Monday, December 31, 2018

Thank You and Happy New Year!





As 2018 comes to a close, we’d like to thank our clients for trusting us to create memorable and effective websites, corporate communications and graphic design in 2018. 

We are so lucky to work with a diverse range of people in interesting professions — from top classical musicians to concierge-level healthcare practices and everything in between. 

Thank you!


New identity for Tri-Cities Office Team
We recently created this cityscape identity for the Tri-Cities Office Team, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate firm working under the Kidder Mathews nameplate.

And we just designed and launched the new Tri-Cities Office Team website. Visit site here.

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Emilie Pallos Graphic Design / Los Angeles-based print and digital creative studio.

View our website of creative projects here.
Contact us about helping reach your target clientele with custom design solutions, in print and online.

Good design is good business.


Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year. See you in 2019!

Thursday, November 29, 2018

San Diego Modern — Circa 1918



Elegant drawings illuminate San Diego High School's yearbook

Vintage graphic design and illustration are always fun to see up close — not just under glass in a museum or library. There is no substitute for turning the pages and studying the design, typography, artwork and pacing of a book.

"The Russ" is San Diego High School's yearbook of student life, clubs, activities and class portraits. This 1918 volume features quality offset printing, blind-embossed cover and classic design. Roman type is paired with more modern illustrations. The yearbook is in excellent condition and without damage to most pages. 

In other words, terrific design inspiration and a nice peek at Southern California history, too!

Pen and ink drawings dividing each section are mainly modern with a touch of Art Nouveau in the bold black "balloon" headlines throughout the book. The artwork for Sports (equestrian photo above) is really stylish — this drawing would be at home in a 1930s or '40s issue of "Vogue." My favorite page!

California is well-known for modernism, even prior to the 1920s. Architect Irving Gill's San Diego and Los Angeles commissions ushered in a bold new cubist look in residential and commercial architecture. If you don't know Gill's work, take a look. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, Gill was ahead of his time.

In 1918, polo matches were held across the bay at the Hotel del Coronado, and back then you could even ride your horse along the beach. This sporty and bobbed girl resembles film star Louise Brooks, but nine years earlier than the famous portrait (below).

San Diego High School, located adjacent to Balboa Park, boasts many well-known and talented graduates including actors Anita Loos, Gregory Peck, actor/comedian Harold Lloyd, TV host Art Linkletter and architect Wayne McAllister.

Balboa Park was built for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915. "The Expo" celebrated the Panama Canal's opening to trade and hosted more than two million visitors in its two year run. Many of the original Park buildings are still standing, including the botanical building (conservatory), Cabrillo Bridge, California Bell Tower and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

I recommend a day in Balboa Park if you have not visited lately. It's a treasure — museums on nearly every corner and plenty of green space to relax. You will see some modern architecture but most of the Park's buildings are Spanish-influenced. Be sure to have lunch at The Prado restaurant near the visitor’s center for great food and perfect outdoor dining.

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Thank you to Kevin Dalbey and Lucille Dalbey for graciously lending me this yearbook, part of their own family's collection. Kevin’s great aunt Hazel Marvin, a SDHS graduate, is pictured on one of the student portrait pages (below).

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CLICK ANY PHOTO to view a larger slide show of images. Enjoy this vintage yearbook!















Louise Brooks by Eugene Robert Richee, for Paramount (1929)


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About Us

Emilie Pallos Graphic Design / Los Angeles
Print design and corporate communications, web design and local development, brand strategy, corporate identity and advertising.

Call our studio at (818) 242-9055 or send us an e-mail about your project. 

Please view our website to see design work for clients.

Good design is good business.

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Best of the Best in Los Angeles Physical Therapy: Karen Joubert, DPT



New website for Joubert Physical Therapy!
Karen Joubert became my physical therapist in 2004 when orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Fox referred me to her Beverly Hills practice. Karen and I became friends —  we redesigned her corporate identity and created a successful series of printed marketing materials soon after (and my knee is a lot better, too!). Our studio also designed and developed JPT's two previous websites. And today we debut the practice's website for 2018 and beyond.

