Design is Play

Bob Aufuldish at Play

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“With the poster I was trying to solve the formal problem of making type read on top of an image. One classic rule of typography is to never put a stroke on the type. But what happens if you specify a huge stroke? All kinds of interesting bumpy shapes result. I made the bumpy shapes silver and set them to partially overprint the image underneath so the silver acts as a connector between the image and the type.

“Photos of three speakers were superimposed to create the image. Each photo was assigned one process color: cyan, magenta, yellow. Usually there is an overall theme for the lecture series but this time there wasn’t. There was much discussion as to whether or not to show small versions of the individual photos as a way of explaining the source of the images on the poster, but I prefer not to explain anything. I like it much better when you’re not sure what you’re looking at rather than wondering briefly and then knowing exactly.

“I made the video literally just for fun. I like to make videos where nothing much seems to happen. In this case, there are four videos where nothing much seems to happen, but putting them in a sequence sparks a little narrative.”

Bob Aufuldish is a Bay Area designer and educator. We invited him to share a moment of play with us.

Bob Aufuldish on press (2:02)
Printing the Fall 2010 CCA Architecture Lecture Series poster at Howard Quinn in San Francisco.

Intel AppUp Center Identity

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We recently worked with Razorfish San Francisco to conceive a new identity for Intel’s AppUp center, a web initiative devoted to enhancing the functionality of Intel netbooks. Our identity features a star pattern and custom typography whose forms are based on the rounded square found in app icon silhouettes. The pattern is endlessly repeatable in a reference to the extensive range of apps available as well as to the idea of “cloud” computing.

Cengage Learning Book Cover

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We designed the cover for the latest edition of Concepts of Chemical Dependency, a text for undergraduate and graduate counseling classes. Prior cover designs for this title tended to be literal and almost encyclopedic in their attempt to illustrate myriad drugs. Our approach is metaphorical and minimal, and relies on our photograph of a single, iconic hook. The image is both seductive and dangerous, not unlike some addictive substances.

See more examples of recent cover designs for Cengage Learning under Design is Play Studio Covers.

Anson Mills Identity and Packaging System

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Anson Mills of Columbia, South Carolina, is unique in contemporary food culture: they specialize in cold milling organic heirloom grains—all of them dating from the antebellum South and bred exclusively for flavor. They are zealously committed to regional authenticity and, as a result, have garnered a devoted following among America’s best chefs.

Grain is life: our logo is derived from the merging of the Hopi breath glyph with a stylized seed (the enclosed diamond). Our approach to Anson Mills’ packaging labels is similarly direct: the type-only design is flexible enough to accommodate twenty-eight separate products in varying sizes.

CCA Steve Reoutt Memorial Scholarship

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We had the pleasure of knowing and working with Steve Reoutt as his colleagues in the Graphic Design program at California College of the Arts for many years. (Steve was Angie’s first Graphic Design instructor at CCA in 1993.) Steve taught at the college for 41 years and retired in 2008, shortly before his death.

We have been working to permanently endow a scholarship in Steve Reoutt’s name and are thrilled to report that we have met our initial $25,000 goal. We are also proud to note that community support for this scholarship is broad: over 80 faculty members, alumni, family, and friends have contributed so far. As a result, the Steve Reoutt Scholarship will provide financial support to talented graphic design students in perpetuity.

Our commitment is ongoing, however, as the more funds we raise, the greater the number of students we can assist. If you knew Steve or attended the Graphic Design program at CCA, please consider joining us in this effort. (Photo by David Asari.)

Contribute to the CCA Steve Reoutt Scholarship.

Fox at Landor, 06.03.2010

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Courtney Reeser, Managing Director of Landor Associates in San Francisco, invited Mark to exhibit and speak about his work “at Landor.” The exhibit encompassed work from Design is Play and BlackDog, and included logos, identity systems, posters, book covers, prints from Mark’s Erotikon series and, for the first time, seven of Mark’s personal sketchbooks. Mark had the honor of being introduced by his friend and colleague Michael Schwab. (Photos by Michael Friel.)

Watch excerpts of Mark Fox’s conversation with Courtney Reeser:

Fox at Landor 1 (2:09)
On Michael Schwab, clubbing baby seals, and perfection as the default.

Fox at Landor 2 (1:49)
On the “filter” of the computer and the homogenization of design.

Fox at Landor 3 (3:37)
On teaching Graphic Design 1 and hand-inking.

Wired Magazine iPad App Iconography

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Wired Magazine asked us to develop two sets of icons for their groundbreaking iPad app which launched in May, 2010. We designed the app’s global user interface icons which function at a size of 20 × 20 pixels; we also created interactive icons to navigate this multisensory edition of Wired. (Interactive icons include Play Video, Play Audio, Swipe Left to Right, and 360° View.) The covers of the first two issues feature our Play Video icon.

Read an interview with Wired’s Scott Dadich by Joshua Gorchov from The Loud Cloud. Download Wired’s iPad app from Apple.

Play Press: TDC Typography 30

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Our hand-lettered identity for One Catering is featured in the 30th Annual of The Type Directors Club. Drawing from the flavors of eight distinct restaurants, One Catering is the E pluribus unum of Charlotte, North Carolina. Different numeral ones are grafted together to form an identity that is both singular—one—and diverse.