Letterpressed logo for a client that believes in make believe. More to come soon.

Some shots from the CFI brand launch party. It was the first time employees got a change to see the new logo and brand applications. Everybody got a bag, business cards, stationery, pocket folder, a poster, and a mousepad. I heard a lot of oh’s and ah’s, so I can say it went well. More images and portfolio update soon.

Jacqueline S. Casey worked as a graphic designer for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1990. She became a leader in the American modernist movement by being among the first to adopt the International Style in the States, as well as infusing it with a more human sensibility and element of visual play. In a world that was dominated by men, it’s refreshing to see a woman being represented in history of modern graphic design.

I’m surprised it took so long for her to be on my radar. I’ve seen her work so many times while searching for inspiration on the web, but hadn’t heard her name until recently. She is definitely up there with the likes of my favorites…Rand, Vignelli, Crouwel, Bos. Her work successfully combines high-concept ideas, elegant abstraction, and restrained typographic solutions, all of which I strive for in my own work. Enjoy!

My visual response to the occupy movement.

Last weekend, I got a chance to catch this exhibit at the Herb Lubalin Study Center at The Cooper Union.  It provided a nice snapshot of the evolution of graphic design in the pharmaceutical industry from the 1940's to today.

Without a doubt, my favorite work was from the late 50's and 60's. Bright colors, grid systems, and Akzidenz Grotesk; how can you go wrong? This is such beautiful work that it's hard to image that this stuff ever sat on convenient store shelves...I'm just glad I got a chance to see it in person.

Spotted this beauty in a used book shop in Old City. The rising sun is Die-cut, and it looks like Block Berthold paired with Avant Garde Extra Light on the cover, which makes for an interesting combo that looks incredibly contemporary. Judging by the cover, I would have bought it, but the contents didn’t make it for me, so I passed this one up.

Here’s a quick peek of an identity project I’ve been working on for Dave Jannetta of 32-20 Productions. This has been a really fun little project to get into. Dave came to me with a simple request. He wanted to look more established, while still retaining the simple charm and honestly of his self-printed Olivetti typewriter business cards. Dave took inspiration for the name of his company from the song “32-20 Blues” by Robert Johnson, an ode to the 32-20 Winchester rifle. The logo is a reference to the back of a bullet casing, with the type mimicking the engraving often seen on the outer edge of a shell.

This is a poster I picked up a while back at a local used book shop. My eyes are always peeled for inspiration, and the use of tightly kerned Helvetica and a simple type-driven logo instantly caught my eye on this one. I still don’t know too much about the piece other than it’s promoting an art exhibition in Dubrovnik, and I’m guessing the artist is Vulas and the image is one of his works. Wish I knew a little more about the rationale behind the gallery logo or who designed it.

Postcard I recently designed for the launch of a lookbook collaboration by Arcadia and Bus Stop boutiques.