by Warren Berger
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Washington meets Madison Avenue
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(with a touch of Hollywood)
enerally speaking, politics and brand advertising don’t mix. Most companies trying to build a brand tend to steer clear of political issues and tactics, for fear of alienating potential customers. And most politicians, when an election is on the line, are apt to turn to Washington political marketing specialists instead of the ad agencies best known for selling products. But the rising New York agency ss+k is out to prove that a firm with political consulting and public affairs roots can cross over into the realm of brand advertising. ss+k’s leaders think that politics is actually a good training ground for success in today’s fiercely competitive and rapidly-evolving product marketing environment.
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“Our roots in politics have given us a certain mentality that involves moving quickly, knowing how to integrate all kinds of tactics and collaborate with partners, and figuring out how to get the job done by any means necessary,” says ss+k founding partner Lenny Stern. Formed in 1993 by Stern and partners Rob Shepardson and Mark Kaminsky, all of whom met at the pioneering political consultancy Sawyer Miller Group, the new firm initially was much stronger in public affairs and public relations than in advertising. “When it came to politics and policy, we’ve always tried to bring creativity into those areas, where it’s often lacking,” says Shepardson. But the bigger challenge for ss+k was to bring creative advertising into the mix, so that the agency could achieve full marketing integration (ss+k was promoting the “I-word” well before it became a worn-out buzzword in the ad business). Before ss+k could conquer advertising, the firm needed to find the right person to spearhead that part of the business. In its early days, the firm had linked up with a well-known ad creative director named David McCall, a co-founder of McCaffrey & McCall. But McCall was in the latter stages of a storied career by the time he joined ss+k. (In 1999, McCall was on an overseas volunteer mission to help Kosovo refugees when he tragically died in an accident). By 2000, ss+k still hadn’t found the creative director who could lead it into the future. “It was not an easy search,” says Stern, “because we needed someone who understood traditional ad creativity, but who was also thirsting to apply it in new and different ways. Bringing in Marty Cooke was a seminal moment for the agency.” Cooke had earned his creative chops and a passel of awards during his years at top creative agencies such as Scali, McCabe, Sloves and Chiat/Day. He was also a big believer in Jay Chiat’s vision of reinventing advertising and creating “the agency of the future.”
Marty Cooke is the chief creative officer on all projects. SS+K supplied the caption information. Right: “We created the name and identity for Credo and designed the packaging as well as branded merchandise like a solar-powered charger and clothing.” Shelly Bevilaqua/Sonya Fridman, designers; Alice Ann Wilson, design director; Elena Salij, strategy; Working Assets, client.
“Live text projections for Credo launch. Passers-by were invited to text Dick Cheney’s reply to George Bush’s question. The answers were projected, unedited, into Cheney’s speech bubble.” Mike Rosen, art director; Joe Sayaman, writer; Tom Tomorrow, artist; Elena Salij, strategy; Neverstop, production company; Working Assets, client. “Credo launch. The split-sentence device appeared on bus posters and bus stops as well as in magazines and online.” Mike Rosen, art director; Joe Sayaman, writer; Elena Salij, strategy; Working Assets, client.
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Packaging 1 (series) Lindsey Aho, designer Ed Bennett, design director Eric Husband, group creative director Mike Caguin, executive creative director Lee Hanson, writer Colle + McVoy (Minneapolis, MN), ad agency Koala Ranch, client “Koala Ranch asked us to redesign the labels for their line of value wines and to position them as fun, simple and inviting wines that reflect the region from which they hail.” 2 Toni Wells, art director Juan Carlos Obando, writer/designer/creative director Jill Herrera/Janae Raphael, associate producers Maureen Saenz, producer Frank Scifres, executive producer Bureau Number 4 (Costa Mesa, CA), design/client “Number 4 High Performance Hair Care was founded with the mission to create a hair care line that runs parallel to fashion, science, art, music and industrial design creative cycles. The Number 4 package was inspired by the crossover between the essence of Swedish graphic design and the industrial minimalism of Japanese package design.”
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3 Martin Kann, art director/designer/creative director Martin Kann (Tomelilla, Sweden) Design, design firm Bob Hund, client “The Swedish rock band Bob Hund released their single Fantastiskt (fantastic) as a one-copy vinyl record that only allows 30 playings. The record was placed on a turntable with the lyrics etched on the turntable lid. It sold on eBay for U.S. $3,650 and became the most expensive record ever sold in Sweden.”
