Objectified

Gary Hustwit, of Helvetica fame, has a new documentary coming out about industrial design titled Objectified. Screenings begin in early 2009.

The Plenitude

During the last year of his life, Rich Gold wrote the text for what would become his book The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff. Part of John Maeda’s Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life series (MIT Press), the book is a convergence of the mind of a artist/scientist/designer/engineer - and his thoughts on the ecology of created stuff (The Plenitude).

It’s a quick and enjoyable read (only 110 pages). A sort of hodge-podge of information from an innovative and brilliant thinker - the book serves as a sort of essay on what it’s like to be a creator of stuff - and how a creator should respond to the ever-growing pile of that stuff.

Gold begins by examining the four creative hats he has worn (artist/scientist/designer/engineer) - looking at their interrelationships (both their love for and hate of each other). For “creative types” it is a nice treatise on the creative mind - and how we exist within the four boxes, and both the contradictory and complimentary nature of the four types.

Gold continues by laying out seven patterns of innovation - valuable pieces of knowledge. But, it is the the Plenitude that consumes most of this book. Gold commits half of the book to a discussion on the “stuff.” To write a very coherent examination of this discussion would be futile. However, Gold’s thesis on the Plenitude is worth the reading.

More than an examination of the wealth of stuff, The Plenitude serves as lessons from the creative professions. It is equal parts memoir, exposition, and essay on moral philosophy - a must for any creator.

Design as Art…and More

Check out Paola Antonelli’s talk at TED2007. The Design Curator at MoMa, Antonelli has a passion to expand the appreciation of design, and desires to tear down the stigma of design as pretty decoration. About mid-way through the talk, she says this:

“Design uses whatever tools it has at it’s disposal in order to make a point. It’s a sense of economy.”

Antonelli discusses how design is not just about nice curtains or hip chairs - but, that it’s also about gas masks, civil disobedience, better objects and so much more. She asserts that design can be beautiful art, but that it also goes beyond that - it can be functional and, whether we realize it or not, it is present in all of our lives.

For more TED Talks, visit here.

SFO International Terminal

On a recent trip to San Francisco, we flew on the new Virgin America (which was great, by the way) and in to San Francisco International Airport. With it’s sweeping roof top and walls of glass, SFO’s International Terminal is truly a stunning piece of architecture.

Designed by Craig W. Hartman, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the project was completed in December 2000 and is the largest international terminal in North America. It is also the largest building in the world built on base isolators, to protect it from earthquakes. The wing-like forms of the roof not only mimic the idea of aviation, but also the bending forces of the entire building.

The terminal is an outstanding piece of modernist architecture and is truly a sight that must be seen. We flew in around 8:30 AM, so it was quiet as we walked toward the BART station. It was strange that a place that can, at times, be so chaotic, could also be incredibly serene. Flooded with natural light, the vast space almost felt like a gigantic cathedral (strange enough, Mr. Hartman’s most recent design is the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland). It was a particularly wonderful moment.

More photos of SFO International Terminal here.

The Life of a Designer

A coworker and I were emailing back and forth about Gary Hustwit’s documentary Helvetica. She commented that her favorite quote from the film was by the great Massimo Vignelli:

“The life of a designer is a life of fight - a fight against the ugliness.”

Fight the ugly!

Good Friday Services

This past Friday, our church held two Good Friday Services. It was a very cool experience and helped prepare us all for a great Easter Weekend.

A special thanks to the folks at MTV Unplugged for the stage design. We stole the idea from the Nirvana Unplugged in New York concert (below).

The Creative Process Loop

There is an interesting essay in the current issue of Communication Arts. In her column, Wendy Richmond discusses the Creative Process Loop and how it can help any artist or creative type over come the proverbial “block” (writer’s block, artist’s block, director’s block…think 8 1/2). Ms. Richmond makes a good point about overcoming the drought of inspiration. So, often we believe that inspiration just isn’t coming. However, Ms. Richmond asserts that:

“…the problem is not a lack of inspiration. Instead, it is that the initial spark of an idea is so delicate that it is often prematurely stifled. It is subject to the terrible forces of nature: doubt, distractions, fear of the work being derivative, overwhelming technical complexity, lack of time, lack of discipline, lack of money…There is the desperate need to have the ‘answer’ before one allows a simple germ of an idea to grow and morph, and to finally achieve its fullest realization.”

Quite regularly, I experience this problem. I kill the spark of an idea before it ever begins to turn in to a flame. Ms. Richmond goes on to talk through the three stages of the Creative Process Loop. (1) OBSERVE - “Anything can spark a nascent creative idea, from a stray hair on a sleeve to two people engaged in an explosive argument.” (2) REFLECT - What are the “unformed nuggets” hidden within your notes, observations and sketches? (3) ARTICULATE - Now comes the hard work of creating tangible ideas from the previous two stages. While it is the hardest stage, it is also the most rewarding.

How to Have Better Work

I picked up Michael Bierut’s Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design and have been perusing through it over the last week or so. It’s a good compendium of many of the essays Bierut has written over the years for DesignObserver.com, Communication Arts and other design editorials. Witty and thoughtful, Bierut’s musings on design and culture are good reading for anyone in any sort of creative field.

In the essay “Warning: May Contain Non-Design Content”, Bierut writes:

“Over the years, I came to realize that my best work has always involved subjects that interested me, or - even better - subjects about which I’ve become interested, even passionate about, through the very process of doing design work. I believe I am still passionate about graphic design. But the great thing about graphic design is that it is almost always about something else. Corporate law. Professional football. Art. Politics. Robert Wilson. And if I can’t get excited about whatever that something else is, I really have trouble doing good work as a designer. To me, the conclusion is inescapable: the more things you’re interested in, the better your work will be.”

I think it’s fine to assert that this thinking can, and should, be applied to any creative field. It is so important to constantly broaden your intellectual and creative horizons. Such thinking has caused me to search out new fields to read up on - astronomy, polar conservation, jazz, whatever. The more I know, the more creatively I can solve a problem. By being more knowledgeable, I can innovate better.

Logos in ‘08

Interesting post on Logo Design Trends in 2008 by the guys at Logo Orange.

There Is No Box

Have you seen FX Networks’ new branding efforts?

They ditched the klieg lights from the logo and have adopted the slogan: “There is No Box.” The TV spots are so innovative - I love them. It might be the best network branding since NBC first used the Peacock in 1956. Brilliant.