San Francisco is a small big city that strikes a perfect balance between its beautiful surrounding geography, diverse urban life, vibrant creative scene, open-mindedness, ambitious character and entrepreneurial spirit. During our meetings there, one word was heard constantly: collaboration. Hence, SF is a place that brings together designers, engineers, artists and business people from different backgrounds and walks of life.

(Pictured above – from top left: Tram on Broadway, Chinatown, Museum of Craft and Design, Jessie Street, Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square)

On Jessie Street, we met with graphic designers Martin Venezky (Appetite Engineers), Scott Thorpe (MacFadden and Thorpe) and Jon Sueda (Stripe) in their shared studio space. It was an opportunity for us to take a closer look at their publishing and editorial work and witness the kind of visual experiments that are taking place in San Francisco. Martin, Scott and Jon are from different generations but all three of them are interested in challenging the medium of graphic design and typography. To them design is first and foremost a form of expression. Business is not a priority to them. Their approach to graphic design is very hands-on, using manual printing methods such as silkscreen and a lot of hand crafted techniques that deliver a certain uniqueness in each of their pieces. Martin has a desk away from the computer where he can dedicate himself to his sculptural work (pictured below)

In contrast, although very much related to SF’s identity, the product development company Moto is dedicated to the integration of high technology in everyday life via the combination of engineering and design. Moto works with large companies to provide them with innovative solutions for their future products. Moto creates new devices that have never been experienced before and therefore most of their projects are kept confidential. One of the few pieces that were shared with us was an interactive touch-screen and an E-ink device (pictured below).

(Above: Joel Templin and Katie Jain, creative directors at Hatch)

JAQK Cellars is a wine company launched by design firm Hatch in partnership with wine maker Craig MacLean. This recently launched wine label smartly blends wine culture with poker themes. As a matter of fact JAQK stands for Jack, Ace, Queen and King.

Katie Jain and Joel Templin wanted to introduce something different within the wine world. Their branding approach to wine is highly unusual but has been warmly welcomed by the press and during the latest edition of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas where JAQK was introduced as the Official Wine for the event.

JAQK Cellars is a playful brand that focuses on offering the best quality wine from the Napa region. Their flagship bottle “High Roller” is not only beautifully packaged, it is a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon of high caliber that appeals to both the connoisseur and design-savvy customers.

Hatch is a design firm that strongly reflects San Francisco’s entrepreneurial spirit. Although Katie and Joel want to continue working for their corporate clients, their ultimate goal is to launch their own products on the market and expand in that direction. With JAQK Cellars their vision for the future is to open lounges across the United States where people can enjoy high quality wines and perhaps also play a little poker.

Getting stuck in traffic in Los Angeles is nothing unusual and we did expect to slow down on the 405. What was waiting ahead of us was still rather extreme: 3 hours of barely moving traffic after a fire started at the Angeles National Forest which caused the closing of several lanes on I-5.

Unable to reach San Francisco before the end of the day, we had to stop at a motel in Lost Hills, CA.

The next morning a slightly foggy but bright San Francisco Bay opened up before us.

Tom Misage, Vice President, Moto Development Group, discusses with Cities x Design the key ingredients to carrying ideas from brainstorming to design through engineering to success.

Graphic Designer Martin Venezky talks about the role of craftsmanship in his design firm Appetite Engineers in San Francisco.

Graphic designers Martin Venezky, Jon Sueda and Scott Thorpe discuss design vs. fine art, visual experimentations and craftsmanship with Cities x Design.

Map powered by MapPress

Close

Close

Keywords – Innovation, Cutting-edge, Architecture, Diverse, Aware

Population: 4,203,898
Founded: 1776
Nicknames: The City by the Bay, Frisco, The City That Knows How, Baghdad by the Bay, The Paris of the West

Tourism / Place branding / Historic Landmarks

• Streetcars
• Golden Gate
• Four Seasons SF
• Autodesk Gallery
• Swissnex San Francisco
• 3A Gallery
• DWR. Potrero Hill
• Brava Theater Center
• Hayes Valley Park
• The Mission
• Odegard San Francisco
• San Francisco Zoo

Design businesses

• MOTO
• Mende Design
• Mine SF
• Ammunition
• Cahan and Associates
• Vanderbyl Design

Creative initiatives

• San Francisco Design Week*
• Design History | AIGA*
• Meatpaper
• Pop Up Magazine

Local businesses

• Tcho
• Dwell LLC
• JAQK Cellars*

Institutions / Organizations

• AIGA SF
• AIA
• SF MOMA
• SF Museum of Craft and Design
• IDSA SF
• Project H Design

Art and Design Schools

• San Francisco Art Institute
• California College of the Arts
• Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

Articles / Blogs / Other

• Dwell
• BLDG Blog
• Ferry Plaza Farmers Market