2009

  1. Alma

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    A beautiful CGI animated holiday short film from Rodrigo Blaas… Dolls are scary!

    Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo

  2. Happy holidays, y’all!

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    As the year wraps up, we at wollzelle wanted to take a few moments to wish you all a very happy, and very successful new year. For your trust, for your support, for being yourself, really, we thank you: may 2010 bring you all the felicity and success you expect from it!

    Special cheers go out to those who were able to attend our open office, and join us in this afternoon of celebration. We are delighted you could come, and are already looking forwards to renewing the experience!

    Please note that our offices will be closed between December 24 and January 6, as our staff takes a few days off with friends and family. We will keep a light on, however, as our support engineers will keep turns ensuring our servers and machines run smoothly. fluxiom customers need not worry about issues going unnoticed, or the robots being left to their own devices.

    Finally, our hearts reach out to the St. Anna Kinderspital, whose caring team has saved the lives of two young members of the extended wollzelle family over the past six years. As a token of our gratitude, we will be foregoing promotional gifts this year, in favour of a donation to this institution, so that other children can benefit from their talent and expertise.

    Once again, thank you all for a wonderful year! See you in 2010!

  3. Full metal at Momentum ’09

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    The Wiener Hauskrankenpflege 2008 annual report, which we introduced on this very blog only a few weeks ago, has just won a silver award at the 2009 Momentum event.

    For those of you keeping count, this does indeed mean we have gone full metal, after receiving both bronze and gold from other juries for this particular work.

    Needless to say, we are thrilled and honoured by this show of support from our peers in the industry.

    The award ceremony, much like the trophy itself, in fact, was a ball. A great time was had by all, the highlights of which we wanted to share with our readers, who unfortunately could not attend, but whose continued enthusiasm and support made this very project possible.

    We dedicate this prize to you !

    Stocking up on cool drinks for the hot evening ahead
    The air is heavy with anticipation as the winners are announced
    Moderator Gerald Votava never missed a beat
    , WHS Chairwoman Evelyn Weismüller and Thomas Pamminger
    Winners show it all after the ceremony
    Our award partakes of a celebratory drink

    More information on Momentum 2009 is available in German, including a gallery of winning entries, press packets, shots of the event, and juror bios.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  4. Wollzelle Wins 3rd Place Accolade from the American Design Awards

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    The American Design Awards has just released the list of its 2009 Summer Semi Annual Design Contest winners. From among 1,400 participants 49 were awarded with the Award of Design Excellence for outstanding design achievements. We are proud to announce that wollzelle won 3rd place at the American Design Awards for the WHS Annual Report.

    Next to Gold at the 20th International GALAXY Awards 2009 and the nomination for the Momentum ’09 Award (we still keep fingers crossed on this one) this is our 3rd award for this design work and we are more than overwhelmed with all the positive feedback.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  5. Wollzelle receives Gold at the 20th Galaxy Award 2009

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    Over 580 entries from 21 countries were submitted to participate at this years 20th International GALAXY Awards 2009.

    We are pleased to announce that wollzelle received Gold for the WHS Annual Report 2008, category: annual report, NPOs.

    The Grand Winner in the category of Annual Reports is Bertelsmann AG. Jung von Matt won the top honor, Best of Show, on behalf of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra for their dynamic publicity campaign.

    We are very excited and like to thank Evelyn Weismüller, CEO of the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege, and her team for the great partnership.

    About the annual report

    The WHS’ 2008 annual report is part official document part catalogue, showing both the human and financial aspects of this respected non-profit organization, in a single go, and reflects the warmth and energy that radiate from the institution and empower its staff.

    Each still life (taken at their clients homes) reflecting the everyday reality of those the WHS supports. Each shot is both a work of art in itself, and a powerful testimonial of life in Vienna today. Strong type structures the pages and links together the various sections of the report.

    Designing the annual report 2008 was a very exciting process and you can find more details about it in an earlier post.

    About the client

    The Wiener Hauskrankenpflege (WHS) approaches communication seriously. By making themselves known, and by interacting with people of all ages, they reach out to potential new clients, but also further the cause of affordable, quality home care that empowers elderly patients and helps them enjoy their lives to the fullest in spite of the ailments of age.



    About the award

    The Awards Competition is sponsored by MerComm, Inc., founded in 1987 with the principal purpose of advancing the arts and sciences of communications in an international arena. The organization strives to establish and promote high standards of individual and collective achievement by way of recognizing the multi-disciplines involved in professional communications.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  6. St. Gilgen macht Schule

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    The St. Gilgen International School offers a novel perspective on education by immersing students in a unique setting, the typically Austrian village of St. Gilgen, and helping them shape their minds and personalities through repeated interaction with this pristine environment, as well as the thriving community it fosters.

