unstrungstudio

2008-10-05T08:32:00.001-04:00

Check out the amazing work of Jonathan Looman. Very inspiring type design.

2008-10-04T09:36:00.001-04:00

A nice post on Design Observer from Eric Baker.

2008-09-26T18:02:00.001-04:00

Check out the winners and finalists from the Chicago Poster Biennial.

2008-09-25T10:36:00.001-04:00

The beautiful and clever work of Christoph Niemann.

2008-09-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

Gotta love this hand lettering . . .

2008-09-23T16:54:00.003-04:00

There is a great interview on Design Observer about the information graphics in I.O.U.S.A.. The interview is with Brian Oakes, who created the information graphics that run throughout the film.

On another note . . . Lately, like many Americans, I have been thinking about the "state of the union." In this time is hardship, it seems inevitable. I continually stare at the television in disbelief as relevant discussion is discarded in the name of rhetoric and rumor. I am tired of "leaders" who do nothing of the sort.

Leaders work with other people to initiate positive change. Leaders put aside opinion in the name of positive progress. Leaders operate without self interest, uniting not dividing people.

I don't know for whom to vote. I have no interest in partisanship. I am tired of granfalloonery, the practice of joining false clubs. I simply want a leader, a selfless servant who will operate with the best interest of the country in mind. Americans should demand it of the president, who is not a surrogate of a political party, but a representative of our best qualities.

When I vote, I will vote for the person that I believe will set aside belief in the name of optimistic change. America deserves more than an act, a false theater. We should demand it. We should demand honest discourse. We should immediately discard any candidate who strays from the path of positive policy discussion.

We should demand leadership.

2008-09-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

Armin took some great photographs during a recent visit to the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Check out the entry on Speak Up.

2008-09-17T08:02:00.002-04:00

I found this poster on Grain Edit. It was created by Richard Alan Roberts, a UK-based designer. Lately, I have been finding beautiful type everywhere, from the latest issue of Print, where I expect beautiful type, to the city streets of Atlanta, a far more unlikely source of inspiration. Of course, my classmates at Portfolio Center have also been producing some type of note. So much type, so little time.

2008-09-16T16:57:00.001-04:00

This is dominant.

2008-09-09T15:37:00.003-04:00

Take a look at FF Meta Serif Pro, now available through FontShop.

2008-08-26T07:31:00.002-04:00

New Wallpaper article about the Lego minifigure, which recently turned 30.

2008-08-24T10:52:00.001-04:00

2008-08-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

2008-08-19T10:13:00.001-04:00

2008-08-18T09:56:00.001-04:00

2008-08-17T18:56:00.002-04:00

Check out Joshua Darden's new web site for Darden Studio. Complete with a blog and type updates.

2008-08-14T18:18:00.002-04:00

There is an interesting interactive piece on the New York Times web site about the evolution and design of the Olympic torch.

2008-08-09T20:40:00.002-04:00

2008-07-10T13:50:00.002-04:00

The Man in Blue has an excellent piece on the handwriting of famous typographers. He asked typographers, like Erik Spiekermann who is featured above, to submit handwriting samples. The samples offer a rare glimpse of how typographer's write. More importantly, they illustrate that the creation of type is a combination of art and science. A must read for any designer . . .

2008-07-02T14:17:00.002-04:00

The beautiful work of Andy Gilmore.

2008-07-01T15:21:00.002-04:00

If you love packaging, you can't go wrong with The Die Line, a blog dedicated exclusively to the art of the package. Look under Good Design to get a quick taste of what works and what doesn't work.

2008-06-28T14:07:00.002-04:00

I am digging the work on No Pattern, including the Mountain Dew Bottles that Chuck Anderson illustrated.

You should also take a look through Mike Cina's True is True, which features a wide variety of design, illustration and typography.

2008-06-27T10:40:00.002-04:00

I am always amazed by the work that was done by the Test Pilot Collective. Created and maintained by Joe Kral, Mike Cina, Matthew Desmond and Graham Hicks, the sheer creativity that drove the creation of the typefaces is astounding. From 1999 to 2003, they posted an astounding number of "Firstpages," which are great examples of visually interesting design. The Test Pilot Collective type collection is commercially available through Veer.

