// Design for the Web /

Firm: Freelance
(in cooperation with Novaurora)

Working with Novaurora, I acted as design lead for the creation of a web acquisition point for a fresh new iPhone app, Proximi.

Like some other iPhone apps, the premise is simple – allow iPhone users to leverage the location-based services on their handsets to find each others” locations in proximity to one another.

Proximi had one feature, though, that immediately set them apart from the others. Privacy. You want to be located…but not found. Not precicesly anyway.

Providing users a platform to instantly get status on every contact on their list and to add, invite and meet up all from a single screen, while keeping a private rationale like, “your friend is now 2 miles away - invite them to lunch?” is their value proposition.

/ Proximi Background /
Proximi is an exciting new venture based in California that is changing the way iPhone users think about productivity and social networking through their innovative iPhone apps.

Along with Proximi, they also produce MagicPad, the first rich text editor for the iPhone, available through the iPhone App Store.

Here is one I can’t let slip by, courtesy of one of my favorite blogs, UK’s Ministry of Type. Examples of these unbelievably rich infographics are offered from a collection developed for Princeton’s International Networks Archive (INA) by Jonathan Harris of Number27 (formerly Flaming Toast Productions).

// Design for the Web /

Firm: Giant Ideas (in cooperation with Novaurora)

Some great ideas are short-lived, and unfortunately MarioLemieux.com has been taken down at the time of this post…

I handled all design for the MarioLemieux.com website, which included plans to support online memorabilia sales, multimedia features and links to Mario’s partner organizations.

/ Mario Lemieux Background /
Mario began his pro hockey career at the bottom rung when he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984. The worst team in the NHL, with little fan support, the Penguins were a textbook example of hockey failure. Within seven years Lemieux led them to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

Working hand-in-hand with Mario Lemieux’s organization has truly been an honor. Not only has it been an opportunity to cross paths with one of the greatest athletes of all time, but it has also been a chance to see a truly gracious and charitable person at work.

His work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his establishment of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, dedicated to Hodgkin’s and cancer research and his overall community involvement make him a truly powerful force for the greater good.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Taking into account the founder’s “vision,” an identity was created surrounding the idea of that Vision Marketing Group (VMG) is committed to working with clients who “understand the value of strategic thinking and appreciate how far our vision can take them.”

With this in mind, an identity was created to help launch VMG into their market with a clear focus and the ability to make an immediate emotional connection with potential clients. An enlightened feel and emotive “sunburst” graphical approach carry the identity.

/ VMG Background /
While their roots are planted in Western Pennsylvania, Vision Marketing Group’s reach extends far beyond. From their base in Punxsutawney, and with offices just outside Pittsburgh, the founder and his three sons work with an array of specialists in fields from branding to broadband, from market positioning to multimedia, from copywriting to corporate identity.

Visit VMG on the web >

+ Note: I have changed Essays to Observations, since I seem to only have enough time these days to notice things quickly rather than write essays! I will post inspirational design-related things here as I notice them.

First up is this surprise I picked up at the local grocery retailer here in Pittsburgh, Giant Eagle. There I was walking down the organic snack isle, and behold…Swiss-made, eco-friendly, type-adorned stainless (inside and out) water bottles by SIGG!

// Work in Progress /

June 24, 2008 [UPDATE]

Photography proof of concept:
I have been working with my Canon SD1000 point and shoot (which has a really great Macro setting) to see if I could achieve the look I am after. So far, so good, although I have lighting challenges around the house, so it looks like it will have to be a daytime shoot, relying primarily on available light.

———————

I have a final direction: IMPACT EQUATION (aka. “my responsibility as a designer”)

So I move ahead. At this point I am planning new photography of select work and a minimalist layout approach to the body of the book, so as to not detract from the work detail. Finishing will include screw post binding and an oversized poly bag.

———————

I have a confession to make. I have been picking up way more books lately, but reading very little.

Q:
Why is this?

A:
I have been succumbing to a habit I have nurtured for years, where I blow right by the text and zero in on the images. I go through phases with material where I ignore all context and flip rapid-fire style through the pages, taking in as much of the visual information as I can.

This is not, mind you, merely a childish “I get bored by too much text” thing. No, this is a ravenous skimming to find the visuals so I can “soak” them up. It’s the kind of thing I starting doing hardcore in college, and now I revert to this behavior in periods of high inspiration.

