face your company presents to consumers.

it’s more likely than not that said computer will be a Mac.

To use an extreme example of high-end design, take Apple’s

Though some effective designers are self-taught, the vast

product. Though the tech conglomerate has fallen behind in

majority of working designers have some sort of training

recent years, Apple rose to prominence in large part because

under their belt. True, there are some valid critiques of tradi-

of Steve Jobs’ love of design and simplicity — drawn from

tional design education, but the benefits of a proper design

eclectic sources ranging from sleek, Eichler architecture to his

education are numerous: a structured learning environment,

passion for calligraphy. From this, Jobs pushed his engineers

a logical curriculum, instructors with real-world agency expe-

and designers to incorporate a series of groundbreaking fea-

rience, and like-minded peers. Critics may say that the measure

tures, which granted Apple products a unique, immediately

of any designer is a portfolio, and not GPA — which is true —

recognizable personality. For instance, the iPhone 4 is a glossy

but building a portfolio, even for experienced designers, isn’t

masterstroke of fit and finish, balancing form and function with

exactly easy. This is doubly true for those without a formal

its sleek, rounded edges and high-performance hardware.

design education.

Granted, not all companies can match Apple, in either market

In the end, all this reinforces one point: great design, especially

share or products. But Apple’s case yields some very telling

that worthy of your brand, is not cheap. To patronize the lowest

lessons about how personality and brand are expressed by

possible bidder isn’t just fueling the race to the bottom — it

design. In a nutshell, colors, shapes, and layouts (as well as the

also shortchanges your own business, making it harder for

interplay between them) breathe life and lend flair to your brand.

you to succeed.

And given that companies are entities, rather than people, design serves as their voice. Are you edgy and forward-thinking, like Vietnam-based studio Rice? Relentlessly futuristic, like Nike’s transparent-soled sneakers? Or a streamlined master-

AFTER WORKING AS A SENIOR DESIGNER AT LEADING AD AGENCIES LIKE HAVAS WORLDWIDE, ANTHONY WOOD TRANSITIONED INTO TEACHING DESIGN. TODAY, HE IS THE GLOBAL MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SHILLINGTON EDUCATION.

piece of altruism, like charity: water?

Ultimately, Atlanta-based designer Jesscreatives says it best: do you want a Walmart logo, or an Oakley logo? After all, as a business owner, the choice really is yours. Given all that, why would you cut costs (and corners) for your brand?

G D U S A 37

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WHY PRODUCT DESIGNERS ARE GOOD AT CREATING STRONG BRANDS KATIE DENTON SYSTEMS-ORIENTED: Achieving consistency across a product ecosystem relies on embracing complexity, something that product designers are exceptionally skilled at. Well-executed product design similarly relies on the ability to connect the big picture to the tiny details.

This is increasingly important as brands are forced to scale across new and different channels.

BUILT TO SCALE: Your brand identity will need to flex and grow as your business evolves—it’s almost inevitable. If you treat your brand like a startup launching a minimum viable product (MVP), you open up new opportunities to learn and iterate fast.

DIGITALLY ANCHORED If your product is centered in a digital experience, the brand must be anchored in that context, and should be developed by people who understand what makes feasible, viable, and desirable products.

Building brand loyalty today requires more than

RADICAL COLLABORATION

slick advertising and catchy tag lines. The brands

You can’t develop a product in a vacuum and nor should you

that stay top of mind are the ones that offer the

develop a brand in one. The sum is always greater than its parts,

best end-to-end experiences and are truly seamless

and interdisciplinary teams unlock fresh ideas. This closeness of collaboration is paramount because as the brand grows and

in their functional delivery of a service.

evolves, you and your team will serve as the first wave of brand

Furthermore, in a world where change is constant, brands must

ambassadors. You must enthusiastically embody the brand in order

react in a way that inspires trust. If your job involves owning

to properly roll it out and convince others it is worth rallying behind.

any part of your brand’s customer experience, then you know firsthand how daunting this challenge can be.

At the end of the day, whether you are launching a new brand or trying to improve the presence of an existing brand, you

The good news is that there are effective strategies which you

should look for a design partner that invests in understanding

can use to create a strong brand — all beginning with a focus

your vision and enhancing it with their expertise. Partnering with

on product design. In our work at Doberman, we’ve found a

product designers who bring their expertise — the ability to

sweet spot using our tried-and-true product design processes to

empathize with users, to think about the big picture (and the

create new brands. Here are five principles which have helped

long-term) all amped up with an understanding of tech consid-

us create successfully branded products for companies like

erations and trends — will set your brand up for continued

Oscar Health, WealthSimple and more:

growth in the ever-evolving and often unpredictable landscape of digital experience.

HUMAN-CENTERED The way your brand is perceived is a direct function of how people

KATIE DENTON is the Creative Director at Doberman, with offices in Stockholm

interact with it. A user-centered design process organically brings

and NYC. Katie leads teams to push creative strategies and co-create with clients to

users into the creative process early and often to understand

launch disruptive products that are as beautiful as they are innovative. Before joining Doberman, Katie was an Associate Creative Director at frog working with a range of

whether a product will be usable. This research-driven empa-

clients including the Verizon iOT group, Banco Azteca in Mexico and GS Shop in South

thetic mindset can be incredibly powerful when unlocking what

Korea. Her work has been recognized by leading publications and awards programs.

will make a meaningful brand.

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| 2019 |

WEB DESIGN AWARDS THE BEST IN WEB, DIGITAL + UX DESIGN Our annual showcase of the power of design to enhance online communications and experiences.

The outstanding work included here has been created by design firms, ad agencies, inhouse departments and more, and encompasses, website, microsites, apps, online advertising, social media, video and UX/UI Design. You can view this showcase, selected from nearly 2,000 entries, in both our print edition and online at gdusa.com

SPONSORED BY THE CREATIVE GROUP 80east Design 69, Affinity Creative Group Alight Solutions 42, ALTITUDE LLC artistcalledparis.com AstroNova Inc. Auburn University School of Industrial + Graphic Design Bank of America 43, 69, Behavior Design 43, BERDON LLP Accountants and Advisors Blackbird Digital BNY Mellon AMT Creative Design Services Boeing/Creative Services 45, 69, Bonavita Design c|change Canary, a Gould Evans Studio 45, CCI Health & Wellness Services Corse Design Factory Creating Digital 46, Creative Mellen Creatovision Design Group Crown Media CuriousMindz David Kerr Design, Inc. Dead Horse Branding Dell, Experience Design Group Designwerke Inc. DMI 49, DMI Marketing, Inc. Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Graphic Design Program 74, Equity Creative 49, Fluke Corporation GillFishmanDesign/Cambridge Gladiator Consulting Ideas On Purpose 51, Jarrod Michael Studios Jensen Creative Studio 52, Kanan F. Whited Karen Skunta & Company Keenan Creative Forces Kennesaw State University | School of Art and Design Knowble Kraus Marketing 53,

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70 42 72 42 42 70 74 72 44 44 44 44 72 45 45 46 46 46 47 47 47 70 67 48 48 67 48 67 49 75 50 70 50 51 52 73 71 52 53 53 75 53 54

KUDOS Design Collaboratory L.S. Boldsmith Laxalt & McIver Level Group LoanLogics Inc. Lu Hickman Creative Co. 55, Lyquix Matrix Partners Mermaid, Inc. Miles Technologies MOD-Lab Neff Associates Niika Odonnell Company 58, Olive + Spark Design Studio Paradigm Marketing and Design Pixel Parlor Porchlight QNY Creative 59, RenĂŠe Stevens Design, LLC Roni Lagin & Co. Rowland Creative 60, 61, Rule29 Shih-Wei Cheng Siegel+Gale Southwest Research Institute, Media Production Services Splendor Design Group 61, Stark Design Streetsense Studio 165+ | Ball State University School of Art Suffolk University SWBR Test Monki The Kitchen Collaborative 63, 69, The Walker Group Tyler School of Art, Temple University Viktoriia Pshenychko Visible Logic Weller Smith Design Werner Enterprises Whisteria Creative Co. Wilford Design, Inc. Woodbury University Xinran Liu

54 71 55 55 55 64 56 56 56 57 57 58 58 71 58 59 59 59 60 67 60 73 71 68 73 61 62 62 62 76 62 63 63 73 64 76 65 65 65 66 77 66 77 66

june ads_Layout 1 6/6/19 7:27 AM Page 41

n your workforce is happyy,, so is your bottom line. And what makes creative At The Creative Group, we believe that when people happy? Inspiration. Those moments when everything clicks and the absolute best idea is dreamed up and highly skilled creative, digital, marketing, advertising and public p written down. We help inspiration strike by placing relations professionals in the right roles at the right companies. The result? Happier creatives, engaged workforces and stronger businesses.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2019 AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS!

888.338.4075 roberthalf.com/creativegroup

Š 2019 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company ompanyy.. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/V Disability/V Veterans. eterans. TCG-0519

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:17 PM Page 42

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Affinity Creative Group, Mare Island CA Client: Crimson Wine Group Title: Chamisal Vineyards Website Designer: Affinity Creative Group Programmer: Affinity Creative Group Web Developer: Affinity Creative Group Videography: Affinity Creative Group

Design Firm: Alight Solutions, Islip NY Client: Charter Communications Title: Charter Benefits eNewsletter | Winter 2019 Creative Director/Client Lead: Jill Rafkin Art Director/Designer: Cristine Giannotti Writer: David Stuart Project Manager: Kristin Peacock Production Editor: Randall Van Vynckt

Design Firm: ALTITUDE LLC, Philadelphia PA Client: Herb Cohen Executive Coaching Title: Herb Cohen Executive Coaching Website Art Directors: Rosemary Bock, Jessie Marushak Designer: Rosemary Bock Photographer: Rosemary Bock Copywriter: Jessie Marushak 7C Communications

Design Firm: artistcalledparis.com, Somerville MA Client: Zaley Acupuncture Title: Website Design Art Director: Samantha Paris Estes Designer: Samantha Paris Estes

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Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: Home Loans Mortgage Client Experience Landing Page Contributors: Doug Reppa, Stacy Stigelman, Nouri Elasfari, Debbie Warburton, Jim English, Priscella Person

Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: Intelligent Receivables Site Contributors: Deanna Czojor, Elise Daher, Mohamed Beshir, Nouri Elasfari, David Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Debbie Warburton

Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: ESG Article Landing Page Contributors: Tiffany Nash, Jim Gialamas, Nouri Elasfari, Elise Daher, Debbie Warburton, Kevin Anderson

Design Firm: Behavior Design, New York NY Client: Rochester Institute of Technology Title: RIT Website Design Art Director: Jeff Piazza Designer: Amanda Chen Project Manager: Holly Esparrago Managing Director: Mimi Young

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Behavior Design, New York NY Client: Ellucian Title: Ellucian Website Design Art Director: Jeff Piazza Designers: Tracy Wong, Jason Nunes Project Manager: Holly Esparrago Managing Director: Mimi Young

Design Firm: BERDON LLP Accountants and Advisors, New York NY Title: BERDON LLP - LISTEN. SOLVE. DO. Art Director: Berdon Marketing Group Designer: MaxBurst Programmer: MaxBurst Web Developer: MaxBurst Copywriter: Berdon Marketing Group

Design Firm: Blackbird Digital, Willoughby OH Client: Low Spark Films Title: Low Spark Films Website Art Director: Pat Walsh Designer: Pat Walsh Programmer: Cory Hughart Web Developer: Cory Hughart

Design Firm: BNY Mellon AMT Creative Design Services, New York NY Client: Mellon Investments Corporation Title: Mellon Corporate Website Creative Director: John Thudium Designer: Jon Hatch Web Developer: Patrick McGlogan Project Manager: Mashuk Choudhury Development Manager: Ben Collins Marketing Director: Kathryn Busby Digital Marketing Manager: Daniel Lee

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Design Firm: Boeing/Creative Services, Tukwila WA Client: Boeing Title: 3, 2, 1.