Visit the site here: joubertpt.com
Joubert Physical Therapy is one of the top PT practices in Los Angeles, and serves patients from all over Southern California and beyond. Karen is featured regularly in local TV news as an expert in health and fitness. And for good reason. Her dynamic personality shines! Weekend warrriors, seniors, pro athletes and everyone in between all trust Karen and her team for the latest in physical therapy and wellness. The clinic is always buzzing with activity.

We also designed the practice's red Swiss ball logo. Joubert's branding and visuals are recognizable, memorable, and consistent across all media: website, staff uniforms, interior signage, stationery.


Responsive. Intuitive. Engaging.
Late 2018 — Web design and development are continuing to evolve. We keep up with the latest trends, but always emphasize these key points:
• The client's core message is vital. It must be communicated in less than a minute.
Why should a patient visit this practice? What sets Joubert apart?
• More than 50% of viewers see websites on mobile devices first, so we keep this in mind during storyboarding and early design stages for all projects. Our coding genius Tom is on board from day one to make sure our creative vision can be "built." 
For the Joubert site, we kept the navigation simple and intuitive — medical forms and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are readily found. No clumsy drop-down menus. And clean, modern design for all screen sizes. 
Substance and style.
The site offers a comprehensive overview of the practice, bios and photos of team members, and a list of the clinic's ever-evolving high-tech capabilities. Custom design and expert coding make the site unique, yet easy to update as staff and services are added.
Thanks, Karen, for another fun collaboration!
Visit site here: joubertpt.com
Emilie and Karen
Project credits
Location photography: Vic Pallos
Creative direction & design: Emilie Pallos
Photo post-production and website programming: Tom Ferguson 

Good design is good business.
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About Us
Emilie Pallos Graphic Design / Glendale, CA
For expert help and creative work on adverting projects, web design, print design and corporate identity, please call Emilie at (818) 242-9055 or send us a note. First class service and long-lasting creative solutions for clients in a range of industries, from health care to the arts.

Please check out our website for more design projects.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Print design, web design & identity: new work


CLASSIC, MODERN PRINT + WEB DESIGN
IDENTITY, BRAND STRATEGY, MARKETING

THANK YOU to everyone visited our booth last week at the Glendale Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. Visual communication is key in our business — our professional creative services will put you in a class by yourself. 

Our Services
• Highest level of personal attention for each client.
• Expert creative direction & graphic design.
• Brilliant location & portrait photography. 
• Professional copywriting tailored to your audience.
• Local, highly-trained custom website programming by our coding genius, Tom Ferguson.

For more information on how we can help you, your business or organization, contact Emilie:

Phone: (818) 242-9055
Send us an e-mail here.

Emilie Pallos Graphic Design
We are a full-service, boutique creative firm in Glendale, California, within easy reach of downtown Los Angeles, the Valleys and West L.A.

More information & samples of work via our website.

Good design is good business.


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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Bullocks Wilshire: Los Angeles Art Deco


Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles
Art Deco masterpiece
&
a favorite local landmark

Completed in 1929, this stunning department store was designed by father and son architects John and Donald Parkinson. Southwestern Law School now owns the property which houses its law library, classrooms and offices. The school opens its doors each summer for Open House weekend, where the public can step inside the former luxury department store and bask in its exquisite design.

The famous Tea Room on the fifth floor has been restored to its original Southwest color palette.

July 29, 2018

Bullocks Wilshire
In pictures…



More photos coming soon!




Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Coming to America



INDEPENDENCE DAY: REFUGE AND HOPE

As the immigration debate rages on, families from all corners of the world continue to seek a brighter future in the United States. Much like my own family.
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Pallos and Spear families
My dad's grandparents arrived in New York City from Budapest, Hungary, in the early 1900s. They settled on the East Coast, later moving to California. Their only son (my grandfather Charles Pallos, Jr.), was a classical musician, conductor and arranger in New York and Hollywood and worked with Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat among other notables. Charles married Elizabeth Spear in the 1930s. My grandmother was a master gardener, musician and writer.

