Shopping and gift-giving are all about choices. Should you give her shoes or earrings? Do they want something for the house or a present that’s more personal? And how about a little something for myself?

Pentagram’s new fall campaign for Saks Fifth Avenue attempts to diagram this complex decision-making process in a series of humorous flowcharts. Designed by Michael Bierut and Katie Barcelona with Sabrina Friebis Ruiz, the graphics appear on shopping bags, print promotions and advertising for the luxury retailer. In developing the campaign, Pentagram worked once again with Saks Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Terron Schaefer and his creative team led by Christopher Wieliczko and Andrew Winton.

Each flowchart starts with a problem posed in a circle (“Uh oh, is that today?”) and branches off at different decision points as shoppers consider their options, winding through various stages of deliberation (“He’d like to have…. Jeans that aren’t ‘Dad jeans’”) or distress (“Think quick… I think I need an expert”). The paths all lead to Saks, represented by the store’s square logo, also designed by Pentagram.

The campaign complements the grid-based, black-and-white brand identity we designed for Saks in 2006, as well as the look and feel of previous campaigns we’ve developed for the retailer, which are often playful, usually highly graphic, sometimes directional, and may involve games and puzzles.

Designed by Pentagram
Project Team: Michael Bierut, partner-in-charge and designer; Katie Barcelona, designer; Sabrina Friebis Ruiz, design assistant.

http://www.pentagram.com