Phase 1 – Studio Practice

garyphilo

August 19, 2022

Shepard-Fairey Los Angeles Rebrand

I wanted to select case studies which aimed to alter perception in a good way. Studio Number One recently created the above brand for the Tourism Authority.

Fairey, the MD of the studio, said, “As a whole, the logo is intended to capture L.A.’s “vibrant history, diversity, culture and lifestyle”.

To get to this solution the team inserted themselves into the culture of Los Angeles. They discovered that is was more than just a city and took into consideration a, “mindset” and “vibe” which contributed to the solution which, “embraces the spirit and optimism of L.A.”.

It would be great to know how they conducted their primary research to come up with the ‘vibe’. Perhaps they too acted as psychogeographers and looked past the derive to find what it is to be from L.A.

Fairey also said about the logo that it is, “It’s got a really strong, ownable personality to it that allows anyone to project something about themselves onto it.”. This goes back to the idea that place identity is somewhat governed by who you are as a person and the life you have led. Maybe it goes for every brand, that you impart something on yourself when viewing and interacting with it.

M&C Saatchi – GogoSoho

Supported by the Mayor of London’s office, Westminster Council and The Soho Society, M&C Saatchi London created a campaign to celebrate small independent businesses in Soho.

Following their research they decided that the way to go to represent Soho was to use bold, illustrative designs with a specific colour palette of blue, red, white and yellow. They also used illustrations which could have more than one meaning and to me, this is a comment about how the place is multi-faceted.

“On one, skull rings form the eyes of a frog to showcase The Great Frog’s signature jewellery.”

It is clear that they wanted to honour Soho’s rich cultural heritage whilst taking ques from the modern, “streetlife and nightlife that Soho is synonymous with.”

Verso – Our Beautiful Borough

Design studio Verso provided an interesting approach when unifying three different locations in Staffordshire. Initially, they focused on the measurable aspects – I.e. the three locations geographically and the shape they made on a map – A triangle.

They then tried to focus on the immeasurable – The feeling and the sense of place. Being honest, I feel this campaign misses the mark on this front.
It feels like a very commercial project and doesn’t really get to the heart of the place or identifies what is unique about it.

This project seeks to bring together communities after Covid and their “All For One” message is a nice touch. I just wish it told me more about the place!

Cleveland Museum of Art – Gallery One

An aspect that I felt it important to cover is how people interact with public installations.

Local Projects (New York) created Gallery One for The Cleveland Musesu, “a suite of new interactives that transform the art museum experience”.

What I really get from this project is that people will engage with the device for one of two reasons. Either they will want to play with it or they want to learn more about the historic subjects.
Its important to realise that people will only take part in something if they are getting something back from it. Having fun and learning could be two of those factors.

The old adage of “build it and they will come” only really applies if there is enough incentive for them to take part.

Although not a geographical place, museums are a place in their own right and it was interetsing to see how Local Projects catered for all visitors.

Calvium – Hidden Cities

Calvium are a company I have personal dealings with through my work. We commissioned them to create a trails app which takes users on guided heritage walks through Great Yarmouth. This is still in development so have chosen to showcase their ‘hidden cities’ app.

They call it their “bespoke Place Experience Platform” and I really like it. It is a way for places to show off the things hidden in plain sight. They describe it as, “a place assurance companion; creating meaningful, sustainable and valuable visitor experiences.”

Question is, is this adding to the derive or is it guiding people away from it? I guess it is a little bit of both depending on the content that is uploaded.

Immersive – AR Sculptures

This augmented reality app focuses on six sculptures at the Sainsbury Centre in Norfolk.

This app puts place at the forefront of its design ethos, asking users to, “consider how context influences our response to art.” Does viewing a sculpture in your own home change your preception of it?

I am not sure if it is possible to get a real sense of a place in an augmented reality. Maybe using some of the collective convergences would be a way to experience a place in your own home?

Craig Winslow – Light Capsules

“Light Capsules is a series of projection mapped light installations around the world that reanimate historical ghost signage and engage local communities around these fading artifacts.”

Craig Winslow highlights ghost signs hidden in plain sight by bringinging them back to their full glory through a projected image.

A perfect marriage of old and new, this process reminds people of the historical importance of a place. Time and history can, and probably should be, an important feature to a place’s identity. If you don’t know about the history of a place then it cant influence how you perceive it.

I would always describe myself as a futurist, however, sometimes looking back is the only way to predict the future.

Jack Morton – Project Liberty

Photographed by Sashabphotoa

“…It takes visitors on an interactive journey to tell the simple but powerful story behind how much data we create, its value, that it isn’t owned by the people and therefore we don’t recoup that value.”

Data is such a valuable asset but often people don’t realise they are sharing it. This installation highlights how data moves and is used and promises a future where sharing data has an intrinsic value which is, “is owned and controlled by each of us as individuals.”

