'''Manhattan Design''' was a graphic design collective in New York City from 1979 until 1991. The studio is known for having designed the [[MTV]] logo,<ref name="MTV Logo">{{cite web|url=http://www.frankolinsky.com/mtvstory1.html |title=MTV Logo Story |publisher=Frankolinsky.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref> as well as album packaging, posters, books, and magazines. They also conceived the adaptation of the MTV "moon man" as the award for the [[MTV Video Music Awards]], based on the original concept by MTV's first creative director, [[Fred Seibert]], a video that played at the top of every hour of every day for almost four years (75,000 times).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://frederatorblogs.com/frederator_studios/2009/09/14/942/ |title=More than 75,000 times |publisher=Frederatorblogs.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref>
==History== Partners Pat Gorman, Frank Olinsky, and Patti Rogoff met at the [[Arica Institute]], where they worked in the in-house design department. They founded Manhattan Design in 1979, opening their first office in a tiny room in the back of the New York School of T'ai Chi Chuan, on the second floor above [[C.O. Bigelow]] Apothecaries, in Greenwich Village.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peter Vidani |url=http://fredseibert.com/post/68774160/mtv-music-television-the-logo |title=MTV: Music Television, The Logo |publisher=Fredseibert.com |date=1980-05-05 |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref>
===MTV logo design=== Late in 1980, before the channel had been formally named (it was originally called "The Music Channel" after its sister network, [[The Movie Channel]]),<ref name=evolution>{{cite web|author=Peter Vidani |url=http://fredseibert.com/post/651602789/the-evolution-of-a-famous-logo |title=The evolution of a famous logo |publisher=Fredseibert.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref> MTV creative director [[Fred Seibert]] approached the team to design the network's logo. He had known Olinsky since childhood, and Olinsky had designed record covers for Seibert's company [[Oblivion Records]] in 1975. Manhattan Design created hundreds of preliminary designs, but when the 'MTV' name was chosen, partner Gorman sketched out the now familiar "M" in a bold 3-d sans serif, a "new wave" style "TV" was added by Olinsky, and the design was presented to the network. Seibert and partner [[Alan Goodman]] wanted the "TV" redesigned, and Olinsky took a large version of the "M" into the studio stairwell, spray painted a graffiti-style "TV" on it, and presented it, paint drips and all, to the network.<ref name="MTV Logo"/><ref name=evolution/>
After the logo was approved, the partners were asked to come up with the "corporate colors" for the logo. A revolutionary decision was made: there wouldn't be any corporate colors. The "M" and the "TV" could be made of anything at all. The influence of the MTV logo's chameleon-like look can be seen today.
As a result of their association with MTV, Manhattan Design became highly sought after for all sorts of "hip" design projects, working with such notables as [[The B-52s]], [[The Cars]], [[Billy Idol]], [[Duran Duran]], [[R.E.M.]], [[Sting_(musician)|Sting]], [[10,000 Maniacs]], [[Suzanne Vega]], and others.
==Closing== When Manhattan Design closed up shop in 1991, Patti Rogoff was hired to work in-house for the [[MTV Networks]] Creative Services group, Frank Olinsky went on to become a leading designer of album packages,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frankolinsky.com |title=The Frank Olinsky Website |publisher=Frankolinsky.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fred Seibert's blog - Frank Olinsky |url=http://frederatorblogs.com/frederator_studios/2005/09/25/frank-olinsky/ |publisher=Frederatorblogs.com }}</ref> and Pat Gorman became an [[acupuncturist]].
==References== <!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official|http://www.frankolinsky.com/ }}
[[Category:Graphic design studios]]