The two-disc Blu-ray and the two-disc Extended Edition DVD releases of Ron Howard’s recently released Da Vinci Code sequel “Angels & Demons” will feature a special bonus feature called:

This is an Ambigram

This bonus chapter of the disc sets will feature ambigram artist John Langdon, and will discuss the ambigram designs that he created for the book and movie.  The bonus feature will also go into detail on how John Langdon became the inspiration behind Dan Brown’s leading character, Robert Langdon.

It is unclear if there will be a single disc release of the movie, and if so, whether it will contain this bonus.  Make sure to read the packaging before purchasing.

Our best sources indicate that the releases will occur on the following dates:

• UK “Angels & Demons” release: Sept 14, 2009
• German-language “Illuminati” release (“Illuminati” is the name being used for “Angels & Demons” in German): October 22, 2009
• American “Angels & Demons” release: November 24, 2009.

If you love ambigrams (especially the work of John Langdon), you will definitely want to check out “This is an ambigram” on the “Angels & Demons” optical disc releases.

NY is a crazy city and everything here isn’t always the way that it seems. The Ambigram is great way to showcase this mindset because you have to take a hard look to truly appreciate the complexity of the design much like this great city.

Image used with permission from FLIP NY.

2. Why do you think the ambigram logo was appropriate, given the branding of FLIP NY?

FLIPNY encourages people to take a second look at this city… to look closer at the environment and the people that inhabit this crazy place.  The ambigram was a perfect way for us to get the message across with just a logo.

3. What and/or who was your inspiration for the ambigram mark?

It’s funny.  It was actually Dan Brown.  In the early fazes of the marketing plans I was reading “Angels & Demon” which uses abigrams throughout the entire book.  I thought it was the coolest concept I had ever seen.  I needed to use it for this clothing line.

4. An ambigram isn’t usually the first, second, third or even fourth idea for an identity of a company. Was the ambigram concept in the forefront initially, or did it evolve later on in the design process?

Nope, it was the furthest thing from my mind… But like I said earlier, when you have a great idea and you know it’s great, you have to fully pursue it.

Image used with permission from FLIP NY.

5. Do you think the mark accurately represents FLIP NY and its culture?

Absolutely, like I mentioned before, things in this city aren’t always what they seem.  I have been living here my entire life and I am constantly learning new something new.  The FLIPNY Logo is a constant reminder to take a close look at this place and the people  you might surprise yourself…

6. What was the most challenging aspect of the design & development process of the ambigram mark? (here, would you be able to show any possible ambigram sketches, ideas, etc..something to show the evolution process of the ambigram)

Not really once the idea came to mind the sketching portion was pretty simple.  We had multiple concepts.  The hardest part was choosing the concept we liked the best which is the logo you see today which we considered “the classic Goth style”

Image used with permission from FLIP NY.

7. Are there any ambigram artists that you personally admire?

I would have to say John Langdon. Without his work on Angels & Demons, I never would have came up with this idea.

——————-

A big thank you goes out to Todd Aferiat,  President and Founder of the Flipny Clothing Corporation. Take a look at their website and products at www.flipny.com

"Angels and Demons" Earth Ambigram

The first brand was found on the cardinal buried underground.  It reads “Earth” no matter which was it is turned.  All of the ambigrams in “Angels and Demons” were drawn by artist John Langdon and are reproduced here with permission.

"Angels and Demons" Air Ambigram

The “Air” ambigram was found on the cardinal whose lungs has been punctured.

"Angels and Demons" Fire Ambigram

The “Fire” ambigram was on the cardinal being burned alive in one of the most gruesome parts of the story.

"Angels and Demons" Water Ambigram

The last brand was on the chest of Cardinal Baggio, who was attempted to be drowned in the Fountain of the Four Rivers.  In the book, Cardinal Baggio dies, but in the movie he is saved by Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), later to be named Pope.

Angels and Demons Illuminati ambigram

Although not used a brand, the other ambigram design presented in the movie is the fax that launches Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) on his quest.

The “Angels and Demons” book also presented the “Illumanati Diamond” as the final brand that the Camerlingo uses upon himself. The movie replaces this final brand with a crossed keys symbol (not presented here), presumably because the Illuminati Diamond would have been too complex to digest in a 3 second close-up during the movie.

There you have it. The four Angels and Demons brands used in the movie, in a little more detail to give you a good look.

