Caserta Design's Fred Caserta was selected to be part of an exhibit at the Nanjing Art Institute, Nanjing, China.
The exhibition, "Commemoration of 5.12: China’s Massive Earthquake,” features work from more than 200 artists, designers, film makers and musicians from across the globe. "It is a perfect global response to tragedy and a our greatest hope for the future," says designer and co-curator Robert Appleton.
Fred's piece, "MAGNITUDE," is a 60x60 in. digital illustration, inkjet on paper.
Fred describes the piece: "'MAGNITUDE' pulls the viewer from a distance. 70,000 Chinese-red 'pixels' demonstrate the MAGNITUDE of the loss of life resulting from the 5.12.08 earthquake. It is a reference to the Chinese Red Egg and Ginger ceremony in which babies are named at one month old. It calls attention to the truth that each pixel/egg/life was a real person, possessing their own significant identity."
Gluekit of Hamden created the cover and eight interior pages for Print's 2008 Regional Design Annual. There's an interesting "making of" piece highlighting the studio and its principals, Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Burns.
Gluekit had a number of winning pieces in the Annual, from their sister business, Part of It. Part of It works with artists to create products for causes they are passionate about, with sales from products benefiting charities chosen by the artists.
Also representing Connecticut in the Annual are Jargon Boy of Fairfield, Winterhouse of Falls Village and Bertz Design Group of Middletown.
Fathom of Hartford has launched an exciting new website for The Hartford Art School, one of America’s oldest art institutions. The new website had to live within the family of University of Hartford’s already established sites, but be distinctive enough to make an impact. The Hartford Art School sought a design that would engage and excite potential students, but convey their legitimacy and prestige.
“The goal,” Fathom’s Anthony Acock explained, “was to find a way to strike a balance between fulfilling the desire to surprise and underscore the school’s status.”
An additional challenge for Fathom designers came in working to make the new site complement the art school’s existing print collateral without mimicking it. The resulting Hartford Art School website has stand-alone personality that answers both of the client’s concerns while dovetailing nicely with its existing print materials.
Each page of HAS’s new website engages with vibrant colors and unexpected shapes, prominently featuring black and white snapshots of students perfecting their craft. Standout typography and a streamlined, readable text flow unite the new design to The University of Hartford’s other sites and existing print pieces.
An additional feature of the new art school site is the unique identity assigned to each discipline within the school. “All of the departments have a radically different look and feel,” Acock said. “The differences amongst the pages underscore the diversity of the Hartford Art School’s offerings.” The final product, in hues of electric purple, bright green, yellow, teal and eye-popping scarlet certainly accomplishes the goal.
“Stylistically, it’s really different from where they were before,” commented Fathom Account Executive Sarah Curran. “The new design gives each department the opportunity to showcase their uniqueness.”