Mars Is Calling Creative Director: Jeffrey Barlow Designer: Lauren Tierney Creative Strategy, Web-UI Designer: Michael Hren Editorial Writer: Bruce Reilly Project Manager: Celia Barenfanger Front End Developer: Christopher Barrett Web UI-Designer: Rachel Fransz Sylvestro

Design Firm: Bonavita Design, Montclair NJ Client: Command Companies Title: Command Companies, Powered As One Creative Director: Donna Bonavita Designer: Donna Bonavita Web Developers: Alesha Peluso, Three Summers Creative Copywriters: Lisa Meyer, Principal, Jump Marketing President, Command Digital: Nicholas Brusco

Design Firm: c|change, Chicago IL Title: Clouds of Change Website Creative Director: Megan Palicki Designers: Blair Toney, Emily Tumen, Leila Kadri, Maggie Suter Web Developer: Curtis Andrews Copywriters: BonnieCate Culhane, Joe Gustav VP Marketing & Digital Strategy: Adrian Gershom Senior Graphic Designer: Joan Bueta Senior Design Lead: Rob Kerr Motion Graphic Designer/Video Editor: Kevin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke Interactive Designer: Allison Baker Senior Account Manager: Teagan Pastiak

Design Firm: Canary, a Gould Evans Studio, Phoenix AZ Client: LifeWorks Restaurant Group - Aramark Title: LifeWorks Website Redesign Designer: Nicole Norgren Programmer: Hero_Digital Web Developer: Hero_Digital Copywriters: Amanda Harper, Nicole Norgren

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Canary, a Gould Evans Studio, Phoenix AZ Client: Young Mind Center Title: Young Mind Center Website Redesign Art Director: Amanda Harper Designer: Nicole Norgren Web Developers: Nicole Norgren, Ryan Fickenscher

Design Firm: CCI Health & Wellness Services, Silver Springs MD Title: CCI Health & Wellness Services Website Art Director: Jose Luis Diaz Web Developer: Laurie Anne Ernst

Design Firm: Corse Design Factory, New York NY Client: Benefit Management Solutions Title: BMS Website Art Director: Nigel Sielegar Designer: Nigel Sielegar Programmer: MORRA Web Developer: MORRA

Design Firm: Creating Digital, Garfield NJ Client: The Dinex Group Title: CafĂŠ Boulud Restaurants Website Art Director: Justin Miskowski Web Developer: Asif Somi Project Manager: Brian Essig

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Design Firm: Creating Digital, Garfield NJ Client: The Dinex Group Title: Bar Boulud Restaurants Website Art Director: Justin Miskowski Web Developer: Asif Somi Project Manager: Brian Essig

Design Firm: Creating Digital, Garfield NJ Client: American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute Title: AHLEI Website Art Director: Justin Miskowski Web Developer: Asif Somi Project Manager: Brian Essig

Design Firm: Creative Mellen, Iowa City IA Client: Miyazawa, Inc. Title: Miyazawa Website Design Designer: Kevin Mellen Web Developer: Nick Bushman Content: Jill Fishbaugh

Design Firm: Creatovision Design Group, Fullerton CA Client: Maid In California Title: Maid In California Website Art Director: Justin Juknelis Designer: Justin Juknelis Programmer: Justin Juknelis Web Developer: Justin Juknelis Copywriter: Richard Agata

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: David Kerr Design, Inc., Berkeley CA Client: Sun Valley Rice Title: Sun Valley Rice Website Art Director: David Kerr Designer: Gwyn Fisher Copywriter: Karen Leland

Design Firm: Dead Horse Branding, Nashville TN Client: Serenade Cabinetry Title: Serenade Cabinetry Website Brand Build Art Director: Rick Caballo Designer: Rick Caballo Programmer: Rick Caballo Web Developer: Rick Caballo Photographers: Rick Caballo, Melissa Core Caballo Illustrator: Rick Caballo Copywriter: Serenade Cabinetry

Design Firm: Dead Horse Branding, Nashville TN Title: Dead Horse Branding Website Art Director: Rick Caballo Designer: Rick Caballo Programmer: Rick Caballo Web Developer: Rick Caballo Photographers: Rick Caballo, Melissa Core Caballo Illustrator: Rick Caballo Copywriter: Bronwyn Cox

Design Firm: Designwerke Inc., Toronto ONT Client: IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada) Title: Annual Report 2017-2018 Art Director: Stephen Boake Designers: Stephen Boake, Laura Marquez Web Developer: Vincent Littlehales Copywriter: IIROC

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Design Firm: DMI, Arlington VA Client: NCTA - The Internet & Television Association Title: 10G Website Design Art Directors: Sean Wallace, Erin Krieger Designers: Jenn Upton, Joshua Sukonnik Web Developers: Patrick Glynn, Xerxes Jarquin Copywriter: Elizabeth Van Blargan Project Manager: Theresa Dipeppe Account Director: Dan McNabb

Design Firm: DMI Marketing, Inc., Hingham MA Client: Anchor Wealth Management Group Title: Anchor Wealth Management Group Website Designer: Liz Delaney Web Developer: Nicole Caravella

Design Firm: DMI Marketing, Inc., Hingham MA Client: Morin Associates, LLC Title: Morin Associates Website Designer: Liz Delaney Web Developer: Chris Sylvia

Design Firm: Equity Creative, Kenosha WI Client: Kenosha Area Business Alliance Title: Life Balanced Kenosha Talent Attraction Website Art Directors: Dean Helmke, John Kirchen Designer: John Kirchen Programmers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson Web Developers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson Copywriter: Alex Mohler

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Equity Creative, Kenosha WI Client: Tuxco Title: Tuxco Website Redesign Art Director: Dean Helmke Designer: Jung-Su Lee Programmers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson Web Developers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson Photographer: Mike Atkins Copywriter: Alex Mohler

Design Firm: Equity Creative, Kenosha WI Client: C+R Architecture and Design Title: C+R Architecture and Design Website Redesign Art Director: Adam Slipher Designer: Adam Slipher Programmers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson Web Developers: Mike Atkins, Jonah Larson

Design Firm: GillFishmanDesign/Cambridge, Cambridge MA Client: Silicon Therapeutics Title: Silicon Therapeutics Website Art Director: Alicia Ozyjowski Designer: Alicia Ozyjowski Development/Programming: Peter Roden Writer: Client

Design Firm: GillFishmanDesign/Cambridge, Cambridge MA Client: Boston Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Title: FM Kirby Neurobiology Center Website Art Director: Michael Persons Designer: Michael Persons Development/Programming: Michael Persons Writer: Dana Edelman

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Design Firm: Gladiator Consulting, Austin TX Client: MediaTech Ventures Title: MediaTech Ventures Website Art Director: Nakevia Miller

Design Firm: Ideas On Purpose, New York NY Title: Ideas On Purpose Website Creative Director: Darren Namaye Designers: Ryan Breeser, Victoria Le, James Kwak, Brett Robinson Web Developer: Joe Mailer Project Manager: Paula Knevitt

Design Firm: Ideas On Purpose, New York NY Client: Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Title: 2018 Annual Report Website Creative Director: John Connolly Designer: James Kwak Web Developer: Codrin Pavel Project and Technology Coordinator: Jonathan Alland

Design Firm: Ideas On Purpose, New York NY Client: Dominion Energy Title: Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report Website Creative Director: John Connolly Web Developer: Codrin Pavel Senior Designer: Kara Mason Project Manager: Jade Harris

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Ideas On Purpose, New York NY Client: United Technologies Title: Corporate Website Designers: Kara Mason, Victoria Le Design Director: Anna Tan Creative Strategist: Michelle Marks Project Manager: Paula Knevitt

Design Firm: Ideas On Purpose, New York NY Client: Tradeweb Title: Corporate Website Designers: Darina Karpov, Ryan Breeser, James Kwak Creative Strategist: Michelle Marks

Design Firm: Jensen Creative Studio, San Diego CA Client: Spoiled Dog Winery Title: Spoiled Dog Winery Website Creative Director: Ian Jensen

Design Firm: Kanan F. Whited, Fort Lauderdale FL Title: Home Sharing-Friendly Luxury Apartments & Hotel Website Design Creative Director: Kanan F. Whited IV Art Director: Holman Aguirre Designers: Sean Walsh, Erika Bjork Design Intern: Bianka Pupek

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Design Firm: Karen Skunta & Company, Cleveland OH Client: The K&D Group Title: The Terminal Tower Residences Website Art Director: Karen A. Skunta Designer: Jen A. Maxwell Programmer: Blue Robot Copywriter: Tom Leland

Design Firm: Keenan Creative Forces, Huntsville UT Title: Keenan Creative Forces Website Art Director: Terry Keenan Designer: Terry Keenan Programmer: Kevin Patrick Web Developer: Kevin Patrick Photographer: Jake Kurdsjuk Illustrator: Terry Keenan Copywriter: Robert Burnett Editor: Lisa Keenan

Design Firm: Knowble, Columbus OH Client: Southeastern Oklahoma State University Title: Website Redesign Creative Director: Luke Deady Senior Web Strategist: Ben McCombs Managing Partner: Bob Rafferty Writer: Dan Moore Accounts Director: Ryan Rekstis

Design Firm: Kraus Marketing, Morristown NJ Client: Vista Natural Wellness Center Title: Vista Natural Wellness Center E-Commerce Site Art Director: Bohdana Komichak Designer: Bohdana Komichak Web Developers: Kristen Begley, Nicholas Westcott

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Kraus Marketing, Morristown NJ Client: Cranbury Fields Title: Cranbury Fields E-Commerce Website Art Director: Bohdana Komichak Designer: Eric Nowicki Web Developers: Kristen Begley, Nicholas Westcott

Design Firm: KUDOS Design Collaboratory, New York NY Client: Raymond Jungles Title: Website Redesign Art Director: John Kudos Designer: Sumit Paul Web Developer: Sumit Paul

Design Firm: KUDOS Design Collaboratory, New York NY Client: 1751 Sea & Bar Title: 1751 Website Art Director: Allyson Lack Designer: Elizabeth Kelley Web Developer: Sumit Paul

Design Firm: KUDOS Design Collaboratory, New York NY Client: Ansche Chesed Synagogue Title: Rav Chesed Campaign Art Director: John Kudos Designers: Sumit Paul, Ashley Wu Programmer: Chris Manlapid

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Design Firm: Laxalt & McIver, Reno NV Client: Honey + Goldies Title: Honey + Goldies eCommerce Site Art Director: Peter Laxalt Designer: Kylie Souza Programmer: Alisha Garric Web Developer: Peter Laxalt Photographer: Matthew McIver

Design Firm: LoanLogics Inc., Mt. Arlington NJ Title: LoanLogics Corporate Website Art Director: Justin Brindisi Designer: Justin Brindisi Programmer: ClearPath Development Copywriter: MaryAnne Ahmer, Kristen Busia

Design Firm: Level Group, Brooklyn NY Client: Express Network Title: Express Network Website Creative Director: Jennifer Bernstein Art Directors: Nick Hubbard, Eva Beckendorf Designers: Jennifer Bernstein, Eva Beckendorf Programmer: Level Group Web Developer: Level Group

