Author: Scott Rosenkranz
Happy Holidays Everyone!
A whale of a project!
Every once in a while you get to help create and design something that you can watch people using, interacting with and thinking about. Something with the potential to make the world just a little bit better. Something that lights up the eyes of a kid while making the parent sound like an expert marine biologist hero. Something like the Penn Cove Marine Exhibits.
Have to say this is one of my all time favorite projects. It doesn’t hurt that I grew up playing on and fishing from the Coupeville Wharf. But this turned into something much bigger than we figured on.
It took over two years to complete the project as more and more input was brought in by the project’s coordinator, the intrepid Barbara Bennett, past Program Coordinator for the WSU Island County Beach Watchers, now Sound Water Stewards of Island County. By the end we had a whole committee of marine experts, historians, tribal liaisons, writers and community activists. And thanks to this committee and all Barbara’s diplomacy and kind cajoling the project gained focus and a whole lot of depth. Which shows in the amount of detail and the accuracy of the display’s messages.
The trick was to design a way for people to take away as much or little information as they wanted while drawing both kids and their parents into spending time interacting with the elements.
In the end we came up with the concept to tell the story of Penn Cove and its nearby waters through the imaginary words of the creatures that live there, including the tumultuous story of the Orcas captured in the cove during the 70’s. We then backed up these quotes with facts about the creatures and the cove’s unique marine environment.
It’s a lot of information, even once it was edited down. So it was important to organize it for the various types of readers that would be passing through the wharf’s breezeway. There needed to be eye-catching graphics and headlines, that would get the main point home even for those only glancing over as they walked through. There needed to be interactive elements to convert walkers into wonderers–and it needed to give kids enough to do that their parents could afford to read a little text while the kids explored.
“What’s around the other side of this giant tube, what’s that bird saying, what’s under this flap, what’s in this drawer, what’s this button do? What the heck is that skeleton hanging up there?”
And then, once people where hooked, there needed to be enough detailed information to help them learn about the cove and what they can do in their daily lives to protect these waters and waters all around Puget Sound and beyond.
Judging by how many people we see stopping to look and then interact, and then staying to read and watch, I could not be more satisfied with how it’s all working.
In large part this is due to Kris Wiltze’s great illustrations and Dan Pedersen’s writing, which unify the elements of the Exhibit and engage both adults and kids.
I’ll admit I didn’t know what this project was going to grow into when it first came in– the scaffolding and wall anchor weight calculations and paint specs, video screens and the full size paper mockup in our studio, cabinet design and a giant custom wooden tube’s design and yes getting to back my truck to the end of the wharf (Highlight!). It was a heck of a ride.
One of the most attractive elements of the exhibit was also the most challenging. To overcome the disadvantages of a structural post five feet in front of our display wall we all decided to hide it within an eight foot tall, two-foot diameter tube wrapped entirely with a seamless eelgrass mural.
There was no readymade solution for a tube that size, believe me I looked. We floated a lot of ideas and a few test builds before finally landing on something between wooden boat construction and fine cabinetry to do the job. I even ended up building a prototype of the framework to convince myself it could work.
In the end it was worth the effort as the tube defines the exhibit’s space and works like a people magnet pulling them close to see all of the illustration. Nothing like a big beautiful object to capture peoples attention and pull them in.
If your exhibit needs a tube like this, just let us know, we learned a lot and would be happy to design one for you… Maybe we’re the readymade solution for these now!
We owe a HUGE thank you to everyone involved. And special thanks to Barbara Bennett, for bringing us in on the project and being so supportive of our creative efforts.
Thanks also to ADA Signage & Specialties for all the great printing, cutting and installing; Daniel Horsell for the fine work on the tube build; and all those who helped with advice and consulting on this piece.
Hope to see you all out on the wharf.
Cheers!
Scott
Our Responsibilities:
- Concept design
- Graphic design
- Graphic production
- Production coordination
- Print and vendor coordination
- Mockups and prototypes
- Wall signage design
- Display case design
- Removable display tube design, 2’ diameter, 8’ tall
- Installation, and installation coordination
Project elements:
- Kiosk signs
- Wall signage
- Wall mount reveal
- Vinyl wall art
- Outline cut animal signs (up to 22’ long)
- Vinyl wall art
- Floor to ceiling vinyl art tube display
- Video Screen and control button
- Glass-top display case with 3 reveals and drawer
- Locking corkboard display case
- Brochure rack
- Tube creature key and kids scavenger hunt brochure
Sweet…
Eckholm Farm, on the Ebey’s Reserve, needed design help on a new identity, it didn’t hurt that they bribed us with several jars of awesome honey! Turns out Bruce Eckholm is a Bee Scientist, PhD and all… and though his work isn’t aimed primarily at producing honey maybe it should be. Best. Honey. Ever.
