Last updated 7/11/2008

APCO (Atlanta, GA) and their joint venture partner created the signs for the Water Cube, Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre, using their Accord 15 and SignPanel systems. The venue is the site of the swimming/diving events for the Beijing Olympics.

ASI-MODULEX (Dallas) was named number one for healthcare signage in Healthcare Building Ideas’ 2008 Top Healthcare Sign Companies Report, as featured in the February/March 2008 issue.

BRC IMAGINATION ARTS (Burbank, CA) announced several new hires and promotions. Greg Lombardo has joined BRC as director, brand experiences; Geoff Woodward has joined as project director, entertainment experiences; Carmel Lewis has been promoted to vice president of the education experiences portfolio; and Tisa Poe has been appointed as vice president of the entertainment experiences portfolio.

CLOUD GEHSHAN ASSOCIATES (Philadelphia) announced work including donor recognition and wayfinding for Cornell University’s Weill Medical College in Manhattan; a donor recognition system, comprehensive interior sign system, and gateway banners for the Dorrance H. Hamilton Building at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; interpretive panels for the Lawrenceville School near Princeton, NJ; and a comprehensive sign system for the University of Texas at Austin.

COOPER SIGNAGE & GRAPHICS (Snelville, GA) has been endorsed by the American Hospital Association as the preferred wayfinding solution for AHA’s membership.

CORBIN DESIGN (Traverse City, MI) has been selected by Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, IL, to develop an exterior and interior wayfinding master plan for the hospital and its campus. The hospital is in the midst of implementing an expansion plan that includes a new patient care tower and parking garage. The cities of Bryan and College Station, TX, home to Texas A&M University, selected the firm to document the wayfinding system that the firm designed in 2005; the documentation will pave the way for the cities to bid the system for fabrication and installation. The city of Holland, MI, where Corbin Design developed a comprehensive wayfinding program in 2000, has rehired the firm to develop a system of map and directory kiosks and street markers to improve the city’s downtown shopping experience. Known for its annual tulip festival, Holland is one of Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations.

CYRANO CREATIVE (Burbank CA) completed wayfinding and design for the Alhambra Public Library. Working with the architectural firm CWA, Cyrano also designed the new identity logo for the library as well as interior graphics concepts. Current projects include programming and design of the interior signage for Frazier Park County Library in Kern County, and implementation of new identity signage for the Los Angeles Expo Center Sports Facility (working with Bright Strategic Design and Ampersand Signs).

DAKTRONICS (Brookings, SD) installed a serpentine LED video system for the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Track in Grantville, PA. The main structure will display movie trailers, on-premise video footage, animations, and big-ticket sporting events; two curved, scrolling marquees accompany the structure to present Hollywood entertainment news.

DJS Design (Charlotte, NC) announced the formation of Winning Recruits, a new division of their design consulting firm, which will focus on providing consulting services to college athletic coaches to assist them with improving the effectiveness of their recruiting tools for student-athletes. Winning Recruits will provide college coaches with a single source for consulting services focused on four primary areas: print communications; website design; environmental design; and personal selling skills.

EMERYSTUDIO (Southbank, VIC, Australia) fitted dynamic strips of text messaging into tilted floor surfaces on the Skydeck on the 88th floor of Eureka Tower, Melbourne’s tallest building; the streaming information indicates the preferred direction for people movement. In a team effort with several collaborators, the firm contributed in a workplace cultural change program integrated into Westpac’s new corporate headquarters, located on the western ridge of Sydney’s center business district; not only does the design convey and instill the organization’s brand values, but it also provides wayfinding and identification information.

FD2S (Austin, TX) added to its portfolio of international work when it was selected by Portuguese developer Sonae Imobiliaria for the development of an identity and environmental graphics program for a new retail and entertainment project in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. This assignment joins projects currently underway in China, Ukraine, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Stateside, the firm has started work on wayfinding programs for the new University of Minnesota Children's Hospital and for the expansion of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and has been commissioned by longtime client HEB Grocery Company to develop graphics programs for several new store prototypes.