Design Firm: Lu Hickman Creative Co., Chicago IL Client: Polite Society Title: Polite Society Mobile First and Website Creative Director: Lu Hickman Designer: Lu Hickman Web Developers: Silvio Ribeiro, Markus Szelbracikowski Machado

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Lyquix, Philadelphia PA Client: Penn Mutual Life Insurance Title: Penn Mutual Public Website Designer: Sara Davidson Web Developers: Matt Austin, Prasetyo Wibowo

Design Firm: Matrix Partners, Chicago IL Client: Charlee Bear Dog Treats Title: Charlee Bear Website Art Director: Kristy Boulos Designer: Natalie Murawski Web Developer: Eric Janofski

Design Firm: Mermaid, Inc., New York NY Client: National Resources Title: The Glass House Website Creative Director: Sharon Lloyd McLaughlin Web Director: Bart McLaughlin Marketing Director: Lauren Calabria

Design Firm: Mermaid, Inc., New York NY Client: National Resources Title: iPark84 Website Creative Director: Sharon Lloyd McLaughlin Web Director: Bart McLaughlin Marketing Director: Lauren Calabria

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Design Firm: Miles Technologies, Lumberton NJ Client: SecurAssist Title: SecurAssist Website Designer: Eddie Mellon Web Developer: Scott Copp

Design Firm: Miles Technologies, Lumberton NJ Client: Pair Wise Title: Pair Wise Website Designer: Eddie Mellon Web Developer: Scott Copp

Design Firm: Miles Technologies, Lumberton NJ Client: Holt Logistics Title: Holt Logistics Website Designer: Lauren Burris Web Developers: Alex Spirgel, Jacob Smergel, Scott Copp

Design Firm: MOD-Lab, Brooklyn NY Client: CSForAll Title: CSForAll Website Art Director: Michelle Perreault Designer: Anna Clark Programmer: Mike Joseph Web Developers: Seth Giammanco, Cindy Chang

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Neff Associates, Philadelphia PA Client: The Omnia Group Architects Title: The Omnia Group Architects Website Creative Director: Adam Englehart Designers: Designers: Emily McElwain-Siems, John Antes, Ryan Mohl, Jodi Bosin Web Developers: Demetrius Burgess, Roman Semchuk

Design Firm: Niika, Phraran VICTORIA, Australia Title: Niika Studio Website Art Director: Paul Milinski Programmer: Dan Thomas Copywriter: Mark Lipert

Design Firm: Odonnell Company, New Haven CT Client: State of Connecticut DMHAS Title: LiveLoud Website Art Director: Eileen O’Donnell Designer: Eileen O’Donnell Programmer: Paul Ruocco Web Developer: Paul Ruocco Copywriter: Eileen O’Donnell

Design Firm: Olive + Spark Design Studio, Pasadena CA Client: Infinity Realty Advisors Title: Infinity Realty Advisors Website Design Art Director: Lisa Young Designer: Lisa Young Programmer: Dvorjac Riermersma Web Developer: Dvorjac Riermersma Copywriter/Editor: Jeffrey Martin

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Design Firm: Paradigm Marketing and Design, Pinebrook NJ Title: Paradigm Marketing and Design Website Art Director: Rachel Durkan Designer: Casey Masterson Programmer: Michael Scorcia Project Manager: Kristen Carter

Design Firm: Pixel Parlor, Philadelphia PA Client: SBN Philadelphia Title: SBN Philadelphia Website Art Director: Andrew Nicholas Designer: Lou Stuber Copywriter: Brad Bucknum

Design Firm: Porchlight, Atlanta GA Client: The Home Depot Title: The Home Depot Eco Options Website Redesign Creative Director: Greg Corey Designer: Lindsay Podrid Illustrator: Liam Monroe

Design Firm: QNY Creative, New York NY Client: World Finer Foods Title: Wellington Crackers Website Designer: Ana Camero Web Developer: Chirag Diyora Copywriter: Valentina Robotti

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: QNY Creative, New York NY Client: InterContinental Wharf Title: InterContinental Wharf Website Designers: Ana Camero, Dan King Web Developer: Edison Dairo Copywriter: Valentina Robotti Marketing Manager: Alexandria June

Design Firm: Roni Lagin & Co., Philadelphia PA Client: Imvax, Inc. Title: Imvax Website Art Director: Roni Lagan Web Developer: Mark Heinsman

Design Firm: Roni Lagin & Co., Philadelphia PA Client: Delaware River Waterfront Corporation Title: Cherry Street Pier Website Art Director: Roni Lagan Web Developer: Adrian Gonzalez Copywriter: Emma Fried-Cassorla

Design Firm: Rowland Creative, State College PA Client: Paralux Cable Title: Paralux Cable Website Design Art Director: Dan Rowland Designer: Gavin Robinson Web Developer: Jon Nixon Photographer: Samantha Smitchko

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Design Firm: Rowland Creative, State College PA Client: Penn State Applied Biological and Biosecurity Research Laboratory Title: ABRL Website Design Art Director: Dan Rowland Designer: David Spak Web Developer: Peter Kim

Design Firm: Southwest Research Institute, Media Production Services, San Antonio TX Title: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Website Art Directors: Jean Kolda Fox, Donald Moore Designer: Jean Kolda Fox SwRI Web Team: Jennifer Deimel, Bryan Dempsey, Jessica Martinez, Cindy Rodriguez, Maria Stothoff SwRI Photography/Multimedia Team: Ian McKinney, Bryan Ortiz, Larry Walther SwRI Design/Illustration Team: Andrew Blanchard, Isaac Herrera, Bill Livermore, Lea Peacock, Todd Pruetz, Jessica Vidal SwRI Copywriting Team: Joanna Carver, Robert Crowe, Tracey Whelan

Design Firm: Splendor Design Group, Red Bank NJ Client: SJP Properties Title: 95 Greene Street Website

Design Firm: Splendor Design Group, Red Bank NJ Client: J&L Companies Title: Textile Lofts Newark Website

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Splendor Design Group, Red Bank NJ Client: Carriage House Imports Title: Verdi Spumante Website

Design Firm: Stark Design, New York NY Client: Orion Construction & Painting Title: Orion Website Creative Director: Daniel Stark Art Director: Gabriela Lembo Affonseca Web Developer: Nexibeo

Design Firm: Streetsense, Bethesda MD Client: City of Bothell WA Title: Begin At Bothell Tourism Site Art Director: Ryan Strohl Programmer: Daniel Troconis Copywriter: Jessie Kearney

Design Firm: Suffolk University, Boston MA Title: Suffolk University Website Art Director: Primacy Designers: Denise Lang, Shaowei Wang Programmer: Michael Schneider Web Developers: Antony Paolillo, Steve Becker Photographer: Michael Clarke Copywriters: Jennifer Becker, Nat Panek Web Project Manager: Michael McNulty Director, Web Marketing Group: Brian Bram Director of Online Content: Patrick Hammond CMO: Dan Esdale

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Design Firm: SWBR, Rochester NY Title: SWBR Website Redesign Art Director: Chris Goldan Designer: Kris Sambor Web Developer: Rich Kenyon

Design Firm: Test Monki, The Woodlands TX Client: DaBell & Paventy Orthodontics Title: DaBell & Paventy Orthodontics Website Art Director: Suzy Simmons Designer: Sarah Wright Programmer: Sarah Wright Web Developer: Sarah Wright

Design Firm: The Kitchen Collaborative, Burbank CA Client: Infratech Title: Infratech Visionaries Microsite Art Director: Aniko Hill Designer: Doris Jew Web Developer: Tracy Swanson Copywriter: Alexa Chigounis

Design Firm: The Kitchen Collaborative, Burbank CA Client: Make-up Designory Title: Make-up Designory Responsive Website Art Director: Aniko Hill Designers: Jenny Dox, Raquel Bailey Web Developer: Tracy Swanson Copywriter: Alexa Chigounis

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: The Walker Group, Farmington CT Client: EBTEC Corporation Title: EBTEC Corporate Website Art Director: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Designer: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Web Developer: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Director: Jeffery Williams Project Manager: Melanie Jordan

Design Firm: The Walker Group, Farmington CT Client: The Hartford Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Foundation Title: The Hartford Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Foundation Website Art Director: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Designer: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Web Developer: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Director: Jeffery Williams Project Manager: Melanie Jordan

Design Firm: The Walker Group, Farmington CT Client: New England Flagger Services Title: New England Flagger Services Website Art Director: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Web Developer: Nicole Joanna Pierzchalski Director: Jeffery Williams Project Manager: Melanie Jordan

Design Firm: Lu Hickman Creative Co., Chicago IL Client: Polite Society Title: Polite Society Mobile First and Website Creative Director: Lu Hickman Designer: Lu Hickman Web Developers: Silvio Ribeiro, Markus Szelbracikowski Machado

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Design Firm: Viktoriia Pshenychko, Brooklyn NY Client: myWorth Title: myWorth Website Design Art Director: Viktoriia Pshenychko Designer: Viktoriia Pshenychko Programmer: AdvisorConnect Web Developer: AdvisorConnect Photographer: Wimzee LLC Illustrator: Karen Schipper Copywriters: Meredith Morris, Romana Hai CEO, myWorth: Ande Frazier Head of Innovation & Operations, myWorth: Meghan Haley Consultants: Jimmy Lyons, Jeff Tompkins

Design Firm: Visible Logic, Portland ME Client: DownEast Wireless Title: Trailrunner Wireless Website Art Director: Emily Brackett Designers: DeAnne Curran, Kyle Erwin Web Developer: DeAnne Curran

Design Firm: Visible Logic, Portland ME Client: Group MarketShare Title: Corporate and Product Website Design Art Director: Emily Brackett Designers: DeAnne Curran, Kyle Erwin Web Developer: DeAnne Curran

Design Firm: Weller Smith Design, Valley Stream NY Client: Tessa Arias, Handle The Heat Title: Baking Challenge Landing Page Art Director: LeAnna Weller Smith Web Developer: WSD Development Team Creative Strategist: Sarah Weller

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES

Design Firm: Werner Enterprises, Omaha NE Title: DriveWerner.com Website Redesign Art Director: Fred Thayer Designer: Aaron Evans Programmers: Ron Traut, Dustin Axtell Web Developer: Photographers: Photographer: Sadie Heisner, Aaron Evans, Vlad Durkovic, Jim Dough Illustrator: Aaron Evans Copywriters: Tiffany Riggs, Lauren Reams Videography: Josh Gray, Josh Buda

Design Firm: Xinran Liu, New York NY Title: Mask Museum Website Design Art Director: Xinran Liu Designer: Xinran Liu Web Developers: Jim Dough, Aaron Evans

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Design Firm: Wilford Design, Inc., Tacoma WA Client: Tacoma Arts On-Air Title: Tacoma Arts On-Air Website Art Director: Dedra Jones-Wilford Designer: Dedra Jones-Wilford Programmer: Collin Alligood Web Developer: Collin Alligood

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AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | APPS

Design Firm: CuriousMindz, Denver CO Title: Foodu Mobile App Designer: Shawn Meek Programmers: Jonah Walker, Dione Wilson, Nick Teets

Design Firm: DMI, Arlington VA Client: Harlem Globetrotters - Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation Title: The Official Globetrotters App Art Directors: Sean Wallace, Ben Cannon Designers: Jenn Upton, William Stilwell, Efrosyni Colati Web Developer: Photographers: Photographer: Vipul Arvind, Jaideep Nair, Vipin Tyagi, Shubhi Rastogi Copywriter: Carly Jeansonne Product Owner: Juleigh Pisciotti Account Director: Julie Liberatore