Look for it at Bay Leaf in Coupeville, and other specialty stores now that the labels are finished.
Check out the data for the bee’s forage areas and the pollen breakdowns. Hints of blackberry? I think so.
Oh yeah, they are making some cider and other apple and berry creations down the road as well. Can’t wait.
Cheers!
LABEL ART
LOGO ART
BUSINESS CARD ART
Biscuit & Gravy Racing!
Can we create an energetic, friendly and distinctive hull graphic for your newest passion? You bet. It didn’t hurt that Mike had come up with such great names for his matched pair of WETA trimaran sailing racers.
The job screamed for custom lettering, which we started sketching in pencil and eventually fine-tuned in Adobe Illustrator.
The background brush stroke we painted in Photoshop, creating a monster size file along with some decent depth and motion.
Thanks to the great folks at Prism Graphics for the Vinyl install.
It was a lot of fun, and perhaps the most successful thing I have ever done on a sailboat… just ask my dad!
Cheers!
Scott
Motion Graphics!
In an attempt to lure more folks to visit the paradise that is Whidbey and Camano, our designs just went up on two of Whidbey-Seatac Shuttle’s vehicles. Look for them on I-5 on their way to and from the airport or cruise ships in Seattle. Pretty cool to see it all up this large and moving about.
It was great working with the folks at Whidbey-Seatac shuttle and especially nice working with the professionals at Wicked Wraps in Mukilteo — one of the best Vinyl shops around, bar none.
Cheers!
Scott
Good holiday wishes.
Cheers,
Scott & Kerry
Pacific Horticulture this Fall
Another issue of Pacific Horticulture magazine hits the racks.
The lamps shown on the cover are shaded with pages from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstien.
Who knew gardening could be so spooky…and beautiful at the same time. Always nice to work with the great team at PHS. Wish we could take credit for such an awesome cover shot but credit goes to MB Maher.
Hope your trick or treating goes well.
Cheers!
Scott & Kerry
Shooting.
Full day on location in the labs. We live for this stuff! Got’a Love the annual reports. Especially when we get to work with so many of our good friends.
Aloha & Mahalo!
Thanks to all our awesome client’s understanding and scheduling magic we are fresh back from a wicked good vacay in the Aloha state–sanded, burnt and happy all over–and ready to kill it in the studio.
Thank you! or as they say on Maui Mahalo!
Scott & Kerry
Friends helping friends help friends.
Check out this cool door sign our good friends at ADA Signage & Specialty just produced for our good friends at MA Wright Structural Engineers! We had a good time designing this, and finding the chunk of “pre-used” wood–probably older than any of us–that was a perfect representation of all the existing-structures work MA Wright is so well known for. Loving the combo of raised shapes and laser engraved type.
Cheers,
Scott
On Press
Spending the day at CP press checking the spring issue of Pacific Horticulture magazine. Wait till you see this one. A rose water farm, The Chelsea fringe garden festival and of course hunting wasps… very cool. Love the smell of ink in the morning!
Cheers!
Scott
A big night for Seattle BioMed.
Seattle BioMed’s 10th annual “Passport to Global Health Celebration, ” was another big success this year. Over $500,000 raised for infectious disease research. Can’t believe we’ve been designing for these events for ten years now!
Most of those ten years we have been using a nifty little invite design that matched the look and feel of an actual passport with the cost savings of a simple one color print job wrapped in a foil stamped cover. Color and some authenticity were added in the form of custom designed “passport” rubber stamps highlighting disease facts–with volunteers stamping the invites before they went out.
This year we branched out into a “ticket book” design for a fresh look that would play off their new website design. The project included, save-the-date post cards, Invites, numerous web and email banners and the event program. The big night was March 5th and they raised over a half million dollars!
The folks at Seattle BioMed put a lot of hard work into making it all happen and you can’t find a much better cause to aim your money at, so here’s to another 10 years of passport successes—at least!
Keep your eyes out for next year’s event.
Cheers!
Scott
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Through all these years the great people at Printing Control in Tukwila have been helping us out with printing on this project.
It’s up! Our portfolio page.
Many of you have been telling us we needed a portfolio section on the site. Telling us, advising us, imploring us, we won’t say hounding us, but it was close to that… And now as proof we do listen to all of you, at least on occasion, our portfolio page is up offering a glimpse into the studio’s creations.
Just click on the “Our work” link above.
Enjoy!
Scott and Kerry.
Friends of Ebey’s
We recently got the call to design a logo for this newly formed fund raising group supporting the efforts of the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve—there’s a mouthful. It was great getting to work with Heather on this and the rest of the team up there as always. Nice to work on something this close to home, metaphorically and literally in this case! Seeing a logo we designed around our home town, I’ll admit, is still a bit of thrill.
