The 99 Percent’s interview with Stefan Sagmeister strikes a chord in me. I find Stefan unsettling and intriguing at the same time. I like him not so much because he’s a star of the design world, but because of the organic nature of his work. His work ebbs and flows. It shifts and manifests itself in very different ways, all seeking to work out a human quality. I love this quote:
“So many viewers are left untouched by those machine-like visuals out there—a more human approach seemed a smart alternative.”
I’m attracted to an aspect of that human approach, not because of promises of commercial success for standing out in the crowd, but for the feeling of depth and reality it carries against a world chock-full of thrown-together, flashy plastic graphic design. So I’m feeling more and more drawn to incorporate the physical, the tactile, the handmade, the hand-drawn. Not that it’s always the best approach, but it’s time for more people to join Mr. Sagmeister in bucking the trends.
Added: Steven Heller’s new article at AIGA, The Decade of Dirty Design, is a great piece on the movement toward incorporation the handmade in graphic design:
“Now, this does not mean a total rejection of the computer (for that would be professional suicide), but it does mean that the craft aspect of design was lacking in their formal educations and practices. With the increase of the D.I.Y. sensibility, with renewed emphasis on “making things from scratch,” designers were feeling a need to make physical (not virtual) contact with their materials and outcomes. It is no surprise that sewing and scrapbooking emerged as popular hobbies, but it was somewhat novel that they were integrated into the graphic design practice.”
I really liked the rich, unique design of the old site for Ligonier Ministries, but the newly revamped version is really starting to get me hooked. The redesign is being headed up by my web design teacher at Duo Interactive, so I was pretty excited to hear he picked up this project. The new site looks fresh and clean, a bit simpler and less texturized than the previous incarnation, but designed around a reorganization of content, which is a huge plus. Smart drop-down menus do a decent job of organizing a ton of material, even putting a quick donation form into a drop-down. You can search for content by teacher, by passage, or by keyword, and more. The whole thing feels more friendly, making me want to go back. Check it out and renew your mind.
An unforgettable pizza stop we visited on our Chicago art trip. Definitely worth a visit if you’ve got the time to wait on authentic Chicago pizza. Great friends, great food, good times.
Universal Everything’s work is a great inspiration—I love this short film. I think Matt Pyke has a good feel for the future of design. He senses the importance of the integration that we’re seeing across mediums, something I’m excited about. The future demands that we designers be constant learners, constant observers, constant experimenters who seek to branch out and merge and blend. And if we designers are to truly grow the future requires that we learn and observe much more than the trends and technologies of the design world itself—Michael Bierut has a great essay on the topic in 79 Short Essays on Design. As a design student, the notion is both overwhelming and liberating. I’m near the end of another semester, and I feel like I’ve been drinking from a fire hydrant. But for all of us, the learning should never really stop.
Our school recently put on a production of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. Being away on the art department’s trip to Chicago, my date had to get our tickets. The result was a fun, quirky thank-you.
As of today, Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng has been unlawfully imprisoned for 290 days by the Chinese government. His brother reports that he is still alive, but his whereabouts are unknown. Gao is a champion for human rights, but has been repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, and tortured for pursuing justice. He was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. Persecution in China has been great. If we fail to stand with the oppressed, what does that say of us?
Appeal for the release of Gao by signing the petition at FreeGao.com.
So begins a new blog. This is a new birthing ground for essays, for opinions, for recommendations, for challenges to see and think in fresh new ways. We don’t need more froth thrown out to clutter the web, so hopefully you’ll find more substance and less drivel. Let’s think about art, design, music, cinema, literature, and faith together.
