selfArchive 001
Project
Company Identity
Client
P U B L I K Information Design
Opportunity
I named my original design consultancy P U B L I K Information Design in order to signal the focus on content development through visual research, words and concept-driven information design. This focus reflected my interest in creating communication solutions that embedded information-rich value for stakeholders. The vision line—Serving socially responsible clients, responsibly—was penned almost ten years before such high-minded ideals entered the commercial mainstream. The idea of public responsibility became integral to my work and PUBLIK achieved recognition with a balance of non-profit, public and private sector clients. One happy remembrance is that late master typographer, type designer, illustrator, colleague and friend Jim Rimmer (Simon Fraser University Special Collections & Rare Books) modified the type forms so I could trademark the P U B L I K wordmark for my visual identity.
Evolution
When I returned from working in Toronto, some Vancouver printing representatives laughed at me for demanding what they considered to be nothing more than a fad: vegetable-based inks, and clients bridled when I specified (and championed) fibrous, flecked and textured printing papers they felt looked too home-spun to be professional. From that auspicious start, print projects soon began to flash their sustainable credentials like badges of honour as designers, the trade and consumers drove changes that revolutionized the printing and fine paper industries. Now, sustainable processes and materials are legislated. What’s more, when we choose paper for a project, we enjoy options where aesthetics and sustainability are inclusive. Over the years, the trend of my design work has been to use paper solutions less and less. My projects evolved from print to environmental solutions and increasingly, digital solutions. UBC Touchless Stationery for 13K+ is one case study that speaks to aspects of this design evolution.