Margo Chase: Chasing the Bright Light Selected Bibliography Books 2008 Gomez-Palacio, Bryony, and Armin Vit. Women of Design: Influence and Inspiration from the Original Trailblazers to the New Groundbreakers. Cincinnati: HOW Books, 2008. 117-119. Print. (illustrated in color) Adams, Sean, ed. Masters of Design: Logos & Identity. Mass: Rockport, 2008. 42-55. Print. (illustrated in color) 2006 Bucher, Stefan G. All Access: The Making of Thirty Extraordinary Graphic Designers. Rockport: Mass, 2006. 110-117. Print. (illustrated in color) Fishel, Catherine M. Design Secrets: Packaging: 50 Real-Life Projects Uncovered. Singapore: Page One, 2005. 6-11. Print. (illustrated in color) 1999 Harper, L, M.S. Jarrett, and K McCoy. “The Progressive Gothic.” Radical Graphics/Graphic Radicals. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1999. Print. (illustrated in color) Newspaper and Magazine Articles 2016 Mooth, Bryn. "Margo Chase on Growing Her Iconic Business." HOW, December 14, 2016. http://www.howdesign.com/design-business/design-news/margo-chase-growing-iconic- business/. Web. (illustrated in color) Mohan, Anne Marie. "Design group answers question: ‘Can your eyes make your nose happy?’." Packaging World, 2016: 8. Print. (illustrated in color) 2015 Deseo, Jessica. "Spotlight: Chase Design Group." The Dieline, October 2, 2015. http://www. thedieline.com/blog/2014/9/24/spotlight-chase-design-group. Web. (illustrated in color) Kaplan, Michael. "Margo Chase Design: Cooler Than They Already Are." Graphis, Vol. 53, no. 307, 1997: 36-47. Print. (illustrated in color) Liederman, Erica. "Daughter Dualities." Create, Winter 1996: 30-35. Print. (illustrated in color) 1996 "Showcase: Margo Chase." Art and Design News, Jan/Feb 1995: 16-17. Print. (illustrated in color) 1995 Levine, Robin. "7th Annual Design Awards." Publish, 1995: 47. Print. (illustrated in color) "Margo Chase." Adobe Magazine: 6th Annual Type Issue, 1995: 46-48. Print. (illustrated in color) Eggers, Ron. "Sleight of Hand Lettering: Margo Chase’s Magical Designs." On Line Design, 1995: 18-21. Print. (illustrated in color) 1994 Gilman, Karyn Lynn. "An Interview with Margo Chase." Letter Arts Review, Vol. 11, no. 2, 1994: 36-45. Print. (illustrated in color) 199 Prendiville, Julie. "Margo Chase." Communication Arts, May/June 1993: 40-49. Print. 3 (illustrated in color) "Rich Vein: Undying Ads Lift ‘Dracula’ To a Spine-Tingling Opening." Adweek, Vol. XXXXII, 1992 no. 47, 23 November 1992. Print. 99 PASADENA AVENUE, SUITE 9 LOS ANGELES, CA 91030 323-668-1055 WWW.CHASEDESIGNGROUP.COM Page 1 of 2 "Specialty CD Packaging: Margo Chase uses Photoshop to design a Grammy nominated CD package, complete with “tarot cards” for Cher’s most recent album." Step-By-Step, Vol. 8, no. 5, September/October 1992: 110-126. Print. (illustrated in color) 99 PASADENA AVENUE, SUITE 9 LOS ANGELES, CA 91030 323-668-1055 WWW.CHASEDESIGNGROUP.COM Page 2 of 2 Pathfividevo117 MARGO American CHASE CURllfflYJ Loo Avigeleo, California, United Stateo VllllltltTHHUI 21 Owner avid exemtiue creative divectov, Chaoe Deoigvi GvoLtp BS, biology, minov in deoigvi Two yeavo maotev'o wovlllin medical iULtotvation There ls a very controlled, organic quatlty 1980s when there were strong gothic edgy and experimental. My design was to your worh, and you were originat(JI a trends in fashion and interior design. I self-referential and there was lots of biotogymajor.Coincidence? know my early work influenced by room for personal expression. I everything going on around me, where I lots of design decisions based on gut not. I've always been fascinated was made traveled, I the fashions intuition rather than research. by organic form. I loved biology for many and Probably were. I think it's impossible and maybe reasons, but the beauty of natural forms, what read, what even counterproductive to try to work in a my clients are much larger and both living and non-living, intrigued me vacuum, so I paid attention to everything. more corporate, so the work isn't from the start. The influence of these forms Today One of the things I love most about de­ me anymore. I spend time listening to on my work was unconscious, however. I about sign is the excuse it gives me to become consumers and trying to figureout what never intentionally tried to make things a sponge. I love books and I have a huge they'll like. I use my skills, taste and ex­ feelorganic; they just out that way. collection that fills one entire wall of my pertise to make and direct design that studio. I collect books on everything from will connect with people I often have lit­ You have maintainedcame a uni que, hard-to- typography to textiles. Looking back, I tle in common