2008-06-26T13:51:00.004-04:00

This is a little bit more complicated than the tower that Meggan and I envisioned, but I guess that is cool. There is a CNN article that explains how the tower will work.

2008-06-24T13:53:00.002-04:00

Take a look at the posters that were designed by Willi Kunz for the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. More information is available in this SpeakUp entry. According to Armin, these were printed with metallic inks. The posters are also in MOMA's permanent collection.

Images courtesy of Kosmograd and SpeakUp.

2008-06-23T11:45:00.002-04:00

I am experimenting with some new technology that instantly turns a PDF into a Flash book. This is really valuable when you need to show someone an entire book. The process is easy. You upload a PDF file to Issuu.com, and they send you a link to it. You are given a number of options for linking to or embedding the Flash file, including a mini-browser, which loads quickly. You can even add the file to Facebook. In Issuu's viewer, you can get a complete view of the document, which is large enough to read. A number of large publications are using this solution, including JPG Magazine and Beast Magazine. It's always a good idea to read through the terms before posting your work.

2008-06-22T10:19:00.002-04:00

Daniel Freytag has some excellent work, including a few innovative BBC identities. Take a look at the iriver packaging, too.

2008-06-20T11:00:00.005-04:00

I was recently reminded of type's importance in film titling, while watching the lackluster Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As I settled into my seat during the opening credits, I was shocked and surprised when I noticed that the longtime Indiana Jones' titling had been changed. The classic serial treatment of Indiana Jones had been replaced with a staid serif. For me, it set the tone for the film that followed. No more rollicking and original action; we were, instead, treated to a film where Indiana had been replaced by Dr. Jones. Upon doing a little research, I was surprised to discover that this actually change occurred during Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. No doubt, my education has honed my eye for type.

As a lover of movies, I recognize that they are highly choreographed works of art in which many elements combine to form a whole, and even though type is not often considered to be the most important element within this visual medium, its importance should not be underestimated. As Saul Bass illustrated in his film titling, a capable designer can define the visual personality of a film through type and image. Excellent commentary on the contributions of Saul Bass to film titling can be found on Not Coming to a Theater Near You. (You can learn more about the design of Saul Bass in David R. Brown's AIGA Medalist article.)

In film, the opportunity to combine type and image seems almost limitless. The examples in this entry came from Steven Hill's Movies Titles Screens Page, a great place to see a variety of styles. You should also check out Forget the Film, Watch the Titles, which aptly features the titling for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly on its homepage.

2008-06-17T10:13:00.002-04:00

Take a look at Pattern Foundry, a great idea and another addition to the ever growing pool of designer resources. I found it on Quipsologies, but Armin found it on Many Stuff, which is another great find. And, of course, if you are really interested in patterns, jump over to the Wikipedia entry on patterns.

2008-06-16T08:42:00.000-04:00

Printing a Book, Old School from Armin Vit on Vimeo.

2008-06-05T07:51:00.001-04:00

Take a look at Space Collective. Well worth it.

2008-06-04T13:37:00.002-04:00

Check out the beautiful work of Eno Henze. This piece is from the collection titled The Human Factor. Picture courtesy of grijsz.

2008-06-03T15:50:00.002-04:00

Shoot by Criva.

2008-05-28T11:02:00.003-04:00

Saving Lou Dorfsman's Wall: A Question of Pace goes live on Design Taxi. This is another piece that discusses the restoration of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, the wall that was designed by Lou Dorfsman. There was recently some advertising for the ZUNE, which was clearly inspired by the wall.

2008-05-22T14:55:00.003-04:00

An absolutely excellent video segment from This American Life. They have a number of TV Segments online. This particular piece was created by my favorite cartoonist, the indomitable Chris Ware.

2008-05-21T08:45:00.002-04:00

An excellent conversation with Yves Behar on the TED web site. See more of his work at the Fuse Project. I couldn't agree more with the idea that "advertising is the price companies pay for being un-original."