Cheers.
Scott
Seattle BioMed Annual Report
It’s going to be a better world without Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and other infectious killers. Someday, hopefully soon, we will see that, and when we do it will likely be through the hard work of places like the nonprofit research institute Seattle BioMed.
We have had the pleasure of designing Seattle BioMed’s Annual reports for over twelve years now. These pieces are used throughout the year to educate and raise awareness of both global health issues and Seattle BioMed’s many achievements. It’s been exciting to watch how they’ve grown over those years including new state of the art lab facilities and a higher and higher global prominence in their field. Plus they are just a really nice bunch of people to work with.
I know I’ve said this before but it is hard not to feel good about designing, art directing and producing high profile pieces for such a great group. Check out their website if you get a chance or attend one of their many events.
Cheers!
Scott
An Urge to Garden…
We’re just wrapping up the latest issue of Pacific Horticulture magazine, it should hit the stands within the next few days at West Coast nurseries and plant stores. If you don’t see it be sure to ask them about it. But beware, it can seriously make you want to grow all kinds of bizarre and cool plants us mortals probably have no business messing with! It’s been a blast art directing such a large scale recurring project, especially since we get to work with the magazine’s crazy-awesome editor Lorene Edwards Forkner and the rest of the PHS team, and the great folks at Consolidated Press in Seattle.
Cheers!
Scott & Kerry
Thank you to Earl Harper for the nice image of the covers!
Scott Rosenkranz Hand Model
Have to say it’s more fun behind the camera than in front! Still this was a good time with the great folks at Harper Studios.
Happy new year everyone!
Oh yeah, and feel free to contact me about my modeling rates! Ha!
Lab coats are cool.
A great evening at IDRI (the Infectious Disease Research Institute). An amazing place doing some amazingly good things! Plus a wicked cool lab tour!
Welcome to our new site!
We’re happy to have a new home on the web to showcase some of our current and past works at roseprocreative.com.
Can’t believe we’ve been at this for over twenty years now! Many of you have been with us for a good portion of that time, so please don’t feel bad if we haven’t got your favorite pieces up here quite yet. We’re working on it… and feel free to offer your suggestions. Looking forward to at least another twenty good years!! Ha!
Cheers!
IDRI’s Annual Report.
It is always nice to get to do good work for clients that do good works. IDRI, or the Infectious Disease Research Institute, does basic research into some horrible infectious killers, such as TB, Leprosy, Chagas, and Leishmaniasis. Then they go the extra step, using that knowledge to produce vaccine components and practical quick testing solutions for use in parts of the world where not many have great access to modern medicine. Almost makes me feel guilty for my career choice! Still it’s good to be able to help them communicate their message, and they are a really nice bunch of people to boot. Above is a snap of the annual report we just finished off for them.
We brought concepting, design, illustration, production and print coordination to this piece and combining the use of digital and traditional printing, along with some custom cutting for the cover, we were able to create a clean, telling piece showcasing their unique brand.
Shooting away…
We’ll be out of our studio and hanging out with our good friends at Harper Studios a fair bit while directing some 300 images for one of the world’s largest banks. We’ve been working with their branded merchandise agency for over 12 years now on this account. They’ve got a great team over there and it’s nice to sink your teeth into a big juicy complex project every now and then!
Cheers.
Island time.
Just a note to say how excited we are to have been able to work with the great folks at the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve over the last few years. If you find yourself in Coupeville check out the super informative kiosk we designed for them at the foot of the historic Coupeville Wharf. We brought to the table concepting, design, a fair amount of illustration & even an assist on the installation. Printing and install was by the awesome team at ADA Signage & Specialties. Lynn Hyde, the reserve’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, provided all the historical detail and writing. She was super to work with, as was the whole team up there – as always!
Cheers.
Panel 1
Panel 2
Panel 3
The fun stuff.
Little project, little illustration, big impact. Didn’t hurt that the client is a friend of ours!
Hope Travels.
A little while back the team at Seattle BioMed came to us in need of visual concept for a fundraising campaign they were naming Hope Travels. We love these kind of gigs! After proposing three different concepts it was decided to move ahead with this travel journal theme.
One of my favorite parts of this project was getting to create and illustrate the vintage style luggage label art for the envelope. I have a thing for these old labels! The worn leather look of the cover was accentuated with faux stains and a soft touch varnish. We used the logo mark to create a pattern for the look of bookplating inside the covers and created some spidery map illustrations to finish out the illusion and the campaign went on to exceed client expectations.
A fun project for a great client. Seattle BioMed does basic research into ending many infectious diseases plaguing populations around the world. Hard not to feel good working for a client like that!
Cheers.
Re-elect Jill Johnson 