People for the Ethical Treatment of Typography

Slurp TV

2012-01-06T11:16:00.001-05:00

My wife and I found something really special late last night...
SlurpTV, a Barcelona-based “motionagrapher, video-jockey and wastingtimer” makes (among other things) promo videos for a club-night in Barcelona called Nasty Mondays.
My wife and I are both products of the 80s, and so a lot of the content in these videos is nostalgic. But the video-compositions by SlurpTV are also a reminder of just how bizarre, decadent, and visually shocking 80s culture was. Take a few minutes to watch. They are mind-blowing.
Period typography and design is difficult to achieve successfully. And the more recent the period, the harder it is to do, because the references are fresher in our consciousness.
But SlurpTV is nailing the 80s, yet in a way we haven’t seen before. Enjoy.

The Visual Void

2012-01-03T18:40:00.001-05:00

More than a year ago, I had a chance encounter with a guy named Kurt Thometz. There’s more on that here.
While we talked about reading, typography, printing, and other associated topics, we got on to the subject of orality. More specifically, the ideas surrounding orality and literacy. Orality is difficult to define, but loosely, it represents the human concept of a pre-literate time — a time before we had a written language. There are still cultures, usually labeled primitive, that do not write, or read. But they communicate. They transmit thought to one another.

In our modern time, it is of paramount importance to be familiar with the way that computers work, or at least, how to work with them. As a not-so-distant parallel to that, we must be literate. We must know how to read; and how to write. These are standards in order to be considered an educated person. So, it's strange to consider this dichotomy of orality and literacy, because we see literacy as an obvious advantage. And of course it is. As a designer and typographer, and a largely visual thinker, it is difficult to imagine the world without written forms of communication.

But were our minds better when we didn’t have the chance to rely on something being written down somewhere? The only reason to consider this is to get closer to understanding how we think. And how our human thinking has changed over the millennia. It is highly unlikely that we will ever return to a time where we can only communicate non-visually. Or to put a sharper point on it, without letters and words. Ray Bradbury captures this well in Fahrenheit 451° where he suggests the idea of texts being memorized by different individuals, and those individuals serving as vessels to bring fragments of human thought forward in a new oral tradition. For example, I would memorize the short story The Dead by James Joyce, and that would be mine to protect. I would know every word, and make sure to pass it along to someone younger, someone committed, who would then, in turn, carry it into the future...

Kurt suggested several books to me — one of which I am finally reading now. It is called The Muse Learns to Write by Eric A. Havelock. Another is by Havelock’s predecessor Walter J. Ong called Orality and Literacy. And of course, there is the seminal Gutenberg Galaxy by Marshall McLuhan. There are many books on these interrelated subjects of thinking/writing/reading, memory, information retention, the development of communication technologies and their effects on the trajectory of human thought.

Essentially, we began to speak to one another. Then we learned to write things down. Then we needed a better way of dispersing the written things. Scribes could only accomplish so much and so, the printing press was invented. Printing presses, their relative speed, and quantity-of-output has increased over time. And now we have the internet as our publication tool. But, as these technologies have rushed forward, what has happened to our brains?

It is worth taking the time to think about this. It is worth imagining a time where we interacted, our bodies and ears and eyes moved from place to place, we spoke to each other and listened. We listened to stories, and we retained information — because we had to, because our memories were all that we had.

(The images above are from Jean Clottes’ book Return to Chauvet Cave. 35,000 year-old cave paintings were discovered in Chauvet Cave in 1994, making them the world’s oldest. The story of their discovery is well-documented in a beautiful film by Werner Herzog called The Cave of Forgotten Dreams.) The drawings are mind-bendingly beautiful — shaded, overlapped, and illustrating movement in some cases — a distant precursor to Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase.

2011-11-14T23:38:00.001-05:00

Of the 3 classes I teach at the School of Visual Arts, some of the more profound awakenings are in my second year typography class. With little background in design, students start to encounter the vast realm of expression offered through the lowly letterform. It's a strict course—intended to be meditative, and designed to create many quiet moments where students ponder the nuances of what make typographic expression so powerful and important.
The below represent some of the more successful executions for a unique project where students are randomly assigned both a well-known musical act, and a famous designer from 20th century history, then must synthesize their characteristics into a 12" record cover.

Jenny Wu designed this Neil Young 12" via Jan Tschichold

Heesang Lee's design for an Otis Redding 12" inspired by Bruno Monguzzi

Christopher Eustaquio's rendering of Led Zeppelin's untitled 12" in the style of Wolfgang Weingart

Message

2011-05-01T22:21:00.005-04:00

President Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner
Directly at the end of a comedic thread about the presentation of his birth certificate, Obama shows his "secret birth video", a sequence sampled from Disney's The Lion King, where Simba is presented to the animal kingdom.
youtube video at 3.23-3.24 min.secs (see the above typography flashed). It's hidden, being flashed for just a millisecond. But, given our heightened sensitivity to messaging, and our ability to parse high-speed information, it seems downright overt.

Gilbert Lesser did a lot more with very little.

2010-11-14T01:17:00.013-05:00

Tonight, my wife and I watched 3 Days of the Condor. This movie has been held quite high over the years, but didn't do much for me. And this isn't a movie review, just an introduction. In one of the later scenes in the movie, Robert Redford takes leave of Faye Dunaway, and as he jogs away across the darkened street, an amazing poster comes into focus. So I began researching who designed it, and discovered a designer I've never heard of. And shame on me for it, because Gilbert Lesser's work is incredible! And now, of course, I know who designed the Studio 54 logo! I've tried to assemble my favorite pieces of his work here — from different spots online as well as the AIGA archive (which was a major source). His letterhead! I'm amazed!

The General

2010-11-13T00:16:00.014-05:00

Recently, I had the great experience of connecting with John Kealey (an old friend from college days) when I was on a business trip in Ottawa. While we've been in periodic contact for the past few years, we hadn't REALLY spent time together in a long while. John has always been a talented photographer, but hearing about how he has made his talent a reality in his life was profound.

The best surprise of all came after dinner when John brought me to The General, the photo studio and creative center he shares with his business partner, Chris. It's an old market that they have taken over, and completely overhauled and it's beautiful. The spare warmth of the elegant lighting and carefully curated series of objects gives the space a sense of wonder and great feeling of creative potential. I happen to also love the custom drawn logo, courtesy of DressCode in New York.

Black Magic

2010-02-10T01:30:00.043-05:00

During the darkest period of my life to date, and by a strange twist of circumstance, I had the delightful experience of staying at a bed & breakfast in Harlem. Strange sentence. It was under a shroud of sadness that I came to stay at this bed & breakfast, but the time there was irreplaceable and meaningful in many ways -- not least because of the swell guy who rents out the bottom floor of his brownstone as an apartment for visitors, which also houses his unbelievable bookstore, open “by Appointment, Invitation or Serendipity.” On 160th street between St. Nicholas Avenue and Edgecombe, just west of the Harlem River, sits Jumel Terrace Books, at the peak of the cobblestone street. Directly across 160th rests the stately Morris-Jumel Mansion (the oldest house in Manhattan) where George Washington was headquartered for September and October of 1776.
Jumel Terrace Books is owned and run by Kurt Thometz, a scholar, collector, and enthusiast of African and African-American literature. Beyond that, he is an expert on a wide berth of philosophy, but has a keen interest in the human transition from orality, to illiteracy (which is a concept in itself) and through to literacy and our modern ways of thinking, communicating and transmitting thought from person to person.
During our two days staying with him, effectively living in his bookstore and sleeping in the beautiful basement apartment in the next room over, he was kind enough to show us around Harlem, teach us a great deal about its history, and he spent hours talking with me, recommending literature, music, and relating stories from his life’s-wealth of experience.
While there, I was so taken by all of the book covers and art around us, I had to capture as much as possible. Many of the following photos are grainy, but were the best I could do in the half-light of the bookstore with a borrowed iPhone. The images start from the street, looking into Kurt’s bookstore at night...

Drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones

2009-08-26T19:48:00.013-04:00

While photographing a recent project which I can show but, say little about, my wife and I decided a local graveyard was the ideal set. Upon seeing these old headstones which are, in some cases, nearly 200 years old, I was blown away by the quality of the typography. Jennifer took some pictures of our favorite one.

These days, few could do anything this beautiful, given days of editable work on a computer screen. And yet, here it is, written in stone, chiseled with steel. And the (almost) hundreds of years have added their grace — the rose-colored patina of the stone, the green of the moss and the mint-colored lichen just kill me.

The Young Ones

2009-08-22T23:22:00.022-04:00

In my second year type class, I admit (right off the bat) that I can't TELL anyone how to be a designer. But I can impart thinking on the subject, ways to approach the process, and the importance of full life-immersion. Ultimately, being a designer is as much a mode of conduct as it is a way of thinking. Dabbling is fruitless. It becomes EVERYTHING.
In this class, there are a wide array of projects, each one introducing and illustrating the important balance of concept and execution. This past year, for example, students were assigned an LP packaging project. What made the assignment difficult was that the music act was chosen at random and HAD to be executed in the style of a noted designer (who was also chosen at random) who is heavily influenced by the use of grids. My favorite execution is by John Cox.

Another assignment was to design limited edition DVD packaging for one of the following movies: Bladerunner, Paper Moon, Network, Rashomon, Basquiat, or Being There. There were a bunch of great, conceptual, format-reconsidering executions from the class. Here are two, one from Kathryn for Paper Moon, and John's for Network.

One was a project in presenting narrative. Everyone read The Second Coming by W.B. Yeats, which is one of my favorite pieces of writing. Then, in whatever form that came naturally to their concept, they had to marry imagery with the language of the written piece. The imagery had to be an interpretive or photographic representation of commercial packaging. The main thrust being to present the prose in a way that the imagery enhanced the meaning of the words. And, to force the class to search and find poetry in the mundane. Here are a couple I particularly liked, the first by Olena Schmahalo, using photographs of a rubber cement canister. The second is by Kathryn Brylinsky, using incredibly detailed scans of a mailed package from overseas.

In a relatively direct project from early on, students had to use typographic elements ONLY to deliver a quote, phrase, or saying to maximize communication. Below is another one by Kathryn.

