:: ( CRIT ) :: DESIGN BLOG ::

Stefan Sagmeister: Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far

Stefan Sagmeister presents Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far, an exhibition showcasing the now infamous kernels of wisdom taken from his personal diary. The opening reception and book presentation will take place on Thursday, January 31st at Deitch Projects on 76 Grand Street in Soho from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. The exhibition will run through February 23rd.

Monographs are soooooooo 20th Century.

Last Thursday night I heard Kenya Hara speak about his book Designing Design and about some of the exhibitions and concepts he has been exploring. Couple that with the fact that I promised myself no more epic blog posts (ala "be the change you want to see in the world"), having my mind blown by what I've read in his book so far, and the fact that I should be writing me thesis proposal right now, I'll just present a few short key points that have made an impression on me...

The Road To Hell Is Paved With Beautifully Typeset Intentions

As a first year MFA student at SVA, my studiomates and I recently passed the halfway point of "Design and Intentions," a class taught by Milton Glaser. Each week, we collectively focus on analyzing why designers make certain aesthetic decisions, how those decisions will impact the eventual outcome and in which ways the design process can be tailored to produce greater success. Discussions of personal intent have occasionally veered into moral and ethical territory, but we don't usually linger.

Last Wednesday, at the conclusion of class, Milton asked the group to take a moral inventory tailored to our chosen profession. The results, where each individual stood ground in the moral gray areas of graphic design, were fascinating. The ambiguity of an exercise like this only adds to the inventory's necessity. I believe it is fundamental as a working designer to chart out a set of personal standards and then be vigilant in defending them.

Best of the Next

Last week, some of our distinguished alumni were selected by a number of design icons to participate in 20/20 at the AIGA's National Conference. Continuing the tradition, 20 under-thirty folks were asked to present a 1 minute film on the conference's theme "What's Next?".

In some particular order (alphabetical that is), Masood Ahmed, Ryan Feerer, Naz Sahin, Serifcan Ozcan and Amy Wang made us all proud.

Dunny Series 4 Is, Like, Totally Dunzo

A couple of years ago, I was stuck in a job that, in the most affectionate of terms, could be described as a "soul suck”. One of the few perks was the copious amount of down time that provided me a chance to wander aimlessly around various lonely corners of the Internet. During one of these web drifts, I began haunting the Dunny forum on Kidrobot.com. Kid Robot is a major player in the designer or “urban” vinyl toy movement and the Dunny is their signature figure: a 3-inch, alien-bunny hybrid.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I now regard those forums as kind of a gross place. The people are friendly, but as with much online discussion, no one is saying anything of particular import, the typed shorthand is embarrassing and the collectors’ naked desire to collect every toy, ever, seems to me an empty quest. Discussion about the merit of a figure has little to do with aesthetics and everything to do with subjective personal bias:

To Design is to Lie

The idea of deception in design came up several times in the past week. I designed a duplicitous poster inspired by Errol Morris's films and his recent blog post on photography and truth. Morris posits that images "are only true or false with respect to statements that we make about them or the questions that we might ask of them." and that "truth, properly considered, is about the relationship between language and the world." And what is design if not image and language together? To associate words and image is to assert a claim about the image.

The previous night, we had a similar discussion with Martin Kace. I put forth in class that all graphic design could be considered a lie, at least a lie of omission. Is it ethical to design for a dangerous product, or to persuade viewers to spend money on something we know is inferior (a book, a show, etc.) Perhaps saying "to design is to lie" is a bit extreme, but design is certainly a nudge in a certain direction. We frame a message and present it with a point of view, like the little devil/angel on your shoulder. And as Martin put it, design seeks to elicit a change in the viewer, whether it be good or otherwise.

Are we liars? propagandists? Were you ever called upon to lie?

Cut&Paste, NY

On Saturday night, the third annual installment of Cut&Paste, the live digital design tournament, blew through New York. Having read about the event and breathlessly watched Internet coverage in the past, this year's tournament was can't miss for me. Asking my non-design friends to stand in a crowded theater for three hours and watch nerds draw lines on four simulcast projection screens would have been met with derision and a lifetime of shame-based ridicule. But, as luck would have it, I just began the MFA Designer as Author program at SVA, so there was no shortage of like-minded comrades to attend the show with me.

Cut&Paste is a live design tournament that pits eight pre-selected designers against each other, tournament-style, mano y mano, Wacom y Wacom. Over the course of three 15-minute rounds, contestants must compose a still image inspired by a common theme, using the typical tools of the trade (Adobe and Wacom are two of the global sponsors, so each designer was kitted out with CS3 and Cintiq displays to get the job done). The designers are also allowed to bring in approved objects that can be photographed and incorporated into their final design.

