RSM Design

Barrio Logan, a unique and diverse neighborhood located in southern San Diego at the foot of the Coronado Bay Bridge is under redevelopment to enhance the community’s cultural and ethnic qualities and the neighborhood’s distinctive character.

As part of the redevelopment, RSM is working closely with Shea Properties on Mercado del Barrio, a residential and commercial mixed-use development – one of the first in the area. The team at RSM is creating a culturally appropriate branding, identity, and wayfinding program. The Mercado, located within the “heart” of Barrio Logan, consists of the redevelopment of two vacant city blocks into a vibrant lifestyle district that will include a Latino-themed supermarket, retail shops, residential units, and restaurants.

Continuing our web design services, RSM is redesigning the internationally known architectural publication, www.ArchitypeReview.com. RSM took on the task of re-branding, re-designing, and re-structuring the site. Improvements include a fresh and updated interface, ease of navigation, and increased depth of content and subscriber services. These changes  will successfully achieve a design appropriate to the target audience that enhances the user experience and thereby multiplying  the subscriber base.

The new site will be released in Spring 2010.

RSM Design is excited to see the masterplan identity signage and graphics designed for the 7,000 acre community of Lake Nona, Florida recently implemented.

As the  architectural graphics consultant for the Lake Nona community, RSM has orchestrated the design and followed the implementation of the signs for an area the size of Manhattan. The relationship with this growing community began with RSM’s development of the signage and graphics master plan guidelines for the entire region, meeting with focus groups to develop the consistent guidelines for existing facilities and neighborhoods and future growth areas. Signage designs and guidelines were developed for such diverse and adjacent developments as residential communities, a science and tech park, commercial town centers, a light industrial area, along with a world renowned golf and country club estate community. 

The signage around Orlando’s Medical City is a part of this Lake Nona community and includes such noteworthy facilities as the Burnham Institute, Veteran’s Hospital, University of Central Florida Biomedical Campus, and The MD Anderson Cancer Research Institute.

The team at RSM was excited to learn of one of our recently completed projects,  Loop 5, being featured in the latest issue of the German architectural review magazine, DBZ, Deutsche Bauzeitschrift.

The article compliments the branded graphics, focusing on “Aviation” as something completely new in the retail environment. Being one of the first branded shopping centers in Germany, the article discusses Loop 5 as a product or brand because of its innovative architecture and graphics. 

Sprechen Sie deustsch? Check out the magazine and the article at dbz.de.

RSM Design recently had the pleasure of working with pastry chef and owner of Simply Delicious, Sally Meyerhoffer, whose up-and-coming Southern California business creates amazing custom baked goods.

Sally’s vision for Simply Delicious is explained directly in the name, baked goods that are simple and delicious. She focuses on quality of ingredients, freshness and perfection to concoct delectable baked treats. 

RSM created a logo and identity package that reflected this purist philosophy by using a clean, sans-serif font stacked and reversed out in a rich brown and soft cream palette. This formed a tidy and sophisticated look that could be applied in multiple situations and sizes.

The process was all too enjoyable for our team whose appetites were fueled by the edible rewards that Sally would drop off for us as inspiration during our design process. 

Cheers to the success of delightful Simply Delicious – smiles guaranteed!

The RSM team is currently working with UCR to implement the signage package for the University of California – Riverside, Commons Building.  Finding the perfect locations for each sign type can be challanging on an existing project.  Our team walked through the project with the UCR administration and student team members to place the scale mock-ups of the new identity and directional signs.  While the mock-ups are only digital print outs applied to plywood, it really starts to give the team an idea of how this unique graphics program will make the heart of UCR come to life and help energize the area while helping the faculty and students navigate to where they need to go.

Make sure to check back for more updates on the UCR Fabrication process…

Cheers rang out in the office as the launch of RSM Design’s newly rebuilt and improved website made its debut last week after several months of dedicated work.

The goal was to take the best of the existing site and make it more engaging with greater depth of quality and information. Improvements include the featuring of the most recently completed projects, the abilitiy to select portfolio galleries by project category, and descriptive listings of the studio’s services and offerings. Not to be forgotten are glimpses of the energetic team and principals, and the ability to dive into their minds and daily lives by viewing the philosophy, and process as they continue to progress and create bigger and better ideas and designs.

So kick back and surf the site at: www.rsmdesign.net

Love to hear your thoughts!

Some members of the RSM team brought in their own chili concoctions to challenge each other in our  Third Annual Chili Cook-Off. 

Ashley’s secret weapon of choice was liquid smoke and tequila, which created a tantalizing smoky taste to her chili. DJ made a shredded chicken chili, fragrant with herbs and spices that set it apart from the rest. Kelly created a hot and fiery chili, complete with  sausage, brown ale and lots of roasted garlic that gave it quite a kick. Kyle  cooked up a hearty All-American style chili which brought out the best of sausage and sirloin by adding brown sugar. Suzanne, Martin and Harry’s chili was a “whatever you can find in the cabinet” chili but came together quite nicely with lots of spices and ground turkey.