There were two massive projects, the scope and scale of which I had no preconceived notions for. They occurred at the end of each semester, and took several weeks to research, conceptualize and execute. The first originated with numbers, but delved into the research of numerology, religion, geometry, and numerical significance. This execution is by John, and deals with investigating the theory of interconnectivity between the golden ratio and the Amen Break (the world's most frequently, and famously, sampled drum break).

The big one from the second semester began with a form of Buddhist meditation/education known as a koan. Each student was assigned a different koan, the meaning of which they interpreted themselves, and which informed the direction they would take the project. During the first week, they had to come up with 100 concepts for their project, one of which was selected during a class discussion, to be further developed. The two below are from Olena, and Kenia del Rosario. Olena's, a block of time, became a multi-dimensional electronic portal, traveling exhibit and website. Kenia's, a pop-up book documenting the struggle with, and ultimate acceptance of her father's bi-polar disorder, titled The Dischord and Harmony of an Intricate Mind.

David Lance Goines speaking for himself.

2009-07-29T09:56:00.015-04:00

“There's not really a beginning to things anymore than there's an ending. We are in the middle of a continuum. Time is an illusion. But, we humans create patterns. We impose order on chaos so we can get our work done. I did posters in high school for musical performances, but had no notion of becoming a graphic artist or any other kind of artist for that matter, and I stopped doing art and went off to Cal Berkeley to study Classics, but got thrown out and became a printer instead. After a while-with the means of production in my hands as Karl Marx suggested-I started doing again what I'd all along really liked doing though it had never crossed my mind that you could make a living doing what you liked. So for me it's Crafts Period all day long every day. "The Kitchen" isn't really the first poster, but it's the first poster that started out as a poster, and got printed for a client, and I was paid for. Someday there will indeed be a last poster, and somebody somewhere will do what they've been waiting to do all along with those little signs on the museum wall that say:

David Lance Goines (1945 - )

and they'll start filling in the space at the end. And it will make them very happy but I won't care.”

His writing: "I tried to imagine a new color. I knew that since I could not see a new color that I could not even imagine one, but I found this vision of the unattainable quite compelling. I had a vague sense that the new color would be toward the blue-purple end of the spectrum, perhaps somewhat opalescent. Indeed, I had the feeling that it would in some strange way resemble the shapeless cloudlike..."

Some Call it Tampee

2009-05-23T00:27:00.023-04:00

Recently, I went to “The World's Largest Yard Sale” in Stormville, New York. There were tons of crap, as would be expected, but my wife and I were quickly hip to the great record shopping we could do. So we dove in and surfaced with Purple Rain by Prince, a 10CC record, The Fifth Dimension by The Byrds, Tango in the Night by Fleetwood Mac, Half Breed by Cher, but most important to me, Legalize It by Peter Tosh (1976), which brought on a surge of love for all in the name of Jah. (We spent about 10 dollars total.)

This album was a really big deal to me as a teenager, for obvious reasons, but now it serves as a great album, musically and lyrically, with all the inherent nostalgia. As I was listening to it (and this copy was miraculously perfect), studying the cover design, I thought, “I wonder who designed this thing..” And so it says on the back that Andy Engel did. Who is Andy Engel? After a great deal of online research, I’ve come up with very little. There is an Andy Engel design firm in Ojai California, but that's not adding up. And there is an Andy Engel who seems to have designed Pump by Aerosmith, Off the Wall by Michael Jackson, and Springsteen’s Born to Run. This makes more sense, but there is no hard fact I can find about the relationship. Maybe they’re all the same guy..

The point is that this album cover is effortlessly perfect. The image of Tosh, intently smoking a pipe in a field of weed (the perfect plume of smoke curling amidst the requisite Rastafarian coloration) is a true icon. The hand-drawn type and sketchy red, yellow and green borders are perfectly balanced with the image.

As a designer and educator, I tend to know the creators of my favorite work. So, for the designer of this album cover (that has taken real-estate in my mind for so long) to be unknown to me is unusual. But we must investigate! If I find out more, I will add what I find.

While we’re on the subject, I want to direct attention to Rockers (1979), a favorite movie, which includes Tosh’s song Steppin' Razor (a nickname he earned for his volatile personality.) Rockers captures amazing late-70s Jamaican fashion, is endlessly quotable, and jammed with amazing music. It is subtitled because of the thickness of the Jamaican wording and dialect. It's pretty much a perfect movie. Just see the opening scene..
Once when I was on a bus crosstown on 79th street, there was an Asian girl sitting across the aisle, with a Rockers pin on her backpack. I didn't think the movie was very popular at the time, so I had to mention that I knew about it. It turned out that she was sitting next to her boyfriend, Patrick Hulsey, the producer of the movie. They gave me the pin, and I, in turn, gave the pin to my friend, Matt, who first introduced me to the movie.
Another favorite musician/producer from Jamaica is the prolific Lee Scratch Perry. Below are some pictures from his studio (inside and outside) from the late 70s.

And finally (of communicative interest) are some of Tosh’s words — twists and inventions on existing words, varying, by degrees, from silly to profound.

“America” —> "Asadica”
“Buckingham” —> "Buk-In-Hamm”
“Bureaucrats” —> "Bureaucraps”
“Christopher Columbus” —> “Christ-t’ief Come-rob-us”
“City" —> “Shitty”
“Disc jockey” —> “District johncrow” (johncrow is a Jamaican vulture)
“Ganja (Prohibition)” —> “Gone-Jah”
“Germany” —> “Germs-many”
“Judge” —> “Grudge”
“Inequity” —> “Out-a-quit-ty”
“Kingston” —> “Killsome”
“L.A.” —> “Hell A” (Los Angeles)
“Lawyer” —> “Liar”
“LSD” —> “Lucifer Son of Devil” (referred to as the drug of the devil)
“Managers” —> “Damagers”
“Marco Polo” —> “Marc O. Polio”
“New York City” —> “Boo York Shitty”
“Politics” —> “Politricks”
“Prime Ministers” —> “Crime Ministers”
“Situation” —> “Shituation”
“Technology” —> “Tricknology”
“Trinidad” —> “Trinibad”
“Unicycle” —> “I’n’I-cycle”
“Understand” —> “Overstand”

The Secret of Holding the Sword with Nothing in Your Hands

2009-01-30T10:19:00.014-05:00

The most profound difficulty and, simultanesously, the most inspiring spirit in design comes down to a single Way of thinking: There is no approach that consistently works, there is no style that lasts, there is no form that remains perfect forever. In accepting this, however, there is complete and abundant freedom.
I have had the most extreme trouble admitting to my students (at the School of Visual Arts in New York) that I can't teach them HOW to design. I cannot tell them that Berthold Baskerville is the best typeface, or that purple and gold is the best color combination to use, or that big is better than small. Because, speaking contextually, all that can be wrong. Things are really only right in context. Therefore, as a designer, it is of paramount importance to avoid getting caught up in personal likes and dislikes, or posturing, or affectation. These modes will lead in the wrong direction, and though you may reach a goal, you haven't gotten there on the right path.

I'm not sure where I learned this thinking...
The seed was sewn by the great designer + creative director, Tracy Boychuk, who I regard as my mentor, and have done so for 7 or 8 years. She was the first to talk about appropriateness—to instill the idea that right and wrong in design are only contextually true. And that ugly can be beautiful if the situation calls for it. And so I have always strived to neglect my tastes and figure out what is contextually appropriate. I have committed to this path and found style to be an encumbrance and preconception to be certain failure.
My writing-partner (from my 1st job in advertising), Jeff Yonteff, who has been a constant inspiration and guide, introduced me to the great book, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Upon opening this book, my life changed and the way I saw the world changed. The analogy of designer as swordsman never escapes my mind now. And this book opened me up to a great many thoughts on the soul, my duty as a human, the principles of Shinto, and led to the discovery of another life-altering book, The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts, by Issai Chozanshi.
More focused on the mind, and the inner path of the swordsman, I find this book to be the essential reading for young designers today. There is a deep importance placed on returning to honor, duty, discipline, cultivation of technique and immersion into process. The similarities between the great swordsman of Chozanshi's time and the true designer of today are endless. It is for that reason that all of my students read this book.
As with the Hagakure, The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts is beautifully translated by William Scott Wilson.

This preamble serves to present some selections from The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts:

“When you use strength to control your pull of the bowstring, you run counter to the character of the bow, you and the bow are in opposition and become two. When your spirit does not pass back and forth between you and the bow, you will actually obstruct the strength of the bow, and strip away its force. Thus you will be unable to send the arrow far or to penetrate the target with force. . .Everyday human affairs are just like this. If your intention is not true and you conduct yourself incorrectly, you will lack diligence in the affairs of your lord and be disloyal, you will dither around with the affairs of your parents and show no filial piety, and not be sincere to your relatives and friends. People will despise you, society will detest you, and you will be unable to cope with things. When your ch'i does not fill your entire body, inwardly you will be prone to sickness and your mind will be hard up; in your affairs you will be preoccupied and anxious, and you will be unable to undertake any noble enterprise. When you obstruct the character of things, you run counter to human nature, distance yourself from matters, and are out of harmony; and when this happens, you end up in conflict. When your spirit is unsettled, you have many doubts and your affairs are unending. When your thoughts are moving, you have no tranquility and make a multitude of mistakes.”

“Man's mind, too, is not without the good. When you follow your own true character and are not a slave to your passions and desires, your spirit will not be troubled, you will be in touch with the phenomena of this world, and practical application will have no obstacles. For this reason, the 'Way of the Great Learning is in making clear your adamantine character,' and in the Doctrine of the Mean it says that 'Complying with your character is called following the Way.' In explaining principle from the top, scholars express its standard. Nevertheless, the mediocrity and confusion of some people are deep, and such people are unable to change the substance of their ch'i and directly return to the spirit of their true character. For this reason, scholars preach about 'the extension of knowledge' and 'making one's will and heart sincere.' They also expound self-examination and being watchful over ourselves when we are alone, and would have us step over the true ground of self-discipline.
“Swordsmanship is also like this. Facing your opponent, you forget about life, forget about death, forget about your opponent, and forget about yourself. Your thoughts do not move and you create no intentions. When you are in a state of No-Mind and leave everything to your natural perceptions, metamorphosis and change will be conducted with absolute freedom, and practical application will have no obstacles. When in the midst of a great number of opponents, you will cut and thrust before and behind, and to the left and right. And even if your body is smashed to bits, our ch'i will be under control and your spirit settled, you will suffer no changes at all, and you will be as correct and peerless as Tzu Lu.
“If you will be like this, how could you fail or be without result? This is the deepest principle of swordsmanship. Nevertheless, it is not a Way you can climb up directly without incurring traveling expenses. If you do not try out your techniques, temper your ch'i, train your mind, or make intense and diligent efforts without fail, you will never reach the Way.”

