New Space(s)
WEBSITE & LOGO ANIMATION | Rhode Island School of Design
New Space(s) was a weekend-long celebration marking the inauguration of Rhode Island School of Design’s 18th president, Crystal Williams. Events included the New Space(s) Inauguration Symposium, open studios, and other public happenings, centered around “the concept of ‘space’ in art, design, history, pedagogy and social justice.”
The logo and event identity were designed by Counterform Studio. Additionally, this project introduced RISD’s new brand system, which included custom typefaces, colors, and a refined RISD seal.
New Space(s) was a weekend-long celebration marking the inauguration of Rhode Island School of Design’s 18th president, Crystal Williams. Events included the New Space(s) Inauguration Symposium, open studios, and other public happenings, centered around “the concept of ‘space’ in art, design, history, pedagogy and social justice.”
The logo and event identity were designed by Counterform Studio. Additionally, this project introduced RISD’s new brand system, which included custom typefaces, colors, and a refined RISD seal.
1. ANIMATION
For this animation, I added further dimensionality to Counterform’s graphically dynamic logo by introducing movement in z-space. With the introduction of motion, the 2-dimensional logo itself began to explore new spaces.
The animation began as a looping main theme based on a 16:9 lock up, and expanded to include variations for social media (vertical and square) and a slower version projected as background texture on screens at the inauguration and symposia panels.
For this animation, I added further dimensionality to Counterform’s graphically dynamic logo by introducing movement in z-space. With the introduction of motion, the 2-dimensional logo itself began to explore new spaces.
The animation began as a looping main theme based on a 16:9 lock up, and expanded to include variations for social media (vertical and square) and a slower version projected as background texture on screens at the inauguration and symposia panels.
Crystal Williams talks with Ibram X. Kendi at the Symposium keynote, while the slow version of the animation plays in the background.
Photography by Jo Sittenfeld.
2. WEBSITE
Built with the RISD Museum’s Ziggurat CMS, this website acted first as an RSVP and save-the-date, then as an informational and navigational tool, and finally as an archive. Designed and built with these three phases in mind, the website grew with the life of the event.
I worked closely with the Inauguration committee to take Counterforms’ clean and bold design into a digital space. It was important to consider both mobile and desktop users when constructing the site. Because of the complexity of RISD’s campus and the New Space(s) event schedule, the committee wanted a site that could help attendees orient themselves spatially and physically. Main navigation included an extensive Schedule page, as well as pages for the Symposium and Open Studios and Spaces. These and all event sub-pages included an interactive Google Map with marked event locations.
After the New Space(s) weekend concluded, the site lives on as an archive of the event. Instead of a brief schedule of events, the main page now features videos of the investiture and the symposium’s opening keynote conversation. Header navigation expanded to include pages devoted to the inauguration speech and photo documentation of events.
After the New Space(s) weekend concluded, the site lives on as an archive of the event. Instead of a brief schedule of events, the main page now features videos of the investiture and the symposium’s opening keynote conversation. Header navigation expanded to include pages devoted to the inauguration speech and photo documentation of events.
