The New York Photo Festival would like to to tip its hat to the Snorri Bros – acclaimed filmmakers and photographers – as well as the international design firm Pentagram for their invaluable assistance and the integral role they have played in shaping the festival’s visual identity.
Known for their eye-catching Sprint commercials, the Snorri Bros have recently completed a short documentary film on the inaugural edition of the New York Photo Festival titled: “The Future of Contemporary Photography”.
Pentagram, known throughout the world for its sharp, innovative visual style and vast breadth of focus, has been contributing logo design and multi-media branding applications.
Pentagram is an international, multi-disciplinary design studio. Founded in 1972 in London, the firm has expanded to offices in New York, San Francisco, Austin, and Berlin. Pentagram boasts an impressive roster of clients, having worked with Nike, Dell, Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue, TV’s The Daily Show, and many more on projects ranging from print and screen graphics to corporate identities to interiors and entire buildings. Also on their résumé are a number of high-profile photo books, including the powerHouse titles Inside: The Chelsea Hotel by Julia Calfee (2007), Blunt by Nigel Parry (2006), InTents by Patrick McMullan (2004), and Andy Warhol: The Factory Years, 1964–1967 by Nat Finkelstein (2000). Learn more at www.pentagram.com.
The Snorri Bros began their artistic collaboration as breakdancers in their native Iceland, before graduating to a career in commercial photography that eventually led them to the United States. Settling in Brooklyn, they continued to photograph, shooting for the likes of Interview, Spin, and Details, and soon began to break into film and video as well. Today, they have created commercials for Mercedes Benz, Hummer, Dell, Cadillac, Kenneth Cole, and a spot for Sprint whose novel take on stop-frame animation brought them international recognition, and have directed music videos for artists including R.E.M. and The Streets. A collection of their portraits was published as the 2008 powerHouse title Barflies: Reykjavík. Learn more at www.snorribros.com.
Photos: Bjorg Magnea – www.bjorgmagnea.com
Every year, starting with the New York Festival’s inaugural edition in 2008, David Howell of David Howell Design and Hugo N. Corvalan of Corvalan Design have designed the five primary pavilions to bring a linking theme throughout the festival and to evoke DUMBO’s industrial atmosphere. The pavilion walls are made from recycled materials (which are in turn recycled) and anchored by railroad ties. The walls interlock to form a non-linear pathway through the exhibitions. Each site is thus visually linked to its neighbor, creating a seamless web of connection.
Hugo N. Corvalan was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he received his Masters of Architecture from the University of Miami (1997) and has resided in New York since 1998. He created Corvalan Design in the summer of 2009 and has collected projects such as a ground-up single family residence, historical brownstone addition, multi-family renovation, and a bar & restaurant. His previous experience was as senior designer with David Howell Design, and as an associate at Copper Robertson & Partners and Swanke Hayden Connell Architects. His portfolio includes a variety of projects including luxury residential, high-end corporate interiors, resort destination spa, and mixed-use urban developments. In addition to architectural design he has collaborated with creative and marketing directors on developments in Miami and New York.
David Howell has a 20-year background as an architect and designer. His firm, David Howell Design, Inc. is a versatile practice that encompasses residential and commercial projects, ground-up architecture, and interiors of every origin – raw, re-habilitated, and re-purposed. A native of New Zealand, Mr. Howell was trained at the University of Auckland, where he received a Bachelor of Architecture with honors. He became a registered architect in 1990. Prior to coming to the United States, Mr. Howell headed his own firm, David Howell Architecture founded in Auckland in 1990. From 1986 through 1990 he was an architect with Lane-Priest Architects, also in Auckland. Mr. Howell relocated to New York in 1992. He served with Clodagh Design International before founding David Howell Design in 1995. He has been an International Associate Member with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) since 1998. Mr. Howell’s work has been recognized with numerous awards and many national and international publications. He has exhibited widely in both New York and New Zealand. www.davidhowell.net.
