74. OPTO DESIGN
After working at Pentagram, John Klotnia formed a partnership with Ron Louie, who, at the time, was the design director for The New York Times Electronic Media. “We just knew that we would make a great pair to run a business,” explains Klotnia. Opto (One-Person Train Operator) was nabbed from subway signage in 1999 and turned into the name of their edgy and sophisticatedly quirky design firm in New York.

“An annual report is not something that typically excites the senses. Not true for Alexandria Real Estate Equities 2004 annual report created by Opto Design. “We were given the idea of targeted clustering as a core theme for Alexandria’s business strategy. They gave us the cluster ingredients and we gave them the design,” Klotnia reflects.

Encompassed in a six-pocket accordian sleeve booklet, each fold of the report represents an ingredient that combined with the others, creates a rounded identity. Representations of ingredients such as science, talent, and capital each contribute a graphically unique and aesthetically intriguing pocket of information about Alexandria Real Estate.

Opto’s ability to approach a theme with fresh eyes and thoughtful creativity results in a design that creates a space of its own—a space commanding curiosity, pulling the viewer in without reservation.
Heather Pardew