with. Today I'm getting a describe aesthetic that is a medley, and chance to deliver on my belief that good , can see the influence on my work of my this is meant as a compliment of Goth and design can change minds and behavior. modernism. How doyoufeetyourworh has progression from one interest to another. evolved over the course a/twenty years? The look of the work I do now is much We have to ash... How coot is it to have I'm really not sure how I feel about the different from what I was doing when I designed the identity for one of the most Goth label. I've heard it a lot, so it must started. My first clients were all in the successful and pop-defining TV series, be true. I started doing design in the mid- music business, so the work could be Buffythe Vampire Sl�eri' The team also explored Indian artwork, frescos, and textiles for • inspiration. From these sources, rich, detailed artwork was devel­ oped for use on canisters and bottle bellybands. Two different looks were built from the green paper and floral illustrations: The core product line-which includes Oil of Love, Pleasure Balm, and Honey Dust-is wrapped in the green ribbed paper. Each flavor has a different bellyband design to distinguish it and tie it into the second look, which was used on the gift product line. This line is decorated with similarly colored illustrations based on the art of the original Kama Sutra. "We felt that color was an important aspect that was missing in the old packaging. The Oil of Love is manufactured in various beautiful colors, but they were hidden inside brown or black tubes, which are necessary to keep the glass bottles from break­ ing. We decided to bring the color to the outside of the contain­ ers," Chase says. She notes that the consistent green paper theme gave the client a single, ownable color on store shelves and helped him carve out an identifiable space. "But we wanted to break that up with floral patterns and illustrations to keep everything interesting, inviting, and friendly." The art served another, more subliminal purpose. Many people are uncomfortable buying sex products. "We hope that the beau­ tiful art would help people feel like they were buying a gift or a piece of art rather than a sex aid. That's one big reason for Karna Pa.F'. Sutra's success: It still does a huge amount of business in sex - �Btillltd-"�� shops because its products are the only ones that look tasteful, and he has been able to break into the mainstream gift market - � ¥'\;l�twvt-vu-- for the same reason," Chase says. h-D\ J.-s ----beioU� ot" Today, the Karna Sutra product line is found in high-end gift c.ol(eL:h<M ov(� M -fv.i� stores all over the world, as well as at mainstream retailers. Its business has grown dramatically every year since Chase Design v1?Cl� Group began its work; in 2002 alone, sales doubled. Chase doesn't claim that the new packaging is the only reason for such impressive improvement, but both she and the client like to think it has had a huge impact. She also credits client Joe Bolstad-the only client she has ever had who graduated from Art Center with a degree in design-with being incredibly recep­ tive to their ideas. "We often make comps in several versions. He takes them away and sits with them until he's sure which one is right. He'll have thought everything through and offer great input, often making 0 Rich fabrics from India were one of the visual resources that Margo Chase and the designs even better than they were," she says. her designers studied for guidance on color and illustration. 0 A range of sketches completed during early discussions with the client. Mooth, Bryn. “Margo Chase on Growing Her Iconic Business.” HOW Design, December 14, 2016. http://www.howdesign.com/design-business/design-news/margo-chase-growing-iconic-busi ness/ Margo Chase on Growing Her Iconic Business By: Bryn Mooth | December 14, 2016 Margo Chase made a name creating iconic typography for some of the globe’s biggest mu- sic stars (hello, Madonna, Prince and Cher). That was 30 years ago, and Chase’s influence and creative integrity are still thriving. In between, she’s landed nearly every major honor in the design field and been recognized by HOW, I.D., Graphis and others. Very deliberately growing her business since 1986 from a solo practice, Chase now steers a bi-coastal design studio with 30-some employees. At HOW Design Live in Chicago, Chase will present Fired Up: Fueling Growth with Good Design, in which she’ll talk about finding the delicate balance between a financially successful firm and a creatively successful one. We recently asked her to look back at projects that put her on the map and to share what’s led to her success.