Design for special events : 500 of the best logos, invitations, and graphics presented by Top Design, Los Angeles. — Beverly, Massachusetts, 2008

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peleg Top is principal and founder of Top Design, a Los Angeles-based studio specializing in design for special events. Founded in 1991, the studio has a rich portfolio of design and branding work for an array of distinguished clients.

 

With roots in the entertainment and nonprofit sectors, Top Design has worked with notable industry leaders such as the Grammys, City of Hope, Tiger Woods Foundation, and Toyota.

 

Top Design has been featured in such major design publications as Print, HOW, and Communication Arts and has received numerous awards for design excellence.

 

Author of Letterhead & Logo Design (Rockport Publishers, 2003), Top Design is known for clean, simple, and sophisticated work. It brings a strong history of successful design and branding experience to the event-planning arena.

 

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As a studio focused on design for special events, we often look for sources of creative inspiration, but had difficulty finding books showcasing incredible invitations, spot-on promotions, or other outstanding designs for events. So we decided to write our own.

 

The process of putting this book together was full of pleasant surprises. After we issued a call for submissions, we were thrilled by the response from the design community and the number of projects we received. In this generation of electronic invitations, we were at first shocked and then encouraged to see that print is still alive and well in the special event industry. We were impressed by the obvious care, inventiveness, and the high production values exhibited in many of these pieces.

 

Creative professionals recognize that designing for special events is a distinct discipline because its designs are inherently short lived, generally seen only for the duration of the event, and then never seen again. Because it doesn't need to stand the test of time, the work can be completely of the moment. This ephemeral nature affords the designer the freedom to take risks, to be innovative and creative—the qualities we specifically wanted to include in this book.

 

While most graphic design aims to promote a company or product, special event design promotes a singular experience. Special event designers need to capture the mood and excitement surrounding the event, even before it begins, by creating a promotional piece that evokes those emotions while identifying what makes the event memorable or unique. The initial project—a save-the-date mailer, an invitation or a promotional poster—must make the guest eager to attend. When we were judging submissions for this book, we looked for this engaging quality, asking about each piece, "Does this make us want to attend?"

 

In sifting through the nearly 1,500 submitted pieces, we were struck by the overall quality of the work and by the variety of events represented. We saw designs for everything from benefits to elaborate sporting events, to film festivals, and weddings, and a myriad of other types of gatherings. We were especially surprised at the number of beautifully designed fund-raising and nonprofit pieces received and were thoroughly impressed with how designers were able to meet the difficult challenge of promoting a cause that affects people in a personal (and often tragic) way, while capturing the fun and positive nature of a fund-raiser.

 

In organizing all of these projects, we found that everything fit into one of eight categories: fund-raising, entertainment, sports and automotive, community and education, business, awards, art and design, and private parties.

 

Among the 500 exceptional designs that we compiled to create this book, we've singled out nineteen events for case studies. The selected pieces either showed the seamless evolution of design in multiyear events or involved elaborate systems that were carried through an entire event, from invitations to signage and elements of the decor. Each of these nineteen case studies represents a unique special occasion, a serious fund-raiser, an energetic sporting event, or an exciting music festival for which each designer perfectly captured a mood and sentiment.

 

The quality and scope of event designs that we discovered while creating this book were both eye opening and encouraging. We hope you have a similar experience as you flip through the pages.

 

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06 INTRODUCTION

 

09 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

16 CASE STUDY: SPIRIT OF LIFE AWARDS GALA | TOP DESIGN

 

22 ART & DESIGN

34 CASE STUDY: HOW DESIGN CONFERENCE | HOW

54 CASE STUDY: THINKING CREATIVELY CONFERENCE | THE DESIGN STUDIO AT KEAN UNIVERSITY

 

68 BUSINESS

82 CASE STUDY: DCM HOLIDAY PARTIES | GEE + CHUNG DESIGN

100 CASE STUDY: WORLD PORK EXPO | TRILIX MARKETING GROUP

 

114 FUND-RAISERS

116 CASE STUDY: AFAN AIDS WALK | CDI STUDIOS

130 CASE STUDY: AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER | ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES PRODUCTIONS, INC.

142 CASE STUDY: FONK FEST | GO WELSH

154 CASE STUDY: HIGH MUSEUM ATLANTA WINE AUCTION | THE JONES GROUP

166 CASE STUDY: THE MODERN BALL | ELIXIR DESIGN

 

172 COMMUNITY & EDUCATION

188 CASE STUDY: CREATIVE FUTURE 2007 | UMS DESIGN

 

208 ENTERTAINMENT

210 CASE STUDY: HOT WHEELS HALL OF FAME | MORRIS! COMMUNICATION

220 CASE STUDY: NORTHWEST FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL | PLAZM

228 CASE STUDY: HARRISBURG SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL | PAVONE

236 CASE STUDY: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL | ADAMSMORIOKA, INC.

246 CASE STUDY: V FESTIVAL | AUTUMN:01

 

252 PRIVATE PARTIES

 

272 AWARDS

 

290 SPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE

294 CASE STUDY: THE 2006 NCAA FINAL FOUR | DEAN JOHNSON DESIGN

302 CASE STUDY: VEGAS GRAND PRIX | CAMPBELL FISHER DESIGN

310 CASE STUDY: THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT | ARCHRIVAL

 

314 DESIGN DIRECTORY

 

320 SPECIAL THANKS

 

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