http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/ en akdavey@spdwest.com Copyright 2010 2010-06-07T22:58:04+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/direct_approach/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/direct_approach/#When:23:58:04Z By Daniel Miller When the developers of a Middle Eastern island needed a system to direct residents and visitors, they turned to a Playa del Rey business specializing in art, communications and environmental design. The company, Selbert Perkins Design, is now in the process of naming streets and developing an address system for Saadiyat Island off Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf. It’s a job that points to the unique niche Selbert Perkins occupies: a firm with competencies stretching from logo and sign design to public art and street nomenclature. “It’s a fun part of our business to educate the world on how to find your way,” said co-founder Clifford Selbert, who co-owns the business with his wife, Robin Perkins. Closer to home, the firm has worked on iconic projects such as the mammoth CityCenter mixed-use development in Las Vegas, and a $70 million art and signage program at Los Angeles International Airport. Much of the company’s business centers on signage for buildings and “way-finding” – a term used to describe the various implements that help people get around public spaces. Sometimes that’s a simple as a sign with a directional arrow; in other cases it might entail a new address system. There are no more than 50 firms in the country similar to Selbert Perkins, according to those who know the industry. “(They) have a flair and a knack for understanding what their clients are trying to achieve and bring that into the design of projects,” said David Simon, managing director of Broadreach Capital Partners LLC, a Palo Alto-based real estate development firm that’s worked with Selbert Perkins on a handful of local projects. The company has expanded in the last decade, adding offices in Chicago; Honolulu; and Dubai, which has been a base for its burgeoning Middle Eastern business. However, the firm has downsized. After years of steady growth, six of the company’s 40 employees left last year – because of marriage and other examples of what the company calls “natural attrition” – and weren’t replaced. Selbert said the downsizing only made the company more efficient and was not related to a loss of business. Married partnership The company was founded in 1997, though Selbert and Perkins have been working together since 1988, when Perkins joined Selbert’s prior company, Boston’s Clifford Selbert Design. Both are natives of New York state and graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design. The couple, married in 2004, said their partnership is a close one. “The weird thing is if you ask Cliff a question in one room and ask me the question in another room, nine times out 10 we will give you the same answer,” Perkins said. The husband-and-wife team didn’t move to Los Angeles until 1999, but began working here in 1991, when radio station company KISS Radio hired the duo for a branding campaign. The billboard campaign, which featured people kissing, was deemed too risqué for KISS’ Boston station, but was used for L.A.’s KIIS-FM (102.7). That was the first of several jobs they had in Los Angeles, prompting them to shuttle back and forth between the coasts before buying a bungalow in the Pacific Palisades in 1996, just before Selbert Perkins was founded. Three years later, they made Los Angeles their permanent home, but retained a Boston office that still operates today. Selbert was intrigued by the creative climate here and things moved quickly. The firm developed a relationship with Los Angeles World Airports in the mid-1990s, when it designed logos for LAX. That business led to the firm’s most iconic project – the oversized glass columns that have dotted airport’s entrance since 2000. “It definitely added more visibility for us,” said Perkins of the $30 million project. “It really became a symbol and an icon.” The company completed a separate $40 million signage and way-finding project at the airport in 2004. Not all of the firm’s projects are that big, but even so some have been notable. Selbert Perkins’ work with Broadreach, for example, included building-top signage for tenant CNN at the real estate firm’s 6430 Sunset Blvd. building in Hollywood. The animated signs include the news channel’s logo with a white line flowing through the center of the network’s familiar lettering. The project cost CNN $250,000. Selbert Perkins’ fee structure varies from project to project. It may be based on a percentage of the entire cost of the project or a percentage of the fabrication cost. Fees range from less 1 percent to more than 2 percent, with the company charging as little as $5,000 to as much as $3 million per project. The company costs include in-house design while contractors are hired to fabricate the designs. Selbert declined to detail profits, though he said the firm is profitable. He said that the firm’s revenue has increased by 10 percent or more every year for the last five years. International designs The company was introduced to some of its international work by Venice architect Jon Jerde, whose Jerde Partnership design studio has offices in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Selbert said that his company has worked with Jerde on projects