Herbert W. Kapitzki

Posted on November 17, 2009September 10, 2010 Posted in Design, Design Legends, Grid Systems, International Typographic StyleTagged design legend, graphic design, grid system, International Typographic Style, logo, minimalism, modernism, posters, Typography1 Comment

My jaw dropped when I saw the work of Herbert W. Kapitzki over at Grain Edit this morning. Never heard of him before today but I’m glad I stumbled upon his work.

Kapitzki was a former student of Willi Baumeister, conceived and designed exhibitions for the state industrial inspection board (Landesgewerbeamt) in Stuttgart in the 1950s and the early 1960s. He later invited by Otl Aicher to teach at the Academy of Design in Ulm.

His poster work is exceptional and I also love his logo and pictograms. What an excellent collection of work but unfortunately the quality of the images are poor. I really wish all of this classic work was better archived. Too many great pieces from great designers are getting lost.

Stefan Kanchev

Posted on September 2, 2009September 10, 2010 Posted in Design, Design LegendsTagged brand, design legends, graphic design, identity, logo, logotypes, minimalism, trademark9 Comments

Stefan Kanchev (1915-2001) was one of the most prolific graphic designers to come out of Bulgaria. He’s designed numerous book covers, posters, postcards, advertisements, forms and envelopes, post stamps, labels and packages but he’s widely recognized for his excellent logo work. He’s considered one of the best logo designers along with Saul Bass and Paul Rand.

The simplicity of the logos created by Kanchev is what really stands out for me. They all work in a solid, single color and a minimum amount of shapes and lines are used to create the visual. Stunning.

Via Steve Kirkendall

1976 Montreal Olympics Logo

Posted on April 21, 2009April 21, 2009 Posted in Design, Grid SystemsTagged branding, graphic design, grid system, identity, logo8 Comments

Over at the blog We Made This, there’s a scan of an article in a 1975 issue of Design Magazine that covers the construction and guidelines for the 1976 Montreal Olympics Logo designed by Georges Huel. It’s interesting to see how the logo was developed over a grid system.

The logo represents a podium, a running track, the letter M and the olympic rings. Simple and brilliant. I personally prefer this mark over the one created by Otl Aicher for the 1972 Olympics.

Barbican Identity Guidelines

Posted on February 12, 2009February 12, 2009 Posted in Books, Design, Industrial Design, TypographyTagged Books, futura, graphic design, guidelines, identity, International Typographic Style, logo, Typography19 Comments

I’ve been drooling over this Flickr set featuring a bunch of photos of the gorgeous Barbican Identity Guidelines book designed by North. Well done.

Update
Some posted a link to the downloadable PDF of the book. Thanks!

Bastardised on Page 76

Posted on November 14, 2008November 14, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, MerchTagged bunch, graphic design, initiative, logo, logotypes, made in bunch2 Comments

I just received my copy of Bastardised by Bunch and what a gem it is. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet then what the hell are you waiting for? Some really great stuff in here. If you do have it and happen to turn to page 76 you’ll see my submission in all it’s glory. Honestly, it’s a real honor to be included with such talents as BB Saunders, Chris Hewitt, Craig Oldham, Darren Firth, David Corti, Michael Cina, Si Scott and many more.

You can see some more shots on my Flickr page.

Bastardised

Posted on October 31, 2008October 31, 2008 Posted in Books, Design, MerchTagged bastard, book, brand, bunch, graphic design, launch, logo6 Comments

Bastardised celebrates the global identity project born in 2007 out of Bunch’s need to re-brand. They approached designers and image-makers they admired and asked them to produce a “visual reaction” to their logo, sign it and return it. The resulting ‘Bunchisms’ were incorporated into their stationery with care taken to choose relevant themes for the applications.

This initiative attracted international artists, designers and illustrators which included Malcolm Garrett, Jonathan Ellery, Paul Davis, Marian Bantjes, Stefan Sagmeister, James Goggin, Carlos Segura, Build, Paul Insect, David Quay, Vince Frost, Si Scott and Julian Morey.

289 ‘Bunchisms’ were specially selected from 750 contributions and my submission was one of the designs selected for the book.

The limited edition 208 page hardback includes a foreword by cultural writer and author Liz Farrelly.

You can purchase a copy on November 1st from the Bunch store or Magma Books.

Published by: Bunch
Printed by: Kratis
Format: 170 x 235 mm
Features: Maxi Offset 170 g/m2 paper (by Igepa Zagreb)
Hard back 3 mm thick cover
Coated with Maxi Silk 120 g/m2 then matt laminated
Limited edition of 1500
Hand numbered (0001 – 1500)