Challenge

The graphic design association needed a program for their 2009 Design Legends Gala, a celebration recognizing the lifetime achievement of selected design world luminaries. Knowing that our audience would be fellow designers made the task both easier and harder, as we had a great amount of creative freedom, but would, of course, be judged by our esteemed peers.

Action

The piece was conceived as a precious object to contribute to the design-centric spirit of the evening, and—hopefully—kept as a souvenir of the event. The cover combined bold, ornamental typography with subtle embossing and detailed finishing, creating a precious object suitable for such a fête. In order to contain and reflect the important bodies of work of the medalists, we developed a flexible system to allow the volume of content to be displayed at its best. The typography in these sections is designed to be read at different levels—a passing glance will impart lively pull quotes and images, a deeper look will reveal thoughtful meaning in the text. And, of course, because we are a company of font nerds, we used only custom, unreleased typefaces, hoping to ensure an evening of mystified (and incorrect) guessing games as to their origin.

Results

The program's engaging mix of type styles was very well-received, despite some resistance from a certain champion of Helvetica.

Recognition

• Type Directors Club Annual 31
• AIGA 365/31
• Communication Arts Design Annual 51
• Creative Quarterly 19
• Coupe International Design and Image Competition
• HOW Magazine’s Self-Promotion Annual
• Print Magazine Regional Design Annual