The Spear family settled in Ohio via Germany in the mid-1860s. By the 1930s, Elizabeth's family was in the furniture business, with showrooms in New York and Pennsylvania. Dad Vic was born in Long Island in the 1945, and the family of four (plus assorted family pets), moved to Los Angeles in 1947. California brochures promised year-round sunshine and clean air (!).

Pallos family (1950s): Aunt Elza, Aunt Rose and my great-grandparents Rose and Charles.

Spear & Co., New York City (1930s), located near the Empire State Building.

Grandmother Elizabeth, in her Los Angeles garden (1950s).


Dad Vic with dog Penny the airedale terrier (1950s Los Angeles). Redheads!

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Church and Martin families
My mom's family surname was Church. The Church family settled in Norfolk, Virginia, after arriving from England in the 1700s. Fast-forward many years to my great-grandfather, U.S. Army Captain Walter Hanbury Church, a Virginia Volunteer who served in the 71st regiment during the Spanish-American War. He married Nellie Sharpley of Stockton, Maryland, in 1903, and had four children. Their only son, my grandfather Marshall T. Church, was one of the first Virginians to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Esther Chaney Martin, of Columbus, Ohio, my maternal grandmother, had gorgeous red hair and a droll wit, and probably British and Irish heritage. Esther was adopted by the Martins in an era of "closed adoptions," so we are unsure about birth family or ancestry. In the 1920s, Esther attended the Ohio State University and met Marshall. Smitten with his good looks, lively intelligence and Southern charm, she ditched her Navy officer fiancé and married Marshall instead. Scandalous!

Their first child, Carolyn, was born in 1929 in Indiana. My mom, Barbara, was born in 1940 when Esther and Marshall were living in Panama City, Panama. Great Aunt Frances, who lived with the family for several years in Panama, remembers the couple dressing "to the twelves" for parties at the club, going sailing, playing golf, and enjoying the "high life" as expatriate Americans between the wars.

Marshall, a ceramics engineer and businessman, operated Panama Clay Products during the early 1930s through mid-1940s. The company produced red clay roofing tiles for industry. When he discovered his business partner was a Nazi sympathizer, he and Esther moved the family to Texas in 1944. Marshall co-founded Alamo Pottery Co. in San Antonio, which produced sanitaryware and a well-designed, durable line of art pottery with rich, beautiful glazes. A terrific book about Alamo Pottery was published by N. Perryman Collins and is an excellent reference and overview of the company: Read a book excerpt here.

A few Church family photos and announcements are below:


Great-grandfather, Captain Walter Hanbury Church (circa 1898).



Grandfather Marshall Church with daughter Carolyn (circa 1930).

Grandmother Esther Martin Church with Carolyn (early 1930s).


A few of my Alamo Pottery pieces with beautiful glazes (1940s).


Thank you to cousin Teri Racette Hall for providing Church and Sharpley family photos, clippings and background information. Thanks also to aunt Bette Rowe Pallos and great aunt Elza Pallos Gehring for providing photos of the Pallos and Spear families. Thank you to cousin Jon Spear for info on Spear & Co.

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Unsettling
Time (7/2/18) is brilliant design — a sea of dangerous red and a familiar scowl. Worth a thousand words. 

View an interview with Getty Images photographer John Moore HERE.


Time magazine, photo of Honduran girl by John Moore (2018).
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About us:
Emilie Pallos Graphic Design is a Los Angeles-based design studio serving clients across all industries, from the arts to businesses of all sizes and specialties.

Contact Emilie about creative projects for business: print and website design, publication design, stationery and announcements, corporate identity, signage, and marketing communications. Office (818) 242-9055. E-mail us here.

Good design is good business.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Tom Wolfe


Author Tom Wolfe passed away this week. “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “The Right Stuff” get all the press, but “The Painted Word” is a classic. 

