20 2x4
“We are lucky to have a bold, four-letter word as our name,” recounts Margaret Reeve, director of communications at Otis College of Art and Design. When the L.A. school decided to refurbish its identity, however, luck had nothing to do with it. After an exhaustive domestic search for the perfect designer, the school selected the New York-based firm 2x4.

By integrating the distinctive O that has been the institution’s logo for the past 25 years with a new and improved word mark, the school was able to make a smooth transition to its revamped identity while maintaining design consistency. The result is black-and-white text that is both assertive and edgy, the applications of which are endless: hats, notebooks and ephemera now bear the new I.D. The view book, also designed by 2x4, is a key tool in and a reflection of the school’s recruitment strategy. Images of students at work offer glimpses into life at the school. The document is bound like a magazine to appeal to young, media-savvy potential students. “All of our choices were deliberate,” Reeve concludes. by Lauren J. Grundhofer

2x4
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Margaret Reeve (Otis College)
DESIGNERS: Michael Rock, Sigrid Schelde Holt
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ari Marcopoulos, Ian Brooks, Janet Schipper, Marcy Begleiter, Kathy McPherson
COPYWRITER: Otis College
CLIENT: Otis College
CONTACT: www.2x4.org