Pentagram

Join Abbott Miller for "Design Is Haunted by History," a talk exploring how design transforms history, memory and place into immersive experiences, presented by AIGA New York and Parsons School of Design - The New School on October 26. https://lnkd.in/gf6Bxhb2

Introducing The New York Edition, a collection of The New York Times merchandise designed by Matt Willey and team. Thank you to Debra Bishop, Design Director, Books and Commerce at The New York Times. Shop the full collection: https://lnkd.in/gvBR-sH6

We’ll have Manhattan! Announcing a wearable love letter to New York City from Michael Bierut and Talia Cotton. To celebrate a century in business, Echo Design Group is inviting 100 creators across design, art, fashion and culture to each design a limited-edition silk scarf for its #Echo100 collection. Each is printed in a numbered edition of 100, and $100 from each sale is donated to a nonprofit of the creator’s choice. Michael and Talia collaborated on an all-typographic scarf to benefit 92nd Street Y, for whom they designed a new brand identity in 2022. The scarf is woven with lyrics from “Manhattan,” the classic 1925 song by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart, which namechecks iconic places from the Bronx to Bowling Green, from Canarsie to Coney Island. The scarf’s typography is drawn directly from the 92NY wordmark, which was redesigned by Bierut and Cotton in 2022. The scarf uses the custom typeface created by Jeremy Mickel for the 92NY logo. 92NY Didi is a digitized extension of the French neoclassical Didot family, inspired by the Freeman Craw design created for CBS in 1966 and ITC Didi, drawn by Tom Carnese four years later. The 92NY logo, however, appears nowhere on the scarf. Instead, the design reproduces the place names from the song in a black-and-white pattern inspired by the textiles of midcentury master Alexander Girard. Order yours now: https://lnkd.in/gHmPAip4

What is the worth of human creativity in the design process, and how has AI complicated our understanding of this?  Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi has spent two decades turning complex information into visual form, relying on the human creative process to bring beauty and nuanced understanding to empirical information. In this visual essay for The New York Times, she attempts to answer the question, suggesting that the root of creativity and what makes design practice a craft, not a science, is the complexity and imperfection of human imagination.   In her team’s projects, there is an emphasis on discovery and iteration, and much of that process lives in small decisions. Deciding what to write down while a client is talking, what to underline in a document, which question to ask next. Each of these is a way of understanding the problem and a choice. The same is true of making. Pushing forms around on paper or on a screen sets up a feedback loop between the hand and the eye—many of the studio's ideas come out of that loop. AI relies on the interpretation of existing patterns and concepts, as Giorgia shows in an animation. She cites a study showing that in hundreds of descriptive image prompts, every AI generated result culminated in repetitive “visual elevator music”. A straight line of machine logic goes from point A to point B, leading nowhere. The essay closes with a colorful hand-drawn animation, mapping how projects come together on Giorgia’s team. There is only one direct vector here—that which goes from the client brief to sitting down with people involved, listening, and immersing yourself. After that, everything in the process is a curved line, looping back on itself, taking myriad directions, and opening new doors. “Anything worth remembering came from a person who did not know where she or he was going until arriving. No shortcut gets you there: the process leaves a trace.” Read the full essay: https://lnkd.in/dYcnmkH8

