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December 2008
Lodging Magazine editor Phil Hayward poses the question, “At what point is a hotel brand said to be born?”
Ken and Leslie discuss CSA’s approach to the branding of Mayan resort NIZUC in the December issue of Lodging
Magazine. “We design deep,” explains Ken, “It’s from the inside out. One of our trademarks is to tap both
sides of the brain, thinking through things logically and at the same time not diminishing what people
ultimately see as a look and feel.” CSA developed a brand platform for NIZUC that incorporates world-class
architecture and design, respect for and preservation of the natural landscape, while delivering a level of
service, hospitality and warmth that redefines luxury, before ground was ever broken at the site.
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December 2008
When called upon to describe his best work, Ken Carbone opens up
to HOW magazine about the creative process
involved with designing a poster celebrating Swiss designer Fritz Gottschalk-- his mentor, former partner and
friend for over thirty years. Taking inspiration from the Swiss flag, Ken created a striking yet simple red
and white poster while partner Leslie Smolan wrote the copy. The poster, along with others from an elite
group of international designers, was presented
to Gottschalk in honor of his 70th birthday.
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October 2008
Hotel Angst, built in 1887 as a premier luxury hotel, is getting a make-
over complete with a new brand platform
and identity from Carbone Smolan Agency. Located on the Italian Riviera, this historic yet run down hotel is
set to re-open as Angst Hotel and Residences in 2011, after major renovations by Milan developer Bizzi & Partners.
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October 2008
Bideawee, one of the country’s oldest animal welfare organizations, came to CSA to develop a new brand identity.
Applied across all communications materials, the new warmer, friendlier, and clearer message features an updated
brown and magenta logo and turns the “W” into the face of a dog or a cat. CSA also updated Bideawee’s slogan from
“bring love into your home,” which only refers to adoption, to “for the love of pets,” which includes the wide
range of services
the organization offers.
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October 2008
Canon introduced their new image PRESS C1+, the first color device with clear toner for the production and
proofing markets, in late October. CSA had the opportunity to ‘test drive’ Canon’s new technology before
it
was announced to the general public, helping to demonstrate the true strength of the product with innovative
designs and advanced printing applications. Carla Miller, design director, explains how this ground-breaking
innovation helps “provide seductive, finished looking proto-
types for our client design presentations.”
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September 2008
Ken Carbone designed a playful tribute for Kahlo Rivera100, Alliance Graphique International’s
celebration to mark the 100th anniversary
of Kahlo’s birth and the 50th anniversary of Rivera’s
death. Ken’s contribution stemmed from a strong personal interest in the infamous duo and their
vast contributions to the art world will be on display in Mexico City later this year.
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September 2008
Alan Becker and Leslie Smolan discuss the impact of building a strong brand
out of "sand, surf and, in one case, a model wearing a mysteri-
ous silver amulet."
Just in time for fashion week, mysterious ads began to circulate for a yet to exist
resort destination on Mexico's Riviera Maya. GHM Hotels and Alan Becker looked to
Carbone Smolan Agency to build an identity for Nizuc Hotel and Residences that would
project “Mayan culture brought into the 21st century.” An entire brand platform was
crafted before breaking ground to establish the resort's sense of independence,
personalization, and luxury.
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September 2008
Leslie Smolan weighs in on the unveiling of Microsoft’s new ad campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates.
Various leaders
of the branding and design industry offer mixed reviews of the $300 million dollar ads. "It's big,
it's got deep pockets -- certainly deep enough to buy any celebrity it wants," Ms. Smolan said. "What it doesn't
have is creativity, the key ingredient Microsoft has always lacked."
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August 2008
Carbone Smolan Agency was selected by Mexico City based developer Alan Becker to create the brand for NIZUC,
an exclusive resort and residences on the Riviera Maya before there was a plan for what the buildings would
look like. NIZUC’s branding incorporates world-class architecture and design, respect for and preservation
of the natural landscape, while delivering a level of service, hospitality and warmth that redefines luxury.
This “brand platform” became the concept from which all decisions about the hotel and resort would later
flow. NIZUC’s identity and marketing materials were chosen among Communication Arts ‘outstanding examples
of graphic design’ and sited in Exhibit.
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August 2008
CSA’s innovative designs for the W.L. Gore Capabilities Center earned a Merit Award in the recent SEGD 2008 Design Awards Edition.
CSA led the design and development of the 6,000 square foot marketplace, aimed at translating the science within Gore’s products
into a visible and understandable expression of the brand.
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July 2008
Ken Carbone has contributed a playful homage to the Alliance Graphique International / Mexico's Kahlo / Rivera 100 celebration.
It marks the 100th anniversary of their historic union and contribution
to 20th century art.
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July 2008
Kahlo Rivera100 is sponsored by Alliance Graphique Internationale
/ Mexico. Ken Carbone’s poster
is one of 100 that will appear at the Club de Banqueros de Mexico AC in Mexico City later this year.
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July 2008
Project Director Gene Castallano is interviewed about WL Gore & Associates Capabilities Center in Barkdale, Delaware.
Carbone Smolan Agency, along with IDEO and Homsey Architects, designed a space inside an former electronics assembly
plant that fosters team spirit, media attention and serves to solidify business relationships with new clients.