Design Firm: Experience Design Group, Dell, Round Rock TX Client: Dell Title: Dell Mobile Connect App Designers: Experience Design Group, Dell

Design Firm: Renée Stevens Design, LLC, Manlius NY Title: tagAR Augmented Reality Mobile App Art Director: Renée Stevens Designer: Renée Stevens Illustrator: Renée Stevens

G D USA 67

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:26 PM Page 68

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | APPS

Design Firm: Shih-Wei Cheng, Kirkland WA Title: Wonder Travel App Art Director: Shih-Wei Cheng Designer: Shih-Wei Cheng Illustrator: Shih-Wei Cheng

68 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:26 PM Page 69

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | SOCIAL MEDIA

Design Firm: 80east Design, Poughkeepsie NY Title: ‘Rest in Power’ Portraits For Instagram and Facebook Art Director: Trevor Messersmith Designer: Trevor Messersmith Illustrator: Trevor Messersmith

Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: U.S. Trust China’s New Silk Road Twitter Post Contributors: Stacy Carcaci, Kara Foley, Nouri Elasfari, Elise Daher, Kara Schemmel

Design Firm: Boeing/Creative Services, Tukwila WA Client: Boeing Title: A Million Reasons To Celebrate Creative Director: Paul Custodio Designers: Tony Ly, Jen Choy Audio Producer: Jason Dick Project Manager: Celia Barenfanger

Design Firm: The Kitchen Collaborative, Burbank CA Client: Twin Eagles Grills Title: Twin Eagles Grills Social Media Art Director: Aniko Hill Designer: Doris Jew Photographer: Jesse Hill Illustrator: Aniko Hill Video Editor: John Irwin

G D USA 69

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:26 PM Page 70

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | ADVERTISING + PROMOTION

Design Firm: 80east Design, Poughkeepsie NY Client: Ruthie Davis Title: Fresh Kicks Online Advertising Campaign Art Director: Trevor Messersmith Designer: Trevor Messersmith Illustrator: Trevor Messersmith

Design Firm: AstroNova Inc., West Warwick RI Client: QuickLabel Title: QL-300 Advertising Campaign Art Director: Michael Corcoran Designer: Jessica Flood Copywriter: Kelsey Sullivan Videographer/Photographer: Jack Goodger Senior Marketing Manager: Jennifer Pray Digital Marketing Manager: Lisa Harden-Stone Advertising Coordinator: Laura Ricci

Design Firm: Crown Media, Studio City CA Client: Hallmark Channel Title: The Wedding of the Decade Advertising and Promotion Art Director: Brian Fujimori Designer: Brian Fujimori Writer/Producer: Daryl Evans

Design Firm: Fluke Corporation, Everett WA Title: Fluke Diagnostic Videoscope Launch Campaign Art Director: Mark Inouye Web Developer: Kelly Nelson Photographer: Louis Fliger Marketing Manager: Leah Schedin

70 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:26 PM Page 71

Design Firm: Jensen Creative Studio, San Diego CA Client: San Diego Seals Title: Inaugural Season Banners Creative Director: Ian Jensen Photographer: Mike McGinnis

Design Firm: L.S. Boldsmith, Vancouver BC Client: Delve Fonts Title: Delve Fonts Monthly Email Newsletter Art Director: Leila Singleton Designers: Leila Singleton, Delve Withrington Programmer: Leila Singleton Photographer: Leila Singleton Copywriters: Leila Singleton, Delve Withrington

Design Firm: Odonnell Company, New Haven CT Client: State of Connecticut DMHAS Title: LiveLoud Social Media Art Director: Eileen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Designer: Sabrina Labadia Programmer: Paul Ruocco Web Developer: Paul Ruocco Copywriter: Eileen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Production: Denise Arsenault

Design Firm: Rule29, Geneva IL Title: LEO Moments Art Director: Justin Ahrens Designer: Edwin Carter Web Developer: Motion Tactic Video Animation: Wonderkind Studios

G D USA 71

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:27 PM Page 72

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | VIDEO/ANIMATION/MOTION

Design Firm: Alight Solutions, Islip NY Client: PepsiCo Title: PepsiCo New Hire Video Creative Director/Client Lead: Jill Rafkin Art Director/Designer: Cristine Giannotti Writer: Maureen Corrigan Developer: Michael Spencer Project Manager: Kristin Peacock Production Editor: Randall Van Vynckt

Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: 10th Annual Technology Summit Video Contributors: Keri Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Ruth Cashman, Mohamed Beshir, Nouri Elasfari, Debbie Warburton, Kevin Anderson

Design Firm: Bank of America, Wilmington DE Title: Shipping, Transportation and Logistics Industry Trends Contributors: Tiffany Nash, Ruth Cashman, Nouri Elasfari, Elise Daher, Debbie Warburton, Kevin Anderson

Design Firm: Boeing/Creative Services, Tukwila WA Client: Boeing Title: Special Delivery: South Carolina to Singapore Creative Strategy, Visualization-2D/3D Designer: Eric Greer Graphics-Production Artist: Mark Thibodeaux Visualization-2D/3D Designer: Kirk Seeger Project Manager: Kathleen Sharbono Environmental Designer, Visualization-2D/3D Designer: James Steitz Video FX Designer: Jeff Schneider

72 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:27 PM Page 73

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | VIDEO/ANIMATION/MOTION + UX/UI

Design Firm: Rowland Creative, State College PA Client: Discovery Space Title: The Future of Science Is In Play Video Art Director: Dan Rowland Designer: David Spak Photographer: Eric Stashak Illustrator: David Spak

Design Firm: The Kitchen Collaborative, Burbank CA Client: Twin Eagles Grills Title: Eagle One Promotional Video Art Director: Aniko Hill Photographer: Jesse Hill Copywriter: Lauri Maerov Video Editor: John Irwin

Design Firm: Jarrod Michael Studios, Holbrook NY Client: Regents Review Title: Regents Review Website Design Designer: Jarrod Michael Gordon Web Developer: Weber Systems

Design Firm: Siegel+Gale, New York NY Title: The Best Ideas Weave Art and Logic Together Art Directors: Leesa Wytock, Courtney Canale Programmers: Elizabeth Motolese, Gizem Karatas, James Barnes, Jenny Chau Web Developer: Konrad Group Copywriters: Billy Kingsland, Hannah Post, Daniel Alonso, Adrienne Michitsch Animator: Boris Poletaev

G D USA 73

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:32 PM Page 78

56TH ANNUAL

PRINT DESIGN SURVEY

BY GORDON KAYE

SPONSORED BY VERSO CORPORATION

PRINT REMAINS RELEVANT I’M A PRINT AND PAPER FANBOY. YES, IT’S A THING. I try to downplay it because, lets face it, in graphics and publishing circles, the buzz is elsewhere, and I want to fit in. That said, it is hard to miss the meaning of our 56th Annual Print + Paper survey, whose results are reported in this edition: Print still matters — a lot — to graphic designers and their audiences.

For context, this survey started back in 1963, when JFK was president, Beatlemania was on the rise, Mister Ed the talking horse was a TV megahit, the polio vaccine was first administered nationwide, I was blissfully unaware that my hero Mickey Mantle had a few issues with women and drink, and Bernie, Joe and the Donald were in their wonder years. Of course, print and paper dominated graphic communications. Today, print is a choice and an option, and our survey has evolved into an existential probe of the role and purpose of print today.

And what have we found? Let me answer that question with another question.

How would you describe a practice that is engaged in by more than 80% of the graphic design community, is part of the mix in 67% of client assignments and engages designers in 62% of their working hours, involves all kinds of expertise and craftsmanship, and is universally respected for certain classic strengths and inherent traits that facilitate human connectedness?

The answer: vital and relevant. Especially when executed well and deployed strategically.

For the fanboys among you, that is all you need to know.

78 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:27 PM Page 74

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | STUDENTS

Design Firm: Auburn University School of Industrial + Graphic Design, Auburn AL Title: United Technologies Website Redesign Project Art Director: Gurden Smith Designer: Gurden Smith Illustrator: Gurden Smith Professor: Courtney Windham

Design Firm: Auburn University School of Industrial + Graphic Design, Auburn AL Title: Belvedere Architecture Festival Website Prototype Art Director: Jackson Glass Designer: Jackson Glass Professor: Courtney Windham

Design Firm: Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Graphic Design Program, Philadelphia PA Client: Senior Thesis Title: Plexus Web and UX Design Designer: Natalie Vaughn Programmer: Natalie Vaughan Web Developer: Natalie Vaughn Photographer: Natalie Vaughn Instructor: Mark Willie

Design Firm: Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Graphic Design Program, Philadelphia PA Client: Senior Thesis Title: Upstream Color Title Sequence Designer: Jenna Lacours Programmer: Jenna Lacours Web Developer: Jenna Lacours Photographer: Jenna Lacours Instructor: Mark Willie

74 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:28 PM Page 75

Design Firm: Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Graphic Design Program, Philadelphia PA Client: Motion Graphics Title: Car Dashboard User Experience Design Designer: Sarah Rucci Instructor: Josh Godvin

Design Firm: Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Graphic Design Program, Philadelphia PA Client: Motion Graphics Title: Into The Unknown Toggle Designer: Christian Walton Programmer: Christian Walton Web Developer: Christian Walton Instructor: Josh Godvin

Design Firm: Kennesaw State University | School of Art and Design, Kennesaw GA Title: Karats & Keepstakes Student Project Art Director: Elena Garza Designer: Eleana Garza Programmer: Elena Garza Web Developer: Elena Garza

Design Firm: Kennesaw State University | School of Art and Design, Kennesaw GA Title: The Art Studio at the Stem Hangar Student Project Art Director: Kyla Resnick Designer: Kyla Resnick Programmer: Kyla Resnick Web Developer: Kyla Resnick

G D USA 75

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:28 PM Page 76

AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | STUDENTS

Design Firm: Studio 165+ | Ball State University School of Art, Muncie IN Client: Muncie Arts & Culture Council (MACC) Title: PlySpace Residency Designers: Leah Callahan, Sylvia Marbach, Kendra Schemmel, Sarah Hoppes, Julian Pridemore, Lauren Butler, Kate Tomczak, Miriam Ramirez, Alexandria Southern Faculty: Shantanu Suman

Design Firm: Studio 165+ | Ball State University School of Art, Muncie IN Client: Muncie Arts & Culture Council (MACC) Title: MACT Motion Graphics Designers: Anna Oakes, Ashley Bahney, Trevor Barnes, Anna Weddle, Emily Lipps, Johna Walls, Sam Kunsman, Megan Hall, Kami Barnes Illustrator: Ashley Bahney Motion Graphics: Trevor Barnes Faculty: Shantanu Suman

Design Firm: Studio 165+ | Ball State University School of Art, Muncie IN Client: David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) Title: PechaKucha Night Muncie: Life Designers: Natalie Rokosz, Jessica Hord, Tyler Cummings, Julian Pridemore, Kate Hamilton, Alicia Braun, Mariah Drake Faculty: Shantanu Suman

Design Firm: Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia PA Title: Animated Eponyms Designer: Jenny B Kowalski Programmer: Jenny B Kowalski Web Developer: Jenny B Kowalski Illustrator: Jenny B Kowalski Copywriter: Jenny B Kowalski Professor/Art Director: Kelly Holohan

76 G D USA

2019 web awards final_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:28 PM Page 77

Design Firm: Whisteria Creative Co., Greer SC Title: Margaret Whiston Personal Portfolio Designer: Margaret Whiston School: Clemson University

Design Firm: Woodbury University, Burbank CA Title: Triumvirate Tea Company Designer: Ellie Poulin Professor: Brian Herbst

Design Firm: Woodbury University, Burbank CA Title: Verve Coffee Company Designer: Tuan Le Professor: Brian Herbst

G D USA 77

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:30 PM Page 78

56TH ANNUAL

PRINT DESIGN SURVEY

BY GORDON KAYE

SPONSORED BY VERSO CORPORATION

PRINT REMAINS RELEVANT I’M A PRINT AND PAPER FANBOY. YES, IT’S A THING. I try to downplay it because, lets face it, in graphics and publishing circles, the buzz is elsewhere, and I want to fit in. That said, it is hard to miss the meaning of our 56th Annual Print + Paper survey, whose results are reported in this edition: Print still matters — a lot — to graphic designers and their audiences.