So, let’s get to it.

1. Cinema Online’s Angels and Demons contest

Ambigram tattoos, t-shirts and necklaces. For free.

GRAND PRIZE (two awarded):

- A pair of Angels and Demons t-shirts (not ambigrams, unfortunately)

- A sheet of ambigram tattoos

- An Angels & Demons luggage lock (not shown)

- An Angels & Demons limited edition Illuminati ambigram necklace

To enter, click on the URL below, and answer the (fairly simple) questions by SMS text message.

Enter Cinema Online’s Angels and Demons Contest

Next?  How about creating your own ambigram merch

2. FlipScript’s Angels and Demons Sale

ALL FlipScript Products are Discounted

To celebrate the Angels & Demons movie release, FlipScript ambigram products is putting everything on sale.  Once you click the link (below), your discount is automatic.  It couldn’t be easier.

You can use their suggested ambigrams, or create your own!

SHOWN HERE:

- An “Earth” ambigram coaster set

- An “Air” ambigram necklace

- A “Fire” ambigram flip-top lighter

- A “Water” ambigram travel mug

This is just a sampling of what you can create. You can even pick up a bare ambigram design and get creative with it.

Activate FlipScript Site-wide 15% Off Discount

To sweeten the deal, let’s stack on $500 worth of Sony gadgets, $250 worth of theater movies and some garb to keep you warm while looking cool.

3. Fandango’s Angels and Demons Sweepstakes

The Angels & Demons Official Movie Poster

GRAND PRIZE (one awarded):

- $500 Sony Style gift card

- $250 in Fandango bucks

- Angels & Demons t-shirt (not shown)

- Angels & Demons hat (not shown)

- Angels & Demons Official Movie poster

Enter Fandango’s Angels and Demons Sweepstakes

…and possibly best of all (but possibly not available in your area) is this whopper:

4. MTV Asia’s Trip to Rome (with A&D Tour)

Tour of Rome and a pair of Vespa GTS 300 super motor scooters

Its not quite clear if residents of North America qualify for this one (feel free to comment below if you find out), but if so, keep your hands off.  This one is ours.

* MTV will fly you and a friend to Rome.  You will spend your days taking the Official “Angels and Demons” tour, taking a tour of the Roman Coliseum and taking private tours of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican itself (as long as your name is not “Ron Howard”)

* You’ll be getting a three-course meal at the glamourous Maud Restaurant, paid entrance to Club Anima (including a free round of drinks) and 100 Euros to spend however you wish.

* Your nights will be spent at a converted Venetian Palace in the heart of Rome’s shopping district.

* You’ll also be automatically entered into the Angels and Demons Treasure Hunt, where you can win a pair of Vespa GTS 300 Super motor scooters!

Interested?

Sign up for MTV’s Trip to Rome and Angels and Demons Tour

Just be sure to read the fine print on this one.  We couldn’t find a way to select the United States, Canada, Mexico or large portions of Europe in the drop-down list titled “Country You Are From”.  Perhaps the contest will be open to the rest of the world soon.

There you have it.   Four great Angels and Demons movie release offers that are easy to sign-up for, and easy on the wallet.

The only way to understand the true essence of an ambigram is to read Ambigram.com, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, nonstop, ignoring any other commitments and responsibilities in your life. Sounds like a good idea, right?

Angels and Demons

VATICAN CITY – Last month we wrote about the possibility of the Vatican issuing a boycott for Angels and Demons.  However, after seeing the film at the official world premiere Monday in Rome, reviewers at the Vatican’s newspaper have found the religious thriller “harmless”, although they did say that the work was somewhat commercial and inaccurate.  Their summary was that it was not a danger to the church.

L’Osservatore Romano ran a review and an editorial on Wednesday, May 6th, critiquing the movie based on the Dan Brown best-selling novel of the same name. The newspaper wrote that the movie was “a gigantic and smart commercial operation” filled with “stereotyped characters.” The paper suggested moviegoers could make a game out of finding the many historical inaccuracies in the plot.

However, L’Osservatore praised Howard’s “dynamic direction” and the “magnificent” reconstruction of locations like St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.  Much of the film was shot on sets that painstakingly recreated church landmarks.

The film offers “more than two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity,” L’Osservatore’s reviewer wrote.  It’s “a videogame that first of all sparks curiosity and is also, maybe, a bit of fun.”