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July 2008
Leslie Smolan discusses the benefit of creating a resort brand before ground is broken.
“In the absence of anything material, the brand takes on an even greater role……We’re creating
the song sheet off which all the creative partners will sing, so we’ll all sing in the
same key.”
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July 2008
Bideawee wins Honorable Mention in ID's 54th Annual Design Review. Designed by CSA, Bideawee’s cheerful corporate
identity reflects the loving relationship of people and their pets.
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June 2008
Glass is both the most elegant and the most mundane of materials.
Its ubiquity poses perhaps its greatest challenge,
says Ken Carbone, Carbone Smolan Agency. “The trick is to do something new and fresh with it.” For the W.L. Gore
Capabilities Center, CSA went for high impact. A 33-by 40-ft. glass display in the entrance looks like a drama-
tic
piece of abstract art, but is actually a carved, etched, and edgelit depiction of the micro-fiber structure of Gore-Tex.
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June 2008
From the Scottish for “stay awhile,” Bideawee’s mission is to promote and support safe, loving, long-term relationships
between people and companion animals. To help expand awareness for one of the oldest animal-welfare organizations in the
country, Carbone Smolan contem-
porized the original name, “Bide-A-Wee Home Association,” and created two friendly logos.
The firm also updated Bideawee’s tagline from “bring love into your home,” to “for the love of pets.”
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May 2008
Facing an increasingly competitive marketplace in the financial services sector, Morgan Stanley engaged Carbone Smolan Agency
as a strategic partner. CSA helped the company develop a three-tiered architecture for its calendar of events, a streamlined
publishing process for its in-depth research reports and comprehensive brand identity guidelines to unify Morgan Stanley's
signature, communica-
tions and image across all retail and institutional business lines.
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April 2008
Finding your way around complex buildings and cities can be a nightmare even for longtime residents.
Why do people still become
lost despite the best efforts of environmental graphic designers, sign
fabricators, and enlightened clients? And, collectively, what can we
do about it? KaK World Design
Magazine invited CSA to share their best examples of signage, navigation and environmental design.
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February 2008
How do you represent a company, product or service in a single, concise visual form? In the February
issue of Computer Arts Projects magazine, logo designer Ken Carbone identifies the attributes of a great
logo. “A great logo must exhibit appropriateness, clarity, flexibity, strength and surprise. Using this
formula, any company or institution
is guaranteed to benefit from a successful logo, which will continue
to evolve with their brand naturally and effectively.”
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February 2008
Although I'm not a frequent customer of Denny's, it is a preferred choice when I am offered the other alternatives at
a highway rest stop. My expectation for what the dining experience will be is aligned with the brand and what they deliver.
Never more. Never less. Just right. I think there is strength in this consistency, a quality that is not reflected in
their new “Real breakfast 24/7” campaign.
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February 2008
Portfolio Center design student Ross Shapland sat down with Ken Carbone of Carbone Smolan after his
seminar February 21st. The result was a closer look inside one of the industry greats, a man who is as
generous with his time and insights as he is talented.
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February 2008
Fundraisers at Bideawee, the venerable American animal welfare agency, have always been hampered
by the organization’s name—a Scottish expression for “stay awhile.” The obscurity places tremendous
importance on Bideawee’s visual branding, which is why they decided to revamp the organization’s
look and feel, tapping top firm Carbone Smolan Agency for the job. The result? A logo that is warmer,
friendlier and clearer.
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January 2008
Among their many accomplishments, the Mayans developed one of
the most sophisticated writing systems in Mezo-America, with over
800 glyphs and symbols. And that’s where the New York-based design
and branding firm Carbone Smolan began its brainstorming to create
a symbol that would capture the essence of the Nizuc, a new luxury
resort on the Riviera Maya. The logo reflects the Mayan belief in the
circular nature of the continuum of life – birth, death, rebirth.
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June 2007
Armed with nothing but the available hype and hearsay, AdAge Creativity asked designers to weigh
in on the alleged miracle device and give it a provisional rating on a scale of zero to five stars.
For
Ken Carbone, “a brilliant phone would have been just enough and this one is extremely neat-solid,
practically user-friendly technology with
a well-designed interface. So what's not to like?”
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November/December 2007
When seeing or hearing the word “Bide-a-Wee” for the first time, it is difficult to imagine what kind of
nonprofit organization it is, even if you know that the word is Scottish for “stay awhile.” That was just
one part of the marketing challenge for a New York-based humane organization that provides a wide range
of services for cats and dogs, including adoption, veterinary care and retirement. To update their
104-year-old image, Bide-a-Wee hired Carbone Smolan Agency.
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March 2007
Joining a select group of branding experts, Ken Carbone offers his opinion on the redesign of the Dairy Queen
logo for a recent issue
of AdAge Creativity. He sees the creative effort as a weak attempt
to dress the brand
in the stylistic trends of the moment but a modest improvement.
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January 2007
It's no secret that teenagers drive market value, but does their interest in high-end goods like Louis
Vuitton or Burberry help or hinder age-
old brands? Ken Carbone weighs in on teens, their obsession with
celebrity culture and how all of this affects these sophisticated brands and their legacy in Karen
Sandstrom's article in the January 11th
Plain Dealer.
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