Menus Judged Best in Category
Stephen H. Longo, associate professor and coordinator of the Graphic Design program at County College of Morris, recently was presented with a Best in Category Award of Distinction from American Graphic Design & Advertising (AGDA) for a set of menus he designed for the Matsuya Japanese Steak House in Saddle Brook, N.J.
The AGDA awards program, considered the premier showcase for graphic design and advertising, is an international competition honoring work that exceeds industry standard in both concept and execution.
The five-menu set was developed by Longo as part of his design firm, Stephen Longo Design Associates of West Orange. The set consists of a main menu, sushi menu, bar menu, lunch menu and children’s menu in pastel colors reminiscent of traditional Asian watercolors. Longo says that he wanted to convey “an upscale look using traditional colors.”
In recognizing Longo’s work, the judges praised his effective use of color and ability to provide each menu with its own identify in a way that visually relates them to one another.
“It’s a terrific honor to receive this award from the AGDA, which puts you up against the best of the best in the United States and internationally,” said Longo.
The menus also received an honorable mention in the 39th Annual Creativity International Awards competition and were only one of three menus sets printed in its annual awards book.
Along with designing the menus, Longo and his firm designed the interior of the Matsuya Japanese Steak House.
A resident of West Orange, Longo over the course of his graphic design career has won numerous awards including several Clios. His body of design work also was nominated for a lifetime achievement award to the Smithsonian/Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in the area of communications design.
Included among his work, he has designed branding identity programs for such blue chip clients as Haagen-Dazs, Weight Watcher’s Smart Ones, Tang, Star Kist Tuna, Close-Up toothpaste, Ronzoni pasta, Borden’s Cremora, Ore-Ida and 9-Lives cat food.
Longo joined the CCM faculty in 2001. He earned his B.FA. from the New York Institute of Technology and M.S. from Pratt Institute. Before opening his own design firm, he rose through the ranks from junior designer to senior design director at several major international design groups including CatoJohnson, Young & Rubicam, and Lippincott & Marguilies Inc.