You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2017.
Martin Steiner is a German graphic designer who lends his talents to festivals, theaters, and a variety of clients in the cultural and commercial sectors. I’m especially fond of his work for the yearly Fotodoks photography festival. Pairing bold and minimal typography with rich colors and gradients, he creates striking layouts for the event’s catalogs and posters.
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Josh Nychuk is a Canadian graphic designer based in New York. From museums to healthcare brands, he works closely with clients to craft highly conceptual designs that represent their products and values. I am especially fond of his identity system for Hälsa Spa, a wellness center that specializes in flotation therapy. To highlight the spa’s use of natural elements, he created a logo that represents the salt crystals that add buoyancy to the water. The system’s minimal and achromatic aesthetic signifies the facility’s cleanliness and the tranquil nothingness that one feels while floating in the water.
Mast is a studio that loves telling unique stories through their designs. Partnering with companies of all sizes, they create clean and modern branding based on the client’s history and personality.
This is evident within their work for ROAR, a new digital marketing agency. Mast crafted an artful lion logo that emerges within a gold and charcoal color scheme. These elements reflect the brand’s agility and commitment to quality work.
Working under the moniker, The Suffolk Punch Press, Adam Avery illustrates some of today’s hottest topics such as online education and renewable energy. His characters’ eccentric eyes and disproportionate bodies intrigue the viewer and beckon a closer look. Equally captivating, are his colorful blotchy textures that contrast with the clean lines and geometric shapes found within his compositions.
Post Projects is a Vancouver-based branding and design agency that crafts intriguing projects for clients in Canada and the U.S. I’m especially fond of their work for the home décor brand Umbra Shift. Pairing contemporary color schemes and minimal layouts, their editorial and packaging work perfectly reflects the whimsical, yet sleek line of accessories.
Creteleon Bottle by Tasos Polydorou
Do you have a project you’re really proud of? Do you think it could win an award? Start off the New Year by taking a chance and entering the A’Design Awards, the largest design competition in the world. The annual event is held in Como, Italy and accepts entries for both conceptual and realized projects. Celebrating all areas of design, the competition is organized into 100 categories including Print Design, Visual Communication, Packaging, UI and UX, Photography and more. Entries will be evaluated by a grand jury panel composed of design professionals, academics, and members of the press from across the globe. Whether you’re a student or a professional, this contest is a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your work and obtain access to services that can help foster your career. To participate, register your designs before the deadline on February 28th.
When describing themselves, Stockholm-based design studio, Snask, proudly states, “We worship unconventional ideas, charming smiles and real emotions. We see the old conservative world as extremely tedious and as our biggest enemy.” This passion for shaking things up and thinking outside of the box is obvious throughout their design, stop motion, and live action work. Taking on bold projects, like rebranding North Korea and crafting campaigns for female empowerment, the studio has proven that they aren’t afraid of taking on controversial topics in a fun and boisterous way.
I am especially captivated by their inventive use of different materials throughout their designs. From wood, to paper, to cake, they’ve built typography and props with just about everything. For the 2014 Malmö Festival, they created an impressive wooden typographic installation. Measuring 13×8 meters, it was one of the largest physical graphic identities in the world.
To use their creativity in other areas, Snask has submerged itself into a number of projects. The studio started a record label, launched its own line of beer, co-founded Yay Festival, and wrote a book about their failures and successes entitled Make Enemies & Gain Fans. Snask also travels around the world giving inspiring lectures on creative entrepreneurship.
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Although I’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, I want to read every book designed by Wang Zhi-Hong. From typography manuals to Albert Einstein’s Ideas and Opinions, Wang has tackled a range of translated volumes for Asia’s book market. Often employing geometric illustrations and minimal layouts, his work is clean, bold, and intriguing. His approach has earned him international recognition including six of Taiwan’s Golden Butterfly Awards, Kasai Kaoru’s Choice Award, and Excellent Works from the Tokyo Type Directors Club. To see designs from throughout his career, check out his book Design by wangzhihong.com: A Selection of Book Designs 2001-2016.
Amur Tiger Vodka Bottle by Guilherme Jardim
The world’s largest design competition, the A’ Design Awards, is now accepting entries. The renowned event is held in Italy each year and features a wide range of creative categories including Print Design, Visual Communication, Packaging, UI and UX, Photography and more. In addition to global recognition, winners gain access to services to further develop their career as well as feedback on their presentation. All entries will be judged by an international jury panel composed of design professionals, scholars, and members of the media. To take part, register your work before the February 28th submission deadline.
Since we last featured La Boca, they have continued to craft vibrant and work that summons feelings of nostalgia. Striving to create emotional connections through pop culture, they design retro-inspired posters, book covers, and album sleeves for clients such as 21st Century Fox, Penguin, and Adele. Their thoughtful and unique approach has not gone unnoticed and has earned them a slew of awards including numerous European Design Awards and Annual Design Awards. To get your hands on their colorful prints make sure to check out their shop.
