Planet Propaganda: Works Locally and Praised Globally

Media Contacts:

Lori Wilson, Funnel Incorporated
608.251.5481 or lori@funnelinc.com

Rob Sax, Planet Propaganda
608.256.0000 or rob@planetpropaganda.com

COMMUNICATION FIRM EARNS DISTINCTIVE AWARDS FROM NATIONAL
DESIGN PUBLICATIONS AND COMPETITIONS

MADISON, Wis. (May 21, 2004) — This spring Madison-based communication firm Planet Propaganda received national attention for a variety of projects created for local and regionally-based firms, including retail shop Dick & Jane, historic Ten Chimneys, the popular Wisconsin Film Festival, band P’elvis, gourmet sandwich shop Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, royalty-free image company Punchstock, and mountain bike company Gary Fisher Bikes. The work, spanning a variety of mediums including catalogs, posters, identity systems, brochures, and packaging, will be featured in upcoming issues of national design publications and recognized at industry award exhibitions including Graphis, I.D. Magazine, HOW, the Art Directors Club, and the Type Directors Club TDC50. The firm will also be featured as one of the 40 most influential and prolific graphic design firms working in the United States today in the upcoming Rockport book Graphic Design America 3 to be released in fall 2005.

“We’ve been concentrating so much on the work with our heads down recently – it’s nice to see that it’s getting noticed when you finally have a chance to look up,” comments Rob Sax, Planet Propaganda President.

Details from the award circuit:

Type Directors Club TDC50 has rolled out the red carpet to seven projects — the 2004 Gary Fisher catalog, the Dick & Jane identity system, the Ten Chimneys welcome brochure, a poster for the Alabaster County Little League, and CD packaging for JetBlackItallic as well as two gig posters for Planet principal Kevin Wade’s band P’elvis. The Type Directors Club recognizes excellence in the use of typography and other letterforms from around the world. Planet’s seven projects were chosen from 2,355 entries from around the globe. Of the 248 winners from 17 countries, 132 of them were from the United States.

The Art Directors Club, an international not-for-profit organization of leading creatives in advertising, graphic design, interactive media, broadcast design, typography, packaging, and related disciplines awarded Planet a Distinctive Merit Award for the Dick & Jane identity. The 83rd Art Directors Annual Awards selected the project from almost 12,000 entries and will be published in the upcoming Annual. Winners will also become part of the Awards Exhibition and Traveling Show.

I.D. Magazine’s Annual Design Review recognizes the best in product, furniture, graphic and environmental design, from the iconic to the obscure. Each year, the featured work offers a clear survey of the state of design. Jimmy Chips packaging for Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches (Elgin, Illinois) has been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Packaging Category. The 2003 Wisconsin Film Festival TV spots/in-theatre trailer has been awarded a Design Distinction in the Graphics Category for this year’s Annual Design Review as well. This year’s entry pool was among the strongest in the 50-year history of the competition. More than 2,000 designs were submitted from around the world, of which 159 were selected for publication in I.D.’s July/August 2004 issue.

Graphis magazine, the international journal of visual communication, is the premier magazine
covering design and graphic communication worldwide. The magazine also publishes a series of
books to present the most innovative work produced on an international level in the fields of
graphic design, photography, advertising, and corporate identity. Three Planet projects are currently included in three new books: Graphis 04 Design Annual features the Gary Fisher Bikes 2003 catalog; Graphis 04 Advertising Annual features a Punchstock ad titled “Prime”; Graphis Promo 2 features the 2001 Wisconsin Film Festival campaign poster.

HOW Magazine provides graphic-design professionals with essential business information, features cutting-edge technological advances, profiles renowned and up-and-coming designers, details noteworthy projects, and provides creative inspiration. The March/April 2004 International Design Annual issue (a perennial top-seller on the newsstand) will feature the P’elvis JetBlackItallic CD packaging. The August 2004 Interactive Design Annual will highlight the 50 best digital design projects, including the Bretford website (www.bretford.com) created for the Chicago-based contract and education furniture manufacturer.

Planet Propaganda is a communication company providing graphic design, advertising, active media, and motion graphics for desire-based brands including Gary Fisher Bikes, Elektra Records, Bretford, and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. For information, visit www.planetpropaganda.com.