Graphic Design Before and During Graduate Education

When I applied to graduate school for design I had questions, assumptions and hopes about what the experience would entail. Will academia taint your unique perspectives on art and design? The following lists are yearnings and apprehensions I experienced before I applied to graduate school and then comments that revisit the same issues now, halfway through.

Core77.com's Hack2School Essential Guide

Everything the grad and undergrad design student should know (and more) about returning to the sanctity of the academy can be found (and savored) on Core77.com's HACK2School.

Here are a few of my favorite entries:

Keep it Classy 2.0

5 Ways to Sound Smarter in a Crit

Set Your Phone to Vibrate

On a related side note, the Core77 Offsite Series event; Design, Wit, and the Creative Act: Leveraging the power of humor towards great customer experiences, will take place on November 9th at the Art Directors Club . Moderated by the incredible Ze Frank, presenters are Steven Heller, Kelly Dobson, Tobias Wong, and Paul Budnitz. Early bird and student specials are in effect so check it out at www.core77.com/offsite

Archived Interview with Tibor Kalman

One of my favorite discoveries this summer has been the video archive on the Charlie Rose website. As a regular viewer of Charlie Rose on Thirteen weeknights at 11:00pm, it's been a real joy to pour over his old interviews or catch them if I happen to miss a show. It didn't take me long to find an hour long interview with the late Tibor Kalman taped just 5 months before he passed away. In the interview they discuss his work at M&Co and Colors, and among other things, the benefit of naiveté, the use of vernacular, as well as the interesting story of his family escaping Hungary in the 50's. It is truly a testament to Tibor Kalman's wit and humor, and wonderful way to spend an hour.

Also, interviews with Bruce Mau, Calatrava, and a whole host of artists, architects, and thinkers are available to watch as well.


 

An Industrial Author

Read the San Francisco Chronicle's article on industrial designer Robert Brunner's new firm Ammunition's plan to help forge a new trend in the design business model. Moving beyond the traditional role of creating the look of a product. Brunner and Ammunition plan to help develop its story and follow through the initial idea, to manufacturing, marketing, and distribution.

"This way, you influence the running of the business and you are not just helping to advertise it."


via Core77 and the San Francisco Chronicle

Serious Fun: Real Issues at Play

Come check out the other MFAD show! This is the exhibit us first year students have been losing massive amounts of sleep over all semester. Seriously, it's going to be good — we've got substantial back up for our horn tooting on this one.

The reception:
This Tuesday, May 15th, 6-8pm.
SVA Gallery: 209 East 23rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

If you can't make it to the reception, you can still catch it before it closes on May 25th.

Parker Brother's beware! The SVA MFA Designer as Author class of 2008 tackles kids' stuff in the real world, addressing social issues in the form of children's toys. So come out and play at the 8th Annual 3D product design exhibition.

Ethnography + Design = Awesome!

Last spring I had the great fortune of working on some projects that involved colaborating with ethnographers. It was incredibly fun and interesting. The integration of my role as a designer within the context of ethnographic work was suprisingly fluid. It was really a perfect match with each side enriching the other. Recently a class mate forwarded this link to an ethnography primer from the AIGA. Enjoy!

What Classes Make a Good Designer?

Recently, an interviewer asked me a sensible question by email,” What classes did you take in high school and college that influence your design today?" Without a moment of hesitation my fingers started typing. I surprised myself with my answers. Instead of immediately writing printmaking, typography, or painting, I quickly typed my first answers with confidence: archaeology and literature. It made me smile. Though these are not art classes they still influence my work tremendously. I learned about subtlety, irony, and how to make a statement in my literature courses. I once thought I would minor in archaeology. I loved analyzing bones of different animals and exploring artifacts of value to certain communities. I learned about investigating situations and objects in minute detail and understanding other cultures. It made me think about how unexpected courses can influence design.

My Loft or Yours? Stereotyping the Graphic Designer

Several years ago I had a bit of a reunion over Christmas with a couple of high school friends. One was an accountant; the other was a lawyer. Somehow we got to talking about stereotypes of our professions. The accountant's stereotypical profile was dweebish and dull. The lawyer's stereotype was morally bankrupt and ambulance chasing. And when we got to me, a designer, the stereotype was trendy, stylish, wears black all the time. Not so bad, right? Not exactly.

Twenty questions for Mitch Nash

For over five years, I have been interviewing designers and design firms for a Korean design website and a magazine, DesignNET.  I have been very fortunate to have experiences in various cultures, and to meet many different people while most of my friends have been doing the same things and meeting the same people everyday.  I really enjoy listening to what other designers think about design, how they have become successful, and what they have learned from their experiences.  In January 2007, I interviewed the co-owner and art director at Blue Q, Mitch Nash.  I could sense how much he loves writing and sharing his stories.  I would like to share with everyone all the words and the motivation that I learned from this interview.

