We had a great time working on this project. After Boots and I discussed the theme of mannequins, I called around to a variety of mannequin factories and warehouses and got ignored or turned down by most of them. Finally, I found a gracious factory manager who allowed us to conduct a shoot in a cavernous warehouse located way out in the sphincter of Brooklyn. We rescheduled after the factory closed for an early February blizzard, but finally made it there shortly thereafter. I think the location exceeded all of our expectations; the space was loaded with boxes of hands, aisles of mannequins, and all kinds of interesting environments. Thanks to Boots and Sean. Listen to Part or Execution at iTunes. Here are some alternate shots from our photography shoot.

The Mission is best known for its murals, which adorn nearly every block and transform alleyways like Balmy Alley into public art galleries (Balmy is lined with over 30 murals). Those murals have been well documented elsewhere, particularly by the Precita Eyes muralists, who are central to the community and have published a book on the subject. However, the neighborhood’s unsung hero is its hand-painted street signage: colorful restaurant façades, elaborate store windows, and charming, handmade business marquees all possess the welcoming tone of a handwritten note from a friend.

I interviewed a local mural artist and mural tour guide. I was kind of surprised by some of her statements; when I asked if there was a shared heritage between the murals and the painted storefronts, she seemed quizzical about the insinuation that there was any connection at all. Furthermore, when I asked about the use of typography in the Mission District, she seemed unfamiliar with the word ‘typography.’

What I gathered from that conversation was that she considered the murals to be ‘art’ but the public signage (like the text above and the painted watch on a jeweler’s window below) were considered mere informational graphics. Personally, I believe that both art forms come from the same artistic impulse: to use the neighborhood as a canvas on which to express cultural identity. Sure, mural art and graphic design are two different visual languages, but they both express the social voice of the local population. Besides, to say that the lines are blurred between the two would be an understatement; graffiti, signage, and murals appear side by side on dozens of walls, storefronts, and alleyways.

Regardless, it’s refreshing to spend time in an environment where art in the public space is a beloved extension of cultural identity. The Mission District proves that when public art is encouraged and fostered, it can be a beautiful sight for residents young and old. Even the exterior of a local McDonald’s has been decorated with images of butterflies and smiling faces painted by children (a charming sight at first, but surely that beautification has the adverse effect of endearing McDonald’s to potential fast food customers).

I’m always going on about the merits of DIY (do it yourself) artistic techniques, and the Mission District is the ultimate DIY neighborhood. The shoe repair sign on the left is one of my favorite images here. Walk down the street in almost any American neighborhood and nearly %100 of the graphics you see will have been mechanically produced. There’s something so friendly and disarming about the personal touch that these images endow the neighborhood with.

Two vintage title screens from Columbia Pictures

My first goal was a new logo that represented the ‘Blog Dept.’ as an entity that functions both as a component of Magnetic State as well as a standalone publication. In both the name of this blog and the design of the logo, I was inspired by film noir movies (you know, the black and white ones where Humphrey Bogart carries a flask and a revolver in his trenchcoat and says ‘dame’ a lot). I always admired the title screens and studio i.d.’s from these films from the thirties and forties, and I specifically emulated the three-dimensional block letter effects of Columbia Pictures (above). I used a somewhat wild color combination to give my design a modern flair.

Bogart pursues the facts and just the facts. Notice the bold 'Spade and Archer' label on the window.

In films like The Maltese Falcon (pictured), there’s always a business name on the detective’s window or an officer’s name and title on the frosted door window of a cop’s office. I liked the idea that this blog is a ‘department’ at Magnetic State and that the logo can serve as the title on the door, if you will.

As for the web design, I intended to prioritize the content. My previous layout placed blog posts under a distracting header, but now the blog content has plenty of room to breathe, is prioritized vertically, and is more readable. I am thankful for Small Potato’s tutorial on writing WordPress themes, which I have referred to many times over the last year or two. I consider myself an expert on custom WordPress themes now; I have one bare-bones theme that I wrote by hand (from SP’s instructions) which I’ve customized for each of my last four or five WP sites.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll subscribe via RSS! I have some big things planned for this blog as well as a bunch of new design work to unveil in the next few weeks.

Bierut elaborates by echoing a sentiment that I’ve heard Paul Rand discuss in the past: the belief that a logo design is far less important than the ‘brand equity’ achieved by successful implementation of the logo over time. In other words, the Nike swoosh was worth very little ($30 in its original sale, according to Bierut) before it was granted meaning in effective advertising for a few decades. “I actually don’t think that brand new logos are worth that much or mean that much in and of themselves,” says Bierut. “The way identity firms earn their money is in guiding a company into making a decision about one of these things and giving them a plan for actually using it so they can start to create value around it.”

My first menu design was an exciting challenge. The design solution is tasteful and elegant, and we displayed an enormous amount of information on a variety of menus, including brunch, dinner, and takeout. For further menu design inspiration, check out this analysis of the menu design strategy at Balthazar.

I highly recommend the food at La Bonne Bouffe; Skander takes a great deal of pride in his fresh ingredients and mouth-watering entrees that deliver authentic French and Algerian recipes to New York appetites. View the menu design.

“Our thesis is that any one visual problem has an infinite number of solutions; that many of them are valid; that solutions ought to derive from the subject matter; that the designer should therefore have no preconceived graphic style.”

“Unlike painters who should have a personal handwriting, designers are often anonymous, but their work still achieves a vivid personality. Their identity is maintained by a consistently high standard of problem solving rather than by a consistent technique or style.”