FMG DESIGN (Houston) was awarded several comprehensive environmental graphics programs. The first is for 1000 Waterford, a development FMG has been working on since 1989; service will include the coordination and implementation of a comprehensive architectural program for an office building and parking deck located at the master-planned Waterford at Blue Lagoon in Miami, FL. The second project is for Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center’s new replacement facility, which includes the Robert F. Thomas MOB, Thompson Cancer Survivor Center, and Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services outside of Knoxville, TN. FMG’s latest commission is from the Washington DC Convention Center Authority for project visioning and environmental design services for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center graphics renovation project. On a personnel note, the firm welcomed Eric Castorena as a new designer to the FMG team.

GALLAGHER & ASSOCIATES (Bethesda, MD) unveiled their new identity; check it out at www.gallagherdesign.com.

GEMINI INCORPORATED (Cannon Falls, MN) began production of a new product for the illuminated sign industry: Formed Channel Letters. Offering lower mold costs, shorter lead times, nearly unlimited design flexibility, and large part capabilities, these letters are specifically designed for LED lighting and available in nine translucent colors. A totally “green” product, the letters are made out of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, a wood- and cotton-fiber based plastic that is completely recyclable. James and Sharon Weinel, of Gemini, gifted $2 million to the University of Cincinnati College of Business for the purpose of establishing the James S. Womack/Gemini Chair of Signage and Visual Marketing. The endowed chair was created by the Weinels for the purpose of forging a partnership between the sign industry and academia, thereby engaging future generations of business leaders and leveraging the talents of a nationally recognized marketing researcher. The Chair will be held by James J. Kellaris, professor of marketing and the Ronald J. Dornoff Teaching Fellow; Kellaris is best known for his research in consumer psychology, and specifically the influences of music on consumers. He developed the concept of “earworm,” a phenomenon that describes the effect of music in ads and the retail environment.

INFINITE SCALE (Salt Lake City) announced their new partnership with the Orange Bowl Committee for the design and master plan of the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl Game and the BCS National Championship Game; the firm will design the Look of both Games, including concept development through implementation at various venues including Dolphin Stadium. For the fifth consecutive year, Infinite Scale will be designing the Look of Super Bowl XLIII, which will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009; concept development is underway for this 11-month project that culminates with the installation of thousands of decor elements.

LITTLE (Charlotte, NC) provided brand development, interior architecture, environmental graphics, and fixture design for The Home Depot Design Center, the next generation store concept by the big-box retailer.

LORENC + YOO DESIGN (Roswell, GA) unveiled a 50-ft.-tall sculpture of a hand, made of aluminum and holding Samsung’s newest mobile phone; the first of many to come is at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. At Gaylord Opryland Resort, the firm created a comprehensive reorganization of the naming and numbering system, new signage at decision points, electronic kiosks, and more than 4000 signs throughout the property. For Haworth, LYD developed an updated design and brand identity for their showrooms throughout the US. Jan Lorenc and fellow architecture student Sarah Adkins designed a Habitat for Humanity exhibit for the Arts Festival of Atlanta as part of their Masters’ theses at the Georgia Institute of Technology. For the Lifetime Movie Network, the firm designed an exhibit for the Western Cable Show; the exhibit was so successful that Lifetime used it to launch the network in other cities around the country.

MICHAEL COURTNEY DESIGN (Seattle) moved into new space in downtown Seattle; their new address is 500 Aurora Ave., North, Suite 106, Seattle, WA 98109.

NEMETSCHEK NORTH AMERICA (Columbia, MD) released its newest version of Step by Step with VectorWorks Architect. This updated training manual is a “Fast Track to Productivity,” teaching a practical approach to project workflow. The firm also announced the “Design Your Future” VectorWorks 2008 design competition for students of architecture. Sponsored by Architect magazine and supported by the American Institute of Architecture Students, the competition is open to any student enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate design program anywhere in the U.S.