in Japan, China, Indonesia, Singapore and, in 2004, in Dubai. That led to jobs there and elsewhere in the Middle East. Selbert Perkins is currently working on Festival City, a large Dubai development for which the firm has developed branding, graphic standards and public art. “They seem to have plenty of money, frankly,” said Selbert of his Middle East clients. Another big area of growth is China. Selbert Perkins hopes to open a Shanghai office next year. Though there are few companies that occupy the same niche as Selbert Perkins, it does have local competitors, including Sussman/Prejza in Culver City and Hunt Design in Pasadena. “We compete with them all the time; they do a great job,” said Wayne Hunt, founding principal of his namesake firm. Hunt said his company does more “institutional work,” such as with the National Park Service. However, about 60 percent of Selbert Perkins’ business comes from the public sector. For example, in 2006 the firm was hired by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors to revive the Marina del Rey WaterBus, a boat taxi service. The firm’s work, which included a new logo and signage, was completed in June 2006. Ridership shot up by 80 percent that summer, said Debbie Talbot, marketing analyst for the county department. Before the redesign, focus groups indicated riders had trouble finding boarding locations. “I really attribute it to them. It was the design factor. Ridership had kept declining and declining,” Talbot said. “They really pulled the project out of the ashes for us.” In the Media 2010-06-07T23:58:04+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/crocker_museum_sign_installation/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/crocker_museum_sign_installation/#When:18:59:25Z Time lapse photography of the installation of the sign on the new building at the Crocker Art Museum on Thursday, Feb. 18 by sign installers Marc Busby and Tom May. The new building is scheduled to open October 10. Photography by Sue Morrow In the Media 2010-02-23T18:59:25+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/sign_builder_february_issue/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/sign_builder_february_issue/#When:00:40:30Z The CNN Tower in Los Angeles, California houses one of the largest news networks in the country, but its exterior didn’t always reflect this fact. When a new owner took over the building, it was decided that a major rebranding was necessary if CNN was to remain a tenant, and Selbert Perkins Design (SPD)(www. selbertperkins.com) was called in to spearhead the effort. “ We were really in charge of re-imaging the entire site, including the overall facades, the groundlevel, the pedestrian area, and the lobby, as well as the garage,” says Robin Perkins, partner and cofounder of Selbert Perkins Design. “They had a lot of VIP individuals coming in for interviews with Larry King and such so we really needed kind of a red carpet re-imaging.” SPD’s first ideas were a bit too oversized. “We really wanted it to be like a little mini Times Square,” says Perkins. “Our first thought was to cover the entire building façade in LEDs and create real, live animated images of whatever was being broadcast on CNN at the time. But that turned into, for obvious reasons, a smaller effort.” Download the complete article...   In the Media 2010-02-02T00:40:30+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/selbert_perkins_design_directs_visitors_through_citycenter/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/selbert_perkins_design_directs_visitors_through_citycenter/#When:21:51:52Z Today, CityCenter’s much anticipated ARIA Resort & Casino opens its doors. Over the next year, thousands of guests will navigate the 61-story, 4,004-room gaming resort which, as part of CityCenter, has been deemed “capital of the new world.” Selbert Perkins Design was brought on to ensure that visitors easily find their way around the new development. The award-winning design firm developed an extensive environmental graphics master plan to move crowds around the 16 restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, 150,000 square-foot casino, 300,000 square feet of meeting space, 80,000 square-foot spa, 215,000 square-foot pool deck, 10-story parking garage and the Viva ELVIS™ Cirque de Soleil Theatre. “Our vision for the signage and wayfinding program was to seamlessly integrate sign elements within the architectural spaces while providing clear and simple messages that would guide guests to all interior destinations,” said Robin Perkins, partner at Selbert Perkins Design. “The design of the sign program complements interior finishes and architecture while providing an enhanced brand experience.”Selbert Perkins Design strategically developed a signage and wayfinding plan to not only help visitors navigate the complex space, but to also enhance the brand image and experience. With six LEED Gold certifications, CityCenter is one of the largest sustainable communities in the world, showcasing the harmony between upscale hospitality and green design. Environmental graphics were designed to reflect CityCenter’s sophisticated brand identity, incorporating the architectural color palette while meeting the desire to utilize sustainable material and processes. In total, more than 7,000 signs were designed and installed – each utilizing aluminum, reclaimed wood and low voltage, LED illumination. The major restaurants, retail, showrooms, nightclubs, spa and conference center identity signs, as well as all interior podium wayfinding signs, were developed in collaboration with the twenty-nine venue operators and owners. About Selbert Perkins DesignCollaborating with clients across five continents, Selbert Perkins Design translates a place’s story, history and personality into a design experience that inspires. The award-winning firm brings together the expertise of more than 40 professionals across five offices to work on everything “from logos to landmarks” including: branded environments, public art & sculpture, signage & wayfinding, brand strategy & research, city/streetscapes, corporate branding, identity development, naming systems, print and interactive media. Selbert Perkins Design is best known for its unique expertise with large scale public art and branding environments. The firm’s project portfolio includes: Los Angeles International Airport Gateway (light columns), Union Station, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Dubai Festival City and Downtown Disney. For more information, please visit www.selbertperkins.com. For more information on CityCenter Las Vegas, please visit www.citycenter.com. Media ContactEmily MurphyAllison & Partners310.496.4470emilym@allisonpr.com ### Press Releases 2010-01-06T21:51:52+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/communication_arts_exhibit/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/communication_arts_exhibit/#When:20:55:51Z         East Fremont Street revitalization Selbert Perkins Design (Playa Del Rey, California) collaborated with the City of Las Vegas on the revitalization of East Fremont ... more In the Media 2010-01-04T20:55:51+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/bcs_championship_game_graphics/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/bcs_championship_game_graphics/#When:00:57:11Z Looking towards the press box at the Rose Bowl for the BCS Championship Game.   Selbert Perkins Design, the design firm that created the LAX Gateway glass pylon project, developed all the interior and exterior graphics for the BCS Championship Game tonight. In partnership with the Tournament of Roses for 11 years, the design firm also designed the game tickets, programs, credentials, VIP cards, etc. The designers wanted to use larger than life imagery of players in motion to demonstrate strength and heroism. The players are shown in black and white against a full color background of the American flag in motion. Since football is an American game, they added the background of the flag to reflect this unique American experience. And it should be an experience to see the thawed out Texas Longhorn and Alabama Crimson Tide fans at the Rose Bowl. You know how those wacky Texans and southerners love their football teams. Face paint, bbq, the whole works. It should be an amazing sight in Pasadena tonight. As for the game, having more than a month to mull it over I still don't know. Theoretically the Tide should roll the Longhorns out of the Rose Bowl. But the Tide looked really mediocre at points during the season before absolutely dominating the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game. Meanwhile the Longhorns were just outgunning teams left and right until the Big 12 Championship Game when they met Ndamukong Suh and the Nebraska defense. more... By Jimmy Bramlett in News on January 7, 2010 1:30 PM In the Media 2009-12-15T00:57:11+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/cliff_selbert_to_speak_at_sign09/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/cliff_selbert_to_speak_at_sign09/#When:01:50:06Z Clifford Selbert will be speaking in Vienna, Austria on December 4th at the sign09 Seminar and Conference. Finding Your Way While Enhancing Your Brand A joint event on signage and wayfinding by IIID and The Sign Design Society The Sign Design Awards are organised by the Sign Design Society, based in the UK. The 2009 competition saw a record entry from across the world and presentations to the winners took place on October 22nd in London. An exhibition of some 40 or more of the best entries will be held at the Building Centre in London between 2nd and 14th November In December, the exhibition will move to Vienna where, with the support of the Society, the International Institute for Information Design IIID will hold a series of seminars under the banner of ‘Sign 09’. Sign09 will be the first event of its kind to be held. It is a joint Austro-British enterprise and the organisers anticipate active engagement from designers, architects and manufacturers with the support from the British Council, the British Embassy in Vienna and the Austro British Chamber. In the Media 2009-11-14T01:50:06+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/direction_for_cowboys_fans/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/direction_for_cowboys_fans/#When:01:11:55Z In the Media 2009-11-14T01:11:55+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/jump_start_the_future/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/jump_start_the_future/#When:00:41:43Z In the Media 2009-11-14T00:41:43+00:00 http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/how_wayfinding_signs_can_enhance_your_brand/ http://spdnew.selbertperkins.com/news/article/how_wayfinding_signs_can_enhance_your_brand/#When:00:06:52Z In the Media 2009-11-14T00:06:52+00:00