The 8mm films captured a gay pool party in the 1940’s. And it was Geoff Story who discovered them 50 years later, sitting in a shoebox at an estate sale. After first watching them in amazement, 20 more years would pass before Geoff rediscovered the films and began wondering who the men were. Soon enough, he was making a documentary (Gay Home Movie) and it was during the course of his interviews that he met Gene Dawson — also known as Miss Gina.

While Gene wasn’t in any of the original footage, he (Gene’s most frequently used pronoun) had known some of the men who were. A single interview blurred into weekly visits where Gene shared his experiences and quickly became a story within the story. On one of these visits, Geoff asked Gene to sit for what became an award-winning portrait.

In 1954, Gene ventured into public as Miss Gina for the first time, and as a trans woman, experienced continual harassment and physical threats from the police. But along with his struggles, Gene also spoke of the thrills that came with his dual identity.

Knowing illness would prevent him from seeing the documentary before he passed away, Gene asked if Geoff would create a personal film with the material they had collected. It became footage that Gene watched daily, until he was no longer able to.

Gene passed away in September 2020, but his experiences and image live on as a part of LGBTQ history. “I wanted to make portrait,” Geoff says, “that would reflect Gene’s fortitude in his lifelong fight for equality and in the face of a terminal illness. I miss my friend, but Gene would be thrilled to know we’re still talking about him. He’s reaching people through his story.”

Geoff received a Gold Award in the 2021 Graphis Photography Annual for his portrait of Gene. The photo is also featured in Gene’s self-published memoir, Farm Boy, City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina. You can learn more about Geoff’s documentary-in-progress or help uncover more of the story here.

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Each year, Communication Arts’ type competition celebrates the best use of typography as the primary visual element in design and advertising, along with new typeface designs, calligraphy, and hand lettering. 

The Typography Annual 11 jury included, from left to right: Valentina Casali (Sunday Büro), Lucho Correa (Lip), Katy Fischer (TOKY), Gloria Kondrup (Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography), Wael Morcos (Morcos Key), and Milton Un (Carmichael Lynch).

Selections represented 25 countries, including work from Bulgaria, Peru, Uruguay, and Vietnam. Check out the list of 2021 winners in the latest issue of Communication Arts or at commarts.com/competition/2020-typography. 

Reflecting on the experience, Katy says that she “Loved seeing the diversity of work — not only in medium and approach, but also in origin of the work. It was inspiring to see work outside of the United States.” Asked about the trends she observed in the judging process, Katy noted that “Design trends spread like wildfire these days. Dribbble, Behance, etc. give our community a hyper-instant reference of style. If style is used to express new, different or something reminiscent of another, then it gets boring real fast.”

Congrats to this year’s winners! While you’re here, check out team TOKY’s past CA Typography honors:

• 2017: Shift, Test Kitchen & Take Out
• 2016: SWT Living Design
• 2015: Le Chat Putain Identity, Mound City Brochures
• 2014: Woody Guthrie Center Identity
• 2012: Core of Discovery Identity
• 2011: Miles Davis Jazz Festival Identity

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Team TOKY was tasked with branding the new CBD-infused line from renowned chocolatier Maureen Moore of Saddleback Chocolates. Earlier this week, we were thrilled to see KIZMET packaging featured on the Graphis blog.

From the article:
“As artisanal chocolate with unique flavors and infused with CBD, KIZMET revolutionizes the ordinary chocolate bar. This packaging cleverly utilizes old-school candy stripes to show this chocolate doesn’t forget what it is, but the tiny gold marijuana leaf at the top of the box with the slogan ‘Chocolate Meets CBD’ modernizes the delicacy.”

Cheers to Graphis for the feature, and congrats to our clients at KIZMET! Shop the full line of CBD chocolates at kizmetcbd.com/shop.

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We were delighted to see not one but three recent TOKY projects featured on the virtual gallery walls: our work for RiverVest, Winslow’s Table, and Firecracker Pizza & Beer.

RiverVest: Branding

RiverVest is a leading venture capital firm building life science companies to address significant unmet medical needs. The new brand merges RiverVest’s expert guidance with the flow of life science innovation. Across materials, lines from the mark stream into a dynamic pattern that pairs with a friendly, elevated gradient. For a closer look, check out the RiverVest branding case study. 