“Angels & Demons” features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon of “The Da Vinci Code” fame, played by Tom Hanks. In the film, the Vatican turns to Langdon after an ancient secret brotherhood called the Illuminati kidnap four cardinals considered front-runners to be the next pope, and threaten to kill one an hour and then explode a bomb at the Vatican.  Each of the cardinals is branded with an ambigram just before being killed.

The editorial said the novels presented the church’s positions in a “simplistic and partial” way. It said the success of Brown’s works should push the church to rethink the way it uses the media to present its message.

Well, I believe that we have found that company! Say hello to Blacklist, a division of Psyop, based out of New York City. Their production coordinator & designers that developed the ambigram identity were kind enough to answer a few questions regarding Blacklist’s ambigram identity, as well as provide some insight to the concept and idea development for the identity. Take a look at Blacklist’s website and  keep reading for the full interview!

Used with permission from Blacklist.tv

1. Most companies would be reluctant to use an ambigram as their mark. Why did you think that an ambigram was the correct solution for Blacklist?

The logo concept was developed with our client, Adina Sales, EP of Blacklist and the creative directors of Psyop. We wanted to make Blacklist a bit like a secret society. We found some elements of the term “secret society” interesting and relevant to how we saw Blacklist.

A secret society is seen as fraternal, as being immensely powerful, with self-serving financial or political agendas (more or less: advertising) and with a global reach (Blacklist seeks international directors and work). The organization is exclusive. It claims to own special secrets. It shows a strong inclination to favor its own.

Blacklist was set up by Psyop. We also loved the relationship between Blacklist, a “secret society”, and Psyop (which stands for Psychological Operations).

The ambigram came about because we wanted there to be a little secret somewhere that could be discovered. However not so obscure that no one was able to discover it, but obscure enough that, when one does discover it, it brings that person a feeling of delight and wonderment. Also what comes with a private discovery like this is a little sense of owning a secret. It brings out a tiny bit of the child within us.

2. What and/or who was your inspiration for the ambigram mark?

Zoe
It was Lutz who brought up the idea of an ambigram. It was not derived from the very popular book cover of ‘Angels & Demons’ (written by Dan Brown), as afterwards many people asked us whether this was where we got the idea from.

We had brought many things to the table. Special coding, matrixes, Morse code. Works of M. C. Escher. I was into exploring the concept of a ‘doppelgänger’ or a ‘vardøger’ (which is not seen as evil as the doppelganger is). I liked the idea of a duplicate but not an exact duplicate. The ambigram was a natural progression from these leads in finding something that fit for Blacklist.

3. The Blacklist mark has a distinct blackletter/gothic look, which is a common trend in ambigram design. Yet it is set apart by the pixel pattern/grid within the logo and gives it a different aesthetic. What was the idea behind the grid?

The blackletter is great because in most cases it is highly legible. It also has useful motifs that give you flexibility to use to an advantage when developing an ambigram. We did explore creating a modernized pixilated font instead but we felt it had lost a certain character and feel. The grid came from the other ideas that we were developing along side the ambigram. It was hinting at Morse code-like patterns and digitalisation (the bulk of Blacklist clients are in Broadcast). We also felt it was a good way to give Blacklist a modern twist.

4. Does the logo exist in digital format only, or are there applications of it to various stationery and printed marketing materials? Would it be possible to see some examples?

Zoe
It is mostly digital. It is also on business cards and various of other things.
Lutz
Adina made a branding iron out of it.
Zoe
Ha! Yes … Adina was branding everything with it – that was brilliant!

5. Do you think the mark accurately represents Blacklist and what you do?

Yes. Very much so.

6. Is the purpose behind it to be more of an abstract mark or is it intended to reflect the company’s capabilities?

There are many ways you can look at it. We think Blacklist seeks to represent handpicked talent; up-and-coming directors who we think are jam packed with potential, talent and simply need a company to nurture, guide their development and provide opportunities to work on projects that will really break away from how we would predictably perceive the way things should be done. We feel an ambigram encapsulates this. To turn it around and to discover something that you had not noticed before.

Like a new director, turn things around and you will find that they are capable of things that you never thought. It also touched on the idea that Blacklist is a boutique – seeking to create work that is special, unique and that will stand out from the rest.

