“The B, D and 4 train markings were noticeably missing in action during the first five games of the season, replaced by “Road Gray,” “Midnight Blue” and “Pinstripes,” leaving many die-hard fans wondering what had happened to the regular trains,” reported Daily News sports writer Mark Feinsand.

The MTA, which had lent the use of the subway lines to the Yankees for years at no cost, was not looking to cash in on the Yankees’ sponsorship deal with Subway restaurants, according to the authority. Instead, the MTA asked for a tagline urging fans to use mass transit to travel to and from games.

“We’re glad the B, D, and Jason Zillo’s beloved 4 train are back as part of the fan experience at Yankee Stadium,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz. ”The Subway Race will continue to remind fans that taking the train to the game remains the quickest and least expensive way to get to the game.”

The segment runs in the middle of the fourth inning during every Yankees home game.

Fun to see our work causing some buzz with fans…

Offwhite Design completed the new corporate marketing brochure for 16 Handles, the self serve frozen yogurt franchise chain. The 12-page brochure feature really cool effects including soft touch and raised UV coating to convey the tactile feel of yogurt.

Working With Stock Images:

When I was starting out back in the day, we had to sort through hundreds of stock images by hand, devoting endless and often painstaking hours, book after (non-digital) book to the formidable task of sifting for that perfect stock image. After finally (and hopefully) finding an image that worked, we would then need to call the artist’s rep and negotiate pricing on usage.

Today, with the explosion of dozens of online stock houses, and with the click of a Search button you’ve got millions of photos, illustrations, even flash and video files at your finger tips often royalty free. With such power comes  great responsibility. I see countless times where both clients and even fellow designers don’t fully understand the usage rights and limitations on these images. This is a very dangerous attitude and could be costly down the road.

Here are some steps you can take and should be aware of before making that stock image purchase. Some common misconceptions:

(a) If I by this stock image don’t I OWN this image outright?
You are actually only licensing the image for the purpose of your needs. In most cases you cannot resale the image for profit. For example, some sites do not allow you to put the artwork on a t-shirt if you will profit on that artwork. Same restriction would apply if you made a design template for resale using a stock image. Most sites offer an “Extended License”. These extended licenses allow you to print unlimited runs and usage is more expanded.

(b) Can I use it in my logo?
No, since you’d need to own that art completely to trademark you logo.

(c) Can I print as many copies with this stock image?
Usually not allowed, if you by the “Standard License” this typically allows you up to 499,999 impressions. That means if you know you will be doing ongoing print runs, you would need the extended license option to be covered.

(d) Can I use this image for multiple purposes?
I’m finding more and more stock sites allow more usage on their images. Which means if you’re doing a packaging design for a client, you can then also make a tradebooth or website design with it. But again you need to check each image. Something I learnt recently from one of my stock image reps is that most of the images out there are available in a pool were all stock house can offer on their sites under they’re own terms. This is interesting since you can go to gettyimages for example and see the image prices one way then go to blend and find that exact same image priced differently. I was pretty surprised by that tidbit.

(c) Can I give this art to multiple designers for different projects?
You would need the Extended License to cover multiple seats. This way you could give both your web designers and print designers the file to work with. I happened to speak with a rep at Corbis today and they said they do not allow their images to be transferable. So if you buy an image for a client, the client cannot take that image from you once they stop working with you. They would need to repurchase the image.

The good news is, with a little creativity you can do some amazing work with stock images that won’t look stale or typical. Just be mindful of what you’re getting into.

______________________________
Josh White is principal and creative director of OffWhite Design, a multidisciplinary design firm that finds creative solutions to serve a purpose.

This highend 8-page brochure features a precision laser diecut that mimics the iconographic dome with it’s intricate lace-like shapes. When you look up at this design from the inside of the dome, the view is incredibly impressive and we wanted to play off of that effect. When you open the brochure you get the breathtaking view that highlights the tower. The center is cleverly punched out to reveal the Aegon logo below on page 1. We art directed some beautiful photography shot by Ted Wathen which included the Louisville skyline and the Aegon building exterior, catching some wonderful lighting right before dusk among other impressive shots.

Aegon Center Brochure Cover

Aegon Center Brochure - Open Cover

Dr Jays, the highly popular urban lifestyle retail company, needed a rebranding that more accurately reflected the changing times and a more sophisticated customer base. OffWhite Design was brought in to spruce up the logomark and overall store branding image to offer a fresh dynamic new look and feel to the flagship store on 34th street in NYC. We approached the design direction to convey the lifestyle feel found in quality retail brands, and gave a solid personality to the brand.

Thinking Behind the Branding
Working with TPG Architecture, we developed a color palette that has staying power in a market that is constantly changing itself. These colors are used in the fabrication of the furniture in addition to the walls and other graphic elements. The color goal was to differentiate Dr Jays branding from the heavy use of red colors on 34th street  – Macys, H&M, Aeropostal and etc, all use red in their logos – and still stand out in a unique way. The three colors, purple, grey and teal allow for a beautiful backdrop for the store products and merchandise.

We developed the lifestyle theme of a Loft Party concept. As if capturing a moment in time at a young hip party, we show people dancing, doing cool moves, DJing and just have a great time together. The walls are covered with these fun larger than life images. To help tie in the three color panels, we created a background funky line art pattern that leads your eye and runs throughout the store. Stylistically, the people images were treated as black and white artwork with hits of accent color to add interest.

A center piece of the store is a young dancer doing a handstand above the elevator doors which are actually speakers. This is a fun element of interaction which allows customers to enter the music and feel the high energy of the store.

ReBranding the Dr Jays Logomark
The original branding at the various stores suffered from inconsistent typography and very dated design feel. We breathed new life into the Dr Jays logomark by designing lettering with a more modern style and a clean crisp look. We created both a stacked version and a horizontal option. The stacked version will be the primary designed used whenever possible. For exterior signage where space is typically more limited, the horizontal version will be used.

The new and improved Dr Jays Flagship store in midtown NYC opens today at 10am, check it out!

An out-take from a concept we liked for a rebranding of a medical referral and patient advocacy group. Using icons and graphic symbols quickly identifies what this fantastic not-for-profit does.