"Remember: the writing is a big part of the story.
Do not decorate. Climb inside the viewer's brain.
Their motivation is your opportunity.
Be ready to rip something up and start over."
- Mitch Nash -

2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: 3D Madness!

Think the annual swimsuit issue is over the top and unnecessary? Wait until you get a load of these...3-D images.

Yes, the most recent swimsuit issue comes with your very own pair of 3-D glasses. To keep things fresh, well, retro-fresh, SI blows it out by devoting a large part of the issue to bikini 3-D. And it's pretty fabulous.

The swimsuit issue has always been about fooling the eye with photos of "flawless" models, so why not  keep it interesting by giving the reader the illusion that they can actually touch the flower in the model's hair? Besides, nothing is funnier than watching someone-- A. wearing those glasses, or B. trying to put their hand "inside" the photo.

Not to worry, if you can't find a copy, which is highly unlikely, you can get that pair of 3-D glasses you saved from the IMAX movie and look at them right here.

Future Perfect: Design Writing Competition

Grafik magazine and Designers Are Wankers are having a design writing competition called Future Perfect to discover new writing talent. Here are the essay topics:

- Graphic design’s best-kept secret is...
- A manifesto for the modern graphic designer.
- Advertising is the root of all evil. Discuss.
- In what ways does design education leave its protégées ill-equipped?
- Designers are wankers. Discuss.

For more information, including prizes, a list of the judges, rules, and how to enter, download this PDF. Good luck!

Design Presentation / Poster Exhibition / Jazz Concert

Join Niklaus Troxler for a presentation and exhibition about his work followed by a concert featuring Cecil Taylor and John Zorn’s Masada.

Niklaus Troxler is recognized as one of the greatest poster designers of his generation. The Swiss artist’s passion for jazz has influenced his work, which includes many posters for musical festivals and performances. AIGANY is bringing him to New York for this special evening with proceeds benefitting New Orleans. After a rare opportunity to hear and see Niklaus discuss his work, enjoy a reception and exhibition of his original silk screened posters in the lobby of the theater. Return to your seat for a concert of live jazz performed by an artist he has worked with throughout his career.

From the AIGA website; for the full description and event detail, go here. Also visit Niklaus Troxler's website, which features many examples of his work.

On the Nature of Playing

Recently I was brainstorming with a classmate who was getting a bit frustrated at the lack of ‘creative ideas’ she was having for a particular project. This sparked some thoughts about the nature of ideas, and more specifically how we actually arrive at them. (This might be a bit scattered, but my best ideas tend to be!)

Want My Wife as Well?

Guest Editorial by Jeffrey Everett

Not a week goes by without getting a few emails from fellow designers in my area. For the most part, we share ideas and concepts, help out on design techniques, brag about prospective contacts, talk about current projects, complain about anything and everything, ponder the brilliance of Henry Rollins' spoken word and just shoot the breeze. For the most part, I delight in seeing what arrives in my email box and look forward to forming bonds with my design community. Since I am tied down to my computer so much, I find email to be a great way to communicate with my peers and keep in touch.

Letter From the Editor

I've managed CRIT for a year and a half now and as I approach the completion of my graduate studies, it's time to hand the site over to the next class. (Wow, has it really been a year and a half? It doesn't seem that long ago when I was sitting in a conference room in The New York Times building showing Steve printouts of the original site design and logo in the spring/summer of 2005.)

Art Basel Miami Beach 2006

Listen to a discussion on the intersection of art and design with Steven Heller, Senior Art Director at The New York Times and co-chair of the School of Visual Arts Designer As Author program, fellow co-chair Lita Talarico, designers Stefan Sagmeister and Deborah Buck, and the Wolfsonian Museum's Cathy Leff. (Total running time: 28:44)

To listen to more programming from Miami Beach, visit the WPS1 Art Radio site. WPS1 Art Radio is the Internet radio station of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center and the Museum of Modern Art.

NOT ANOTHER STEFAN SAGMEISTER ARTICLE

By Darren Melchiorre

My younger brother Matthew always gives me the best Christmas gifts. He always knows just what to get his graphic designer brother; a book on graphic design! You can always learn something from any book and I love any book that expands my design library. Last year, Matthew gave me “Graphic Design Now” by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, published by Taschen. This book, examining 52 design professionals, promised an “in-their-own words explanation of their personal approaches to the many challenges faced by anyone currently working in the contemporary visual communications field” as well as providing, “their own vision statements of what they think the future of graphic design will hold”. Well, when I read this section, I thought, “Great!”. I’m always interested in thoughts regarding the future of graphic design and what new designers will create as the next big design idea. But, just as I feared, this book reviewed the same designers as usually compiled. It seems it’s not a book on graphic designers without having Stefan Sagmeister in it. And yes, as I turned to page 266, there was the familiar phrase, “Style=Fart”, waiting for me.