“Linkwood Distillery is located in the dramatic landscape of Speyside, Scotland, where a timeless calm pervades and swans glide across the distillery pond. Matured in either red wine, rum or port casks, each pack color of this rare whisky represents a flavor. Typography for Linkwood’s wordmark was inspired by the distillery’s original Germanic font, handset in metal to retain its authenticity. Woodblock engravings of the swans enhance the historic provenance as do the hand tipped-on labels.” 5 (series) Matthew Fadness, designer Gary McNatton, creative director Lisa Wilson, strategist Through Smoke Creative (Sausalito, CA), design firm Ron Robinson, Apothia Los Angeles, client “The client challenge was twofold: Create a liquid soap collection celebrating their Los Angeles heritage and make it a compelling off-the-shelf accessory for a contemporary kitchen or bath. Communication objectives were threefold: To be functional, a silicone band provides non-slip grip in the bath; to be systematic, a complete range of scent, color and copy interprets definitive aspects of the L.A. lifestyle; and to be expressive, clean design enhances any modern home.”
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© Tim Hawley
4 (series) Glenn Tutssel, art director/designer Anthony Clayton/Glenn Tutssel, typography Andrew Davidson, illustrator The Brand Union (London, United Kingdom), design firm Diageo, client 3
Š Ming Wu, Trend Wave Studios
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Trademarks 1 Jay Fletcher, designer J Fletcher Design (Charleston, SC), design firm Becca’s Gone Overboard, client “Overboard, an all-natural, homespun cocktail sauce made in Charleston, South Carolina.” 2 Jason Mannix, designer Stephen Doyle, creative director Doyle Partners (New York, NY), design firm The Cooper Union, client “The logo design for The Cooper Union coincides with its 150th anniversary, and addresses the differences between science and art, as well as their commonalities.” 3 Anneka Cerny, designer Dan Harden, Whipsaw, Inc., strategist Cerny Product Development, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA), design firm Kinsco, LLC, client “Mebo is a modular and kid-customizable lunchbox system created by parents frustrated with moldy or rusting lunchboxes and piles of throwaway packaging.”
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4 Chuck Johnson, designer SullivanPerkins (Dallas, TX), design firm Ursuline Academy of Dallas, client “This mark was created as part of a signage program for Ursuline Academy’s new French Family Science, Math and Technology Center, and explains the building’s green design to students and visitors.” 5 Keith Manning, art director Marc Gallucci, creative director Fort Franklin (Boston, MA), design firm Tauntr, Inc., client “Tauntr, Inc. is a sports entertainment company that creates content in the form of taunts distributed through platforms such as the Web, mobile phones, merchandise and live events.” 6 Jeff Barfoot/Shay Ometz, designers Jeff Barfoot, creative director BarfootWorldwide (Dallas, TX), design firm bee things, client “Since bee things makes products for kids and homes that are illustrative, fun, imaginative and colorful, we came up with a system where the shape and color of the logo could change, but the company name stayed the same.”
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7 Karl Hirschmann, designer Hirschmann Design (Boulder, CO), design firm Cass Schaedig, Trellis Healthcare, client “Trellis Healthcare is a consulting firm that helps doctors run their practices more efficiently.” 8 Brent Couchman, designer Brent Couchman Design (Richardson, TX), design firm Bill Spellman, Wire To Ear Records, client “Wire To Ear is a Dallas-based independent record label offering free album downloads of everything they release.” 9 Christina Gliha, associate creative director Chris Duchaine, art director/designer Lisa Greenberg, creative director Alan Gee, chief creative officer Ross Pryde, writer Barrett Holman, strategist GJP Advertising + Design (Toronto, Canada), ad agency Doug Harrison, Hyphen/Mark Kummer, Hyphen, clients “Hyphen is a freight brokerage company that connects clients with their cargo.”
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1 Jason Moll (San Diego, CA), designer/ creative director Moll Design, design firm Cherple, client “Cherple lets anyone with an Internet connection across the globe carry on a text conversation with any U.S. cell phone.” 2 Ty Mattson, art director/designer Mattson Creative (Irvine, CA), design firm Career Artist Management, client “This logo was designed for the Counting Crows/Maroon 5 tour. The bands were co-headlining, so the visual needed to represent both groups.” 3 Mikey Burton, art director Ken Hejduk, creative director Little Jacket (Cleveland, OH), design firm Jen Bekman, Hey, Hot Shot!, client “Hey, Hot Shot! is the semiannual photography competition hosted by New York gallery owner, blogger and entrepreneur Jen Bekman. Featuring an esteemed panel of judges, the competition showcases emerging photographers from around the world who are seeking greater exposure.”
4 Garry Blackburn/Gary Martyniak, designers Garry Blackburn, creative director Rose (London, United Kingdom), design firm St. Mary’s Church, client
7 Cherie Sinnen, designer/illustrator Cherie Sinnen (Los Angeles, CA) Studio, client “A logo identity created for illustrator Cherie Sinnen who specializes in insect and botanical art.”
“The logo was designed for the restoration of St. Mary’s Church in Rotherhithe, London. 8 Tor Pettersen, designer/creative director The committee required an identity to draw Tor Pettersen & Partners attention to the work of restoring the church to (London, United Kingdom), design firm its former glory and to help raise funding.” Berkeley Group plc, client 5 Christy Thrasher, designer “Symbol used in an internal campaign Robert Louey (Santa Monica, CA), highlighting the importance of carbon-emission creative director reduction.” Paul Hsu, Elite Concepts, client “A recession concept restaurant. No hopes, no dreams, just real cooking and socially responsible drinking. Chefs Jason and Johnson serve up ‘food we want to eat’ (covers and originals of new American cuisine) in a rustic, casual dining setting in Hong Kong.” 6 Eric Stevens, designer Tower of Babel (Portland, OR), design firm Infinite Water, client
9 Cary Zartman, designer/creative director Z Factory (Chicago, IL), design firm/client “Z Factory is a creative studio that challenges and inspires businesses to be inventive in their design and marketing solutions. This rebranded identity simplified a previous two-piece trademark and ushers in freshness for the tenyear-plus company.”
“Mark for a water purification system that filters ordinary tap water and/or rainwater runoff.”
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Editorial 1 Anton Ioukhnovets, designer Fred Woodward, design director Nathaniel Goldberg, photographer Dora Somosi, director of photography GQ (New York, NY), client “The subhead speaks to James Franco’s past mistakes and his new beginnings.” 2 Chelsea Cardinal, designer Fred Woodward, design director Nadav Kander, photographer Dora Somosi, director of photography Justin O’Neill, photo editor GQ (New York, NY), client “To illustrate Larry King’s far-reaching impact, we repurposed the multicolored dots from his show’s illuminated world map.” 3 John Fulbrook, III/Timothy Goodman/Jason Nuttall, designers Brian Collins/John Fulbrook, III/Criswell Lappin, creative directors Christopher McLallen, photographer COLLINS: (New York, NY), design firm Metropolis, client “The cover design for the May 2009 issue of Metropolis featured a story on wind power.” 4 Rob Hewitt, art director/designer CuriousOutsider (New York, NY), design firm MovieMaker, client “The design speaks directly to the headline that connects Benicio Del Toro to his role as Che Guevara.”
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CA Queries Creatives
Why do we read, write and publish books about design?
Trends
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Everyone writes, to some degree, but few design. For the designer to become adept at both is therefore essential: Words bridge the gap. —DK Holland, brand consultant and writer, New York, NY
“We read (design) books to inform and entertain ourselves. We write (design) books to educate and inspire others. We publish (design) books because they change how we look at the world. “The book has functioned as a dispenser of knowledge for over 500 years, and so far has not been displaced by advances in technology. “The need for new ideas in the (design) world is perennial.”
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Michael Carabetta, creative director, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. “Even before I picked it up, I knew it was a Chronicle book.”
“Teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York City showed me the need for books that assist creative professionals in furthering their careers, and I made this the mission of Allworth Press. This includes not only business titles such as Legal Guide for the Visual Artist and Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers, but also critical writing (for example, the pioneering Looking Closer series) and recent titles such as How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer and Design Disasters.” Tad Crawford, publisher, Allworth Press, New York, NY. Allworth Press (www.allworth.com) has a backlist of well over 50 design titles and most recently published Green Graphic Design and Designers Don’t Read.
“For anyone with enough curiosity about graphic design—whether it’s history, the things we produce or the theory behind it—new books continue to feed and pique that curiosity. As readers, there is a sense of wanting to stay relevant…if all your books are from the 1980s, your views and understanding of the profession might be painfully outdated. As authors, it’s about exploring as deeply as possible any given topic and providing a contemporary point of view to others.” Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit, UnderConsideration, Austin, TX. 266
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“When I started writing about design, no one except designers themselves really understood what it was, so it was my job to compose long sentences of effervescent prose that helped make this process I admired and appreciated irresistible to a new audience. Now everyone knows what design is—and they’re a little overwhelmed by how fast it’s coming at them. So my job is to wade through all the crap, and write quickly but intelligently about the best—only the people and projects worth knowing, right now.” Alissa Walker, writer, Gelatobaby, Los Angeles, CA. Walker contributes to Fast Company, GOOD, Dwell, Print and ID, as well as her blog, www. gelatobaby.com. She is the author of City Walks Architecture: New York, published by Chronicle Books.
“The answer to this question comes in three parts. 1. I read books on design because I want to know about our field(s). Of course, there are different kinds of knowledge, therefore I consume different kinds of books, from texts to eye candy. 2. I write books on design because I love to write, and this just happens to be the niche I know best. If, at the same time, I can offer a bit of knowledge, insight or entertainment to others, that’s good too. 3. I publish therefore I am. Without sounding either cryptic or haughty, books are beautiful objects—even the cheap paperbacks— and I measure my accomplishments through the quality and quantity I produce. That’s the personal side, and perhaps the most important side for me. The more general response: Design books are records of our collective accomplishment. Although many design books are destined for the remainder pile, those that survive serve as important artifacts that can be held, smelled and savored.” Steven Heller, writer and co-chair MFA Designer as Author program, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY.