Happy New Year !

MAD is excited to finish a great 2012, but always looks forward to the developments, ideas and projects of a new year.  We should all strive to design a year full of health, happiness and a lot of optimism !

Pratt by the Numbers

Prattfolio's publication identifying buildings at Pratt Institute's Landmark Brooklyn campus. We've checked off our renovation work from the last 10 years at Higgins Hall, South Hall, East Hall, Steuben Hall and others.

Go to our website to read more about our Pratt Institute's Restoration projects: http://mad-nyc.com/architecture_detail.php?id_prog=38

NYU Wayfinding

We developed the wayfinding and branding strategy for the lobby at 726 Broadway. This landmark building is among the ten campus buildings where MAD integrated a flag and banners program.

Piermont Residence

We are in preliminary design for a new residence sited on the sloped just above Piermont, NY, located along the Western shore of the Hudson River.  The inspiring site allows us to consider this multi-level structure and the views toward the river below.  

NYC Best For Business Infographic Competition 2012 Press Release

OCTOBER 15, 2012
Contact:
Andre Gutierrez, Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD), 212-982-4613 x107

NYCEDC Announces Winner of "NYC Best For Business Infographic Competition 2012"

Design Submitted By Sara Matiz of MAD Selected Following a Competitive Public Voting Process

New York, NY, October 15, 2012 - New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the winner of the “NYC Best for Business Infographic Competition 2012,” which challenged creative New Yorkers—as well as residents from across the country—to demonstrate why New York City is the premier global destination for business. Following a highly competitive two-week voting process in which more than 3,000 votes were cast, the design submitted by Sara Matiz of Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD) was selected, receiving a majority of the votes among three finalists. For her winning efforts, Sara will receive $1,000 as well as a full-size print of her infographic design signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The winning design will also be used by NYCEDC to continue to promote New York City’s global competitiveness, and can be viewed at www.nycedc.com/bestforbusiness.

“We want to congratulate Sara on her inspired design, which perfectly captures the incredible advantages and the many opportunities available in New York City today,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. “We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all those responsible for the dozens of submissions in this contest, each of which demonstrated enormous creativity in showcasing why New York City is the ideal destination for 21st Century businesses.”

Using recent data highlighting New York’s increasing competitiveness in global business, contestants were asked to design and create a visually stimulating “infographic” to effectively capture this important trend taking place in the City. The contest, which originally launched in July, received dozens of submissions. An initial judging period led to the selection of three final designs, which were submitted by JeongHo Park, Sara Matiz, and Erica Virtue. These designs were then entered into the public voting period that began earlier this month, allowing the public to ultimately select their favorite design.  ‘We were very honored to be chosen as a finalist in the competition,’ says Sara Matiz, ‘having the opportunity to highlight our great city of New York as a top business destination as well as showcase my agency’s graphic design capabilities.”

The contest was designed to highlight impressive statistics and the enormous recognition New York City has recently received for being a top destination for business. This includes: Economist Intelligence Unit – #1 Most Competitive City in the World; The Atlantic – America's Most Powerful Global City; Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012; and AT Kearney – Global Cities Index; #1—all of which were included in the approved datasets contestants used for their infographic design. In addition to these impressive awards, New York has also seen tremendous growth in technology jobs in the last five years, and there are now more private sector jobs in New York City than at any time in the city’s history, eclipsing the previous peak from 1969.

In addition to highlighting the City’s pro-business standing, the competition was also meant to create additional opportunities for designers within New York City’s growing design sector. According to a 2011 report by the Center for an Urban Future, the design sector expanded significantly between 2000 and 2009, with design sector jobs in the metro area growing by 75%. Among the largest increases were for graphic designers, which increased by 139% during this time.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New York City’s many opportunities. Find us on Facebook to learn more about NYCEDC projects and initiatives.

About Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD)
MAD is an award-winning 360 degree architectural, branding and design agency with clients across many industry sectors, including retail, healthcare and leading not-for-profits. The branding and design part of the business, MAD Studio, is a WBE-certified business led by Sara Matiz.

NYC EDC Infographic Competition

We need your votes!

We have been selected as one of the three semi-finalists for NYC EDC's "NYC Best of Business Infographic Competition". Please vote for Infographic B to help us win! Voting ends on Friday, October 12 at 5pm! The winner will be announced, Monday, October 15th!

Read a review about all the infographic finalists at the Economic Development Blog.

A bit about our design process

This video describes our approach and some specific characteristics about the Neurological Center we designed here in NYC.  More info is available at our site www.mad-nyc.com

Restoration on-the-boards at Pratt

We are currently working on a important assessment of this historic home located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn originally built in 1895.  The CL Pratt House is the formal residence for the president of Pratt Institute and one of the key homes in the landmarked historic district.  This is the third time that MAD has assisted with the restoration of the building.

Summer Fancy Food Show

MAD designed the branding and graphics for the 270 booth Fancy Food Show’s Italian Pavilion in Washington, DC, reinforcing the simple, fresh and special ingredients that make Italian cuisine famous worldwide. We collaborated with FB International for the installation, Universal Marketing, the exclusive Italian Agent for Trade Exhibitions for the United States and the Italian Trade Commission. We provided the client with the overall concept, including renderings of the exhibit, logo, taglines and environmental graphics.

MAD Branding for Reavis Parent Lehrer LLP

We just designed additional marketing materials for one of our long-standing clients, Reavis Parent Lehrer LLP. Initiated by MAD's office design at 41 Madison Avenue, later Sara Matiz developed the branding for the firm in 2005. The new materials continue the refined aesthetic of all of their promotional pieces. Congrats to the new partners that are a part of this announcement!

NYU Gallatin School

Just completed! Faculty offices and meeting spaces for NYU Gallatin School, located in a loft building on Lafayette Street.  The space is outfitted with daylight sensing and uses 'green' materials throughout.  Highlights include Wolf Gordon wallpaper surfacing that is rhythmically tied to glass transoms setting the tone for the new suite.

Blue Building Preview

Bringing a brand to life in progress...the Blue Building’s evolution to highlight its ‘Hold Out’ historical status as a New York real estate property.  

Blue Building

New window display for the historic Blue Building in Midtown East. Stacking recycled cardboard, we will create a series of surfaces to revisit the history of the Blue Bldg. Now, what have you always wanted to do with 8,000 sf?

NYU Silver Common Areas

We recently visited the classrooms and common areas that we designed for the fifth floor at NYU's Silver Building. This was part of a larger classroom refresh project which included 11 classrooms on this floor for a total of 9,000 sf. Students were enjoying the classic and romantic authors that we offered for inspiration right outside of the Classics Department!