Color Harmony: Packaging

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The Modern Ball

Elixir Design

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In 2005, the San Francisco Museum

of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

inaugurated the Modern Ball, a

biennial fund-raiser held to raise

money for the museum’s exhibi-

tions and education programs.

Since the museum’s inception in 1995, this event has been its largest

fund-raiser. Famed event designer Stanlee Gatti designed this “chic,

creative and glamorously social evening.” The benefi t included a formal

dinner for corporate sponsors and large contributors, a lounge-style

party for a younger crowd, and the Post-Modern Ball, a late-night

after party. Because the ultimate goal of the event was to raise funds

for the museum, the event mirrored the museum’s personality, the

creativity of its exhibits, and the diversity of the attendees, creating

a truly memorable and unique experience.

San Francisco–based Elixir Design designed the identity and various

print and web–based design elements in support of the Modern Ball.

They worked closely with Gatti and the Modern Ball Committee to

develop a look and feel that would not only brand the fi rst event but

that could maintain a core identity while evolving each year.

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Design for Special Events

Taking into consideration the large scope of the project (an identity

system, press kit, stationery, advertising, promotional postcards,

save-the-date, invitation, programs, fl ash emails, website link and

desktop wallpaper), Elixir’s goal was to create an identity that would

be cohesive not only when seen together, but also when set across the

backdrop of the museum and its own branding.

The logo for the event retained the simple color fi eld and bold, vertical

type found in the SFMOMA logo, but playfully oriented the text

vertically and altered the directions of each word. Elixir also used the word

ball as inspiration, incorporating an image of a ball that could be altered

in future designs and playing with the terminology and imagery in a

very artful, contemporary fashion. Elixir drew inspiration from some

of the prolifi c artists found on the museum’s own walls, including Ed

Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Claes Oldenburg, to determine what

type of ball would be used for a given year. The photography of

Melvin Sokolosky was also a notable infl uence in the design of the

2007 save-the-dates.

A key element to the success of the event was creating buzz and

media attention well before the event took place, making the save-

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Case Study: The Modern Ball

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Design for Special Events

the-date pieces particularly important in setting the tone for the

rest of the imagery. In 2005, the save-the-dates pictured a sphere

reminiscent of a planet or the solar system. But the 2007 piece

took the design to a new level. Lucky invitees received a white box

wrapped with a blue band labeled, “The Modern Ball.” Inside the

box was a clear, plastic sphere with a crumpled save-the-date inside

that featured the same image of a crumpled piece of paper in a

perfect sphere on a soothing blue color fi eld. This crumpled but

perfect circular ball and the introduction of a second color served as

the changing elements in the 2007 Modern Ball identity. Finding the

perfect plastic sphere was a diffi cult task for Elixir, but it proved to

be a successful and effective piece.

While the Modern Ball is a new fund-raising endeavor for the SFMOMA,

it raised over $1.7 million dollars in its inaugural year alone. Much of

the event’s success lies in the successful and fruitful collaboration

between Elixir Design and the Modern Ball committee. Having a

strong working relationship and foundation to build upon, Elixir was

able to create a fresh, interesting, and effective design.

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