2008-05-20T14:42:00.001-04:00

Pentagram developed a series of permanent media-based interactive exhibitions for the Detroit Institute of Arts.

2008-05-19T18:51:00.002-04:00

If you have some free time, take a look at Cubescape. Created by The Man in Blue, it's a very interesting experiment. I also found a new installation piece by Christopher Baker, titled Hello World!. Another interesting experiment with media.

2008-05-17T18:50:00.000-04:00

2008-05-07T16:02:00.002-04:00

This is a video walk through of The Learners: A Novel by Chip Kidd. There is a nice article on Speak Up about the video flip through phenomenon.

2008-05-01T13:03:00.002-04:00

Things I have learned in my life so far is Stefan Sagmeister's way of extending his personal idea to you. What have you learned so far?

2008-04-30T17:42:00.004-04:00

Check out the Design and the Elastic Mind web site. Incredible.

2008-04-29T16:00:00.002-04:00

Can Helvetica be replaced? Apparently, the Haas Type Foundry dared to ask the question and commissioned Haas Unica. Link courtesy of Quipsologies. Image courtesy of Bauldoff.

Also, if you have a free moment, check out the Font Bots.

2008-04-27T10:44:00.001-04:00

2008-04-24T08:57:00.003-04:00

Design Observer has a piece on the passion of George Lois. An excerpt follows:

"He was one of a handful of advertising men who were at the forefront of what would later be called the “creative revolution.” America was on the precipice of major cultural and political changes, Kennedy had just been elected President and the complacencies of the 1950s were being questioned. In the world of advertising, this translated into an attack against the conventions of the old guard advertising agencies and the people who ran them. These were the men in the proverbial grey flannel suits, who actually did drink three martinis at lunch and took the 5:04 commuter train back to their comfortable homes in Westport. A new generation, made up of ambitious young men and woman, who were largely Jewish, Irish and Italian, were aiming to shake up this culture with their brand of sophisticated, rebellious and witty advertising. And George Lois was leading the way."

You can also download an interview with George Lois, which was on Studio 360, with Kurt Anderson.

Photo courtesy of FontSavant.

2008-04-22T08:26:00.002-04:00

Take a moment to read McCain’s Optimum Look today. What is funny about this little exposition is the age of the designers who were asked to comment. Seymour Chwast was born in 1931, and he isn't pulling a single punch. The younger designers are more "democratic" in their reviews. Great stuff, if you are a type nerd.

2008-04-20T12:52:00.002-04:00

Posted on Flickr by misstana.

2008-04-10T12:48:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the gap between posts. After a trip to San Francisco, school began, and I have been busy, drawing letterforms and thinking about lexicons. In other news, we launched a new web site for The Center for Design Study, this week. The web site is temporary; we are currently designing a broader and deeper web site, which will be a communication portal for the Center. However, in the interim, the temporary web site will give people an opportunity to donate, while explaining the aim and scope of the Center. Feedback on the web site's design is welcome.

2008-03-28T10:26:00.001-04:00

2008-03-18T08:20:00.003-04:00

This is a beautiful and moving piece that was written by Mike Mills.

"Some things that may or may not relate to these drawings: A professional suggested I take anti-depressants. I declined. About the same time I started drawing fireworks. I didn’t know what they meant or why I was drawing them. I was confused and embarrassed by this lack of meaning, but they kept coming. I could draw them no matter how I felt. I read that fireworks were first used in China in the 12th century to scare away negative spirits. I envied a world that not only recognized spirits, but scared the negative ones away with small man made explosions. About the same time, I read in a magazine that antidepressants have a hard time performing better than the placebo pills they are tested against. Scientist cannot explain it, but almost as many people who take the fake pills say they feel relief from their depression. The blood flow in their brains actually changes in the same positive way that it does for the people who take the real pills. I felt a connection between the Chinese fireworks and the placebo effect, and some relief in all the things we don’t understand. At some point the fireworks grew more and more abstract, and messy, and complicated, and I became if not content then at least willing to make things that didn’t have any apparent meaning."