    Much like St. Gilgen, the School, and St. Gilgen, the village, are immersive experiences, we at wollzelle wanted the institution’s website to draw the visitor in a unique, interactive, self-paced adventure. Building upon powerful cutting-edge technologies like Flash 10 (including the new 3D API) and HTML 5, the site allows the visitor to experience for himself the sights and sounds of this jewel of the Wolfgangsee. At St. Gilgen, the school is the village, and the village is the school.

    The project takes roots in the output of photographers, painters and writers whose works were instrumental in crafting the school’s original vision. We set up a fluid creative process, around a dialogue between the school’s founder, a renowned architect by day, and wollzelle’s creative think-tank. Throughout our brainstorming sessions, we defined the ideal visitor experience, and balanced our client’s dream with our own views on design and interactivity.

    The result of this unique process has little to do with your average business web site. Instead, we like to think of it as an art project, an experience, a true reflection of what we felt during our own stays at St. Gilgen, of the school’s latent and patent views on education. Much like the school allows students to develop and expand their minds over time, the site evolves and progressively deepens, the longer the visitor explores it.

    Creating a truly immersive experience requires skilful blending of images and sound, which we achieved in two complementary ways. Throughout the web site, context-appropriate sound effects, taken live at St. Gilgen, allow the visitor to associate a sound, a feeling, with the environment they find themselves in. For example, the visit of the school is accompanied by sound-bites taken from classrooms or the school’s central plaza. Of course, we have taken image and sound all the way to video as well, by filming a special school tour, headed by the webmaster himself. This sequence walks prospective parents and students throughout the school, as well as throughout the school’s philosophy and values.

    Unlike many educational institutions, St. Gilgen opened its doors wide, allowing us to delve deep into its history, interview current students and highlight the many little architectural details that give the place its soul. Indeed, History is also a key part of the school’s personality. Did you know, for example, that the administration building once was the summer residence of Marie Ebner-Eschenbach?

    Visitors in a hurry can access a convenient PDF page, from which all documentation, forms and, generally speaking, printed matter related to the school, can be downloaded in a single click. This synoptic view gives immediate access to application procedures, learning processes, teacher bios and more, thereby replacing the need to refer to a bulky paper brochure.

    Music is part of the site’s quintessential experience. The theme song, typical of the salzkammergut, was composed by local musician Hubert von Goisern.

    The St. Gilgen International School web site was a challenge to imagine and create. We hope you find it as enjoyable to visit as we did the school itself, and, as always, are looking forwards to hearing your thoughts.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  7. Mona Lisa: ageing creatively

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    Soziales Netzwerk is a regular publication from the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege, one of wollzelle’s oldest and most esteemed clients.

    Earlier this year, a good deal of our energies were focused on putting together issue 14 of the magazine, tackling the sensitive and always-inspiring question of graceful ageing. This last issue featured one of Sacha Goldberger’s photographic masterpieces on the cover, and, we are honoured to say, drew rave reviews from both professionals and the public at large.

    When preparing issue 15, which went off the presses in June of this year, we decided to try a complementary approach, one that would build upon the strengths of the previous cover and reassert its key message. This time, however, we wanted to try our hand at a different, free-form medium, to announce the next part of the magazine’s series on ageing.

    Indeed, after Ageing gracefully, this issue is all about Ageing creatively. To symbolise creative ageing, we focused on the one person, the one icon, that has remained fresh and inspiring throughout the centuries: the Mona Lisa. Even though its flesh-and-blood model is long gone, both the portrait and the woman have kept their aura of genius and mystery very much intact.

    Romina, our graphic designer, found a painting of her “Nonna” and we decided to centre this cover around this family portrait directly inspired by the original Mona Lisa: a discrete reference to the world-known icon, and, in itself, an assertion of its humanity. We took the romantic figure out of its frame and into a world of graffiti-inspired symbols of life, crafting a cover that blurs the line between a classic portrait and illustration. Indeed, the illustrative quality of the cover complements the portrait’s finished and polished feel, suggesting the infinity of worlds one can create for oneself — at any age.

    From there, we only had to design 32 inside pages around this original concept, and voilà Issue 15 was ready for the printers!

