Plainspoke

Self-published by Plainspoke, PORT smith is a print journal of art, words, culture, place that shares the visual, written and experiential work of creators from seacoast New Hampshire and southern Maine. The editorial and design concept is based on direct presentation of work within an ad-free format. Issue One consists of 76 perfect-bound pages printed on two different paper stocks. Published twice a year, the journal is available for sale at local retailers and bookshops, as well through a dedicated website port-smith.com.

A brand identity for Frost, master weavers of blankets made by hand using traditional weaving tools. Every aspect of the Frost business flows from the core belief that to respect and care for our fellow humans, and the world we inhabit, is to operate on a scale as close to human as possible.  The project scope was to develop a coordinated brand image that reflected those values and beliefs as well as the product quality offered by Frost.

"Mega-Mag" promotional publication for artist Carly Glovinski. Inserts of varying sizes are printed on different paper stocks including a synthetic tear- and water-resistant paper for the map fold-out. Saddlestitch binding with duct tape across spine.

204-page monograph published by photographer Michael Winters. Case bound with matte finish cover wrap. Silk coated paper stock with several fold-outs. Center section is printed on uncoated stipple finish paper.

Promotional booklet for artist Kim Faler featuring a range of installation, sculpture and photography projects. Digital printing with varied page sizes and singer-sewn binding using blue thread.

A range of publication and print design projects supporting both admission and development efforts at a private all-girls school in Boston.

A large-scale branding, publications and environmental graphics program for Simmons College in Boston. The project scope includes refinement and standardization of the Simmons wordmark, development of typography and color palettes, art direction of photography and illustration. Our work also included the design and production of a wide range of publications for all five of the College’s graduate schools, undergraduate admissions, the president’s office, and other initiatives across the college.

The endowment campaign logo, identity and publication design system we created for this important national museum in Washington, DC conveys the same sense of respect, intensity and seriousness of purpose that the Museum’s architecture and exhibition design accomplish so successfully.

Brand identity and supporting print items for an art foundation and museum based in both the United States and France. Interchangeable wordmarks identify both the Foundation (United States) and Château (France) while sharing color palette and overall design scheme. The symbol is derived from a monogram that sculptor Henry Clews carved into his works that are on view throughout the Château.

Depictions of the osprey, commonly sighted on 400-acre Chewonki Neck, have been a recurring symbol of this environmental education organization for nearly 100 years. The new symbol — designed as part of a comprehensive branding initiative — is derived from a copper weathervane that sits atop one of the original campus buildings.

A publication was created to introduce the new identity and support student recruitment efforts for the Semester School. In keeping with the program’s mission, only FSC-certified and 100% post-consumer recycled paper stocks and soy-based inks were used in its production. Hand-drawn typography and design elements suggest the hands-on, do-it-yourself spirit of the school.

112-page catalog created to accompany an exhibition at The Parlor at Plainspoke — a gallery space we established in the building where our design studio is housed. Wish/Regret is an ongoing project by conceptual artist Lauren Gillette and features the wishes and regrets of 70 subjects — all expressed as pairings of black and white mugshot-style portraits made with a Hasselblad camera. Personal statements from the participants range from spontaneous and humourous to introspective and heartbreaking.

Identity, graphics and limited edition folio for an exhibition of collaged photographs by artist Julee Holcombe. Made in Chimerica merges original photographs by the artist from travels in China and America into imagined landscapes that embody the “angle of totality” ideal of depicting multiple perspectives, traditionally found in Chinese landscape painting.

Campaign identity, publications and various print items created to support Passion for the Climb, a capital fundraising campaign.

Design of a 40-page book for photographer Michael Penney documenting and celebrating the pioneers of the craft brewing movement in New England. Perfect bound with several fold-outs and pasted board covers.

The third installment of In Plain View, a visual journal designed and published by Plainspoke, presents a series of large format black and white photographs by New Hampshire based photographer Cheryle St. Onge. The publication includes gate-fold covers with tri-tone reproductions printed offset on uncoated paper. Natural Collections was released at the opening event for an exhibition of the photographs at The Parlor at Plainspoke gallery.

Identity and supporting print items for the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Booklet featuring portraits of quirky New Englanders photographed by Frank Clarkson. Alternating letterpress text pages and full color offset printed photo pages. Singer sewn letterpress cover.

Admission publication series for a boarding and day school in Massachusetts, based on supplied market research and designed to fit within an existing brand identity. The editorial and visual focus is on conveying an active, hands-on learning environment through the theme "To Learn is to Live."