A new, and very creative, Creative Nonfiction
We are so proud of our collaboration with CNF in their journey to take their 15-year-old literary publication from a journal to a magazine.
And we certainly didn’t take the task lightly. The weighty journal was two-color text cover to cover-and there were no images. We knew that redeveloping the journal into an 88-page magazine wouldn’t be easy.
To keep costs down, we retained the two-color limitation inside, and CNF commissioned Little Kelpie to create illustrations for the issue’s essays, which all revolved around the topic of immortality. For the first issue’s illustrations we thought so much about death that we felt like we were in a Woody Allen movie.
More than just pop art
It's not easy designing a brochure for a museum that's all about design...
and art and music and...the list goes on. The Andy Warhol Museum is constantly in flux. It's not merely the largest museum dedicated to a single artist, it's also an ever-changing exhibition of relevant artists, musicians, and performers. You just never know what you'll see at the Warhol—and that's what we love about it.
What we did
However, unlike the museum's art, the communications identity is fixed and they wanted to keep it that way. We worked with staff from all corners of the Warhol to include elements of this established look and feel into a guide for musuem visitors.
The new guide includes well-known Warhol-related imagery and the basic who-what-where-when stats about the museum. A rundown of the massive building is also included, which leads visitors through the seven floors of work by Andy Warhol— and work by artists some visitors never even heard of before they stepped foot into the museum.
And that's what it's all about, right?
Preservation, education, recreation—yeah, all that
We helped Rivers of Steel transform the face of their organization with a website packed with audio, video, and photographic resources.
Hello, again
LK got to know and love Rivers of Steel while collaborating with the organization on Tour Anytime. Ever since, we hoped we would get the chance to redevelop the organization's primary website. After learning the extent of River of Steel's work while working on Tour Anytime, we knew their old site wasn't good enough. The outdated look, poor information architecture, and lack of up-to-date and functional resources made it difficult to even understand the purpose of the organization.
What was old is new
The 1930s-era steelworkers could have never imagined their stories and images travelling across time and space. However, this history is now preserved and broadcast to an extensive audience via the site's new multimedia pages.
The efforts of Rivers of Steel are now clearer, thanks to a revised information design, and the look and feel now worthy of an organization of such significance.
And it's not done yet...
In the coming months, we'll be adding a new online shop as well as a map of southwest Pennsylvania steel mills, complete with associated information and images.
Intimate, passionate, intense work that you won't see anywhere else—that's Quantum. For the second consecutive year, we collaborated with the theatre on the artwork for their season of performances.
Pulling off last year's artwork for Quantum's performances was a huge relief, and for the rest of the year we were able to smile as we passed countless Quantum posters in shop windows. But do it again? In our own little world, the task was akin to coming up with a hit song after the first went plantinum. Oh, the pressure! So, did we want to have a second go of it? You bet.
Three plays, six concepts
Quantum Theatre has described itself as a laboratory, an incubator, a voice for artists, and they actually treat our collaboration in the same manner. It's such a privilege to be given an overview of the season's work, photocopies of the plays, and then sent away to do what we do. Of course, it's also a massive responsibility. We are responsible for creating imagery that tells a story, appeals to the senses of the audience, and is respectful to the writers, the actors, the musicians, and the rest of Quantum's cast of creatives.
Even after reading the plays, researching, talking and talking and talking to each other, presentation day is still a terrifying experience. To provide Quantum with a choice of directions, we produce two concepts for each play. And, phew, they found three they liked—again.
Up next
Now that the season has been announced, and the season brochure is complete, we'll be working on the postcards, posters, and all of the other materials that Quantum needs to get the word out. So, while our work is not done, we can look forward to another year of strolling by some work that makes us—and Quantum—pretty happy.
Movies at the Warhol
The Warhol’s film and video curators are bringing amazing films to Pittsburgh—it’s just that not enough people know about them. We’ve worked with the Warhol to develop several print pieces to try and change that.
And some of those haven’t been easy.
For example, they put together an evening program featuring filmmaker William E. Jones’ 56 minutes of found police surveillance footage that featured men engaging in public sex in a restroom in Mansfield, Ohio in 1962. The program also included a panel discussion on the issues raised by the footage, which was collected without the knowledge of its participants and led to jail terms for many who were charged with sodomy.
What we did
You can probably imagine what was going through our minds when we were given this brief. A fantastic program, no doubt, but what would the flyer look like? Would we use images, and what of?
We were fortunate to have access to a small collection of stills from the police surveillance film, and a few of those were, um, suitable to distribute. The feature still we selected pictured a man in the restroom looking, though unknowingly, in the direction of the hidden police camera. While it was a low-resolution image, the grainy look conjures up just the right feel for the themes the flyer promoted.
Other projects
The diversity of the films shown at the Warhol means we need to be up for anything—and we are. After the postcard that featured a still from Dead Alive (a ghoul bursting through someone’s face), we created a brochure for the George Eastman House series. A 180-turn from exploding faces, we got to play around with lush stills of stunning actors like Louise Brooks to create a guide to promote silent and early sound films.
