In the latest New York Times Style Magazine, Alice Rawsthorn asks “Is Design Still a Boy’s Club”
The article outlines the history of women in design from the Bauhaus period to the present day. Heavyweights include:
Graphic Designer
Paula Scher
Fashion Designer
Miuccia Prada
Architect
Zaha Hadid
![](http://www.oberholtzer-creative.com/visualculture/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/got_water.jpg "Water Scarcity \\"Got Water\\"")
Good 50X70 is a humanitarian effort that just completed its second annual competition. Their mission is to cultivate a creative community that channels its talents for the greater good by addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time. More to the point, Good 50×70’s competitions provide an excellent venue for designers to unite and share their ideas and individual perspectives while bringing awareness to specific social concerns. We are proud supporters and participants of Good 50X70.
Overall, the quality of the submissions were very competitive, but while browsing through the 2008 submissions, we found considerable discrepancies with some of the selected posters. It’s our opinion that as creative individuals, we should always strive to communicate on a universal level and deliver a clear message. Unfortunately, there are a couple of pieces that appear to be completely disconnected from the AMREF brief (see here).
The aim of the Water Scarcity poster series is to raise awareness regarding the lack of clean drinking water available within the continent of Africa. Two posters from this particular category caused us pause. Each of these pieces fail to convey AMREF’s endorsement on water scarcity and are sorely misguided and apathetic in their approach towards this continental issue.
Poster 1: “Got Water?” (see above)
This poster fails in its communication on almost every level, but it’s the imagery that deserves sharp criticism.
First off, the image and copy is a play off of the famed American “Got Milk?” campaign. This piece suggests somewhat of a commercialized Western sentiment, rather than conveying a substantial universal message.
Secondly the image of the young boy is disrespectful, as well as arrogant, in it’s tone and representation. In essence, it’s a mockery of the very real struggle that many Africans endure on a daily basis. The child’s torn, disheveled shirt with one nipple showing; the cocky smirk on the face, not to mention the doo-rag on his head, is appalling. This poster appears to be making light of Good 50X70’s intentions and what it is committed to represent.
Poster 2: “Give Me Water” (more…)
Planet Green, a new 24hr eco-network is picking up steam. The network has already reached 50 million homes and has managed to create a heavy online presence.
To find out more click here.
Since this is a design blog we had to comment on the logo. It was designed by one of our favorite studios, Open. If you are not familiar with Open they are the team that oversees the creative look and feel of GOOD Magazine.
At first glance, we thought the logo for Planet Green seemed a bit simple and generic. But after living with it for 30 seconds we realized that it is a perfect identifier. Clear, direct, and universal in it’s communication.
Our only minor critizism is the type treatment. It’s not bad, but we wonder if there could have been a better solution in the placement. The rag, in combination with the placement of the circle creates tension within the white space. We are also not sold on the black type, it seems a bit cold and does not feel integrated with the green, sustainable mission of the network. A rich brown color could be nice. Anyone know what typeface they are using?
Open explains their process behind the logo best here.
In an apparent quest for world domination, Walmart is constantly on a mission to reinvent itself. Brand New has an insightul article on the new Walmart logo and a history of its evolution through the years. To read the article click here.
Pentagram just completed a new identity for MillerCoors. The usage is not for the consumer marketplace, which means you will not see this logo on a bottle of beer. It will mainly be used for corporate communications.
Pentagram and Michael Bierut know better and have done far better work. I was very surprised when I came across this. The conceptual thinking behind the logo works, I get it. But the execution fails in its visual representation (it doesn’t read as a glass that is half full), they had to add an intro animation to get the point across.
The color scheme is bland and does not represent a refreshing glass of beer. I understand the thinking behind merging colors and creating a new scheme to separate it from the “MolsonCoors and SAB Miller” brands, but there has to be a better solution.
Lastly, the type is disturbingly tight. It makes me cringe.
Feel free to add your critique.
Over the last few years there has been a new trend in poster and book presentation (the “hold & pinch”). Who started this and when? Although we have followed this trend in presenting some of our successful poster designs, I think the benefits in presenting this way depend on each individual client.
What you gain in presenting this way is to see the printed piece in context, you get to show the viewer the print process, finish, etc. We would welcome any thoughts on this.
I really had to scratch my head on this one. To put it lightly, The Franklin Institute Science Museum’s new logo is a complete flop. Let’s compare the old with the new - shall we?
The Franklin Institute’s original mark was designed by Hans Allemann, a principle of Allemann Almquist & Jones. He’s been a leading graphic designer both here and abroad for over 40 years, a member of AGI, and very well respected within the design community.
The original mark depicted a solar eclipse with simplified clarity. It is both innovative and timeless. Its well crafted graphic treatment enables the logo to read in large and small applications with easy legibility. I could go on and on, but I the identity pretty much speaks for itself.
The “new and improved” logo is a widdled down version of the original identity and feels generic at best. I showed this to a few friends of mine and they thought it was an identity for a new condo development. Need I say more?
On a practical level the color choice was not thought out. The added colors are a printer’s nightmare which drives up printing costs for each application. The lack of design sensibility in the contrast of tones in the logo does not allow for quality representation when printed in one color and scaled down to smaller sizes. In short, on all fronts it was a huge step backwards.
Your Thoughts?
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