The Outside Counts as Much as the Inside (well, with presents at least)

‘Tis the Season for gift giving, and I must admit, the crafty diva in me comes out in full force around holiday time. As designers, we are experts at presentation aesthetics, and wrapping gifts is no exception. From a truly narcissistic perspective, gift-wrapping is the perfect opportunity to flaunt your astute creativity and refined attention to detail. And isn’t it extra satisfying to receive a well-considered, well-packaged present rather than another mug with a photo of your sisters dog on it thrown into a gift bag?

Assuming you’ve picked (or will be picking) the perfect gift for everyone on your list, the following are some fun gift packaging ideas. Forget that store bought wrapping paper and those pricey designer bows. A little crafty-ness and a whimsical design sensibility are all you need to be on your merry way.

Metal, Wood, and Polymer, Oh My!

I remember the first time I found out what letterpress was. I was walking down the street in Knoxville, Tennessee with one of my friends. We were on vacation visiting another friend who was attending graduate school there. We happened to walk by a place called Revolution Letterpress. We all stood at the window, with our faces pressed against it, drooling at the posters, cards, and other printed goods we saw inside. There was a man standing to the side of the building who asked us if we would like a tour. It was our lucky day; the man was the owner of the shop. Specifically, I remember Revolution having one large press. I remember all the drawers of metal type and posters stacked in the middle of the room. I remember looking the older press and being in awe. “People still use this stuff?”

365: AIGA Annual Design Exhibition

From the AIGA website:

365: AIGA Annual Design Exhibition 27
Thursday 14 December 2006 – Friday 23 February 2007
AIGA National Design Center
164 Fifth Avenue
(Between 21st & 22nd Streets)

Member opening reception:
Wednesday 13 December 2006
6:00 – 8:00pm

11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday

Now in it's 27th year, 365: AIGA Annual Design Exhibition is a juried selection of the most accomplished design produced in 2005. It extends a legacy that began more than 87 years ago when the first AIGA competition was held. The selections on display, chosen from nearly one thousand entries, represent the state of graphic design across many fields including typographic design, corporate communications, package design, brand identity systems and strategies, design for film and television and illustration, among other disciplines.

Slam Dancing with Design

Having started my creative career as a musician as opposed to art or design, every medium I now approach is attuned to traits inherent in music. Performing, writing and recording music has taught me the value of recognizing and feeling relationships, whether it be between people jamming, a particular microphone accentuating certain nuances of an instrument or even between the notes themselves, and it's with this ear for music that I turn my eyes towards design.

and I'm like, that was like so 5 minutes ago

In one of our classes recently, we were given the assignment to redesign and improve an existing corporate logo. My first thought was that it wouldn’t be too difficult to do because there are a plethora of ugly and uninteresting logos in existence that should be easy to improve in some way. My thinking started to change when I considered one of the key themes raised in the class since we began: the importance of familiarity in the viewer’s understanding of what they are looking at and their feelings of ease and trust. All of a sudden, it became more difficult to find a corporate logo that could, and should, be improved — once it’s out there, and people recognize it, the status quo becomes oppressive.

Thinking About Design

Guest editorial by Sam Frentzel-Beyme

“I am interested in how you think.”

These were the first words I remember Milton Glaser speaking during our first week’s orientation and for some reason they’ve been circulating around my head again like two pints on an empty stomach.

It could be Rick Poynor’s doing. Having not blogged or taken a well-thought, written stand on something in sometime (okay, not having blogged at all), I felt like someone had publicly pointed out a mess that I embarrassingly had to admit making. Okay, there’s work for me in this area. Fine.

It could also have been Edward de Bono’s Thinking Course book that I picked up recently. Before you even get to page one, you are greeted with this sobering reminder: “On the whole our thinking is rather poor, short-sighted and egocentric. We have come to believe that judgment and argument are sufficient. In a rapidly changing world we are finding that our thinking is inadequate to meet the demands put upon it.” And I thought I kind of had that part down.

But the main culprit, I suspect, is a recent trip to McGill University where I attended an alumni function where, among other things, they explained some of the work they were doing in their management programs. They talked about one program where they were trying to create an environment where students (called participants) and professors worked together more like a jazz band riffing off each other than a conducted symphony. Participants would use 60% of the speaking time to share their thoughts and real world experiences. Professors would use the remaining 40% framing and facilitating the ensuing discussion. The focus would be on the participant’s knowledge and experience—their thinking.

The question that emerged from this mental patchwork was this: If Milton Glaser is interested in how I think, shouldn’t I be equally interested in how (as opposed to what) my fellow designers think?

Holiday Announcement

We're taking a short break. Back soon.

