Marla Gutzwiller celebrated 30 years of design excellence with Epstein Design Partners, Inc. on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. To celebrate this momentous day, the Epstein Design crew gathered at Chinato and enjoyed a tasting menu lunch prepared by Zack Bruell just for the occasion.

As a designer, partner, instructor and art director – Marla’s love and enthusiasm of design remains a constant inspiration. Drawing from her rich experience and knowledge – one cannot help but be influenced by Marla’s approach to design, enjoying the research and the exploration of possibilities any particular design project can take. Epstein Design congratulates our good friend and colleague, and look forward to many more years of collaboration!

Here are some more fun additions to the Interactive Studio, Krystal Glass Writing Boards. I have had my eye on these for some time, since a designer friend had shown them to me. We finally ordered a few and installed them in the studio. Not only do they look nice, but I am sure they will come in very useful in organizing projects.

It is always a melancholy feeling in the autumn when the air becomes too crisp for outdoor lunches, and the porch furniture once again journeys up into the attic. With another Cleveland winter behind us, we were most eager to return the furniture to the porch and enjoy our first lunch of the season in the warm spring weather. We look forward to another season of lunches, and even meetings, out in the open air and sunshine!

Last Fall the Larchmere Merchants Association charged Epstein Design Partners with designing an identity for the commercial district. Since taking up residence on Larchmere Boulevard in 1998, we have seen a lot of businesses come and go, but the core businesses here are keeping the vitality of the neighborhood moving and the Larchmere Merchants Association has really helped to get the area more visibility.

There are many unique events happening here on Larchmere Boulevard. We are happy to be a part of some of these events by providing the design and communications. On Saturday, May 29th, don’t miss the “Larchmere Sidewalk Sale”. Then, Wednesday, June 9th through Sunday, June 13th is the “Patios of Larchmere” event that celebrates the great restaurants along the boulevard. Participating restaurants include the Academy Tavern, Felice, Flying Cranes, Larchmere Tavern, Menu 6 and Vine and Bean Café. There are more events planned throughout the summer, so stay tuned.

Download the Larchmere Events Flyers

So I spent the [snow] day at the Capitol Theatre in Gordon Square attending Cleveland’s first independently run TED event, TEDxCLE. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It was a diverse panel of thinkers and doers in the Cleveland area that ranged from medical, bio-fuels, culinary, entrepreneurial, fashion and transportation. You can see all of the panelists on the TEDxCLE website. The thing that tied all of these things together is not just geography, but the fact they all started with a vision and persevered to make their dreams happen. With their visions, they are also creating a better community. Whether it is a neighborhood shop or fashion designing with textiles made in the region and throughout the US, these talented panelist were great to hear their thoughts, their stories and how they made it or are making it happen.

Our friend, Danielle DeBoe, owner of Room Service and creator of Made in the 216 had a great speech. It was all about her life, her path and how she finally came to realize instead of having a great idea and waiting for someone else to make it happen, she made it happen herself. She also spoke about how being a shop owner, you are not just a businessperson, you are part of the community. Her “dinner for strangers” idea sounds excellent and I cannot wait to attend.

We were recently turned onto the HBO Original Series, “How To Make It In America“. After hearing Sean Bilovecky from Wrath Arcane speak, the plot of the series seems pretty close to their story. They continue to grow and this Fall will have a women’s line.

The entire event was inspiring and while there was no formal Q&A at the show, the panelists were all at Stone Mad afterward and were glad to participate in discussions with the attendees.

View non-flash photos.

Long story short, it is great to see these success stories in the Cleveland area, but these people are not satisfied with their accomplishments. They continue to seek growth, innovation for the betterment of the city, state, nation and world. I can’t wait to see what great things these people come up with next, better yet, they have inspired me to do something great as well.

I was lucky enough to go thanks to winning tickets from Cleveland Foodie’s blog.

The Chinato Burger

Tasty burger with watercress, mozzarella, red sauce and a cured meat (not sure what variety, will have to find out) on the underside of the bun. Has a meatball sandwich flavor about it. Served with Parmesan/rosemary pommes frites.

The L’Albatros Burger

Beautiful burger with melted cheese and béarnaise sauce. Served with seasoned pommes frites.

The Parallax Burger

Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, melted cheese and a “galley sauce”. Served with shoestring fries.

The Table 45 Burger

An All-American type of burger with bacon, onion confit, house made tomato jam, and smoked BBQ mayonnaise on a challah bun. Served with classic fries.

After “Bruell Burger Week” I think it is time for “Salad Week”.

“Epstein Design Partners Inc. was hired for the redesign based on their exceptional work for University Circle Incorporated and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Epstein is a 47 year old company recognized for its creative solutions.” -Kathie Pohl, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, City of Mentor

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Today Epstein Design Partners launched the newly designed and developed website for Downtown Cleveland Alliance. The new site features an aesthetically appealing interface, an easy to maneuver navigation system and a robust/custom Content Management System to allow the client to take more control of their site. Introducing the ability to upload images, captions and links into the rotating flash header through the CMS is one of the many ways that we enhanced the client’s ability to make changes.

Downtown Cleveland Alliance adds to our roster of other civic and community development focused clients in the Cleveland area. We look forward to building upon this niche and supporting our local communities and businesses in doing so.

Friday night was the AIGA Cleveland Design Competition ceremony at the Arts Collinwood gallery. The exhibit was a small selection of fine works by local Graphic Design firms. Epstein Design Partners was recognized with four pieces in the show.

Quality Revolution: Cleveland Clinic 2006 Annual Report

Mort Epstein: 69 Years of Design at 90

Epstein Design Partners Website

L’Albatros Brasserie + Bar Menus

Esteemed judges Jim Ales (Monterey Bay Aquarium), Barbara deWilde (Knopf Publishers), and Jeffrey Keyton (MTV) selected this year’s AIGA Cleveland Design Competition winners from over 300 print and interactive design pieces submitted by local professionals and students.

There were many nice pieces in the show by many local design firms, we are honored to be in such great company in the Cleveland Design Community.

Washington, D.C. — The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has named Epstein Design Partners a gold medal winner of its 2009 Circle of Excellence awards program. A panel of experts selected the institution’s entry in the Excellence in Design:Books category.

This year, 766 institutions from around the world submitted more than 3,500 entries in the Circle of Excellence awards program. Gold, silver and bronze awards may be given in 41 categories. Judges have the option of giving no awards, and they may also recognize exceptional entries with a grand gold award.

CASE is one of the largest international associations of education institutions, serving more than 3,400 universities, colleges, schools, and related organizations in 61 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the fields of education, fundraising, communications, marketing and alumni relations.

“SPEAK: How to Talk to Classmates and Others” is a primer is a brief guide to preparing and delivering an oral presentation. Case Western Reserve University started a program called SAGES (Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship) where students acquire knowledge and analytical skills to solve problems, as well as the power to 
articulate their ideas effectively in both speech and writing. This primer is a 
brief and entertaining guide to helping students speak persuasively, whether 
in the classroom, or in the real-world.