A notably young audience gathered with standing room only to spend an evening with Prem Krishnamurthy and Adam Michaels, who shared ten projects designed at their studio Project Projects.

Nearly as impressive as their work was their preparation and ability to reference several of their projects to not only to their chosen unifying theme, “site,” but also to New York City, SoHo and in one case the Apple Store in which the presentation took place.

Take for example Adam’s 2-minute High-Line history lesson and west side trend review while placing in context their work for “The Plain of Heaven” an art exhibition organized by Creative Time.

They didn’t indicate which idea preceded the other–spray-stencil application or the typography itself–but the stencil alterations to the otherwise classic serif face said industrialized elegance as much as the meat-packing facility turned gallery space for which it was designed. The stencil allowed for simple, cheap installation. The glaringly bright green was carried into the space and to the accompanying catalog.

Sticking to the theme, Project Projects presented their identity contribution to an architect’s proposal for Governor’s Island. The imagery was limited and less compelling than their other work. And since it was a yet-unrealized, and likely not-to-be-realized proposal, the design hadn’t the opportunity to fully develop the richness that systems of application in their stronger selections have. Leaving this project out would have left no one questioning the breadth of their work.

Where Project Projects excels is applying typographic and graphic systems built around deeply conceptual but relevant themes. One might venture to label the studio as academic, and while their results are often minimal, none of what they showed appeared austere for theory’s sake. Perhaps this balance comes from the injection of humor and playfulness which manages to subtly inject itself into grids that would make the staunchest of modernists proud.

This humor is well evidenced in their work for The Good Life, an exhibition sponsored by the Van Allen institute in which the five themes of the exhibit where assigned a pattern and color. It’s within these self-created frameworks that Project Projects seems most at home.

Balloons as identity? Balloons as way-finding signage? ‘Tis fancifully so.

Prem and Adam didn’t hesitate to reveal their love of type by sharing which faces they choose to use with each project and showing plenty of close-up detail of printed artifacts.

When asked by an attendee how they maintain a studio on book, arts, and cultural projects, Prem appropriately responded, “by keeping overhead low and embracing constraints.”

Last night’s presentation was one of many events in the Design Remixed series held at the Apple Store SoHo. These events are free and open to the public.

(all images from ProjectProjects.com)