Reading, Writing, and Cooking

I didn’t have class last night, so I took advantage of the free evening by cooking dinner for my roommate and myself. It’s a rare occasion when I have time to cook a real meal, but when I do, I’m reminded of its simple pleasures. First there’s the brainstorming about what to make, then the shopping, the chopping of the onion and garlic, and then a focused series of preparations that end in a set table and a confluence of steaming dishes.

Learning to Think

According to Edward Debono we can improve our problem solving skills by focusing on the thinking process itself. He maintains that creative thinking is a very important skill set and people can work to develop it. In design school we need these skills; our profession is all about thinking. Would school be different if we were trying to improve our thinking abilities? Are we becoming better thinkers as it is just because of the nature of our work?

If you spent as much time as I did last week trying to generate solutions for design problems, I am sure you would like to know—can we do something so that we get more good ideas?

Steve Heller's New Website!

If you go to www.steveheller.com looking for the design historian and critic, you'd be disappointed, finding instead the homepage of a computer programmer. Fact is, he hasn't had a website. That is, until now. Fresh off the presses (server?) is his new website, aptly named hellerbooks.com and elegantly designed by Rick Landers, a classmate of ours who graduated last spring and former CRIT author.

Here you'll find Heller's biography, a nifty gallery of the covers of the books he has authored, co-authored, and edited (spanning no fewer than seven pages), links to obituaries he's written for The New York Times, interviews he's done, audio of lectures he's given, and other features coming soon. And true to form, there's no photograph of him anywhere on the site, though we quite like this illustration of him on the cover of The Times Book Review.

Enjoy!

hellerbooks.com

Designer As Self-Affirming Writer

Coincidences have come to hold special meaning for me. When two or more situations unfold simultaneously or in close proximity that seem to have complimentary metaphorical meaning, the same identifiers, or similar results, it acts as a confirmation that the world is working just as it should. As species interdependence makes evident, nature tends toward these relationships, whether physical or conceptual.

Articulating Design Process

Last weekend Michael Bierut posted a piece on Design Observer entitled "This is My Process," which discusses the difference between his actual design process, and the one he documents in client proposals. He states that the process outlined for a client frequently has nothing to do with the way a project actually goes, and then he theorizes what he would say to his clients if he were being truthful about his real process:

When I do a design project, I begin by listening carefully to you as you talk about your problem and read whatever background material I can find that relates to the issues you face. If you’re lucky, I have also accidentally acquired some firsthand experience with your situation. Somewhere along the way an idea for the design pops into my head from out of the blue. I can’t really explain that part; it’s like magic. Sometimes it even happens before you have a chance to tell me that much about your problem! Now, if it’s a good idea, I try to figure out some strategic justification for the solution so I can explain it to you without relying on good taste you may or may not have. Along the way, I may add some other ideas, either because you made me agree to do so at the outset, or because I’m not sure of the first idea. At any rate, in the earlier phases hopefully I will have gained your trust so that by this point you’re inclined to take my advice. I don’t have any clue how you’d go about proving that my advice is any good except that other people—at least the ones I’ve told you about—have taken my advice in the past and prospered. In other words, could you just sort of, you know...trust me?

While I agree with the essence of this explanation—that it can be difficult to articulate exactly how we as designers come up with ideas—I take issue with the claim that "it's like magic"...

Ametrica!: An Interview With Amy Wang

Amy Wang's graduate thesis project, Ametrica!, was recently honored as a winner in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards. Amy is a recent graduate from the School of Visual Arts MFA Designer as Author program. She discusses her process of discover and her intention to spread the message that the U.S. should adopt the metric system.

Hunt: First, what is "Ametrica!"?

Wang: "Ametrica!" is an awareness campaign to help convert the United States to the metric system. No one thinks about an act as routine as measuring, much less the impact it can have on education, economy, and health. Through bold numbers and subtle humor, viewers are initially invited to interact with the pieces and their environment such that they experience metric units directly, rather than through comparison with customary units (which perpetuates the problem of dependency on the old units). Those intrigued by the issue are then directed to visit the Ametrica! website for more information, interactive components, and motion graphics experiences.

Gocco Awareness

By Sarah Foley

In my last year in college a new professor named Kate Bingaman was hired. As an introduction to her class, she told us about her graduate study at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She showed us her MFA thesis titled, "Obsessive Consumption." Some of the work she showed us seemed to be silk-screened. Or was it?

Kate indeed had silk-screened, but not in the usual way. What did she do?

It turns out that Kate had used a machine called a Gocco.