    As always, we hope you enjoy reading this inspiring issue as much as we did putting it together for you. Extra cheers and gratitude go to Evelyn Weismüller, CEO of the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege, and her team for giving us carte blanche, and allowing us to contribute to this wonderful NPO(Non Profit Organization.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  8. Art & Copy

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    “The frightening and most difficult thing about being what somebody calls a creative person is that you have absolutely no idea where any of your thoughts come from really and especially you dont have any idea about where they’re going to come from tomorrow.”—Hal Riney

    Art & Copy is a film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray.

  9. Tun Sie sich was Gutes

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    We at wollzelle are honoured to entertain a long-term creative relationship with the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege, a non profit organisation that provides home care services in and around Vienna, our hometown. In fact, they have been client of ours since I got on board with them as part of his civil service.

    Not only are they a very worthy cause to support, they entrust us with a wide variety of tasks, ranging from interactive design to the production of promotional items. As a creative agency, we like to “mix things up” and the WHS gives us plenty of opportunities to do just that, both in terms of form and function.

    Case in point, our latest project: turning a potentially dry document (their 2008 annual report) into an engaging whole that would reflect the warmth and energy that radiate from the institution and empower its staff.

    Having complete control over the project allowed us to take many liberties not usually seen with such documents: out with the traditional white gloss stock and in with a natural, lightly processed paper to emphasise the group’s down-to-earth approach.

    Working with Ursula Röck, a highly talented, unconventional photographer and friend, we created a collection of unexpected still lives taken at their clients homes, reflecting the everyday reality of those the WHS supports, and emphasising how small touches converge to dramatically improve their overall quality of life. Each shot is both a work of art in itself, and a powerful testimonial of life in Vienna today.

    Of course, a report isn’t all fun and games. By bringing design into the visual representation of data, turning pie charts and graph bars into silhouettes and cartoons, we were able to directly link the data with what it represented, thereby facilitating its understanding. Strong type structures the pages and links together the various sections of the report.

    High-end printing techniques, such as UV varnishing, completed the effort, and allowed the text to become a de facto design element, working with instead of against the report’s layout.

    You can see the results in our Flickr Photostream and a little Video from the production.

    Design is all about making quality content approachable, and we can think of no better content to work with. The WHS’ 2008 annual report is part official document part catalogue, showing both the human and financial aspects of this respected institution, in a single go.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  10. Guten Touch

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    The Internet is a bottomless repository of wondrous and wonderful things. From the enticingly original to the enormously bizarre, it is an endless source of surprises and inspiration.

    We at wollzelle spend quite a bit of time collecting these artefacts of modern culture: lots of it may be noise, but the occasional gem is well worth sorting through the masses of cats, copycats and lolcats.

    Too short for news and too cool to lose, these titbits tend not to appear on typestorming. Now that we’re Twitter-enabled, however, we can finally share them with you as they pop on and off our finely-tuned collective radar.

    So, for news, inspiration and more cool links, remember to head over to our Twitter page and subscribe to our feed.

    Of course, and as always, typestorming — this very blog — will keep on serving the latest information on our client work, technical research and branding endeavours.

    We’re looking forwards to tweeting from you!

  11. Soziales Netzwerk: Aging gracefully

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    Aging healthily and gracefully is the key preoccupation of our time. It is also, coincidentally enough, the headline of the latest issue of Soziales Netzwerk, a magazine edited by the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege. It is almost ten years since we started working with this respected Viennese institution, shaping up the content and design of their magazine.

    

The Wiener Hauskrankenpflege approaches communication seriously. By making themselves known, and by interacting with people of all ages, they reach out to potential new clients, but also further the cause of affordable, quality home care that empowers elderly patients and helps them enjoy their lives to the fullest in spite of the ailments of age.



    Issue 14 of their magazine features something unheard of in medical publications: a cover photograph borrowed from the ultra-hip WAD magazine (with kind permission), shot by the highly talented Sacha Goldberger. Indeed, we felt this image, initially developed as a tongue-in-cheek fashion spread for issue #38, embodied just what the doctor ordered.



    Growing older may not always be fun, but it doesn’t mean giving up hope, originality or a sense of humor. Keeping a positive and creative outlook on life, surrounding oneself with friends, family and dedicated professionals, such are the secrets of graceful aging — and, one might say, of graceful living at any age.

    

We at wollzelle are honoured to be part of the Soziales Netzwerk adventure since it first got to press, and to help, in our modest but dedicated way, bridge the gap between the younger and elder generations. To us, this cover is living proof that, regardless of age, we are all united in our humanity and our creativity.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  12. Saying it with paper



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    After decades of wishful thinking, probably kick-started by the first microfilm and roll of tape in existence, the paperless office is starting to become a reality. At wollzelle, pitching new projects and brainstorming with clients over a high-speed Internet link is an everyday reality. Our clients rely on us to introduce them to cutting-edge web solutions, and it seems only natural for our meetings to take place over the same medium.

