Happy Mardi Gras: A Spotlight on New Orleans Creatives
In honor of Mardi Gras we’re highlighting a few standout creative firms in the Big Easy whom we’ve discovered with the power of the internet. New Orleans definitely has its own style and flavor, whether its food, cocktails, or creative work and the following agencies and creatives have the work to prove it.
The first agency is Line 58. While their name is relatively new( they used to go by Zande+Newman) they’ve been around since 1991. Their name comes from the rail line that goes from New Orleans to Chicago and carries the famous “City of New Orleans” train. So with that symbolism in their name, there’s no wonder they embody the spirit of their city. They’ve got some great work all around but these projects really stood out to us.
The Savvy Gourmet
Being in the food retail world ourselves this project is very close to home. Line 58 worked with their client to create everything from visual branding to fixtures and finishes in the store environment. A logo is one thing, creating everything else is a whole other ball of wax that they make look easy. We really like the in-store signage — it looks inspired by old letterpress posters, but with a contemporary spin. They are nice and bold but fit within the space without looking out of place. We also appreciate the thoughtfulness in the elements used in the interior to evoke a modern New Orleans, without resorting to using trumpets and fleur-de-lis.
Image via Line 58
The Building Block
The other Line 58 project we’re drawn to is the identity for The Building Block. We really like the use of overprint and transparency to create the “B” letterform, its just so much more interesting that just slapping a B up there and calling it a day. They also did a great job working that transparency into the other brand materials, such as the website’s big green box.
Image via Line 58
Our next stop is a studio called Thinka. They have some interesting work, and based on what they’re showing in their portfolio they look like they’re a witty group of folks.
Emmett’s Fine Meats & Seafood
Another food retail identity, the work Thinka did for Emmett’s is really great. Its a homegrown butcher shop in New Orleans and the logo really embodies the shop. We really appreciate the industrial/vintage feel with simple typography, nice design flourishes, and a bright color palette. We also like the use of the “New Orleans Louisiana” stamp element used on all the pieces and is a nice consistent recognizable element.
Image via Thinka
Pizzacare
The other Thinka work we really dig is the logo for Pizzacare. Its got nice bold sans serif type sitting in a circle that evokes a pizza shape or even a record. The colors Thinka chose for the identity are nice as well and give the warm feeling of a tasty pie. The whole logo feels like its been around forever (in a good way) and looks great really large in a sign as well as on the menu.
Image via Thinka
Nancy Sharon Collins, Stationer
Our next visit brings us to Nancy Sharon Collins, Stationer. This is a one woman creative powerhouse in New Orleans proper who’s been around for quite some time. She creates incredibly intricate and beautiful designs either for traditional packaging, engraving, or stationery. She even has written a book about the history and context of social stationery.
Liz Claiborne’s Curve fragrances
Who hasnt seen this packaging? Nancy Sharon Collins developed the packaging for this line of fragrances. I remember seeing these on the shelf and loving the hand drawn lettering for “Curve”. It wraps so nicely around each application, one can tell she considered all the different shapes and sizes her design would be applied to. The colors are quite nice as well and feel very luxiourous — a good feeling to evoke in a line of fragrances.
Image via Nancy Sharon Collins
Engravings
We also really love Nancy Sharon Collins’ engravings. She says “Engraving is the highest form of printmaking known” and while we do other forms such as screen print and wood block, we tend to agree with her. She creates beautiful delicate designs as shown below. In the tree example you can almost see every little leaf. In the monogram example theres a nice play of thick line weights and super thin flourishes- wonderful examples of whats attainable when you are a master of you craft. This monogram would be at home on any gate at a Garden District mansion.
Image via Nancy Sharon Collins
The final creative shop on our tour of New Orleans is CPR+Partners. Based on the little snippets of their philosophy peppered throughout their website, these folks seem like they’d be really great to work with. A lot of their work is infused with a touch of humor that take a sec to sink in, as well as a little of the unorthodoxy that embodies New Orleans.
Youngs Dry Cleaning
We instantly loved the work they created for Youngs Dry Cleaning. First off the logo is outstanding, great type and colors lending a vintage feel that is right at home with a dry cleaning service. Though they are using what we would consider a predictable color (bluish teal) but they don’t wear it out, using it in all the right ways and places. The other piece of this work we really enjoy are the ads they created — super witty composition and copywriting makes this client stand out from the rest for sure. And each statement I can imagine being uttered with a thick New Orleans accent.
Image via CPR+Partners
Whipsie
The other project of theirs that really stood out to us is this packaging design for Whipsie, an alcohol infused whipped cream, which sounds to us like either the greatest invention or the worst idea (because it would seriously cut into our productivity if we got our hands on it.) They’ve really managed to basically make a 21+ version of whipped cream. The packaging for an otherwise boring aerosol bottle has been made to look quite dapper, like its going to a really fancy dinner party. The subtle colors and straight-forward photography definitely gives the customer an idea of what they can do with this product. Theres also something very New Orleans about an alcohol-infused whipped cream.
Image via CPR+Partners
And that concludes our tour of some of our favorite New Orleans creative studios. These shops show that the Big Easy is more than just a place for beads and beignets and has some serious creative chops.