Belles Lettres courtesy of Avant Garde Magazine No. 14 (1971)

2008-11-18T10:27:00.013-05:00

Some of us grew up watching Sesame Street. I remember seeing sped-up footage of kids in brightly colored outfits laying in formation to create letterforms under a vertically-locked camera. It was nice (for kids), but this concept shoot by Ed van der Elsken, Anna Beeke, Pieter Brattinga, Anthony Beeke, and Geert Kooiman blows it away! Look at how two girls were used for thick strokes and only one for thin strokes. Elbows, feet and hair were used to create spurs and serifs throughout. Gorgeous! (click images for a larger view)

Daniel Eatock

2008-09-16T22:01:00.017-04:00

Tonight I went to AIGA's Small Talk with Daniel Eatock. The designer/artist is very slippery to categorize. Though he studied design at Ravensbourne, he isn't exactly a designer. One could argue that he is an artist that often utilizes the language of design. Perhaps this is why the audience was, for the most part, designers. Designers relate to his conceptual thinking and his sensitivity.
But he has done contracted work. He has created logos. He has designed things for an end. But often, even these things, have a conceptual twist that expands beyond the design-solution.

Take his "logo" design for Big Brother, a television series in England. Not only did the logo appear in more places than you'd expect; Eatock went as far as making enormous rock sculptures and crop circles from it, the logo also appeared in a variety of different graphic iterations. Some of these iterations got the attention of an organization that represents epileptics in England. Apparently, some of the print and outdoor advertisements were categorized by experts as "epileptogenic", i.e. a catalyst for seizures in people with epilepsy.

Here, he did work for a Discovery Channel program called Virtual History. In this program, from what I understand, footage from history that was never filmed, is recreated using computer-generated imagery. The first program focused on World War II and a secret plot to kill Hitler. The advertisements teasing the show presented Churchill and Hitler in the style of the "classic designer clothes ad" a la Calvin Klein and Armani. Of course, the images are very provocative and started a media debate surrounding the ethics of the digital manipulation of history.

Another piece of Eatock's involved a full set of Pantone design markers arranged in the order of their color-numbers in a sculpture. They were let to sit on a ream of A1 sheets of uncoated stock for a month. They bled through 73 sheets with, obviously, varying effects.

They were numbered from 1 to 73 – 1 being the least marker-bleed and 73 was the immediate surface sheet that the markers sat on. Then they were priced from 1 pound to 73 pounds – you paid more for more ink.

Finally, I want to mention his collection of stones that weigh 1 stone in the English measure of weight.
Tonight, Eatock presented a new project of his. One Mile Scroll is exactly what it sounds like. You can visit the website, and scroll for a full mile (measured in pixels). At the bottom of the site is a reward. Obviously you can cheat. Otherwise, it looks like you can forget about going out anytime soon.

There is something in the fiber of Eatock's work that is truly magical – something that makes it all so intellectually compelling. He kept referring to an idea he heard in a comedy routine by Stephen Wright. It is the idea of asking for a shirt in Extra Medium. This is, in a sense, the essence of Eatock's work. Self-negation, contradiction, the perfect balance between logic and poetry. This is embodied in his collection of scissor-packaging that you need scissors to open. Or the necklasp, a necklace created from a full cycle of only necklace clasps.
To go a step further, it struck me how Eastern his approach to work is – something like mental yoga – a constant exercise in pure process. Where decision-making is brought to a sublime place of stillness. In fact, for the first 10 minutes of his talk, Eatock balanced perfectly on the two rear legs of his chair – from pictures, I can see he practices often. But it furthered the point about that curious balance he has found between art and design, nothing and everything, potential and kinetic energy.
Take a look at all the projects on his website, or, if you should feel driven to support and further his work, buy his book Imprint (from Princeton Architectural Press). Each of the books in this first edition have an original thumbprint that Eatock placed on the spine.

Go There.

2008-08-18T00:18:00.008-04:00

Through the endless trove of ffffound.com, which provides truckloads of inspiration with little information (which is frustrating at times), I found spacecollective.org.
While I find a lot of the written language on spacecollective, well, a bit prétenciöüse, the subject matter is usually intriguing and their gallery is really worth a look. It's a collection of incredible art, photographs, geometric drawings, and color studies.
And it provides an awesome gateway to the sites of artists, educational facilities, mapping agencies, and a lot more. It's sure to deliver hours of profound and beneficial distraction.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

2008-08-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

I couldn't have been happier when my wife told me that David Byrne and Brian Eno have collaborated on a new album together, titled Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. She had also read that Stefan Sagmeister would be designing the package. So, for me, this project couldn't be more perfect. It comes out in 3 days. More information here.
As I started to think about what it could sound like and look like, I started to think about all the covers for Talking Heads albums that I love so much, and the covers for Brian Eno's many different projects. Stefan Sagmeister began his career in New York at M&Co where Tibor Kalman ran the ship and did a lot of work with David Byrne and the Talking Heads. In recent years, Stefan has done a great deal of work with David Byrne himself. And I know, from a conversation we had, that he holds Brian Eno in very high esteem.

So, in anticipation of the new album's release, I pulled out all the records my wife and I have from Byrne and Eno and started to investigate the designs and who was responsible for them. With such a history of stellar album designs, the look back sets the stage for what's to come. In chronological order:

No Pussyfooting – Robert Fripp & Brian Eno (1973)
This is the earliest of all the records. One song on each side. Fripp plays the Les Paul and Eno mans the synthesizer, digital sequencer and modified tape recorder. The focal sound is the dreamy wailing of Fripp's guitar. The cover photograph and design is by Willie Chrystie. If anyone is into the band Battles, you may recognize the multiple mirrors concept. On this website, Sleevage, their is a discussion about it.

Here Come the Warm Jets – Brian Eno (1974)
I could be mistaken, but I believe this was Eno's phrase describing the initial rush of a heroin injection. The set design isn't credited but the photograph was taken by Lorenz Zatecky, and the design was done at CCS Associates.

Evening Star – Robert Fripp & Brian Eno (1975)
Here, the illustration isn't credited on the album but the typography is by Bob Bowkett at CCS.

Discreet Music – Brian Eno (1975)
I hadn't noticed until now (it's much darker in person), but on the seemingly black album cover, there is actually a photograph of what looks like architecture, or a few city blocks somewhere. The design is by John Bonis at CCS. And the music on this album is actually intended for a very unique listening experience. In Eno's description on the back of the LP, he explains the idea for Discreet Music. "In January this year I had an accident. I was not seriously hurt, but I was confined to a bed in a stiff and static position. My friend Judy Nylon visited me and brought me a record of 18th century harp music. After she had gone, and with some considerable difficulty, I put on the record. Having laid down, I realized that the amplifier was set at an extremely low level, and that one channel of the stereo had failed completely. Since I hadn't the energy to get up and improve matters, the record played on almost inaudibly. This presented what was for me a new way of hearing music – as part of the ambience of the environment just as the colour of the light and the sound of the rain were parts of that ambience. It is for this reason that I suggest listening to the piece at comparatively low levels, even to the extent that it frequently falls below the threshold of audibility."

Another Green World – Brian Eno (1975)
This album brings Eno's star-studded studio cohorts together: Robert Fripp and John Cale, with occasional percussion by Phil Collins. It straddles that strange gap between pop and ambient that Eno invented. The cover is a detail from a painting called "After Raphael" by Tom Phillips. Typography is by Bob Bowkett at CCS Associates.

Before and After Science – Brian Eno (1977)
Eno assembled his crew again for this one. The song, Kurt's Rejoinder, features vocals by Kurt Schwitters from the UR Sonata. And Phil Manzanera, from Eno's first band, Roxy Music, plays rhythm guitar on several tracks. The cover design is by Eno himself.

Music For Films – Brian Eno (1978)
This is an accumulation of work from 1975 to 1978. It includes many different artists – from Phil Collins and Robert Fripp to John Cale. All the work was either originally created for soundtracks and scores or ended up on them after being written.

More Songs About Buildings and Food – Talking Heads (1978)
This album was produced by Eno and the Talking Heads. It isn't the first from the Talking Heads but it is one of their earlier releases. The front cover concept is Byrne's; a life-sized photo mosaic of the band members, constructed from 529 close-up Polaroids, and reproduced by Jimmy de Sana. The back cover is more involved. In fact, there is a massive description about what it is exactly. In brief, it is a reproduction of Portrait U.S.A, an image produced by General Electric's Beltsville Photo Engineering Lab with assistance from the National Geographic Society and NASA.

Look closer for the full description.

Fear of Music – Talking Heads (1979)
Produced by Eno and the Talking Heads, this album is full of awesome one-word song titles, like Air, Animals, Cities, Drugs, Heaven, Mind, Paper and the amazing (not one-word song-title) Life During Wartime. Nicole Kidman became hundreds of percent cooler in my mind when my wife told me that this is her all-time favorite album. The cover concept comes from Talking Heads bassist Jerry Harrison. The type is simple, in the upper left hand corner, and the packaging is adorned with embossed diamond-plating. I was over the moon to read that Gene Wilder plays the congas on Life During Wartime and I Zimbra but apparently the Gene Wilder I was picturing...

might not be THIS Gene Wilder. The Wikipedia entry claims that Gene Wilder and Ari are drummers who were recruited from Washington Square Park. Does anyone know the real story?

