logos from memory
i have been invited to take a seat in a one-off editorial team for a a communications magazine that celebrates it's 35th anniversary in september, we are currently working on all the ideas for this special issue, one of my (rejected) ideas is this:
i asked random people to draw well known logos from memory, as an experiment, the point was to see if people can remember and reproduce, pieces of graphic design that are designed for that very purpose... a sort of memory game if you like... the quick conclusion i made was that people often appear to know very well what logos look like even if they can't draw them correctly, they have assimilated the 'essence ' of the symbol in their memory, the dutch railway logo (blue one bottom right) for example: the person who drew it couldn't exactly reproduce it but did understand it's principle form... i will be making an article on this for myself in the near future anyway, should be interesting... (most of these samples are well-known local dutch brands)
m / 04-06-2008 22:51
design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated
at least that is one way of putting it, according to paul rand; rand always had plenty of definitions to offer on the subject of defining design, for example:
design can be art but also...
design can be aesthetics ...but then again he also said:
design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single defintition how confusing...
oh well... i am trying to collate a list of design definitions to write an article or something like that, so here's a little 'call for entries' if you have any interesting definitions or one-liners about what design is, be it somebody else's words or your own, i would be very interested to hear from you
please e-mail your entries to me (see mail address on the left) don't forget to mention the author of the quote, credit where credit is due... all contributions are welcome, even silly ones... thanks in advance
m / 22-03-2008 17:23
het boek van PTT
This book (which i recently acquired in a second hand bookshop) is one of the seminal pieces of dutch design made by the master 'piet zwart'.
here's a short excerpt about the book:
Het boek van PTT, Nederlandsche Rotogravure Mij., Leiden, Netherlands, 1938.
25x18 cm, 50pp,
One of the seminal designs of the 30s. Commissioned by the Dutch PTT, Zwart, commencing in 1930, wrote and designed this book to explain the workings of the telephone and postal systems to schoolchildren. Eight years later he completed the task. Noteworthy for its masterful use of experimental type, photomontage, puppetry, stage photography and pencil illustration. There is considerable Russian influence here which is not surprising considering Zwart met El Lissitsky in the early 20s (learning a great deal from him regards the integration of photography). Zwart was also considerably influenced by Rodchenko.
m / 13-01-2008 16:26
sign of the times
i came across an old issue of the british magazine 'design' from the late 60's, that featured two articles about information graphics (a term which did not yet exsist) and corporate identity
the mexico '68 olympics identity is of course a well documented case, but still worth showing again because it still looks so modern and fresh... i particularily like the 'groovy dress designs, the lower right hand one is a variation on the line pattern employed in the logo grid, the logo itself and the icons (designed by lance wyman) for the various disciplines show a reamrkable clarity whilst being 'funky' at the same time, in many ways i prefer these to the more famous and iconic series designed by 'otl aicher'
the collapsible cardboard display system shown was designed to be easily dismounted and transported around... it is also (perhaps not a big issue at the time) very environmentally friendly, these kinds of materials generally have a short lifespan...
the whole corporate identity system was designed in such a way that other designers could easily implement (and more importantly) add to the whole look and feel, in other words it was an 'open source' housestyle that wasn't afraid to allow subsequent users to tamper with and (maybe even) improve on the original base design... now how many designers do you know who think like that?
the second case in the magazine was a background piece on the british roadway signage system (then new) designed by 'jock kinneir' which is still in use today... although the signage system designed for schiphol airport in the netherlands (also in the 60's) is much more renowned and well documented, i believe this system still deserves a lot of praise for it's clarity and timelessness... that typically british dark green colour was chosen principally because it harmonised with the landscape and the simplicity of the typography and arrow elements is deceptively no nonsense
m / 30-10-2007 21:12
tap
the theater institute sent me a printed copy of the jury report, fot the theater awards 2007 
amongst the many baffling comments in the report, it says that the nomination was largely due to my contribution to the design by making the photomontage, not only did i not make the montage but it isn't strictly a montage as it was all done 'in camera' by the photographer, my role was as art-director, in choosing the phototgrapher and discussing the idea with him and the client... and making the crop and placing the type on top... the jury seems to have been motivated to nominate the poster based on an incorrect set of assumptions if i am interpreting their report correctly at least...
m / 23-10-2007 12:15
