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// DESIGN REVOLUTION ROAD SHOW PARKING LOT PARTY

It was a parking lot party... so of course it rained. But that didn't stop the crowds from coming out to help celebrate the kick off of Emily Pilloton's Design Revolution Road Show.

Over 450 attended the event, held at the Academy of Art University, to tour the vintage Airstream trailer, chat with Emily, and dine on the delectable treats of some of San Francisco's best mobile food vendors: Kashay's Brick Oven Pizza, Brittany Crepes, Sweetface Bakery's cupcakes, and El Tonayense tacos.

After a full day of exhibit tours and a standing room only lecture, Emily had her first chance to celebrate the start of her 25 school, 6300 miles, 75 day, tour across the country in her Airstream trailer. In support of her mission many Academy people, fellow design professionals and admirers stopped in. We spotted Christopher Morlan, Ben Davis, Amy Gustinic, Alice Bybee, Christopher Simmons, and Stephan Jenkins to name a few.  All were there to wish Emily the best of luck on her journey. 

(Mary Scott, Emily Pilloton, Stephan Jenkins)

We especially appreciate the great video put together by Mike Jeter, Carl Bender, Justin Fantl and Adam Peterson for The Black Harbor.

// EMILY PILLOTON'S DESIGN REVOLUTION ROAD SHOW AT ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

Emily Pilloton's Design Revolution Road Show made its stop at the Academy of Art University yesterday.  The all-day event brought over 150 students to view the refurbished Airstream trailer- housed exhibit of over 40 products and projects designed for social change that are detailed in her book Design Revolution.

The exhibit was open at the Academy's 601 Brannan Street location throughout the day, with Pilloton there to explain the projects and products exhibited. At noon-time she talked to a standing room only crowd about the purpose of the Design Revolution Road Show, the items on exhibit and the bigger picture. "Go beyond design that does no harm, think big and have no fear," said Pilloton.

As Pilloton detailed the projects like the Hippo Roller re-design, she expressed that it's more than just being about making things more affordable, because most times the "affordable" versions are still beyond the reach of those who need it. "You need to get close to the people you are doing work with.  Only by working locally can you understand the needs of the users," she says.

"Like Emily, we believe that design can change the world so we were enthusiastic to work closely with her to bring new tools for design to the doorstops of students. The ultimate goal is to enable and empower the next generation of problem-solvers," said Phil Hamlett, graduate director, MFA, School of Graphic Design, Academy of Art University. "Our students and alums were engaged and we were happy to be part of the tour."

// DESIGN REVOLUTION ROAD SHOW TODAY

Emily Pilloton kicks off her Design Revolution Road Show in the Academy of Art University’s 601 Brannan Street parking lot (at 5^th) today.

Traveling in a vintage Airstream trailer equipped with an exhibition of 40 humanitarian products and projects, Emily will cover 6300 miles in 75 days, stopping at 25 art and design schools.

The Design Revolution Road Show Schedule:

10am-12pm Design lab/exhibition tours. Students tour the exhibit in small groups.

12pm Talk by Emily Pilloton. The Designer’s Handshake

1-4pm Design lab/exhibition tours continue.

6-8pm Parking Lot Party hosted by the Academy of Art University.  Invitation only event.

Design Revolution books, and T-shirts available throughout the day for purchase; proceeds go to Project H.

// ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY STUDENT AHYOUNG KIM FEATURED IN CMYK

AhYoung Kim, 2009 School of Graphic Design MFA, has been featured in the most recent issue of CMYK Magazine for her hypothetical rebranding of Burt's Bees, a project for Hunter Wimmer's Nature of Identity class.

 

"I rebranded Burt's Bees and redesigned the logo," Kim says in the CMYK article. "My mission was 'harmony between people and nature.' The honeycomb represents the Burt's Bees interrelated and interconnected global community. The icons are symbols of the natural world — sun, clouds, leaves, and sky — the matrix of organic life."

// MARY SCOTT IS A GRAPHIS NEW TALENT 2010 GOLD WINNER

Academy of Art University's Chair of the School of Graphic Design, Mary Scott, was presented with the a Graphis New Talent 2010 Gold Winner certificate for Excellent Student Work. 

“Graphis has always been the benchmark of great design, which is the result of  thorough process, keen analysis and inspired creativity," said Mary Scott. "There can be no higher praise for our students than to be recognized in this volume of New Talent 2010. I am so proud of all of them and the dedicated faculty that spurred them on.”

Beginning in 2009, Graphis introduced the Graphis Platinum and Gold Awards to celebrate outstanding work in Design, Advertising and Photography.

// ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN WINTER SHOW 09 WINNERS

We are proud to announce Natalie Kuo and Ryan Wang as the 2009 School of Graphic Design Winter Show winners! Natalie and Ryan both won $1,000 for their outstanding portfolios.

Winners Natalie Kuo and Ryan Wang with instructor Roland Young.

Mary Scott congratulates Ryan Wang.

