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Carbone Smolan Agency

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Carbone Smolan Agency
Company typePrivate
IndustryMarketing and Advertising
PredecessorGottschalk & Ash International
Founded1976
FounderKen Carbone and Leslie Smolan
Defunct2019
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Websitecarbonesmolan.com

Carbone Smolan Agency was an independent branding agency that operated in New York City in 1976 – 2019.[1][2] Its proprietors Kenneth Carbone and Leslie Smolan were awarded the 2014 AIGA Gold medal for their achievements in corporate identity design, publishing, and strategy.[3]

History

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Seated woman leaning on a chair back next to a man leaning against a wall
Leslie Smolan and Ken Carbone

In 1976 Ken Carbone opened the New York office of the Canadian graphic design firm Gottschalk+Ash International.[4] In 1977 he met and hired Leslie Smolan.[3] Theirs was an expanded view of "graphic design" beyond its two-dimensional applications and embraced the range interdisciplinary communication practices including customer experience design, architectural graphics, branded environments, and packaging design.[5][6]

In 1980 Carbone and Smolan bought out their Canadian partners through a leveraged buyout,[3] and renamed the company Carbone Smolan Agency.[7] Carbone was creative director; Smolan was director of creative strategy. Company served many notable corporate and cultural brands including such organizations as Musée du Louvre, Christie's, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Morgan Stanley,[3] Boston Consulting Group, Tapestry Inc., Dale Carnegie, Credit Suisse, High Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.[8][9][10][11]

In December 1985 Carbone Smolan Agency presented its credentials for the “Signalétique du Grand Louvre,” the visitor information and signage program to complement the Louvre's visitors' entrance and underground plaza being designed by I.M. Pei, creator of the Louvre Pyramid.[12] The French government awarded the New York-based Carbone Smolan Agency the signage project October 3, 1986.[13] Introduced to the public in 1989, Carbone Smolan's visitor information and signage program was predicated on the Arrondissements of Paris plan and remained in place as of 2019.[14]

In their report on the selection of Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan as AIGA Medalists in 2014, AIGA journalist Angela Riechers noted, “In 1985 they won the commission—an honor for a relatively young studio. The project’s success and high visibility helped establish CSA as a studio of major importance in the larger design landscape.”[15] It was featured in "Graphic Design Since 1950" by Alliance Graphique Internationale and Communication Arts magazine,[16] and was recipient of the Communication Arts 1990 Award of Excellence.[citation needed]

In the ensuing years, Carbone Smolan Agency has designed for numerous notable cultural institutions including AIGA, MoMA (New York), Jewish Museum (Manhattan), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden.[17] CSA has 20 exhibits in the AIGA permanent archives.[18][19]

Awards and recognition

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References

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  1. ^ "Surviving Design's Wild West". Communication Arts. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  2. ^ "History". Carbone Smolan Agency. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  3. ^ a b c d "2014 AIGA Medalist: Kenneth Carbone and Leslie Smolan | AIGA". www.aiga.org. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  4. ^ "Gottschalk+Ash International, Unveils a Unique, Glass Signage System". Dexigner. 10 November 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Ken Carbone: Observer Media: Design Observer". observermedia.designobserver.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  6. ^ "Confused pedestrians rejoice! Improvements coming to PATH system signage". Yonge Street Media. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  7. ^ "How To Build A Great, Lasting Business Partnership". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  8. ^ "7 Ways To Build A Brand Like Bond". FastCompany.com.
  9. ^ "Can An Apple A Day Make You A Better Designer?". Fastcodesign.com.
  10. ^ "Three Words You Should Remember When Designing Your Brand". Businessinsider.com.
  11. ^ "These Ads Will Inspire You More Than Those Super Bowl Commercials". Co.Exist. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  12. ^ Abkowitz, Alyssa. "The 20-Year Renovation". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  13. ^ Poulin, Richard (2012). Graphic design + architecture, a 20th century history : a guide to type, image, symbol, and visual storytelling in the modern world. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers. ISBN 9781592537792. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  14. ^ Bernstein, Fred A. (30 August 2008). "A Hotel in Theory, With an Image in Fact". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Kenneth Carbone and Leslie Smolan". AIGA.org. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  16. ^ Communication Arts Magazine, Sep/Oct 1987, Print Edition Only, by Mill Roseman, pp 46-60.
  17. ^ "Carbone Smolan Agency Founders Tell Tale Of A Beautiful Partnership in Dialog".
  18. ^ "Design Archives". Aiga.org.
  19. ^ "Introducing Guest Blogger Ken Carbone: A Look Inside His Private Journals". Fast Company. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  20. ^ "2012 American Web Design Awards Entries". Gdusa.com.
  21. ^ "W.L. Gore Capabilities Center". SEGD - Designers of Experiences. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  22. ^ "Carbone". Aiga.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  23. ^ "2005 REBRAND 100". Rebrand.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2015-02-12.
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