News: One Design Honored with Four STA 100 Awards by The Society of Typographic Arts
CHICAGO, November 15, 2023 — One Design is honored to announce that four recent projects have been recognized through The Society of Typographic Arts’ prestigious 2023 STA 100 competition as among “the finest examples of communication design and typography created around the world.”
Branding work for the Truth Be Told, tavern; robotics startup Kinetic; and the Chicago Graphic Design Club’s Confronting Design event series; along with the self-initiated You Create Tomorrow installation; received awards.
CONFRONTING DESIGN
In collaboration with the Chicago Graphic Design Club, we crafted a brand identity for Confronting Design, a series of workshops, panel discussions, forums, and debates focused on pressing issues facing the field of design. The first sold-out event took place in April of 2023, and focused on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on design.
The design system is a typographic manifestation of dialogue and the point-counterpoint dynamic of debate. An ever-evolving, dynamic design language, the system is built on a constantly shifting visual power dynamic between the words in the series’ title to communicate the energy—and potential volatility—of the topics at hand.
KINETIC
Kinetic is creating an infrastructure-as-a-service solution to eliminate the friction associated with providing maintenance to today’s modern digitized vehicles. Their solutions promise effortless speed, effortless accuracy, and effortless precision.
The Kinetic logo and its accompanying monogram are symbolic of their comprehensive, self-contained, ever-expanding solution. The bespoke letterforms within the wordmark nod to engineering, precision, and cutting-edge digital technology, with a sense of visual strength that keeps them grounded in the industrial sector.
The complimentary visual system—including illustration, iconography, animation, photography, and video—pays homage to the innovative solutions the team is developing to facilitate an effortless transition to the modern age of mobility for dealerships, independent and national repair shops, fleets, and OEMs.
TRUTH BE TOLD,
Truth be Told, is a new tavern on the University of Chicago campus—blending old-world English pub atmosphere with the sophistication and elegance of Chicago‘s seminal academic institution.
Working for the Study Hotels group, One Design led the branding effort, from positioning and naming through visual and verbal identity, experience design, and execution. Truth be told, nods to the rich editorial legacy of the University—a play on words intended to evoke curiosity and conversation. The identity’s visual language is a nod to editorial publications, newspapers, and textbooks—supporting the rich legacy of the school and the communal atmosphere of the restaurant.
YOU CREATE TOMORROW
You Create Tomorrow is a typographic poster series designed to spur action within communities, prompting viewers to engage and share perspectives regarding how their individual actions and observations can benefit the improvement of their surroundings.
Custom type was drawn to maximize the white space on each poster, creating a blank canvas that invites viewers to contribute their thoughts and ideas in response to a series of prompts presented within each letterform.
Large-scale typography also equates to less ink coverage, which lowers the cost of printing in high quantity for mass distribution—creating a piece ripe for installation within a wide variety of community settings.
The work was initially installed as part of the Chicago’s Tomorrow, Today exhibition in Chicago’s West Loop. In addition to its display on the gallery wall, 250 posters were given away for free for individuals to use, distribute, and install within their own communities.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Now in its 45th year, The Society of Typographic Arts’ STA 100 competition seeks to identify and honor the finest examples of communication design and typography created around the world. The competition jury selects and presents only the 100 best examples of typographic excellence produced in the previous year.
ABOUT THE JUDGES
The 2023 jury of professionals included Scott Boms, Linda Byrne, Nermin Moufti, and Jon Sueda; and represents a wide range of experiences and expertise that demonstrate careers of depth and substance. This year’s competition was chaired by Sharon Oiga and Guy Villa Jr.
ABOUT THE STA
Since it was founded in Chicago on October 17, 1927, the STA has existed to encourage excellence and professionalism in all aspects of design, printing, and typography. Originally a chapter of the New York-based American Institute of Graphic Arts, in 1927 the Society of Typographic Arts created its own identity as an organization of Chicago’s leading professional designers, typographers, and printers.
Check out the complete slate of 2023 STA 100 award winners here, or focus in on the specific One Design projects that received honors.
And while you’re at it, take a moment to learn a little bit about The Society of Typographic Arts as well as the history of the STA 100 competition.
