FUTURE AMAZING

The world of branding, identity design, graphic design… Well it is both fortunate and unfortunate the stage we call “concept” - the concept is the seed, the mother that gives birth to visual creative based on an idea. Most of the time the concept is the master piece and the end product that the target audience sees, is a result of hours, if not days or months of review and adjustments.

The concept is what gives birth to the end product, and sometimes, speaking from the creative end, it is hard to “give up” the process. Nonetheles, that is what makes our profession unique… It is not solely emotive or striving to induce interpretation… It is visual communication at its finest, a series of graphic elements based on stern research and intimate involvement with the client and the intended target.

Why this rant? Well… We bumped into this gem of packaging design for a new proposed wine brand called THIRD DYNASTY. The aesthetic and obvious influence is of Ancient Egypt… We like this concept… And we hope it makes the cut… But like most things part of a detailed process… We are sure it will not.

As one of the largest museums in the western world, but with a debt of $120 Million, the historical museum was in need of a makeover and more importantly a new direction. Originally part of the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park San Fran, it later went on to become one of the largest museums housing more than 17,000 art pieces solely dedicated to the asian arts. But after losing its luster, direction and proper perspective, the museum reached out to reknow brand consultancy Wolff Olins.

Wolff Olins approached the project with the goal to evoke and emphasize the new perspective and vision the museum was taking, thus creating an upside down “A” that served as a gateway / window to the different elements involved with the museum.

“Its graphic, upside down A mark, accompanied by the word “Asian,” also communicates the museum’s desire to engage all: in mathematics, an upside down A denotes ‘for all.’”

Take a look at more of the new brands elements in action and the new perspective and bold vision the museum is now focused on…

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“We all get stuck as designers. Don’t forget that.

“No matter who you are, the number of accolades you’ve received, or the past successes you’ve had, it’s still hard. You can look at this a few ways, but I largely take comfort in it.

“Becoming a good designer is, in my mind, directly related to one’s curiosity and willingness to work. If you keep asking questions and deliberately practicing your craft, you get better. It’s that simple. So when it feels difficult and you want to scream, grab a pencil and a big blank sheet of paper, and just start drawing. With each iteration you’re closer.”

— ERIC KARJALUOTO, SMASHLAB

Sometimes they say BIGGER IS BETTER, or LARGE IS IN CHARGE (maybe we made up that last one), but there is something about large cropped graphics and typefaces that just makes things beautiful. In our opinion, the fact that it is large and fights with its parameters, the type, the graphic, it longer becomes a brand but true design, dare we say - art? A symbol, a new interpretation of a brand much like Warhol accomplished in his days with the Campbells Soup cans.

Take a look at the full article (CLICK HERE) and see what people think… Better yet, what do you think?

The new logo incorporates several graphic elements that represent the fundamentals of the hobby, including a hop cone, a barley stalk and a tall glass of beer, on a circular background that evokes the shape of a bottle cap. AHA Director Gary Glass explains the design process: “It wasn’t easy, and the AHA staff and our graphic design team took the redesign seriously. We’re thrilled with this new visual representation of the AHA, our members and the broader homebrewing community.”