I am acutely aware of the responsibilities around data gathering and use and would want to be completely open and honest with any participants.

Yes, I am asking for your data. But in return, you will get X. Your data will be used in this way to inform this.

Hubbub – Air We Share

More than 1.6 million people saw this installation by Hubbub, which sought to highlight how pollution affects our everyday lives. This is another campaign which focuses on something that is ‘hidden in plain sight. My projects seeks to do the same and bring the hidden to the forefront.

I like how this exhibition is passive in that it has been created with filters that automatically change with the changing polution in the atmosphere. Sometimes data can be achieved in non-intrusive ways.

Towns Fund – Town Stories

TownsFund-OurTownStories-A4_Booklet-V1TFDP Download

Everyone has a different story of a place and the Towns Fund has taken advantage of this to show a different side to locations.

In this example, they spoke with Nick in a bid to effect positive perception change. The use of key stakeholders like this, is a great way to highlight the ‘good’ aspects of a place. However, I want my project to take into account an honest viewpoint of Great Yarmouth – The good, the bad and the ugly!
I also wonder who the target audience is for this. It is very bureaucratic in nature and seems to only reach those with an interest in the Towns Fund or the local community.

If you want people to engage with your messaging then perhaps it is best to design it in a way which is less avoidable. In a way which people will stumble across it naturally.

References

Discover Los Angeles. 2021. STUDIO NUMBER ONE AND HOUSE INDUSTRIES COLLABORATE TO UNVEIL A FRESH LOOK FOR LA TOURISM. [online] Available at: https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/studio-number-one-and-house-industries-collaborate-to-unveil-a-fresh-look-for-la-tourism [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Milroy Maher, D., 2021. As the city reopens, Shepard Fairey and Andy Cruz collaborate on a new logo for Los Angeles Tourism. [online] Itsnicethat.com. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/shepard-fairey-andy-cruz-studio-number-one-house-industries-los-angeles-tourism-graphic-design-070721 [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Beer, J., 2021. Los Angeles has a vibrant new logo, inspired by everything from sunsets to car culture. [online] Fast Company. Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/90652166/los-angeles-has-a-vibrant-new-logo-inspired-by-everything-from-sunsets-to-car-culture [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Over the Influence. 2022. Shepard Fairey Selected To Design Los Angeles’s New City Logo – Over the Influence. [online] Available at: https://overtheinfluence.com/news/shepard-fairey-selected-to-design-los-angeles-new-city-logo/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Mcsaatchi.com. n.d. [online] Available at: https://mcsaatchi.com/change/work/gogo-soho [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Wong, H., 2021. Graphic design is helping areas recover after a “lost year”. [online] www.designweek.co.uk. Available at: https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/5-11-july-2021/how-graphic-design-is-helping-areas-recover-after-a-lost-year/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Segd.org. n.d. Gallery One, Cleveland Museum of Art | SEGD. [online] Available at: https://segd.org/content/gallery-one-cleveland-museum-art [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Rodley, E., 2013. Review: Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gallery One – Part One. [online] Thinking about Museums. Available at: https://thinkingaboutmuseums.com/2013/09/23/review-cleveland-museum-of-arts-gallery-one-part-one/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Cleveland Museum of Art. 2012. ARTLENS Gallery First Iteration: Gallery One. [online] Available at: https://www.clevelandart.org/artlens-gallery/first-iteration [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Calvium.com. n.d. Hidden Cities – Calvium. [online] Available at: https://calvium.com/projects/hidden-cities/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

We Are Immersive. n.d. AR app for Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. [online] Available at: https://weareimmersive.co.uk/our-work/sainsbury-centre-for-visual-arts [Accessed 18 August 2022].

CRAIG WINSLOW. n.d. CRAIG WINSLOW › LIGHT CAPSULES. [online] Available at: https://craigwinslow.com/work/lightcapsules/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Morton, J., 2021. A Project Liberty Experience | Jack Morton. [online] Global Brand Experience Agency | Jack Morton. Available at: https://www.jackmorton.com/work-2/a-project-liberty-experience/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].

The Drum. n.d. Project Liberty Experience Exploring Personal Data Ownership. [online] Available at: https://www.thedrum.com/profile/jack-mortonww/case-studies/project-liberty-experience-exploring-personal-data-ownership [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Youtube.com. 2022. How much pollution is in the #AirWeShare? | Hubbub Campaigns. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKGLP9Aqg38&t=1s [Accessed 18 August 2022].

townsfund.org.uk. n.d. Our Town Stories — townsfund.org.uk. [online] Available at: https://townsfund.org.uk/our-town-stories [Accessed 18 August 2022].

townsfund.org.uk. n.d. Introducing ‘Our Town Stories’: A TFDP storytelling initiative — townsfund.org.uk. [online] Available at: https://townsfund.org.uk/blog-collection/introducing-our-town-stories [Accessed 18 August 2022].

Gary Philo Design