After all the chili’s were tasted and the tasters were on to dessert, the votes were cast and tallied and Ashley’s smokey Texas style chili was named the “Third Annual Chili Cook-Off Winner.”

Working with the City of Southlake, Texas and coordinating with TexDOT standards, full size mock-ups were created for onsite review. Using digital prints on plywood to confirm the scale of messages and signs, the team went through the area to find the best locations for each sign to ensure visibility and clarity. The mock-ups brought together the community and council members collective vision for the city’s branded wayfinding.

Make sure to check out our other post “City of Southlake Selects RSM Design” to see the initial concepts of the city signage package and check back soon for more updates.

Suzanne Redmond Schwartz, founding partner, directs and manages the RSM Design team and is actively involved in every step of the graphic design process. Suzanne’s creativity, design skills and strategic business background have been instrumental in bringing the Studio to the forefront of the graphic design industry.

Prior to RSM Design, Suzanne was the director of a large graphic design firm for fourteen years. Her projects focused on the retail and hospitality industries, and ranged from multi-use signage packages to imaging and logo design.Her award-winning work has been featured in a variety of trade journals, including ID Magazine. She’s a member of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) and heads up a design committee for the Downtown Business Association for San Clemente.

RSM Design has been a female-owned business enterprise since its founding in 1997 by Suzanne Redmond Schwartz. The WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Certification) is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the United States.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and Packaging from the highly respected Art Center in Pasadena, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in business from UC Santa Barbara. Suzanne successfully balances her two great passions: career and family; and infuses her great sense of humor and artistic talent into everything she accomplishes.

Suzanne’s newest venture and vision for the studio is to create a committee and foundation to help others in need. While she’s busy researching and brainstorming ideas for community service, she’s also busy working on projects at UC Riverside, a retail destination in Long Beach, CA, and a city wayfinding system in Southlake, Texas, as well as a mixed use development in Nanjing, China.

“Graphic design is such a visual medium. It enhances the places and spaces of our lives. By honoring the places we design, we honor the people who live and work there also.” – Suzanne Redmond Schwartz.

Martin E. Schwartz, founding partner, blends his architectural and graphic design expertise with his environmental spirit, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. His diverse background gives him a unique three-dimensional perspective, allowing him to see through the lens of all key players–the architects, developers and consultants. Well-respected among his contemporaries, Martin grasps the overall concept of a project while focusing specifically on the graphic design components. Martin’s ability to infuse the element of human psychology enables him to produce projects that are equally inviting and stimulating, facilitating connections between people and their surroundings.

His expertise has earned RSM Design a spot on the bid lists of industry giants. No stranger to creating highly innovative solutions, Martin was responsible at a young age for taking over a chain of struggling retail stores and turning it into a multi-million dollar business. He provides the Studio with visionary leadership, ensuring that all projects exceed the client’s expectations, on time and on budget.

Martin holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Business degree from the University of Texas, and also did course work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Switzerland. After graduating, he went on to work for Steven Ehrlich Architects and RTKL Associates.

Martin just got back from a business conference in Las Vegas, where he went to seminars and lectures focused on how to effectively and efficiently lead a business through the economic times of today. Martin is currently working on a variety of projects in web design and site building. As well as, actively pursuing ideas in educational tools for our industry and new marketing initiatives. 

“As an architectural graphic design Studio, we have a responsibility to understand not only the design aspects of the job, but to be intimately familiar with the architectural aspects as well.” – Martin E. Schwartz

Harry Mark, RSM Design principal, brings the best of both worlds to the Studio: an impressive background with some of the world’s leading architectural firms and a hands-on knowledge of international architecture and graphic design. His well-rounded experience has seasoned him to creatively co-direct and manage the RSM Design team, cohesively melding the graphics and architecture. Harry is involved in the development of all projects from conceptualization through fabrication.

Prior to joining RSM, Harry worked for RTKL Associates as an associate project designer and for HOK Architects as a senior design associate. He also had his own architectural and graphic design studio before joining Redmond Schwartz Design.

As the recipient of numerous design awards, Harry’s work and articles have been published in several national magazines and trade journals and featured in exhibits throughout the United States.

He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas and a Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. Harry has been a registered architect for over 20 years, and an active member of the American Institute of Architects, Texas Society of Architects, and the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers. Harry dedicates his summers as a senior architect in remote Turkey, directing a team of graduate students in drawing and reconstructing the ancient archaeological excavation of Aphrodisias.

Harry just got back from China where he visited the project, Marina City, in Qingdao, visited our affiliate office in Shanghai, and also did some marketing. At the studio, Harry is currently working on and managing a variety of projects all around the world— in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nanjing, China and Southlake, Texas. In his freetime, he is remodeling a historic home (we call it the Red Barn) in San Clemente.

“One can’t truly experience architectural design through books alone, but must experience it first hand to understand its power.” –Harry A Mark