Winslow’s Table: Branding

The sister restaurant to critically acclaimed Vicia, Winslow’s Table in University City is the second restaurant from Michael and Tara Gallina. As Tara described to St. Louis Magazine in 2019, “This is a more casual space; the vibe is definitely less fine dining, more relaxed, and more of a daily spot.” The brand is designed to reflect that cozy neighborhood ambiance with elements of fabric stitching and lighthearted typography.

Firecracker Pizza & Beer: Hot Sauce Packaging

Packaging for this line of piping hot sauces was designed to bring the same punch as the award-winning Firecracker brand. Bottles for the three sauces — Pizza Blast, Dos Chiles, and Mango Bango — bring enough attitude to stand out among the restaurant’s infamous collection of 66 hot sauces. 

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Congratulations to our clients and team on this recognition, and shout out to Paradowski Creative for creating an amazing virtual gallery experience! 

The post Three TOKY Projects Featured in AIGA STL Design Show 25 appeared first on TOKY.

LogoLounge is the largest logo design competition of its kind, with an entry pool of 40,000 logos. Congratulations to all the winners, including our clients at Cherokee Street, Edera Italian Eatery, and Falling Fences. 

First up is our logo for Cherokee Street, a center of commerce, culture, and creativity on St. Louis’ south side. Cherokee brings an eclectic mix of galleries, artist studios, music, food, and some of the best festivals STL has to offer. Much like the neighborhood itself, the dual-language logo is rooted in the characters who live, work, and make there.

Also in the mix is the identity we designed for Edera Italian Eatery, a new concept coming soon to St. Louis’ Central West End. The logo features a golden noodle in the shape of an “E” alongside type that’s as friendly as Edera’s approach to Italian fare.

Last but not least, a logo from the archives: Our identity for Falling Fences, a mainstay of the St. Louis music scene. The logo is an homage to Americana with an engraving-style illustration reminiscent of vintage music posters. If you’re a Falling Fences fan, take a peek inside the TOKY-designed EP, “Songwriter’s Hell.”

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So when Ad Club STL asked us to create a video documenting the story behind our award-winning packaging for Flora and Spettro, we jumped at the chance. After collecting the necessary artifacts — old sketches, critique snapshots, and names that never saw the light of day — Dan Klevorn (associate creative director) and Ashford Stamper (senior designer) sat down for a look back at the branding process, from naming and design to production.

Along the way, graphic designer (and sometimes bartender) Kevin Willingham mixes up a few custom cocktails featuring, you guessed it, Flora and Spettro.

Part 1: Origin Story

In Part 1, the team shares a bit about the products themselves (what are aperitifs and digestifs, anyway?), the secret society connection, and the origins of the Flora and Spettro names.

Part 2: Bringing the Brand to Life

In Part 2, Dan and Ashford look back at their design inspiration, typography exploration, and the production process behind each label’s hidden reveal.

Check out Ad Club STL’s full Beyond the ADDYs series, or, for a closer look at the brand, scroll through our full 1220 Spirits case study. To purchase Flora and Spettro, visit 1220spirits.com.

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Last week, we were thrilled to see both projects featured on The Dieline, the go-to site for packaging design resources and inspiration. In a moment like this, it’s great to see a bit of positive press for the local businesses we love. If you’re in St. Louis, Rockwell is available for delivery at rockwellbeer.com, and Flora and Spettro can be purchased at 4handsbrewery.com.

The Dieline on Rockwell Beer Co. branding:
“The idea that seasons change and therefore so should beers is a brilliant design strategy for Rockwell Beer Co. Utilizing a flexible typography and branding system, the different brews can adapt to different in-season brews, but all maintain a fun and decidedly hip, glossy sheen.”

For more, read the full Rockwell Beer Co. article on The Dieline, check out the case study, or read our interview with the Rockwell team. 

The Dieline on Flora and Spettro packaging:
“The bottle design for Flora Aperitivo is apt, given that its namesake is the goddess of flowers. The gold and red embellishments make this bottle design instantly captivating, without overpowering the branding. The bottle design for Spettro Amaro is a 180, featuring rich blacks and blues that give the bottle a nocturnal feel. Ultimately, it is the debossing and texture on each label that helps these two spirits stand out with distinction.”

Check out the full article on The Dieline, or visit our Flora and Spettro case study for a closer look.

Congrats to Rockwell Beer Co. and 1220 Spirits on the recognition!

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After scoring “best-of” honors at the St. Louis ADDY Awards, our packaging for 1220 Artisan Spirits moved onto the District 9 competition, where work from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska went head to head. Our team earned two gold trophies — one for Spettro and Flora together, and one for Spettro on its own. Packaging for Flora took home a silver trophy. Next up, all three entries will move onto the American Advertising Awards, to be held in June 2020. 

