A Curated Collection of Thought on Design
IBM Think Exhibit Wins Gold
Photograph from NYC Loves NYC
The IBM Think Exhibit won gold at the 91st Annual Art Directors Club Awards. It was honored in the interactive category. The exhibit was created by SYPartners, Mirada, and Jack Morton. Take a look at all of the winners on Creativity.
CEO for Change
This week, I met Krystal Persaud, an industrial designer and social change agent. Krystal started a project in Atlanta called CEO for Change. In Krystal’s words, “CEO for Change is about reaching out to CEOs of top consumer products companies in the US and convincing them that industrial designers can transform their products to be more sustainable and innovative.” If you have a free moment and want to support Krystal’s project, visit the CEO for Change web site, watch the video, and spread the word.
Do the Kletsel
Over the weekend, I spent some time perusing the wares of various artists at MoCCA Fest, an event sponsored by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Not surprisingly, the venue was packed with zines, comics, and random illustrations exploring inner and outer angst, explicit euphoria, and untold mirth. These events are always great for designers, because the strongest work leverages a designers toolbox: good type, smart color choices, and a little restraint. I also saw the latest work by Greg Kletsel, a Brooklyn-based designer and independent illustrator. Greg’s got a great web site and tumblr, which everyone should check out. Do the Kletsel.
Field Notes
Ian Coyle recently launched a web site called Field Notes, where annotates some of his work with Duane King. If you aren’t familiar with Coyle, he and Duane King are behind some of my favorite web sites, including Thinking for a Living, which is pictured above, Nike Better World, and Nike Snowboarding. Together, in many ways, these web sites represent the future of the medium. They are innovative, well-designed stories that create a unique and memorable experience. They stick with you. And online, that’s something.
Craig & Karl
Recently, after picking up Vectorism by Victionary (you heard me correctly), I started to fall in love with the work of Craig & Karl. You’ve probably seen their portraits floating around the world wide web. Craig & Karl combine whimsy with unique and bold illustration to create wonderful art. Well worth a look.
Unjustified
Paula Scher recently wrote a scathing review of AIGA’s newest design competition, Justified. It’s an important read for any designer who cares about this divide. In response to a discussion at work, I summed up the article.
- The AIGA has eliminated other, worthy design competitions and replaced them with Justified, a competition that introduces the idea of effectiveness.
- In the past, competitions like 50 Books/50 Covers surfaced valuable works of design, which inform our understanding of the profession. Furthermore, without these competitions, important works would have floundered in anonymity.
- Past competitions, like 50 Books/50 Covers, linked AIGA’s present with its past, and in many ways, kept that heritage alive.
- Although awards were often given to small projects, like professional promotions, these projects inspired young designers and the industry at large, encouraging innovation.
- Justified replaces these competitions and introduces “effectiveness” as an important criteria.
- Effectiveness is a bad criteria for the following reasons: effectiveness is hard to measure. (And, clients don’t care.); effective work doesn’t break new ground; it encourages replication, instead of innovation; by placing a stake in the ground, the AIGA is anti-innovation and anti-creative. For shame…
Paula goes on for a bit, and I am sure that I have missed something. However, these seemed like the salient points. If I was to engage her in a conversation, I might offer the following:
Graphic design, like every profession, is evolving. We want a seat at the table, like every profession. We want our creativity to be acknowledged, as well as our impact. Frankly, and I think everyone in the community agrees, we want to remain relevant and be paid for our work. Every profession is grappling with these issues. They aren’t germane to graphic design. Accountants are fighting for relevance. Marketeers are fighting for relevance. And, on and on.
We don’t need competitions to surface great work. We live in a digital age. Great work is emerging every day. This work comes from all over the world, and it is elevated by the global community. I don’t know if Justified, as a competition, will work. Personally, I’ve always been baffled by design competitions. In a digital age, they might be irrelevant. And, that’s fine.
The AIGA, to remain relevant, is trying to define new criteria for the profession. If we want to measure impact, we need to define the criteria. In order to represent its constituents, the AIGA is trying to lead this movement. Are the current criteria correct? Probably not. But, effort matters. Through this effort, the AIGA will learn and evolve. If they don’t define the criteria on our terms, someone else will, and the criteria will not be in our best interest.
In our search for relevance, we must always seek balance.We see it every day. A business loses sight of what matters, and it falls apart. The AIGA is no different. It must strive for balance. The AIGA needs to engage the heart and mind. And perhaps, that’s what I hear in Paula’s note. She is losing heart. If the AIGA ignores her, it does so at its own peril.
If the AIGA is smart, it will seek that balance. It will keep its community in focus. It will convene difference to create strength. It will measure success in new and bold ways, bringing its members along on the journey. And, it will never lose sight of what matters.
A/B Testing
Photo: Spencer Higgins; Illustration: Si Scott
In the May 2012 issue of Wired Magazine, there is a great article on A/B testing, titled The A/B Test: Inside the Technology That’s Changing the Rules of Business. For me, this article paints a very clear picture of what design will become in the future. Designers will become creative scientists, who use creativity to test the boundaries of human interaction.
If you aren’t familiar with A/B testing, it’s essentially a way to test different design approaches in real time. You create multiple iterations of a web page or interactive feature, and using the power of analytics, you test which of the solutions is more effective. It’s essentially a way to remove guess work from the equation. Instead of making a gut-level decision, you test three versions and select the version that performs well.
