I recently picked up on something while reading Steven Levy’s interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in Wired magazine. In response to a question about how to make Blue Origin (his space travel venture) succeed, Bezos said simply: “Maintain a firm grasp of the obvious at all times.”

Capturing the essence of a brand, a story, or an organization is the ultimate communications design challenge.  It’s the proverbial truffle of successful identities: uncovering it usually takes some digging, but the rewards are worth it.

Giving the Harvard i-lab a graphic identity ...[more]

I want to share some notes on the 2012 Summer Design Fellowship poster and some thoughts on design communication. But before I do here’s just a brief introduction for those who are new to the program. Years ago the firm established a ten-week paid Design Fellowship for an exceptional architecture student to work with us over the summer. The application is open to all students who are, at date of submission, enrolled in an accredited professional degree program in the field of architecture.

At some point, to keep things fresh we ...[more]

It’s dedication day for Harvard’s innovation lab in Boston, but the buzz has been building all fall.

Shepley worked with Harvard to fast-track the creation of Batten Hall and the i-lab, transforming the old studios of WGBH into a high-energy space for campus and community. Say goodbye to the studios where Julia Child and Zoom! were filmed and hello to workshops and wide-open (and wired) spaces.

Or should we say ‘Hi,’ in the spirit of the i-lab’s signature logo, which Shepley created as part of the innovation lab’s brand?

Even before today’s events, i-lab director Gordon ...[more]