Super Bowl Update

Once again, Design Within Reach has brought back their Champagne Chair contest. All you have to do is create an original miniature chair using only the foil, label, cage and cork from no more than two champagne bottles.


Info from their site:



A panel of DWR champagne and chair experts will judge the chairs, and three winners will receive a DWR Gift Card. The deadline for submissions is January 14.

To get inspired, here's a few of the past submissions from previous years.

Anna Uniezyski:

Alex Garzon:

Brandy Shih:

Emily Kann:

Erin Mitchen:

David Ethan Sanders:

Edward Cristma:

Gavri Slasky:

Isaac Krady:

Ivan Supraha:

Kalina Toffolo:

Lynne Mulvihill:

Monte Allen:

Phil Dwyer:

Tim Jacobsen:

Tony Nemyer:

Tracee Pickett:

You can see more finalists from their 2007 contest I covered here.

The contest began December 28th and you have until January 14th, so get on it! After you've designed your chair, feel free to share it on Instagram and Twitter with #dwrchampagnechair

images and info courtesy of DWR

Diet Coke has been going for a more fashionable angle for awhile now. Gaultier's fun Diet Coke campaign, Karl Lagerfeld and other fashion designer bottle designs and now a new can design by San Francisco design shop Turner Duckworth (initially introduced as a limited edition about a year ago).

But they haven't stopped there. They've enlisted the talents of young designers from top design schools like Parsons, Otis, SCAD and more to help brand the soda with a STAYEXTRAORDINARY t-shirt design contest.



above: the new Diet Coke can design

In June of this year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Diet Coke entered into a partnership to launch a design contest to find the identifying graphic element that best supports their current STAYEXTRAORDINARY campaign.

THE ASSIGNMENT
To “Design an original “extraordinary” graphic element for a woman’s t-shirt that makes a statement about Diet Coke and those who drink it”.

They asked that the students focus more on the graphic design rather than a text design. To avoid confusion, Diet Coke has removed the font/typography elements from their FTP site so that students focus more on the graphic design itself.

THE WINNER

above: The winning design by Alfonso Gustavo


THE JUDGES
The winning T-shirt design was selected by some of the biggest names in fashion including Vince Voron, associate Vice President, Strategic Design and Integrated Marketing Content, Coca-Cola North America, creative experts from Target and luminary designers Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley and L’Wren Scott.



THE TOP 20 FINALISTS
* Gustavo Alonso, Miami International University of Art and Design, Miami,
Fla.
* Florencia Chaves, Parsons The New School for Design, Brooklyn, N.Y.
* Mackenzie Gaudette, Miami International University of Art and Design,
Miami, Fla.
* Marianne Grobman, Miami International University of Art and Design,
Aventura, Fla.
* Sarah Humphries, Savannah College of Art and Design, Tampa, Fla.
* Adele Jackson, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
* Kelly Jenkins, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
* Toni-Marie Koulos, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
* Xenia Lally, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.
* Zi Lin, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.
* Katherine Owen, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.
* Danielle Perret, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, N.Y.
* Raquel Reyes, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.
* Victoria Schermerhorn, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
* Brianna Scherlock, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
* Kayla Speedy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
* Renee Tomic, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
* Florencia Torlaschi, Miami International University of Art and Design,
Tamarac, Fla.
* Logan Treacy, Savannah College of Art and Design, Charlotte, N.C.
* Mengdi Wu, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, N.Y.

THE TEN FINALIST DESIGNERS AND ARTWORK
(listed alphabetically)

The 20 listed above were then narrowed down to the following ten finalists using the following percentage breakdown:
•Creativity/Originality of Shirt Design (33%);
•Appeal of Submission (33%); and
• Fit to Contest Theme of Extraordinary Design (34%).

Alonso Gustavo (the winner):

Brianna Sherlock:

Florencia Torlaschi:

Katherine Leigh Owen:

Logan Treacy:

Mackenzie Gaudette:

Marianne Grobman:

Mengdi Wu:

Renee Marilyn Tomic:

Zi Lin:


The winner was chosen by fans casting their votes at DietCoke.com/Design

“Diet Coke is an exciting and stylish brand, and we are pleased to be a partner in this unique design challenge,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “We’re always looking for ways to support the next generation of fashion designers, and this will be an amazing accomplishment for a student to put on a resume before he or she even graduates!”

THE PRIZES
To encourage the talented finalists to continue chasing their passions, two runners-up selected by the judging panel will each receive $2,500 scholarships, and the remaining 17 finalists will each receive $250 scholarships.

Limited-edition t-shirts featuring the winning design by Gustavo Alonso will be produced and available at Target stores next month.

In addition to having his or her design available in Target stores nationwide this September, Alonso also will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a trip to New York City in September to experience the rush of a week of high fashion.

All images and information courtesy of DietCoke.com

If you're any sort of artist and have ever lived on the West Coast, chances are you are familiar with Flax Art and Design. The Flax family has enjoyed serving the creative community in the Bay Area through their legendary San Francisco retail store for over 72 years. Since 1938, they've become well known for carrying an incredible breadth of product, providing customers with a courteous and knowledgeable staff, and their ability to inspire creativity through the thoughtful presentation of merchandise.


above: San Francisco's oldest and most beloved art supply store at 1699 Market Street

Now, Flax is offering a contest to design the artwork for the masthead atop their Facebook page. Their original and legendary "F" logo, originally designed by respected graphic designer Lou Danziger, must be incorporated into the design and the winning designer will receive a $100 gift card as well as having their work featured on the Flax facebook timeline.