Opportunities for architecture in challenging times
We produced a full suite of marketing materials, including a program, signage, and even an eco-friendly shopping bag, for the second year in a row.
Build Pittsburgh is AIA Pittsburgh's annual continuing education conference. Our second year on the job, we had a great relationship with the AIA Pittsburgh team and a few strong ideas for this year's design.
The concept
This year's conference took place at the height of Pittsburgh's rainy spring, and the selected design features big, juicy raindrops showering the "Build Pittsburgh" titling. Without going too far into the dark side of lean economic times, the raindrops were a fitting metaphor for the conference theme.
The Trust has an insane number
of programs
This 24-page newsletter assists area educators to deliver international arts & cultural programming to their students.
While we’ve worked with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on other small projects, we were still pretty excited to work on such an important piece in their communications arsenal. The Trust hired Little Kelpie to completely redesign their annual newsletter for teachers.
Information overload
One of the most challenging aspects of this project was the amount of information we had to organize. We grappled with descriptions for each performance, audience testimonials, images for each performer, and logos, logos, logos—for the performers, sponsors, and Trust programs.
To help readers make sense of all the pieces, we created a visual coding system using color. Clear heading styles call out the crucial details, such as date, time, and cost, making it easy to scan and giving order to the many elements.
Cool and collected
The Trust were eager to create a more contemporary design for this edition of the program. The clean layout and bold color palette, often using large blocks of the primary colors, work towards a stylish design, with the fresh image treatment providing an interesting perspective on the photos they provided.
Big news for Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering
The school worked with LK to develop a print and email announcement to spread the news about an $18.5 million project.
Little Kelpie has collaborated with the Swanson School on a number of projects, but it was particularly exciting to assist them with this small campaign to broadcast such a big message.
Our work
We designed a postcard and email template, based on the school’s established look. The email template is designed DIY style—the school can use the template to send similar announcements in the future without LK’s assistance.
Hope in hard places
LK worked with Sharon to develop a website that works both as a marketing tool and a point of communication with her devoted audience. The site features profiles of her books as well as other bits of inspiration, including video, audio, photos, poetry, a fan club, and more.
“Bang! Guns really sound like that, you know.”
Sharon Flake’s work is simultaneously confronting and inspiring. She tells the stories that need to be told, that kids desperately want to hear, and we should all listen.
Working with Sharon was different than working on most of our other projects; it felt very personal. Even if you are a talented author who has stirred kids and adults alike, it can still be difficult to “market” yourself. It’s painful to choose a photo for the home page. And writing a bio takes much more effort than it sounds, even with a writer’s talent.
We felt a tremendous responsibility to deliver a site that Sharon felt comfortable with, would work for her dual communication strategy, and be simple enough for her to update on her own. Agami Creative was a core member of the project team, handling the web development and integrating the easy-to-use content management system.
The influence, impact, and intersection of architecture and design
Our suite of materials for Design Pittsburgh08, including a program, save-the-date card, postcard, and signage, was given the endearing title of the “pick-up sticks” concept by our collaborators at AIA Pittsburgh.
Earlier last year we developed a campaign for Build Pittsburgh, which gave us insight into AIA’s mission, got to know the organization’s lovely people, and provided us with the foundation to build a solid theme for Design Pittsburgh. This year we're thrilled to get the opportunity to tackle Build Pittsburgh 2009.
We've also collaborated with AIA Pittsburgh on postcards for Riverside Mews as well as the Pittsburgh's Favorite Architecture show at SPACE Gallery.
Just don’t call it “marketing”
We worked with Quantum to develop a season program with an accompanying series of posters, postcards, and ads that would speak intimately about the plays and entice their dedicated audience to attend.
Quantum Theatre has a long history of working with designers to create singularly beautiful pieces of artwork to promote Quantum performances. It’s impossible to walk by a Quantum poster hanging in the window of a coffeeshop or record store—you have to stop, look closer, and consider it. The images have always been artistic, suggestive, and persuasive.
Our work
Have we successfully set the scene for our enormous task? We were simultaneously thrilled and terrified to take on the job. We consumed all the plays, scribbled notes in the margins, talked and talked at LK, debated/argued a bit, sketched and drank coffee at Beleza…
While we tend to approach most of our work this way, we knew that this was going to be even more intense, and the expectations higher.
We believe we pulled it off. What do you think?
(As if this wasn't enough pressure, we redeveloped Quantum's website at the same time.)
Work on a book of album reviews? That's music to our ears.
We implemented a new design for 91.3fm WYEP’s book of their top albums for 2008 and 2009, as well as handling the proofreading and print management for their signature piece.
We have a unique partnership with WYEP, and feel pretty lucky. Little Kelpie functions as the station’s satellite design office, which means LK always has a WYEP project on the to-do list and they have a design team they can turn to anytime.