Ryan Wang's portfolio:

Natalie Kuo's portfolio:


 

// SCHOOL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT JON PATTERSON FEATURED ON THE DIELINE

"No more holding a sunscreen bottle while on the go or keeping bulky Purell containers in your pockets," says School of Graphic Design student Jon Patterson of his conceptual design of a wearable and refillable line of skincare products that was recently featured on The Dieline.

Developed in Tom McNulty's Packaging Design 3, Patterson created a fictional skincare line, for the NOOKA watch company, that can be worn and refilled. He envisioned bottles of sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and body wash that are easy to transport and make a fashion statement at the same time. "These bottles, ideally, would be a two piece injection molded plastic with a soft-rubberized texture; similar to the silicon texture most of the Nooka products have. The spout/top, uses simple "o-ring" technology, similar to that of a Heinz ketchup bottle. This allows less waste of the product, as well as a non-mess solution to traditional bottle tops. The functionality of the design allows the bottle to "clip" onto essentially any surface (such as belts, purses, shirts, pockets, shower racks). The stripes shown on the front of the bottle are indicators and tell the user when they are low on the product, using a color hit to get their attention. "

Because the bottles are refillable, consumers can choose their favorite colors and keep re-using and re-wearing them so they are not only sporting a really cool-looking accessory, but they are also supporting "greener" buying habits.

Read Jon Patterson's full Dieline feature here.

// ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY'S MICHAEL OSBORNE IN FIRST GRAPHIS JOURNAL

Even through difficult financial times, Graphis has long been known for publishing the best of the best in the design world. As more and more magazines are quietly closing their doors, Graphis is opening a new one: the Graphis Journals, and Academy of Art University alum and instructor Michael Osborne, of Michael Osborne Design, is featured in the first issue.

Osborne's article begins with three wonderful quotes about the designer's work, including one by one of our favorite people, Mary Scott, Chair of the School of Graphic Design. "When he wants to do something, he approaches it with his entire heart and soul, never stopping till the vision is realized. His work — thoughtful, pure, and powerful — will stand the test of time," said Scott.

Legendary graphic designer Primo Angeli wrote Michael Osborne's introduction and described Osborne as "a kindred spirit" and "an American boy of Indian ancestry from Art Center, from the Vietnam conflict, from tragedies and hiccups of financial struggle, a maker of fabulous stamps for the United States Postal Service, and a San Francisco community servant designing exquisite visual projects, who still looks like a handsome 38-year-old center fielder for the San Francisco Giants."

The next four pages include a Q&A between Graphis and Osborne and an overview of some of the designer's most popular work, such as his design of the Square One Organic Vodka bottle, the Crane Lettra, and his many wonderful stamps.

The Graphis Journals are meant to replace the Graphis Magazine, which was discontinued in 2004. The Journals will run approximately 300 pages in printed format and 450 pages in the extended PDF format, compared to the Magazine's 150 pages.

// ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY'S ALEX CORNELL REBRANDS PLAYBOY

Known for his fictitious Wes Anderson Film Festival, Alex Cornell, graduate student in the Academy of Art University's School of Graphic Design, just finished his most recent project, "Rebranding Playboy," which was observed on Design Observer.

During his Nature of Identity class, taught by School of Graphic Design's Associate Director, Hunter Wimmer, Cornell was instructed to "reinvigorate a brand that is dead, dying, or defunct."

Though many would argue that Playboy magazine is still very much alive, Cornell says, "Like many magazines, they are actually dying (financially), but for my project I focused on the decay of the overall perception of the brand... To keep up with the increasing trashiness of the American men's magazine, Playboy has been forced to reposition itself as 'one of the boys' as it were, and is now indistinguishable from the Maxim magazine's of the world."

In his project Cornell sheds light on the history of Playboy as a brand; that it had once symbolized class and sophistication. "It attracted all of the best writers and was a beacon of style and culture; truly with a finger on the pulse of American society at the time," Cornell said. His goal? Return it to the suave icon it had once been — get rid of the nudity and add more literature.

Cornell began, as any designer does, with a new logo. After a few rough sketches of nerdy bunnies, he realized Playboy would need a new symbol entirely. Something smart, cunning, and sly... sly like a fox. His new Playboy icon was born.

The culmination of the project led to a book in which each student was instructed to explain the history of their chosen brand, the rationale for the new identity, the process of the logo development, and give examples of brand standards, guidelines, implementations, and extensions. Cornell titled his book "I Read it for the Articles, I Swear," a common joke about the publication but at the same time, the truth about the history of the publication—and the point Cornell is making with his project.

Read more about Cornell's Playboy rebranding, including in-depth looks at the logo development and book production on the ISO50 blog.

Read our post about Cornell's Wes Anderson Film Festival here.

// SCHOOL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN WINTER SHOW FRIDAY DECEMBER 18TH

Come check out the School of Graphic Design Winter Show this Friday, December 18th, in the 79 Gallery at 79 New Montgomery from 6:30 -8:15 pm.

Portfolios of grads and undergrads will be open for review.

Music provided by the Crowden School.