2008-03-17T08:45:00.003-04:00

I posted images from last quarter on Flickr this morning. This image is from a trade show booth design that was done for Vitra. The model was created in Google SketchUp, which is an excellent tool. To learn more about this work, visit the work section.

2008-03-16T10:19:00.004-04:00

I just stumbled across an excellent list of design-related links on Preik. If you are interested in design, these are all worth a bookmark.

2008-03-12T14:46:00.002-04:00

Check out The Rising Cost of Love by savetheyouth. There is some great illustration work in their photostream.

2008-03-07T15:32:00.002-05:00

Image courtesy of rikcat.

2008-03-06T13:24:00.002-05:00

I came across an image on FFFFOUND that led me to Diagram, a division of the New Michigan Press. It both defies description and begs to be defined. Imagine that.

2008-03-04T13:17:00.002-05:00

Since posting the piece on Speak Up, I came across a link to Dorfsman & CBS, the book that was written by Marion Muller, on TypeNeu. It's well worth a look. Dorfsman was an incredible designer, and the quality of the work is exceptional, from the advertisements to the remarkable type. Image courtesy of insect54.

2008-03-03T15:11:00.004-05:00

A piece that I wrote on behalf of The Center for Design Study was posted on Speak Up today. The piece talks about the restoration of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, the wall from the CBS cafeteria, which Lou Dorfsman designed. To learn more about the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, visit The Center for Design Study.

2008-03-02T11:22:00.004-05:00

Courtesy of Rafael F.

2008-03-01T17:13:00.003-05:00

The Type Director's Club announced the results of TDC2 2008. I am particularly fond of Gloriola, which is featured below. National, which was designed by Kris Sowersby, also looks excellent, and there is an excellent ornament typeface, called Restraint, by Marian Bantjes and Ross Mills. (If you have some free time, take a look at Kris Sowersby's sketchbooks.)

2008-02-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

A nice picture of a poster that was designed by Otl Aicher, the man, who among other things, revolutionized the design of the Olympics. (The picture was taken by alphanumeric.) As I was looking at this poster, I was struck by the simplicity of the visual solution. Today, designers are often confused by the plethora of visual solutions that are available to them. In truth, I believe that most people prefer simplicity to complexity. Simple, elegant solutions are more likely to strike a singular chord within the viewer.

2008-02-14T08:37:00.002-05:00

Who says the art of hand lettering is gone. Check out this piece by idiotcopenhagen.

2008-02-09T12:50:00.001-05:00

Take a look at Beautiful Losers.

2008-02-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

The Graphic Manipulator goes live on Design Taxi. Check it out.

2008-02-03T08:38:00.002-05:00

Check out the beautiful images that were produced by scloopy. These images were created with the Processing programming language.

2008-01-31T08:51:00.001-05:00

I found the work of AmandaDiamondPrincess on Flickr this morning. Luv it.

2008-01-28T17:22:00.000-05:00

I am currently helping The Center for Design Study, an Atlanta-based, not-for-profit organization with their web site, and I am researching a number of famous designers, who contributed to the creation of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, Lou Dorfsman's magnum opus. Nick Fasciano is leading the restoration of the wall, and although you might not be familiar with his name, you are definitely familiar with his work. Nick designed a number of album covers for Chicago, including the iconic chocolate bar cover. Definitely worth a look.

2008-01-24T08:53:00.001-05:00

Check out some of the generative art that BNS is turning out. Beautiful stuff.

2008-01-23T12:08:00.001-05:00

It's official. Stefan has released Black Slabbath on You Work For Them. Beauty.

2008-01-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

Charrow sent me something fresh. If you have a free moment, paw through THINGS TO LOOK AT. I hate the black background, but I loves the design commentary.

2008-01-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Worried about the proliferation of bad design? Use this kit from the Design Police to hold evil designers accountable.

After you sate your design appetite for discovering, exposing and reveling in triumph over bad design, take a look at task.. If you can't get enough of it, move on to the Design Observer and read the new entry that dissects this newest addition to the design dialogue.

2008-01-16T09:33:00.001-05:00

What's for dinner? Check out the knitted art of Bnice2mice.