THE PENNSYLVANIA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE AT PENN STATE and MEEKER & ASSOCIATES were honored with the 2008 Traffic Safety Achievement Award at the World Traffic Safety Symposium in March for their collaborative work on the Clearview Typeface for traffic signs.

PRECISION SIGNS (Amityville, NY) announced projects including Bank of America Corporate Offices, multiple locations; Buckingham Companies in Indianapolis (designed by Gensler); and Lehman Brothers in New York.

REICH + PETCH (Toronto) designed a major traveling exhibition on human evolution, titled Surviving: The Body of Evidence, for the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Launched just months before the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin, the multi-city touring exhibition, supported by the National Science Foundation, will open at Penn Museum as the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Museum, and six other Philadelphia cultural institutions kick off a “Year of Evolution” of public programming.

ROCKWELL GROUP (New York) launched four collections of handcrafted decorative wall mirrors for APF Munn Master Framemakers; partnered with Viking to create a new barbecue grill in a modern new form that draws on the social nature of barbecuing; and, along with W Hotels Worldwide, released a 3D, interactive calendar, showcasing the cities where W hotels will debut in 2008.

SHIKATANI LACROIX BRANDESIGN (Toronto) has been invited to participate in the Dubai SmartCity program. Jean-Pierre Lacroix was the keynote speaker at the Global Shop conference in Chicago in March; his presentation "My Community…Moving the Store Experience to the Next Level" provided insights on the next big opportunity in retailing. In addition, the firm developed a new consumer experience for the Scores Restaurant chain and the Mikes restaurant chain.

SIGNTECH LLC (Everett, WA) was selected by Walt Disney Imagineering to create themed entry signage for the new Disney Dream Suite that opened in January for the “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion at The Disneyland Theme Park. Disney is inviting lucky park visitors to spend an evening in Disneyland in a luxury suite originally designed for Walt Disney. The signs were fabricated in glass, aluminum, and acrylic and gilded with 24 K gold, and the gold leaf graphics were then backlit with LED illumination.

SPAGNOLA AND ASSOCIATES (New York) has been chosen to design the environmental graphics and wayfinding signage programs for two prestigious Yale University Buildings in New Haven, CT. The programs will be for the renovation of the Yale Hockey Rink designed by Eero Saarinen in 1958 and for the Yale Architecture and Art History Building. The firm is also working on the environmental graphics and signage wayfinding for the new National Convention Center located on the Liffey River in Dublin, Ireland. The new Center will host conventions from around the globe. Ongoing exhibition design work includes the
Master planning of all exhibitions for the Timken Company Technical Centers worldwide.

STUDIO SC (Seattle) was featured at the 2008 Public Library Association National Conference for the wayfinding program they created for the King County Library System, the second largest library system in the United States. The program involves optimizing branch layout with clearly defined circulation, fixtures and key wayfinding graphic elements, integrating promotional and informational signage, and providing strategic display opportunities for the collection. Other projects in fabrication include wayfinding and environmental graphic identity programs for the Compton Union Building at Washington State University and the Fairbanks International Airport, both opening in 2008.

TWO TWELVE (New York) has begun work on a new wayfinding and signage system for Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town with Tishman Speyer, who bought the iconic middle class housing developments for a record $5.4 billion in 2006. The firm is working with another NYC developer, Boston Properties, to re-brand the Citigroup building as 601 Lexington Avenue this year. The firm is also in the early stages of developing a comprehensive wayfinding program for New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center with Sylvia Harris, LLC. Farther afield, Two Twelve has joined the RATIO architects team to develop environmental graphics for both new and existing components of the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, and has just finalized a contract with Parsons Brinkerhoff to create EGD concepts for the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project in Hawaii.