Letter From the Editor

I'd like to start off the new academic year by introducing our newest authors. In addition to the staff from last year, Randy J. Hunt, Elana Dweck, Lara McCormick, and Bekky Pollock, we're joined by Tamara Gildengers Connolly, Sarah Mead, and Anne Van Wagener from SVA's MFA Design class of 2008 and Sarah Foley, Julie Tinker, and Darren Melchiorre from the class of 2007. Their bios will posted on the About page in the coming weeks. I'd also like to take this moment to give a shout out to last year's authors who graduated this past spring: Sue Walsh, Rick Landers, Carrie Solomon, and Brian E. Smith.

This September marks CRIT's second year anniversary. It's still a work in progress on all fronts—design, publishing platform, editorial content, and publicity—but we're always looking to improve the site and there's usually something going on behind the scenes. The most notable change that's taking place is more content published on a more consistent basis. We'll also be putting up a new reading list soon.

Over the last year and a half I've devoted quite a bit of my attention to CRIT and I do it because many of you find the site useful and informative. I've gotten email from people who tell me they check CRIT every day, that they've made CRIT their homepage, that they appreciate what we're doing here at CRIT. And we've gotten some positive commenting on the site itself; for example, the feedback from guest writer Jeffrey Everett's two part series, "I am not a businessman, I am a business, man" was very positive, prompting me to consider reprinting it sometime this year.

I would also like to encourage you all to post your thoughts on what we've written about. Don't be blog shy. I was blog shy a year ago as this site was about to launch. Although I've been published before, my writing was previously of an objective, journalistic nature; I had never publicly posted my opinion of something. My first post was a critique, incidentally, of the television graphics of the September 11 memorial service, which I had published anonymously at first. Then, as a matter of policy, we all started using our real names, and there it was, my first post. So if you are blog shy, the hardest comment to write is the first one. It gets easier after that, and more satisying. There's also something empowering about being published. And if that's not enough salesmanship for you, may I add that the authors will love you for it.

And speaking of content, this week I'm pleased to announce what should be a couple of informative and entertaining posts: the first an essay by Sarah Foley on gocco, the marvelous little home-screenprinting kit that's being discontinued by its Japanese manufacturer, and an interview by Randy J. Hunt with Amy Wang, a first place winner in this year's Adobe Design Achievement Awards. Amy created an awareness campaign for people in the United States to adopt the metric system.

So be sure to check back in a couple of days. And a couple of days after that. And a couple of days after that. I think this year's version will be even better than last year's so we hope to make your visit worthwhile. And remember, don't be blog shy!

— Clement Wu
Editor

Fence: An Interview with Matthew Murdoch

Matthew Murdoch was recently honored as a finalist in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards. We discussed his film short Fence, a bit of his process, and the role of film-makers in culture. Matthew is a recent graduate of the Royal College of Art.

Just Enough Is More, exhibited and podcasted

Just Enough Is More: The Graphic Design of Milton Glaser is currently on exhibit, presented by the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. In conjunction, the MOA podcasts features a multi-part on Glaser and the exhibition.

The Latest on VOICE

When was the last you looked at VOICE, the AIGA Journal of Design? Here's a sampling of the latest writing. Feel free to join the discussions.

Since When Did Children's Books Have a Museum? Interview with H. Nichols B. Clark
by Steven Heller
Are picture books the next extinct art form in this digital world? Not if Clark’s museum has anything to say about it.

Art of The Vietnam War: The Vietnamese View
By Sarah Williamson
What differentiated North Vietnamese propaganda from other propaganda of the war-torn era? Williamson examines the role of symbols in the Ho Chi Minh's socialist agenda.

Museum Frames Strangeness Strangely
By Nick Currie
What’s so compelling about exoticism in the midst of global standards? Currie shows how the Museum of Natural History captivates us with different differences instead of standard sameness.

The Bubble Project
By Ji Lee
Can you transform corporate monologues into public dialogues and have loads of fun doing it? Lee uses cartoon bubbles to expand our appreciation of where the boundaries are.

Designing for Interaction: An Interview with Dan Saffer
By Liz Danzico
What makes some products delightful to use while others are an absolute struggle? Voice talks with Dan Saffer about the field of interaction design, robots, and the importance of seams.

Designer As Author Podcasts

Announcing the School of Visual Arts, MFA Designer As Author podcasts.

(Links open iTunes)
Paul Rand Lecture Series: Steven Heller lectures on design issues of historical and critical import. Episode 1: The 1960s. Coming soon: Hans Bernhard, Book Covers of the 20s and 30s, and more.

Guest Lectures: Visiting designers, critics, and visionaries talk with MFA Designer As Author students. Episode 1: John Holmstrom, Founder, PUNK Magazine. Coming soon: Paola Antonelli, Stuart Bailey, Rick Poynor, George Lois, Matthew Carter, and many more.

SPARK 2006 Thesis: MFA Designer As Author graduates discuss their original, marketable, viable designs.