2008-01-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

After seeing Helvetica, I have been digging the work of Experimental Jetset and Build. If you are interested in purchasing some of Build's posters, pay a visit to Blanka.

2008-01-10T07:52:00.000-05:00

Check out Michael Bierut's latest post on Design Observer. The post discusses the fictional work of Ernst Bettler, a designer who never actually existed but, strangely, is credited with the fall of Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfäfferli+Huber through his subversive and groundbreaking work. Perhaps, it is a testament to the existence of myth in our modern day lives that Ernst Bettler continues to walk among us.

2008-01-09T12:25:00.001-05:00

I am posting new pictures in the work section today. I'd like to thank Jorge Menes, who photographed my work. Jorge did an excellent job, and I am really pleased with the new pictures. Check out the following pieces.

2008-01-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

During November 2007, Shannon Bain posted a very interesting entry on the Armchair Media blog concerning the need for static information architecture in an era of content with rich, embedded metadata.(The entry also appears on Shannon's personal blog, Direct Reference.) The inspiration for the entry was Everything Is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger. In simpler terms, why do we need someone to structure content when tools exist that allow us to impose our own meaningful structure onto the content? I think that the entry is interesting because its assertions are predicated on an understanding of the Web's logic that doesn't necessarily include human behavior, i.e. these arguments naturally assume a well-versed, web savvy user, who can create logical structure on a whim. Without jumping into the weeds, let's just assume that logic often escapes the masses, and sometimes, hierarchy, which is a reflection of logic, is a good idea. Perhaps, if we were to define the argument from the standpoint of logic, we would see that a need exists, but as the Web evolves, that need is coupled with a need for greater flexibility. The entry is well worth a read.

2008-01-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

Take a look at Loevenbruck's online gallery. They showcase some very interesting work.

There is also some great work at thijs verbeek, and Kokoro & Moi's portfolio is well worth a look.

2007-12-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

Elise's suggestion, Words Are Pictures, led me to some great finds, including You Are Beautiful, My Name Is Melvin and There Is, the portfolio of Sean Freeman. All of these are worth a look. There is also some beautiful work being offered through the SOMA Gallery.

2007-12-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

Alphabet: An Exhibition of Hand-Drawn Lettering and Experimental Typography is a traveling exhibition that looks at 26 letters as more than just shapes for conveying information. I am particularly fond of Elaine Lustig Cohen's alphabet. You can see other examples of her typography at the Julie Saul Gallery.

2007-12-14T11:45:00.000-05:00

Sadly, a large number of web sites are going offline these days. Lounge 72 is the most recent victim. After six years, the web site is leaving the fertile ground of design to other portal sites, like News Today, which now operates solely under the QBN moniker. Pixel Surgeon also left a gap in the world wide web recently. Things, inevitably, come to an end. As I am fond of saying, the only thing that you can truly count on in life is change. Yet, I still wonder where good sites go when they die.

Well, for those of us who are familiar with the web, we know that an almost endless archive continues to live in the annals of the server network that comprises the Internet. For example, to see comical examples of this web site's design, you can visit the Internet Archive. Fortunately, the archive is not complete, many of the images are missing. You can also visit web site's that should have a place in history, like the bright and shiny Enron web site from 2002.

For many, designers included, the web might seem like a fleeting medium, here today and gone tomorrow. However, the web offers us more options for maintaining examples of design in perpetuity than one might think. From the existence of dense, although incomplete, archives to screen captures and aggregation portals. In many cases, the web has a deeper memory than most humans. What is the shelf life of a print piece, really?

I love that the web is a constantly evolving entity, and although its history might not be as rich as the history of print, an issue that Armin touched on in Landmark Web Sites, Where Art Thou?. There is a rich design history driving the web, and although it often seems to be a tale of technological advancement; in truth, the tale of print is also a story of technological advancement.

At the very least, we might all benefit from a look at the first Amazon homepage, a classic moment in design.

2007-12-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

David Pearson designs beautiful book covers, courtesy of the latest Quipsologies.