Possible Musics – Jon Hassell & Brian Eno (1980)
Hassell is a composer from Memphis, who spent the initial part of his career in Cologne studying with Stockhausen and New York with Phillip Glass. Fourth World is what he believes to be music that reaches beyond the categorization of "world," "jazz," "classical," "minimal," or "ambient." The cover image is a Landsat photo from NASA of the White Nile south of Khartoum in the Sudan. The design is by Cream.

Remain In Light – Talking Heads (1980)
This was the first Talking Heads album I ever heard. Just back in 2003. I have had many friends recommend them to me over the years, but I wasn't ready until 2003, I guess. Laurie Rosenwald, a brilliant designer/illustrator and typographer runs a very interesting workshop which I cannot describe, because I shouldn't and I don't think I'm allowed. When I partook in this workshop, the first thing she put on was Remain in Light, and ever since the moment when Once In A Lifetime began, I've been hooked. Many songs were co-written and produced by Eno. The album artwork and design is by M&Co. Tibor Kalman made this design everything that the Talking Heads are. It's perfect. It's enigmatic, pop, revolutionary, undefinable. And the inverted "A"s give me type-shivers.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts – Brian Eno & David Byrne (1981)
The title of this album takes its name from a book by Amos Tutuola (Grove Press). Byrne and Eno were highly influenced by sounds from the near East, including chanting from the Qu'ran. But there seems to be a higher concept about contrasting religions and cultures, East and West, as there appear recordings of Christian radio evangelists from San Francisco and New Orleans. The album is tremendous, and if this project is any indication of the quality of the Byrne/Eno collaboration, the promise of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is that much greater. The cover of this album is a photograph of a television or computer screen playing a video by Eno. And I was excited to find that the typography, simply set across the top of the album cover in Helvetica Bold, was done by Peter Saville (my personal design hero).

Speaking in Tongues – Talking Heads (1983)
Another pivotal album with a variety of hits like Burning Down the House, and This Must Be the Place (which is often played three times in a row). The cover art is by Byrne with thanks to M&Co.

The Pearl – Harold Budd & Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois (1984)
One of my personal ambient favorites. With rain outside and the volume quite high, The Pearl is enveloping. Born in Los Angeles, and raised in the Mojave Desert, Budd listened to the wind drone through telephone wires. His unique, atmospheric piano style came to the front when working with Eno on this album. The art and design on this album is by Russell Mills.

Old Land – Cluster & Brian Eno (1985)
Cluster is a German experimental ambient group, whose core members, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius are now in their 60s and 70s, respectively. They recently played several venues in San Francisco and the West coast. The cover photograph is by Michael Weisser, and depicts a strange bowed light in the evening sky. I can't guess what would cause a light like that, but I think the mystery is the magic.

Here is a Talking Heads box-set, Once In A Lifetime, designed by Stefan Sagmeister. It's the only thing here that I don't own. But, it was too beautiful not to be included. The paintings are by Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov. This packaging won Sagmeister a Grammy. And doesn't he deserve it!

This last piece, the Dual-Disc Brick, is from Rhino Records. Their design work is always impeccable and this piece equally so. It contains the Talking Heads' 8 official studio albums, remastered into surround-sound on the second side of the discs, with many special b-sides and remixes.

All this points to an important idea. Brian Eno and David Byrne have decided not to market their new album at all. They are not promoting it really. Because they want to see if the oldest advertising method on Earth will work for them – word-of-mouth. So here's to the cause!

Type from the Road (click for a closer view)

2008-07-17T17:49:00.000-04:00

I don't think Raymond Loewy signed off on this.

I love this R! Sterling, CO

A salon in Greensboro, AL

A barbershop in Greensboro, AL.

An RV park in Colorado with a great, faux-stretched-hide billboard.

There are no local stops on the Coke Express.

This was taped inside a quiet storefront window in Greensboro.

Life's short. Ride a motorcycle, watch television and eat dessert before anything else. Mesa Verde, CO

I think this was coincidental -- at a Cenex Station in Sterling, Colorado.

Great hand-drawn type. Danville, PA

Look carefully. Torrance, CA

A full photodocumentation of my cross-country (and back with wife and puppy) journey will be available for view soon on nictaylor.com. More sunsets, clouds and U.S. oddities. Less typography.

Light My Fire (Al Green Version)

2008-06-13T00:20:00.000-04:00

Recently, on a trip through Connecticut, which began with a wedding, but ended with excessive antiquing, a "tag-sale" (new england lingo for a yard-sale) and crashing a yacht club buffet in Old Saybrook, my wife and I went in to a little antique shop called Blueberry Antiques. Here we discovered a binder-full of someone's matchbook collection. The binder was designed to hold matchbooks by their corners when folded out flat (as pictured). These are my favorites, particularly for the Waldorf which advertises "A Clean Place to Eat." What more do you need?

Tomorrow I am embarking on a cross-country drive which will first bring me to Project M in Hale County, Alabama, followed by western Texas, New Mexico, Los Angeles and everything in-between. Among the projects which will arise from the trip, a photo gallery of the best outsider type is sure to come.
I would elaborate on what Project M is exactly, but it is formless and unique, defined by its participants. I have no idea what to expect and that is exciting as hell! Forward!

Hell Wool

2008-05-12T11:53:00.000-04:00

Recently, I went to an art opening that succeeded on a variety of levels (in ascending order of importance):
1) I got there early. Always remember, retarded people show up "on time" (late) to talk loudly and opine freely with little knowledge of anything. Avoid them by arriving early and getting out early. You'll actually get to see the work. Though, it should be mentioned that some guy did burst out of an office to yell "Tell Richard and Chris that Richard Prince IS on for dinner tonight. Yes, he'S COMing!" Scamp.
2) There were beautiful vintage books everywhere. John McWhinnie at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller and Gallery is a perfect venue for a small show. Among the art (which I'll get to) were amazing first-ofs punk and downtown glam 'zines from the early 80s. There were amazing first editions of art books and novels in cases and on shelves everywhere. It was sweet, sweet music.

3) The art was the product of a great collaboration. Christopher Wool has apparently been obsessed with Richard Hell for some time. And

4) it involves typography! Wool's work is always simple and direct in presentation. He usually limits himself to black and white and much of his work is little more than a statement executed in black stencil type on a white background. The starkness of the execution allows the mind to actually consider the statement with no distraction.

From the downtown punk days of The Voidoids, The Neon Boys, and Television, Richard Hell has been a powerful artistic force. Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, credits Hell with creating the original punk aesthetic of torn clothing, scrawled-on shirts, abundant safety pins and devil-may-fuck-off attitude.

Wool has approached Hell to work on projects before. Finally, Hell gave. And the work is cool. It is called Psychopts. Both of their styles and personalities come through clearly in this show (which includes their sketches as well as the finished pieces). I prefer the sketches personally.

And here is the show take-away with an important message inside.

Building Blocks (Or Some Such Structural Element)

2008-04-21T16:17:00.000-04:00

Once in a very blue moon, a book, movie, album or other piece of inspiration comes along and simply shakes everything you know.

Recently, a co-worker of mine passed just such a thing along to me.

The book is called A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science (A Voyage from 1 to 10) and was published in 1994 by HarperCollins (a newer edition is available which includes the numbers 11 and 12, though the cover is the same and still leaves a little to be desired.) The author, Michael S. Schneider, illuminates the importance of numbers by delving into geometry, physics, art, architecture and spirituality. For any thinker, but specifically design-thinker, structuralist or artist, this book makes poetry out of the math inherent in our surroundings. Michael S. Schneider's knowledge and observational power is staggering. But what's more is his uncanny ability to draw forth and clarify all the connections around us.

The ideas within this book are imperative for any student of design, because it starts you(one) down the path of realizing the interconnectivity of musical, structural and visual harmony.

This same webwork was recognized by Brooklyn's Byron Kalet, firestarter and editor of the Journal of Popular Noise, who made the jump from merely discussing the relationships of musical and typographic harmony to proving them in his beautiful and complex periodicals. Each issue of the journal is comprised of a gorgeous letter-pressed poster which folds in a very curious and sophisticated manner to house 3 records by 3 different artists, who are each tasked with constructing a recto and verso based on some predefined structural constraints.

This notion of interconnectivity is profound – something I champion daily – and it is reassuring to see true visionaries expounding on this idea.

Michael S. Schneider and Byron Kalet's contributions should be experienced. The links above will take you further.

What Are Words Worth?

2008-03-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

The Tom Tom Club is an awesome band that recorded its first album in 1981. It was led by two members of the Talking Heads, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. While David Byrne and Jerry Harrison worked on separate solo projects, Frantz and Weymouth started the Tom Tom Club which included family members, friends, and took musical inspiration from dance, funk and polyrhythmic world music. The first single they cut was called Wordy Rappinghood. It was followed by the single Genius of Love (which is amazing!) and an entire album released by Island Records in Europe and Sire here in the states. The lyrics of Wordy Rappinghood struck my wife and me one night while driving in Maryland. Check them out below(!):

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words in papers, words in books
Words on tv, words for crooks
Words of comfort, words of peace
Words to make the fighting cease
Words to tell you what to do
Words are working hard for you
Eat your words but dont go hungry
Words have always nearly hung me

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words of nuance, words of skill
And words of romance are a thrill
Words are stupid, words are fun
Words can put you on the run

Mots pressx, mots sensx,
Mots qui disent la vit?
mots maudits, mots mentis,
Mots qui manquent le fruit desprit

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Its a rap race, with a fast pace
Concrete words, abstract words
Crazy words and lying words
Hazy words and dying words
Words of faith and tell me straight
Rare words and swear words
Good words and bad words

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words can make you pay and pay
Four-letter words I cannot say
Panty, toilet, dirty devil
Words are trouble, words are subtle
Words of anger, words of hate
Words over here, words out there
In the air and everywhere

Words of wisdom, words of strife
Words that write the book I like
Words wont find no right solution
To the planet earths pollution
Say the right word, make a million
Words are like a certain person
Who cant say what they mean
Dont mean what they say

With a rap rap here and a rap rap there
Here a rap, there a rap
Everywhere a rap rap
Rap it up for the common good
Let us enlist the neighbourhood
Its okay, Ive overstood
This is a wordy rappinghood, okay, bye.

