Posts tagged pearlfisher

A short story of identity

So where did this logo come from? The 26 on the plinth? The colours? Today, our special guest writer reveals all…

It began as an offer of help to John Simmons from me. It led to an email asking for Pearlfisher’s help with the website for 26 Treasures. It extended into a proposal to design the identity. It progressed to a meeting where Rob and Dan from the 26 Treasures team shared their hopes and dreams and we all left with a clear design route in mind. It turned into a fast and intense concept stage where two strong routes were etched from Jamie’s mind (he’s our designer).

It progressed into a presentation to John, Rob and Dan. It sped into a decision as to the winning route (and of course, it was not the one we’d envisaged in the initial meeting). A truly terrifying turnaround followed where finishing touches were added before it was ready to be revealed.

And ta da. We now have a confident, clean and clever identity with which to introduce our project to the world. The 26 T is a bold logo that is already getting us noticed. Which only helps to build excitement for the exhibition where words will reign supreme.

Design and words - together they make things happen.

Sylvie Saunders, Pearlfisher

Revealed: 26 facts about 26 Treasures (part 1)

1. We’re obsessed by the number 26. Hence the website going live on 26 July and the London Design Festival ending on 26 September. OK, that was out of our control, but we also like…
   
   
2. …synchronicity and serendipity. Like this. Rob Self-Pierson’s object is the Great Bed of Ware. Rob lives 10 miles from Ware. He found out via the Lee Valley Star that the bed will return to Ware in 2012 (see here). And it supposedly slept ‘26 butchers and their wives’.
   
   
3. We paired writers with objects at random in the café at the British Library, using a highly scientific technique involving strips of paper, names, numbers and plastic cups.
   
   
4. It was pure coincidence that Andrew Motion was paired with a bust of Homer (look up).
   
   
5. All the objects live in the British Galleries 1500 – 1760.
   
   
6. So many writers from 26 wanted to join the project, we created a supplementary project, inviting writers to write 62 words about an object of their choosing. We’ll show these pieces on the website from 18 August.
   
   
7. We’ll launch a treasure trail competition soon via Twitter – follow @26Treasures to take part.
   
   
8. Over the summer, you can see into the minds of the writers by reading about their writing journeys on the website. Find out where those 62 words came from.
   
   
9. The London Design Festival named 26 Treasures as one of its top 4 events.
   
   
10. Pearlfisher created the lovely 26 Treasures identity, and Domenic Lippa at Pentagram is creating the exhibition materials (thank you).
    
    
11. The average age of writers taking part is not 26.
    
    
12. The London College of Communications will include a 26 Treasures inspired project for first-year graphic design students this year.
    
    
13. Object with word in its title that we had to look up – Locket with a caul. A caul is ‘a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth’.

Come back Friday for part 2, when we’ll tell you about coffee consumption and designers, 15-year-old brides, and we’ll reveal a few words from one of our guest writers…