Huge thanks to Lita and Steve for getting behind the project and embracing our enthusiasm for the medium. Cem Adiyaman (2005) and our department Systems Administrator, Matthew Tait, have put our plan into action and paid close attention to the long-term. Genna Douglass (glogic [at] gmail.com) is a gracious and talented composer who scored the introductions. Also thanks and a tip of the hat to Ande LaMonica (2006), who created the SPARK series films.

 

Design Contests

Biodegradable Umbrella Design
Treehugger and I.D. magazine invite designers to design an umbrella that can be fed back into a biological system after its use. Finalists will be published in I.D. magazine. Visit the contest site here.

Virgin Mobile Accessory Design
Virgin Mobile in partnership with YouthNoise is sponsoring a contest: design a mobile phone charm representing the "RE*Generation" movement in support of young people living on the streets or in abusive situations. The grand prize is a trip to Africa. The contest ends July 20th. More information can be found here.

Fossil Watch Tin Design
If you like Fossil watches chances are you're probably a fan of the tins which house them. Here's your chance to design your own--Fossil is inviting designers to submit artwork with an opportunity to have their art produced on a limited edition tin. For official contest rules, submission guidelines, list of prizes and a gallery of submissions, visit the Fossil design contest site.

Designer as Social Entrepreneur

This is a great interview with graphic designer, Denis Simioni, who created a successful hair product line out of a native Honduran substance called "ojon". Mr. Simioni's company is projecting over $40 million dollars in sales this year, and enhancing the lives of indigenous people from Honduras in the process.

As I begin to delve more seriously into my thesis research, I find stories like this one relevant and inspiring. This is exactly the type of social entrepreneurship many of us will be trying to incorporate into our thesis work. Simioni has not only developed a viable business that increases the quality of life for those Hondurans who work in manufacturing for him, he has taken a true interest in transforming these communities for the better.

Tips on Becoming a Better Designer

I recently came across this article from Computer Arts magazine (a UK publication) entitled, "50 Ways to Become a Better Designer". Although I am generally disappointed with these types of "tip lists", I was impressed by the breadth of content this one offers. The list is broken up into 5 categories: The ideas stage, Best practice, Software skills, Finishing work and finessing, and Things to avoid. Each category offers personal commentary from leading designers on their working process.

If you were interviewed for this article, what tips would you add to the list?

What Would You Do Differently?

Recently Eric Karjaluoto of the blog ideasonideas asked Rick Valicenti, Michael Bierut, Erik Spiekermann, David Carson, Stefan Sagmeister, Bill Cahan and Carlos Segura, "If you were to do it all again, what would you do differently?" Here's what they said.

And what would you say?

The Graphic Imperative Exhibition

International posters for peace, social justice and the environment, 1965–2005

A select retrospective of 40 years of international sociopolitical posters, the 111 posters on display endeavor to show the social, political and aesthetic concerns of many cultures. Themes include dissent, liberation, racism, sexism, human rights, civil rights, environmental and health concerns, AIDS, war, literacy and tolerance—collectively providing a window to an age of great change.

June 15–August 18
AIGA National Design Center
164 Fifth Avenue
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 am-6pm; Friday, 11 am-5 pm
http://thegraphicimperative.org

What If Microsoft Had Designed the iPod Packaging and Other Fun Stuff

Although there were quite a few classes over the previous academic year that I enjoyed, the most fun I had was probably working on video projects, an area of design that's new to me. I got the opportunity to come up with my own concepts, write the script, find or shoot the video/compose the footage, find or compose music, edit the video, do simple post-production, and craft mini-stories. It was challenging and time-consuming but also a blast. Which leads me to the current rage in videomaking on the web--below are three web videos worth watching not only for entertainment purposes (all three are humorous) but for their presentation as well.

The first asks the question, "What happens if Microsoft had designed the iPod (packaging)?" In addition to the concept, I thought the overall production (editing and music and the manner in which the packaging design was shown) was well-done. If you've ever worked as a designer in the marketing department of a corporation, you'll probably find this deliciously funny. (Or perhaps woefully sad, hitting too close to home.)

This one's a spoof of Apple's landmark "1984" commercial, only this time Apple itself is Big Brother and the automatons filing into the auditorium are iPod-wearing hipsters. Less re-playability than the Microsoft iPod spot but but worth watching if you're an Apple follower (or hater.)

The third one deals with the very important matter of who would win the fight between Robocop and Neo from the Matrix. I really enjoyed this video because I love questions like that and those are two of my favorite science fiction films. I also enjoyed the video for its clever editing, production, use of music, story, wry sense of humor, and little details like Robocop's internal computer display. If this were a class project that I were to critique, I think my only criticism of it is that it ends abruptly--I would have preferred to see the victor emerge from the final scene instead of having text appearing that declares the winner. But that's all I'll say if you haven't seen this yet; I won't spoil it for you.