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words
What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Hell stop ... dont stop ... stop.

Firefly Press

2008-02-22T18:57:00.001-05:00

http://www.vimeo.com/699250/

Recycle

2008-02-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

When David Byrne was writing his blog on typepad, he made a very interesting connection between the (then) new iPod ads and the drawing series "Men in the Cities" by Robert Longo. It looks pretty convincingly like a rip-off, though I'm not certain that Macintosh would admit it.

During the past few months, an ad for Richard James has been running in a handful of fashion magazines. In this instance, it seems that the art director is paying homage to Robert Longo. Most fashion advertising is manipulative and irritating, while the rest seems slapdash and unrelated to anything at all, so to find a connection with contemporary art culture is pretty refreshing.

In a related note, David Byrne's online journal has been added in the links to the left and here.

Dare I say, "Sweet Type"?

2008-02-02T11:30:00.001-05:00

From the massive swirl of excitement and press and wonderful insanity surrounding Stefan Sagmeister's book, Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, come these images. They are by Marian Bantjes, whose work is ABSOLUTELY beautiful.

Typography can be anything. We see that daily. A Jews for Jesus chapter in my neighborhood has recently executed a phrase from Psalms, in script, using blood-red ribbon and a staple gun. And it's pretty good.

Sagmeister has often been a proponent of executing type in unconventional ways. From toilet paper and tree trimming to carving his own skin, he has shifted the perception of typography countless times with enthralling results. His book will be a beautiful experience, and hopefully many young designers will be inspired by his words.

Most importantly,
Everybody who is honest is interesting.

Helvetica's Neutrality + Polarization

2008-01-20T01:43:00.000-05:00

Upon watching Helvetica (the movie), directed by Gary Hustwit, several things emerge. There are many anecdotes about the typeface, its forging and its emergence into the mainstream. But most designers and typographers (should) already know its story.
What this movie really establishes is a broadening respect for the design industry. Most stories about viewing this movie go a little like this: "Well, when my designer-friend told me there was a movie about a font, I laughed. I mean, who would want to see a movie about a font?! But I agreed to go and it was SO interesting. I had no idea how much fonts matter. And the interviews were great!"
It's TRUE. This movie says something important about a group of caring individuals. It shows the world that the nuances and thoughts behind design movements, design decisions and executions are deep and studied, both intellectually and emotionally. There is a common thread among many of the designers interviewed. There is a desire to challenge the world conceptually and stylistically and to challenge themselves personally. And to give every project a sense of relevant beauty.
Another aspect that rings loud and clear is the necessity of designers to state their philosophical leanings. Massimo Vignelli, opinionated as ever, refers to psychedelia as a time for "whatever" and post-modernism as a disease. Eric Spiekermann goes on a tirade about the weaknesses of Helvetica. But when asked about why it is so popular, there is a sense of shrugging. He doesn't seem to see why anyone would choose it. Those who do are, well, lazy. All they are doing is breathing, because "Helvetica is like air."
When it comes to interviewing people who deal purely with designing type, Hustwit showcases some really passionate individuals. Mike Parker radiates as he describes the arrival of Helvetica in America as a "landslide waiting to go down the mountain, and away it went." Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones bubble with type-nerd enthusiasm as they unfurl a broadsheet of insider terminology. Above all, though, are the anecdotes and analysis from Matthew Carter. Not only does he emerge as a magnanimous and knowledgeable individual, but he manifests that rare quality of well-aged confidence mixed with an unflagging enthusiasm for what is to come. Many people his age become cynical and close-minded, but he remains aware and supportive of the design-youth.
Hustwit's most buoyant interviews are those of Michael Beirut, Paula Scher and Stefan Sagmeister. The design industry is endlessly benefited by their positive attitudes.
Ultimately, Helvetica (the movie) is a very emotional experience. And perhaps, that is a further testament to the importance of the typeface's design. As much as it strives for neutrality, never has a typeface had such a mammoth impact on people's lives and polarizing effect on the perceptions of designers.
A big thank you must go out to Gary Hustwit for making such a beautiful piece, for raising awareness about typography and for furthering the design industry and the role of designers within it.

Discipline by Massimo Vignelli

2008-01-17T16:29:00.000-05:00

"This is the most important virtue for a designer to possess. Discipline is the god of design that governs every aspect of a project, be it two-, three-, or four-dimensional. 'God is in the details,' said Mies van der Rohe. And he was right.

Discipline serves the designer from the project's concept, guiding the designer throughout the whole process. Without it, it is total anarchy, total randomness, pure chaos. Discipline is the attitude that helps us discern right from wrong and guides us to achieve consistency of language in whatever we do. Discipline is what helps us navigate through the social context in which we operate. Discipline is what makes us responsible towards ourselves, toward our clients, toward the society in which we live. It is through discipline that we are able to improve ourselves, mentally and physically; to offer the best of ourselves to everything around us, including every project on which we work.

Discipline is the process of achieving the best. Disciple has a plurality of expression that can take many forms, but its consistency and linguistic accuracy reveal themselves in all their glory. Think of the sublime architecture of Mies van der Rohe or the magnificent expressions of a Frank Gehry building. So different, but so similar in their consistency of discipline. Graphic design suffers when discipline has been abandoned in favor of the random and shallow expression of a troubled ego. Otherwise, graphic design offers the platform for beautiful expressions of intelligent articulation, of a basic discipline, a basic concept weaving its logic and discipline throughout. Form, color, scale, and logic are the tools of discipline in design. Articulating them is a joy. Discipline is the supreme state of mind, the master of passion, and the governing structure of nature.

There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence."

-excerpt from Vignelli: From A to Z

Greetings from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Typography

2007-12-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

The Elusive Type

2007-11-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

There is a dizzying array of typefaces available to designers. Whether bought, stolen, donated or actually free, there are myriad sources from which to acquire typefaces. But which ones are the right ones? Different designers stand by different versions of different typefaces. All we have is our varying literature, design forums and sources of instruction from which we can gleen a sense of which typefaces are the purest representation of the original cut, the most emphatic reinterpretation or the most iconic modern rendition.
Many rely on Robert Bringhurst's book (cum type-bible), The Elements of Typographic Style for all type-related advice. Some turn to the jedi-esque council on Typophile for a more democratic opinion, though most of its members are inherently purists. Some choose for themselves, and this can have a variety of results ranging from inspired to disastrous.
Ultimately, typography is intended to do justice to the message it is communicating. All of our classical typefaces and some newer ones were created to serve specific purposes. Whether it be for headlines or body text, to deliver a range of weights for multi-dimensional information architecture, or to display legibly in web situations, they have a reason for being. Many typefaces come in a cascade of versions because they have been hosted by different foundries over the years. Nowadays, there are people who are just obsessed with typography and draw horrendous, unstudied typefaces all day long. To purists, this is type-heresy of the highest order. But who's to stop the defamers? All a designer can do is be educated enough to choose and use the right typefaces.
Garamond is a great example of a historic typeface with a hundred and one renditions that have been drawn throughout the ages. There isn't an original, honest-to-goodness, Claude Garamond cut of Garamond that we use on our computers today. But according to Bringhurst, the three adaptations worthy of note are Stempel Garamond, Adobe Garamond, and Granjon.
It should be noted that Berthold Garamond is strong and carefully tooled, but seems stiff and lacks the poetry of the three mentioned above. And though Garamond 3 has its moments, it can be a bit awkward and unruly. Then there are Ludlow Garamond, American Garamond, Italian Garamond and ITC Garamond, all of which are difficult to look at.
The great Jan Tschichold drew Sabon in 1964. It is extremely reverent to the idea of Garamond, and very true to its forms. And it is exquisite in its own right.
But more forms are constantly generated. For example, Karl Moller has taken it upon himself to review past versions of Garamond and create a version that is ideal for setting Swedish text.
Michael Bierut has a lot to say about ITC Garamond and new typefaces. One particularly astute observation is that unlike new architecture (which is usually met with initial disgust and then slowly accepted over time), new typefaces are typically received with zeal but then wear out and lose their hold on our interest. Of course, there are typefaces which have been around for centuries and look as fresh now as they ever have. Several appear here in a great survey of serifed text faces.
What begins to become apparent is that typefaces are more like philosophies than shapes. They have applications which dictate their appearance and give rise to their personality. But down the road, their personalities dictate their uses. They seem to grow up and their uses and experiences become inextricable aspects to their character.
It is of the highest importance that designers know the history of the language they employ. One does not speak without knowing the words, or else the meaning is lost. Likewise, a designer shouldn't communicate without understanding the typographic nuances and visual cues that are manifest in their executions.
By learning as much as we can and staying informed, we elevate the discipline of design to its highest point, where science and art synchronize.

Take a trip without moving your feet

2007-11-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

Presented below is a small sampling from one of the most important photo documentaries, A westward study in Asia by Ian Allen. In its course, you journey from bustling Tokyo to rural Tibet in a massive, sweeping odyssey.