2007-12-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

I updated my web site this morning with some new work. Normally, I would wait until my critique is complete, but because of the holiday season, I am eager to finish everything early. I also simplified the design of the web site. There was too much space at the top of the site, too much black and too many distractions. I think that the new design is an improvement. More work will be posted in the future, as well as a PDF minibook.

A quick update on Speak Up . . . There are now 19 comments, and they are all excellent. Different opinions and considerations are represented throughout the comments, and, in my opinion, each comment is constructive and thoughtful. I am working on another post that should be completed during the holiday season. It will be longer and is grounded in research. Ah, research.

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

I wrote a piece for Speak Up titled The Graphic Manipulator. The entry discusses the relationship between design and manipulation. If you have opinions, let them fly. There are already some interesting and thoughtful comments on the topic.

2007-11-29T13:33:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful example of biomimicry in architecture, courtesy of Centripetal Notion. I also like the 12-Way Intersection, which makes the interchange look like a nerve center.

2007-11-28T12:49:00.000-05:00

Chip Kidd levels the Amazon Kindle in his review on A Brief Message.

2007-11-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

We Work for Them has some banging video work posted on their web site, and oddly enough, You Work for Them, the online store version of We Work for Them, is hiring if you are located in the Minneapolis area. It'd basically be like working in Picasso's shop with Andy Warhol as your manager.

Alex Trochut has some absolutely incredible work that combines illustrations and typography is new and inventive ways. And, it was news to me, because I have been under a rock for several months, but QBN, ala News Today, has a sleek new design. A little something, something to click on.

2007-11-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

Edward Hann shows us what a real Darfur project might look like. For friends and family, I'd love to have an Edward Hann original for my wall on December 15.

2007-11-20T10:18:00.000-05:00

Some sweet illustration work from Sanna Annukka.

2007-11-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

My Type Design Philosophy by Martin Majoor, the designer of Scala.

2007-11-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

A great post in Design Observer discusses why students should research typefaces before using them. Note to self, Futura might get noticed for the wrong reasons.

2007-11-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Check out the new Flickr stream for the Gastrotypographicalassemblage.

2007-10-31T11:42:00.000-04:00

There is an excellent entry on Design Observer about the work of Stephen Doyle.

2007-10-30T17:08:00.000-04:00

I have been knee deep in work lately, without much time for blogging. There is so much that I could tell you about, but in this case, I think that the web sites really do the talking. There is an entire galaxy of generative art out there that is both beautiful and astoundingly complex. Check out a few of these finds, and if you have the time, download Processing and take it for a spin. Very interesting stuff.

2007-10-23T08:54:00.000-04:00

This is a quick morning plug. I was looking at Wired, which frequently sports excellent information graphics, and I noticed that more than a few have been created by Catalog Tree. There is some excellent work on their web site. Well worth a look.

2007-10-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

During the past few days, I have immersed myself in a world of information graphics, programming, visually complex graphs and generative art. These are all relatively new areas for me. I am researching a few projects that involve the aesthetic arrangement of large information sets. I am amazed at the lack of definitive information, no pun intended, on information graphics. (Looks like I'll be purchasing The Visual Display of Quantitative Information tonight.)

In many cases, the graphics are simply designed poorly , i.e. they fail on either a functional or aesthetic level. In other cases, they are absolutely magical, and instead of viewing them on a computer screen, I wish that I could project them on a wall. New technologies give the information graphics an entirely new dimension of interactivity. I'll post the stuff on which I am working in the future.

Visual Complexity was my best find so far. The web site features a large number of compelling projects, from WikiMindMap to FIDGT Visualize.

2007-10-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

At the AIGA conference, I was able to attend a session that focused on the Olympic design process, an issue that is near and dear to most Portfolio Center students. This was a panel session that included Dana Arnett of VSA Partners, Patrick Cox of Wolff Olins and Min Wang, who is the head of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, China's largest design and art school.

Each of the speakers provided a different perspective on the Olympic design process. Additionally, each of them discussed their final designs in different terms. Dana Arnett kicked off the discussion with a review of the VSA approach to the Chicago bid. He walked through the creation of their first logo, which ultimately got kicked to the curb by the IOC because you can't use Olympic iconography in your designs. (FYI, it's a torch.)

VSA's approach to the logo was thoughtful and compelling. Dana walked us through the research that led to their final logo, but he also showed us a series of logos that did not make the cut. The first logo was beautiful, but when the IOC snuffed it, VSA picked up the torch again, pun intended, and designed a new logo, which is also compelling.

Patrick Cox, in contrast, spent the majority of his talk discussing the approach and relevance of the London logo. He started his presentation by saying that they intentionally avoided leaping figures, brush strokes and stars. His logic, to say the least, was compelling, and it cast the logo in an entirely new light for me. (The logo, as you might remember, became a design whipping boy upon its release.)

Don't get me wrong, I still think that it was a mistake, but it does achieve the goals that Patrick outlined. The London logo is meant to capture that cheek and rebelliousness of London. It literally breaks all the rules, using the numbers as a container into which new ideas and content can be poured. They are doing some interesting stuff with it, and they have basically stuck to their guns, keeping the logo around.

Min Wang's presentation was a little different. He had a number of pieces to show, and he mainly focused on the work that has been produced by CAFA's students and faculty for the Beijing Olympics. He showed the logo, pictograms, identity, medals, torch design and posters. All of the pieces melded Olympic design with Chinese artifacts and ideas.

At the end of the presentations, I was impressed with the amount of thought and time that each speaker had devoted to the designs. Nothing was designed without a significant amount of consideration. I also had a new perspective on what an Olympic logo should do. I am biased, but of all the logos, I preferred the first VSA logo, which really captured the spirit of Chicago. The London logo is, well, the London logo. SOme great design is being done for the Beijing games, but the pictograms are really something in my opinions, simple, elegant and thoughtful.

2007-10-18T19:02:00.001-04:00

There is a pretty large amount of spectacular floating out their. A few suggestions follow.

At the AIGA conference, Christopher Baker amazed many with his 20/20 presentation and taught us, yet again, that when complex technology is combined with innovative thinking the results can be beautiful.
Ffffound was blogged about on Speak Up, and the result was a treasure trove of delectable imagery.
This Leads To posts episode 100. I found it through the Creative Synthesis Collaborative.
G-econ Maps on Flickr provide a different perspective on everything that lives and falls on this spinning rock.
Jessica Helfand waxes poetic about whether designers should be drinking more from the Holy Grail of science, and as usual, everyone and their brother writes a comment in reply.

2007-10-17T15:03:00.000-04:00

I have been doing a little research on companies with innovative business models, and in many cases,there is enough thought leadership to choke a horse. I was, however, refreshed and surprised when I found the following list (Ten things Google has found to be true) on Google's web site. Google is clearly an innovative and dynamic company, just look at the articles and reports, but instead of beating the thought leadership drum loudly, they have selected a quieter approach. After spending a morning up to my eyeballs in research reports, I can certainly appreciate their restraint.

Focus on the user and all else will follow.
It's best to do one thing really, really well.
Fast is better than slow.
Democracy on the web works.
You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
You can make money without doing evil.
There's always more information out there.
The need for information crosses all borders.
You can be serious without a suit.
Great just isn't good enough.

2007-10-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I just returned from the AIGA Next Conference in Denver, CO. The conference was enlightening. I attended a few sessions that I'll blog about during the next few days. In particular, I liked the session during which Dana Arnett, Patrick Cox and Min Wang discussed the Olympic design process. Some surprising ideas were discussed during the session. All-in-all, it was a good experience. You need to prepare for the conference before you go, one of my shortfalls. I still attended some interesting sessions, saw some interesting antics and, generally, had a good time. More to come.

2007-09-26T10:06:00.000-04:00

QBN Sessions goes live on YouTube. There are currently three sessions online. The following session is with Joshua Davis. There are also sessions with Shepard Fairey and Michael Muller. They are short videos of varying quality but worth a look. Hearing Shepard Fairey talk about his motivation is interesting.

2007-09-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

Michael Bierut unveils his student portfolio in Design Observer.