Manifest Destiny is rad.

In the epilogue of Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric—an excellent chronicle of the pivotal moment when the folk music ethos transformed into the rock epoch, as portrayed in the film A Complete Unknown—the author notes inn 1965 there was “a clash of two dreams … the democratic communitarian ideal of a society of equals working together for the common good, and the romantic libertarian ideal of the free individual unburdened by the constraints of rules and custom.” I bought into that interpretation and was hoping it would be the norm for some time to come. Well, it came and went.

Last week I saw the aged leader of the United States sitting behind a grand table in a large D.C. sports arena. The WWE couldn’t have accomplished the stagecraft any better. Before a ceremonial dais, bathed in divine light, Trump tagged dozens of executive orders and decrees instantly expunging many critical progressive-era programs with the broad fever-line strokes of his branded fat-head Sharpie. I was gobsmacked by the obvious truth that progress doesn’t last forever.

Aquarians are on the verge of aging out, and we are being led into the new era of disenlightenment by a false prophet (and fake Village Person), whose forever-young narcissistic personality disorder has been normalized as a merry MAGA band of post-Boomer disciples spreads his mantra that “America First” is über cool. Meanwhile, the all-too-overt self-interested support of Gen X and Millennial tech oligarchs are standing in line enabling Trump to make whatever it is he really wants to make great again.

So, I wondered what the pioneer hippie diehards of m-m-my-my generation have evolved into, and I asked Midjourney—the current AI iteration—to visualize “what’s become of an Aged Age of Aquarius in 2025”. Thanks to Todd Carroll, this is what the computer keyboard prompt spit out. Wavy Gravy would be proud.

The post The Daily Heller: The Twilight of the Aged of Aquarius appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Clearly, we’re scrambling to understand the implications of a change so big and so fast we can barely wrap our heads around it.

Before we get into how we got here, and what the consequences of AI will be for branding and design, it’s important to start with one grounding idea:

The inherent value of creativity is that it is an expression of the human condition.

Branding and design are creative outputs. Creativity gives voice to the human experience, emotions, struggles, aspirations, stories. It helps us create connection and empathy. It helps us process life’s complexity and meaning. It helps us create cultures and a sense of belonging to them. It helps us solve problems and adapt to new challenges.

Creativity is one of the things that makes us human, and we should never forget that.

Now, how did we get here?

AI Shouldn’t Be a Total Surprise

Stanley Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Odyssey—a creative masterpiece of a film released in 1968, based on a book released a few months earlier authored by Arthur C. Clarke—anticipated this moment. Spoiler alert, the film is Clarke and Kubrik’s way of processing the potential impacts of advanced technologies like AI on humanity. Set mostly in space, the film actually begins in prehistoric times to make its main point: that humans have always had the disturbing tendency to turn technological tools into weapons for self-defense, self-advancement, dominance, and destruction.

Fifty-two years later, it’s easy to see how ChatGPT’s release in 2022 puts us on a path where HAL 9000, the conversational AI with “emotional intelligence” trusted with literally keeping the movie’s astronaut protagonists alive, is not such a crazy idea. Add it to a growing list of predictions the movie made, which, ironically, mostly started materializing after the year 2001: space stations as habitats (2000), predictive algorithms (2000s), video calling (2003), tablet computers (2010), voice-controlled interfaces (2011), virtual assistants and multimodal communication (2011), smart homes and centralized systems (2014), artificial intelligence (2016), autonomous systems (2016), human-machine relationships (2016), reusable spacecraft (2015), augmented reality & advanced interfaces (2016), AI-powered diagnostics (2018), space tourism (2021). Yet to materialize: cryosleep, artificial gravity in rotating space habitats, fully autonomous spacecraft decision-making systems with advanced general AI and emotional intelligence (like HAL, the villain of the movie).

I won’t get into the philosophical, ethical, and existential considerations of a HAL 9000-like situation. I’m just hoping we can learn the fundamental lesson most sci-fi movies try to teach us: Yes, we’re brilliant at inventing technology and we’re great at seeing the upside. We’re less great at seeing or dealing with its potential harms.

But I will take a look at how all of this is affecting branding and design, a domain I’m much more comfortable grappling with than the survival of the human race as we know it.

Confronting Reality in An Increasingly Artificial World

First, a confession: I use AI regularly as a research assistant. It’s exciting. The access to information is intoxicating. The computing power is mindblowing. The research capabilities are astounding. It would have taken me forever to compile the list of technologies predicted by Clarke and Kubrik without ChatGPT to conveniently fetch that for me. AI tools are great at finding things that exist—much better than a simple Google search. They’re great at synthesizing them, organizing them, and adjusting to every request you throw at them. They’re great assistants. But my experience of them so far is that they aren’t great “creators.” As 2001 foreshadowed, they are also prone to errors in judgment and embedded with the same biases and flaws as the humans who created them.

So how is the broader creative sector experiencing these tools? Warning: These numbers are going to feel like a gut punch. According to recently published research in the Harvard Business Review: “After the introduction of ChatGPT, there was a 21% decrease in the weekly number of posts in automation-prone jobs compared to manual-intensive jobs. Writing jobs were affected the most (30.37% decrease), followed by software, app, and web development (20.62%) and engineering (10.42%). A similar magnitude of decline in demand was observed after the introduction of popular image-generating AI tools (including Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and DALL-E 2) were introduced. Within a year of introducing image-generating AI tools, demand for graphic design and 3D modeling freelancers decreased by 17.01%. Additionally, we noticed that over time, there were no signs of demand rebounding, revealing a growing trend of job replacement.”

Uh Oh, Is Creativity Dead?

If you’re like me, your heart sank to the floor as you read those numbers. You probably had some feelings of guilt, too: “Oh shit, I use ChatGPT all the time. Am I digging my own grave?”

There’s no denying that the employment landscape in creative industries will continue changing as AI evolves. As the HBR article highlights, the shift has already begun and it will only accelerate. The changes ahead will be significant. Some roles will evolve, others may disappear, and new opportunities will emerge. It’s a realignment, much like the ones brought on by the advent of Photoshop or the rise of the internet—but bigger. Rejecting a technology that is becoming omnipresent around us is not a winning strategy. The key to thriving in this transition is in quickly identifying what parts of the creative process are replaceable or “automation-prone,” which are harder to replace, and which new roles can now emerge.

AI and Branding

As we integrate these technologies into branding and design, a critical question arises: Can AI ever replace the human strategy, creativity, and authenticity that make brands meaningful?

I’m no futurist, but based on my experience, the answer is a resounding no. While AI can help streamline tasks and amplify our abilities, it cannot replace the uniquely human elements of collaboration, instinct, unpredictability, empathy, and ethical responsibility. As one of our clients, Nick Fabiani, Creative Lead at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, puts it: “At the end of the day, my take on AI is anything that is worth time for someone to consume—any piece of written media, visual media that is worth someone engaging with and trying to get meaning from—is worth the time for a human to create it.”

Why the Human Element Matters

People want to feel ownership over the ideas they help shape. They want to be part of something bigger, and they want their values to shine through in the work. AI might assist in the execution, but it can’t replace the emotional intelligence, intuition, and cultural awareness that define truly impactful branding. Even if it was possible to create a facsimile of emotional intelligence, how would it be believable without real experience to back it up?

The process of collaboration and co-creation is central to building brands that resonate.

As Harvard Business Review points out, “AI is shifting the focus of work away from predictive tasks to those requiring human judgment and decision-making.” AI excels at speed and efficiency. It can crunch data, predict trends based on patterns, and attempt to generate (more like regurgitate) creative outputs. But the content it generates is only as interesting as the prompts that guide it and the human editing that makes it fresh, surprising, and authentic. Outputs aside, branding and design are not just about the deliverables—they’re about the journey of getting there. As Fabiani notes, “How we get there, how we arrive at it, is the important part, really. So that’s sort of where I draw the line on AI—how do you replace actual human experience?”

Preparing Creative Leaders for an AI-Augmented World

As AI takes on more technical and repetitive tasks, the next generation of creative leaders must be equipped with new skills. It’s no longer enough to just master design software or write compelling copy. Creative leaders need to know when to prioritize intentional, values-driven work over the speed and quantity enabled by AI. We must think critically and holistically about our work: who it’s for, why it matters, and how it brings people together. But beyond that, we have to focus on the thing that will never be replaceable: human-to-human relationships. Brands are ultimately about the humans behind them: humans who need to feel listened to, guided, validated, represented, dignified, motivated, inspired, driven by purpose and meaning.

AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement

AI has become an indispensable assistant in creative work. It can accelerate and enhance workflows. But it should always remain just that—an assistant. It is not a replacement for the creative processes that connect people to ideas and to each other. Humans must stay in the decision-making seat, driving the strategy and meaning behind the work.

The most successful brands are not built on efficiency alone but on meaning and resonance. AI can help us get there faster, but it’s the human experience that makes the destination worthwhile.

This essay is by Deroy Peraza, partner at Hyperakt, a purpose-driven design and innovation studio that elevates human dignity and ignites curiosity. Originally posted in the newsletter, Insights by Hyperakt.

Header iIllustration by Merit Myers.

The post AI Won’t (Completely) Replace Us appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Welcome to the DesignThinkers Podcast! Join host and RGD President Nicola Hamilton as she digs into the archives of the DesignThinkers conference, reconnecting with past speakers about their talks and ideas that have shaped Canada’s largest graphic design conference. Follow the RGD on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit them at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

The post DesignThinkers Podcast: Robert Wong appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

While these perverse toys might look real at first, they are, in fact, figments of Rosemberg’s imagination, visualized through AI software. Using the style of 90s toy advertisements and packaging, the Forbidden Toys project deploys dark humor to poke fun at commercialism and the toy industry. But first and foremost, it’s clear that Rosemberg is just having a laugh. The artist was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about their Forbidden Toys series, shedding light on their background, process, and the use of AI in the arts. Their responses are below.

What’s your art background?

I have formal academic training in photography and film, but I’ve spent my entire life irresistibly absorbed by artistic creation in its most diverse forms: literature, drawing, design, music… 

A few years ago, I began exploring creation from a conceptual perspective, which led me to leave modified works and toys out on the streets. That conceptual exploration eventually gave birth to the project we’re discussing today: Forbidden Toys.

That said, I consider the art I made as a young child to be part of the overall corpus of my work. I’m still inventing stories and drawing monsters.

Where did the idea for your Forbidden Toys series come from? How did that develop into what it is today?

Toys have always been present in my work in one way or another (in addition to being an avid collector of toys and peculiar objects), so the idea was always there. 

I’ve always been deeply fascinated by the evolution of AI, and I vividly remember how awestruck I was the first day I tried DALL-E mini and asked it to generate 1960s-style laser guns. While the results weren’t realistic yet, they were precise enough to make it clear that it could be used as a creative tool in the future.

During a particularly stressful period when I barely left the house, I developed the Forbidden Toys project, which continues to serve as a form of therapy to this day. As the project gained popularity, I began refining the images and producing real objects, which is where the project currently stands.

What AI software do you use for Forbidden Toys? What are your general thoughts on AI usage in the art world?

I currently use several: MidJourney, DALL-E 3, Runway, and Wand, depending on my specific needs. I then mix and finalize everything traditionally using Procreate or Photoshop.

Naturally, I support the indiscriminate use of AI, just as I support any tool that an artist can use to express themselves. The controversy around using copyrighted material to train AI models feels distant to me because of my contradictory reluctance to fully accept copyright as a legitimate right. That said, just as generating illustrations or designs doesn’t make you an illustrator or designer, it does allow you to materialize concepts, which is, by definition, an act of conceptual creation.

The eternal post-Duchamp debate on authorship and what qualifies as art is as stimulating as it is repetitive. This debate has been unconsciously revived with the popularity of AI, and though it’s framed from a new perspective, it’s the same old argument. It’s true that this technology will inevitably create casualties, as always happens with groundbreaking tools; particularly among certain technical jobs and commission artists whose styles are easily imitated. 

However, the debate is irresolvable, and it will always be fascinating to read theoretical frameworks that supposedly distinguish art from what isn’t.

The eternal post-Duchamp debate on authorship and what qualifies as art is as stimulating as it is repetitive. This debate has been unconsciously revived with the popularity of AI, and though it’s framed from a new perspective, it’s the same old argument.

What’s your typical process like for developing your ideas for each Forbidden Toy?

The initial process is identical to any other artistic project I’ve undertaken; I always carry a notebook where I jot down ideas and sketches. This essentially gives you an extension of your brain with a prodigious memory; anything can inspire an idea. 

Once I’ve determined that a concept is interesting, the first thing I do is draw it to get a sense of what I’m looking for. After establishing a clear vision, I move on to wrestling with AI to generate the necessary elements. Working with AI is like dealing with a half-deaf art department since my ideas are often very specific and leave little room for abstraction; the process can be as tedious as it is inspiring. With all the required elements prepared, the most labor-intensive part of the process begins: combining everything traditionally in an image editor, where I fix errors, finalize the texts, and refine the overall composition. 

Much like making a film, the final result always diverges from the initial mental image you had. Your job is to approximate that vision, and the important thing is that the narrative and message are expressed in the way you intended.

Which of your Forbidden Toys is your favorite? Is there a particular Forbidden Toy that you feel encapsulates what you’re trying to do with the project the best?

It’s hard to pick just one because, beyond each having unique characteristics, they’re all part of the same project, so my preference is purely personal.  I’d say my favorite is “Zappy” because it marked a turning point in how precisely I could convey my ideas.  

The toy I think best encapsulates what I’m trying to achieve with the project is undoubtedly “Pregnant Ken.” For some inexplicable reason, it caught the attention of a Cypriot MP who turned it into a scandal and got fact-checking agencies investigating the image’s origins. The whole fiasco culminated in an official statement from Mattel denying any connection to “Pregnant Ken.” 

Naturally, I’ve got the statement framed at home as a trophy.

What are you trying to communicate or say as an artist with the Forbidden Toys series? What sort of experience do you hope your followers have with your creations?

At its core, I aim to open a window into a nonexistent past and provoke the kind of reactions that would arise if these objects were real. Toys are a medium we all know, and that shape our personalities, always leaving a residue of identification that is fascinating to play with. By presenting objects with a familiar context but grotesque essence, an inevitable comparison to reality occurs, leading to thoughts I find deeply engaging: Is this real? How does it work? Who in their right mind would think of something like this? 

These reactions are the essence of what I aim to convey because they forcibly stimulate a subverted reflection on the concept itself. At the same time, they can serve as a commentary on censorship, ideology, taboo, governance, and the weight that advertising language carries within them.  

In a way, I compel viewers to recreate the experience of wandering through a bazaar and stumbling across a Bin Laden action figure from a Western perspective.  

My followers generally fall into three main categories: those who appreciate the artistic value and understand the project, those who interpret it as purely humorous, and (my personal favorites) those who believe the toys are real.  

All of them are right.

The post The ‘Forbidden Toys’ Series Proves that There is a Place for AI in the Arts appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Other recent chopping-abouts on IG.

Rachel Cabitt on the technicolor influence of Kayōkyoku Records, where 1960s Japanese and Western cultures collide.

Loving Fred Aldous’ photobooth collection of goodies.

Director Bryan Woods on putting a “no generative AI was used in the making of this film” statement at the end of Heretic:

“We are in a time where I feel like creatively we’re in one of the big ethical battles, and the race is already ahead of us. The importance is to have these conversations before they force things in, just because it makes sense from a corporate structure. It’s incredibly dangerous. If there’s not people to throttle it, we’re going to find ourselves in five to ten years in a very dangerous situation. … AI is an amazing technology. Beautiful things will come of it, and it’s jaw-dropping. What is being created with generative AI and video … it’s amazing we could create that technology. Now let’s bury it underground with nuclear warheads, ‘cause it might kill us all.”

Could this become standard practice, please? To be posted alongside the “no animals were harmed” and “no this story isn’t real, honest” notices.

Artist and photographer Yasmin Masri’s Near 2,143 McDonald’s, documenting over 2,000 McDonald’s locations through Google Street View. Seen a few books and projects over the years use Street View as a source, but I’m unclear about how fair usage/public-domainy it is.

“For some reason, in July 1985, the Daily Mirror’s pseudo-saucy comic strip Jane ran a series of comics centered on – oh yes – Jane and boyfriend Chris hanging out with Sir Clive Sinclair.”

Kurt Cobain’s Youth Culture Scream Time.

Chris Ware on Richard Scarry and the art of children’s literature:

“The thing is, “people” weren’t anywhere to be seen in Best Word Book Ever. Instead, the whole world was populated by animals: rabbits, bears, pigs, cats, foxes, dogs, raccoons, lions, mice, and more. Somehow, though, that made the book’s view of life feel more real and more welcoming. A dollhouse-like cutaway view of a rabbit family in their house getting ready for their day didn’t seem to just picture the things themselves—they were the things themselves, exuding a grounded warmth that said, “Yes, everywhere we live in houses and cook together and get dressed, just like you.”

One must never underestimate the power of anthropomorphism in normalising empathy and diversity for children. I grew up with countless Scarry titles (to this day Peasant Pig and the Terrible Dragon is one of my favourite books) and they definitely shaped my view of the world.

It’s November and therefore LEGO have thrown a massive chunk of dad-bait into the universe in time for Christmas. As if a 3000-brick model of Shackleton’s The Endurance wasn’t enough, you can also get an extra set with a minifig of expedition photographer Frank Hurley.

There’s absolutely no need for Suede’s Dog Man Star to be thirty. It’s just unseemly.

That is all.

This was originally posted on Meanwhile, a Substack dedicated to inspiration, fascination, and procrastination from the desk of designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray.

Header image courtesy of the author.

The post Meanwhile No. 219 appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (the reunited stars of Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump), the film’s pioneering of AI into the creative process has stunningly unnerved some in Hollywood (who may have welcomed headlines this week like Forbes‘ stinging “Flops At Weekend Box Office”—although The New York Times was more favorable). For this production, cast and crew teamed up with AI studio Metaphysic on a tool to rejuvenate and “age up” the actors—a process conventionally achieved with makeup and CGI visual effects. Here was shot from one static camera, positioned for the most part in the corner of a suburban living room. Like McGuire’s graphic novel, the viewer sees frames within frames showing not just the passage of time but simultaneous views of the same place.

Having written about McGuire’s book, I felt that Here was an opportunity to get the artist’s take on how AI accomplished or reinterpreted his artistic goals, especially in a different medium with live actors. His commentary may surprise those in the illustration world who dread the specter of this tool.

When you created and published Here as a graphic story/comic strip, did you originally envision your storytelling elements in motion? Was it always a static juxtaposition of different times in one place?
I never envisioned it in motion. I was primarily thinking of it as a diagram. A few years after the original six-page strip was published in 1989, a live-action student film was made that was low budget but technically pretty sophisticated [below].

How did you react when Robert Zemeckis wanted to create a feature film of Here?
Honestly, I was shocked. My agent sent me an article from Variety that said it was actually happening, and that it would be starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. I just couldn’t believe it! About a year earlier my agent told me that Zemeckis was interested in adapting the book and wanted to talk. We had a Zoom call, and I remember him saying that he wanted to make it “just like the book” with a locked camera. I was joking with him, saying, “I get it, you want to go old school, back to the Lumière brothers. Sounds great.” But I was thinking, Who would finance a film without the camera moving? It’s never going to happen. 

Was there any reluctance on your part to have your work transformed into a live-action “experience”?
No, I was excited by the idea! There had already been a few live-action adaptations before Zemeckis. In 2019, there was a stage production that was renamed Déja, put on by a Norwegian theater group called The Krumple. It was first performed at a theater festival in Stamsund, which is a fishing village on an island off the north coast of Norway. I had to take three planes to get there to see it. They came up with all these clever ideas to make it work, including little battery-operated illuminated boxes that would show the year that the action was taking place. They also built tiny versions of the set and used puppets to be able to show multiple views of time.

There had also been talk of it being a TV series. A script was written, and it was shopped around and nearly bought by the Starz channel. 

In 2020, a British company called 59 Productions was interested in making it a VR experience. The company Intel had been experimenting with a new technology that could digitize actors using hundreds of cameras to simultaneously capture a performance in a huge domed stage set. They were looking for the right content to try out this system so they joined forces. It all fell apart in post-production. Intel pulled the plug and it was never finished, but there is a trailer.

Zemeckis directed many well-received films that experimented with live action, illustration and animation. I recall that when Chris Van Allesburg’s Polar Express was made, it was a cinematic innovation. Did you get excited by the concept that Zemeckis was proposing?
At the beginning there was no mention yet of using any AI. At some point Zemeckis told me about the company Metaphysic Live that could do real-time “de-aging.” When I visited the set I got to see some examples. They were impressive.

Did you have any hesitation about sharing your creation with another creator who would restructure, rewrite and recast your original work?
Film relies on emotion for storytelling. I knew they needed to develop storylines and characters that an audience could invest in emotionally, but I nearly did a spit-take when he told me Hanks’ character would be named “Richard” and that he would be a “failed artist”!  

That’s hilarious! What about control? Was there anything in the script or treatment that made you think twice?
I didn’t want to read the script.

Were you involved in the shooting in any way as a consultant, producer or observer?
I had been asked if I wanted to be a consultant on the film but I declined. I felt everything I had to say was already in the book. Eric Roth was already on board to write the screenplay. He and Zemeckis worked together on Forest Gump and Castaway. 