7. What was the most challenging aspect of the design & development process of the ambigram mark?

Lutz
Zoe put all her typography knowledge into the logo to make it perfect. In all the phases and different versions that we had, we added details, removed details, made some letters bolder, thinner, it all had to work together.
Zoe
It is actually a lot more difficult than we thought. When we set out to create this ambigram we realized that making it balanced and making it feel solid and finished is not an easy task. What ever you do on one end had to happen in mirrored reflection on the other end … so it was like designing by rubbing your tummy and patting your head but simultaneously rubbing your head and patting your tummy!

8. Are there any other thoughts or comments you would like to mention that I didn’t touch upon?

Lutz
We were always aware that the initial readability of the ambigram was a bit tricky, however we felt better knowing that if someone held the business card in his hand and was able to read it, the impact of it would be much stronger. It is the pleasure/surprise effect that we wanted. If you are able to ‘get it’, you just passed the ‘initiation’ test. You are now are part of the club; the secret society of Blacklist.
Zoe
I had no idea what a big thing ambigrams are, and we loved finding out more about secret societies.

9. Are there any ambigram artists that you personally admire?

Lutz
Respect to anyone who made ambigrams work, especially in a time without CTRL+Zs. It’s a lot of fiddling around.
Zoe
I don’t know of any ambigram artists. I just now ‘googled’ to see if there was anyone who’s work I recognized but didn’t know the artist, and there isn’t anybody. Even M. C. Escher doesn’t really come up under the term ambigram. I really only found out what an ambigram was per se when Lutz brought it to my attention.

I discovered the idea of an ambigram around ten years ago when I got really stuck into the novel ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ written by Barbara Kingsolver. I was struck by the character Adah in the book, the middle child in the family. Adah was not only a twin (doppelganger), she was well-versed in poetry – in particular the works of Emily Dickinson (incidentally my favorite poet). The key thing I adored about the Adah character was that she was very clever and liked creating palindromes. Adah’s (or Ade) ability to bring clever humor into situations continually throughout the book was the very reason I read every word from start to finish, I looked forward to the next palindrome.

A palindrome is essentially an ambigram, so I will leave you with two of my favorites:“Never odd or even” and, “Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to a new era?”.
_______________________________________________________________________________

A big thank you goes out to Adina, Alex, Zoe & Lutz for this great interview! For more information about Blacklist and their work, click on their website link above.

]]> http://www.ambigram.com/ambigram-identity-blacklist-tv/feed 1 http://www.ambigram.com/john-langdon http://www.ambigram.com/john-langdon#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:57 +0000 Editor http://www.ambigram.com/?p=325 ambigrams in the movie to discuss his contributions. Hint: It's more than just the artwork.]]> John Langdon got the inspiration for his first ambigram design late one night after his wife was asleep. Armed with a cold beer, a new pad of paper, a new pencil, a fresh pack of Marlboros and his favorite Electric Light Orchestra album playing in the background, he was feeling good and wrote the word “Heaven” on the page.  After writing the word he suddenly realized that he could make it read the same way upside-down, launching him on a decades-long journey into a previously unknown art form.

John Langdon's ambigram of his name

The year was 1972, and Langdon would continue to practice his craft for decades, becoming widely regarded as one of the two co-inventors of modern ambigrams.   However, his was a lonely craft, with only a small demand for his unique designs.

That all began to change in 1999 when author Dan Brown contacted Langdon to produce some enigmatic and mysterious symbols for his second book entitled “Angels & Demons“.

Now that the book is becoming a Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, we caught up with Langdon to discuss his contributions to the Angels and Demons phenomenon.

John Langdon: “I don’t think that anyone really expected [Angels and Demons] to become as big as it did. Keep in mind that when Dan Brown wrote “Angels and Demons“, he wasn’t the bestselling author that he is today.  He was just a guy who had recently fallen in love with my ambigrams, and a struggling author who was writing a book, and needed some illustrations to go along with the plot.”

Angels and Demons Ambigram

Ambigram.com: “Yes, but you contributed more than just the designs for the book.  Our understanding is that the character gets many of his quirks, his interests, and his surname from you.”

John Langdon: “That’s true.  I need to know a lot about universal symbols to be successful at designing logos, and Robert Langdon shares that love of symbols.  The character is also knowledgeable regarding things like word origins and etymologies, which is another field that is quite close to my heart.  His phobias regarding heights and water are similar to quirks of mine. However, seeing Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code, I was surprised at how much better looking he is than I am.”