Think Different

Guest Editorial by Eric Karjaluoto

I try to make a habit of not responding to replies to posts on ideasonideas. I feel that I should make my full observation in the initial post. From there I believe that each topic should be left open for the community to discuss. Quite simply, I feel it’s my role to present some ideas, not defend them.

With this next post, I imagine that there’s no way to avoid some negative reaction. Perhaps I’m wrong, but this topic seems to raise the ire of nearly every creative in the land. So, in what appears to be my weekly aim to make readers think that the people at smashLAB are “big stupid-heads”, I’m going to start this post by saying it: we use, and will continue to use, PCs.

To continue reading this post, visit ideasonideas.

Exhibit: Souvenir...The Rest Is History

The School of Visual Arts presents "Souvenir...The Rest Is History"
May 15-June 3, 2005 / Opening Reception: May 15, 5-8PM
SVA Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street
New York, New York 10010

First-year students in the MFA Designer As Author Department led by co-chairs Steven Heller and Lita Talarico present their work in the program's seventh annual 3D product design exhibition. This year's exhibit is "Souvenir...The Rest Is History," showcasing booths from historical and cultural events along with souvenirs relevant to each booth. The exhibit is curated by award-winning art director and master craftsman Kevin O'Callaghan, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, People magazine and on MTV.

People buy souvenirs when they travel as mementos of their intellectual and emotional experiences. This exhibit appeals to such thoughts and feelings, but instead of Las Vegas, London or Tokyo, the "destinations" here are historical and cultural events of each student's choosing, including Known & Lost, which asks what happened to Amelia Earhart's plane in 1937; The Factory, celebrating the work of Andy Warhol; Souvenir "Booth," recreating the scene of the assassination of President Lincoln; the Wizard of Google, which compares the search site to the Wizard of Oz in people's quest for answers; and sixteen others. Each souvenir booth will feature a line of products as well as a crafted environment in which these souvenirs will be displayed.

Branding Tragedy

Guest editorial by Eric Karjaluoto

To our American readers, I apologize in advance. I'm going to be writing some not so nice things about the place in which you live, and some of you may not like me so much as a result. In my defense, it’s not Americans I'm critical of; rather, I'm skeptical of this media juggernaut which takes up residency in your nation.

I should also note that I'm sauntering into a world of social commentary which I am, admittedly, highly unequipped to intelligently defend. So, let me precursor this post with the notion that perhaps this can prove more of a "starting-point" for feedback, and we can all share in some thoughts and discussion.

Right back after these messages

On the morning of 9/11, we sat in our first studio (my old house), and were transfixed by what we saw on the television. I'll save you my platitudes, as we've all been inundated by such musings and attempts to reconcile the incomprehensible. Let’s just say that it was something I still struggle to personally classify.

When Entertainment Tonight started airing coverage of the attack and aftermath, I was perplexed. What did this mean? Was the attack somehow entertaining? Why would they be talking about this? They were supposed to be covering celebrities, fashion, gossip–that's right… entertainment. As such, a catastrophe of such epic proportions seemed entirely unrelated to the mandate of their program.

What I witnessed, and finally came to understand, was that to the American media, news and entertainment, or even larger yet, fact and fiction, were no longer separate entities. The two had collided and left a free-for-all, in which both credible journalism and tabloid fodder were mixing to create something much more muddy and unclear. In this new mix, celebrity happenings were just as likely to headline American news programs, as national disasters were to consume entertainment programs.

To read the rest of "Branding Tragedy," visit ideasonideas.

New and Notable

Randy:
Blog name & logo appropriated for retail store.

Elana:
File Magazine publishes images that treat subjects in unexpected ways. This site is great for inspiration...I especially love the cowscapes.

At first I was positive that these expandable USB flash drives weren't for real, but now I'm unsure...either way, a good chuckle.

Interesting blog with postings about information driven design (whatever this means—isn't all design information driven?). The spinning ABC stools are cool.

Quality Meats, the latest restaurant designed by AroKo (PUBLIC, Stanton Social, and Sapa) just opened its doors in midtown.

Kama Sutra for Gummy Bears. (Is that gummy bear in a hot tub? – Ed.)

Clement:
Today: The members of the Argentine street artists Vomito Attack will be showing their work and speaking at Columbia University.

Altered books: Turning discarded library books into works of art.

How to describe these? Typographic food t-shirts?

LOT-EK's design of a library in Guadalajara made of Boeing airplane fuselages.

Lara's back.

And finally, save energy. Turn off your computer.

New and Notable

Randy:
What heraldry could do for branding, at Speak Up.

Type of the Times: House Industries releases United, a military inspired collection of 105 fonts.

Lara:
Breakdancing fingers.

Clement: