To say that as designers we have a responsibility to the people we work with, and that we have power as agents of change is indeed an understatement.

In the following interview, given by AIGA Phily, Pentagram partner Michael Bierut discusses this in the context of the global economic climate, the proliferation of forces like “Target” and their ability to democratize design in today’s culture. He is also asked to comment on IBM’s Watson’s idea that “Good design is good business.”

If you had any doubts about the collective influence of the design discipline, take a listen to one of today’s foremost thinkers on the subject.

I am very pleased with the latest addition to my suite of promotional materials – MiniCards, courtesy of moo.com.

They come nicely packaged in boxes of 100, and are imprintable with your very own array of custom uploaded imagery. There is also complete integration with social networkking sites where your images might be, including Flickr and Facbook. The print and paper quality was impressive.

I also chose the optional MiniCard holders for that little extra something, and they have actually worked well as a leave-behind.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

The identity for Emmanuel Christian Church marks the first step in their approach towards an entirely new branding program. With a renewed focus on outreach and engaging their community in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood of Brighton Heights, Emmanuel is committed to reshaping their church, making themselves more accessible, inviting and becoming a bright spot in their community.

Leading up to this identity redesign, I worked together with Emmanuel’s pastoral staff to carefully consider a range of branding “markers,” including:

Reputation: How well is your organization known?
Esteem: How highly regarded are you?
Relevance: How important are your organization’s mission and activities to the concerns of the audience?
Differentiation: Are there others that do what you do? What makes you different than them? What  makes you the same? Where are the points of  “alignment”?

We also underwent an in-depth profiling exercise (as outlined by DK Holland in her book, Branding for Nonprofits), where we looked closely across a spectrum of issues in order to craft ourselves a creative brief to work against. These items we examined were:

• Profile
• Context
• Positioning
• Audiences
• Personality
• Current  Situation
• Budget
• Schedule
• Design Media
• Technical / Practical Requirements

Following through on this examination proved incredibly valuable in helping us uncover many of the reasons why Emmanuel stands out among many established and emerging churches. The results of our preliminary work together provided the basis for an identity and branding program that not only stands out among other Christian evangelical churches, but has made Emmanuel confident they now possess a voice that expresses their core values and personality as closely as possible.

// Emmanuel Christian Church Background /

According to Tom Fodi, Associate Minister of Community Involvement, Emmanuel Christian Church exists to:

1) Proclaim that Jesus is Lord (preaching and teaching), 2) Love God (worship), 3) Serve the world (community involvement), and 4) Witness to humanity the salvation made available through the sacrifice of Christ.

With a built-in dependency on a third party database and inventory provider, All Foreign Auto Parts needed to approach their site redesign carefully. Taking into account the limitations on their functionality, technology requirements and their connection to their inventory system, we worked together to build an “acquisition point” for those wanting to search for parts using their tools.

Because their database / inventory provider imposed strict restrictions on technology that could be used on their server, I provided All Foreign with a minimal number of pages that functioned as a portal to their third-party-hosted search mechanism. All interface elements and navigational items were built using CSS and a lightweight browser-level gallery mechanism.

Visit the All Foreign Auto Parts website >

// All Foreign Auto Parts Background /

All Foreign Auto Parts is a small family-run used auto parts supplier with a big online business. With a very successful eBay storefront, All Foreign has managed to build a very strong national reputation as a quality  parts resource — with experience and reliability — especially among their commercial customers, including dealers and collision shops.

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, a capabilities brochure 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 emotional imagery is paired with examples of their work represented throughout.

/ 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 >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Well, it’s official…CASA of Allegheny County is going green, and I am proud to be helping them get there.

CASA is kicking off a move to a more economical electronically-focused communications strategy, both to trim back costs and to broaden their reach in an environmentally-conscious way.

To notify their audience who normally hears from them then via print, I have developed a postcard for a blanket mailing. This is the first step in our working together to begin slowly directing traffic to the CASA website for quarterly newsletters, event invitations, and other types of materials that have been previously printed.

/ 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.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (freelance)

The Three Strands identity is the first in a series of identity and branding projects with Emmanuel Christian Church on the Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood of Brighton Heights.

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

Three strands is a marriage ministry offered at Emmanuel, and as the bit of scripture above points out, Three Strands’ mission is:

Improved marriages for newlyweds through golden anniversaries. we want to do all that we can to equip couples to honor the covenant they’ve made with one another and with God; to celebrate and promote respect for the institution of marriage; to offer and receive encouragement and support with other married couples; to foster accountability in our relationships; to prevent broken families and climbing divorce statistics; to create a network of positive role models who can encourage other married couples in our church family and in the larger community.

I have also assisted in configuring the Three Strands blog. Visit them here >

// Emmanuel Christian Church Background /

According to Tom Fodi, Associate Minister of Community Involvement, Emmanuel Christian Church exists to:

1) Proclaim that Jesus is Lord (preaching and teaching), 2) Love God (worship), 3) Serve the world (community involvement), and 4) Witness to humanity the salvation made available through the sacrifice of Christ.

With a renewed focus on outreach and community involvement, Emmanuel has also agreed to work with me on their new identity and  branding program. View this project here >

For this month’s special “winter” edition podcast for Lotuspike, the founders put together a series of winter-inspired tracks, including some custom made experiments prepared for the season. Winter Trail Pt. 1 was my contribution. A bit unpolished, and slightly on the muddled side, I am hoping to fix it up a bit more later, as well as develop Pt. 2.

Firm: Daniel Pipitone (Freelance)

Following on the heels of a well-received FY07 Annual Report, CASA of Allegheny County again planned an announcement of their milestones for FY08. This time, not surprisingly, a smaller budget necessitated a more straightforward approach to the communication of CASA’s successes for the year.

Using a single-fold standard-sized self mailing postcard, I designed a simple and warm piece featuring kids holding their “grade” for CASA’s performance this past year!

/ 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.

View all the CASA materials >

Visit CASA’s Website >

Firm: Software Engineering Institute

To support newly upgraded and enhanced security within the SEI’s main building in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, a glass enclosure was installed with security badge access points. With a great opportunity for a branded environment, I have designed an application of the SEI signature for the glass and installed using a “frosted” vinyl application.

/ SEI Background /

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research development center (FFRDC) affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI’s mission is to advance the state of practice for software engineering and related disciplines.