For some time, I’ve argued that a brave new world is on the horizon. Technology is creating massive disruption. I expect the expected elements of design (good composition, typography, color, etc.) to be democratized in the foreseeable future. To engage with this future, we will need to invest ourselves in the experiment and muster the best of what makes design great. Mostly, a willingness to reinvent ourselves in the wake of massive change.
Hillman Curtis
On April 18, Hillman Curtis passed away.
Although I hadn’t thought about Hillman in years, his passing immediately took me back to a different time and place, a time and place when I wasn’t a designer, when I was just considering the possibility of pursuing it as a career. During that period of time, Hillman was an inspiration to me. I was inspired by his work, monumental acts of web design that pushed the medium. I was inspired by his path, the circuitous travels of a rocker turned web designer. And, I was inspired by his dedication to reinventing himself. Over the years, I visited his web site a hundred times, loving the simplicity of the design, the faceted heart sitting in the corner.
When Hillman announced that he was becoming a digital filmmaker, I wasn’t surprised; I was inspired. And when he went on to create the Artist Series, I benefited from his work again, as I learned about the inner motivations of great designers. As Charles Eames once noted, “Everything is connected.” When I think of that quote, I can’t help but think about the ways that Hillman Curtis connected me to my present.
Rest well, Hillman. We’ll be seeing you on the other side.
Alphabet V.2
Take a look at The Alphabet 2 from n9ve. It’s a great Edward Gorey-esque look at the alphabet, through the lens of a great creative.
THINK Exhibit
On September 23, IBM opened the THINK exhibit in Lincoln Center. This one-of-a-kind experience realizes IBM’s commitment to making the world work better. If you are in New York between September 23 and October 23, when the exhibit closes, please make the trip. It’s a remarkable experience.
To quote Thomas Watson, “All of the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to think.”
Mountain Men
Finally, a set of mountain men action figures of which you can be proud. This fine set features Marx, Mao, Lenin and Thoreau. At the low low price of 145 euro, it almost seems like they are giving them away. In real life, I think that this camping trip would be fraught with ideological battles and smores. Good stuff.
NYCity
This morning, I find myself in New York City, peering out a window and taking in the breadth of the horizon. Wooden water towers make the top of the cityscape seem like a long lost village, populated by invisible, reclusive beings. At any moment, I expect short men to emerge from there depths. I’ve always found the city magical, and although I resisted the call so many times, this time I simply stepped into the river.
I’ll apologize for the lack of activity, but the move, prologue and epilogue, was more time consuming than I could’ve imagined. I promise more activity in the future, as well as a few special projects. Next week, I step into a new role, and I’m looking forward to future challenges and opportunities.
If you reside in this great metropolis and read the blog from time-to-time, reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you.
TCHO
The Edenspiekermann web site has been updated with big juicy images of their design work, including images from the TCHO chocolate project. TCHO has a unique flavor wheel that you can use to select a chocolate that is right for you. It’s a beautiful example of everything that can be done within great packaging design.
The Noun Project
If you are a lover of symbols, look no further than The Noun Project. This terrific collection of symbols is available for free, terms of use withstanding.
Care & Repair
Every once in a great while, I wander into the IDEO site and see what’s happening. IDEO has a knack for capturing big thoughts in simple and elegant ways. In IDEO Patterns, you’ll find a variety of smart perspectives on various topics. Each idea is broken into digestible bits, which can be easily enjoyed. They have a great piece on caring and repairing your everyday objects, emphasizing the ideas of reduce, reuse, and recycle. So, if your mind hungers for a little intellectual inspiration, pay them a visit.
Chris Sisarich
September Industry is featuring the photography work of Chris Sisarich, and it is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s the sort of sweeping scale and simplicity that forces you to look and look, as if the meaning of everything might be tucked into it. Beautiful.
Post Compostmodern
Yesterday, at 3:00 PM, we closed a successful Compostmodern. It was the event for which we all worked and hoped. It was ambitious. There were 18 speakers, and instead of a one-day conference, we extended it to two days. We launched an iPhone application, which will be available in the iTunes store soon. And, the entire event was organized and executed by a small group of dedicated volunteers. There wasn’t a single event planner in the bunch.
However, more important than any fact or accomplishment associated with the conference, we gathered almost 600 people together, people who are dedicated to making the world a lasting world, a world that is built upon a philosophy of sustained global prosperity. These people walked with purpose. They connected. They chatted about the future of design. And, they will go on to do great things.
When it was started in 2004, Compostmodern was dedicated to an emerging trend, a discussion about the intersection between design and sustainability. Today, it isn’t a trend; it’s a movement. We all recognize that change is needed. We need a new dream. It is the perfect challenge for the design community, who often gives shape to the dreams of others.
If you weren’t able to join us, you can continue the conversation on LivingPrinciples.org, and videos will be available soon. Thanks to everyone who made the event a success.
Compostmodern 2011
Compostmodern begins tomorrow, and if you haven’t purchased your tickets, there is still time. This year, Compostmodern is a two-day event, which includes a day of presentations from a number of great doers and thinkers and a day of deep interaction. It’s going to be a fantastic event, whether you are deeply concerned with sustainable design or simply interested in getting your toes wet.
Come and join us.
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