Kaya Rope
Kaya is a Turkish manufacturer of high-quality ropes, harnesses, and lifting equipment for climbing, rescue, and construction. We saw an opportunity to create a truly special alphabet inspired by rope, the company’s main product. The resulting custom typeface proved to be the perfect solution to Kaya’s identity needs: the Kaya name forms a distinctive logotype, while the alphabet (which includes special Turkish characters) is also used as a display font in catalogs and promotional material to create a unified and memorable appearance.
Logo Design Love
The website Logo Design Love took questions from their readers for Tom Geismar and posted his responses, which range over many aspects of identity design.
For more information, please contact Chris Nutter at christopher@nuttermedia.com.Black Ball 2009
Alicia Keys’ Black Ball charity event raises money for her Keep a Child Alive HIV/AIDS philanthropy, which this year honored Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, and singer Youssou N’dour. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv was asked to create motion graphics to play during the keynote performance by Keys and N’dour. The firm conceived a piece that animated the names of the donors one-by-one on a massive screen. At the climax of the song, the names converged into a giant circle symbolizing the world.
Produced by Semerad.
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation saw the need for a new visual identity to convey the global scope of its work. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv began by changing the main identifier from the full legal name to the more agile “MacArthur Foundation” to make it succinct and memorable. The firm then chose an earth and sky color scheme that, in conjunction with the word alignment, produces a mark that resembles a landscape symbolizing the whole world and thus the reach of the Foundation’s endeavors
Armani Exchange
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv has revitalized and updated the Armani Exchange brand identity and optimized it for use in advertising.
The firm redrew the A and X to make the heavy diagonal strokes parallel. A bolder and more unified mark was created by reversing the letters out of two rectangles, with the space between implying a slash.
The new symbol holds up in smaller sizes and on advertising photography while maintaining Armani Exchange’s international brand recognition.
The New York Times Magazine
Ivan Chermayeff brought his trademark illustration style to The New York Times Magazine’s July 12, 2009 cover story on encounters between whales and humans.
Library of Congress
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv has created a comprehensive identity system for the Library of Congress and its many divisions and associated entities.
The centerpiece of the new identity system is a symbol that distills and joins the essence of a book and the American flag to represent the national library.
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center came to Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv in search of a more modern identity and a stronger brand identification with its numerous high-profile projects and programs around the country. The firm designed a mark featuring a highly simplified set of scales to symbolize justice, the ideal that motivates all of the Center’s activities. Part of Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv’s recommendation was to integrate the abbreviation SPLC into the identity as a recognizable shorthand. The new identity was launched in early 2009.
Pan Am at MoMA
Six posters designed by our firm are prominently displayed in the Contemporary Art galleries of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The posters, which are part of the museum’s permanent collection, were designed in the 1970’s to promote world-wide travel on PanAm. They feature striking photography with very minimal typography.
Bank of Taipei
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv was retained by the Bank of Taipei to develop a comprehensive identity for the bank. The firm created a symbol that connotes an abstracted flower with four petals. The solid bold form with the square opening evokes security, protection and trust. The firm drew a logotype that complements the thick and thin strokes of the Mandarin logotype. Chermayeff & Geismar also created a color palette featuring the use of purple and blue for the Bank’s signage and printed communications.
