Masters Degree, Master Robin, Grand Master Flash, Masters of the Universe…finally we feel worthy to add our studio name to that impressive list. The Logolounge – Master Library Vol.1 book was just released and we’re proud to announce they’ve included seven of our client’s logo designs! We are always stoked to have our work included in any volume of Logolounge, but the Master Library series feels extra special! Get your own copy here.
Well, it’s a new month—so you know what that means! It’s time for our newest addition to the Alphabet Arm / Flagship Press 2010 calendar. February features a blind-emboss matched with opaque white ink on the stunning Curious metallic silver stock.
The name February comes from the Latin word “februum,” which translates to purification. After the densely-layered imagery we created for January we wanted to make something stark and elegant to purify our “design” palettes—if you will. As a studio we obsess over typography and we certainly enjoyed creating this strictly-typographic composition. Did you know that February doesn’t always have a full moon? This year it ends with one!
Interested in ordering one? We have both subscriptions and single month pieces available on our BigCartel store.
Events on a Mission is a New York based event planning service. What makes them so unique is that they incorporate charitable giving within an event. From intimate, private parties, to formal, ballroom galas, Events on a Mission allows their clients to relax and leave all the planning to them, while giving to a cause that is near and dear to their client’s hearts.
The logo itself was inspired by the owner’s innovative approach to business. In a market that is inundated with competition, she thought (and we always agree) that the logo should stand apart from what’s commonly used within the industry. We split the different between a formal affair and an assertive mission stamp. It’s buttoned up enough to appeal to her female demographic, while not alienating the dudes. Party on people—and feel good about it!
In order to start the year off on the right foot, we’ve teamed up with Flagship Press to create a unique, fine-art inspired calendar. The coolest aspect is that each month will feature radically different artwork and printing techniques. Each month will serve as a handy guide to different print processes and paper stocks, as well as ample eye-candy. The calendar comes with an all-in-one easel/envelope. When you are done viewing a particular month, you can store it in the envelope for later reference.
As we kick off the new year, we can’t help but to look even further forward to what lies ahead for humanity. The other source of inspiration for January is a collection of satellite photos being released by High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), capturing the surface of Mars. Simultaneously familiar and alien, these images sparked our creative fires and our imaginations; leading us to wonder what marvelous technologies the future will bring. After all, we’re also still waiting for our very own flying DeLoreans.
January’s calendar was printed on 12 pt. Nordic cover stock, with process inks. Additionally, it was printed with both matte and UV gloss varnishes to give extra contrast between the dull and shiny surfaces.
We’re offering the calendar for sale on our store. You can get it both as a yearly subscription, or just your favorite month. Take a look here.
Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
Fela Kuti – Best of the Black President
Mean Jeans – Are You Serious
Fat Wreck Chords – Wrecktrospective
Vampire Weekend – Contra
It’s true: there are two of us. I am also a new intern at Alphabet Arm and a full-time student at the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University. I have ventured down this long road to make it to where I am sitting right now, in my cute office on the 3rd Floor in a hipped out building in the South End. Although I may have doubted myself at times, I’m happy to say that I will be graduating in May with a BFA in Graphic Design.
Alphabet Arm seems to be the perfect cup of tea—or coffee depending on the amount of sleep from the night before—for me. After I graduate, I want to be in the print design field and work with a small group of people who share the same creative goals as myself. Seriously this couldn’t have been a more perfect place for me to intern, with comfy clothes, logo projects, music, sweet treats, sticker cutting and of course great company. Love it. All four guys are great. Aaron’s height makes him move like a gazelle and it scares me at times. Ryan will someday get a dog, have to pick up its poop and probably email me about it. Ira is the smiliest person I have ever met, and Chris seems to share a love of purple with me. All in all, I am more than content here.
The guys have pretty much convinced me to adopt a cat, despite my allergies and dislike of the seemingly cute creatures. I have an issue of waking up in the middle of the night with a nice Charles River rat chilling on my pillow next to me (yes alive and yes I did freak out). So the question they seem to keep asking is, “Really, why don’t you just get a cat?” Cat allergies versus bed rats. What’s a girl to do? I am on my way tomorrow to go adopt one!
-Bianca Pettinicchi
Email me with ideas for cat names, or any other trick to keeps rats out of a bed: bianca@alphabetarm.com
And I am becoming savvy with this thing called twitter 
twitter.com/alphabetarm
I have come to the realization that I’m not sure of many things in life. The one thing I am certain about, is that I want to design. I have a deep passion for it, it’s a feeling that is hard to explain. When I am immersed in a world of art and design. I feel comfortable and happy I am certain this is where I need to be. My name is Maria del Carmen Perez people call me Mona. I’m from Ecuador, a small and beautiful country in South America (you should come and visit!). Considering I go to school in Boston—specifically New England School of Art & Design—having a fear of flying is rather inconvenient. I obviously need to fly a lot. More importantly, I really do love traveling.
Regarding my passion for design: it can be very challenging to relate to my friends who don’t share the same obsession. 99% of my friends have no idea about the design world, so this must mean I need new friends (clearly, my social life is not a priority). Dear friends, if you read this don’t get mad! I love you. Now that you know this about me, and you know Alphabet Arm, don’t you agree it’s the perfect place for me to intern? The team here is awesome. Its only been a week and I already have learned some amazing things. For example: Chris suffers from a crippling addiction to potato chips. Ryan’s grandma is apparently better at technology than he is. Ira has a tendency to use weird passwords on the computers and Aaron eats something called Tofurky. Hopefully, by the end of my internship I’m not a veggie. To be honest though, that Tofurky sandwich looked pretty delicious!
Seriously though, I have already learned a lot. I’m very excited to be here. I’ve had the opportunity to help prep logo files for a couple new books (publishers based in China and Barcelona) that have requested to include Alphabet Arm’s work in them. I may have even renamed one of the books! I’ll confirm that later. I’m currently flowing in new content for a marketing brochure, helping the team with a monthly mailing and about to work on my first logo project.
Hit me with any questions or just say Hola: mona@alphabetarm.com.
Don’t forget to follow us on twitter at twitter.com/alphabetarm. I will be posting frequently, so follow us if you want to keep tabs on what everbody is working on.
• We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
• Three Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom
• Naked Raygun – What Poor Gods We Do Make
• Fugazi – everything on Archive.org
• Melvins – Stoner Witch
ProctorCam is a virtual proctoring service offered to test takers and organizations that administers tests online. We were recently approached by the CEO to update their brand. The prior logo felt a bit too obvious, dated and fluorescent in our opinion. Staying true to our logo process, our goal was to keep things simple but present ProctorCam with a more sophisticated identity. The new icon within the lock-up stands on it’s own and reads initially as a “P” until the color break reveals a seamlessly integrated “C.” We presented quite a few color options once the basic composition of the logo was approved. Getting buy-in to veer away from the old color scheme proved to be the biggest stumbling block, all credit to our client for trusting us enough to make the leap. The new logo feels more legitimate, trustworthy, and a lot less web 2.0.
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