New design. Same newsletter.
We’re stoked to bring you a spiffy new 730DC.
I’ve always loved the original design for 730dc. A produce of amateurism and compromise, it was nonetheless effective, conveying both a hint of early Web forums that relied on in-text formatting and a pulpy whiff of newspaper.
But after almost three years of service from the old design, we’re moving ahead with an updated look for 730DC. You’ll get the same stories and events, just in new packaging.
We’re really excited about this, and look at it as a chance to double down on the elements that we enjoy about the newsletter, including commitment to civic engagement and a love of the DIY ethos that infuses Washington’s civil society and cultural scene.
For help revamping our look, we turned to Jacob Weinzettel and Christian Dutilh. Jacob and Christian are Composite Co, the DC-based design firm that handled our rethink. They conducted a questionnaire with staff that surfaced key elements of the publication’s voice, finding it “quirky,” “authentic,” “engaged,” and “direct.” Composite then took those characterizations and incorporated them into new brandmarks. The red owes a debt to DC’s state flag, of course, but also to the red of the digital clock — offline anchors to our online publication.
They also worked with us to streamline the layout, keeping it simple and readable, while also designing a kit of icons that we hope to employ playfully in the newsletter and beyond. We also ditched the stately Georgia for the more modern Helvetica.
To explore their process, we asked Jacob and Christian a couple questions about creativity, the new design, and owning a small business in DC.
How did you get into design?
Jacob: I’ve been designing whatever I can for ages now. Really ever since I was a kid designing invitations for birthday parties, and making homemade cards and stuff. Also tricking out my myspace profile was big for a while. Before we started Composite Co., I was working as a graphic designer and then de facto creative director at an NGO in Virginia. It was a decent first job and it showed me how much I wanted my life to revolve around design, but I needed more of that creative community. I didn’t get that in a sea of grey cubicles.
Christian: Yeah, design has always been in my blood too. I grew up with a dad with a very strong aesthetic. He’s into Spanish medieval furniture. Crazy majolica ceramics. Axel Vervoordt. Architecture, interior design, fine art…. it was ingrained in me from a really young age that these things were important to have a satisfying life. He taught me how to critique art, how to figure out what I like, how to start collecting. I pushed myself for a long time to be involved in design from the business side, but it kind of sucked my soul. It’s so awesome to now be doing design work every day, conceptualizing projects, and making beautiful things.
Who are your biggest influences? Where do you look for inspiration?
Jacob: I’m obsessive about typography. Probably my biggest influence is Herb Lubalin who ran this amazing studio in New York during the mid 20th century. His work influences really all of modern graphic design. Other than that probably Massimo Vignelli — he had this crazy, almost religious, obsession with Helvetica. He designed the New York subway signage. The whole NYCTA graphics standards system is an under-appreciated masterpiece.
Christian: I get inspired by random shit. I need to travel to soak up new inspiration. Like we just got back from spending the summer in Amsterdam and Berlin. I need that change of scenery. When I’m at home though, I come up with my best ideas listening to Voodoo by D’Angelo.
Can you walk us through the major creative decisions that led to this redesign?
Jacob: We had so much fun with this one. The whole identity started out because we’re avid 730 readers and sometimes we even read the newsletter before we get out of bed in the morning. It’s like an alarm clock for us, which inspired the identity. We liked the idea of blending the digital with the analog. The things you see online and the things you do in real life. And that’s what 730 is all about, right? Bringing people together in DC and making it weird.
Christian: Exactly. It’s about engaging people and creating community. That idea also led us to Space Mono for our primary typeface, since it’s a modernized typewriter font. It’s got these great connotations of old school print publications, but it’s been brought up to 2016 digital standards. It just worked. Then, we wanted to maintain some of the almost punk-ish, DIY aesthetic that you guys already had going on, so we created this fun series of icons that give the whole newsletter a kind of handmade, collage-y feel.
What’s the most fun project you’ve worked on this year?
Christian: Oh damn, we’ve been so lucky this year with our clients. We just wrapped up the branding and packaging design for Vegetable and Butcher, which is an awesome vegan and paleo meal delivery service that’s launching in a few weeks in DC. Our favorite clients are ones like Turner and Ariane who are great collaborators, but also give us the freedom to be wacky and create whatever we come up with in our brains.
Jacob: Haha yeah. Working with Washington Project for the Arts was a similar experience. So fun to work with them. No spoilers, but let’s just say you should be on the lookout for a wild performance art project meets fictitious political campaign.
Anyone who makes a powerpoint or even writes an email is doing design. How can the rest of us learn to incorporate good design into our everyday lives?
Jacob: Don’t dress things up too much. Use one or two fonts maximum. When you think you’re ready to send something out, take a step back and delete half of what’s on the page. Less is more.
Christian: Negative space, folks. Using more text doesn’t get your point across better. Write less and draw the eye to your text by surrounding it with lots of blank space. You’ll look like a designer in no time.
What are the biggest tips you’d impart to other creatives out there who might be thinking about starting a small business in DC?
Jacob: Surround yourself with the right team. Find someone whose skills are different than yours. If you’re good at doing the creative work, find someone who likes to run a business, manage clients, and send out invoices. Also don’t settle for anything less than your goals. If you want to be an illustrator, just do it and be relentless about it. You may have to do some shitty projects initially, but don’t just become a UX designer because that feels close enough to your “creative illustrator” dream job and you know you can get another nine-to-five doing it.
Christian: Just do it. Quit your government job. Fuck your paycheck. Nothing cool will happen to your life without a little bit of struggle.
