Design Debate

I came across these beautiful pictures at Miss Moss , a South African blogger I like. The photographs are taken from a 1966 issue of Life magazine and she makes reference to how well this ethos fits the current design craze. It is inevitable really, when the creative world starts leaning in a particular direction there is always a counter response.  When you think 1960s, especially in swinging London, you think disposable fashion, new plastics, new technology, the space age and futuristic living. This article, with gorgeous photographs from Nina Leen, focusses on the craft movement and its ethos of looking backwards, slowing down and taking time. When I was at university studying Graphic Design the mood was very computer driven. Adobe Illustrator was the program of choice. I use it a lot in my work and I think it is a great tool, but at the time quite a few of my classmate's work had a similar flat feel that didn't really appea...

I wanted to focus on a great graphic designer who really had an impact on the world of advertising and corporate identity, Lou Dorfsman. In particular, his extraordinary typographic wall. Lou Dorfsman (1918–2008) spent more than 40 years at CBS, shaping the company's visual identity in everything from advertising and books to signage, interiors, letterheads and even the smallest details of the CBS building. I love that level of care – nothing seemed too small to matter. The best example has to be Gastrotypographicalassemblage , created for the CBS cafeteria in 1966. At around 35 feet wide by 8.5 feet high, it was a giant three-dimensional celebration of food and type, made up of 1,650 wooden letters and 65 objects. Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnase helped develop the composition and lettering from Dorfsman's original design. The varied typefaces spell out the foods offered in the cafeteri...

It is rare that I receive something so lovely in the post, but on an ordinary working day I opened a shiny envelope to find a beautifully put together story - about a building. A little black box with a copper foil letter 'c' was opened to reveal a collection of stories encased in a wooden holder. All this journey and celebration is for Centre Point , a 1960s skyscraper being redeveloped in London.  Spending time in the capitol can be overwhelming, so much design everywhere you look, you can almost miss the beauty of one building because of the impact of the whole. This little wooden box, designed by Japanese father and son team Norio and Masakage Tanno, slides opens to reveal pieces of card telling the story of the Grade II listed building.   Commanding the skyline with a great view, Centre Point's distinctive honeycomb facade fits smuggling into that decades Op art scene. However t his iconic building is not remaining in history as it is being...

Creative agency The Cut have condensed 100 years of hair and make-up styles into a 1 minute video. Quite fascinating seeing the trends move from cheeky flapper to big hair eighties and their take on the styles of 2010.  What I love about the time we live in is that we can take advantage of the wealth of visual history that comes before us and weave this inspiration into our everyday looks.  What do you think? Have they nailed it? Found at Design Boom . 

The Beatles Serge Gainsburg The Kinks I recently came across the work of Roger Kasparian, a photographer in France in the 1960s. He worked free-lance as well as for the radio station Europe N˚1 where artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys were coming to France to perform. He also captured French stars like Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy.  Marianne Fathfull Françoise Hardy The Who The Beatles His father was a photographer so from an early age he had access to a photography studio. Kasparian could see that something was happening, there was a new generation forming. In France they were called the 'ye´-ye´s', those who loved the pop sound that was emerging from America and the UK.  The Beach Boys Mick Jagger The Beach Boys Kasparian took wonderfully natural shots that were made quite intense by his use of black and white. You get the feeling he is both part of this world but also like us, peering in. ...