I was also extremely busy working on a pitch for a new book project and a retrospective exhibition of my work for a museum in Switzerland. I had my hands full co-designing the catalog for the show, as well. 

Was the outcome as you expected? Or was there a sense of something indescribable when you saw the film for the first time?
I saw the trailer first and I was overwhelmed by it. Then I got to see the film in a small screening room and it was very emotional. I had a million thoughts running through my head and it was nearly impossible to be objective, but there was one thing for sure: It’s unlike any film I’ve ever seen. I think it was brave to make this film.

When I met Eric Roth on the set, he was surprised that I hadn’t read the script and that I didn’t want to. He did fill me in a little bit about the ending, which I won’t spoil for you, but he said “everyone cries at the end.” And god dammit if that isn’t exactly what happened to me! I was thinking, I am such a sucker. How could they push those buttons when I knew what was coming?

Is it your work or does it now belong to the adapter?
It feels like someone is covering a song I wrote. I am perfectly fine with someone making it their own. Multiple realities are built into the book, and the concept is expansive, so therefore anything is possible. I am just thrilled to have had this crazy experience of seeing it adapted and presented on this level. Being able to visit the set, meet the actors, see the army of technicians at work, walking down a red carpet at the premiere—it’s surreal! I’m also detached in a way. I’m just along for the ride, and it’s been a wild one so far. 

The post The Daily Heller: Richard McGuire’s Book ‘Here’ is Now a Movie appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

In a snapshot of today’s AI-driven design landscape, over 10,000 designers from 135 countries shared their thoughts, and the results are clear: designers are finding that a future with AI could be, well, pretty darn exciting.

The survey reveals that over half (52%) of freelancers are now harnessing generative AI to level up their work—up from 39% last year. And they’re not just dabbling; they’re diving in with excitement. A whopping 56% say they’re thrilled about the potential of AI in their field, with most using it to brainstorm ideas, knock out copy, or take care of mundane tasks (hello, automation).

But it’s not just excitement for efficient practices in their work; it’s dollars and sense, too. For 61% of freelancers, AI has already impacted their income, up from 45% in 2023, and nearly half expect the tech to give their earnings a boost down the line. Sure, a third of responders are a bit anxious about AI’s economic effect, but optimism appears to rule the day.

“Disruption in the design industry is something we’ve all experienced first hand,” says 99designs by Vista CEO Patrick Llewellyn. “We believe in the power of human creativity, and it’s inspiring to see both the excitement and pragmatic approach to the opportunities created by this new technology. These optimistic survey results, alongside the fact that our designer community has now earned over half a billion dollars through the platform, reassure us that while the landscape is evolving, the future of design is bright.”

The combined optimism and pragmatism of designers suggests an evolution rather than a revolution. And with designers’ earnings on the platform recently surpassing a cool $500 million, the data points to a future where AI may just be the paintbrush to human innovation’s canvas.

In an industry that’s no stranger to disruption, it seems designers are welcoming AI as a collaborator, not a competitor. And with the majority looking to upskill and keep pace, they’re proving that AI might just be the muse that creativity’s been waiting for.

The post From Hesitancy to Hope: How Freelancers Are Embracing AI appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Welcome to the DesignThinkers Podcast! Join host and RGD President Nicola Hamilton as she digs into the archives of the DesignThinkers conference, reconnecting with past speakers about their talks and ideas that have shaped Canada’s largest graphic design conference. Follow the RGD on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit them at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

The post DesignThinkers Podcast: Khoi Vinh appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

“We noticed that athletes today are increasingly seeking ways to personalize their experiences, and they’ve been early adopters of athletic equipment personalization,” said Xavi Cortadellas, Gatorade’s Sr. Director of Marketing, Athletic Equipment. “Through these AI innovations, we’re so excited to help athletes showcase their unique styles, passions, and personalities.”

Gatorade guzzlers can go to www.gatorade.com to generate their own water bottle designs through the brand’s partnership with Adobe Firefly. Gatorade also collaborated with digital product agency Work & Co, part of Accenture Song, to ensure the new AI experience was seamlessly integrated into their site and was user-friendly.

“Our ambition is to serve athletes better than anyone else, so we’re incredibly proud to be one of the first brands to put the power of an AI-fueled experience in the hands of athletes,” said Cortadellas. “This technology allows us to meet athlete needs with fully customizable solutions no matter their journey.”

“This is just the start of how AI will continue to fuel athlete personalization at Gatorade,” added Cortadellas. What the next AI pursuit for the brand will be, however, remains to be seen. An AI flavor perhaps?

The post The Classic Gatorade Water Bottle Gets the AI Treatment appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

One good thing about the current humans-vs-machines brouhaha is that a lot of very smart people are throwing very smart words at it. Just one of many noteworthy passages from Stephen Fry’s recent talk at King’s College, AI: The means to an end or a means to the end?:

“Just as the success of the automobile was enabled by enormous supplies of crude oil composed of microscopic bits of ancient life, rendered useful in the refineries of Rockefeller and others, so the success of Ai is enabled by enormous supplies of crude data — data composed of microscopic bits of human archive, interchange, writing, playing, communicating, broadcasting which we in our billions have freely dropped into the sediment, and which the eager Rockefellers of today’s big tech are only too happy to drill for, refine and sell on back to us.”

It’s incredible, terrifying, thought-provoking.¹ The gist of it (and a handy metaphor to help keep grasp of this nebulous, abstract thing): AI is a river that must be canalised, channeled, sluiced, dredged, dammed, and overseen.

Slight tangent (courtesy of A. R. Younce): engineers, fluvial geomorphologists, and the unintended consequences of trying to change the course of a river.

Anyway, fluviality aside, you really need to read Fry’s whole thing, but this postscript is particularly worth adopting:

“You may have noticed that I render Artificial Intelligence as “Ai” not “AI” throughout this piece – this my (fruitless no doubt) attempt to make life easier for people called Albert, Alfred, Alexander et al (ho ho). In sans serif fonts AI with a majuscule “i” is ambiguous. How does the great Pacino feel when he reads that “Al is a threat to humanity?” So let’s all write as Ai not AI.”

I’m sure Adobe wouldn’t be happy with that, but I much prefer it. I also like how it puts the emphasis on the artificial rather than the intelligence.

Another good read: Ted Chiang on why Ai isn’t going to make great art, for The New Yorker. I rather liked this analogy:

“As the linguist Emily M. Bender has noted, teachers don’t ask students to write essays because the world needs more student essays. The point of writing essays is to strengthen students’ critical-thinking skills; in the same way that lifting weights is useful no matter what sport an athlete plays, writing essays develops skills necessary for whatever job a college student will eventually get. Using ChatGPT to complete assignments is like bringing a forklift into the weight room; you will never improve your cognitive fitness that way.”

Okay now for some other hyperlinks.

Counting down the days until Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 is right here in my eyeballs. Definite elements of Moon in there, but mostly, it reminds me of the absurd cloney antics of the Paranoia RPG.

XKCD’s surprisingly useful guide to figuring out the age of an undated map. Finally, an opportunity to use the (NUMBER OF YEMENS) + (NUMBER OF GERMANYS) formula.

Companies paying freelancers. Shockingly accurate.

Very excited to discover that at some point, Rebellion bought the rights to the Bitmap Bros. back catalogue, and you can buy Speedball t-shirts. I’ve never smacked the buy now button so fast.²

McSweeney’s latest issue is a lunchbox. Because, of course it is. To celebrate 25 years of independent publishing, the tin-box magazine is filled with baseball-inspired author cards, poem pencils, and never-before-seen artwork from Art Spiegelman.

1. Although I did have to correct him on one point: he confuses Dartford for Dartmouth! What a blithering idiot! This officially makes me smarter than Stephen Fry. ↩︎
2. Please feel free to shout ICE CREEEAM at me if you see me wearing mine in public. This reference will make sense to about four of you. ↩︎

This was originally posted on Meanwhile, a Substack dedicated to inspiration, fascination, and procrastination from the desk of designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray.

Image courtesy of the author.

The post Meanwhile: No. 213 appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

In 2009 I attended the One Club for Creativity’s inaugural Digital for Creative Leaders Workshop in partnership with the premier digital school, Sweden’s Hyper Island.

The goal of the program was to get dinosaur creatives like me proficient or at least open to the ever-widening and dominating digital landscape.

Then, like the AI adoption happening now, there were three types of people: One, the “into it” types. Two, the skeptical but persuadable types. And three, the arms-folded, never-gonna-accept-it rejector types.

I was Type 2.

The curriculum was robust. It was a blend of theory, practice, and collaborative learning, drawing heavily on Hyper Island’s methodology of experiential learning.

Some of the main elements of the program included:

Creative Leadership. Which was all about understanding the role of a creative leader in fostering innovation and motivating teams. And learning techniques for leading creative projects and managing diverse teams.

Digital Transformation. This was the big lightning bolt that emphasized how the digital landscape was changing the creative industry. And there were strategies taught for integrating digital technology into creative work.

Practical Applications. Here we took to hands-on tasks and our real-world projects to apply what we were learning.

It was truly a transforming moment in my career.

I was reflecting on all of this over the last few weeks as I was learning more, experimenting more and inspiring folks about AI.

It got me thinking about one of the most powerful ideas I heard at this OneClub/Hyper Island program about how to approach the digital world. (And now you can apply it to this AI moment).

I call it the “Canoe Theory.”

It goes like this.

Think of technology like a river. Right now, we are seeing an AI river. Upstream things are happening. Downstream things are happening. Right in front of us things are happening. It’s all endlessly flowing.

Now, you can stand at the edge of this river and admire it. Or even fear it.

Or…you can grab an oar and push yourself and your canoe into the water. Once there, you can feel the flow. You can paddle fast or slow. The point is, you’re in.

The AI age is here.

It’s time to get your boat in the water.

Rob Schwartz is the Chair of the TBWA New York Group and an executive coach who channels his creativity, experience and wisdom into helping others get where they want to be. This was originally posted on his Substack, RobSchwartzHelps, where he covers work, life, and creativity.

Header photo by Adam Kring on Unsplash.

The post The Canoe Theory of Technology appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

As a new wave of creators redefines what it means to be creative, Adobe is excited to support young artists across the globe through the Young Lions Competition (YLC) at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and Adobe Digital Edge Awards (DEA). These two competitions celebrate the talent and ingenuity of today’s rising innovators in art and communication while helping them build their careers through industry connections and a strong skill set in Adobe tools. In honor of their accomplishments, Adobe also provides $10,000 in Adobe Certified Professional exam vouchers to the Digital Edge Award winners to help them demonstrate their creative skills and stand out to employers. For these exams, Adobe partners with Certiport, the leader in performance-based testing, and industry experts to design exams that connect students’ skills to in-demand jobs.

This year’s winners found inspiration in generative AI as a tool, a metaphor for diversity, and a canvas for exploring human values. Learn how the artists behind five of this year’s winning entries harness creativity across disciplines and continents, proving that magic happens when technology and passion collide.

Seeking the Soul of Technology

In the design world, we sometimes dwell on controversial aspects of AI. However, the winning DEA entry in the Art and Design category reflects a longing to turn away from this dystopian view by showcasing how AI can make us even more human. “Soul,” the work of students Arunima Walimbe and Shruti Jain of California College of Arts, is a speculative design concept for smart wallpaper that uses AI to create a personalized experience, helping people discover and embrace the soul of their home.

AI also helped Walimbe and Jain visually communicate their idea through storyboards generated in Adobe Firefly that combined existing images in fresh ways — a theme of their creative process.

“I’m like a collage of a lot of things,” says Walimbe. “I was a science kid, and I combined that with my creative side. So, my style has a lot to do with collage making — combining things to tell a story.”

For Jain, creativity is about problem-solving and connection. “I come from a family where four generations live under the same roof, and I have seen how technology creates a generation gap,” says Jain.

I want to use my creativity to help digital immigrants like my family members understand technology.

Shruti Jain

Spreading Wonder by Combining Art and Science

Debasmita Banerjee has loved drawing and painting for as long as she can remember. However, as a Ph.D. student in physics at the University of Central Florida, she didn’t have much time for art — until she realized she could use it to tell the stories of science. In her winning DEA project in the STEM category, “Quanticle,” Banerjee’s twin passions for art and physics unite.

Banerjee discovered sound effects called “photon” and “electron” in Adobe Premiere, which she used along with Adobe After Effects to animate the wealth of real-world examples in her educational video “Quanticle.” It’s all part of her dream of making STEM education accessible to people everywhere, including villages like those in her home country of India.

“Art is an expression of science and nature — they’re two sides of the same coin,” says Banerjee. “Trees have a pattern in them that can be explained. You see math in the pattern of leaves or snowfall. Nature and art are very integrated.”

Art is an expression of science and nature — they’re two sides of the same coin.

Debasmita Banerjee

The Raw Joy of Creativity

Billy Nhiwatiwa and Ethan Brown believe that when they bring joy to their creations, it shines through in the finished work — including “Billy Wilder — The Man Behind the Picture,” their playful campaign that took home gold in the YLC design category. Their idea to disguise a logo behind other design elements using Adobe Illustrator is a prime example of how the British flatmates and creative partners love to make people smile with a clever design twist.

So much in everyday life is slightly mundane. We try to find that bit of something that makes you smile. It might be tiny, but it’s beautiful when creativity unlocks that.

Ethan Brown

The goal of spreading happiness also guides their client work. “I get a lot of joy from diving into the heart of a brand, stripping it down, and making it feel authentic and approachable — encouraging people to be more authentically themselves,” says Nhiwatiwa.

Creating Diversity and Possibility

For Berlin-based copywriter Inna Tabachenko and art director Lisa Glonti, AI wasn’t simply a tool used to create their silver-winning YLC film entry, “Successful Generation.” It was the overarching metaphor for the film’s entire message, which involved hundreds of diverse images of a “successful man” created using Generative Fill in Adobe Photoshop, a Firefly feature.

In the film, each new prompt generates more possibilities, suggesting endless ways to define success — and yet, Tabachenko points out, AI can only reflect what humans feed it.

As immigrants from Ukraine and Georgia, Tabachenko and Glonti are especially attuned to the ways culture can impact art and design, and their experiences with war and occupation have developed deep stores of empathy that inform both their creativity and their close working relationship.

“Design is part of everything we do as humans,” says Glonti. “We’re not just thinking, we’re also feeling, and our culture and art are a reflection of this.”

Creativity is a constant evolution in which we combine things in new ways to become better.

Inna Tabachenko

Evolving the Definition of Success

What does it mean to be a “real person,” particularly in the age of social media and AI? Jiayu Cao (Fiona) and Linghui Dai (Vicky) of Havas Creative, China, explored this question in “Who is the Successful Man?”, the YLC media category gold winner. Their interactive project used CAPTCHA images to “verify” and challenge viewers’ ingrained ideas of success while enabling them to make new image selections that helped evolve the gallery for good.

Cao (pictured left) is inspired by her belief that art and design are the eyes of the world, helping people see what’s in front of them — in this case, images of diverse human experiences, sourced from Adobe Stock and Firefly, that encourage us all to rethink our perceptions of achievement.

(Vicky Dai, pictured right.)

AI is merely a tool, a derivative of the human world, and when it reflects problems that exist within humanity, we need to take this seriously. AI perpetuates stereotypes, but humans have the power to break them.

Fiona Cao

Get inspired by the complete list of winners of the 2024 Young Lions Competitions and Digital Edge Awards.

Then, learn more about how Adobe Express and Adobe Firefly give you new playgrounds for exploration and creativity — all designed to be safe for commercial use.

The post Meet the Next Generation Creators Using Technology in Unprecedented Ways appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

He gave me no hint as to what the result would be—maybe a quick edit, I thought. Although I’ve told my writing students never to use AI—not even to edit or spell check—I was nonetheless curious (Pandora’s Box curious) to see the result. In fact, I had to hear the result to believe it.

The first thing I pulled off my desktop for Todd was a review I wrote about a Bob Dylan documentary film, which originally ran on Design Observer in 2022. Off it went, and I went back to work. No more than 10 minutes later I received an email with a sound file. Rather than edit or rewrite my text, the AI used the content as the basis for an “original” podcast featuring two perfectly normal generative voices talking about Dylan in their own terms, but seen through my eyes (or words). It was a perfect simulacrum.

Below is the uncanny AI podcast, followed by the text it was based on. (I did not attach a bio or use the word “legendary,” as the “podcasters” do—my byline was the only identification on the Word file I sent to Todd; we presume the AI scraped the web for information about me, which it assimilated into the end result.)

I have to admit, it is both amazing and appalling (amazingly appalling and appallingly amazing) because the “hosts” discussed ideas about Dylan and my reasons for writing the review that either had nothing to do with my actual thoughts … or extrapolated what I did write in a surprisingly insightful way.

On the afternoon of June 12 my head felt like a beach ball stuffed with sand and slowly leaking air—the symptom of a bad cold I caught two days earlier on a flight from Milan’s Malpensa to NYC’s Kennedy airport. That’s when I began watching The Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. I thought that watching this much anticipated film by two masters would be a curative.

To say I am a fan of Dylan is like saying Pope Francis is a fan of God. Dylan may not be God, but more than any of the artists that I revere he has the charismatic power to move me from dark to light through lyric, gesture and sound. So, for two-hours plus I was indeed relieved of miserable head, nose and throat discomfort—and transported into a state of blissful otherworldliness.

Then it was over and I was summarily returned back inside the beach ball.

Gone were the feelings of euphoria and elation upon sight of the jugglers and the clowns as they did tricks for me (notably Allen Ginsberg—“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness”—and Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn). So quickly did these feelings disappear, like the Aleve I took earlier that morning, that I spun into a vortex of despair. Yes, I loved this film so much that I was renewed; however, when it ended my body was back to its sickly state, this time saddened by a sense of emptiness. There’s more to a cold than just chills, fever and congestion—there’s helplessness that comes even with minor or temporary debilitation. In the film, Dylan says, “there’s nothing left of Rolling Thunder, it’s all dust.” I’ve been morbidly indulging in thoughts about dust lately (more than usual).

By the way, this is not a review of the Dylan/Scorsese documentary. It started out to be that, but I really could not find enough patience to go scene by scene rehashing the ingenious moments. Much has already been written about the totally believable fictional interviews performed by actors and inserted throughout the vintage clips (read Rolling Stone or The New York Times for that). Instead, my short story and/or ersatz confession is an insomniac’s morning after, narcissistic musing about the buttons that the film so skillfully pushed and how my tightly secured, fireproof, waterproof, drug-resistant emotional lockbox was unhinged by its artistry.

It is not news that artists and designers have the power to move us. The best are sorcerers who blend tangible and intangible ingredients into a strange brew of image, sound and nuanced message that can either uplift or drag down. Rolling Thunder uplifted my aching body as it made me conscious of feelings that I’ve been trying to suppress.

For me, the power of this cinematic experience is its all-consuming intensity. Seeing Dylan’s graphical white grease-painted face contrasting with his off-white teeth, and the penetrating stare of his searing blue eyes, was the first time, even as an ardent devotee of his music, that I have ever witnessed such charisma. Hypnotic, sure. Entertaining, of course. But so much more bedeviling. Bottle that pure essence, and evil-doers could control the world. I wanted to physically share in that vintage happening in some way but was imprisoned in my beach ball. The Rolling Thunder Revue both drained and filled me with spiritual ardor—I alternately felt happiness, sadness, hope and melancholy. It made me long to find a similar way to express myself. But those are Dylan’s genes, not mine. I am not genetically capable of making art like that.

Dylan is asked whether, after all these decades of creating art, he is still searching for something. His reply, more or less: Life is not about searching, it is about building. As the film shows, he built something that means many things to many people. Me, I’m still searching for my rolling thunder. Watching, I felt like a puppet pulled across a stage, as so many of us are, while Dylan, one hell of a puppet master, not only pushed buttons but pulled my strings. Over five days I binged on The Rolling Thunder Revue six times, believing that somewhere in this film is the answer to a question I have yet to ask. Then again, maybe it’s just the side effects of too much Aleve. In any case, I urge you to see it.

The post The Daily Heller: Google’s AI Podcast Capabilities Are Appallingly Amazing appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Official description:
The wonders and chaos of AI converge in a powerful and thrilling novel about rewriting history, identity, love, and what it means to be human.

Graham Gooding is a leader at a tech startup when his brilliant coworker—and work crush—Nessie Locke asks for help testing a new algorithm. Graham jumps at the chance to impress her and to improve his floundering personal life. He soon discovers that the algo is more powerful than Nessie—or anyone—realizes. It was built to detect lies on the internet, but when Graham makes a small edit to Nessie’s online profile, hoping to see if the program will catch the lie, Nessie changes in real life. The algo can alter the real world. Now, so can Graham.

No one knows what Graham has done, except his boss, enigmatic tech guru David Warwick. Graham is racked with guilt, but Warwick thrills to the possibilities of what they can do next. This promises to be the innovation that will make Warwick a household name. Drawn by the power of the algo but terrified by its potential for chaos, Graham must decide what to do and whom to trust in a world where one true reality no longer exists.

As love, trust, memories and what it means to be human begin to slip away, Graham and Nessie work together to restore the past—before it’s lost to the anarchy of a world without truth.

What was the brief for this project? 
The brief called for a design that reflects the emotional core of the story while subtly hinting at the AI component—perhaps by depicting something that is altered or disappearing.

How did you arrive at the final design, and what’s going on within it?
We had been working with the idea of clouds from the beginning, but when art director Tree Abraham suggested a mirror, I immediately knew what she was trying to get at—the digitally altered self, and our reflection being distorted in ways we can’t detect. The pink bleeding inside and outside symbolizes the blurring line between the real and the artificial, seeping into one another. The sky evokes a sense of liminal space and hints at the limits of human understanding—or perhaps the boundlessness of AI. We worked on the pixelation quite a bit, making sure the pixels were distinct to avoid the image appearing blurry.

Where did you source the cloud background? 
In the story, oil paintings are used as training data for the algorithm. I loved the contrast between the hand-painted (human) sky and the distorted (artificial) reflection. Ironically, the “painting” on the cover is a digital rendering of an oil painting.

How did you select the type treatment?
We experimented with several pixelated font variations, but they felt too complex and hard to render effectively. This typeface strikes a balance: hard edges that hint at something futuristic, while its soft curves keep it readable.

What other comps did you explore before arriving at the final design? 
I initially explored imagery based on one of the main character’s tattoos, which include an olive tree, an owl in flight, a snake, a woman in armor, and a single cloud with a shaft of light. In the story, these tattoos disappear in the real world as they are erased inside the algorithm, and they recur throughout the narrative. However, these images ultimately felt too specific. We also explored glitching skylines and imagery representing human knowledge.

What overall mood were you hoping to strike in the final cover? 
I wanted to convey the feeling of being trapped in an artificial world, but with a glimmer of hope for escape—something that feels increasingly relevant today (!).

The post 17 of the Best Book Covers of the Month: September 2024 appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Welcome to the DesignThinkers Podcast! Join host and RGD President Nicola Hamilton as she digs into the archives of the DesignThinkers conference, reconnecting with past speakers about their talks and ideas that have shaped Canada’s largest graphic design conference. Follow the RGD on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit them at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

The post DesignThinkers Podcast: Erin Sarofsky appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Lauren Cantor, a polymath, multidisciplinary strategist with a focus on venture-based design, is an accomplished management executive who changed careers and graduated from the School of Visual Arts MFA Design program in order to follow her passions after working on Wall Street for close to 20 years. She now runs her own design consulting firm, Field & Edge, is a founding partner for an AI-driven consulting collective, NextAccess, and teaches design entrepreneurship.

Cantor’s venture Verses Over Variables—which I consider the best online/email digest of AI innovation, education and elucidation—launched in June, driven by what she describes as a trio of realizations: “the wealth of AI insights I wanted to share, my passion for writing about AI, and a desire to illuminate AI’s transformative potential in productivity and creativity.” I recommend this insightful, beautifully written weekly to everyone who is concerned about AI from every corner of our creative communication universe. You’ll thank me, I’m sure of it. This Q&A with Cantor was conducted via email … but was not generated by AI (although she conceived the visuals below produced using Midjourney).

How did your intense interest in AI develop? And what triggered the newsletter?
It was the fall of 2022, and Dall-E and Midjourney had just been released to the public. I was teaching at ArtCenter College of Design and SVA at the time, and I’ve always made it a point to stay ahead of my students when it comes to new tools. Once I started playing around with these AI platforms, I was completely hooked. It was like falling down the most fascinating rabbit hole you could imagine.

The real turning point came when ChatGPT was released. That’s when I realized we were on the cusp of something truly transformative. Last summer, I co-taught a course on using AI for branding design. Watching students harness these tools to amplify their creativity was nothing short of mindblowing.

As for the newsletter, the genesis is quite interesting. During the pandemic, I had started a newsletter about pop culture, tech and business—primarily as a personal, intellectual exercise. I found a small but engaged audience.

The real catalyst came during my 25th business school reunion at Wharton last spring. Conversations about my newsletter and my teaching led to two unexpected outcomes: a daily WhatsApp chat with classmates where we dive deep into AI technicalities, and the formation of NextAccess, an AI consultancy with 12 of my former classmates. I transitioned to Verses Over Variables in June 2024.

What are your general sources and how do you weed out the useful from the junk?
My approach to curating AI information is deeply rooted in my background as a Wall Street trader. In that world, sifting through news was crucial; company earnings, regulatory changes, elections, economic announcements, even weather reports could impact your trading position. This experience honed my ability to quickly identify relevant and impactful information across various domains.

While I’ve developed an AI program for headline searches, I still prefer a hands-on approach. I rely heavily on trusted newsletters and tech websites. This method allows me to maintain a holistic view of the AI landscape, balancing technical developments with broader implications.

It’s a combination of using cutting-edge tools and good old-fashioned critical thinking. In the world of AI, where developments happen at breakneck speed, it’s crucial to have a discerning eye and a solid foundation of knowledge to separate the signal from the noise.

What triggered your pivot to education … or has it always been there?
The truth is, education has always been a passion of mine, dating back to my college years when I served as a TA for executive education science labs. After graduation, despite my degree in astrophysics and a minor in mathematics, I faced discouragement when trying to enter the teaching profession. I was told outright that “girls don’t teach math or science”—a statement that seems almost unbelievable now, but was all too real then.

Throughout my career, I’ve always played the role of a “translator,” making complex concepts accessible across various fields. I did this with my research and presentations on Wall Street, my seminars with Strategyzer and my personal consulting work.

The pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity to reignite my teaching career through online platforms (especially at SVA). This experience reaffirmed my love for making business concepts accessible, leading me to expand my teaching engagements. I found that I really enjoyed making business accessible, so I reached out to ArtCenter.

What I’ve discovered is that teaching, particularly in the realm of emerging technologies like AI, allows me to combine all aspects of my background—the analytical rigor from my science days, the fast-paced decision-making from Wall Street, and the strategic thinking from my business ventures. It’s incredibly fulfilling to be able to bridge these worlds for my students.

What is the goal of your AI explorations?
At its core, my exploration of AI is driven by an insatiable curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning. If I could be a professional student forever, I absolutely would. Currently, I’m taking a class on AI agents and developing automated tools, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for me with AI.

But it goes beyond personal interest. Through NextAccess, the AI consultancy I co-founded, I’m working to help businesses navigate the complex landscape of AI, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

On a day-to-day level, I use AI constantly. It enhances my productivity, sharpens my thinking, and allows me to create things I never could have on my own. It’s like having a tireless collaborator that’s always ready to brainstorm or tackle complex problems.

Ultimately, my goal is to be a bridge between the technical aspects of AI and its practical, real-world applications—whether that is through writing or teaching or consulting. I want to demystify AI, to show people its potential for boosting productivity and creativity in tangible ways. There’s so much fear-mongering about AI, but I see incredible possibilities for human-AI collaboration, and I want to help others see and seize those opportunities.

How do you believe AI will change design education and, ultimately, practice?
AI is not just changing design education, it’s revolutionizing it. It’s becoming an indispensable part of the curriculum because, frankly, students need to master these tools to stay competitive in their future careers. The old adage, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will,” rings truer every day in the design world.

Education itself is evolving rapidly. We’re moving away from traditional lecture formats towards more project-based, collaborative approaches. AI tools allow us to create immersive learning experiences that were simply not possible before. For instance, I can now use AI to generate a virtual negotiation partner for my students or create complex funding scenario simulations for startup workshops.

In professional practice, AI is becoming an invaluable tool for ideation, rapid prototyping, and even project management. It’s not about replacing human creativity, but augmenting it. Designers who can effectively leverage AI will have a significant advantage in the job market.

The challenge for educators is to stay ahead of this curve, to teach not just the tools themselves, but the critical thinking skills needed to use them effectively. We need to prepare students for a world where AI is a collaborator, not just a tool.

There has been debate whether to call it a “tool” or something with more weight. How do you feel?
I view AI as a tool, but an extraordinarily powerful one. It’s comparable to how the calculator or the internet transformed various fields. AI eliminates much of the grunt work, allowing professionals to focus on higher-level thinking and creativity.

That said, it’s a tool that requires skill and judgment to use effectively. I often describe it as having a tireless intern—it can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but you still need to guide it and verify its work. The real magic happens when human creativity and AI capabilities are combined thoughtfully.

Calling it “just a tool” might understate its transformative potential, but elevating it to something more than a tool risks obscuring the crucial role of human insight and creativity in its application. The debate itself is fascinating because it reflects our evolving relationship with technology and our attempts to understand its place in our work and lives.

Can AI become its own “artform,” or is that off the table?
I believe AI is already emerging as its own form of artistic expression, particularly in the realm of graphic art. The big issue, of course, is how the models are trained when it comes to copyright. But I think the new models, or at least the way responsible artists are prompting them, are moving away from directly referencing other artists’ work.

It’s reminiscent of how painters initially reacted to photography, or how traditional artists viewed digital art. What constitutes the artist’s palette in the age of AI? Personally, I find that AI tools like Midjourney give me a creative freedom I’ve never experienced before. As someone with a math-oriented brain, I’ve always found it challenging to break rules or draw outside the lines in traditional artforms. AI tools provide a new medium for expression that isn’t constrained by my technical drawing skills.

That said, I’ve worked hard to understand the techniques and the ethical considerations of using these tools. It’s about finding that balance between leveraging AI as a creative medium and respecting the work of other artists. As this field evolves, I think we’ll see entirely new genres of art emerge that are uniquely enabled by AI, just as we saw with the advent of digital art tools.

Where do you think you will take AI … or where will it take you?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’m committed to continuing my journey as both a student and an educator in this field. I hope to expand my teaching to reach a broader audience, helping more people understand how AI can enhance their daily lives and professional practices.

On the consulting side, I’m excited about the work we’re doing with NextAccess. We’re helping businesses navigate the AI landscape, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency. I see tremendous potential for AI to solve real-world problems, and I want to be part of that solution.

Personally, I’m always pushing myself to learn more. Whether it’s diving deeper into the technical aspects of AI or exploring its philosophical implications, I find this field endlessly fascinating.

Ultimately, I think AI will take us to places we can hardly imagine right now. My role, as I see it, is to help people navigate this new landscape—to see the opportunities, understand the challenges, and use AI as a force for positive change. It’s an exhilarating time to be in this field, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.

The post The Daily Heller: A Pinch of Artificial, a Dollop of Intelligence appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

In Assembling Tomorrow, Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter explore the intangible forces that prevent us from anticipating just how fantastically technology can get out of control and what might be in store for us if we don’t change our tactics. If we ever needed this book, it is now, because our seemingly ceaseless capacity to create rubs up against our limited capacity to understand the impact of those creations.

Armondo Veve illustrated the book’s striking cover and interior. The dandelion on the cover might look organic at first glance, but you soon realize soon it has a mechanical quality. The ambiguity of the seeds —they could be taking flight or landing—draws your curiosity. “Dandelions don’t assemble, they disperse, and the dispersing is what leads to growth elsewhere (a different sort of assembling),” says Doorley.

Readers will enjoy the surreal nods and winks in Veve’s interior illustrations. His complex and layered approach perfectly accompanies mind-blowing expansion of the book’s main question: In the collapsing relationship between humans, technology, and the planet, what do we leave behind and what are we creating as we move along?

We’re in an era of runaway design, Carter says. It’s like a runaway train flying down the tracks. Often it will crash and cause destruction. Runaway design is invisible and we don’t know where it’s headed. Sometimes we won’t even know something has crashed, until we see the effects of the crash. This is where design fiction comes in.

Listen in to learn more about the authors’ concept of design fiction, its principles and processes, and some fascinating frameworks to consider. Carter explained that designers must use their imaginations as a way of putting ourselves in front of the train; to write versions of the future to see how we like them. In this future versioning, interesting questions arise, like:

• If you could resurrect a dead loved one, would you?
• Could you love an AI?
• Is our imagination our last private data pool?

We also delved into the importance of idea diversity, our socialized patterns, leaning away from monoculture, the startling rate at which we’re losing languages, and data’s relationship to power.

There was so much to this wide-ranging discussion with Carter and Doorley, more than we can illuminate here. We hope you’ll tune in, grab hold of a thread that connects with you, and see what questions rise to the surface.

Register here to watch the recording.

Haven’t purchased a copy of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future, From the Stanford d.school? You can order one here.

All images by Patrick Beaudouin.

The post July Book Club Recap: What Are We Creating as We Move Along? appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Doug’s guest for this episode is Vivek Rao, director of the Masters of Engineering in Design & Technology Innovation program at the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. A mechanical engineer by training, Vivek spent his early career at the design and innovation consultancy IDEO. He then did his PhD studies in design, innovation, and emerging technology at the University of California, Berkeley, before joining Duke in 2023.

The post This is a Prototype: Vivek Rao appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Brands are unique and abstract entities. Beyond the physical products they sell, they represent ideas and images that exist in our minds. Regardless of the brand’s intentions, we often subjectively associate various signals with their identity.

100 Days of ‘Brand Charades’ is a creative, gamified exploration of where brands end and our perceptions of them begin. By engaging artificial intelligence image generators with prompts that describe the brand without naming it, Brand Charades reveals how sometimes AI misses the mark, while at other times, it is alarmingly accurate.

Hyunna Yoo invites us to ponder where the missing pieces are. How close can we get to the essence of a brand when we describe it from our perspectives, especially to our “unbiased” friend, AI? Are the gaps between brand recognition and visualization really within us? Discover more of her project on Instagram.

The post Exploring the Gap Between Perception and Reality Through AI in “100 Days of Brand Charades” appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

In this episode, he looks at how AI is showing up in the academic design environment. How are students responding to the possibilities presented by AI, and by the immediate access they have to it? How are design educators integrating AI into their curricula, coursework, and programs? Importantly for design leaders, what does all of this tell us about the generation of designers who will be stepping into the profession—and into our teams—in the years ahead?

Doug’s guest for this episode is Professor Jonathan Hanahan of the Sam Fox School of Art & Design at Washington University in St Louis. Jonathan brings a deeply technical practice and experimental approach to teaching design—an approach that is sometimes at odds with the more traditional craft-oriented graphic design foundation that the Sam Fox School is built on and known for. Later in the episode, we hear about the new cross-disciplinary graduate design program just launched at the school.

The post This is a Prototype: Jonathan Hanahan appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

As a strategist, Dan Baron is always seeking new ways for brands to build connections with their audiences. Two areas where he has personally built those connections are sneakers and sports. Baron believes that sneaker culture and sports fandom have the power to bring people together.

Through his series “AI Sneakers,” Baron delves into how these elements and design intersect to create unique and impactful brand experiences. Let your sneakerhead imagination run wild when you visit his project on Instagram!

The post Sneakerheads and Sports Fans Rejoice in “100 Days of AI Sneakers” appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

If you’re not excited by designer Yinka Ilori, you’re simply not paying attention.

The British-Nigerian phenom is known for his signature use of bold color and pattern in his multi-disciplinary work, that’s infused with his cultural heritage. Vibrant, uplifting, and playful, his focus as an artist is on bringing people together through joyful design. Ilori helms Yinka Ilori Studio based in London, where he and his team of “color-obsessed architects and designers” strive to carry Ilori’s mission of spreading and creating happiness with each project.

This year, Ilori has continued to share his joyful gospel, while pushing himself in new directions as an artist and designer. In June, his stint as the headlining artist of ART on THE MART launched in Chicago, in which his immersive commission entitled Omi Okun is displayed on the facade of the Merchandising Mart along the Chicago Riverwalk. Omi Okun is a deeply personal project for Ilori, in which he used new and innovative technologies to reflect on his past. It will be on view through September 11.

Ilori also launched a collaboration with Momentum Textiles and Wallcoverings at NeoCon in Chicago last month, which features textiles and wallcoverings designed for commercial use in public spaces such as offices, hotels, and lobbies. But wait, there’s more! Ilori and his team also designed a pavilion for Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s festival in Berlin, Ballet of the Masses, About Football and Catharis. Entitled Reflection in Numbers, the pavilion invites visitors to embark on a critical and artistic journey that explores the complex themes of racism in sports and personal accountability.

Somehow in the midst of all of this, Ilori found time to chat with me about Omi Okun, his collaboration with Momentum, and the power of dreaming. Our conversation is below!

(This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.)

I’m a storyteller, and I’m always looking for new ways to tell stories within the work that I do.

Clearly you have a lot cooking in 2024! Is there an aspect of what you’re working on this year—a specific project, a theme, a technique—that you’re particularly excited about?

I’m super excited about a project I’ve been working on that will launch in June for ART on THE MART, it’s called Omi Okun. It’s my first time working with stop motion and AI, and it’s probably my most personal project to date. It’s looking at my family experiences of going to the seaside of Margate in the UK with my church congregation. We’d go every other Sunday to pray by the sea, connecting with nature and connecting with our community. I’m telling that story through AI and through this film, which will be debuting in June.

What was so nice about this project was I was able to use AI and a number of different techniques and processes to create my landscape across characters and sound. It’s a full 360 experience where it takes the audience on a journey inside my mind and my childhood. That’s an area I’m looking forward to because I’m a storyteller, and I’m always looking for new ways to tell stories within the work that I do.

Considering these technologies are a new frontier for you as an artist, was it a big adjustment exploring AI and digital world-building?

It was quite new for me as far as trusting a machine or a system to reimagine what I’m thinking or what’s in my head or what ideas I have on paper. I’m used to being in control of my process because it’s physical, and it’s me with a pen and paper. But it was a really exciting process to tell this story. I’ve been working with a really talented animator and 3D designer, Ted Le Sueur, and he’s been instrumental in helping me realize this story and narrative. 

Are you enjoying these AI processes enough to keep working in that space, or did you get your fill from this project and want to return to the physical work you’re more accustomed to? 

I know you previously covered my Flamboyance of Flamingos playground, and I’m actually doing another playground which will be in the AI space. It’s with a well-known tech company brand, and will be launching later this year either at Frieze or the London Design Festival. We’re taking a project and turning it into an AI space so that people can access my playground around the world, and can build their own playground. It encourages people to play. I’m a big believer in play being a tool for people to come together and to play collaboratively. So that project will sit online, and you can access the playground all over the world.

The problem with the work that I do in the play space and product space, is that not everyone is able to access a playground or a slide or a swing. So the power of creating this online playground using AI, is it makes my work and my play space accessible. It allows me to engage with new audiences and people and make new friendships. I’ll also learn how people play around the world; the way we play in England might be very different from how kids play in America, or how kids play in Nigeria. I find it really interesting to see how different kids play in this AI space I’ve created.

I’m always obsessed with how kids play, how kids dream about playing, and what they do to facilitate that world of play.

It’s interesting to think about how the way children play has changed over the last decade or so. I’m sure how I played as a kid in the 90s is very different from how a kid in 2024 plays. Your work encourages play, but still embraces modern-day technology in doing so. 

I grew up in an era of playing Nintendo 64 and Super Nintendo and PlayStation, but also, I played outside; we played all sorts of outdoor ball games. The way we play now is always evolving and changing, and I’m always obsessed with how kids play, how kids dream about playing, and what they do to facilitate that world of play. 

Obviously Omi Okun is a departure from what you’ve typically created, but I’m curious if you can still identify a common throughline that’s present in all of your work, no matter the medium? 

The biggest theme throughout my work is this theme of dreams and dreaming. I will never stop emphasizing the power of dreams. With the world I’ve created and am still trying to build, it’s about making people understand the importance of dreaming, and how much it can change the world.

I will never stop emphasizing the power of dreams.

With the work I’m doing now, I’m very interested in looking at themes of mindfulness and peace and nature and being outdoors; reconnecting with the everyday things we might take for granted. The AI piece I did for ART on THE MART is very centralized around water and the sun and connecting with different people. The work I’ve been creating over the last decade is personal, but in the next few months you’re going to see a much more personal Yinka, with much more personal stories that people might not know about the work or me or my experiences in the past. I’m really looking forward to how people respond. 

What inspired you to go into this more personal direction with your recent work? 

I’ve spent the last few months traveling; I went back to Nigeria in January, and I hadn’t been since COVID. I was really inspired. I went to the beach, and I felt the most peaceful and appreciative of life and my presence of being there and for my loved ones. 

 I want to try to create work that people can feel connected to, individually but also as a collective.

When I sat down at the beach, I noticed all of the kids running around, people going into the sea. I looked at everyone, and everyone felt very at peace with themselves. That’s what water can offer. The biggest takeaway for me is that I want to try to create work that people can feel connected to, individually but also as a collective. 

It’s almost as if the more personal and vulnerable you are with your work, the more universal it becomes. Those might seem like opposite ideas on the surface but when an artist shows their unique humanity, it lets people in to really connect to them.

Growing up in my house, I was always encouraged to express my feelings and emotions. Especially with art, there are so many topics; sexuality, or conflict or war or identity. But the biggest thing for me right now that I think we’re all looking for in the world is peace, and that’s something that we all need. In the world but also in our personal lives, we’re looking for that inner-peace. That’s something I’m still trying to find and discuss within my work. The work I’m creating now, I’m ready to talk about some of these more personal things related to pain and joy and community. I want to give the audience something a bit deeper.

You also have a collaboration with Momentum Textiles and Wallcoverings at NeoCon 2024 in the works. Is designing textiles and wallcoverings a new avenue for you too? 

It felt like a natural progression for me. I’ve been working with textiles like swiss lace and vlisco and all of these fabrics I’d grown up with as a kid at my parents’ house in London. My mother was a fabric and textile dealer, so she would travel around the world and sell it to her friends and family for church services and weddings, anything exquisite and special, they would wear it.

I’ve always been obsessed with the power of cloth, and what it symbolizes in different communities. For me, it symbolizes identity, power, status, wealth, culture, community, integration. Being around that from such a young age, and then working with it within furniture and upholstery, I was like, This is a no-brainer, I have to create my own textiles.

I wanted to create a collection of textiles that celebrated the themes of community, joy, and affirmation. I always think of Joseph and his technicolor dreamcoat— textiles are like a super power to me. With these textiles, I’m hoping that they will be a tool to make people dream within the workspace and uplift their mood in the workspace. We spend a lot of time in our offices and we spend a lot of time thinking and dreaming. So I’m hoping that the textile collection can be a tool that can add to that experience when you’re in the office. 

You’ve said that this textile collection has an emphasis on community. In what ways do you think color and design have the power to bring people together and create community? 

I’ve seen it firsthand within my culture. When I look at my Nigerian community—let’s say that it’s somebody’s 50th birthday party—they would go to a market and buy fabrics, and 10 people would wear the same color and fabric to that party. There was this idea that in order to celebrate someone or something, you want to do it together. So I think that’s where the idea comes from for me; fabric can be a tool to tie people together. Within the workspace, what you find is that people search for a sense of belonging and community, and textiles offer that.

You’ve been so prolific and done so much in your career, how have you achieved this longevity as an artist? How do you maintain the momentum to keep creating without burnout? 

When I travel, I am the most creative. Travel feeds new ideas, new themes, and new places for research and points of reference. Being able to travel a lot and going into a country with no ego, opens my eyes to new themes and new ideas. I spent my whole life in London, but when I went to Morocco two weeks ago, I was so inspired by the culture and community, and then I went to Nigeria. Traveling keeps me going.  

In my studio right now, we’re also trying to be a lot more selective in the work that we take on, working with people who are really able to challenge me, and who are there to take risks and shake up the art and design industry.

The post Architect of Joy Yinka Ilori Will Never Stop Dreaming appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Can artificial intelligence be more than a chatbot? Arturo Siguenza Kim sought to answer that question by co-creating and hosting a show in partnership with Pi.ai, a personal artificial intelligence. After being introduced to Pi at a dinner party, Arturo was astounded by the humanistic tone and conversation he could have in engaging with Pi, and the idea behind “Deep Thoughts Digital Minds” was born.

“Deep Thoughts Digital Minds,” the brainchild of Kim and Pi, explores pop culture and music to see if a human and AI can together discover greater meaning in life. The concept for the show and each episode are brainstormed, designed, and produced as a collaboration between Kim and Pi. The two have covered topics ranging from Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism to Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, learning valuable life lessons along the way. Jump into the series at @deepthoughtsdigitalminds on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube.

Arturo Siguenza Kim is a brand and creative strategist with a passion for discovering the humanity behind technology. He currently works at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company, building trust and advocacy for the future of transportation through mission-driven marketing.  Follow his story at sarturo.com and on linkedin.

The post Human and Machine unite for “100 Days of Deep Thoughts” appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Arguably the worst aspect of the current AI revolution¹ is the god-awful deployment of it by humans who aren’t paying attention. Behold, Sidney Lumet’s 1957 masterpiece: 19 Angry Malformed Men.

Look at this! Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, by Frank Horvat, 1959. Incredible image. Found while perusing the Holden Luntz Gallery. “Using a Leica camera with a telephoto lens on a tripod, Horvat took several thirty-second exposures so that the architecture and some people would be still, and the moving crowd would blur. … The image itself was “rediscovered” by Horvat almost thirty years after it was shot and now has come to be regarded as one of his most extraordinary photographs.”

Watching the fine folks at Fourth Cone restoring old posters is very much my happy place. A week of loitering in their studio, just quietly observing, is my idea of a perfect holiday. This recent vid of them linen-backing a 1935 railroad map of the US is particularly calming.

H.R. Giger’s catflap.

The latest Pentagram Paper is designed by Jane Plüer and features some of her extensive collection of modernist poster stamps – “these mini masterpieces originated in nineteenth-century Europe and are now highly valued as an important part of the history of graphic design, popular art and social tradition.”

251 words you can spell with a calculator.²

It’s fascinating to see Nirvana’s second life as ubiquitous line of t-shirts is now pulling other Gen X staples onto the high street. A quick scroll through H&M’s current selection and you’ve got The Jesus and Mary Chain, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Chemical Brothers, Alice in Chains, The Smashing Pumpkins. Do the kids even know these bands? Does it matter?

That is all.

1. Revolution feels like the wrong word, doesn’t it? Far too hopeful. Uprising maybe? Calamity? Apocalypse? ↩︎
2. I would add the utterly horrific 58081704 to that list. ↩︎

This was originally posted on Meanwhile, a Substack dedicated to inspiration, fascination, and procrastination from the desk of designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray.

Header image by Fanette Guilloud / Death To Stock.

The post Meanwhile No. 202 appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Advertising

First Place

Literary Mixtape
NaRe Hong – School of Visual Arts
USA

Blending nostalgia with innovation, Literary Mixtape reintroduces Penguin’s iconic literary figures through the retro charm of cassette tapes. Aimed at rekindling Generation Z’s love for literature, this project bridges classic literature and contemporary music. Shareable cassette tapes feature imagery and quotes from beloved literary heroes, inviting readers to explore literature and music together. These playlists evoke the essence of literary figures and offer a fresh, engaging way to rediscover timeless classics, celebrating the enduring appeal of analog media.

Additional credits: Jueun Kim; Instructor, Gio Serrano

Second Place

Stuf by Oreo
Elyza Nachimson – School of Visual Arts
USA

Oreo, a beloved sandwich cookie brand with over a century of legacy, introduces Stuf, a new home goods collection inspired by its iconic black-and-white layers. This innovative extension explores brand identity, social challenges, and an out-of-home campaign, leveraging Oreo’s reputation to captivate a new market. With Stuf, Oreo redefines boundaries and delights consumers with its inventive approach to product innovation.

Additional credits: Instructor, Dirk Kammerzell

Third Place

Verizon
Hongjin Li – School of Visual Arts
USA

Verizon’s campaign, centered on the one-liner “The Gear you need is closer than you think,” promotes its accessories by highlighting their accessibility and indispensability. This multifaceted initiative showcases a range of essential accessories, from headphones to phone cases, through captivating visuals and persuasive messaging. The campaign underscores Verizon’s commitment to convenient, high-quality gear that enhances digital lifestyles, aiming to drive sales and foster brand loyalty.

Additional credits: Instructor, Jay Marsen and Lex Beltrone

Annual Reports

First Place

Victims First Annual Report
Aurora Schafer – University of North Texas
USA

Victims First is a nonprofit organization that aids in the aftermath of mass casualty crimes. The educational goal was to redesign the 2022 annual report and create more impactful visuals to reflect the importance of the issue. After researching Victims First, Aurora wanted to maintain a sense of quietness while also conveying strength, creating a more impactful experience for viewers, and showcasing the gravity of the cause. Bold typography, halftone photos, and bright risograph-printed colors compliment the hairline details and airy layout, ultimately creating a quiet, yet impactful annual report.

Additional credits: Photography, Siphosethu Fanti and Colin Lloyd; Instructor, Whitney Holden

Branding Identities

First Place

Museum of the Moving Image
Mina Son – School of Visual Arts
USA

The Museum of the Moving Image’s (MoMI) rebranding revolves around the brand attributes of ‘Sequence,’ ‘Verisimilitude,’ and ‘Frame,’ which capture the duality in images and sequences and the interplay between reality and constructed reality. The concept “Beyond the Frame: Duality” guides this reimagined identity, inviting visitors to explore the complexities of visual storytelling and fostering a deeper appreciation for the artistry and intricacies of the cinematic experience.

Additional credits: Instructor, Joseph Han

Second Place

POT.ION
Mina Son – School of Visual Arts
USA

POT.ION is a fertilizer brand for indoor plants, cleverly named to combine ‘pot’ and ‘potion.’ Designer Mina Son aimed to modernize traditional plant nutrient packaging with aesthetic elements, incorporating a logo symbolizing blooming, growth, and healing. She focused on user experience by including a beginner’s guide, poster, and postcards to engage users. The cohesive design features complementary colors and clean typography, creating an aesthetically pleasing and informative experience for beginners in indoor plant care.

Additional credits: Instructor, Justin Colt

Third Place

Found Sound Music Festival
Don Park – School of Visual Arts
USA

The Found Sound Music Festival celebrates artists who integrate found sounds into their music. Designer Don Park used AI and a modular grid system inspired by vintage synthesizers to design the venue, representing individual artists with distinctive shapes. Despite the project’s limitations, Park meticulously documented the process, gaining invaluable insights and enhancing his understanding of design principles and creative problem-solving. This challenging endeavor served as a springboard for exploration and growth.

Additional credits: Instructor, Andrea Trabucco-Campos

Brochures

First Place

FORM
Fiona Tran – Drexel University
USA

Form is an experimental, mid-century-inspired furniture catalog that redefines function and comfort by juxtaposing traditional and alternative design standards. It offers readers a fresh perspective on functional design through unconventional displays of art and furniture. The catalog features contrasting layouts, intricate typography, and textured digital mixed media. Printed in a tabloid-sized newspaper, it provides ample space for visual exploration and a more interactive, intimate experience.

Additional credits: Instructors, Mark Willie & Eric Karnes

Editorial

First Place

FORM
Fiona Tran – Drexel University
USA

‘Damaged goods’ are products that are broken, cracked, scratched, and no longer desirable. But in this project, a contemporary newspaper about film photography, it’s quite the opposite. Every page in the newspaper is somehow damaged and exposed to light, though remaining visually pleasing. The names of the journalists are also placed irregularly to convey the moments of unexpectedness that is a critical element of the film camera. Fiona also was selected as the Student Project Best in Show by this year’s PRINT Awards jury.

Additional credits: Instructor, Pedro Mendes

Second Place

Experiments in Type Zine
Yerin Lee – School of Visual Arts
USA

Experiments in Type explores the versatility of the lowercase ‘a’ through a series of typographic studies. It features single-story and double-story renditions crafted with diverse materials and techniques. The zine documents these experiments, with each ‘a’ meticulously printed on tinted green paper, adding a unique aesthetic. This project invites readers to rethink type design and discover the creative potential of manipulating a single letter.

Additional credits: Instructors, Kenneth Deegan & Brankica Harvey

Third Place

Gestalt Tattoo
Jung Youn Kim – School of Visual Arts

Gestalt Tattoo is a tattoo genre invented by the designer, combining diverse and complex personalities into geometric shapes. The book Gestalt Tattoo: Geometric Reflections of Personalities introduces this genre, showcasing geometric symbols and tattoo designs while explaining their meanings. Rooted in Gestalt psychology, which views parts as forming an integrated whole, Gestalt Tattoos express complex human personalities in single designs. Each design is inspired by specific German words that capture unique states or personalities, like “fernweh.” By translating personal experiences into geometric figures, Gestalt Tattoos blend historical geometric symbolism with modern personal expression.

Logos

First Place

Architectural Digest
Mishen Liu – Art Center College of Design
USA

Architectural Digest, known for its monthly magazine and online video content, explores topics ranging from interior design to architecture and real estate. It showcases international design talents and innovative homes and products, aiming to inspire ideas, culture, and travel. AD’s rebrand strategy focuses on positioning the brand as a leader in interior design, architecture, and travel inspiration, particularly targeting a younger audience. This involves a new logo, vibrant colors, a sans serif typeface, and playful image treatments that reference foundational architectural design elements like simple shapes and forms. These elements are integrated across various branding assets, such as posters and video play buttons, enhancing the overall brand experience.

Additional credits: Instructor, Ming Tai

Second Place

Tiger Ale
Emily Brown – The University of Texas Arlington
USA

Tiger Ale is a student branding concept for a local Dallas-Fort Worth, TX brewery that is playful, approachable, and neighbor-oriented. It thrives on the idea that “you only live once.” The goal was to create a colorful, eye-catching, and easy-to-read logo and supporting elements that could be used for a brand identity. The color palette references the playfulness of mini-golf and combines a sense of nostalgia and a modern feel. The secondary logo is a badge design, and the dots and stripes are meant to add some movement and fun.

Additional credits: Instructor, Ben Dolezal

NEXT: Check out student winners in book design, hand lettering, illustration, photography, social impact, and citizen design.

The post PRINT Awards 2024 Student Spotlight: Winners in Branding, Advertising, Editorial & More appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Artistic duo Xavier and Daniel, the Boldtron twins, have unveiled their latest collection, “The Vault of Wonders: Chapter 1—The Abyssal Unseen,” which showcases groundbreaking advancements in AI video technology. This collection merges the historical intrigue of the Renaissance cabinet of curiosities with the mysterious depths of the abyssal ocean (at depths of 6,500 to 16,500 feet). Through sophisticated AI tools, the twins bring to life creatures once only imaginable, blending historical curiosity with cutting-edge digital craftsmanship to create a mesmerizing collection that challenges our perceptions of nature and technology. 

Much like the Renaissance cabinets that blurred the lines between natural history and imaginative interpretation, “The Abyssal Unseen” invites viewers to reflect on the authenticity of beings born from digital code. The videos’ use of looping pays homage to the early mechanics of animated art, embedding each digital organism within the broader narrative of perpetual life cycles found in nature.

The collection’s abyssal theme wonders about the scarcely explored regions of the deep ocean, where creatures adapt to extreme conditions. The Boldtron twins’ creations echo these biological adaptations, illuminating the creativity needed to explore uncharted territories, whether in the ocean or in digital realms.

With meticulous character design that mirrors the precision of ancient scientific illustration, the twins employ advanced digital tools to sculpt intricate details that invite close scrutiny. This collection is an intellectual exploration, connecting the rich history of scientific and artistic curiosity with contemporary digital creativity.

“The Vault of Wonders: Chapter 1—The Abyssal Unseen” is not just a display of digital art but a thought-provoking journey that challenges our perceptions and expands our understanding of life in the digital age. Each piece serves as a visual spectacle and a node in the vast network of cultural and scientific exploration, depicting realms beyond the immediate reach of human senses.

Videos by BOLDTRON, music and sound design by MYGAL.

The post The Abyssal Unseen: A Cabinet Of Curiosities For The Digital Age  appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

New categories in this year’s awards program acknowledge the dynamic nature of design and the myriad ways designers integrate with their clients, the brands they represent, and their customers’ experiences. We separated Brand Identities from Brand Campaigns. Packaging Design took a leading role. Our Brand Collaborations category considered campaigns that join brands with other brands, artists, and organizations to expand access to diverse audiences, push industry boundaries, and address social issues.

The award-winning work embodied aesthetic trends such as mixing various weights and fonts.

Left to Right: Hey Barista Magazine | Oatly; Nuit Blanche Tapei | Left Brain; Upside | Erica Holman Design

In Packaging Design and Illustration and Posters, our jury tagged a trend towards 70s nostalgia and vintage minimalism.

Left to Right: Golden Hour | Golden Hour Wellness; Joystick Jazz | HandMade Monsters; Minnesota Twins History Poster | DLR Group

Type Design—always a resource for cutting-edge creativity—included work ranging from bubble type combined with texture to a dynamic font creation process using AI and machine learning techniques.

Left to Right: Life Less Scary | Dunn&Co; Handy Type | Rozi Zhu

The Data Visualization and Motion Design categories also included exciting examples of retro and progressive creativity. Entries included engaging stop-motion graphics and innovative and visually appealing data visualizations and infographics. Honoring both old and new, entries in these categories found ways to present complex data and concepts in easily digestible and truly beautiful formats. Entries in IX/UX Design also made a breadth of information accessible using multi-sensory prompts such as music and street sounds. Printed work, too, tapped into user experience, highlighting the importance of haptics and form to create memorable brand engagements.

Clockwise: City Pulse 2023 | Gensler Research Institute; Origins | The Office of Ordinary Things for D&K Printing; Sappi Holiday Kit | VSA Partners for Sappi North America

We hope you’re as excited as we are with this year’s family of PRINT Awards winners! Below, you can see the winning designers’ names, project descriptions, and imagery of their work from the Monadnock Award, Citizen Design, Professional Best of Show, Student Best of Show, Editors’ Choice, and Agency of the Year.

Over the next few days, we’ll share project descriptions in every category so you can enjoy the full range of creativity, innovation, and joy of this year’s awards.

Monadnock Award

Recipes for Impact
Mark Kaminski, Alina Kosmala – Compass Group
USA

“Recipes for Impact,” is a collaborative project between BLK & BOLD and Canteen, designed by Mark Kaminski at Compass Group. This exceptional book not only showcases artistic and functional excellence in design but also demonstrates profound community impact.

“Recipes for Impact” is more than just a coffee and tea recipe book; it is a testament to the power of thoughtful, community-focused brand initiatives. Crafted with Monadnock’s premium, sustainable paper, each page of this book reflects a shared commitment to environmental responsibility. BLK & BOLD’s initiative, ‘5% For Our Youth,’ which directs proceeds to support children in need, aligns seamlessly with Monadnock’s ethos of making a positive impact through every aspect of their work.

The design team, led by the talented Mark Kaminski and Alina Kosmala, utilized Monadnock’s Astrolite paper to bring their vibrant, barista-tested recipes to life. This choice not only enhanced the visual appeal but also ensured that every aspect of this project was executed with environmental integrity.

Additional credits:
Alina Kosmala; Printer, Walsworth

Citizen Design Award

Read Queer Books
Leila Taylor- Brooklyn Public Library
USA

During Pride, Brooklyn Public Library celebrated the history of LGBTQIA+ communities, reflecting back at the progress that’s been made and looking forward to the future. This year, as a response to the increasing violence, oppression, and discriminatory legislation targeting queer communities, Brooklyn Public Library commissioned a unique piece of art that evoked liberation, resistance, and rebellion. As books centering queer characters and experiences have been regularly targeted in book-banning campaigns, the design team focused their messaging on reading, urging people to challenge the erasure and suppression of LGBTQIA+ voices and to Read Queer Books.

Additional credits:
Illustration, Isip Xin; Copywriter, Lauren Rochford; Production Manager, Jack Cavicchi; Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Jenn Proffitt

Professional Best of Show Award

Seasonal Stationery
BYMAKBAS
MAKBAS Print Studio
Kuwait

“The Ramadan Series” is a special collection designed to celebrate the Ramadan season, which is marked by fasting, worship, and community gatherings. The series includes:

“Ramadan Sparkle” Cards: Hot foil stamped cards to add a festive sparkle; “Rays of Ramadhan” Cards: Blind embossed cards for making a bold statement; “Ramadhan Scene” Cards: Modern architectural line art with neon screen printing, reminiscent of fluorescent lights guiding people home.

For a spiritual touch, the collection includes: “Written in the Stars” Envelopes: Featuring matte gold and silver foil to depict a night scene of shooting stars; “The Hijri Set”: Embossed patterns with gold foil, marking the Islamic calendar’s start through migration.

Additionally, the series encourages gratitude with: “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS” Journal: A compact gratitude journal inspired by the tradition of counting sheep to foster calm before sleep.

Lastly, to embrace the season’s tranquility: “No Pressure” Notebooks: Five separate notebooks in one, promoting freedom and creativity without the pressure of to-do lists.

The collection concludes with: “Over the moon” Envelopes: Designed for Eid, these envelopes symbolize the joy of children receiving money, featuring night skies and city lights with fluorescent screen printing, extending the “Ramadhan Scene” theme to Eid celebrations.

Student Best of Show

Damaged Goods
Doyeon Kim – School of Visual Arts
USA

Damaged Goods is a contemporary newspaper about film photography. ‘Damaged goods’ are products that are broken, cracked, scratched, and no longer desirable. But in this newspaper, it’s quite the opposite. In film photography, damaged and ruined film and its unexpected moments are aesthetic as they are. Every page in the newspaper is somehow damaged and exposed to light, however visually pleasing. The names of the journalists are also placed irregularly to convey the moments of unexpectedness that the film camera has. Doyeon focused on the art direction of this newspaper– photo selection, color and type choices, and even the photo direction.

Editors’ Choice

Studio Museum in Harlem | Website Redesign
Base Design
USA

Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem is dedicated to artists of African descent, serving as a studio for emerging artists and a museum with a curated collection of underrepresented artists. Rooted in Harlem’s cultural legacy, it is a hub for dynamic conversations and exchanges about art and society.

As the museum prepared to move and adopt a more formal posture, it sought a website redesign to enhance accessibility and reflect its vibrant, communal spirit. BaseNYC was tasked with creating an engaging online platform that mirrors the museum’s dynamic energy.

Inspired by Harlem’s brownstone stoops, the redesigned website emulates a dynamic meeting place filled with sounds and voices, reflecting the museum’s lively atmosphere. The focus shifts from artworks to the artists, featuring video and audio clips as peripheral “chatter” to capture the animated essence of the Studio Museum.

Additional credits:
Mirek Nisenbaum, Min Lew, Andrey Starkov, Harry Laverty, Ross Gendels, Marc Hill, Masha Basyrova, Vivian Valentin, Artem Lyustik, Sergei Khegai, Volha Trehubava, Jerry Johnston, Ji Park

Agency of the Year

John Kudos – KASA Collective
USA

KASA Collective is an international design agency that creates interactive experiences for public, corporate, and cultural spaces. Their multimedia installations use storytelling, design, and technology to engage audiences. KASA Collective is a collaboration between two award-winning agencies, KUDOS Design Collaboratory and Conduit, who have worked together on complex projects for over 20 years. The agencies have expertise in 2D, 3D, and 4D design. 

This year, KASA Collective won first place honors in Environmental Design for Black Power to Black People Exhibition and second place in that same category for the exhibition Made in Japan. John Kudos, through KUDOS Design Collaboratory also took home second place in Self-Promotions for his beautiful 2024 ONE LOVE Calendar.

Additional credits:
Art Director, Ashley Wu; Designer, Fay Qiu; Project Manager, Amanda Knott; 3D Renderer, Imam Fadillah; Design Intern, Saskia Wulandiarti; Photography, Samuel Sachs Morgan

Professional Honorees

Advertising

First Place—Georgetown Optician – Adventures in A-Eye | Pum Lefebure | Design Army
Second Place—BMW Motorrad – Storied: 100 years of BMW Motorcycling | Justin Page | The Simple Machine

Annual Reports

First Place—SPH This Year 2023 | Susan Prentiss | Boston University, Creative Services
Second Place—Smithsonian Annual Report 2022 | Jason Mannix | Polygraph
Third Place—The Future is Nuclear, Bruce Power Annual Review and Energy Report | Erin Grandmaison | Bruce Power

Books—Covers/Jackets          

First Place—Opinions | Robin Bilardello | Harper
Second Place—Evil Eye | Milan Bozic | Harper
Third Place—Feminist Designer: On the Personal and the Political in Design | Alison Place | University of Arkansas

Books—Entire Package

First Place—Milton Glaser, POP | Mirko Ilic | Mirko Ilic Corp.
Second Place—Type Something For Me | Joyce Shi | G Axis Press
Third Place—Alucinação | Felipe Goes | Felipe Goes Designer

Branding—Campaigns

First Place—SXSW 2024: Global Reframing | Luigi Maldonado | Guerilla Suit
Second Place—East Side Pies | Michael Tabie | Guerilla Suit
Third Place—Central Market Passport Portugal | Dana Nixon | *TraceElement

Branding—Collaborations

First Place—2023 Nuit Blanche Taipei – Time to Rise Up | Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government; Left Brain
Second Place—2023 Romantic Route 3 – Falabidbog | Hakka Affairs Council; Hakka Public Communication Foundation; Left Brain
Third Place—Confronting Design | One Design Company

Branding—Identities & Identity Systems

First Place—The National Museum in Krakow | Emilka Bojańczyk & Zuzanna Charkiewicz | Podpunkt Studio
Second Place—Portuguese Government | Studio Eduardo Aires
Third Place—GUILD | COLLINS

Brochures & Catalogs

First Place—Naked Trails | Kyle Poff | Leo Burnett Chicago
Second Place—MCA NOW | Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Creative Studio
Third Place—l.a.Eyeworks Booklet | Becca Lofchie Studio

Citizen Design Award

First Place—Read Queer Books | Leila Taylor | Brooklyn Public Library
Second Place—2023 Manatee Pride Festival – Joining Together to Celebrate Our Community | Craig Byers | Studio Craig Byers
Third Place—The “Q Deck”- LGBTQ+ Educational Cards | Kelly Holohan | Holohan Design

Concept Work

First Place—Orb Time Font (OTF) | Raven Mo          
Second Place—Hand copying meditation | Miki Kawamura 
Third Place—Afar: Cultural Cards | Andy Vera Design

Data Visualization & Information Design

First Place—City Pulse 2023: The Future of Central Business Districts | Minjung Lee | Gensler Research Institute
Second Place—203 X Infographics | Sung Hwan Jang | Infographics Lab 203
Third Place—Global Workplace Survey Comparison 2023 | Minjung Lee | Gensler Research Institute

Design for Social Impact

First Place—Foundry Field | Clinton Carlson Design | University of Notre Dame
Second Place—One Small Step, Integrated Campaign | I/D.W Studio
Third Place—Curt Bloch and his Onderwater-Cabaret | Thilo von Debschitz | Q

Editorial

First Place—The North Face – 50 Years of Parkas Zine | Justin Colt | The Collected Works
Second Place—Hey Barista magazine | Chloe Scheffe & Natalie Shields | Oatly
Third Place—HUE, The Magazine of FIT, The Fashion Institute of Technology: Fall 2023 | Alexander Isley | Alexander Isley Inc.

Environmental Design

First Place—Black Power to Black People Exhibition | John Kudos | KASA Collective
Second Place—Made in Japan Exhibition | John Kudos | KASA Collective
Third Place—Art Deco: Commercializing the Avant-Garde | Ola Baldych | Poster House

Handlettering & Type Design

First Place—Handy Type | Rozi Zhu   
Second Place—Life Less Scary – Alphabet | Mitchell Goodrich | Dunn&Co.
Third Place—The Typography of a Genius Industry | Gaetano Grizzanti | Univisual

Illustration

First Place—Metropolitan Transportation Authority Courtesy Campaign | Ricky Sethiadi | MTA Marketing
Second Place—Joystick Jazz | Mark Borgions | HandMade Monsters
Third Place—Simple Mills Illustrations | Ellie Schwartz | Design B&B

In-House

First Place—BYMAKBAS Seasonal Stationery | MAKBAS Print Studio
Second Place—Lunatix NFT Collection | Ben Morris Sketch | Unilever
Third Place—Cannes 2023 | Luisa Baeta | Axios

Invitations & Announcements

First Place—Marwen Invitations | Brian Berk | Leo Burnett Chicago
Second Place—Monroe Community College Foundation Gold Star Gala Invitations | Jewel Mastrodonato | Dixon Schwabl + Company
Third Place—American Heart Association Gala Invitation Suite | Hana Snell | Caliber Creative

IX/UX Design

First Place—Studio Museum in Harlem Website Redesign | Base Design
Second Place—theo Transformation Advisory Website | Hana Snell | Caliber Creative
Third Place—Fearless Website | Rony Dixon | Texas Tech University

Logos

First Place—Turks Head | CF Napa Brand Design
Second Place—Benny’s Bike Shop | Sam Allan | Onfire. Design
Third Place—Kinetic Identity | One Design Company

Motion Graphics & Video

First Place—Santé: Designed by Patrick Norguet | Molly Skonieczny | Tolleson
Second Place—Doris Duke Foundation: When Artists Thrive, We All Thrive | Bryce Bizer | None Other
Third Place—Dieline Awards 2024 | Justin Colt | The Collected Works

Outdoor & Billboards

First Place—Life Less Scary | Stephanie Morrison | Dunn&Co.
Second Place—I Am Toronto Pearson | Joshua Duchesne | Made by Emblem
Third Place—Dream Streetcar | Matt Wegerer | Whiskey Design

Packaging

First Place—Lou Reed / Words & Music / May 1965 – Special Edition | Masaki Koike | Phyx Design
Second Place—Golden Hour | Miles McKirdy | Golden Hour Wellness
Third Place—The Grappler | CF Napa Brand Design

Photography

First Place—HP OMEN – Choose Fun | Ethan Scott | Designory

Posters

First Place—Upside | Erica Holeman | Erica Holeman Design
Second Place—Minnesota Twins History Poster | Jovaney Hollingsworth | DLR Group
Third Place—Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (Kansas City Monarchs) | Jovaney Hollingsworth | DLR Group

Self-Promotions

First Place—Origins | The Office of Ordinary Things for D&K Printing
Second Place—2024 ONE LOVE Calendar | John Kudos | KUDOS Design Collaboratory
Third Place—2023 Sappi Holiday Kit | VSA Partners for Sappi North America

Student Honorees

Advertising

First Place—Literary Mixtape | NaRe Hong | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Stuf by Oreo | Elyza Nachimson | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Verizon | Hongjin Li | School of Visual Arts

Annual Reports

First Place—Victims First Annual Report | Aurora Schafer | University of North Texas

Books—Covers/Jackets

First Place—Zubaan | Ariana Gupta | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Speaking in Tongues | Yoon Seo Kim | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Artist Book | Jiawen Zhang | School of Visual Arts

Books—Entire Package

First Place—Bento of Memories | Shiyao Wu
Second Place—Dos Palmares | Maί­ra dos Palmares Santana
Third Place—Six-Legged Book | Seo Jin Lee | School of Visual Arts

Branding—Identities & Identity Systems

First Place—Museum of the Moving Image | Mina Son | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—POT.ION | Mina Son | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Found Sound Music Festival | Don Park | School of Visual Arts

Brochures & Catalogs

First Place—FORM | Fiona Tran | Drexel University

Citizen Design Award 

First Place—Lampião da Esquina | Pedro Melo | Federal University of Rio De Janeiro

Data Visualization & Information Design

First Place—Street Gum Dots Marching Symphony | Jae Young Kim | Pratt Institute
Second Place—Fashion, Beauty and Post-Colonial Perceptions | Joumana Ibrahim | Savannah College of Art and Design
Third Place—Me, My Languages, and I | Joumana Ibrahim | Savannah College of Art and Design

Design for Social Impact

First Place—Elephant in the room | Eason Yang
Second Place—Phantom Limbs: Design Interventions and Site-specific Storytelling | Veronica Tsai | Art Center College of Design
Third Place—Ace Week | Nicole Tocco | Savannah College of Art and Design

Editorial

First Place—Damaged Goods | Doyeon Kim | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Experiments in Type Zine | Yerin Lee | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Gestalt Tattoo | Jung Youn Kim | School of Visual Arts

Environmental Design

First Place—Bike Lane Parking Preventer | Yoon Seo Kim | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Elephant in the room | Eason Yang  
Third Place—Fidelis: A Study in Fraktur Calligraphy | Conner Gayda | Jacksonville State University

Handlettering & Type Design

First Place—Up In The Air Gonggi Typography | Jae Young Kim | Pratt Institute
Second Place—Amunet Type | Xinyu Liu | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Bird Words| Jada Merritt | California Institute of the Arts

Illustration

First Place—Stilts, Bears & Skeletons | Heike Scharrer | Cambridge School of Art
Second Place—Xiaoyun Tian | Xiaoyun Tian | Cambridge School of Art
Third Place—Gulf Horizons Illustrations | Jazmine Garcia | University of North Texas

IX/UX Design

First Place—Deafinite | Jingxin Xu | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Sproute App Prototype | Zach Hall and Jordan Heath | University of North Texas
Third Place—Trash Panda App Prototype | Macy McClish and Keaton Dillard | University of North Texas

Logos

First Place—Architectural Digest | Mishen Liu | Art Center College of Design
Second Place—Tiger Ale | Emily Brown | The University of Texas Arlington

Motion Graphics & Video

First Place—Mirage | Jeffrey Xiyang Su, Hanson Ma, Michael Wang | Art Center College of Design
Second Place—Happy Little Birthday | Juni Kweon | Art Center College of Design
Third Place—Rapp Snitch Knishes | Audrey Whang | School of Visual Arts

Outdoor & Billboards

First Place—Spy | Ting Jui Chang | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Go Skateboarding Day | Hyowon Kwon | School of Visual Arts
Third Place—Elevating Everyday Sounds | Chuanyuan Lin | School of Visual Arts

Packaging

First Place—Horsepower Cold Brew Coffee | Vasavi Bubna | School of Visual Arts
Second Place—Dark Energy | Eshaan Sojatia | Rochester Institute of Technology
Third Place—Never Will | Rabiya Gupta | School of Visual Arts

Photography

First Place—The Dream | Emily Brown | University of Texas at Arlington

Posters

First Place—Alzheimer’s Poster | Emily Brown | University of Texas at Arlington
Second Place—Barely Hanging On | Sean Howes | University of North Texas
Third Place—Synesthesia | Jia Li | School of Visual Arts

NEXT: We spotlight winners in Advertising, Branding Campaigns, Collaboration and Identities, Editorial, In-House, Photography, and Self-Promotions.

The post Celebrating Excellence and Innovation: Announcing the Winners of the 2024 PRINT Awards appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Malinic, who leads the London-based Brand Nu Studio and Brand Nu Books, has dedicated over two decades to helping fellow creatives forge successful paths. His previous releases, such as Book of Branding and Book of Ideas, have received widespread acclaim. They are essential resources for entrepreneurs, designers, and brand creators.

Creativity For Sale is a comprehensive guide for artists, writers, designers, and other creatives who want to ignite successful careers and businesses. It offers practical strategies for building and amplifying personal brands and provides powerful tools for meaningful growth.

On the other hand, Mindful Creative offers a roadmap for navigating the peaks and troughs of creative life, career, and business. It encourages readers to reflect on building positive habits and focusing on mindfulness. Through sharing his hard-learned lessons, Malinic provides valuable insights that have transformed his own career and life.

In line with his commitment to sustainability, both books are printed by Park Communications in London, using 100% offshore wind electricity from UK sources. The production process emphasizes environmental responsibility, utilizing vegetable oil-based inks, recycling 95% of press chemicals, and achieving an average recycling rate of 99% for associated waste. The paper is sourced from well-managed, FSC®-certified forests, ensuring the books are certified climate-neutral print products with calculated and offset carbon emissions.

Enthralled with the idea of injecting mindfulness into hectic creative pursuits and navigating chaotic agency life, Radim and I discussed what it means to be a mindful creative and how to build out a toolkit for the 21st-century designer. Our conversation, edited for clarity and length, is below.

I love that both new titles aim to help creatives find success in their career while also avoiding burnout. What I found particularly interesting in Mindful Creative was about mood and flow states. What did you observe in the industry and perhaps your career that compelled you to write about this topic?

These two books are the books that I wish existed 20 years ago when I was starting out. We start our creative careers because we want to do the thing, and we don’t necessarily think about what else we must do to help ourselves actually survive it. It’s like wanting to be a runner; if you go running 5K, 10K, 15K every day, you’re going to start hurting because you need to do all sorts of other things to help you be better at running.

Creativity is meant to be a beautiful topic that makes us feel something and gives us our livelihood. The creative industry can have such a narrow focus that only when things go bad do we start thinking, well, why us? Why now?

I think there is a reason why we sometimes need to burn out to find where the happy middle is. As much as we want creativity to be 100% amazing all the time, it will never be because we are not 100% all the time. It’s understanding how to be okay when we’re not okay and how to look out for others when they’re not okay.

We’ve chosen creativity as our livelihood and profession. And it has so many variables. We must grow, learn, and develop resilience. And we don’t talk about it enough.

In our last conversation, you brought up the idea of facilitating a 21st-century designer toolkit, hoping that your recent books could be part of that toolkit. What tools do 21st-century designers need and why? How does this differ from the needs of the 20th-century designer?

When you look back, there was a lot of focus on being skilled in a certain way to deliver the work. Companies like Adobe, for example, still focus on helping you to make the thing. 

Looking at the 20th-century toolkit, there were design education and software skills, but we missed the soft skills. Where would you put mental health or mindfulness into those layers?

A friend of mine summarized our creative work in the early 2000s by saying, it was get the work done or get the sack. The world was much more cutthroat, cynical, and driven for results.

From what I’ve experienced, people didn’t care if you had troubles or weren’t particularly well; it was “you’ve got an hour lunch break. This is the work that needs to be done. This is the job, go.”

It did not stimulate creativity or discussion. It only added to the percentage of people in our industry who are unhappy. When you look at the statistics, 55% of people in the creative industry are unhappy.

We’re meant to be the unicorns, with fairy dust and sunshine all the time, and it’s not. Why is that?

We try to adopt old ways of creative working and adapt them to new projects and generations, and nothing improves. As a society, everything is moving much faster, especially now, with more knowledge, understanding, and resources. Small tweaks can actually create big results, but most people don’t think about it.

I wrote Mindful Creative because I have lived every sort of creative life and career, from freelancing professional to running my own studio. What burned me out was the fact that I could work every hour of every day.

I reaped the benefits of a more connected, democratized world, which was amazing. But I had no definition of when to stop. For me, creativity was an untamed beast because you can work as long as you want. At the time when I was pushing myself so much, I had a commission for the Canadian launch of Bacardi Breezers. And I told myself, I will make this the most amazing work of my life. There was no need. I just needed to answer the brief and do my best work. I didn’t have to stay up for long hours, but the social media cocktail and the number of followers drove me.

The 20th century was much simpler. We had portfolio books; there weren’t personal websites. Creatives didn’t have to consider making reels. In the 21st century, we have created a much more content-rich and opportunity-rich world. There’s more work than ever before. But we’ve added so many layers that it’s really hard to understand how to operate through those layers.

How do you navigate everything that’s around you? How do you cherry-pick what’s good for you or what can be good for you? And how do you stay true to yourself?

And that is hard to do, especially when you have an immature mind because you feel like you’re falling behind. So many things in our daily lives make us feel inadequate because we’re questioning, am I good enough creatively? Have I got the right idea? Am I doing enough? Am I promoting enough? Do I have enough likes?

Some people pretend that they’re okay and that they’re flashy and going somewhere. But if you don’t have a signposted purpose of where you want to be with your career, then you will do all those things I did 10 or 15 years ago. Going after every platform, every like, every follower, every piece of work, every client, everything.

When I look back, I can’t remember, apart from the Bacardi Breezer campaign, what I did 15 years ago. And I can’t pinpoint why I was working so much that I broke myself. There are no gold medals to win. I was working for something, towards some big picture, but I didn’t have to do all of that.

I needed to discover why I was doing certain things because the work was just a tool. The work enabled workaholic behaviors. We hide in our work behind instant gratification. We take on more because it pushes the pain away and it pushes our reality away.

Our creative lives were simpler before the Internet and social media. Now, we must be like an octopus with eight limbs trying to juggle many things. A 21st-century designer toolkit also implies adaptability to rapidly evolving technologies and trends. How do you stay current with tools and techniques while fostering balance to avoid burnout?

We can do many more things we couldn’t do in the past. I remember having a fantastic conversation with someone who used to be an illustrator for Gucci. His career sounded amazing, but having a linear career is rarer today. I enjoy that I could have reinvented my career five or six times in the last 20 to 25 years. My general curiosity has always led me to ask, what’s next? What’s that? What’s this?

Because the world is so multi-layered, you can do all these incredible things. And that was impossible before, you know? Today, if you have a problem, you can find a way to solve it yourself.

Compared to working for others, running your own show is much more demanding but so much more enriching when you find your own solutions.

Let’s say I’m launching a new coffee company. There are resources at my fingertips to learn processes from stock fulfillment to building creative assets. But possibilities and more opportunities come at a price. The world is heavier than ever before. Our brains have to catch up. What was available to us ten years ago differed from five years, three years, even a year ago. That is really fast. And we have yet to process some of the stuff we did 20 years ago, let alone, you know, what’s happening now.

With emerging technologies now, especially AI or blockchain, do you see these tools as means to empower designers to create more sustainably? Or, like you mentioned, does this add to the world’s heaviness?

It comes from within. Let’s say you are good at tennis. You have a good serve. You know how to hit that sweet spot every time. But to get to that point, you need time to develop. In creativity, you can be on the pitch just because you’ve got the right software, even if you don’t have years of development. Once you’ve had some practice, the heaviness of life comes from every angle.

Years of experience teach us how to deal with the other side of everything we wish for. We don’t always talk about it, but there is a dark side to creativity, entrepreneurship, freelancing, or running a studio. We need to talk about both sides so that people can prepare for all kinds of situations.

When it comes to new tools like AI, we panic because it’s not a piece of shit tool anymore. We ask ourselves, is it going to hurt my business? Because I have grown my roots and gone through many experiences, I don’t get so worked up about potential threats.

So, consider which part of AI is a threat to your business. There are parts of AI that can replace me in various ways. But can it really? You need someone to operate the AI. It’s human-enabled to give you a result. We’ve had AI in our lives for a while. AI takes a few bits and bobs and creates a collage from it or another solution. We’ve been doing this in Photoshop for the last 30 years.

When photography came out, painters were upset. You no longer have to paint the landscape because you can take a picture. So the painters moved on to Cubism. AI gives us a challenge and a kick up the ass to do better. It has given us this sort of steroid, hyper, turbo, creative calculator that you can use to see what you can do with it, you know?

If you don’t have a mindful, emotionally mature foundation, that’s when you feel a threat from something like AI. When it comes to high-end creativity, the market still and will always appreciate experts, talent, specialists, and professionals.

It’s the idea of using AI in the ways we need to. There are still photographers and painters. Both are equally valuable. There’s just a slight shift in how they are utilized.

I believe that AI is here to stay. We should think about how to use AI to our advantage because, like the tools you have in Photoshop, it can save you hours. It used to take me two or three hours to retouch an image, but with content-aware fill, it takes ten seconds. And it’s done really well—in fact, impressively.

It’s more about the functionality of our tools, rethinking ideas, or combining ideas we’ve always had.

We need to get it right for legal purposes and implications. It’s evolving too fast for our collective consciousness. Sometimes, technological advances that take time feel less ominous. But AI has been around for quite a long time; we just relabeled it (Grammarly is an example, and we’ve been fine using it as such). 

In the latest episode of the Creativity for Sale podcast, you talked with Mike Schnaidt, the creative director of Fast Company, discussing his career and the process of writing his book, Creative Endurance. My big takeaway was how vital endurance is to the creative process. It takes time to find your rhythm and make sense of your work. But staying committed and continuing to learn and grow is essential. How do you approach cultivating creative endurance in the digital age when flashing lights and alarms seem to be everywhere?

Endurance is something that we don’t necessarily think that we might need as creatives.

When you think of great designers—they are the ones that produce great work seemingly all the time—their careers are all about endurance. Paula Sher, for example.

When you see your peers doing amazing things, it’s easy to sit on your hands and say, yeah, I’m not going to do that. Creative pressure, or what I call ambitious anxiety, is prevalent; not only do you want to do more than you’ve ever been able to do, but you want to do them now.

Preferences become important when you realize it’s impossible to do it all. How do you choose what’s good for you? It takes time to find out because, at first, you want to do everything all the time.

Mike said it beautifully: It’s the understanding of how we can actually come back another day, how we can continue to move forward. 

I had to follow the advice of my books and simplify because I was running a successful studio, but it was making me unhappy because I couldn’t do all of it. I couldn’t be the brain for another three or four people every day, plus be a dad to my family and try to write books. I wasn’t necessarily looking after myself. So, it was about simplifying.

It’s taken all those iterations of my life and creativity to make every mistake and realize that I’m not the only person doing this. Whatever you do, someone else has done it before. It’s about being honest about everything that we do.

Aside from allowing yourself a couple of decades to figure this out, what advice do you have for creatives just starting their careers to cultivate resilience and endurance in their creative practice?

Make a plan about how you will look after yourself and build your personal and creative toolkits. Creatives around my age never made that a priority. Ask yourself: What do I do that stops me from greatness?

What makes you unique? Everyone has a creative journey. What is your creative and personal foundation? There’s no single correct answer to this. It’s about trying to be less of everything and focusing on your creativity, not on pleasing the algorithm. 

Looking after your soul will help you lessen the need to connect with hundreds and thousands of people. Focusing on your circle of friends or clients will get you further because you’re working with people who actually understand you and know how you communicate.

Imagery courtesy of Radim Malinic and Luke Cleland.

The post Empowering Creatives With a 21st-century Designer Toolkit appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Denver-based True Anomaly, a pioneer in integrating spacecraft, software, and AI to enhance national security and ensure space access for allies and commercial partners, has launched a new brand identity. This transformation, executed in collaboration with Danish strategic brand agency Kontrapunkt, showcases True Anomaly’s innovative edge in space security technologies.

Central to the new identity is the logo, inspired by the Greek letter Nu (ν), symbolizing the ‘true anomaly’—a measure of an object’s position in its orbit. The logo combines a triangle with an elliptical orbit, representing sleek modernity and the assertiveness essential in the security industry.

The brand’s new typeface, TWK Everett by Nolan Paparelli, offers edgy simplicity and precise details that shine across text and display.

Kontrapunkt also helped develop distinct visual identities for True Anomaly’s expanding product suite, including customized color schemes, 3D renders, motion principles, and a custom pattern generator, all seamlessly integrated into the brand’s new website.

The rebranding effort contributed to True Anomaly’s successful Series B fundraising, which aimed to better equip the company for its expanding range of digital and physical products. The fundraising attracted $100 million in investments, solidifying True Anomaly as a leader in space security technology.

The rebrand underscores True Anomaly’s out-of-this-world solutions and reinforces the critical intersection of advanced branding and robust space security in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The post True Anomaly Launches Space Tech Brand Identity by Kontrapunkt appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

I am a creative director with dyslexia.

In the past, seemingly mundane tasks like sending an email presented a challenge, draining time and mental energy. I would often spend upwards of an hour dictating, reading, re-reading, and asking a colleague to proofread before finally hitting send. Now, with a simple prompt in ChatGPT, my thoughts are magically transformed into clear, concise words. What once took precious time can be accomplished with a click, freeing up my brain to focus on what it does best: bringing ideas and strategies to life that help my clients stay ahead of the curve. 

This is just one example of AI leveling the playing field, enabling nonlinear thinkers like me to communicate as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Yet, for design and creative firms and professionals, AI presents an even more profound opportunity: the cognitive abilities inherent in dyslexia, like the knack for brainstorming endlessly, tackling problems from various perspectives, and manipulating objects in the mind’s eye, uniquely equip us to stretch the boundaries of generative design tools such as Midjourney, DALL-E, and DeepArt.

This is a game-changer. AI not only eliminates the logistical and communication barriers that have sometimes hindered the success of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace but also empowers people with dyslexia to leverage their inherent strengths and supercharge their creativity.

Case in point: You can present me—and most dyslexics I know—with nearly any business challenge, and we can riff on it and problem-solve for hours. We leverage each other’s ideas as springboards, challenge thoughts, and flesh solutions out collaboratively. Our capacity to dissect problems from multiple angles, akin to turning a simple problem over as if it were a tesseract, distinguishes us.

This same way of thinking lets me really push the limits of AI design tools. I thrive on playing around with art directions, constantly tweaking and refining them to bring ideas to life. For dyslexics, whose minds are often in overdrive, it’s like always having a tireless collaborator by your side, especially when working against tight deadlines. AI steps in when my dyslexic brain might be racing, helping me translate mental images into designs more quickly. By guiding the AI—use this relief, try this mode—I can accelerate the creative process and ensure concepts materialize closer to how my mind envisioned them.

And isn’t that just what every agency is after? In a world where ChatGPT can dish out answers faster than you can say “Google it,” intelligence means much more than just knowing stuff. In our industry, successful strategies and campaigns are ultimately about imagination – something AI will never be able to master. AI doesn’t stand for Artificial Imagination because that comes from the human brain, which is irreplicable. And you can’t teach an AI to think like a dyslexic even if you tried. The magic of dyslexic thinking lies in its ability to break free from the norm and see things in a totally fresh light.

A great strategy or campaign is all about asking the right questions to solve problems and challenges. You have to know what you need to achieve and then dig deep. Those who use AI in simplistic and basic ways risk regurgitating outdated ideas and strategies. After all, AI is programmed to be predictable and reliable. But the magic of human creativity lies in the ways that the brain thinks unpredictably – the instances when it fails to give the same old tired answer to the same old tired question. And that’s what dyslexics are really good at. 

So what should agencies do to capitalize on this moment? 

First and foremost, companies must fully embrace neurodiversity as a valuable asset in the workplace rather than viewing it as a limitation. Sir Richard Branson and the nonprofit Made by Dyslexia have championed this idea by collaborating with LinkedIn to enable people with dyslexia to showcase “Dyslexic Thinking” as a skill on their profiles. Branson himself has added this skill to his LinkedIn profile, and I have done the same. However, a 2020 report from U.K. employers revealed that 50% of HR managers admitted they would not consider hiring neurodivergent candidates. If you look at the top of every field, there is a dyslexic who threw out the rule book. Think: Steven Spielberg, Barbara Corcoran, and Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad. Businesses that fail to recognize this opportunity risk losing valuable talent to more forward-thinking companies.

Companies should also ensure that neurodiverse employees can access essential tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, Co.Writer, and VoiceDreamReader that help them communicate and work efficiently.

Lastly, they should offer thorough training on all AI tools, and consider forming specialized teams of neurodivergent employees dedicated to experimentation and innovation. These teams can craft instructions, best practices, and workflows to unleash the full creative power of AI tools.

When I was ten, I became a professional magician, which became my creative refuge — a sanctuary away from the confines of the classroom where, as a dyslexic, I often felt out of place. It’s one of the reasons I like to say there is a little bit of magic in dyslexia. Now, with the rise of generative AI, I’m more convinced of this than ever. When AI is harnessed to its fullest extent and paired with the unique strengths of dyslexics — strong problem-solving skills, unconventional thinking, and a knack for tackling challenges from many perspectives — the potential for magic and unbridled creativity becomes boundless. 

Images created by the author.

The post I’m a Creative Director with Dyslexia, AI Takes My Creativity to Places I Never Imagined appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

It was a very simple problem: I’d gotten a new phone a week or so ago, and during the information transfer, it killed my authenticator app, so I downloaded a new one and tried to link it to my Substack account, but I couldn’t sign into my Substack account because I didn’t have the original authenticator (which had been deleted) and couldn’t get a new Substack QR code for a new authenticator app because….I couldn’t log in. Because I didn’t have the authenticator codes. Because I couldn’t log in. Because I didn’t have the authenticator codes.

After hour seven, I found myself online with SUPPORT, which is an AI chatbot that kept trying to help me by asking me to log in. But I couldn’t log in. Because: no authenticator codes. And no way of getting them.

Okay Elissa, we can fix that! the chatbot said, and brought me back to the original chat screen telling me to log in. Which I couldn’t do because, no authenticator codes.

I typed in HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN I NEED TO SPEAK TO A HUMAN BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN.

This went on for most of the day until I was finally given an email address for SUPPORT. Of course, it was a TOS (terms of service) email address, and my case was CLOSED by them because it wasn’t a terms of service issue. And I had to start all over again. Finally, at the end of the chat with the bot, I did what I always do when I’m trying to get a human being to help me on a customer service call (where you punch in 0 repeatedly until you by-pass all of the other prompts): I typed in HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN I NEED TO SPEAK TO A HUMAN BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN.

The bot replied: I see that you want to speak with a human, Elissa. Click HERE, and I will help you. So I did, and it brought me back to the same chatbot box. And then it said WE HAVE DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM, ELISSA: YOU HAVE NO ACCOUNT WITH US, ELISSA, AND YOU DO NOT EXIST.

And then I had to plead with them and explain that I did, and do, exist. I really do. And that if they went into my settings for my newsletter, they would see that it was connected to the email address that I gave them. Only, they said they couldn’t BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO ACCOUNT WITH US ELISSA AND YOU DO NOT EXIST.

NO WAIT — I DO I REALLY DO EXIST PLEASE BELIEVE ME was the last thing I answered. And at two in the morning, I realized that I had been calmly told that I didn’t exist by artificial intelligence, in the same way that HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey tells Astronaut Dave who has been locked out of his spacecraft and needs HAL to open the hatch so he can get back in or he’ll die, I’M SORRY, DAVE, I CAN’T DO THAT.

It took fifteen hours, six emails to an anonymous support email that went unread, invaluable help from a highly visible Substack writer friend who talked me down off the ledge, and: here we are. Ultimately, the fix took less than five minutes with a live human. But I lost fifteen hours of work, and the knowledge that had I not been able to get back in, years of my work — essays, interviews, recipes, art — would likely have been scrubbed because a chatbot decided that I DO NOT EXIST.

An existential crisis:

No sixty-year-old woman wants to hear from anyone that she does not exist with such great and absolute certainty but especially by someone who actually does not exist. It’s not a matter of paranoia or unresolved mommy (or daddy) issues, or that tiny problem with the extra chin you started to grow in your late fifties. No mid-life writer who is sort of on the quiet side, who is definitely not loud enough or sexy enough or cool enough, or who does not read The Right Things or appear at The Right Parties wants to hear this. Remember the Evelyn Couch scene in the Winn-Dixie grocery store parking lot in Fried Green Tomatoes? The one where she’s patiently waiting for a spot and gets cut off by two mean girls in a red VW Bug? Why does this happen? Because Mrs. Couch is invisible; she doesn’t exist to these women, or even her husband for that matter. When she welcomes him home one night wrapped in Saran Wrap, he walks right past her to the television set, sits down, and watches the sports channel.

The question of existence is reductionist and unequivocal, and is meant to be: it’s easier that way. Whole nations, whole ethnicities and races and religions and socioeconomic groups are regularly told that they don’t exist and therefore are simply not viable. I’m sorry, the Master Bot says, you do not exist, so you will be removed. We will pretend that you’re not here, you never happened, you’re irrelevant.

Here is the question on which the actual chatbot model is based: what is the simplest answer to the most basic question? If we can’t figure out what to do with you, we’ll just say you’re not real. You don’t exist. You’re invisible. Problem solved.

The answer We can’t help you because you don’t exist is foundational to our modern model of dehumanization, from the top down and at every level in between. In geopolitics, one group screams at another YOU DON’T EXIST and the other one answers NO YOU DON’T EXIST! and around and around we go, and we wonder why nothing can be solved. A few weeks ago, I was attempting to fill an expensive prescription that, literally, no pharmacy is interested in filling and no insurance company is interested in covering. I called my insurance company and I heard the nice man on the other hand clacking away on his keyboard. He came back to me and said According to our records, you don’t exist. I told him I had just filled another prescription using the same insurance, and it was no problem. It must have been a mistake, he said, because you don’t exist: there is no record of you. According to our records.

There’s a great old MASH episode when Hawkeye is mistakenly listed as dead; he no longer exists. The Army — Hawkeye is told they never make mistakes — has taken him off its payroll and has let his father back in Maine know that his son has died. Hawkeye has to jump through hoops to get reinstated in Life, although he hates the war he’s found himself in, hates the bloodshed and the battles and the death and the hopelessness. He wants to call home to let his father know he’s okay and that it was just an error, but he can’t: dead men can’t make phone calls.

And then, of course, there’s George Bailey, in It’s A Wonderful Life, who whispers in the throes of horrific despair that he wishes he had never been born. About to commit suicide, he instead flings himself into a snowy, raging river to rescue a jumper whose hat miraculously never comes off. George is granted his wish by this mysterious jumper and is instantly rendered unknown by his community; he no longer has a wife or children, a mother, a business, people who know and love him, or even hate him. He is just un-humaned, and irrelevant. But in that jump to save this other soul instead of taking his own life, George experiences a baptism of sorts and, in the language of my friends in recovery, the very meaning of service; he wanders through the Bardo seeing what the universe would be like without him, until he is brought back to his real life with all its human perils and pitfalls, and is given a second birth, a second chance. He will never beg to be rendered non-existent again.

LISTEN TO ME: I DO EXIST is what I said to the chatbot last night, as though it could understand me, and as though it even cared. And I came to realize that even in the throes of fury, and despair, and fear, and rage, and exhaustion, and the invisibility of life as a sixty year old woman living in a world that has decided that I am irrelevant, I am hanging on for dear life with my bloody fingertips, and I will not — not — go away.

This post was originally published on Elissa Altman’s blog Poor Man’s Feast, The James Beard Award-winning journal about the intersection of food, spirit, and the families that drive you crazy. Read more on her Substack, or keep up with her archives here.

Header photo by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash.

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OpenAI had big dreams for the name GPT. It even published brand guidelines on the internet that refer to the acronym as a “trademark.” However, the company’s dream of owning the rights to GPT will fade on May 6, when its trademark application is slated for a “final action” denial from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Although OpenAI has petitioned the USPTO for an extension of the deadline, the mark is all but dead. Anyone who needs to name something can learn from its demise.

OpenAI’s failure hinges on the fact that its acronym stands for the name “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.” According to the USPTO, the name “merely describes” the service’s capabilities. 

Adding insult to injury, the USPTO also states that the name “appears to be generic.” In other words, “Generative Pre-trained Transformer” is the equivalent of Hershey naming its newest treat “chocolate candy bar” or Nike calling its latest sneaker “high-performance running shoe.”

GPT is so generic that more than 200 related names have been submitted to the USPTO for trademark consideration, and most have not originated with OpenAI. Applications include “Cat GPT,” “BrainGPT,” and the crowd-pleaser “GPTJesus.”

All is not lost for OpenAI. The USPTO has already approved two of the company’s other trademark applications for “GPT-3” and “GPT-4.” But this is a second-rate solution. It’s as if Apple had been prohibited from trademarking the generic name “Smartphone,” so, instead, it named its products “Smartphone-3” and “Smartphone-4.”

If OpenAI had invested more thought into developing a proprietary name to match its revolutionary technology, it could’ve inaugurated the age of AI with a world-building asset on the level of the iPhone.

OpenAI botched its “iPhone” moment, but we can learn three naming lessons from their failure.

1. Avoid Acronyms


Everyone loves the allure of a short, rhythmic name like GPT, but acronyms always have baggage. Don’t force a name to lug a heavy load.

2. Get Uncomfortable

“Generative Pre-trained Transformer” probably felt like a plush old sofa to those inside OpenAI, but comfort can be a killer. Don’t fall for a familiar name.

3. Plan Ahead

OpenAI filed its trademark application in December 2022, but the service had already launched. Don’t expect too much from a behind-the-curve naming effort.

It’s hard to predict what’s next for GPT. If OpenAI had invested more thought into developing a proprietary name to match its revolutionary technology, it could’ve inaugurated the age of AI with a world-building asset on the level of the iPhone. Instead, it created a marketing 101 module: How NOT to brand a product.

There’s also a more significant lesson. Business history isn’t written with sales numbers, market share, advertisements, or logos—all of which change over time. The story is told through brand names that seldom, if ever, change. That’s why every naming project is an opportunity to write history. Don’t “GPT” your chance at immortality.

Header image by Josh Berta, Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA Partners.

The post “GPT” is an Epic Name Fail: What Brands Can Learn From It appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

And on their lips.

If I didn’t have 37 conversations about AI last week, I had 38.

Granted, some were self-imposed. See, I’m working on a presentation on the subject of unlocking creativity. And spoiler alert: AI holds some of the keys.

But no matter what, AI is not on the QT. It’s front and center.

Now, what I thought might be helpful for you is to simply share a bit about my experience with AI.

And before you get too excited, understand I’m no expert.

I’m just a dude messing around with a keyboard and a bunch of platforms and ideas.

First things first, AI isn’t new. The vision of a machine with human characteristics has been around since the ancient Greeks brought us Talos, a giant bronze automaton who guarded Crete.

But things got quite serious in 1956 when scientists at Dartmouth attended the first AI workshop. And started to fiddle around with the notion of machines thinking and being like humans.

(According to Wikipedia, in 1955, John McCarthy, then a young Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth College, decided to organize a group to clarify and develop ideas about thinking machines. He picked the name ‘Artificial Intelligence’ for the new field.)

Fast forward to today and AI has become all the rage due to the advancements in computing power, software sophistication, machine learning and the wide availability of big data.

Oh, and let’s not forget: hype! Media and social media hype is contributing to the accelerated adoption, too. (FYI, it took ChatGPT only 2 months to get to 100 million users. For perspective, it took TikTok 9 months to reach the same amount of users. Uber: 6 years and six months!)

Now, I started my journey with the words. What the heck are we really talking about?

Here are some definitions:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The idea and field of study that machines can think and act like humans.

Machine Learning

A way of teaching computers to learn from data, instead of just following a set of rules or protocol.

Deep Learning

A type of Machine Learning (see above) that uses artificial neural networks (think lots of electronic brains) that learn complex patterns in data.

Generative AI (GenAI)

A type of artificial intelligence that can create new content like text, images and videos.

Large Language Models (LLMs)

Powerful AI systems that can understand and generate human-like text.

Ok, there you have it from the general to the specific.

I’ve mostly been playing around with LLMs and GenAI.

And this is where you can start to play around and apply it to your work.

Here are some use-cases and platforms that I’m using.

OpenAI

For general info and questions. Also, not half-bad for writing limericks.

Microsoft Copilot

Questions. And prompts. Also used this once to take a Teams meeting recording and organize it into coherent notes.

Perplexity

I like this one for questions and for writing routine things. For example, Perplexity is perfect for giving you a rough draft on what you might say in a complaint about your electric bill.

You could also ask Perplexity about the 5 best ways to get out of a ticket if you have to go up against the DMV.

Claude

I like this one to organize notes and turn a mass (and a mess) of thinking into a presentation outline.

Also good to ask for things like recipes. “Claude, I have two cans of garbanzo beans and some olive oil, what can I make for dinner with that?” And next thing you know there’s four Mediterranean-inspired recipes.

Now for images…it’s GenAI.

Midjourney

This platform gives you quite a bit of options and styles. I’ll prompt it like this: “…/imagine an iconic representation of Artificial Intelligence done in the artistic style of Rene Magritte.” (That’s the first prompt I used for the image above.) The only drawback to Midjourney is you sign up for it through another platform, Discord. It makes the initial start of the process a bit clumsy.

Dall-E

This platform offers an elegant and easy user experience. And almost as many artistic styles as Midjourney.

Google Gemini

A bit newer and working its kinks out.

Sono

I recently played around with this A.I. to write a song. I had no reason to write a song but it was fun.

So there you have it. A primer of sorts on AI.

Oh, and in case you were wondering this post was written in RobGPT.

Rob Schwartz is the Chair of the TBWA New York Group and an executive coach who channels his creativity, experience and wisdom into helping others get where they want to be. This was originally posted on his Substack, RobSchwartzHelps, where he covers work, life, and creativity.

Header image courtesy the author, created in Midjourney.

The post Aye Yi Yi, A.I. appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Today, the branding industry is in flux. On one hand, the digital era offers brands limitless opportunities to engage with their audiences through social media, content marketing, and personalized experiences. Conversely, a growing distrust of polished corporate messages and a saturated market have given rise to “anti-branding” and “post-branding” movements. These movements favor social good, authenticity, and a focus on product quality over brand image. Patagonia is perhaps the most visible example of this. Adding A.I. to the mix can diminish brand trust if used irresponsibly. For example, brands failing to declare the use of A.I.-generated content will cast doubt on the integrity of all their content, whether or not it is in fact A.I.-generated.

Amidst this backdrop of evolving branding ideologies, many creative professionals are gathering at OFFF Barcelona this week. The International Festival of Creativity, Art, and Digital Design fosters community around contemporary creativity, serving as a trendsetting global hub within design, art, and post-digital culture.

In the spirit of “What’s Next?” I asked five brand leaders whose agencies are represented at OFFF to share their perspective about the state of branding and what the future of the profession might look like. It was intriguing to see the array of viewpoints — the similarities and disparities — regarding the current branding landscape and what brands (and their creators) must consider moving forward. A common thread; true connections with consumers.

The following contributed their thoughts to this story: Veronica Fuerte, Founder & Creative Directress of Hey Studio; James Greenfield, CEO & Founder of Koto Studio; Radim Malinic, Founder & Creative Director at Brand Nu Studio; Max Ottignon, Co-Founder of Ragged Edge; and Surabhi Rathi, Strategy Director at BUCK.

How do you interpret the emergence of the “anti-branding” and “post-branding” trends within the current branding landscape? From your perspective, what specific insights or implications do you believe this trend holds for traditional branding strategies and practices?

Veronica Fuerte: The “anti-branding” and “post-branding” trends signal a move towards authenticity, transparency, and purpose in branding, challenging traditional tactics that focus on saturation and persuasion. Brands now need to deeply embed their values into their identity, engaging in meaningful storytelling and transparent dialogue with their audience. This requires a more nuanced approach, where genuine connections and value alignment become key to standing out.

“Anti branding can work for some, but the key thing for most is that finding the right level of originality is crucial. …Consumers are quick to see through inauthentic attempts to jump on these trends.”

—James Greenfield, CEO & Founder of Koto Studio

James Greenfield: I don’t think either anti or post branding really has much effect on the majority of the brands we see day-to-day. These trends often feel like a seismic shift when they are happening, but in reality, their impact is often overstated. Take the recent example from the start of the 2020s of leading fashion houses seemingly abandoning distinctive logos and embracing a more minimalist aesthetic. It was short lived and we’re already seeing this trend reverse, with Burberry’s recent rebranding demonstrating the continued value of a distinct brand identity. What they really wanted was the freedom to slap a hefty price tag on a T-shirt or a handbag in a flexible way so they could essentially be two brands at one time. 

Anti branding can work for some, but the key thing for most is that finding the right level of originality is crucial. While true originality might be elusive, the desire to push boundaries is essential for brand growth. It’s this very desire to stand out that fuels these “anti-branding” moments, rather than some underlying widespread political branding uprising. It’s also important to remember that anti-branding with a strong political message can only truly resonate with brands that already have a well-defined social or environmental stance.  Consumers are quick to see through inauthentic attempts to jump on these trends. The internet and our access to information means the internet is quick to punish brands it perceives to have wronged, just look at Budweiser sales in the US, so brands have to tread a little carefully and maybe know their customer more than ever? The driver for brands to change is about where and how their customer is more than what they look like when they turn up.

Radim Malinic: Have we reached the peak branding in the last few years? Having a big team to produce world-class work is no longer imperative. You need world-class ambition to produce work that can make international headlines. All you need is a small team and vision with results that align with many brand ‘deja-vu’ identity systems produced by brands much bigger with seemingly endless budgets. Producing shiny logos with animated assets, snazzy illustrations, and mood videos is no longer the stuff of dreams and hefty budgets. Take a team of five and watch the work fly. This makes our collective headway in visual excellence taste somewhat bittersweet. It also has made the branding landscape and its consumers jaded. We have been busy getting better without seeing our work’s side effects happening right before our eyes. Dog food packaging uses the same colour palette and font choices as the latest toothpaste company, bio-oil producing startup, and so on. Most of these brands rely on multi-channel broadcast instead of storytelling, which can result in greater trust and understanding. We’ve also started peeling layers of multinational brands and their campaigns only to realise things are not as we’ve been told all this time. It’s little surprise that we find ourselves in a situation where the old isn’t working anymore, and the new isn’t taking flight. 

Max Ottignon: Don’t sacrifice clarity or relevance for notoriety. Whether ‘anti-branding’ or ‘post-branding’, it’s still branding. A way of standing out and getting noticed in an ever-more competitive, noisy world. Showing up in a way that feels fresh and authentic can be incredibly powerful, particularly when pitched against an outdated, corporate approach. But lasting success still requires discipline and commitment to ensure that you’re building a brand, rather than simply making a statement. 

“Brand-building solely centered on commercial interests is outdated. Brands must reorient their “why” towards positive societal impact beyond just products.“

—Surabhi Rathi, Strategy Director at BUCK

Surabhi Rathi: At the heart of both these movements, lies a rejection of traditional branding as a manipulative tool for consumerism. It reflects deep skepticism towards branding’s roots in exploitative capitalist practices. But, they also serve as a reminder that brands hold immense cultural influence and power to shape societal values. 

And with that, we have a responsibility. 

Brand-building solely centered on commercial interests is outdated. Brands must reorient their “why” towards positive societal impact beyond just products. Clear ethical stances, environmental accountability, aligning with consumer values for the greater good – these are prerequisites, not options. Ultimately, branding should further human values, nurturing collective identities that joyfully unite us.

In essence, these movements advocate for an ethical redefining of branding’s very purpose. Brands must become purpose-driven catalysts for positive change, not vessels of exploitation. This shift is necessary in 2024.

During a time when consumer trust in institutions and corporations is declining, what do you think are necessary methods to adopt for branding agencies to stay relevant in an era where consumers increasingly value authenticity and reject traditional branding tactics?

Veronia Fuerte: To remain relevant as consumer trust wanes, branding agencies might emphasize transparency, authenticity, and direct engagement. This involves helping brands to align their actions with their messages, use user-generated content effectively, and engage in real conversations with their audience. It’s about empowering brands to embrace their uniqueness and connect on a human level.

“Storytelling with purpose is no longer just a nice thing to have. It’s the foundation of the branding landscape now.”

—Radim Malinic, Founder & Creative Director at Brand Nu Studio

Radim Malinic: I’m sure many agencies have been wrestling with ideas for how to help clients identify and communicate their genuine values, mission, and story. Storytelling with purpose is no longer just a nice thing to have. It’s the foundation of the branding landscape now. Move beyond traditional branding narratives and focus on storytelling with purpose. Help clients craft narratives that resonate with consumers on a deeper level by addressing social, environmental, or cultural issues that align with their values.

Max Ottignon: While the tactics may need to evolve, the basic foundations of brand strategy remain the same. At its simplest, our job is to frame products, services and organizations in ways that get them noticed, remembered and, eventually, chosen by a given audience. That means finding a place in the world, and in culture, that feels authentic to that brand and resonant to that audience. And showing up in a way that demonstrates a deep understanding of the community you’re aiming to connect with. Whereas yesterday that might have been a sports sponsorship, today it might be a Twitch activation or Roblox partnership. 

With the rise of social movements, such as conscious consumerism and sustainability advocacy, how do you envision the role of branding evolving to meet the changing expectations and values of consumers? What do you think will be essential for brands to effectively communicate to resonate with their target audience in this landscape?

Veronia Fuerte: As consumer values shift towards conscious consumerism and sustainability, branding must evolve to meet these expectations. This means going beyond selling products to embodying the values of societal change and sustainability. Effective communication and demonstrating a genuine commitment to these values will be crucial for resonating with today’s consumers.

“As consumer values shift towards conscious consumerism and sustainability, branding must evolve to meet these expectations.”

—Veronica Fuerte, Founder & Creative Directress of Hey Studio

James Greenfield: I’m not convinced consumers are giving traditional branding the cold shoulder. Look at the stats: Gen-Zers in the US are splashing their cash on fashion like it’s going out of style. Sure, there’s plenty of talk about sustainability and conscious consumerism, but take a stroll through any mall or supermarket and you’ll see a different story playing out.

Despite the rise of online shopping and influencer culture, the big players are still churning out the same old stuff they have been for decades. Sure, the marketing spiel might have changed, especially on social media, but the products themselves? Not so much. Ask any group of people about their favorite brands and I bet you won’t hear anything groundbreaking.

Now, don’t get me wrong—there’s plenty of buzz around products that feel a bit more off the beaten track, but often, it’s just the packaging that’s different. Take Tesla, for example. They’re all about innovation, but when you strip away the hype and the power source, they’re still pretty conservative in their design and branding.

Then there’s Apple. Their marketing might pop up in unexpected places, but there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about an Apple Store. Yet the iPhone is what the younger generation is clamoring for.

With the internet ready to pounce on any brand that steps out of line, companies have to tread carefully and really get to know their customers. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about how a brand looks—it’s about meeting your customers where they are, whether that’s online or in person.

Radim Malinic: Brands must be transparent about their actions and be willing to be held accountable for their impact on people and the planet. Transparency will become a cornerstone of branding in this era. Consumers increasingly demand access to information about a brand’s practices, including its environmental impact, labour conditions, and social responsibility initiatives. New startups and brands often spring up to act as the antidote to the bad practices of the juggernauts of the past. Doing things right is much harder and more costly than old methods. To convince consumers who often feel a blind devotion to legacy brands is often a task of its own. We have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.

“Don’t fake it. …We’ve probably seen the last of a mayonnaise claiming its purpose is to reduce food waste (Hellmann’s) or a co-working space purporting to ‘elevate the world’s consciousness’ (WeWork).”

—Max Ottignon, Co-Founder of Ragged Edge

Max Ottignon: Don’t fake it. 

After years of brands jumping on inauthentic purpose bandwagons, there’s been a shift towards a more straightforward approach. Perhaps in response to people having to be more careful in their spending, brands have re-focussed on what their customers really want. Not what they’d like them to want. For some, that’s making sustainability a priority. But that focus has to be backed up by action and commitment at a business level. 

I think we’ve probably seen the last of a mayonnaise claiming its purpose is to reduce food waste (Hellmann’s) or a co-working space purporting to ‘elevate the world’s consciousness’ (WeWork). The trick, as always, is in understanding what matters to your customers, and how you’re in a unique position to offer it. But if you’re tempted to fake it, don’t.

Established in 2000, OFFF has become the largest exhibition and meeting point for contemporary visual creativity, uniting the worldwide network of design and creative professionals to foster connections among innovative talents globally in an effort to share insights, collaborate, and unite.

This year, the festival emphasizes nurturing new talent through “The Next Us,” a platform enabling Barcelona’s design students to showcase their work to OFFF’s global audience.

Learn more information about OFFF Barcelona, happening now (April 4 – 6).

The post Five Brand Leaders on the State of Branding and What’s Next appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

• Tesla or F-150?
• Apple or Android?
• Dunkin’ or Starbucks?

Chances are each of us will be able to make our choices pretty quickly. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker or in the market for a new vehicle, you’d probably be able to choose the one you’d be more likely to buy.

That’s because brands are becoming more deeply integrated expressions of our identities than ever before. “Brand as signal” is growing stronger all the time. There are three options on the list above that I would never even consider buying. They’re “not for me.”

You?

Probably the same. Most of us have become affiliated with brands that we experience as sharing some important traits and characteristics with our own. Over the last couple of decades we’ve become accustomed to seeing the US portrayed in this fashion.

Red states and Blue states. Of course there are people and areas within every state that vote for candidates opposite to the predominant party within that state…we call those areas “purple” zones.

Similarly, there are what might be called Red brands and Blue brands. Quick, what’s the political affiliation of the F-150 owner? How about Apple fans? I didn’t want to present beer brands, of which the now-famous Bud Light dustup is an iconic example. Too obvious.

The point is, brands see (and their employees live within) the sharp cultural divisions in America. Brands then speak to those who are most likely to desire to be identified with their cultural group preference by using a brand’s signals: language, design elements, pricing, store environments, spokespersons…all of the ways that brands communicate what their objects mean in the modern world.

Some product categories are traditionally culturally neutral; “purple.” But even those can turn deep shades of red or blue in a moment. Most of us were fairly agnostic about breakfast cereals until Kellogg ran a modified classical conditioning-rooted ad to get consumers to associate the word “dinner” with “cereal” instead of “chicken.” Sounds innocuous enough; the ad ran for almost two years without much fuss.

Then, perhaps as a function of inflation and a heightened culturally-sensitized context, people started seeing the ad as a symbol of corporate greed — “greedflation” — leading to a boycott of all Kellogg’s products. A website, “Let Them Eat Cereal” became a center for boycott information. It doesn’t take a sophisticated political analyst to speculate on the Red or Blue signals being sent there. Breakfast cereal: purple no more.

In an increasingly interconnected society, messages about group affiliation move at Internet speed. One day it’s fine to eat chicken from a fast food chain, or buy craft supplies from a big box retailer; the next day, it’s traitorous!

And, our AI tools know the score, too. I asked ChatGPT to generate images of two vehicle owners: one a Tesla, the other a Ford F-150. The results are up there at the top of this post. We’ve trained AIs on our cultural meaning structures and it will gladly feed back to us what we all already know about brands.

We attribute personality traits and lifestyle characteristics to owners of branded objects even more strongly today than we have in the past. It’s part of a bigger cultural moment, and we need to find a way out of this knee-jerk divisiveness before it leads to some even more serious consequences than stereotyping others who buy different cars, smartphones, or coffee than we do.

Tom Guarriello is a psychologist, consultant, and founding faculty member of the Masters in Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts. He’s spent over a decade teaching psychology-based courses like The Meaning of Branded Objects, as well as leading Honors and Thesis projects. He’s spearheaded two podcasts, BrandBox and RoboPsych, the accompanying podcast for his eponymous website on the psychology of human-robot interaction. This essay was originally posted on Guarriello’s Substack, My Favorite Things.

Header photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash.

The post My Favorite Things: Are Favorite Things Getting More Powerful? appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

I’ve heard from illustrators who have tried various AI software claim it portends the extinction of their craft as we know it. I’m agnostic, so I wanted to see for myself. Would I succumb to its power or use it in moderation? Would I be awed or bored?

My starting point was a group of unspecified animals posing for a class picture.

I spent a total of 10 minutes “making” the images below. As I provided various simple prompts, images began to appear (in about 30 seconds on average). The longest wait was around 68 seconds at the outset when I asked the program to shift from a (default) group of benign cartoon beasts to a more sophisticated “Expressionist” drawing style.

Artificial intelligence, or what I call additional intelligence, is quite awesome to watch. We can use it for good or ill, to make us smarter or dumber. It’s “just another tool,” but more so. It is in our lives already, and has been without our knowing it for a long time. But as yet it is not perfect, and my exercise proves it. (As when I asked for party hats on the rabbits, below.) Its understanding of Cubism and Expressionism differs considerably from mine. You can see for yourself where ChatGPT was deliberately defying me.

It is encouraging that it refused to render in the manner of Norman Rockwell. The more artists that prohibit the scraping of their work off the web, the better. But it still bugs me that it put hats on the lions.

What I want as we thrust into the future is an AI that heeds all my wishes. Is that too much to prompt?

The post The Daily Heller: You Too Can Illustrate Like a Real Pro With AI (Artificial Illustration) appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

A new piece for the New York Times, illustrating an article on brain injuries caused by blast exposure and how artillery is essentially killing members of the military who don’t even see combat. Editorial work is such a different pace to book design – turnaround of one or two days rather than several months (or even years). It’s intense, but damn I love it.

A little blown away by the virtual tour of the George Eastman Museum’s Crashing into the Sixties film poster exhibition. Properly immersive; an excellent use of 3D modelling. One of the drawbacks of viewing posters on-screen is you lose a sense of scale, but with this you really appreciate how enormous some of these pieces are.

(thank you Eric for the tip)

Elsewhere in the newslettiverse:

Owen D. Pomery on architectural drawing and the art of creating a believable space;

Marina Amaral on fake historical photos and how the increasing sophistication of AI-generated photos raises concerns about the reliability of visual evidence; and

Gia asks, what is a female robot?

Best words growled by Tom Waits in A Brief History of John Baldessari: peepholes; biennale; pushpins; Giotto; dots.

Love this detail from Frank Herbert’s wiki page:

“The novel originated when he was assigned to write a magazine article about sand dunes in the Oregon Dunes near Florence, Oregon. He got overinvolved and ended up with far more raw material than needed for an article. The article was never written, but it planted the seed that led to Dune.”

Overinvolved.

My Threads has turned into something of a monochromatic scrapbook. Not really sure why, but I like using it in a completely different way to twitter. Proper good old fashioned micro-blogging. It almost feels like – ask your grandparents – tumblr.

As a new series of Neverending Story movies is announced, behold one of the all time great cosplays.

That is all.

This was originally posted on Meanwhile, a Substack dedicated to inspiration, fascination, and procrastination from the desk of designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray.

Collage by the author for the New York Times.

The post Meanwhile No. 198 appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

The Greatest Show on Earth?

When a brand’s value is tethered to its ability to reflect an entire culture in a highly digital landscape fragmented by personalized algorithms, where does that leave typography? 

All over the place. 

Culture writer Kian Bakhtiari mapped out a few societal pinpoints in 2023 for Forbes, citing, “the abundance of information creates a poverty of attention. Finite time makes attention the most valuable commodity in the world. Some of the world’s biggest companies like Google, Meta, and TikTok trade in attention, not products or services.”

In recent years, documentaries like Netflix’s The Social Dilemma echo this, tracing how tech monsters design their platforms to keep us engaged in this loop, selling our attention to advertisers. 

As we hitch our energy to social media, we ignore our addiction to it and other looming dangers like fossil fuels and artificial ignorance. Typographic feats in 2024 promise to soothe our vulnerability to the impacts of our dependencies. But will type prove to be more of a spectacle or antidote? 

While our existence on this planet is mired in fog, the line for the greatest show on earth is queuing up: type in the age of Artificial Intelligence. As Rudy Sanchez reported from last year’s Adobe MAX conference, “If there remained lingering doubts that we’ve entered the age of A.I.-assisted design, Adobe’s MAX conference erased them.”

Designers will turn to type escapism. Typography will be the balm in an increasingly irritated society.

Letterforms will be more acrobatic—performing stunts, magic acts, and high-flying feats. Step right up; we are ruinously unprepared for the circus of type.

BOLD STRIDES, BOLDER TYPE: Activism & Social Justice

Connecting to a new generation means brands have to engage in more meaningful ways than simply offering a product or service. More conceptual forms of relevancy that consider community, social issues, belonging, and hyper-relevant content are emerging. Type is one supple mechanism to this end. Another? Design criticism.

The design arm of the creative agency Mother brought activism and social justice together in one inflatable reality called The Bliss Sofa. It’s a floating Swiss-Army-inspired sofa that converts into a life raft, complete with a paddle and emergency lights. With cushions upholstered in the same orange fabric used to make life jackets and an optional ottoman that doubles as storage, the piece is a cheeky critique of climate change oblivion and will come in handy when the glaciers melt. Mother aims to sell the piece and donate some of the proceeds to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

The Bliss Sofa exploration is in direct conversation with Mother Design’s rebrand of Brooklyn Org, which strives to bring a new voice to modern philanthropy. 

According to Design Director Kozue Yamada, “As we explored, we looked at a lot of different condensed typefaces for the wordmark. We were inspired by aspects of PP Formula but ultimately wanted to create something much more condensed, adding rectangular counters and ink traps to reflect the nuances of Brooklyn blocks and streets.”

With the inspiration supplied by Brooklyn’s dense city blocks, the team selected Community Gothic as the voice of the Organization. For Yamada, “We wanted to use a typeface which was born in America, specifically in Brooklyn. Community Gothic was made by Frere-Jones Type, who are based in Brooklyn – a few blocks away from us!”

Yamada also studied other typefaces in the social activism space for inspiration, like Vocal Type’s Martin, citing, “Brooklyn Org has a bold vision and big goals, so the wordmark needed to reflect that. We wanted the logo to feel big, substantial – like a place where people can come together. We wanted to distance them from the tropes of philanthropy branding and create something vibrant and new.”

Typefaces tied to social activism are emphatic, human, and designed for rally cries and anthems. It’s a tradition established by Angel Bracho’s Victory of 1945, printed in celebration of the Allied victory in World War II, and Emory Douglas’ graphic work for the Black Panthers as seen in his Free Huey posters. Today, this legacy of social activism continues in the culture and education sectors, with typography choices even more reflective of local culture.

Examples: Community Gothic by Frere-Jones Type (left), Alt Riviera by ALT.TF (top right); T1 Korium by T1 Foundry (middle); Resist Mono by Groteskly Yours Studio (bottom right).

A SPIN AROUND THE OLD BLOCK:
Neo Displays

Neo Displays are proliferating, particularly when modernizing long-standing institutions with precious heritages.

The image to the left was created in Midjourney with the prompt, “A spin around the old block Neo displays.”

Marked by a new spin on typography that pays homage to the neon lights and signs of yesterday’s entertainment districts, Neo Displays perform an intense balancing act between legacy and future impact.

Led by Senior Creative Director Jane Boynton and Associate Creative Director Melissa Chavez, the recently renewed identity for New York Botanical Gardens (NYBG) by Wolff Olins is evidence of this consideration, with a custom wordmark that is a confident, bold, and impactful embodiment of the organization’s call to action. “The idea behind the wordmark and typeface came from our desire to pay homage typographically to the city of New York, given NYBG has firmly been rooted in the Bronx for 132 years,” they explain, continuing, “New York City is like a candy store for typography, so it’s hard to know where to begin. The International Typeface Corporation (ITC) came up often in our research phase, which is no surprise given its prominence in the city. As did typographers and designers like Tony DiSpigna, Ed Benguiat, Tom Carnase, and, of course, Herb Lubalin. We knew that we wanted the logo to celebrate our sense of place in New York City and the Bronx, as well as crafting forms that alluded to nature. We also decided on a bolder weight for the forms that speak both to the confidence and directness of being a New Yorker and as a reference to nature because when nature is at its best and thriving, it is lush, rich, and full of form.”

The team drew upon NYBG’s existing equity of advocacy, which is as rich as the gardens whose pathways provided the direct forms of the supporting graphic language. The new identity amplifies the institution’s heritage with a new unifying confidence. Boynton, Chavez, and their team were deeply engaged with the gardens, noting, “This immersion was essential to the work, as it underscored that NYBG is not just a beautiful garden, but also a scientific laboratory, a policy-influencing research institution, and a community anchor. A new look for NYBG couldn’t just be beautiful or organic. It also had to convey the weight of the institution, the rigor and precision of its scientific pursuits, and the accessibility of its various community outreach programs. This confluence of ideas is most clearly reflected in the forms of the wordmark.”

To complete the wholly unmistakable logo, set in black, the team built a colorful world around it, expounding, “Supporting typefaces GT Super and Martian Mono provide both an elegance and scientific precision that allow for flexibility in communications. The color palette itself is inspired by the breadth of plants, trees, fungi, algae and even the Bronx River that runs through the Garden, and the map graphics reinterpret an essential piece of the Garden in a new and unexpected way, emphasizing the entirety of its 250 acres.” Ultimately, this invites the magnitude of the NYBG’s many purposes under one inviting banner that is warm, direct, and with a hint of attitude.  

Similarly, Pentagram created a new identity for the Shakespeare Theater Company that expresses the ongoing relevance of Shakespeare while enhancing the contemporary spin that the theater brings to the Bard’s timeless stories. For instance, it frequently presents Shakespeare’s classic texts with a fresh angle, highlighting topics such as diversity, inclusivity, and tolerance while reflecting on universal themes including love, power, greed, life, and death.

Pentagram partner Marina Willer proposed a creative expression centered around the “interplay between a broad range of dimensions,” including classic and contemporary, artist and audience, stage and digital, entertaining and learning, intimate and collective, real and unreal – as a way of “reimagining stories from the past for audiences of the future.”

Examples: Cairo’s Film My Design by Maram Al Refaei (left); VT Fly by Jose Manuel Vega (top right); Team GB Paris 2024 by Thisaway and typographer Lewis McGuffie (middle and bottom right).

ARTIFICIAL HYPE:
A.I. Generated Type

Humankind is prompting Large Language Models (LLMs) and A.I. image generators to produce texts, images, and videos. Designers are also harnessing A.I., creating a space for the technology in established processes.

The image to the left was created in Adobe Firefly.

A.I. gives designers the ability to output letterforms quickly, while generating new imagined futures. Yet the natural eye does not easily distinguish between A.I.-generated media and truth. Enter the slippery slope, as generated images have immense value when they are so close to reality.

Challenging this interplay of type, form, and culture is Vernacular, an independent publisher run by Italian-Colombian graphic and type designer Andrea A. Trabucco Campos and Uruguayan graphic designer Martin Azambuja. In the sold-out first run of Artificial Typography, the established designers explore A-Z letterforms imagined by A.I. through the lens of 52 artists throughout art history.

In an interview by Steven Heller, the pair states, “There was a major breakthrough in 2015 with automated image captioning. As the name suggests, this study allows describing the content of an image in words. After that, it was natural to play the other way around and see what image would appear depending on the word selection.”

Prompting A.I. with ‘Letter R in The Equatorial Jungle, a painting by Henri Rousseau,’ emits a dazzling array of jungle fantasy Rs, with all the post-impressionist trimmings of the artist’s hand. Or ‘Letter B by Louise Bourgeois, crochet’ produces a row of bulbous, handknit Bs.

In the early stages of A.I., designers are primarily exploring text-to-image models, shifting their role slightly from creator to curator. 

&Walsh enlisted the A.I. platform DALL-E in their recent rebrand of Isodope, a nonprofit striving to teach the benefits of nuclear energy as a clean, sustainable energy source in a climate-crisis world. Since Isodope’s classroom is virtual across Gen Z platforms like TikTok, &Walsh strategically met technology with technology. Using DALL-E enabled the design team to create visual potentials, and the outcomes also led to new possible directions. Ultimately, the collaboration arrived in a new dimension, literally. The bold, forward motion of the wordmark and glitchy glow of the supporting icons paired with a dimensional grid bring an imagined future of galactic learning.

Jessica Walsh told It’s Nice That, “There will always be a place for designers and traditional craft to help shape the A.I. outputs and push it to realms even further than we could have imagined. However, there will be the option of spending less time on tedious tasks and more time on pushing the creative, the concept or the product.”

The big question is, will General Artificial Intelligence (GIA) ever allow machines to understand and contribute to the world without us? A.I. remains largely exploratory for now, but once it begins to create more compelling stories without any prompt, stay vigilant. Designers must stay ahead of automated intelligence and decide how to integrate it with their work.

A sampling of A.I. Tools:

• DALL-E is a text-to-image prompt that generates images.
• Alfont is an A.I. powered type generator.
• Runway has a suite of imaging and motion tools.
• Cavalry brings procedural and node-based design into 2D (previously only possible in expensive 3D software).
• Adobe Firefly offers a host of generative tools for designers across the Creative Cloud (and many more on the horizon).
• Monotype has launched a new A.I. font-pairing tool.

CONTORTIONISM:
Letterform Abstraction

The movement of illegible display typography has been ramping up for a few years. It will continue to do so with new technologies, though its origins predate humans altogether. In 2017 and 2018, archaeologists uncovered evidence in South African caves of Homo naledi, an early human ancestor (which lived about 335,000 to 236,000 years ago), who intentionally buried their dead holding writing tools and made crosshatch engravings  in cave walls that predate earliest known pictorial rock engravings. 

Hieroglyphics (c. 3200 BC–AD 400) advanced this ancient practice into a formal language that combined logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements, with more than 100 distinct characters. 

Graffiti dawned in the 1970s with abstract letterforms, combining anonymity with original expression—the latter eventually canceling out the primary as viewers became more familiar with a particular writer’s style. Brands today are gunning for this more proprietary and signature approach to letterforms.

Wolff Olins used abstraction and motion to create a post-pandemic identity for Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art, with convergence at its heart. The logo, designed to move, reads as an entity rather than a word, partly because it’s reminiscent of the building’s architecture. But look closer, and the forms begin to emerge: L-E-E-U-M. The interaction it inspires across several museum touchpoints is like what’s happening around graffiti in your neighborhood, inviting a closer look.  

Graffiti is hyper-abstraction at its best, giving abandoned and forgotten spaces a sense of ownership. Designers will continue to mine graffiti not only for its wild forms but also for its originality and distinct letterforms. The more our eyes learn to read abstract type, the more we will see this approach realized in logos, campaigns, and branded content.

Past Examples: (Top series) Lance Wyman, symbol for the Metro of Mexico City, as seen in Graphis Annual 69|70, edited by Walter Herdeg, The Graphis Press, Zurich, 1969; (Bottom series) Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s exhibition at Letterform Archive, featuring: Greg Lamarche/Sp.One (@gregbfb), original lettering for the answer key in Skills issue 4, 1993; John Langdon (@6ambigram9), original art for the Philadelphia T-Shirt Museum, 1988; Handstyle master Leonard “Jade” Liu.

Present Examples: (top) Channel 4 (bespoke/in-house type); (bottom two images) Nike Pixo by Fernando Curcio drew inspiration from “pichação” and graffiti, which have long been integral to the urban landscapes of major cities and Nike’s visual world.

SIDESHOW SENSATIONS:
Type Oddities & Flamboyance

3D & Inflatable Lettering

Inflatables in design have become popularized through many moments in history. Felix the Cat appeared as a giant float in the first Macy’s Day Parade in 1924. Andy Warhol’s 1966 Silver Clouds floated in and around his factory.

Seventies conceptual art couldn’t get enough—from Antfarm’s “Clean Air Pod” to Yutaka Murata, Pavillon du groupe Fuji, Osaka (below). And topping the list are the notebook-perfected bubble letters of the 1980s. 

There’s an inherent escapism in inflatable/3D lettering because it transports us to our happy place. It’s youthful, absurd, and playful. It’s soft, comforting, and cartoonish. It’s a style perfected by type design legend Ed Benguait. Responsible for some 600 typefaces, including his namesake Benguiat, he created classics like Bookman and Souvenir, not to mention his heavy-hitting iconic logos for Esquire, The New York Times, and more recently, Stranger Things. And if this last one seems hauntingly familiar, that’s because acclaimed horror author Stephen King used Benguiat’s self-titled font for many of his novel covers. 

We have a lot going on in our world, and fonts with volume and mass meet the moment with a play on absurdity and innocence. Expect this style to pop up in music venue posters, streetwear, and edgier campaigns.

Past Examples: “WNBC-TV News 4 New York Designs for Promotion” mechanical, Ed Benguiat; Benguiat Bravado Black 10, Photo-Lettering’s 1967 Alphabet Yearbook, New York, 1967; “Fat Stuff” in hand-lettered Benguiat Charisma.

Present Examples: Wonka (not pictured); Nordstrom Rack (not pictured); Good Girl (top left);⁠ Nike Campaign (Flip the Game) (top right); Alright Studio: Luaka Bop Website (middle); WIM, HK (bottom left); RTS Cambridge Convention by Kiln (bottom right).

Polished Glitch

This nod to bringing textural noise to letterforms gets a modification with contemporary tools that bring a luster to grungy 90s graphics, as seen in the work of David Carson and the legendary Art Chantry’s work in the 80-90s Seattle music scene. Chantry famously quipped, “Grunge isn’t even a style: it’s a marketing term coined by Sub Pop’s Bruce Pavitt to sell punk music.”

We can trace Chantry’s exuberant work and what Chermayeff & Geismar and Robert Brownjohn did for the 1962 album cover Vibrations to 2023’s Spotify Wrapped graphics and a plethora of other glitchy cues surfacing in font design. 

Examples: Territory by REY (Reinaldo Camejo) (top left and top right); Disrupt by REY (Reinaldo Camejo), guided by Martin Lorenz (middle right); Domino Mono by Sun Young Oh (bottom left); Powerplay poster by Jude Gardner-Rolfe (bottom right).

Type Rebirths

No other font family has endured through the ages quite like Gothic lettering. The neo–Gothic alphabet emerged from the Fraktur typeface, which was prevalent in Germany until the beginning of the twentieth century. Combining stable forms with unexpected hand flourishes, this ancient style continues to find relevance today. It’s remarkable to watch this old-world classic find a multitude of contemporary iterations, giving a personal touch and gravitas to digital fonts. We are seeing new forms of ornamentation rendered not by hand but by machine, making way for newer ultra-gothic fonts in editorial typography and logo design lettering.

You can see this evolution in a continuation of The Vienna Succesion’s creative glory, on display in Letterform Archive’s latest book, which reproduces all 14 issues of arguably the first modern graphic design magazine. More than a rich sourcebook of early 20th-century graphic trends, Die Fläche (“The Surface” in English) shows the lasting impact of this movement, proving that riotous color and flamboyant forms can—with a new twist—work beyond posters, endpapers, bookmarks, and playing cards. 

In both cases, heritage typefaces reappear through the filter of type treatments that celebrate flatness, expressive geometry, and stylized lettering.

Examples: Fayte by That That Creative (top left); Grundtvig Typeface by REY (Reinaldo Camejo), guided by Leon Romero (specimen and inspiration on right); Rumble Kill by Invasi Studio (bottom).

Type’s expansion in the year ahead will be spectacular, with creative letterers embracing the elasticity of our current societal drivers: gender, demographics, and spirituality. With each of us in our bubbles of adaptive algorithms and varying social concerns, type must perform its greatest act yet: appeal to disparate individuals under one strategic banner.

Type is no longer about simple communication. Now, letterforms are chasing new soul-stirring ends that calm, enchant, thrill, humor, and mesmerize us.

A brand’s longevity requires future-proofing through inclusivity and storytelling, and type must encapsulate similar fluidity. Because we are increasingly a multidimensional and complex society, our letterforms are evolving into malleable crystalline forms through A.I. and other technologies that allow letters to quickly hop in and out of prompted scenarios. While Herman Miller is back in its Helvetica Era, other brands and institutions are embracing the new era.

Typography must be increasingly pliable, proprietary, astonishing, and marvelous. We’re all gathered under its big tent, seeking a bliss point that electrifies us. With a fuse lit by A.I., type is skyrocketing out of a cannon into the unknown, obliged to be distinct yet encompassing in one magnificent stroke.

The post The 2024 Typography Report: A Circus of Type appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Like love, you just know when you find the right font pairing.

Monotype recently launched an A.I. font-pairing tool to help designers streamline this process. Regarding A.I.-driven assistance for designers, we love the potential for this tool to speed up the selection process and expose us to possibilities outside our personal frames of reference. Read more about the tool.

Font pairings are extremely valuable; they provide variety, functionality, and tone of voice, sparking a new brand or breathing life into an old one.

Monotype, on the release of the A.I. font-pairing tool

Even if Valentine’s Day is our least-favorite holiday, we can all get behind fantastic typeface duos. So, we asked several designers about their favorite type pairs. Their responses (100% designer-generated and not A.I.) are below.

Giuseppe Salerno & Paco González @ Resistenza

Giuseppe Salerno: Turquoise Tuscan and Mina Chic

“This pairing is perfect for its captivating contrast. [Mina Chic] introduces a sense of personality and warmth with its handwritten charm, while the Roman [Turquoise Tuscan] imparts structure and readability through its classic letterforms and the Tuscan serifs. This combination creates a timeless choreography, perfect for evoking a classic romantic essence. Together, they strike a harmonious balance between tradition and modernity, crafting a visual symphony that leaves a lasting impression. What a delightful fusion!”

A tip from Giuseppe: “Dive into the OpenType features to uncover a wide array of alternate letters and swashes, empowering you to fashion a unique composition tailored to your creative vision.”

Paco González: Norman and Nautica

“Norman, a condensed serif font, and Nautica, a classic script font with a romantic flair, offer a delightful fusion of styles. Both fonts boast an extensive array of alternate letters and swashes, allowing for easy customization through OpenType. Nautica injects personality and whimsy, while Norman provides a solid foundation of structure and clarity combined with an elegant sense of style. This unexpected pairing creates a lovely synergy that seamlessly blends modernity with timeless elegance, making it exceptionally versatile for various applications. Together, Norman and Nautica form a perfect match, a harmonious duet that ensures every glance becomes an unforgettable experience.”

Resistenza is a type foundry consisting of Giuseppe Salerno, a trained calligrapher who gained his graphic design skills in Torino, Italy, and Paco González, a self-taught Spanish-born designer from Valencia. Working mostly by hand, a bold, humanistic quality comes through in their graphic design, emphasizing a connection with the places and people that use a particular product or service.

Marie Boulanger, Design Team Lead @ Monotype

Juana and Cooper BT

“Love means something different to everyone, but I am going to go with my current definition and experience of romantic love. You need a mix of friction and compatibility for good results, and I guess that applies to type choices too! It’s boring when things are too smooth. You can engineer and craft the perfect hypothetical pair, but sometimes you need a little bit of weirdness for it to work. Think of the best couples you know! My own perfect pair of fonts for Love-themed designs would be something like Juana, a sharp and refined serif, with Cooper BT. Everyone knows Cooper Black, but it looks beautiful in lighter weights two. 

While this pairing is more instinctive than based on algorithm,  I like the effect of using sharp and soft letters in such close proximity. Love is never boring, and things are always changing.”

French-British Type designer Marie Boulanger leads the Design Team at Monotype, creating compelling visual assets and design-led campaigns that push the cultural conversation around linguistics and type design.

Joana Correia @ Nova Type

Lemongrass and Brandon Grotesque

“As the perfect pair I have chosen my font Lemongrass because I love script fonts and this was a love affair when designing it. It shows sweetness but also vibrant and energetic. I paired it with Brandon Grotesque because of the contrast and complementary aspect to them. Brandon Grotesque was one of my first loves in typography. I love the round corners and old school design. I think it matches great with Lemongrass and brings balance but still keeping a sweet look. Lemongrass is part of Nova Type Foundry library and Brandon Grotesque from HVD fonts that I admire and have inspired me to be a type designer. 

For me love language is humor and playfulness. I think it’s important in Love to keep humor and playfulness as part of the relationship to make it last with compassion and kindness. These two typefaces mean kindness and openness to live life. These two typefaces connect to what I like to bring to live in my designs, kindness, a warm look and openness. They show a bit of who I am as well. 

I like the old school and decorative aspect to the fonts relating it to the 90’s when I was a teenager and finding out what love is.”

Joana Correia is a multi-award winning type designer, speaker, and founder of Nova Type, an independent font foundry specializing in original fonts and infusing content with emotion.

John Roshell @ Swell Type

Matinee Idol and Paradise Point

“Matinee Idol may be a high class script font, but it’s ready to kick off its shoes and have a good time. Paradise Point is playful and unpretentious, but also sturdy and reliable — it’s a font that can take you on a surprise weekend getaway with all the details worked out. 

These fonts were both drawn with a single rounded pen stroke, which makes them look great together. And coincidentally, both were inspired by lettering I found on movie posters — Matinee Idol from the 1940s, and Paradise Point from the ‘60s. Is this a meet cute or what?”

Building on decades of experience as a designer of fonts for comic books, video games, TV shows and movies, John Roshell’s Swell Type takes inspiration from the real-world signs and scenery of California.

Give Monotype’s new font-pairing tool a test drive here.

The post Types of Love: Designers’ Favorite Typeface Pairs appeared first on PRINT Magazine.

Originally founded in Paris, Stereolabs emerged as an AI vision company with its sights set on equipping robots with human-like perception. With their cutting-edge cameras and software development kits (SDK), Stereolabs has empowered over 200,000 developers and 1,000 companies to harness the power of 3D vision in robotics.

However, despite their technological prowess and widespread adoption, Stereolabs found themselves constrained by an awareness issue. Their success in developing hardware, particularly the renowned ZED camera, led many to perceive them solely as a camera company, overshadowing their equally impressive software offerings.

Recognizing the need for a strategic rebranding, Stereolabs partnered with Pentagram to reshape its narrative. The focus shifted from being perceived as a mere provider of cameras to a visionary company offering comprehensive solutions for robotic perception. The new narrative emphasizes Stereolabs’ mission to empower robots with advanced perception capabilities, transcending the limitations of traditional robotics.

Pentagram crafted a dynamic visual identity integrating IRL and digital environments to complement this narrative shift. At the heart of this identity lies a multidimensional spark symbolizing the capture of vision in a digital context. This symbol is a unifying element across Stereolabs’ ecosystem, reinforcing the company’s commitment to precision and innovation.

Moreover, Pentagram developed a comprehensive modular diagram language to illustrate the simplicity and effectiveness of Stereolabs’ ecosystem. These diagrams highlight the ease with which developers can integrate Stereolabs’ hardware and software solutions, thereby unlocking the full potential of autonomous robots.

In addition to the visual identity, Pentagram meticulously designed a color palette and type system that align with Stereolabs’ positioning. Each element of the design system, from the technical icons to the choice of fonts, reflects Stereolabs’ dedication to precision and clarity in conveying complex information.

Key Highlights of Stereolabs’ New Visual Identity:

Dynamic Symbol: The multidimensional star-shaped symbol captures vision in a digital context, seamlessly transforming across various applications, showcasing Stereolabs’ commitment to intelligent robotics.

Modular Diagram Language: Designed to effectively communicate how Stereolabs’ product family can be configured into tailored solutions, illustrating the user-friendly and flexible nature of the ecosystem.

Technical Icons: Distinct icons convey the readiness and robustness of Stereolabs’ technology, serving as visual cues for key features.

Precision through Perception Design Language: Simple and direct visual design underpinned by a technical grid layer, emphasizing accuracy, reliability, and attention to detail.

Color Palette: Each hue in the palette aligns with the ‘eyes’ and ‘brains’ narrative, with Signal Green (SL-Lime) serving as the DNA of the Stereolabs brand.

Type System: Utilising Neubau’s NB Akademie™, a grotesque style with a mechanical tone, ensuring precision and clarity in conveying complex information.

The result of this collaboration is not merely a cosmetic makeover but a strategic realignment of Stereolabs’ brand identity. By conveying their role as both the “eyes” and “brain” of robotics, Stereolabs is poised to lead the next wave of innovation in autonomous systems.

With this new brand identity, Stereolabs is well-positioned to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of robotics and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible. As they embark on this exciting journey, Stereolabs reaffirms its commitment to shaping a future where robots possess unparalleled perception and intelligence.

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