I bought Happy Baby green puffs. Noticed on the bottom of the container that it says Method, the cleaning company. So, I googled to discover that Method had thousands of containers it was never going to use after a packaging redesign. So Happy Baby bought them, to package their puffs in non-toxic, recyclable, non-Bisphenol A containers. Interesting packaging choice. I'm still not sure if it's brilliant or anxiety inducing.
We've been working overtime on a complete branding package for the Virgil nursing home in Los Angeles. And the first web page is now public. It's just a holding page for the moment, but we're working furiously on the full public site. Keep on eye on this facility. They're just getting started with a visionary new management and an innovative team of affiliates, and are reshaping the elder care industry. If you're interested in getting notified when the full web site is live, just sign up on the holding page, or contact us and we'll keep you in the loop on progress throughout.
We just returned from the first of the lecture series at UPenn on Transforming the Nursing Home - with special guests David Pollak of ADL Data and Charles Fishman, author of "The Wal-Mart Effect." See our poster design for the series, and stay posted on the upcoming lectures.
We recently wrapped up our first 800-page book: a reference guide on combustion technologies. If you're looking for a good beach read for summer, this is not it. So, to save you the reading, here are some pics of the cover, hardcover, title page, chapter opener, a spread, and a diagram or two out of the hundreds that were drawn from scratch.
I just got back from reviewing midterm research projects at a seminar at UPenn about Transforming the Nursing Home. There is a large number of organizations and facilities that are rethinking elder care, such as the Green House and (taking an entirely different tack) Kildegaarden in Denmark. All (okay maybe not all) of which will be informing the New Nursing Home we are branding in LA. Stay tuned.
A lesson in brand equity: Freshening up a dated design is often a good idea. But if you have one of the most identifiable images in your industry (like Tropicana's straw-in-the-orange) don't dump it. Your consumers do care. p.s. To designers: After communicating what the product is, the most important challenge in packaging design is differentiation: stand out from the competition and clarify distinctions within the product line.
We just launched a new site and identity for the fine folks at Gotham Tennis Academy. Did you know that blue is the new green? It takes a little getting used to, but is quite striking.
We just got the final copies of this invitation that we did pro-bono for a SEAS fundraiser. If you're looking to do some good this holiday season, we recommend you consider helping them out - these high school kids are doing some amazing things to aid students in disadvantaged areas, particularly in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast regions.
We're heading into annual report season once again - we already have a couple books in production. And just came across the great search function at the aptly-titled annualreports.com. Curious what Merrill Lynch's final annual report looked like? Search and there it is. (From the thematic intro: "The good news is that most of our businesses continue to perform at record levels and we have moved quickly to strengthen our balance sheet, capital position and risk management." Not quickly enough, apparently...) It seems pretty comprehensive - includes some that we have worked on. You can even order hard copies of a few of them.
Our work for PolyamorousNYC has just been added to the permanent collection at The Kinsey Institute (yes, the one founded by Alfred Kinsey). Definitely one of our more interesting distinctions. Which we are quite proud of, actually.
