Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) has been a source of news and information for graphic designers and the broader creative community since 1963. Located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan NYC, GDUSA covers news, people, project, trends, technology, products, and services.
GDUSA releases monthly magazine publications, as well as digital editions which are great sources for not only publication design but also for discovering new and upcoming designers. I have found inspiration from their magazine, dynamic body copy layouts, the pairing of imagery and type and their illustrations / treatment of images. While their magazine remains professional, consistent and very much in a corporate style of design, it cleverly remains engaging through it’s content, colour, imagery and type treatment.
GRETEL / Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Design
Gretel partnered with RISD and research agency ON ROAD to build an identity that ties all parts of the institution together, amplifying the voices of their diverse and distinctive community.
“It was important that its most important stakeholders – the members of the community – be part of the process from day one. This openness resulted in work that captures the ethos of the community and feels recognizably RISD”
“It was important that its most important stakeholders – the members of the community – be part of the process from day one. This openness resulted in work that captures the ethos of the community and feels recognizably RISD”
Again, this was an interesting source of inspiration for pushing the use of typography, scale and hierarchy. Gretel’s use of layered and modular layouts keeps the focus on the content within publications and social media posts, which I have brought into publication design within my current work. How this has been pulled across to signage and other larger scale assets has also been useful to reference when designing for corporate events etc.
The use of animation within the visual identity, as well as type transitions, through videos and social media has continued to capture the spirit of curiosity and innovation.