Emily Oberman, Luke Hayman, and teams have designed the identity for 520 Fifth Avenue, a 1000-foot-tall mixed-use boutique skyscraper in the center of Manhattan Rising above one of Manhattan’s most storied thoroughfares, 520 Fifth Avenue brings together residences, offices, and a private members’ club within a single vertical community. Developed by Rabina and designed by James von Klemperer of Kohn Pedersen Fox, the tower mixes a contemporary silhouette with an arch motif that recalls the dramatic architecture of New York’s Club Row. Interiors by Vicky Charles of Charles & Co. balance luxury with a sense of warmth and domesticity. In crafting 520 Fifth Avenue’s visual identity, Pentagram took inspiration from the arches that cover its facade. Pentagram partner Matt Willey created separate (but complementary) logos for the residences and offices, and a third unique identity was produced for Moss, the members’ club at the building’s base. Pentagram developed the tagline “The center of the center,” nodding to the structure’s location in the middle of Manhattan and strategically positioning it as the center of one’s daily life, with opportunities to live, work, and play. 520 Fifth Avenue’s residential marketing materials span every touchpoint, from a comprehensive brochure and website, to a folder and bag for holding collateral, to floorplans and advertising. The color palette lean neutral, while the typographic system is restrained and refined; both provide clean, elegant backdrops to emphasize the residences’ luxurious offerings. The identity for the workspaces employs a slightly different palette, adding a rich plum taken from the interiors’ Italian marble accents. To unify the project, both sectors use the same typefaces. Pentagram also designed a bespoke leather folder embossed with the offices’ circular logo to serve as collateral housing; it doubles as a tablet case. Check out the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gjZ7tEH5

Please join us on Thursday 24 September at Pentagram London for a party celebrating the new Phaidon book, ‘Jeong – The Spirit of Korean Craft and Design’. Authored by Hyo Jung Lee, a graphic designer at Pentagram, this is the first international title to explore the full scope and beauty of Korean design, presenting 175 remarkable works, from traditional moon jars and finely woven baskets to delicate textiles. Hyo's telling of the story of Korean design puts an international lens on a rich design heritage that deserves wider recognition beyond her home nation. Pentagram Partner Harry Pearce and Hyo are hosting the event – there's an opportunity to buy the book and a signing will take place afterward. Join us for drinks and Korean nibbles from 6:30 pm, with a short talk between Harry and Hyo about the project at 7:00 pm. Thursday 24 September 6:30-9pm RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eYmJUg4g *Plus ones are very welcome  **Please note that our event space is on the second floor and there is currently no lift access

Join Giorgia Lupi for a free talk on Data Humanism at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on Wednesday, September 23, from 6–7:30 pm. Hosted by Pratt Institute School of Design, the lecture explores the philosophy at the heart of Giorgia’s practice: Behind every data point is a human story. As data becomes increasingly ubiquitous, how can we move beyond numbers and make it more personal, contextual, and meaningful? Free and open to the public! Register at the link: https://lnkd.in/grTsdnfi

If you're in Central tonight, head down to Piccadilly Circus for the premiere of DOMENIC LIPPA and team‘s ‘London Life’ which starts at 7pm today! More info here: https://lnkd.in/eBxUfwvV

For Cass Art’s new 3,000 sq m store at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, Angus Hyland and team have created a 30-metre graphic frieze exploring the materials and chemistry behind fourteen of the world’s best-known paintings. Rather than reproducing the artworks themselves, the frieze breaks them down into pigments, chemical formulas and molecular structures. Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is paired with ultramarine, Turner’s ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ with yellow ochre, and Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ with lead white. Technical drawings of brushes, palettes, paint tubes and other artists’ tools weave in between the artworks, creating a continuous graphic running around the store. Seen from a distance, the frieze becomes part of the architecture. Up close, it reveals the materials and pigments behind some very familiar works of art. The project continues Pentagram’s longstanding relationship with Cass Art, spanning its identity, stores, packaging and own-brand products. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/eE-XqPes

Democracy is shaped wherever people gather to ask difficult questions, listen to one another, and imagine a different future. Women+ on the Edge of Democracy is a new initiative that brings those conversations to theaters, libraries, schools, community centers, and public spaces across the US and beyond. Presented by The Flynn and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the project commissioned 36 acclaimed women+ and female-identifying playwrights to create new short plays and monologues exploring the state of American democracy and civic life. In the lead-up to the midterm elections, communities are invited to stage the works and spark discussions about the future of democracy.. The complete collection will receive its world premiere at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont, in October 2026. Paula Scher and team have created the identity for Women+ on the Edge of Democracy using expressive, hand-drawn typography that captures the urgency and collective spirit of the project. The identity also appears on the cover of an anthology of the plays, to be published by Theatre Communications Group. Check out the full case study: https://lnkd.in/g9kdMmcf