Our work
We've had a lot of fun putting together the past two issues of WYEP’s Year In Review. The book contains 50 reviews of WYEP’s selected albums, plus the best in local music and listeners’ list of faves.
WYEP lives in a purpose-built LEED-certified building, so we were pleased to see them continue their commitment to sustainability by printing the book on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper.
And it was pretty cool to work with an image of Radiohead for the cover in 2008, and beautiful Neko Case in 2009. Plus, it means we can argue that the IRS should eat the cost of our copy of In Rainbows.
What is Quantum Theatre?
We assisted Quantum to develop their most advanced website yet, helping their small team show off the big things they do.
First of all, there is no “theater” per se. A performance might be held in an empty swimming pool or old porn theater; it depends on the play.
Second, only a handful of people call themselves “Quantum Theatre”. In fact, just a small group of people handle the technical, stage, and artistic direction; plus ticketing, planning, marketing, etc. to provide the art and money to make the shows happen. Karla Boos and René Conrad, who manage it all, are the ideal combination of art and science—stuff gets done, and when it’s done it’s beautiful.
Our Work
The new site enables Quantum to do more with their website than ever before. The site is integrated with a content management system to make it possible for staff to update their own website, including editing text, creating new pages, and adding photo galleries. The “Past Productions” section, with press and photos from past performances, is a highlight. Once again, we were happy to have Agami Creative on our side for the web development.
Now that Quantum can power their own site, we’re eager to see how they expand the site, reach out to their audience, and—as is Quantum’s way—make it even more beautiful.
Market Square? Yeah, Market Square.
Big things are finally happening in downtown Pittsburgh's Market Square. We're pretty excited to help spread the word.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) are working hard to take a place commonly thought a dingy hangout toward its true role as an urban meeting place. Summer programming, in particular, makes this square an inviting place to stop for a coffee, to visit the weekly farmer’s market, or check out one of the many summer events.
Our Work
We worked with the PDP to develop a calendar highlighting the warm-weather activities happening in the square. With 50,000 copies distributed across the city, it shouldn’t have been difficult to get your hands on one. Tacked up near your desk or hanging from the fridge, the color-coded calendars made it easy to check out the daily happenings.
A big project
Pittsburgh is a tough nut to crack—it's just not tourist friendly, but good things abound. Tour Anytime helps non-locals and residents learn more about the city's (sometimes hidden) treasures.
We worked with Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area for months to put all the pieces together for Tour Anytime, cell phone and MP3 tours featuring the historic and cultural heritage of southwestern Pennsylvania. After we worked with Rivers of Steel to complete the identity and brochures, we finally tackled the website.
About the site
The Tour Anytime website is the major point of distribution for the tours. The site enables visitors to listen to audio samples of the tours, download tour maps and brochures, and purchase and download tours online. With striking photos of the tour sites, and featuring the design carried through the series, we're eager to see the Tour Anytime site grow as new tours are developed.
Agami Creative partnered with us to provide web development and advice.
Ever been to the Warhol?
Our first collaboration with the Warhol, we crafted unique artwork for the series that remains as one of our favorite projects for the museum thus far.
If you don’t know much about the Andy Warhol Museum, cast any expectations aside. Your first visit to the museum is guaranteed to surprise you. That’s certainly the way we felt on our first visit.
Yes, you’ll see exactly what you’re expecting to see by Warhol. However, the diverse collection will introduce to you significantly more of Warhol’s work, styles and pieces you may have never associated with the Pop Art icon.
While it’s certainly impressive that this is the largest museum dedicated to a single artist in the world, the Warhol doesn’t stop there. They feature a continuous program of music, theater, film, lectures, and shows by other artists. Too many locals think, “The Warhol, oh yeah, I’ve been there.” But it’s always changing, continually evolving—if you just go once, you’re missing out.
Fall Music 2007
The Fall Music series is a perfect example of what else the Warhol offers. From September through November 2007 the museum featured nine carefully selected bands. Some names you’ll know (Yo La Tengo), while others (Matthew Shipp) you may not. And that’s the point—part of their goal is to bring innovative performers to Pittsburgh who we may not have had the chance to see here otherwise.
Our Work
The museum commissioned us to develop a poster for the series, as well as a custom flyer for each of the nine performances. And it’s easy to be spoiled working for a client like the Warhol. As a host to a diverse range of creative undertakings, we felt that we could pitch inspired concepts to them without feeling as if we went over the top.
- AIA Build Pittsburgh 2009
- AIA Design Pittsburgh 2008
- Creative Nonfiction redesign
- Cultural Trust education program
- Market Square calendar
- Quantum Theatre Season 2008–09
- Quantum Theatre season 2009–10
- School of Engineering campaign
- Warhol film & video projects
- Warhol museum brochure
- Warhol Sound Series
- WYEP Year in Review 2008 and 2009