Battling Entropy

2007-11-07T19:58:00.000-05:00

We sweep dust out of corners. We repair our belongings. We trim our hair. We bathe, mow the lawn, and wash our clothes. We categorize and alphabetize. We create order. We order everything. And yet things rust. Old clothes wear holes. Our fingernails grow to lengths undesirable. And the upkeep of everything is constant. We grow old. Our backs begin to hurt. Our hair falls out. Spots appear -- dark ones on our skin and empty ones in our brain. We try to cope. We try to make it easier. We try, always, to simplify. But isn't chaos prevailing somehow? Aren't we always in pursuit of an order that nature seems to object to?
As you glance around you, there are probably many straight lines. There are groupings of things. Books together, but separated from magazines. Pens in a cup or holder. Glyphs that, strung together, form meaning. There is, perhaps, a filing cabinet with some sort of system, a clock, a calendar, this computer in front of you. There is a sense of order.
But when you leave your dwelling, and go into nature, let's say. The glyphs aren't there. The clock isn't there. The straight lines aren't there. None of the order is there. It is spell-binding. It is "organic". Amorphous and unpredictable lines flow in abundance. There is shade, gradation and texture. Birds and animals are driven by fear and pleasure and pain. There is something indescribable happening everywhere.
This indescribability impels the way we function in the world. And for practicality's sake, the human brain has become a very good machine. Essentially, the human brain works so that it doesn't have to work. It is efficient in storing information so that it doesn't need to relearn things constantly. Neurological pathways are established to make life easier. If you had to learn how to tie your shoes every time you had to tie your shoes, life would be very tedious. Just getting out the door would prove difficult. The same goes for more complex thinking as well. If you had to learn how to type every time you wrote an email, you'd never get through it. And if you had to start from square 1 with friends, coworkers or classrooms every time you met, you'd never get very far. The brain, and its memory, are cumulative. And so are all our modes of thought. For better or worse, we don't forget everything we know -- even though it would be better in some problem-solving situations.
This characteristic of the human brain translates into our sense of truth because our basis for truth has much more to do with common and accepted standards. Just like tying our shoes, if we had to debate what "REALITY" was every time we had a conversation, we'd never get to the conversation. This is true of all understanding. We have to agree on certain basic premises before we move into the more esoteric climes of thought.
This is what Linnaeus did for biology. He set out a structure for us to build on. But nature doesn't seem to think like us. Without Linnaeus' structure, we're left with nature's wild, undisciplined procreation -- it's inexplicable, hit-or-miss style. Linnaeus affected biology, but he didn't change nature.
Take the Fibonacci Sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89...). In this sequence, each number is the sum of the two numbers preceding it. This sequence has been proven to exist in the organization of a good deal of plant life, the shapes of shells, the genealogical patterns of rabbits and bees, etc. Without this sequence of numbers, and our theory about its importance, nature would go on the way it is. It is just our way of understanding it. Nature continues with or without our foisting a sense of order onto it.
Consider this:
Imagine you throw a box of spools of ribbon into the air. The box flies open and all the ribbons unravel and fall pell mell to the ground. There is a chance, however small, that with the proper confluence of physics, wind gusts, friction, etc, that the ribbons could roll up and set neatly into the box and the box could be blown back together and land perfectly in your hands again. However, that chance is so small, that physicists consider it negligible. Hence, the idea of entropy. Nature has a tendency towards chaos, and disorder. The human mind, towards order. So, in essence, man's life is a struggle against entropy.
Why is this? Aren't we a product of nature? Didn't we come from the swirling evolution? Why is our sense of organization in opposition to that of the rest of existence?
We seem to want to preserve and order things. We archive and alphabetize. We write and speak and communicate. Clarity and comprehension are manifest in this. So, of all the things to pursue in life, design and communication are the most difficult because they are the biggest rebellions against chaos. But they are also the biggest assets to humanity. The choice to design is not a choice to make things attractive (though that is often an important by-product). The choice to design is a choice to fight hard against degeneration. Our designs are our evolutions to survive -- our constantly refined tools. Believe that design, be it born of experimentation or refinement, is the most truly human act. It is design which molds the future of the human race.

(photo by Martin Klimas)

Wim Crouwel & Massimo Vignelli in conversation at The New School (AIGA)

2007-10-26T09:15:00.000-04:00

It is the attitudes of designers like Crouwel and Vignelli that breathe intensity into the world of design. Both are modernists and have established a strict set of rules for themselves when thinking about design. Their personalities are very different however, and it shows in their work and philosophies.
Vignelli is an absolutist, a purist and a staunch adherent to his rules about responsible design. He works with 5 typefaces that he feels very strongly about (Garamond, Bodoni, Helvetica, Univers, Century) and , if pushed to it, a couple of others. He works only with the grid. That pin at his throat is a Grid-pin that he designed and wears every day. His confidence is unwavering and his work backs up his philosophy. He spoke out about Emigre and Rudy van der Lans, saying that it is the worst thing to happen to typography. But he gestured repeatedly toward Jonathan Hoefler (in the crowd) as someone who is carrying the typographic torch. Agreed.
Crouwel, another man of strict conduct, is however, more of a seeker. It is clear that he is trying (and has always tried) to find something new. Throughout his career, Crouwel has developed new typefaces, and redefined applications for the Grid. He has been adventurous with color and our perception of typography. And his philosophies have, admittedly, changed over the years.
Both designers have advanced the visual state and mentality of design -- Crouwel through expansion, and Vignelli through refinement. Both, of course, are mandatory aspects of growth.
It is refreshing to hear the voices of these designers in the midst of a design world that is losing its sense of craft and its adherence to the fundamentals of typographic communication. Things that were said:
Fashion is the enemy of design, because fashion equals obsolescence.
Contemporary is the opposite of Modern.
The fundamental idea in all this is to use design-thinking to create logical, lasting constructs for the world. Flashy, fashionable approaches don't last and don't work, because they don't create a deep-running, emotional connection with the viewer.
Cleverness and fashionability will be forgotten while intelligence and style live forever.

Far from the Madding Clutter

2007-10-16T16:51:00.000-04:00

As an organization, The People are optimistic and try to avoid negativity at every turn.
As a designer though, going to a magazine store is a pretty difficult experience. It is a typographic acid trip.
There is a vast sea of niche lifestyle magazines, which, for the most part, lack any real savvy but are honest and maintain a readership through consistent content.
Then there are the self-conscious, fashion-y magazines that try to out-avant-garde each other every month or quarter. They cost loads to make. And deliver little. And there's a new one every time you turn around.
And for some reason, there are very few magazines that offer great content AND design.
In terms of content, Esquire, Arena, and Wallpaper bring something to the table.
When considering design, Purple Fashion Magazine, Cabinet and, the ever-inventive Visionaire are quite stunning.
There are only a few magazines that have a great offering in both categories.
Dwell is well-shot with good writing and engaging subjects specifically for people with an interest in architecture, design and interiors.
Swindle is a wide-ranging youth culture magazine which is edited by Roger Gastman (of While you Were Sleeping...) and art directed by Sheppard Fairey (Obey). There is a rotating door of guest writers, illustrators and photographers that maintain a newness necessary in any culture magazine. Many of them are young and ambitious, and there is something intrinsically "good" about that.
Stopsmiling is an excellent publication. The writing, photography and design is top-notch and consistent. What makes it really unique is that the focus shifts per issue and keeps the content fresh.
Icon was just guest edited by Peter Saville a couple of months ago. And though that issue was really good, many other issues are bogged down by articles about the design emporers. In general, it is well-shot and well-designed.
The best covers, however, are coming from a UK magazine called Exit. When every other magazine is zigging and zagging, maybe it's best to just _____. The content is ambitious. The photography is high-quality and in many cases, truly artistic. But mostly, it's the cover. The confidence to avoid the crash!, pow!, zing! of the magazine market is admirable. No photos. No feature-teasers. Just beautiful, iconic colors. And now with gradients! A salute to Exit.

Contrast Theory, Typography, and the Human Mind

2007-09-26T00:11:00.000-04:00

The human brain searches for definition. In everything. And it's no wonder. We seek to understand the world around us, because this allows us to understand ourselves. John Fowles, the fiction writer, wrote a book of philosophy called The Aristos, in which he discusses the matter of what he calls 'counterpoles'. Counterpoles allow us to define ourselves. "I am not the earth or moon. I am not that tree. I am not this computer or this desk." That is a simple way of setting things apart. Furthermore, "I am not you. I am not my mother or father. I am not Martin Luther. I am not my wife." And this allows us to know which specific human we are. Then, to go one step further, we look at ideas and notions and ways of being. And we further distinguish who we are.
It is also important to note that many people DON'T distinguish themselves. They stand very close to certain philosophies, to other people, to art movements, to certain clubs, to their church (or temple or whatever) in order to blend in. They escape notice. Entertain, for a moment, the form of a school of fish. In order to escape attack, all the little fish move and zag together to give the impression of being a bigger, scarier fish. They are all safer in the collective. This school-of-fish mentality is not too dissimilar from how groups of people act and move. I digress, sort of.
Back to understanding the world. So we look at all the things that are 'not us' in order to gain clarity on who and what we are. Once we have gained this clarity of 'what I am' v. 'what I am not', we delve into the world of 'what I am not'. Enter Linnaeus, the father of binomial nomenclature. He constructed a system to classify all the living things -- to give each one its unique identity. This kind of a system makes the world more manageable. We can mentally disseminate everything more easily in this way. If all of nature, in its strange swirling progeny, were not broken down, we couldn't wrap our brains around it. We need to draw lines, create thresholds and hold absolutes in order to deal with all of it.
Look at how we build our dwellings. We draw straight lines everywhere. We create edges. Look at maps and how we decide who governs what area of our earth. We have property lines, roads, lines on the road, and laws that correspond to those lines. They are everywhere. It's how we think and make sense of an overwhelming existence.
The reason lines work is because of contrast. We need contrast to notice things. Contrasts occur to a point where a threshold is met. Then a line is drawn, visually or theoretically. The mind is more comfortable with this constant process of incision, followed by decision. As we take note of contrasts, we judge the differences. We decide how we feel about them. Our world is created by how we honor these absolutes, when and how we draw lines.
In visual art, we love the way Matisse, or Picasso, or any number of others drew lines to create contrast and heighten drama. The human mind desires this drama. We see this in our favorite stories. The most engaging ones involve the most drama. Imagine the line of the edge of the boat in Moby Dick. Beyond that line is danger, the vast and endless unknown. This line is a physical one. But in stories by the Marquis De Sade, he describes people caught in situations of moral imbalance, where they must make drastic decisions, sometimes between compromising their integrity or death. Think of the absolutes in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Two families, forbidden to one another. Two lovers cross that line -- the high drama that ensues. Then as one takes a false death potion, the other cannot live, and commits suicide. They both die (sorry for the spoiler). Always, we need the contrast. The mind is engaged by judgement and choice.
Take a look at the growing, believe me, GROWING obsession with celebrities, their lifestyles, and how we judge them. Who is together? Who breaks up? Has an eating disorder? Goes insane? Fights for charity? Crashed their car? Dies from a drug overdose? Tries to die from a drug overdose? Etc? All high drama. And why do we pay more attention to Britney Spears than we do to Courtney Cox? When was the last time Courtney Cox had an insane, deceitful love affair, involving children, a dramatic change in weight, drug problems, then shows up at a tattoo parlor at three in the morning with a shaved head?! I can't remember. Because she isn't as interesting.
All this stark contrast draws interest from people because it causes the brain to make a choice. Do you support or oppose? Agree or disagree? Allow or deny? The threshold engages. We've seen how this is true in our art, our growing dramatic reality, in our stories, in our decisions on laws, in how we understand nature and define our place in it. Communication is no different. In order to communicate things most clearly, stark contrast is imperative. Strong positions, strong language, and strong imagery take hold of the brain because they ask (no, force) the viewer to judge and make a decision. As this is true in all things in life, it is true in the lowly letterform -- our secondary (to language) form of communication, because it becomes the written word. Strength in the letter is something the casual viewer may not care much about, for they are more concerned with the word strung into a sentence with meaning. But to a designer, or typographer, the letter (which becomes the word in the sentence with meaning) is HOW the sentence with meaning is said. Letterforms, and the lines that govern their shape, are a constant source of visual drama. I have included some examples of high-drama typography. Though the executions are stark and minimal, the contrast is high and fuels the intensity.
These tiny 2 and 3-d sculptures using line define our world, and an enormous aspect of how we take it in. Across this line from white to black, meaning is established. Across millions of sections of line, this little piece has been written, creating another, larger definition, and has changed something about how you perceive the world.

Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis

2007-09-11T23:31:00.000-04:00

He's more than a designer or image maker. Each piece of work is an occurence. It isn't just a THOUGHT that hasn't occured, but a REAL, NEW OCCURENCE. His work doesn't seem to emulate anything. It's new art, sprung from a bizarre and inspired world of dreams and psychotropic hallucinations.
My interest in music got me into Thorgerson's work at a young age, and it couples so perfectly with the sound, that it becomes an entirety. I remember the images from the inside of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. There was the half-submerged diver perfectly reflected in the water's surface, the swimmer in the sand dune, and of course, the red scarf blowing in the wind.
Thorgerson's images are complete both conceptually and visually. They don't seem to be a reflection of reality. They are something entirely different. They are surreal and beautiful, and to me, perfect.
One of the best stories about Thorgerson's album covers is one about Pink Floyd's Animals. In the distance, above Battersea Power Station, there is a flying pig. The pig was tethered to the power station but apparently broke loose, and floated away. It continued to float until it entered the flight path of a plane trying to land at Heathrow Airport. It actually stopped air traffic for about an hour before it landed somewhere in Kent. During follow-up shoots for the cover (since the first one didn't go so well), sharpshooters were on hand to take down the balloon, in case it got any ideas. Ultimately, the cover is a composite, but the legend lives well beyond.
Thorgerson has produced album covers and music videos for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Phish, The 13th Floor Elevators, Black Sabbath, Yes, Ween, The Cranberries, The Scorpions, The Mars Volta, etc. Often, I find myself saying "He did that too?!" Here is a small gallery of his work.

Strapped to the Gills with Great Ideas

2007-08-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

Bob Gill has a great story. And he does great work. Constantly. But his work isn't great because he relies on some amazing aesthetic, or some tantalizing subject matter (though he did direct a hardcore porno movie called Double Exposure of Holly). His work is great because his thinking is great. And it's original. And by virtue of not relying on a hip aesthetic, his work stays original-looking. The thinking is right, regardless of time.

He began his career in America, moved to England on a whim and stayed for a decade and a half. It was during this time that he built Fletcher/Forbes/Gill which ultimately became Pentagram. He sees much of his success as a byproduct of having been in the right place at the right time. He is one of those designers that seems to leave personal taste out of it. Except of course his personal taste for leaving personal taste out of it. His work is buoyant and playful but witty in a way many try to assume but few manage to. It seems to come easy for him. I sort of doubt he thinks it's easy though. And he thinks a lot. So I've included some of these lucid thoughts on design:

This is an excerpt from his interview of himself for Graphis Magazine (Gill on Gill)

Gill: The only way that graphic designers can hope to compete with the dazzling special effects of music videos, television and films is by going to the other extreme. We have to go to reality... to "unspecial" effects. We have to take a careful look at the real world and, in effect, say to our audience, "Hey! have you ever noticed this before? Even though it wasa right under your nose."
Have you ever noticed that when pictures are removed from a wall, they leave marks? These marks can become a way to communicate that an art gallery has moved. Or the scale in the lower right hand corner of every map can be a fresh logo for a map=making company. The images that we see every day in the real world are just aching to be exploited. The most ordinary image becomes exotic if it turns up in an unexpected environment.
If I have to design an ad for, let's say, a dry cleaner, I don't sit and stare out the window until lightning strikes. I don't thumb through old copies of Graphis for inspiration. I go to a dry cleaner, and I sit there until I have something interesting–or even better–something original to say about dry cleaning. I still don't know exactly how to do this, but that's good. If I had a fool-proof system for making original statements, it would become too much of a routine. And that's boring.

Bob: Where does design come in?
Gill: I don't think about design until I have something to say. And then, I let the statement suggest how it should look. Graphic design, to me, is a process of organizing imagery and/or typography to make statements. A poster with lots of white space and the hottest typeface is neither good nor bad. Good design says exactly what the designer intends. (It could be anything from a dog turd to a glorious sunset.) Bad design is the opposite. (It could be anything from a dog turd to a glorious sunset.) You can't tell if design is good, just by its appearance, unless you know its purpose. That's why I don't think there should be any absolutes in design. Incidentally, I might go to a dry cleaner, even if the job has nothing to do with dry cleaning. Have you ever inhaled naphtha?

And this one from tipoGrafica 59:

Neil Postman, in his brilliant book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, points out that when 1984 came, we boasted that the ominous prediction by Orwell in 1984, that we would all be enslaved by Big Brother, never happened. Postman also said that Aldous Huxley's prediction in Brave New World, that "people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think," did come true.

It is not Big Brother who's watching you, it's a few super-national mega-corporations.

The culture which they inflict on us, through their virtual monopoly of television, cable, radio, film, theatre, publishing, CD's etc., is designed, almost exclusively, to appeal to the lowest common denominator which, in turn, allows them to sell us the largest amount of stuff. Of course, they allow just enough high culture to sneak through, to show that they are not Philistines.

The Culture gives us preconceptions about what's exciting, what's interesting; and most designers spend their time trying to emulate what's supposed to be hot, what's current, what's trendy.

The Culture tells all of us the same thing.

But just think, if we want to do something the computer can't do, something that's original, how can we rely on what the culture tells us?

The problem is the problem.

How can we extricate ourselves from the mega-corporations' avalanche of white bread?

Assuming that you and your client have agreed upon what is to be communicated, the first step has nothing to do with design. Design has nothing to do with deciding what the problem is. Design has also nothing to do with taking the problem, which is invariably boring, and somehow redefining it, so that it is interesting. That's the second step.

Unless you can begin with an interesting problem, it is unlikely that you will end up with an interesting solution. It is only after you have changed a boring problem into an interesting one that thinking about design makes any sense.

So many designers spend (should I say waste?) their time trying to make un-great ideas look great. Here we see how instrumental a smart designer can be. Instead of filling the world with more pretty clutter, Gill challenges the content and the context to reach a more fulfilling concept.

Thank you Mr. Gill.

Switched

2007-08-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

Good typography belongs everywhere. And by good, I mean appropriate. And by typography, I mean communications.
If you were to see the side of a garage in a rural area with horribly rendered block-lettering, it would be wrong to think that it is bad. It makes sense. Maybe if it were too sophisticated, it would be jarring.
Bad typography (communication) is generally produced by bad designers, not necessarily by people untrained in design. Good communication, design, art, and production is accomplished by a sound and uncluttered mind.
Being overly self-conscious, or egocentric, or unclear leads to shoddy work. Because this is when the mind loses focus about what it is trying to accomplish.
If you are thinking about yourself, or your career, then you are not thinking about the task at hand. And you will fail. Think only about the thing at hand. Apply all of yourself to what is in front of you, and success is yours.

Style or "No" to Style

2007-08-11T17:54:00.000-04:00

I have been reading The Elements of Typographic Style for about six years now. I am constantly reading it. It sometimes reminds me of Borges' Book of Sand -- new pages appear, some are lost for a while, new charts, proportions and insights show up like they've never existed before. And this is a fine way to read it. It is a companion to the designer. In fact, it is a bible. You can pick up anywhere, and find truths, and valuable thoughts on the complexity of design. It reminds you not to ride roughshod through the design process. And mind you, it does not prescribe HOW to design, but how to THINK about design. Because design, unlike fine art, comes with a great deal of responsibility to the audience, and the thing being designed. Mr. Bringhurst...

Typography exists to honor content.

Like oratory, music, dance, calligraphy – like anything that lends its grace to language – typography is an art that can be deliberately misused. It is a craft by which the meanings of a text (or its absence of meaning) can be clarified, honored and shared, or knowingly disguised.
In a world rife with unsolicited messages, typography must often draw attention to itself before it will be read. Yet in order to be read, it must relinquish the attention it has drawn. Typography with anything to say therefore aspires to a kind of statuesque transparency. Its other traditional goal is durability: not immunity to change, but a clear superiority to fashion. Typography at its best is a visual form of language linking timelessness and time.
One of the principles of durable typography is always legibility: some earned or unearned interest that gives its living energy to the page. It takes various forms and goes by various names, including serenity, liveliness, laughter, grace and joy.
These principles apply, in different ways, to the typography of business cards, instruction sheets and postage stamps, as well as editions of religious scriptures, literary classics and other books that aspire to join their ranks. Within limits, the same principles apply even to stock market reports, airline schedules, milk cartons, classified ads. But laughter, grace and joy, like legibility itself, all feed on meaning, which the writer, the words and the subject, not the typographer, must generally provide.
In 1770, a bill was introduced in the English Parliament with the following provisions:

...all women of whatever age, rank, profession, or degree, whether virgins, maids, widows, that shall ... impose upon, seduce, and betray into matrimony, any of His Majesty's subjects, by the scents, paints, cosmetic wahes, artificial teeth, false hair, Spanish wool, iron stays, hoops, high heeled shoes [or] bolstered hips shall incur the penalty of the law in force against witchcraft ... and ... the marriage, upon conviction, shall stand null and void.