    

Yet, we feel strongly about paper. Even in a virtual world, the plans of which we are drafting every day, paper has its place. In modern parlance, it’s an industry-standard, it’s energy-efficient, adaptable and compatible with the widest range of humans. What’s more, paper brings a feel to the words and images it presents, something a screen cannot achieve.



    Screens are great for interacting, broadcasting and automating. Paper is great to encourage thought, free from technical boundaries. That’s why, for big presentations, we often use paper hand-outs. Building upon our architectural roots, we devised brainstorming portfolios reminiscent of those we once distributed to city planners and urbanists.



    Crafting web sites and virtual worlds with down-to-earth tools encourages lateral thinking and creativity. Subtly but surely, it reminds us all that technology is an instrument, not a fact, and an adaptable one at that.



    Finally, because paper is becoming a rare sight in the modern office, printed matter becomes inherently more valuable. We find our folders attract more attention, encourage repeat reading and carry more weight than virtual counterparts.

    

The lesson to be learnt? Stay true to your roots, and devise communication strategies that echo what you stand for. We are about approaching European traditions and cutting-edge technology with an architectural eye. Your own mix will certainly be different, but it pays to remember that technology should complement, and not override, your identity.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  13. We’re featured in…

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    Today, we are proud to announce that Thomas Pamminger, our founding father, has just been featured in Karrieren, a brand-new publication from TU Vienna, showcasing the careers and accomplishments of its brightest alumni.

    Part inspiration for aspirant students, part documentary on the vibrant life of today’s Vienna, this new effort aims to strengthen the relationship the university entertains with its alumni network.

    Of course, Thomas is not alone in there. The whole publication can be downloaded here. Proceed to page 46 for a glimpse into wollzelle.

    also in Kooperationen

    Andreas Hofer, supervisor of our founders’ master thesis in 2004, just sent us this issue of Kooperationen, a publication dedicated to showcasing the new and exciting ways TU Vienna crafted a long-standing partnership with the National University Lviv Polytechnic. Today, both universities carry out numerous joint activities, benefiting both students and faculty.

    Published in this issue is an excerpt of the aforementioned thesis entitled City Branding: City Image and City Profile. Those interested can check out page 47 of the fascicule, bearing ISBN 978-3-902459-12-1.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!

  14. Share your unknown faces

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    Have you also been spending the past few days tirelessly fine-tuning iPhoto ’09 and its face recognition algorithm to successfully identify friends, family and maybe even pets?

    Have you noticed, however, how iPhoto sometimes beats us at our own game by finding faces we didn’t even think of? Ghouls in the garage, deities in the draperies and warlocks in the wardrobe are the order of the day.

    In the spirit of fun, I have started a little Flickr group dubbed unknown face that highlights these very moments. These shots may be fun, unwillingly witty or downright absurd, but they’re all genuine misfirings.


    Think of it as a fellow-developer — and photographer! — paying homage to the truly excellent work of the iPhoto team. If you feel like a little procrastination is just what the doctor ordered, feel free to join the group — it’s open to all — and contribute your own snappy snafus. See you there!

    Update: A tip of the hat to the ApfelBlog for mentioning our virtual get-together!

  15. WHS promotional items

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    In the fall of 2008, we were busy designing and orchestrating the production of a great many promotional items bearing the colours of the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege, an agency that provides home care services in and around Vienna, our hometown. The aim was to create tokens and presents for clients and personnel (e.g. calendars, sticky-notes, pens, watches, umbrellas…), which could also be handed out at certain events.

    The wooden pen depicted above is doubly special. Indeed, the Wiener Hauskrankenpflege operates hand-held terminals to organise and control work protocols meaning clients, who are often elderly, are required to sign on a screen to confirm various actions. This wooden pen has been specially designed to work with this modern technology, all the while providing a comfortable, familiar sensory experience. Furthermore, it was manufactured by volunteers enrolled in a special care programme.

    We at wollzelle loved this project, in no little part because of its diversity — each object had unique design and production requirements. From a visual standpoint, our personal favourite is the green umbrella, because it allowed us to introduce a new typographic device for the WHS, thereby instating a shorter, purely visual mark that can be placed on objects too small to support the full word-mark effectively.

    Stay tuned for more, and be sure to check out the latest WHS magazine issue, which will roll off the presses in the coming days.

    Feeling inspired? Let’s make something together today!