AIA INDIANAPOLIS

DREAM HOUSES

Dream Houses by People Who Dream Houses was the title of the 2005 AIA Indianapolis architectural home tour. We designed a whimsical, but sophisticated identity for maps, posters, tickets and ads to promote the event.

YEAR IN REVIEW

This publication serves as an annual report of sorts for the American Institute of Architects/Indianapolis chapter, and is a visual representation of a theme developed by that particular years’ president. These covers date back to 2001 and have frequently appeared in Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual.

ARTS COUNCIL OF INDIANAPOLIS

CHAKIA BOOKER: MASS TRANSIT

Mass Transit is the title of artist Chakaia Booker’s first public art exhibition in Indianapolis. The title is also a nod to the recycled tires that Booker transforms into wondrous, organic-looking forms. Following on the heels of the Julian Opie: Signs exhibit, we were again asked to create a map/brochure for visitors and didactic signage to accompany the art.

JULIAN OPIE: SIGNS

Julian Opie: Signs was the second in a series of public art exhibitions mounted by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Opie, a contemporary English artist, utilizes signs and other forms of media communication to convey his ideas. We adopted his color palate and general look for a map that served as an exhibition guide, and for didactic signage that assists viewers in better understanding Opie’s work.

PUBLIC ART INDIANAPOLIS

This publication celebrates the state of public art in Indianapolis by reflecting on its rich history. Contemporary photographers were asked to interpret existing works of public art, thereby producing new works that were used to illustrate this piece. Since the publication of this guide, Indianapolis has played host to notable public art exhibits by Tom Otterness, Julian Opie, Chakaia Booker and George Rickey.

AXIS ARCHITECTS

ANNOUNCEMENT

Axis Architects is one of the leading progressive architectural firms in Indianapolis. This mailer announces the firm’s addition of several talented young architects to the staff. The design transforms a portion of the Axis logo into a simple plus sign that subtly reinforces the suggestion of the additions.

BREBEUF JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL

BYLINES

Bylines is the alumni magazine for Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. With content ranging from faculty profiles to student trips abroad, Bylines is a crucial tool for keeping school alumni informed of current activites and endeavors. We were fortunate to be able to develop an original design for the publication and have fine-tuned that design throughout the course of the issues shown here.

MAGIS INVITATION

This invitation for Brebeuf Jesuit’s Magis Society Harvest of Generosity Dinner utilizes a modified version of the sgraffito art found in the school’s chapel. The stylized look of the art was adapted to suit the event’s location in a museum dedicated to native American art.

VIEWBOOK

Founded in 1962, Brebeuf Jesuit is one of the premier college preparatory schools in Indiana. With an emphasis on social justice, the school prepares its students for “a lifetime of leadership in service to others.” The design of this viewbook utilizes the school’s bold visual identity to reinforce its themes of Learn, Lead and Serve. 

CARMELITES OF INDIANAPOLIS

CLOISTER AND COMMUNITY

This book traces the history of the Indianpolis order of Carmelite Sisters from their humble beginnings through their transformation into savvy internet and media figures. The book is also an architectural history of the castle that served as the Sisters’ sanctuary for over 70 years.

GOD IN ORDINARY TIME

God in Ordinary Time is a collection of essays that describe spirituality as a common part of everyday activities like crossword puzzles and supermarket lines. Part handbook and part journal, this simple book is punctuated with beautiful photographs donated by artist Darlene Delbecq.

COMMERCIAL ARTISAN

COMMERCIAL ARTICLE 01

Commercial Article began as a self-promotion piece for our studio, but evolved into something else. Once we determined that we would use the publication to pay tribute to the lives and work of Indianapolis designers/illustrators Gene and Jackie Lacy, we found ourselves in the midst of a labor of love. The Lacy’s produced charming and dynamic work for nearly forty years, but were largely unknown outside of the city’s borders. This realization prompted us to begin a search for other Indiana designers who were similarly under-documented. We are particularly pleased that this small, regionally-based initiative has led others to pursue the concept of regional and personal design histories. The first Commercial Article was honored with the 2007 AIGA Origination Design Award of Excellence.

COMMERCIAL ARTISAN HOLIDAY CARDS

Our studio doesn’t typically do much self-promotion, but we always create some special mailing for the holiday season. The formats change every year but have ranged from conventional cards to flags, air fresheners, gift tags and gingerbread men. Always fun, and a great excuse to bribe friends into glueing, stapling, tying, stuffing or stamping.

FORTUNE COOKIES

Fortune Cookies was the title of our 2005 exhibit of a collection of prints that were all based on the wisdom of actual fortune cookie fortunes. The results were haunting, deadpan and humorous pieces that featured found as well as self-generated imagery and text.

CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER

HUMONGOLOUS

This book for Los Angeles artist Tim Hawkinson was designed to reflect his sense of quirky ingenuity. A singer-sewn binding and metallic silver tints throughout help to emphasize the effect. Produced on the occasion of one of his first major museum exhibitions, the book quickly sold out and was honored by the American Center for Design and the Ohio Museums Association.

DARLENE DELBECQ PHOTOGRAPHY

BIRD

This postcard commemorates the opening of photographer Darlene Delbecq’s first major public art offering. As a part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis program Public Art Indianapolis, “Bird” is a billboard-sized image of a mysterious figure that looms above the street and peers down upon the crowds below. 

BRUNETTE

This invitation announces the exhibit “Brunette” by artist Darlene Delbecq at the FLUX Gallery in Indianapolis. Delbecq, a photographer who has worked with the legendary Irving Penn among others, produced a body of gelatin silver print photographs shot on film in natural light conditions.

SEAN DERRY

CHARTING POGUE’S RUN

This card announces a project by artist Sean Derry that investigates the past and present conditions of Pogue’s Run, a shallow stream that provided the basis for the original system of water irrigation in the city of Indianapolis. Derry marked the route of the stream (now primarily an underground aqueduct) with a nondescript blue line that traversed streets, parking lots and buildings that now cover the site of the original stream. 

MAKING/DOING IDENTITY

This letterhead system was designed for artist Sean Derry. While completely functional, the letterhead is also meant to be poetic and descriptive. The dual concepts of making and doing are explored through lists of possible actions and reactions on the business card, while the phrase “tying together a beginning by going around the end to feel beyond the reach of my hands” wraps around the front and back of the envelope as a blind embossed line of text.

RESIST SHIVERING

This sliding chart was designed as part of Sean Derry’s Resist Shivering project. Both a conceptual art piece and an informational chart, this project makes users aware of the concept of the conversion of motion into energy. Part of Derry’s project involved displaying the charts in gyms to promote the idea of converting physical energy from exercise into a useable source of electric power for other purposes.

ELEMENTS

ELEMENTS LOGO

This logo was designed for the upscale Indianapolis restaurant Elements. The typeface was created particularly for the logo and mirrors the restaurant’s concept of unconnected pieces coming together to form a whole. 

EQUIS

EQUIS LOGO

Equis Consulting is a company that provides training to enable people to discover the possibilities of personal and organizational growth through the use of specialized client-based programs and individual training experiences. Beginning by creating the name Equis, we developed an identity that reinforces the concepts of quality and sophistication.

GATEWAY FOR CANCER RESEARCH

DESTINATION KYOTO

Destination Kyoto was the 2007 theme for Gateway’s “Passport to a Cure” black tie fundraising event. The event raises over one million dollars dedicated to funding research that will lead to the eradication of cancer. The invitation sets the tone for the event and is presented this year as a stylized souvenir photo book featuring the sites of Kyoto.

MIDNIGHT IN MARRAKECH

A Moroccan theme provided the basis for the look of this invitation to a black tie fundraising event. Celebrating the organization’s 15th anniversary, we were asked to create a grand and elaborate invitation. I have only heard a client request that we add more die cuts and foil stamps once in my life, and it was for this project.

THROUGH THEIR EYES

Through Their Eyes was the theme for this 2006 annual report. As a means to reinforce a direct connection to the stories of cancer survivors, life-size photos of faces were used to dramatic effect. Gateway (then called Cancer Treatment Research Foundation) is an organization dedicated to providing funding to initiatives that will lead to the eradication of cancer.

© 2010 Commercial Artisan