Will we be seeing geometric packaging hitting the shelves in the near future? If it's up to the imagination of students Dzmitry Samal and Petar Pavlov maybe we will. These Buckminster Fuller-esque packaging structures mark a distinct departure for Doritos and Coca-Cola.

Clearly these multi-faceted structures may pose challenges to implement. And of course the increased costs and environmental impact would need to be factored in. Do you think we'll be seeing more of this come to market in the food and beverage packaging? Maybe in another industry?

What are your thoughts?

The folks at LogoLounge have selected our work for inclusion in their prestigious Master Library Collection, and we're both honored and stoked to say the least. The award and recognition is for our logo & brand identity for Half Badger Records. The email said:

"Your work has been selected for inclusion in a remarkable new LogoLounge project, 'Animals and Mythology', in the new Master Library series…"

the messsage continued... "What is the Master Library series? Like our existing (and continuing) LogoLounge book series, the new Master Library books will bring you exemplary logo design work from creatives around the world. Our first book in the series, Initials and Crests, is at the publisher as we write and promises to be a new best selling series from Rockport in the model of LogoLounge.

Unlike our original series, though, each book in the Master Library series will focus on a very specific logo design category, to wit:

Initials and Crests
Animals and Mythology
Typography
People
Shapes and Symbols
Nature and Food
Arts and Culture

We hope to include your work in the the Master Library series, Animals and Mythology."

The Master Collection will be published by Rockport and should be released in July 2010. Amazon already has it available for pre-order.

I'd like to welcome Clara and Katarina, the Design in Transit duo, to Los Angeles, California and the US of A.

These two adventurous ladies are here from Germany, taking a tour of the west coast and hoping to gain graphic design experience in the process. About a month ago, they emailed from Germany to set up a time to come by and get a tour of Studiofluid on their arrival in L.A.

So far we've collaborated on an advertising campaign, shared a few meals together, and I've pointed some cool design highlights to check out in Los Angeles. Next week I think we're going together to check out the Echo Park Time Travel Mart for some packaging and general design awesomeness inspiration.

I've also introduced the DIT ladies to a few other design firms in the area that might be interesting for them to visit. If you're in Los Angeles, San Francisco or maybe even Portland and you want to collaborate with Design in Transit, they'd love to hear from you. To invite them out for some good American beer or just say hello, you can get in touch at: designintransit @ hotmail dot de — and tell them Studiofluid sent ya.

The design work we've been doing for the Pasadena Symphony is starting to pop up throughout Los Angeles. Right now, the Metro Rail Gold Line that connects Union Station to Sierra Madre is running the "Take Your Ears Out for the Evening" ad campaign, announcing the 2009-2010 Symphony Classics.

Photo courtesy of Tim Harwick.

The Pasadena Wine Festival is less than 2 weeks away, and since Studiofluid handled the event branding and web design, we've got a special treat for you…
We're giving away:

Good for Saturday and/or Sunday October 3 & 4, 2009. The event will be at the beautiful L.A. County Arboretum, from 4:30-10p both days. These passes are going for $170, so here's your chance for the hookup!

Post to twitter starting with "I want #pasadenawinefest tix"… followed with your best reason. The winner will be selected (based on creativity) and announced on the morning of Monday 9/28. We'll be in touch to for mailing address, comp passes will go out via priority mail the same day.

Good luck!

This week the Pasadena Star-News ran a story on the Pasadena Symphony and POPS and how they're overhauling their brand strategy and visual identity. Studiofluid has been right in the middle of that process for the last couple months—partnering with the Symphony to design their new logo, season booklet, stationery and new web site—so I joined them for the interview and small photo shoot.

When it came time to speak about the brand strategy and our results, I had the floor for a few minutes to articulate our process and share about our new branding results. And what made it into the final piece?

Probably did, too.

After a reorganization, the Pasadena Symphony and POPS asked Studiofluid to help rethink their brand and the way that it is expressed on the web, in print, and in other media. Our goal has been to create an accessible identity—removing the the stigma of a stuffy experience—and position the Pasadena Symphony and POPS as one of the premier musical organizations in Southern California and the greater Los Angeles area.

The new web site serves to attract a wider support base, highlights upcoming events, and serves as a key communication tool for supporters. We've incorporated a robust Content Management System (CMS) so that the Symphony can maintain their own content on the site, side as news, YouTube videos and photos.

Huge thanks to Mikio Osaki and the talented students of the Agency @ Art Center College of Design for your contribution of the ear artwork and your partnership in promoting the Symphony and POPS. More to come as we complete the work!

The Pasadena Wine Festival is being billed as the largest lifestyle event of its kind. Festival goers will enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of the Los Angeles Arborateum, sample wines and gourmet foods from around the globe, and experience lifestyle points of interest such as travel, leisure activities, cooking and entertaining.

Studiofluid developed a visual identity that captures the energy of the festival, and connects with the sophisticated yet fun-loving audience that will attend. Moving forward, we're building a multimedia marketing campaign to solidify event sponsors and attract attendees from Pasadena area as well as all parts of Southern California. Our advertisements for the festival have run in Pasadena Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine among others, and we've worked with sponsors such as Coffee Bean, Whole Foods, Rusnak Mercedes-Benz and KPCC to provide valuable brand exposure and make this event a success. The web site integrates with Paypal to accept credit cards and process ticket sales online. Using a sign up form, we've tied in the client's Constant Contact database to send out email newsletters to interested visitors.

Make sure you mark October 3rd & 4th on your calendar and reserve your tickets today! All ticket sales from the Pasadena Wine Festival will benefit the Pasadena Symphony Association in support of the cultural arts.

Open Hand Remodeling handles all types of residential remodeling projects in the greater Los Angeles area, with an emphasis on quality work and giving back financially to the community. Studiofluid partnered with Open Hand to develop a logo and branding that reflects their unique position, while distancing from the multitude of less-than-reputable competitors in the the construction industry.

The Open Hand web site showcases their beautiful craftsmanship and project capabilities in an elegant photo gallery, and visitors are directed toward a contact form to set up an appointment free estimate. Studiofluid extended the branding to signage, company shirts, business cards, letterhead and envelopes, and sales presentation materials. What's next? Developing software to streamline the job quoting process.

When Appareo Systems asked Studiofluid to help refresh their web presence, we developed an interactive banner that showcases their capabilities and directs visitors to specific areas of their site. Studiofluid helped the Appareo refine their messaging and handled all aspects of creative direction and technical implementation.

Our custom solution allows the client to update a simple text file, giving them complete control of the imagery and content. The beauty of our work is that our client does not need to know any Flash or have any technical expertise, yet through an XML file they can control the images, text, timing, links and more, for a completely customizable home page banner.

Our final version can be seen in context over on the Appareo Systems home page, as well as by itself here on our server.