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Monday Marks: #1

MM#1-fortune-teller

 

Every Monday, for twenty-one consecutive weeks, we have blogged about a graphic mark (or marks) designed by our creative team. This series started on our 21st birthday—May 19, 2014 and officially ends TODAY with our final mark.

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The animation above features the graphic mark that launched this series—an origami fortune teller.

Why you ask? Excellent question.

We challenged ourselves to a create a graphic symbol that could convey the spirit and complexity of our work. The paper fortune teller that engaged and often surprised us as young children, seemed like a pretty great one.

Each mark we create is like a game. There are rules to follow, objectives to reach, and, yes, fun to be had! There is an inherent problem to be solved and at the end of the day there is only one winner.

We play the “game” of design with strategic thinking. Like the fortune teller, it involves asking questions, revealing answers, digging deeper for clues and ultimately exposing the big message. It is a game of layers—layers and layers of meaning that are folded into the work—adding multiple dimensions to the final mark. Whether you see it all at once or a little bit over time, it’s all in there.

Our graphic marks don’t really predict the future, but they are telling little constructions that embody truths, hold meaning and reveal a lot about the people and places they represent. And, they’re fun to figure out!

This series features a total of 40 marks. Each started as a blank sheet. The creative team was constantly engaged in cutting, folding, flipping, asking, responding and, finally, revealing. Each mark represents a thoughtful strategy, an iterative process, and a whole lot of play with color, type and graphic elements.

If you missed any of the marks in our Monday Marks series, here’s the countdown:

#21: The Play Café
#20: Valley Green Bank
#19: Jewish Learning Venture
#18: Fitler Square Improvement Association
#17: Global Day of Jewish Learning
#16: The Philadelphia School
#15: Monogram Monday: Jewish Communal Fund, Newlands Group, Keast & Hood, Co., Cohen, Placitella, & Roth, PC
#14: Beck Photography
#13: L’avion Couture
#12: Event Graphics: Gratz College, Congregation Kol Ami, Women’s Way, Jewish Relief Agency
#11: Nigro Insurance Company
#10: Kaizen InfoSource
#9: Eisenhower Fellowships
#8: Elfant Wissahickon Realtors
#7: Wall House Restaurant
#6: Sharktown and DC Trunk
#5: FringeArts
#4: Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
#3: Ushering in the Jewish New Year: Society Hill Synagogue, Congregation Rodeph Shalom and Kehillah Synagogue
#2: Celebrating the Calligraphic Swirl: Kleinbard Bell & Brecker, Next Egg, Philadelphia Sinfonia and Ortner-Center
#1: Monday Marks

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ReMarks: Special thanks to the creative team at MGD for dedicating so much time to this series. And, a big thanks to our summer intern, Nick Greenawalt, for the awesome animation!