ArtPrize, Rockport Publishers
seek identity design expertise from People Design
April 24, 2009 – People Design is proud to have played a part in the successful launch of ArtPrize, the world’s largest art competition announced yesterday by its creator, Rick DeVos. The Grand Rapids-based experience design firm designed the visual identity for the competition.
“The organizers hope to attract serious artists from around the world to participate, so the competition needed a visual identity that conveyed a sense of gravity,” said Kevin Budelmann, president of People Design. “At the same time, it needed to reflect the non-conforming aspects of the contest (winners will be decided by public votes cast by mobile device or Web) and relate specifically to Grand Rapids.”
In 1969, Grand Rapids became home to the first public sculpture funded by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Works of Art in Public Places program. That sculpture, Alexander Calder’s La Grande Vitesse, became the inspiration for the ArtPrize logo. The logo features a 2-dimensional view of La Grande Vitesse tipped on its side, hovering just above the letter form of a capital A in the classic, elegant Linotype Didot font. In this configuration, the A becomes an easel upon which the art – the Calder – sits. (A contemporary ArtPrize wordmark runs beneath the A.)
“The Calder has become a symbol of the city,” DeVos said. “You see it used on manhole covers, taxi cabs, street signs. But the logo from People Design uses it in a completely different way that truly embodies the vision behind ArtPrize.”
People Design specializes in experience design – aligning customer touchpoints and delivering powerful brand experiences. Identity design is critical in this work. According to Budelmann, a company’s identity should embody its brand promise; the customer’s experience with the brand should fulfill that promise.
ArtPrize is the latest in a long list of clients for whom People Design has done brand identity design. The firm’s work in this area has been widely recognized by major design competitions.
The firm’s expertise in identity design recently prompted Rockport Publishers to contact People Design about writing and designing a book on the subject. Tentatively titled Identity Essentials, the book will outline the elements of a strong corporate identity. Rockport books typically attract an audience of professional designers, readers seeking high-level design information, and design do-it-yourselfers. Publication is slated for fall 2010 with international distribution planned.