Congratulations to 1220 and parent company 4Hands, a team that’s working hard to supply St. Louis with hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 crisis. For now, Flora, Spettro, and all your favorite 4Hands beers are available for pickup — see Instagram for details. 

Digital high-fives all around to our clients and team!

The post Two Regional ADDY Awards for 1220 Spirits Packaging appeared first on TOKY.

Together with our peers in the St. Louis creative community, we celebrated the great work being done in this city — and took home a few awards of our own. For TOKY, ADDYs 2019 was the year of packaging design, with honors for our 1220 Spirits bottles, Firecracker hot sauce, and Rockwell cans. Alongside the bottles and cans, judges selected our brochure for the highly anticipated 100 Above the Park and a psychedelic poster from Type Hike’s Arch series.

Best of Sales & Marketing: Flora & Spettro Packaging

A distillery tucked inside 4Hands Brewing Co., 1220 Artisan Spirits is shrouded in an aura of secret society mysticism. That mystique is ever-present in the distillery’s two new Italian-inspired sprits: Flora, an aperitif and Spettro, a digestif.

Gold: Flora Packaging

Taking its name from an ancient Roman myth, Flora’s bottle features the goddess of flowers and spring in full bloom — a fitting toast to the aperitif’s botanical flavors. Astute drinkers will find Flora’s secrets hidden among intricately woven tendrils.

Gold: Spettro Packaging

Italian for spirit, Spettro is 1220’s after-dinner digestif. At the label’s center is an intricate, die-cut moth. Nocturnal yet always seeking light, the creature brings Spettro’s ghostly spirit to life. As drinkers enjoy the earthy bitter Amaro, a secret is slowly revealed from behind a shroud of darkness.

Gold: Firecracker Pizza & Beer Hot Sauce Packaging

With a collection of 66 hot sauces, Firecracker already packed a punch in the spice department. So when owner Chip Schloss began bottling the heat in-house in 2019, we knew the packaging would need to make a bang. Much like the restaurant brand and Grove-famous mural, Firecracker’s pizza bottles are loud, proud, and a little profane.

Gold: 100 Above the Park Brochure

Rising 36 stories above Forest Park, One Hundred will shape the city’s skyline to the west. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Jeanne Gang, One Hundred will stand as an icon for generations to come. St. Louis’ most anticipated residence needed a high-end brochure as eye-catching as the building itself.

Silver: Arch Poster – Trip to the Top

Type Hike’s fifth series, ARCH, featured 60 depictions of America’s 60th National Park, the Gateway Arch. Contributing designers were challenged to creatively express the city’s most overused icon. “Trip to the Top,” a take from TOKY’s own Irina Pavlova, uses typography to evoke the feeling of adventure and height melting in the St. Louis summer sun.

Silver: Rockwell Beer Co. Bizness Ethics Can

Rockwell Beer Co.’s brewing philosophy is based in experimentation, and the same can be said for the branding system, which was designed to adapt to an ever-evolving beer menu. A crowd favorite on Instagram, the can for Bizness Ethics is a cascading technological throwback starring Rockwell’s mascot, Fabricius the Llama, as Clippy.

Silver: Rockwell Beer Co. Polymath Can

By definition, a polymath is someone with knowledge of many different subjects. Named for the versatility of its base recipe, this Belgian-Style White Ale was sold in a special edition $15 bottle at Rockwell’s tasting room. Drinkers will see the saison’s flexibility in the twists and turns of Polymath’s die-cut label.

Cheers to all of our clients on the wins! Next up, these winners will move onto the district ADDY awards.

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Fast-forward to 2020: We are thrilled to report that Washington, D.C.-based development agency Mobomo selected the PGAL site for its list of Top 10 Drupal Websites.

As the post reads, “A basic template-style CMS can result in something that hits the spot. But Drupal’s staggering degree of flexibility and modular options has allowed the developers of some of the world’s most prominent websites to create gorgeous and highly functional sites that inspire, inform, and elevate.”

We couldn’t agree more — and we’re honored to be recognized alongside sites for Tesla, The University of Texas at Austin, and NASA.

“The site, which uses imagery as the gateway to project stories, is a delightful rabbit-hole that we could spend hours exploring.”

– Mobomo, “Top 10 Drupal Websites”

Shout out to Mobomo for the mention. For more of TOKY’s Drupal sites, visit our profile on drupal.org.

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