For context, this survey started back in 1963, when JFK was president, Beatlemania was on the rise, Mister Ed the talking horse was a TV megahit, the polio vaccine was first administered nationwide, I was blissfully unaware that my hero Mickey Mantle had a few issues with women and drink, and Bernie, Joe and the Donald were in their wonder years. Of course, print and paper dominated graphic communications. Today, print is a choice and an option, and our survey has evolved into an existential probe of the role and purpose of print today.

And what have we found? Let me answer that question with another question.

How would you describe a practice that is engaged in by more than 80% of the graphic design community, is part of the mix in 67% of client assignments and engages designers in 62% of their working hours, involves all kinds of expertise and craftsmanship, and is universally respected for certain classic strengths and inherent traits that facilitate human connectedness?

The answer: vital and relevant. Especially when executed well and deployed strategically.

For the fanboys among you, that is all you need to know.

78 G D USA

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:31 PM Page 79

FOR EVERYONE ELSE, HERE ARE TEN OBSERVATIONS THAT FLESH OUT THE STATE OF PRINT DESIGN IN 2019:

Print remains important in how professional

1

graphic designers make a living. Fully 88% of respondents say they work in print as part of their professional mix, 67% of projects involve

If print is to standout and be special, that

7

a print component and 61% of their time is

imposes a responsibility on creators and producers: superior print design, well-crafted execution, strategic deployment, sustainable methods matter as much, perhaps more, than ever.

devoted to print and, by a slight margin, designers say they are doing more rather than less print than in the recent past.

When print is included as part of the marketing

2

mix, designers retain responsibility and con-

There are pockets of growth. Package design

8

is robust since the need for packaging is less impacted by online communications than other traditional print areas. Digital short-run printing

trol for critical steps in the process, with almost

is valued for its ability to target and customize.

8-in-10 making decisions on paper specification

Cards and invitations make a personal statement. Paper book

and even more on print buying.

sales are up a few percent as ebooks plateau. There is a small but growing artisanal demand for album covers, paperbacks,

3

Designers believe print endures because of its

posters and other items millennials view as quirky, quaint and,

classic strengths. Foremost among these is

yes, authentic.

tangibility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it is sensual, touchable, physical, real, permanent, and encourages a human connection often missing in the virtual world.

These classic strengths are amplified by the

4

Despite the many positives noted above, every-

9

digital clutter. Because print is relatively rare, it

one understands that print is a role player. As noted above, slightly more respondents say they are doing more print work, but we also record a small decline, once again, in the per-

has the potential to stand out and be special â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

centage of time spent on print by designers and on the number

fresh, welcome, surprising, disruptive, personal,

of designers specifying premium papers. This is part and parcel

engaging, meaningful, a statement that a brand values itself and its customers.

of the challenges that confront the overall commercial print and papermaking industries. An interesting sidelight: designers say that more accessible paper promotions and swatchbooks would

The question of trust bubbles to the surface.

5

help them convince clients to use print.

In an era of fake and/or ephemeral electronic communications, readers see a quality printed piece inherently suffused with authenticity for the sender and to the recipient. A quality printed

piece, so the argument goes, exudes (more) credibility because it feels real and present, springs from a committed and identifiable source, and is the result of a positive act of craftsmanship.

The move to social media as a primary advertis-

10

ing and marketing vehicle is accelerating. This seems driven by clients, who want in on the promise of big reach with small budgets, and designers plagued with small budgets and fast

turnaround times. Some designers observe that their print recommendations face resistance from clients who are convinced

6

In a related thought, selective use of print lends

that Facebook and Google are a panacea for reaching youngâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;uns.

itself especially to certain audiences and

This is strangling legacy media, of course, and wounding digi-

offerings where communication needs to be

tal-first companies like Vice, Buzzfeed, Vox Media, HuffPost.

retained, contemplated, touched or trusted: luxury goods, premium services, large or expen-

sive purchases, products or services where the devil is in the details. These are but a few of the common sense examples.

G D USA 79

june ads_Layout 1 11/28/18 6/6/19 7:28 AMPMPage 801 Project9_Layout 3:56 Page

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June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:32 PM Page 81

MESSAGE FROM THE SPONSOR | VERSO CORPORATION

A leading provider of Printing Papers, Specialty Papers, and Pulp, Verso’s distinguished product line, streamlined supply chain and flexible manufacturing capabilities make us ultra-responsive to market demand, extending our ability to get you the products you need, when you need them.

Verso offers the best quality printing papers with a broad selection of certified and recycled options for all types of printing applications. Our paper mills are strategically located near top industry printers across North America, so our products are available when you need them. We provide expert customer support, on-press technical service and insightful solutions that bring added efficiency and productivity straight to your business. And all of our products are MADE IN THE USA with pride and passion, vision and skill.

DIGITAL PAPERS PORTFOLIO We have been a leader in manufacturing digital papers since digital printing technology first emerged, offering specialized expertise, dedicated production capacity and one of the broadest offerings of digital-specific products in the industry. From the industry leading Futura® to our economy minded Blazer Digital® we have served the laser and ElectroInk, color and black & white digital offset technologies market with the very best in coated papers for more than two decades. Verso also produces a specialized line of papers for production inkjet presses, TrueJet®, which optimizes quality and is designed to deliver significant savings in ink cost.

• Futura® • Sterling® Premium Digital™ • Sterling® Premium Digital™ for HP Indigo • Productolith Pts. Digital® • Blazer Digital® • Sterling® Ultra TrueJet® • TrueJet® Book COATED WEB PORTFOLIO

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THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF GDUSA IS PRINTED ON INFLUENCE® GLOSS, 60 LB. TEXT FROM VERSO. G D USA 81

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:32 PM Page 82

PRINT SURVEY | THE NUMBERS Our 2019 survey was sent to Pa random selection of 10,000 GDUSA print

WHAT KINDS OF PRINT PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON THE PAST YEAR?

magazine and e-subscribers, and generated 1,013 responses. The benchmark

(IN ORDER)

results make clear that, even in a digital age, print remains essential to the graphic design profession. The highlights: 88% of GDUSA readers work in print as part of their mix, 67% of their projects have a print component, and 66% of their time is devoted to print work. With so much at stake, designers also continue to assert control over key elements of the process: 82% buy or specify paper and

BROCHURES/COLLATERAL DIRECT MAIL INVITATIONS + CARDS

87% buy or specify printing. The numbers below tell some interesting tales.

W

POSTERS LETTERHEAD + BUSINESS CARDS WHAT KINDS OF DESIGN PROJECTS DO YOU WORK ON?

ARE YOU DOING MORE OR LESS PRINT DESIGN THAN IN THE PAST?

PRINT ADVERTISING SALES PROMOTION

88%

59%

ONLINE

PACKAGING A A

PRINT

18%

PUBLICATIONS/PERIODICALS

LESS

77%

CATALOGS SAME

PACKAGING POP SIGNS TV | FILM | VIDEO

63%

23% MORE

DO YOU BUY, SPECIFY, RECOMMEND MORE OR LESS PRINTING THAN IN PAST YEARS?

BOOKS SELF-PROMOTION

31%

H HOW MUCH OF YOUR WORK INVOLVES DESIGNING FOR PRINT?

ANNUAL/CORPORATE REPORTS

CALENDARS

66%

17% LESS

62% OF YOUR TIME IS SPENT WORKING IN PRINT

67% OF YOUR PROJECTS INVOLVE PRINT

SAME

17% MORE

ARE PAPER SWATCHBOOKS AND PROMOTIONS USEFUL IN SELECTING PAPER OR SELLING CLIENT ON PRINT?

DO YOU BUY, SPECIFY, RECOMMEND MORE OR LESS PAPER THAN IN PAST YEARS?

DO YOU BUY, SPECIFY, OR RECOMMEND . . . ?

18% 60%

YES

84%

21%

81% BUY, SPECIFY OR RECOMMEND PRINTING

82 G D USA

BUY, SPECIFY OR RECOMMEND PAPER

LESS

SAME

19% MORE

87%

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:32 PM Page 78

56TH ANNUAL

PRINT DESIGN SURVEY

BY GORDON KAYE

SPONSORED BY VERSO CORPORATION

PRINT REMAINS RELEVANT I’M A PRINT AND PAPER FANBOY. YES, IT’S A THING. I try to downplay it because, lets face it, in graphics and publishing circles, the buzz is elsewhere, and I want to fit in. That said, it is hard to miss the meaning of our 56th Annual Print + Paper survey, whose results are reported in this edition: Print still matters — a lot — to graphic designers and their audiences.

For context, this survey started back in 1963, when JFK was president, Beatlemania was on the rise, Mister Ed the talking horse was a TV megahit, the polio vaccine was first administered nationwide, I was blissfully unaware that my hero Mickey Mantle had a few issues with women and drink, and Bernie, Joe and the Donald were in their wonder years. Of course, print and paper dominated graphic communications. Today, print is a choice and an option, and our survey has evolved into an existential probe of the role and purpose of print today.

And what have we found? Let me answer that question with another question.

How would you describe a practice that is engaged in by more than 80% of the graphic design community, is part of the mix in 67% of client assignments and engages designers in 62% of their working hours, involves all kinds of expertise and craftsmanship, and is universally respected for certain classic strengths and inherent traits that facilitate human connectedness?

The answer: vital and relevant. Especially when executed well and deployed strategically.

For the fanboys among you, that is all you need to know.

78 G D USA

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:33 PM Page 84

PRINT SURVEY | SELECT COMMENTS

PRINT AND TRUST Print is more trusted. I think the fact that someone paid for something to be printed adds a degree of credibility to the message, offer, business.

Communication that you can hold in your hand gets more attention and feels more real than commercial email.

In this era of fake everything, there is an inherent reality to committing your branding message to something you can hold on to for longer than a few seconds.

Print has a certain level of commitment.

This depends on the artists being surveys. Different artists on different career paths will have different opinions based on their experiences.

There is a credibility gap for one primary reason: consumers know that today almost anyone can create a professional looking web presence without a large investment. However, when you’re talking print, readers know or can sense that if something has been well designed and printed on high end papers, that means the company must be solid.

With a deliberately targeted pertinent message, print and digital communications can carry the same weight of legitimacy and trustworthiness. Using both well is the key for saturation and cohesion.

My clients would agree that print is more trusted — and more memorable as well!

Electronic spam has become the lowest common denominator of advertising. People see anything above those pixelated scam artists as great quality.

Depends on the piece and the context. When a campaign is cohesive across all channels, the addition of print strengthens credibility. But in many instances, printed pieces are thrown away. So it really depends.

Printed communications are more trusted, credible and secure.

84 G D USA

Everything is good in moderation. There is also such a thing as junk mail. Some print advertising projects don’t work because millennial generation moves often and change their addresses, spend more time online, and are concerned about the environment.

In this digital climate, most online communications are iffy.

The internet has certainly become a sad space.

Absolutely agree. Print is more credible than online material.

Hands on and easier on the eyes.

I can see the trust factor in this day and age, but there’s still a segment of the population that gets the majority of their information through the internet, too.

Nothing beats the tactile qualities of a printed piece for giving you a comfortable feeling.

I think print is viewed as more trusted but some online places are becoming more trusted, too.

Good print takes more time, thus more devotion, so I think there is more trust in a well-done printed piece.

I don’t think print pieces are necessarily more trustworthy.

I think it depends on the design and method of delivery for the web piece.

I believe digital has just as much credibility as print now.

Both mediums tell truth and lies.

The older consumer likes a printed piece better then having to go online/phone or tablet.

We did a rather beautiful 348-page art book about fly fishing that I printed in the UK. We’re just now beginning another book ... or two?

Print still has a place in our work, however more clients are concerned about cost and less concerned about touch, feel, special processes.

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:33 PM Page 85

PRINT AND THE CLIENT

Touch and permanence is even more important for print

The stronger and longer my relationship with the client, the

I find clients usually prefer print. They believe that it adds

more likely they are to accept my judgement and recommen-

credibility to their messages.

dation that print should be part of their communications.

Most clients know they need print. They want to be able to hand out something to their potential customers.

Clients accept my recommendation to include print as long as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of a more integrated mix of tactics.

Clients resist print any chance they get; they fear the price

Most clients want print together with digital. I don't have any who only need digital.

So many clients want to do digital only because of things they have been told. They have no idea what they are buying or why, just that they can get very specific numbers. It is a challenge to get them to hear that print needs to be in the mix.

and the time it might take.

Clients usually agree to my print recommendations, but paper samples go a long way to convincing some.

I am an inhouse designer, and print is still a primary outlet for our marketing department and with the support of our management.

Sometimes clients agree that a good mix is necessary to reach the end user. The online romance is clouded by the massive volume of pitches.

Depends on the piece and budget. For a sales tool or leave behind, our team definitely prefers print to electronic.

Do my clients resist or accept print? It depends on a budget.

Clients seem more concerned with Facebook presence than print work.

My clients are generally old fashioned. They trust print and would quicker approve a 5k flier project than a Facebook ad.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve won several major awards and that helps persuade clients to accept our recommendations to include print.

It depends on the client and their type of business. What does the business do, how do they want to be portrayed and what is the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image? What are they known for? I have seen all of these situations.

Clients are happy to have the choice.

G D USA 85

June 2019 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 6/5/19 10:33 PM Page 86

PRINT SURVEY | SELECT COMMENTS

PRINT AND PAPER SAMPLES

Touch and permanence is even more important for print

Paper promotions and samples. Absolutely. Essential.

I find them very useful if the papers are used in actual sample

And fundamental to the client’s comfort level with

prototypes ... swatches, in and of themselves, aren’t all that help.

recommendations and decisions. No doubt about it at all.

Yes, of course. Swatchbooks and demonstrators are a must-have.

Yes, the paper mill pieces are always inspiring, and timely colors,

I do not find them as important as in the past. Much is printed

fonts, design trends and styles are usually incorporated. Love!

through online resources to save money, or turn around is so rushed, that it's a luxury we don't have.

Absolutely, important, yes! Clients need to see what the substrate looks and feels like.

Sometimes those pieces are useful, but not as much as they used to be, at least for the lower budget assignments I receive.

Paper samples and print demonstrations are important. Clients understand the brand better when they use tactile information.

It makes such a difference to be able to preview the weight, color, texture, and finish! Print is still crucial and necessary.

We need them from the paper mills because sometimes our

Digital work is also crucial and necessary, but it has not been

print reps don’t deliver the samples that we envision so it’s

at the cost of print.

helpful for our team to be able to show them to the client.

Swatchbooks and promotions are not as important as they Yes, visual aids are necessary because clients have a hard

used to be, but they are still helpful.

time imagining the result, but when they see and hold a beautiful example they want print.

There will always be a need for paper samples and demonstrations of what is possible. Just because we think

Paper and print demonstrations are still useful for most

it looks right on the screen doesn’t always have that result

customer-focused items and projects.

when printed.

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2019 GOAL: Network with like-minded peers Check!

Keep your eyes peeled for our Fall eventâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;details to come.

in-source.org InSource is the association for in-house creative leadership.

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2019 LOGOLOUNGE TREND REPORT E V E RY YING HAS ITS YANG

BY BILL GARDNER, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, LOGOLOUNGE.COM Another year older, but the logo design industry shows no signs of old age. Like an unruly kid ripping through a stack of unopened presents, I eagerly dive into each annual report knowing an experience awaits. Sometimes it’s the gratification of what I’d hoped for, and the delightful surprise of unanticipated genius. Occasionally, it’s more analogous to underwear and socks, and I encounter the mundane or, rarely, the disappointing. Nevertheless, it’s evidence of industry vitality, and it’s all a gift.

So, first the good. This year’s trends continue to show curious and

Additionally, in an atmosphere that thrives on exploration, portfolios

hardworking design prowess at work, moving us forward to greater

increasingly feature designer fancies to try out and mimic directions

heights. You’ll see in this year’s themes the continuation of themes

and techniques of their own volition. It’s reinforcement of the ever-

past, with their own unique slant. Gradients continue to evolve in

important freedom to create, and the practice adds to designerly

new and enlightening ways with designers embracing less traditional

chops, yet I must admit it can throw off the ability to evaluate the

color curves like red straight into green or blue swerving right into

true direction of paid work. Especially when this unpaid, extracurric-

orange. These tend to create an odd hued limbo zone between the

ular work finds itself straying too close to its inspiration for comfort.

complimentary colors but as more of the adjacent color shifts like orange to magenta to violet ala Instagram are taken, we continue

Yet again, I’m compelled to remind that trends do not trendy make.

to look for unclaimed gradient ownership.

Unlike fads, true trends won’t effervesce with cultural shifts but instead reach out in both directions to shake hands with identities

Patterns within logos give a retro nod in contemporary settings and

from past and future. We keep leaving breadcrumbs so that we can

often in a black and white solution. As a way to build differentiation

draw from past genius while still carving a future path that will

it’s as if designers have unearthed a trove of decaying Zipatone or

never look exactly like what’s left behind.

Letratone graphic film. Big gritty dots and stripes and mezzotints are tempered with a few wood grains and cheesy brick patterns give adornment to burly marks that might have normally been filled with color. These logos seem to take on a throwback monotone look that’s antithetical to the high-chroma gradient trend.

Make no mistake, the current ‘popular crowd’ of themes showed up again this year: drones, mushrooms, tikis, tacos, weight balls, hedgehogs, pelicans, snakes, waffles, needles, lightbulbs, three-eyed tigers, and vaping. Temporal but many still beautifully crafted, I’ll tip my hat to them though they will eventually pass by.

Modern culture continues to shift the ways we interpret symbols and how we visually prioritize in context, setting topsy-turvy the relationship between identity and application. Greater credence has been given the attending visual vocabulary as texture, pattern, typography, photography and illustrative elements have shifted seats in the visual brand hierarchy. It’s becoming more common to see a brand driven by the supporting visual aesthetics, occasionally leaving

As always, I’m grateful to the LogoLounge community of more than 20,000 designers across the world who provide much of the fodder for these reports. At the time of this report, our site stands at more than 300,000 logos strong, allowing our members and us to continue to watch trends as they develop in real time. It’s a privilege to work by their side to prop up the craft that we love.

the logo to call shotgun if it’s invited along for the ride at all.

ABOUT THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT

Of course every ying has its yang, which poked up its head in the

2019 marks the 17th year of this one-of-a-kind report. Each year,

form of idea repetition, especially as new plug-ins, filters, effects

it offers the opportunity to literally review thousands upon thou-

and animation tools are taken for a test drive. There are a few too

sands of logos one at a time, looking for nuances and artifacts of

many animated orbiting rings of type, as an example. Each is beau-

emerging trends. As we acknowledge that each design represents

tifully crafted and well thought through but relying on the same

hours and hours of thought and struggle from designers around the

foundational effect as a half dozen others makes it hard to build

world, we are as humbled and awed as ever by their dedication to the

separation. It’s never wrongdoing to try new things, but the hope

craft and grateful for the important role they play in helping us cre-

is that we still work with technology advances in our own unique

ate these reports. So thank you to all of the designers who have and

ways to truly make our own mark.

will contribute to the Trend Reports then, now, and for years to come.

For an even deeper look at this year’s trends, visit our course on LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com).

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MORSE SHADE Throwing shade on a designer’s work is as toothless as a heckler to a seasoned comedian. Show five logos and one gets picked. At best we have an 80% rejection rate. No doubt the seeds that make us so resilient and inventive. Tiring of the expected, this year our lot has crafted a new way to throw shade on their own work. That desire to eschew another field of gradient color for tone or a barrage of diminishing strokes to signal motion have given way to a concentric string of hyper-effective dots and dashes. Welcome a pleasant new way to break the visual tension of traditional shading while providing a pure vector solution.

Over the last several years, we’ve seen dots and dashes with rounded extremities mingling together to demonstrate the melding of diverse elements. Usually running concentric or parallel to each other and not merging or emerging from a solid field. By extruding these out of a field or bridging these elements together and extending them out of an object, designers are presenting the consumer with the dot-dot-dot invitation they need to complete the picture in their own mind. A couple of dots in the CoffeeSwap cup and I get it. So you drop out the tail end of the speedy rabbit. ‘Nuff said.

BO_RAD, COFFEESWAP

903 CREATIVE, LLC, ROCKFISH RIVER FARMS

IRINA KOLOSOVSKAY, WESWEE

SPOONLANCER, SPACE HOP

LOADED If you’ve met the person that groans when food on their plate touches, you’ve met the individual that will wince at these marks. Not only have designers removed any pretense of separation of elements, they’ve flaunted this layering of graphic components and even doubled down here and there to cloudy results. The majority of these deliver an engaging message that avoids overload and cleverly invites scrutiny. The formula for most is to build a top high-contrast layer with clear information and load it on a subordinate graphic that completes the story.

Two layers is good. Three layers is manageable. Four layers is a complete wreck. If the background is not decipherable, the dominant top layer of information will still function. These are generally akin to badges with a mixture of illustration and typography, but less separated by a hierarchy of scale and more by contrast. As these examples indicate, the aesthetic can range from vintage nostalgia to farm fresh based on what you’re looking to dish up.

ISKANDARA, 1925

AMIT BOTRE - SPIN DESIGN, MAN CAVE DECOR

ALEXANDER DIMOV, DETOX KITCHEN

STUDIO SUDAR LTD., HAVAR WINE & JAZZ FESTIVAL

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LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT

ORPHAN SHADOWS Shadow as an element in logo design is critical in so many ways. I’ve created full chapters discussing how shadow came about as such an important component to designers. It foretells events or gives a sense of place. They can display aspirations or other yet-to-be-determined assets. They identify the direction of light and tell if you’re enlightened or if you are enlightening others. In a more literal sense, they can also show dimension and spatial relationships. Cross a vertical and a horizontal line and a bit of shadow defines who’s on top. Draft a flat tonal horse, and two of the legs may go a bit darker. Bet those are the back legs.

Occasionally, we as designers can be trapped by our own technique. If you missed it, you’re not alone. Each of these and many other marks of recent contain a shadow of such infinitesimal dimension that their inclusion seem out of place. Even where it does appear to provide critical separation as in the Trustpilot star, I’m left wondering if the effort is grand enough to function well when scaled down. Here’s a modest piece of advice. If it requires an effect, make sure it doesn’t require reading glasses to accompany.

OMNIUM STUDIO, PHOX

MISSION MEDIA, TOWSON UNIVERSITY

SPG, SHIBU

VENTURETHREE, TRUSTPILOT

ZIP TONE An enthusiastic generation of designers are reinventing the wheel but with a whole new vengeance. In pre-digital years, any desire to lay stripes, dots, mezzotints, woodgrain or other exotic half-tones into an illustration first required a trip to your local commercial arts supply store. Sticky backed sheets of film under the names Zipatone or Letratone came in an endless array of effects that could be had for a paltry sum for application to your art. No surprise that vintage design books are rife with logos displaying some pretty spiffy gradients leaving designers curious about this alien technology.

Marks shown in this trend are retro channeling the ‘70s, not only in style but in adoption of tonal technique. Forget dropping in a 40% tint of black or your selected color from your swatch tab. The use of an over-scaled tonal effect is what rings true to the era. To a consumer, this only harkens back to a less demanding time in a subconscious manner. It’s an effect that designers home in on immediately as a bit janky but definitely a product of the way-back machine. An A+ for nostalgia but still a challenge if plans call for the mark to be scaled down. Too tight of a screen eliminates the charm, and at that point it might as well be gray.

BLAKE SUAREZ, FRIENDS OF GADSDEN CREEK

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MCPHERSON COLLEGE

RUSS RAZO

RULE29, 302 WHEATON

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DOTS Somewhere geographically between Zip Tone and Highlights, lays the Isle of Dots. These oversized fields of dots are reminiscent of placing a bit of gnarly halftone screen into a mark because they actually represent an element of the icon and not just a foundation in the background. I picture Jay Fletcher selecting the dots on his bowl of poke because it looks like a liberal dose of sesame seeds sprinkled atop the dish. Note that the dots serve as an approximation of a woven basket or the blush of a peach, but the pattern is not used as just an opportunity to lay in tone.

Utilizing a bolder pattern scaled up to read as pattern and not as a halftone has turned into an effective way to break up the tension of flat tonal areas in a mark and create interest that visually remind us the mark has been well seasoned. As a way to achieve respite from a logo crafted from gradients and digital dissonance, this allows a designer to limit the color in a palette and still draw the consumer in with a simple and playful vector repetition.

HOLLIS BRAND CULTURE, FETCH

J FLETCHER DESIGN, THE LONGBOARD

ATELIER 31, FADEZEINDLI

RIVER DESIGNS INC., JUST PEACHY TRAVEL & TOURS

HIGHLIGHTS It’s easily argued there are no new tricks in the field of calling attention to ourselves. Apes beat their chest, peacocks spread their plumage, and humans post to social media. Then there’s a small subset of identity designers that reach for a highlighter and start embellishing their work. Or at least that’s what this year’s Highlight trend appears to do. Otherwise proper and workmanlike marks are made remarkable with a modest stroke or two to lay in the essential patch of vivid yellow.

We’re left with a bit of a feeling these often black-and-white marks were presented to clients that were 90% on board before they reached into their top drawer, pulled out a highlighter to dab at the art and then expressed elation at their own addition. Areas of highlight range from indiscriminate to purposeful information, and in all fairness, these are out there in other popular highlighter shades like lavender, day glow pink, and electric blue. All fun aside, many of these are well crafted, and praise is due the designers that recognized the spark of color was what lifts these marks out of potential banality.

BANDA, UKRAINE

AVIDITY CREATIVE, CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER

36CREATIVE, CRAFTSMAN UNION

WILDEYE, MINIME MACHINE

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LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT

QUARTERS A continuation of theme from the last two years has been the move to simplification of design or purity of mark. This homage to clarity of structure and image from prior generations is proof of designers’ inventive nature as they noodle out solutions rearranging the same geometric parts and pieces that have been in play since Euclid was a tot. Whenever you hear someone express the belief that everything’s been done before, just remind them writers and musicians have been rearranging a handful of notes or letters and rendering new music and books for longer than logos have existed. Our well is nowhere near dry.

This year, the plethora of circles quartered and strewn about in a deliberate fashion can be found everywhere. Most often, these are the sole building blocks, but they’re also found mixed with circles, half circles, squares, triangles, and the other step-sibling array or geometric shapes. Purity of form continues to deliver a signal of simplicity or competence, even when representing a complex message. There continues to be a limit to the number of elements you can fit into a mark before it seems cumbersome. The Soren West mark is certainly an engaging solution but is a half-step away from the quarter circle capacity.

RAGGED EDGE, TRUSSLE

TRUF, SOREN WES

PARALLEL GESTATION DE MARQUES, VILLE DE THETFORD

MISTERSHOT, SLY CLYDE

SPELL SIGNS I’ll confess, the first impression of these marks left me wondering if a few designers have a crush on JK Rowling. The stone, the wand, and the cloak, incarnate from the Deathly Hallows. If these logo talismans have nearly as strong a tale to tell, they will serve their masters impeccably.

One simply cannot look at these without believing every resolute stroke is placed in perfect harmony to the others and likely imbued with powerful meaning. I’m left feeling smarter for just having seen these.

The clarity of the earnest strokes, the perfected angles and immaculately radiused curves intersect like precision crosshairs. These instill a technical superiority to their owners and leave us with a sense of competent infallibility. Surely the context of the application of these marks demands an equally rigid environment with little margin for whimsy. If anything, these symbols may be just formal enough to sway you to arrive at their office in a freshly starched shirt.

TRUF, QORE

JARED GRANGER, JACK COTTER

FRIENDS, EQUITY OFFICE

BE!FIVE BRANDING & IDENTITY, TAKE CONTROL CLUB

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LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT

HOLES Imagine that pale virgin square on a weathered apartment wall, signaling an inspector that evidence has been removed from a crime scene.

It’s not what’s hanging there that informs us, it’s what’s not there that alerts us to a critical message. Whether the hole or shape in question is unceremoniously carved from the guts of other graphic elements or if it’s deftly excised, leaving no trace of foul play, each serve the same purpose. These exist as the canvas on which the consumer will complete the story.

These are not merely a hidden negative space like the arrow in the FedEx logo or the bear on the mountainside for Toblerone. These fields were not designed to hide but to illustrate for the consumer an incompleteness that only they can solve. By engaging the public in this brandmark conundrum, we create an engagement that might otherwise be lost on the public. Certainly the surrounding evidence points to the solution, as in the logo for the Museum Reinhard Ernst. The open square could represent any one of the museum’s collection or insinuate less is m[ ]re.

Q, MUSEUM REINHARD ERNST

JEROEN VAN EERDEN, SWIMMEDIA

ARTSIGMA

ROMAN KOTIKOV, KAZAN EXPO

SPOT DRAG Anyone who has ever tried to illustrate with markers recalls that uncontrollable moment at the end of a stroke. Before you can lift the pen or if you’re indecisive and pause, the marker tip suddenly becomes generous and bleeds out a pool of ink you could drown in. I know that’s not the way a computer operates, but it sure helps me picture the visual appearance of this trend. Imagine that pen tip as a perfect circle that leaves an unvarying marker trail behind it and then parks the full circle at the end of the stroke like a street that unexpectedly ends in a cul-de-sac.

Whether these logos have faded and gradient trails behind the circle or they are clear and unvarying, they send a similar message. The circle is the messenger, and, until seconds ago, this mark did not exist. An action set the spots in motion and they have vividly burrowed across this field with precision accuracy to spell out a letter or highlight a path or trace out a symbol of significance. You have caught them in action and they may be done, or they may just be waiting for you to avert you eyes so they can repeat or carry on. They are dynamic, vivid, and fresh, and charged with potential.

BE!FIVE BRANDING & IDENTITY, ARONICLE

INHOUSE, GOOGLE FI

NMI

MONOME, ZUPLOAD

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LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT

GRADIENT BREAKS Adopting the broad use of gradient color in logo design has been one of the most polarizing trends our industry has witnessed over the last decade. There are still designers that abhor the use of transitioning color, as it runs counter to so many of the early precepts of logo design developed pre-digital age. It leads me to wonder if this trend is being led by the naysayers or if it is the work of those that have now worked with gradients so long they are trying to push it forward by taking a few backward steps.

Imagine a line filled with transitioning color to demonstrate motion, or transformation, or a process. Now take that color and step divide it with sequential solid tone. Basically a stepped ombré effect but utilized in a channel as opposed to a field. The Qwant identity achieves this with contoured color breaks that really simulate a gradient to good effect versus CPA, which shows color transition with quartered geometric breaks along the path. Note the infinity loop for Virtual Reality cheats this trend a bit with the use of breaks and very subtle gradient shifts.

INHOUSE, QWANT

WHITE BEAR STUDIO, CPA IRELAND

LUPE DESIGN, WE ARE CINEMA

COMING SOON, TSVETMET COMPANY

CONTOUR STRIPES Stripes continue to dominate the field of potential trend contenders, but there have been so many marks anchored in this aesthetic it’s become more challenging to spot where this trend evolves forward. Taking a look, we finally see a cohesive group that takes stripes into a warped dimension. Still big bold salute the flag type of stripes but three dimensionally wrapped to demonstrate spatial contours on everything from bagels to bird nests.

Though this can be associated with monoline design, it is pushing the concept to another level. Representing dimensionality by its nature deals with foreshortening or wrapping of lines that cause them to diminish, so this necessitates a variable stroke. Relying on the consumer to complete the interpretation, they still see an orderly rhythm that demonstrates technical accuracy, a measured approach, competence, and consistency. Attach these attributes to the symbolic embodiment of your client, and you’ve found the possible nucleus of a smart solution.

PRAGMATIKA, ZOMA

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FODA, VRBO

STEVAN RODIC

PRELL DESIGN

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PERIOD As I contemplated this trend, I was forced to choose between periods and colons that have both been breeding like rabbits on thoughtful designers’ minds. Last year’s report addressed the use of punctuation associated with wordmarks in clever renditions, and as is usually the case, it was only the initial volley that turned to critical mass for each of our two contenders. As the header makes clear, periods won out, so let’s get to it. That spec at the end of a sentence is only the most basic way to consider this mark that can cap off punctuation, serve as a bullet or strung together as ellipse. It can serve as the opening of a domain or as the closing of a conversation.

It’s also possible the period is no more than a dot that’s floating around text with an altogether different pretext. In the Visible mark, those periods are actually remnants of the missing letters i. A period in literal terms describes an era of time, the division of a school day or a game, that time of the month, or command to STOP. It might be a decimal, and an exclamation mark without it is just an apostrophe. It’s the designer that flips the significance of a word or a name by considering the period outside of traditional context that sharpens the wit of the conversation.

INHOUSE, BUZZFEED NEWS

LESAP AND INHOUSE, AWWARDS

JOHNSON BANKS, HUMAN IDEAL

GRAHAM CLIFFORD DESIGN, DETROIT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WINGS In the grand tradition of refinement, designers continue to boil down the essence of flight beyond the fluid beauty of a set of feathered wings.

Stripping back the essence even further to the point that aerodynamics don’t vaguely register as an afterthought. As impeccably bereft as these marks are of any semblance of flight, I like them for what they are, and I get that they’re wings. Canted forward in an aerodynamic crouch or swept back fighting the vagaries of gale force headwinds, these forms are equally as far and as near to reality as you can be at once.

If a description of these existed, it would be a letter U with one short leg tipped on its side and slanted forward or backward to an optimal oblique position. Trim off the two tips at an angle to reinforce the streamline nature of the mark, and we’re done. There are more than enough iterations of this effort, but many seem to be referencing a letter such as the J for Jetta or the D for DoorDash. Plenty of Fs, Ps, and non-letters altogether that have sprouted these twin wings. Apples with wings, turtles with wings. Fill in the blank with wings, and we’ll likely find it.

JETTA CHINA

UNDERBELLY CREATIVE, MULLET PRODUCTION VEHICLES

GARDNER DESIGN, KAYCENTRIX

ASGARD, RED WINGS AIRLINES

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LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2019 LOGO TREND REPORT DOORS Portals to another world, time, or at least another frame of mind have become a literal manifestation in this year’s trends. Doors and windows allow us the ability to peer into that other dimension while staying firmly rooted to our here and now. They serve to invite us to become a voyeur or a participant, and it’s just that invitation that is so alluring with this theme. There is a certain amount of fantasy associated with what’s outside the opening, but restraint in the rendering of the passage assure it will not seem out of place.

Doors and windows have long been powerful agents to sell an analogy. Doors signify a right of passage, a pathway to a solution, an opportunity, or a sign of welcoming. Windows in much the same way are considered a set of eyes that allow you to see into another’s soul or another world.

They serve as connectivity between here and there. These examples are relatively literal, but the reference to passages can be equally as effective in a metaphorical manifestation. Dream analysts could rift on this for hours, so we’ll move along and leave them to it.

LOGODESIGNCREATION.COM, SOHAIB AWAN

ALEX LOKA, SHANGRI-LA HERITAGE

KIRA CHAO, 365 DAYS OF CACTI

ATLAS BRANDING, HAYWOOD STREET

ABOUT BILL GARDENER Bill Gardner is the president of Gardner Design and founder of LogoLounge.com, a repository site where, in real time, members can post their logo design work and search the works of others by keyword, designer’s name, client type, and more. The site also offers news curated expressly for logo designers as well as unlimited entries for consideration in the bestselling LogoLounge book series. Bill can be contacted at bill@logolounge.com

ABOUT LOGOLOUNGE LogoLounge.com is the most comprehensive and searchable database of logos available today. More than 300,000 logos have been submitted to the site since 2002, growing it to the largest online treasury of professionally designed logos. Through their submissions, members also gain the benefit of consideration for publication in the LogoLounge book series, the result of the most prestigious logo design competition in the world.

Through the line of LogoLounge books (currently published in volumes 1 through 10, with the 11th soon to come) designers can gain even more insights from a collection of the smartest logo designs submitted to LogoLounge from all over the world, which are hand-selected by a preeminent panel of some of the most respected names in the industry.

In 2016, LogoLounge took a giant step forward as it extended membership to the next generation of designers with LogoLounge Leap, which allows educators and students free or deeply discounted access to the site as well as online resources and educational tools.

For more information on membership and identity design news, visit LogoLounge.com.

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PRINT ® 19 NAMES WIRED EDITOR AS KEYNOTER REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR PRINT INDUSTRY’S LONGEST RUNNING EVENT

Registration is now open for the print industry’s most comprehensive and longest running event, and Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired, will set the tone with a keynote address. PRINT® 19, slated for October 3-5 at Chicago’s McCormick Place North, will bring together the leaders of the print industry from more than 80 countries.

The event will feature an array of printing equipment and technology and 80+ educational sessions including hands-on labs, creating the nexus of critical business-building and networking that drives revenue growth across the industry’s entire $80 billion value chain. It is produced by the Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech).

Pre-registered attendees can take advantage of complimentary programs including TechWalks, PRINT 19’s exclusive, expertled, curated exhibitor tours based on a variety of technical topics of interest. TechWalks is a highly rated, sought-after activation that is popular with attendees interested in the latest and greatest technologies available on the show floor.

ON A ROLL “Our dynamic global industry is on a roll, and so is PRINT,” says Thayer Long, president, APTech. “This year’s show is where creativity and technology will meet, enabling all of the attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors from almost 100 countries to learn, engage, experience, and network for three days under one innovation-packed roof.”

Long notes that at the macro level, the entire value chain is being driven by tremendous growth and the meeting of design, advanced printing technologies, and ongoing digital

KEYNOTE

innovation. “As the premier event for the entire community

Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired, will present

of printing and graphic professionals — from creatives to

the keynote address, entitled “The Wired Future: Artificial

executives, production specialists to sales and marketing

Intelligence, Robotics, Privacy, Social Media, Truth, Tech

teams — this is the place where business gets done,”

Companies, and More.” The address will explore questions

says Long.

around how artificial intelligence and robotics will change our devices, the way we work, earn a living, fight wars, and solve problems. How will privacy, security, and cyber-espionage evolve in the coming years of interconnectivity (and how much should the average person or company care)? How will the world’s dominant tech corporations — Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft — interact with citizens, help write

CHICAGO

policy, and exert power over governments and citizens? And how can the media continue upholding the truth throughout?

CONTINUED

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PRINT ® 19 NAMES WIRED EDITOR AS KEYNOTER CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

GROWING DIVERSIFICATION The idea is that the two organizations — Tarsus is a global leader in the labels and package printing space, and APtech is a leader in the commercial print industry — will unite decades of expertise and knowledge in response to the growing diversification in the print industry. Brands that have labels and packaging requirements also need to source printed materials to meet their other marketing needs, including, point of purchase, collation packs, outdoor advertising, fleet graphics, direct mail and much more. These two events bring together the whole supply chain under one roof, and therefore provide greater synergies and opportunities for With past roles at The New Yorker, Washington Monthly and

printers, converters, manufacturers, suppliers, and creatives.

The Atavist, Thompson has written on technology and politics for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, The New York Observer, and other publications. He has appeared on Bloomberg TV, NBC, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, NPR, and CNN, where he is a contributing editor, and CBS, where he is a news contributor. With a massive following on social media, Thompson was named by LinkedIn as #4 on their 2018 list of top influencers.

PURPOSE DRIVEN The Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech℠), formerly known as NPES, is a purpose-driven organization dedicated

Lisa Milburn, managing director for Labelexpo Global Series

to supporting the entire printing value chain. We believe in

and Brand Print, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with

helping our members maximize alignment with their value

the Association for PRINT Technologies on the first Brand

chain partners to be more effective and competitive.

Print Americas. By combining efforts where we see crossover among segments, we are strategically connecting the print

Printing has been vital to communication for decades; today,

supply chain. This will give printers and converters access

the digital culture has heightened our industry’s complexity

to a huge platform for exploring all of their print needs and

and reframed its relevance. APTech seeks to answer that the

finding the right solutions at a single venue.”

by bringing the boldest and brightest innovators, influencers, and newest technology together to create connections that

Thayer Long, president of APTech, said: “We are thrilled to

showcase and advance our industry.

merge PRINT 2020 into this new event ... This is a strategic response to the market as printers look to diversify their

In this spirit, APTech has announced a strategic alliance and

offerings and manufacturers want to maximize their mar-

combined event with Tarsus Group, owner and organizer of

keting dollars by bringing audiences together under one roof.

the Labelexpo and Brand Print Global Series of trade shows,

We are taking a collaborative approach to bring together two

for the launch of Brand Print Americas to take place next.

well-known brands, two unique audiences, and multiple

This will take place in lieu of PRINT® 2020 and will be

market segments together.”

co-located with Labelexpo Americas, happening at the Donald E Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, from September 15-17.

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WHY IT’S TIME TO RELAX YOUR HIRING CRITERIA

BY DIANE DOMEYER Finding the perfect candidate for a creative role can feel like an

relax requirements like education and years of direct experience

impossible task, especially when there are a lot of must-haves

to expand your candidate pool to include more designers with

on your checklist. I hear it all the time from hiring managers

the creativity, energy and technical skills your agency needs.

when they say they’re looking for superstars who tick every box.

2. DO THEY HAVE THE NECESSARY SOFT SKILLS?

Well, here’s the problem: That unicorn you’re looking for probably doesn’t exist in the real world.

Creative departments have an increasing need for innovation on cross functional teams and should seek individuals that can grow with the company beyond their current capacity. That has every-

I can practically hear the counterargument: “But I shouldn’t have

thing to do with their soft skills, like collaboration, communica-

to settle when I need top talent.” Of course not. Your agency or

tion, initiative, leadership, empathy and creative thinking. In fact,

creative department needs the best people you can find. But

26 percent of creative and marketing hiring managers said soft

you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment if you hold out

skills carry as much weight as hard skills when evaluating pro-

for perfection — and you’ll lose out on a lot of great candidates

fessionals for a creative job. Pick the top soft skills relevant to the

along the way.

role, and make those your non-negotiables. During interviews and reference checks, dig deep into how well they communicate, their

What’s the answer, then? Flexibility. Keep an open mind and

attitude toward deadlines and so forth.

consider a range of factors, not just a rigid list.

3. WILL THEY FIT MY WORKPLACE CULTURE? According to a recent Robert Half survey of human resources managers, 42 percent of resumes they receive, on average, are

An organization’s corporate culture can often be a determining

from candidates who fall short of the specified criteria. At the same

factor in whether a new hire flourishes or flops. Someone who

time, 84 percent of the respondents said their company is open

seems great on paper doesn’t always translate to a dream employee

to hiring workers whose skills can be developed through training.

if different personalities, work styles and temperaments keep them from meshing with your team or performing to the best of

I agree with those 84 percent. It’s vital to keep an open mind

their abilities. For example, if your office is social and has an open

and be willing to offer professional development, particularly

floor plan, but your top candidate says they need silence and

when 92 percent of hiring decision makers feel it’s difficult to

solitude to produce their best creative work, they’re probably

find skilled creative talent today — which was a result in another

not going to thrive in your setting.

survey from The Creative Group. In this challenging recruitment market, it makes sense to relax certain requirements to avoid

Don’t think of relaxing criteria as settling for second best. It’s

missing out on top-notch candidates who may not have 100

quite the opposite. What you’re actually doing is reexamining your

percent of what you think you need.

preconceived notions about perfect candidates and opening yourself up to more possibilities. So consider non-traditional

Additionally, loosening your criteria can result in a wider range

applications. Take a chance on a parent getting back into design

of applicants, including high-potential creatives with useful

after taking time off or someone who taught themselves web

transferable skills.

development. Tweak your requirements and you might be shocked how quickly you unearth diamonds in what you thought

But where is the sweet spot between unicorns and having the

was the rough.

entire zoo apply for your open positions? Here are three questions I ask myself when considering the criteria for an open creative role: DIANE DOMEYER is Executive

1. WHAT ARE MY REAL PRIORITIES?

Director of The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service placing

Get crystal clear on what’s essential and what can be bumped

interactive, design, marketing, advertising

down to the nice-to-have category. For a graphic design role,

and public relations professionals with

it’s arguably more important for candidates to have a great port-

a variety of firms. For more information,

folio than a degree from a top design school. So you may want to

visit roberthalf.com/creativegroup.com.

G D U S A 101

june 2019 reader page_feb news play 6/5/19 10:45 PM Page 102

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