Tofu for design

John Maeda worked in a tofu shop. He hated this work, therefore he became a lover of school and eventually a lover of design. Thanks for tofu.

This blog isn't really about tofu, though. It is about design. This article is about designing with computers. Maeda said in an interview with Design Matters that he believed that working with a computer was more enabling because it gives a designer millions of virtual hands.

He believes that print is different from computers in such a fundamental way that Paul Rand would never be a good Web designer. Quite a statement.

That being said, he also discussed the computer as a cold medium, and he designs programs for his children to make it more “warm.” How does that work?

This is something that I have been struggling with, too. There is something special about hand-made images and type that I don't know will ever be duplicable in digital. This process has led MAEDA say that he has grown tired of computers because they are not necessarily humane and cooperative. How sad.

Scraps

Did you know that there is a National Scrapbooking Day? Did you also know that every over-priced scrapbook store that pops up tears a little piece from my soul?

I don't mean to insult scrap booking, the art and the past time, but don't you think we've had enough?! Every stay-at-home mom with a cutting mat considers herself a designer. But trust me, it is a lie.

In Design Observer, there is an article about the historically preservative art of scrap booking. This is, to me, a very valid and useful artifact. The above scrapbook from that article has memorabilia, postcards, family seals and ticket stubs. These are all very personal and historical items.

The kind I detest are the perforated, pre-cut, scrap-paper, hideous things that people spend hundreds of dollars decorating.

For these scrapbooks, it is not about the memories. It is about how much crap one person can squeeze into the page.

Ok, enough of my rant. I will leave you with an image from a scrapbook that would have been so much better without all the stupid balloon paper. Sorry if this is yours.

The Eye

I found an article on the Design Observer about the CBS eye. Turns out it represents the all-seeing eye by Kurt Weiss. He took his inspiration from a shaker book.

If you think about it, the eye is very strange. It looks like big brother. Why do you want your TV watching you. The logo in motion is even more creepy.

However, it is also very iconic. It has such simplicity, and none of the CBS viewers that I know are concerned with the fact that it is watching us. However, it was something that definitely piqued my curiosity.

The beauty of correspondence

In the days of e-mail and blogs, sometimes it is so special just to receive a letter in the mail. As I was looking for images of letters, it reminded me of the experience of opening a letter. The revelation is a narrative, and sometimes a surprise.

Postcards do not have this same kind of narrative. Their information is revealed immediately. The only drama would be when you flip it over to see who sent it. Just for my personal information, here is an image of the backside.

There are specific requirements and constraints of a postcard that most letters do not have.

However, the effect can still be interesting, as is this thank you postcard above.
This envelope causes the recipient to think about the revelation process.

This envelope would give a little tease, as well as a hint with the leaf design on the print.

Lastly is the letter itself. I like this one above because it has a process of unveiling in and of itself. There is a lot of intricacy to this, while its aesthetics are still so simple.

As I said, I love snail mail. However, I also love trees and breathing. This company offers an alternative.

Typography is Everywhere

I love public acts of typogrpahy. Due to a lack of a digital camera, I had to borrow my found type.

Most images are from Itchy Robot.

A business card is such a lovely social and networking tool. It can get so many people's feet into doors - in a good way. So, we must be different. For some, their personality and credentials stand out enough. These people do not need unique business cards.

For the rest of us, here are some business cards that could get our feet in the door.
Hot pink is always a good choice.
I thought that this sensual solution is so effective. Maybe it is because I need coffee right now.
To me, this is one of the most effective (and environmentally conscious) business cards. It does exactly what the business already does. It is clever, unique, and it stands out. However, they should work on their handwritign before I would call it typographically beautiful.
I always love printed materials with an organic feel. This card shows the successful design of the card, but it also shows off a beautiful logo.
For some reason, the black and white really intrigued me. Everyone is obsessed with full-color, hi-res, pricy design. However, I would take this card over so many overloaded solutions any day.

Next Big

What the Emigre 39 essay by Rudy VanderLans called The Next Big Thing is really saying is that designers let their egos get in the way of solving the problem.

Ones personal aesthetics and style almost never actually meet the design needs of a particular situation. We think we know what our client wants before we even hear the issue. I think that the problem is lack of listening skills.

I believe that people can hear you without listening, and I believe that this is what designers are doing with the Internet and with the printed word. They say “to hell with what you want, this is what I know.” This is not design. This is ego.

Listening skills would solve so many of the design problems today. When I say listening skills, I mean visual attention skills as well. When people are able to pay enough attention to the printed word or to a meaningful layout, designers will take the time to do more than WOW or SHOCK. They will allow the dialogue to unfold between viewer and designer and writer.

I feel very sorry for writers today. We cut their words and make them illegible. The typefaces we use are smaller and smaller. We make it impossible for the reader to understand what is going on, and we call it good design.

As VanderLans said, we are always striving for The Next Big Thing, but I think that we also strive to find Our Thing. So many people try to assert their style, their wisdom on to their work, but a designer is supposed to cooperate. We have constraints and we have possibilities, but the constraints are where we must find opportunity. Otherwise, we might as well be fine artists.