CES
Type creates texture and visual
interest for program materials.
Design firm: MINE
The Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) is a nonprofit organization focused on education reform.
“This particular project was to design the materials
for its annual Fall Forum conference,” says MINE
principal Christopher Simmons.
“The first thing we noticed was the massive volume
of text,” says Simmons. “The program guide is
a little over 200 pages of 8.25-pt. type. Even the Save
the Date postcards are pretty verbose. Ultimately
we’d like to help them simplify the content, but we
knew it wasn’t going to happen this time around.”
So rather than see all that text as an obstacle
to creating something dynamic and engaging, the
designers at MINE decided to embrace it as their
greatest asset. “We decided to use only one typeface,
and that it must be one we’ve never used before—Eureka, which we purchased specifically for this project,”
says Simmons.
Due to budget restrictions, the design was kept
minimal—black plus one color. “With only one
typeface, we relied on color, scale and weight not just
to create all of the hierarchy in the pieces, but also
for visual texture and meaning,” says Simmons. “One
way we did this was to take the conference theme—A Principled Stand—and literally cut it in two. On
the Save the Date card, it bleeds off the right edge of
the card, then continues shifted down, in from the
left edge. Metaphorically, the statement is taking a
stand—drawing a typographic line in the sand.”
A mailer, which unfolds to become a poster,
required a diecut slit down the center and then
a specific folding sequence. Because of the cut, it
couldn’t be machine-folded. So the firm videotaped
themselves folding the piece and sent it to their
enviornmentally friendly printer Hemlock, who then
hand-folded all 12,000 pieces. Committed to sustainable
practice, all the pieces were printed on 100-percent recycled paper, Mohawk Options.
MINE
Principal/creative director: Christopher Simmons
Designers: Christopher Simmons, Tim Belonax
Client: The Coalition of Essential Schools
Contact: www.minesf.com