“After Dan had written much of the book, he called to tell me that he had decided to name the main character after me. He never did tell me why, but I just assumed it was a way of thanking me for the ambigrams.”

Ambigram.com: “Let’s talk about the ambigrams for Angels & Demons in a little more detail.  Between the book contents and the cover, we counted seven ambigrams total, and they became the first exposure that most people have ever had with ambigrams.  In fact, in our own list of the Top Ten Most Famous Ambigrams, fully half of the spots are filled with your ambigrams from Angels and Demons.”

John Langdon: “Yes, I saw that.”

Ambigram.com: “What was the trickiest part of designing those particular ambigrams?”

John Langdon: “Honestly, Earth, Air, Fire and Water were not particularly hard words to turn into ambigrams.  Getting them to all have a similar look was a bit trickier, but the Gothic Blackletter style is the most cooperative and forgiving letter style for ambigrams, so it was fortunate that the Blackletter style fit Dan’s needs so well.”

Earth	Air
Fire	Water

“The Illuminati ambigram was harder, as it has a lot of similar shapes that repeat frequently, and not enough individuation of letter shapes.  I tried to tell Dan that the Illuminati ambigram wasn’t going to work, but as it turned out, I was wrong.”

"Angels and Demons" Illuminati ambigram

Ambigram.com: “In addition to the designs you’ve done for Dan Brown, you authored a book filled with ambigram designs and methodology called “Wordplay“, which was released in its second edition in 2005.  Any advice for someone considering reading this book?”

John Langdon: “No one should read it unless they are prepared to be challenged on their assumptions about themselves, other people and the universe around us, as well as entertained and occasionally amazed in the process.”

Ambigram.com: “Thank you, John.  We appreciate your time.”

John Langdon: “My pleasure.”

Since June of 2008, Nikita Prokhorov has been the owner and contributor to Ambiblog, one of the most popular ambigram related blogs on the Internet.

His interest in ambigrams was first peaked by seeing the ambigram designs in Dan Brown’s thriller Angels & Demons, much like most of the ambigram lovers out there.  But he didn’t want to just be an ambigram designer; he wanted to explore the design process behind ambigrams and how different & unique it is for each artist.  Thus, his Ambigram blog, or “Ambiblog” was born.  It was created to not just showcase ambigram design, but rather to explore the process and get insight from various ambigram artists across the world.  Ambiblog will be merging with Ambigram.com and Nikita will be joining the Ambigram.com team effective Wednesday, April 29th, 2009.

In addition to his interest in the design process of other ambigram artists, Nikita is an excellent ambigram artist himself.  You can see some of his design methodology at work in this set of Christmas cards he created that says “Merry Christmas” whether it is read upright or upside-down.  Note his use of graph paper to ensure that the design is perfectly symmetric.

Nikita's "Merry Christmas" ambigram

Outside of ambigrams, Nikita is a freelancing graphic designer & a professor at Central Connecticut State University.  As a freelance graphic design, he has created work that was published by Logolounge and has written for HOW Magazine, one of the design industry’s most premier magazines.  His writing has also been published by The International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda).

Nikita will be publishing a new article every Wednesday, and you can read his article series by clicking on his name under “Our Contributors” at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar on every page.  Please welcome Nikita on board, and come back every week to read what’s new on “Nikita Wednesday”, here at Ambigram.com.

Tom Hanks in Angels and Demons

ROME — The Vatican appears to be preparing for an official call for a boycott of “Angels & Demons,” Ron Howard’s big-budget follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code”

The Vatican’s official newspaper “Avvenire” recently ran a story noting that the church “cannot approve” of such a problematic film. The Turin daily La Stampa, said that the Vatican will soon call for a boycott of the film.

Producers who had earlier requested permission from church officials to film parts of “Angels & Demons” in the Vatican were denied.

However, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis warned against a “boomerang effect” that could call attention to the film and actually make it more popular than if the boycott had not occurred.

Scores of church officials called for a boycott of the movie based on Dan Brown’s previous book “Da Vinci Code” when it was released in 2006, but the calls had little effect on the popularity of the thriller, which earned about $760 million in worldwide boxoffice receipts.

“Angels & Demons” is set to open worldwide May 15 and news of the movie is being tracked on ambigram.com due to the six John Langdon ambigrams which feature prominantly in the movie.