First off, a bit about the legendary Flax "F" which, if you did not know, is in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art.


above: the iconic "F" for Flax by legendary designer Lou Danziger, above right, is made up of 12 perfect squares

Harvey Flax, who ran the Los Angeles Flax store, commissioned a young designer named Louis Danzinger in 1949 to create a new trademark. The logo was originally intended to support Harvey’s private label program. The hot item at that time was a new formula of rubber cement that required just one coat (still called One-Coat today), and Harvey had drums of it in the back room for repackaging. Later the logo was adopted and shared with the other Flax businesses across the country, who also used it for the joint Flax catalog (see below).


above: 1968 Flax catalog No.9

Danzinger is one of the most respected graphic designers in America and currently teaches at his (and my own) alma mater, Art Center College of Design. He has created work for Microsoft, General Lighting, and A & M Records among others, and won many awards along the way. Danzinger’s goal was in “taking a minimal amount of material and a minimal amount of effort—nothing wasted—to achieve maximum impact.” Here he takes 12 perfect squares and creates a simple pattern with dramatic impact.


above: 12 perfect squares make up the F by Danziger for Flax

Featured in the book American Modernism: graphic design 1920-1960, the authors state “The ‘F’ is simply constructed, bold in weight and adaptable to many applications.”

The Flax Facebook Timeline art contest details and rules:

Enter Flax's Facebook cover photo contest for a chance to win a $100 gift card and see your artwork on the FLAX Facebook Timeline.

Who can enter: Artists of all levels are welcome to enter. Artwork must be original and all mediums will be considered.

What do you win? Winners will be chosen monthly and each will receive a $100 FLAX gift card. We will keep a permanent archive of winning art in our Facebook photo albums.

Deadline for Entries: April 30, 2012.

Design Requirements and Guidelines:
• Flax F Artwork must measure 851 x 315 pixels (8.85″ wide x 3.28″ high) and our original “F” logo must be incorporated in the design. The Flax “F” has a special history (which you know know if you've read this post) and you can see past examples of submitted entries to our catalog cover contest below.

• Submit digitally by email or mail us your original work and we will scan it. Important note: entries will not be returned! Finalists will be required to sign a letter confirming sole ownership of artwork. All published work becomes the property of FLAX art & design, with reuse of the work by the artist limited to self-promotion. Winners will be notified via email.

Background/Inspiration:
The artwork that graced the FLAX art & design catalogs for over 20 years (1984 – 2007) was creative and intriguing. Their call to artists enlisted work from art students, major advertising firms, freelance artists and casual art enthusiasts. In fact, their catalog cover contests were often prepared as a class assignment.

Take a peek at some of Flax's favorites over the years:






And when you visit their store, take a look at their Wall of Fame where the catalog covers hang proudly.


FLAX Art Store History:

above: 437 Kearny Street, the first FLAX location, 1938

Herman and Sylvia Flax, with their son Jerome, established Flax Artist's Materials in downtown San Francisco in 1938. Having lost virtually everything in the Great Depression, Herman took his family west from New Jersey and opened a tiny art supply store. Herman's three brothers also established independent, successful art supply outlets in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and eventually spread to Phoenix, Orlando and Atlanta. In 1952 Herman passed away at an early age, and upon returning from military service, Herman and Sylvia’s youngest son, Philip, joined the business alongside his brother Jerry. The Flax brothers grew close to their customers, becoming well known for their generous support of struggling artists and the local arts.


above: 255 Kearny at Bush, 1950

In 1975 Philip took full control of the company after Jerry left to pursue other interests. Then in 1981, after a more than 50-year presence downtown, the store moved to its current location on Market Street. With a small operation in the back of the store the company ventured into the mail order business in 1984. Within a year Flax moved its headquarters 10 miles south to Brisbane, providing the space needed to support the growing catalog business. In a continuation of the Flax culture of engaging the artist community, participants in an annual catalog cover competition created all the catalog covers. Over the years the Flax catalog was able to give over 100 artists national exposure to their talents.


above: 1699 Market Street, 2012

The store grew to 32,000 sq. ft. in 1997 after an expansion and remodel, which attracted a high number of new customers to the fresh look and expanded offerings. A makeover of the front exterior gave the store landmark status and a stop along the tourist route. With the new tag line “where creative people shop”, the transition was complete – Flax had become much more than an art store. The increase in size and variety has led to the Flax retail store becoming a “destination” for a unique shopping experience.


above: 1699 Market Street, 2012

FLAX has been voted by readers of SF Weekly as the "Best Art Supply Store in the Bay Area" every year since 2001.

Once again, submit your entries digitally or by email before April 30th, 2012. Winners will be notified by e-mail.


FLAX art & design
Cover Contest
1699 Market Street
San Francisco, Ca 94103

A special thanks to Howard Flax who writes the Flax Art Blog for additional images and information