The function of typography, as I understand it, is neither to further the power of witches nor to bolster the defences of those, like this unfortunate parliamentarian, who live in terror of being tempted and deceived. The satisfactions of the craft not from deluding the unwary reader by applying scents, paints and iron stays to empty prose. But humble texts, such as classified ads or the telephone directory, may profit as much as anything else from a good typographical bath and a change of clothes. And many a book, like many a warrior or dancer or priest of either sex, may look well with some paint on its face, or with a bone in its nose.

I intend to include selections from this book regularly to remind us that just as attention to detail is important in good design, attention to every aspect of thinking is vital to our livelihoods. We stay aware to stay in control.

Somewhere, time is being wasted at an ad agency

2007-07-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

Often, I post successful design and communication because I like to see what's going right.
I have a particularly strong opinion that design and advertising that has no message is a phenomenal waste of energy.
Sometimes the vernacular of advertising can be used in excessively stupid ways. Here is an example of that.
Since we can assume that this is a spec ad, let's try to decipher what message the originators (whoever they are) were trying to communicate:
A) Smith & Wesson makes great guns.
B) Nothing is sacred anymore.
C) We're a couple of assholes. Yeah, you can close our book now.
D) Maybe this is deeply anti-gun and I'm too dumn to see it.

Graphic design is like brain surgery, only it has more potential.

2007-07-19T17:21:00.000-04:00

-Richard Poulin

Type Making Sense

2007-07-18T13:46:00.001-04:00

In the 15th and 16th century (though it still occurs, but rarely) all books were handset with lead type. One can understand that a printer, who undertook the massive task of setting every single page of a book, by hand, could use a shout-out somewhere. And so a colophon page served this purpose.
The colophon (example at left) is a portion of books which is rarely included these days. One could view it as a prose version of a copyright page. The most comprehensive colophon outlines the typeface, paper and manner of printing used, and the printer or printing house, and publishing house responsible for the book's existence.
I have set type by hand. In fact, I do so with some regularity and I really enjoy it. But having dealt with business cards, greeting cards and various pieces of correspondence, I have only a vague idea of what it would be like to set an entire book.
It takes a special passion. Setting type is a very mechanical undertaking with a final product that is a piece of art. So the process of production requires a person with not only the patience and diligence to get through it, but someone who can evaluate a typographic layout, and adjust it according to an artful eye.
This scan was sent in by Peter Ahlberg, a great designer who I have known for many years. He thought that the last line was really important.

Let me tell you a great story.

2007-07-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Jamie Reid is an extremely important designer. He designed the cover for "God Save the Queen", the pivotal Sex Pistols album from 1977, which was released to coincide with the Queen's Silver Jubilee Celebrations, and was subsequently banned from all airwaves. At the time, it was all seen as a pretty fucked-up thing to do.
In 2001, a panel of English judges (composed of editors and artists) agreed that it was the "best record cover ever produced." Apparently, over the Beatles White Album. The point is, times change, and revolution metamorphoses into art. That's how stuff happens.
So here's what I want to tell you about Jamie Reid. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. But lore is sometimes more powerful than reality.
When Reid was doing the bulk of his punk, DIY work; when he was fighting uniformity; he wrote a manifesto. The first copy of this manifesto was produced on a typer. The next copy was a photocopy of the first. The next, a photocopy of the second, and the ninth, a copy of the eighth. You have gotten the picture. If you have ever played with a photocopying machine (especially an older one), you know that as you copy things, they degrade. So as each copy of this manifesto was produced, it was more and more corroded and destroyed-looking. But then, to wrap it up, he bound it in sandpaper. So as it was shelved, being removed and put back in place, it would destroy the shelf and every book it touched. It corroded the other books. It destroyed the world around it. It had a vicious personality.
And there.
One of the most complete, most satisfying conceptual executions ever created.
That is design at its apex. That is thinking.

Design Excellence Compiled Week 2: 07/04 - 07/11

2007-07-11T09:49:00.001-04:00

I had a teacher in college who said that a great ad was something you could describe to a friend at a bar and elicit the same response as the ad itself. This teacher was not Paul Sahre, but Paul designed this book cover for Killing the Buddha - A Heretic's Bible.
A friend told me about it before I ever saw it. It gave me chills then and so it did when I finally saw it myself.
The book is a collection of 13 reinterpretations of bible stories by 13 different writers. They were given "a solo, a single book from the Bible to be remade, revealed, replaced, inverted, perverted, or born again, however the spirit so led them."
The solution for the cover is genius. Paul Sahre is one of the rare individuals who works hard at, and has the talent to, achieve conceptual profundity while maintaining aesthetic excellence.

Christian Helms is really good.
I know him personally and I know he's really good, but if you look at any of his work, you'll know it too (link at left).
I was looking through a Communication Arts annual at Barnes & Noble one day, depressed about being under the fluorescence at B&N, and depressed about the state of design. It happens. Sometimes everything is bad.

Then I came to this poster, read the line, swooned, read the credits, closed the annual, and walked out of B&N.
And THAT'S the power of good design. It makes you FEEL good.

Rdfnng Rdng - rk Spkrmnn

2007-07-09T10:06:00.001-04:00

The function of typography is to communicate messages effectively. Erik Spiekermann, a VERY well-regarded designer, communications expert, and pioneer in the field of typography and type design, has created a typeface that reevaluates how we access information.
The typeface, FF Mt, as you will read below in an excerpt from typographica.org, uses some innovative tactics to economize messages, and physicalities such as paper, ink and signage.

"April 1, 2007, Berlin — FSI FontShop International proudly announces FF Mt™, Erik Spiekermann’s most economical typeface ever. Employing obscure but powerful techniques like vwl mmssn and cap reduction, FF Mt uses up to 50% less paper, screen real estate, and wall space than other text faces without a single condensed letter.

The German government has already incorporated FF Mt in their road sign system.

German road signs using FF Mt

Before (left): Inconsistent hierarchy. Is Mönchengladbach less important than Münster or Dortmond? After (right): Clean hierarchy, increased legibility, 15% smaller sign saves costs.

In addition to its conservationist benefits, FF Mt also enables the generation of buzzwords, product names, and Web 2.0 domains as the user types.

FF Mt prepares us for the future. English is changing. With the popularity of MMS and internet chat, spelling reform is occurring at a quickened pace. FF Mt accommodates this new condensed written language now. Any copy set in this advanced font will conform to next-generation standards, yet still pass present-day spell checkers.

FSI FontShop International believes this tool is so revolutionary and beneficial to the Earth that access should not be limited to the few. Starting today, April 1 2007, the cross-platform OpenType font is available for free at FontFont.com."

Origami Freak Out -- Yes, that's paper

2007-07-05T01:34:00.001-04:00

Hojyo Takashi

Giang Dinh

Design Excellence Compiled Week 1: 06/26 - 07/03

2007-07-05T00:36:00.001-04:00

Occasionally, we are graced by really beautiful design. This past week we featured three relatively stark, simple designs. First, Tibor Kalman's mark for the New York fusion restaurant, China Grill. I remember turning a page in the book TIBOR, and seeing this mark for the first time -- chills. A lot of Tibor's work is that way. It's all so refreshing, simple, and honest, and completely endearing.

Then, Peter Saville's design for Kilgour French and Stanbury Ltd. When you go to their website, kilgour.eu, I have a hunch that that is Saville himself on the opening screen. According to a photographic essay in Purple Fashion (Peter Saville's Estate by Donald Christie) he shows many pieces from Kilgour. The point is that through and through -- the connection, the design, the interests, the loyalty -- are all in line. Everything makes sense, including this beautiful logotype.

And last, I came across this great piece by Eric Gill on Wikipedia. It is from 1931. I assume it is a chapter header from The Four Gospels. Another of these headers appears in the book, Typography (Friedl, Ott, Stein). I don't know what to say. It's beautiful -- succinct and stylistically appropriate. Gill is one of the more eccentric among typographers, who happen to be a group famous for their eccentricities. Gill is responsible for the typefaces: Joanna, Perpetua, Gill Sans, and Solus. To find out a whole lot more about his typefaces and eccentricities, go to--> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gill

An unfolding thought about design process

2007-06-28T15:15:00.000-04:00

I have always thought that "good design starts with clean hands". But I have heard great designers talk about how good it is to get your hands dirty. My thought is very literal, and the latter, probably a figure of speech. So, you can take both. Get the hands of your mind dirty, but the hands on your body should stay clean in order to execute the best work you can.
Another thought. I have always related design process to the practice of folding origami. If your first fold isn't accurate, then every subsequent fold will be increasingly inaccurate -- exponentially inaccurate, in fact -- though I haven't gone through the equations to prove that theory. Similarly with any design, if you aren't collected and decisive with every step, the ultimate outcome will be sloppy and disheartening. And I don't just mean with visual execution but with the thoughts in the design process itself.
So you can make the design-equivalent of this.

Education is a serious business. But whoever said it can't be fun?

2007-06-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, we made a leap. The internet overcame, in a sense, all geographical restriction. Connections are interest-based now. Many friendships are because of commonalities in worldview rather than physical proximity. Is it better or worse? Time will tell. Humans change. For now, we have the vivid reality that occurs all over the internet and we must take advantage of it.

(I do a little online mentoring but,) It was while I was teaching a class in real-time and real-life the other day that something dramatically simple dawned on me: This exchange of ideas is "at will." Yes, there are grades, attendance and tuition. But in a bigger sense, everyone in the room is there because they want to be -- because they WANT the exchange.

Then I thought: I can simplify things by removing the tuition, the attendance, and the grades. Hell! I can even tear the walls down.

So, here will exist a place for young graphic designers, art directors, typographers and writers, ideapeople, and those who want to burn up the track. The ultimate goal is to create a place on the web where mentors and mentees can find one another, branch out, reconvene, post project devlopments and further the importance of considered thought. Links and images will be updated often. And topics of relevance will be brought to the table for discussion. Those who want in, get involved.