Published in 1975, Wolfe’s alarmingly honest work about the contemporary Art world (capital A) is just as relevant in 2018. My well-worn paperback copy from college (1992!) still commands prime space in my design studio. This is the kind of book you can pick up anywhere and read a single chapter.

Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.
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Emilie Pallos Graphic Design
website design / corporate identity / corporate communications

Studio: (818) 281-5820
E-mail Emilie Pallos, firm principal and creative director.

Please visit our website to view work for clients. 

Friday, February 23, 2018

A message of peace





Opening Ceremony
2018 Olympic Winter Games
PyeongChang, South Korea
Feb. 9, 2018

Visit the official website for the Games here
Soohorang is the white tiger stuffed toy given to medal winners. The cutest mascot in recent years!
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About us…
Emilie Pallos Graphic Design creates and produces custom websites, corporate communications (print), publications, corporate identities and branding/signage, among other creative projects. Our work is classic, yet modern, and is designed to be effective across various media. Our philosophy is to create elegant designs, with substance, quality and impact. Our clients represent healthcare, business, the arts and non-profit sectors.

Initial design and project consultations are free.

Contact us…
Phone: (818) 281-5820
E-mail Emilie Pallos, firm principal and creative director.
Visit our website here

Good design is good business.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Moonstruck


LAST WEEK'S SPECTACULAR LUNAR ECLIPSE was a kick-in-the-pants reminder about our wondrous universe. Officially known as a "Super Blue Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse," this rare phenomenon was stunning seen through binoculars or even the naked eye.

Above is an unretouched photo taken by my associate, frequent collaborator (and dad!), Vic Pallos. 

Specifications:
Canon EOS 6D camera, Tamron 70-200mm zoom lens, 6400 ISO, 1/30th sec. 

Photo credit: Vic Pallos
Date: Jan. 31, 2018
5:32 a.m. PST
Taken in Glendale, California

View time-lapse video of the lunar eclipse on NASA’s website HERE.

The Salk Institute in La Jolla published a stunning shot of the moon which anyone can download as wallpaper for desktop computer or phone. We love the Salk — a gorgeous setting, stunning and iconic architecture by Louis Kahn, and groundbreaking research facility. If you haven't visited the Salk in person, it's definitely worth the drive to northern San Diego county. Architectural tours are given weekly.

A cropped version of Vic's photo shown above:


About us…
Emilie Pallos Graphic Design creates and produces custom websites, corporate communications (print), publications, corporate identities and branding/signage, among other creative projects. Our work is classic, yet modern, and is designed to be effective across various media. Our philosophy is to create beautiful and impactful designs, with substance and quality. Our clients represent healthcare, business, the arts and non-profit sectors.

Initial design and project consultations are free.

Contact us…
Phone: (818) 281-5820
E-mail Emilie Pallos, firm principal and creative director.
Visit our website here

Good design is good business.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Dynamic, modern websites for top classical musicians






 — CUSTOM WEBSITES FOR ARTISTS —

We are currently designing new websites for Los Angeles-area classical musicians Alex Iles and Jennifer Marotta. Home page designs are shown above.

Alex Iles is principal trombonist in the Long Beach Symphony. He is also member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and has performed on more than 1,000 film soundtracks, including one of our favorites, "La La Land." Alex teaches and gives masterclasses worldwide and asked us to create a site to showcase his work as a performer, clinician and teacher. The site features many audio and video clips, news, and information on seminars.

Jennifer Marotta is a freelance trumpet player based in Southern California. She plays with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and the Music of the Baroque in Chicago, among others. She also teaches at USC's Thornton School of Music and runs a thriving private studio. Jennifer's website is designed to communicate her talent for both playing and teaching.

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NOW LIVE:
Please visit Jen's new site here: www.jennifermarotta.com.
Alex's site launched March 31, 2018: www.alexilestrombone.com.
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Alex and Jennifer have both been super collaborators. Thank you to musician Marissa Benedict for referrals to her talented colleagues. We enjoy working with artists and helping them shine.

