Monday Marks: #6
CLIENT: dcTrunk, Washington, DC
BUSINESS: Invitational trunk show and sale of wearables and jewelry
reMARKS: dcTrunk was developed for longtime client and friend of MGD, Steve Ford. He and principles David Forlano, Biba Schutz and Valerie Hector requested a mark for an invitational trunk show that would run simultaneously with the Smithsonian Craft Show, held each spring in Washington, DC. The goal of dcTrunk is to bring attention to the exquisite crafts created by accomplished artists who are not featured in the Smithsonian’s show. Our approach to the mark has dual purpose. It is at once a bold, graphic statement with its imperfect, hand-chiseled aesthetic, while also serving as a display window to highlight the beautiful, handmade crafts for sale. The mark was designed with flexibility in mind, should dcTrunk expand to other locales—”dc” could easily be replaced with “ny,” “philly,” or the name of any other city. See more of the identity here.
CLIENT: Sharktown, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
BUSINESS: Neighborhood development
reMARKS: Sharktown is an artists’ studio building located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Working again with Steve Ford, one of the building’s owners, MGD was asked to create a mark to brand the structure. Our approach references old, hand-painted signs with a modern twist—the mark appears to be cut out of metal. This allows the multiple textures of the surrounding cityscape to be captured in the mark’s negative spaces. The distressed nature of the mark signifies the gritty, hardworking hands of the resident artists who delight in the artistic potential of the numerous materials that surround them. See more of the identity here.