This time it has been the work of Massimo Vignelli and Michael Bierut and the partners at Pentagram. All it took was a few hallway discussions about Vignelli with a co-worker about the new archive collection at my alma mater, RIT, and I was off spinning. At this very moment – directly behind me as I type this post – I have no fewer than 22 books towering in the stack on the table. Vignelli had me digging again, as I had years ago, and I uncovered yet another gem from my past interests, the work from the Pentagram office. Pentagram, by way of partner Michael Bierut, has a Vignelli connection as Bierut was once a principle designer in Vignelli’s studio, his first job fresh out of University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. And ‘round and ‘round it goes…

So, in this stack is everything from Vignelli’s Vignelli from A to Z (published in 2007) to The Compendium: Pentagram, their voluminous historical collection of work that illustrates their key tenets as they relate to their approach to work. It has all come full circle again for me as I have rediscovered this volume of work. Once the cornerstone of my instruction as well as a key source of inspiration early in my career, their work has taken on new meaning as I now have more than a decade behind me in the discipline as a designer.

Q:
Your work hardly resembles theirs…so what’s this got to do with a “work in progress by you?”

A:
Their work has reminded me of precisely what I found in it that was once important to me, and what is easily lost, overlooked or discarded as the years (and priorities) go by. Why I work. What is the work doing, and for whom? What is it communicating, really? What value and impact does it have on our surroundings? Our culture? Our values? Is it valuable at all? It has prompted me to ask myself these questions again. Everyday.

So this brings me to the concept. A personal capabilities piece that functions as a summary of my work experience, while also folding in complimentary narative to illustrate the importance of this work as it relates to key motivating forces. The reasons “why I work.”

Over the next…however long…I will be posting some sketches of concepts, layouts, etc. as I begin to form ideas for the piece.

Check back soon and often for more!

————–

Sketches

5ive Reasons

Forgive the crudeness of these napkin sketches.

Using an eight column grid (w/4 rows = 32 modules) for structure, this gives a a fairly flexible range of layout parameters. Lots of room for variation if needed, but plenty of structure. With type fit in proportionally, I am hoping to end up with harmonious balance of image and type, with some interesting type “as form” to keep things dressed up.

I will plan to use this grid framework to hold a few kinds of information, including “hero” (headline) text, smaller narrative copy and perhaps caption copy to act as image callout / project summary.

Update:

I have given thought to two distinct approaches for this first concept. The first was, admittedly, one most like my usual line of thinking, using imagery consistent with what I have been using thus far in my identity.

The second was a decidedly different take, and a deviation even for me. This idea is directly influenced by Vignelli’s point that a cover should sometimes be quieter or simpler regardless of what may lie beyond it.

As he writes about covers in Vignelli: From A to Z:

…They all scream for attention, and in that noise nothing is noticeable. That is why I prefer covers that are silent, because a pause of silence is more noticeable.

In an effort to simplify, it seemed the right time to revisit and streamline my professional materials, specifically my resume, capabilities book (doubling as work samples) and formats for letterhead, invoices, etc., as they relate to freelance work.

I will make an effort to post more later, but suffice it to say, I have simplified my resume significantly, taking the format from 2 (+ professional references) to 1 (+ professional references). By using a more tightly structured grid, I was able to better organize.

Firm: Pipitone Group

While at Pipitone Group (formerly Scott Pipitone Design), I developed a full suite of collateral pieces for FamilyLinks, mixing a friendly visual language with a modest and cost-conscience approach to production. Materials included quarterly newsletters, services brochures, and annual reports.

/ FamilyLinks Background /
FamilyLinks offers a broad array of human services for children, families and individuals in greater western Pennsylvania. These services include mental health, substance abuse, early intervention / prevention, mental retardation, crisis intervention, emergency shelter, residential treatment, independent living, housing assistance and community support services.

Visit FamilyLinks >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

Previously, Advanticom already had a well-established name for itself nationally as a leader in IT services, consultation and technology infrastructure.

With a shift in focus and a new value proposition, Advanticom sought to reinvent themselves with a new identity to set them apart even more so.

I first participated in an intensive market research study and the crafting of a comprehensive communication plan. Once a clear strategy emerged, I began by creating the new identity system and worked with Advanticom to integrate the new mark into their corporate culture.

/ Advanticom Background /
Advanticom is in the business of designing, engineering, assembling and servicing IT solutions that help organizations become more efficient and more productive. Their strategy is simple: recruit people with the right experience and talent, cultivate knowledge and business savvy, and create a culture of excellence from top to bottom. It’s a strategy that produces powerful solutions for their clients.

Visit Advanticom >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

For communication with the general public, I created a brochure system for CASA of Allegheny County that used an insert approach. Using die-cut tabs, any in a series of information cards can be substituted for the different types of audiences CASA reaches out to, including potential advocacy volunteers, donors or the general community.

View all the CASA materials >

/ CASA Background /
CASA of Allegheny County is a truly special client. CASA works hard for one sole purpose…children. They act as a child’s advocate in the courts, in situations of abuse, neglect and family-centered issues, when children otherwise would have no voice.

Visit CASA’s Website >