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Emilie Pallos Graphic Design is an Los Angeles-area creative studio. We design and develop dynamic, effective, custom websites for artists, businesses and organizations. We also design high-quality printed marketing communications, publications and corporate identities. Contact Emilie at (818) 242-9055 or send a note to us about your project. Initial consultations are free.

• View more of our work for clients here.

Good design is good business 

A thousand words



Above: Apple's home page   Jan. 15, 2018


"We will not allow the politics of division to get in the way of the vision of a shared humanity, the vision of what Dr. King called the beloved community, the vision of one nation under God.” 

The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock 
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Atlanta, Georgia
Jan. 14, 2018


The Golden Age of Design



MORE DESIGN INSPIRATION…

From my collection of vintage department store printed materials

Screen-printed postcard from the early 1960s.

of

The Zodiac Room
the restaurant at the flagship Neiman-Marcus department store
Dallas, Texas


Ladies in hats! Tres chic.

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Monday, January 15, 2018

January Design Inspiration: Bullock’s Pasadena

Bullock's Pasadena (now Macy's) exterior (2018).

By Emilie Pallos

As a creative professional who loves architecture, I am particularly drawn to vintage department stores, especially those built in the 1920s through 1960s. Technology rules our lives, so it's nice to put away the computer screens once in awhile and step inside elegant, classic spaces for design inspiration.


Bullock’s Pasadena (1947) is a longtime favorite. From a young age, I remember many shopping visits to the store to purchase back-to-school clothes. Mom would not allow me to wear anything new until September, which seemed like an eternity! Fast-forward a few decades, and the same store is now Macy’s. And I still shop here.

Thankfully, the building retains its original architecture, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. L.A. architects Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket created the streamline moderne store which features inviting curves and breezeways (see photo above). Mr. Becket also designed gorgeous Bullock's stores for Palm Springs and Westwood, and other suburban branches.

Pasadena’s original open-air parking lot at the corner of Del Mar Blvd. and Lake Ave. has been replaced by Trader Joe's grocery and a multi-level garage, but some of landscape architect Ruth Shellhorn's planter boxes can be seen around the store's periphery. She was well-known for her tropical themes at Disneyland and her taste for exotic plants. Ruth was true maverick in her field. More info on Ruth here.

Current Macy's exterior windows display women's fashion. Bravo to Macy's for keeping these current! Inside, on the lower level, elegant curved cases display glassware and gift items (near the elevators). The Tea Room on the top floor is only a memory — the full-service restaurant closed when Bullock's was bought by Macy's. The Tea Room was the spot for people watching, fashion shows and lunch.

On the main floor, you can still admire the charming Pennsylvania Dutch mural in men’s furnishings, and gaze up at the nautical ceiling in the children's department (top floor). Asian art in the stairwell is a nice touch.

Three sales floors feature art, antiques and decorative touches, so walk through various departments and look around. The store has done an admirable job keeping the building both classic and up-to-date. Signage explains many of the decorative objects on view throughout the store.

Be sure to look for Hungarian designer Paul Laszlo’s elegant square display niches in the cosmetics department (behind the Clinique counter). These are gems!

Macy’s Pasadena
401 S. Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101

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Emilie Pallos Graphic Design helps clients shine. High-quality, professional graphic design, photography and art direction for clients in a range of professions, from healthcare to the arts. 

We design and develop custom websites and create print design projects of all kinds — annual reports, brochures and publications, stationery and corporate identity, signage and more. Classic, yet modern.

Good design is good business.

Call Emilie 1 (818) 242-9055 or email us here.

View website with our newest work here.

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BULLOCK'S / MACY'S PASADENA — IN PICTURES

Vintage linen postcard from my own collection. I have many Bullock's postcards!


Pennsylvania Dutch mural — men's furnishings

Designer glassware, lower level

Original architectural rendering by Wurdeman & Becket (artwork located on lower level).



Looking east toward Lake Avenue

Nighttime view — motor court entrance

Lake Avenue view