Entries associated with the tag "Design":

I see that WGN's logo was named one of the worst rebrandings of the year by the awesome Brand New blog. When it came out I defended it for 1) bringing sexy and Patrick Nagel back 2) being one of the few genuinely hilariously misconceived logos foisted upon us by professionals.

My favorite new (to me) logo: Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale.

Steve Rhodes approves of our Obama cover. FWIW, my favorites:

Because it explains a lot.

That too, I think.

Ibid.

As for me, I decided to put on my print designer's cap and do a sketch.

It's always a good time for Obama-related graphics design:

"Daily reporting on the world of Barack Obama artwork, prints and auctions. Invest. Collect. Document."

The Obama Art Report: an essential document of our times. The outpouring of Obama art during the election season, mostly in the fields of graphic design and hip-hop, has been nothing short of astounding. Here's my favorite, from Burlesque Prints:

A variation on a theme, from Chicagoland L.A. correspondent KHo:

And my only Obama-related art (the puppy has three legs, I mean, damn); (derived from):

Related (explanation here ):

Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG will be sitting on the Chicago Architectural Club's Union Station 2020 jury, a competition to redesign Union Station for the age of high-speed rail. Top prize is $10K, but entries are due 10/15. Here are the details. He'll also be part of the Chicago Humanities Festival's Offshoring Audacity roundtable.

In other design news, here's a bizarro little ad from Rotofugi:

The first major redesign of a Zell-Abrams-Michaels TribuneCo paper is done. I present the new Orlando Sentinel. Abrams is allegedly a big fan. Here's what I think (the horizontal line is approximately where the fold would be).

1) Nooooo.... I just don't understand the wisdom of giving important space to columnist headshots, especially some of the most important real estate in the paper--basically, where the F1 would normally go. And those are some big-ass pictures. Plus the black shirts make them look like waitstaff at a nice restaurant.

Most columnists just aren't very interesting-looking--a rare exception, I think, is John Kass, who looks like he'd make a sturdy character actor. Maybe I'm just pissed that this means I'll never be a TribCo columnist, since I don't allow recognizable pictures of myself to be printed or posted online.

2) That's a brave use of fonts. Also, confusing.

3) I like the bulleted list and breakdowns. One of the things that newspapers are learning from blogs, I think, is that there are more efficient ways of presenting concrete information than the inverted pyramid style. There's something to be said for giving readers what amount to notes and an outline. It's not a bad way to learn.

4) Similarly, leading with an infographic is a neat idea.

5) I could do without the fillips. It's just a tiny bit of visual excess, but still.

Here's the old front page, for comparison: 

I have to say I think the new one is an improvement. The flag wastes way less space, the deadening "Speed Read" and table of contents are gone, and the color palette is more coherent (if more garish). The reader goes into stories with a better sense of what to expect--an approach that's often derided as dumbing down the news, but newspapers are supposed to serve dumb people (besides, no one derides students for stupidly taking notes or making outlines).

Also of note: I think we'll look back years from now and realize the profound impact the RedEye had on newspaper design. The Sentinel even uses the same black-red-tan/khaki (with a hint of yellow-red) palette.

“We’re the city of flowers. We’re the city of trees and gardens and all that. I’d like to maybe change that motto to, ‘City of Children.’ I really believe that.”
--Mayor Daley, 4/10/08 

We'll be needing a new seal, then. Collect all four!

Update III: I think I got it right this time (previously it was "urbis liberi," which is "children of the city," right?). I checked a grammar book, at least.

Pedantic update: From the article: "How do the latin [sic] words, 'Urbs of Liberi' sound?" Er, they sound 66% Latin. Not that I am without flaws, as my misadventures in translation prove.

Update IV: Hey, they fixed it. Sorry, I took two years of college Latin and I have to get something out of it, even if that something is minor irritation.

Update: Got the translation wrong. The above reads "Children of the city" (I think; haven't done Latin since high school). Working on it.

Update II: Is "child" liber or parvulus? 

The full text of a semi-professional bootleg Obama shirt I saw on the 63 this morning:

OBAMA'S GOT THE CLOCK

FOCUS IN RANGE

IT'S TIME FOR CHANGE

NO DRAMA WITH OBAMA 

Like a lot of people who do design quasi-professionally, I'm fascinated by logos. But I finally ran into one that defeated my powers of reasoning.

Ptigo? This is driving me insane. Perhaps it's my journalism background, but to me "strikethrough" says "mistake" more than "this is a really nice place to live."

"Back when I was about 19 browsing Metropolitan Home mags at Barnes & Noble becuase I couldn't afford 2 buy them..."

And yes, he's right, a rotating, suspended fireplace is great, not just because it looks incredibly sweet but because it combines the best aspects of a fireplace and a wood stove (I had the latter when I grew up; they're underrated). But he likes in-wall fireplaces now, for reasons he doesn't go into.

The University of Illinois has an amazing online archive called Magazines & War, which collects Spanish magazines from the time of the country's civil war. Nova Iberia is one of the best-designed magazines I've ever seen (h/t ptb).

Aldermen Pat Levar and Gene Schulter, opponents of a higher beer/wine/spirits tax, need some design help (call me, I have a pothole I need fixed). Graphic double negatives, intentional or not, are a bad idea.

"When asked why the paper didn't invest more in the paper's Web site, [Sun-Times] Editor-in-Chief Michael Cooke was heard to say that nobody believes what they read on the Internet."

When you parse that logic, you will understand the Sun-Times.

And more, also, from Steve Rhodes's Beachwood Reporter:

"The gossip about the Sun-Times redesign is that the paper spent a ton of dough on focus groups in order to find out that Chicagoans want to read about . . . Chicago. The paper's leaders have apparently also tried to fire up the staff by telling them the Trib has signed their 'death warrant.' Folks at the Sun-Times were also told, sources say, to keep the whole thing 'hush-hush from Mike Miner and the Beachwood.'"

And yet more on the S-T's redesign at the Beachwood Reporter and also newsdesigner.com (good large images of the redesign).

My first reactions:

* The new headline font is perfect. It looks like the font Sports Illustrated recently commissioned--straightforward sans-serif with just enough oddness to be visually intriguing. That's the best new element.

* Need 2 Know? Need 2 Know???? C'mon. That page is total chaos anyway.

* So on the big day, the big exciting redesign launch that's supposed to rededicate the Sun-Times to local coverage, the front page story is? "Hello, Dalai: Christian group plans to welcome Buddhist leader to Chicago by trying to convert his followers," a national story about a contrived controversy that coincides with a famous person's visit.

* A story, incidentally, which is nowhere to be found on the newspaper's homepage right now. Strangely, I don't believe the story any more for that.

* Generally speaking, it's a cleaner, more open design. Not as pleasantly anachronistic as it used to be, but certainly easier to read.