International metro identities: or, ruminations on the letter M.
With at least some hint of reference to McIsaac's post from a few months back—and our work for our regional government of the same name, Metro—we simply thought this was interesting. That's all, nothing more. A collection of logos identifying metros (urban rail transportation systems) for cities worldwide, including Portland's own TriMet. Perhaps the assembly was compelling because it dredged memories of our epic study of another letter (that being the letter T) for Tidewater Barge Lines which was in full swing at about this time last summer. I forget, was it ninety eight variations on the letter T? Why, yes. Yes, I do believe it was at least ninety eight perfectly appropriate Ts. But that's another story altogether. One that will be told with some vigor, I can assure you. Image and metros story by way of Quipsologies.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Brand | 31 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post (1 so far)
AgencyTool Web Design Dashboard is promising.
On the heels of a fair number of prospective Web client meetings over the course of the past couple of weeks, we've been crafting proposals and working to address the most frequently asked question of most design firms: What is your process? To answer this question, we've got a nice little booklet in the works (with pictures!) and recently stumbled upon an excellent resource we wish to share called, ahem, the AgencyTool Web Design Dashboard. And while we've got a fair number of snide quips about the double meaning of the name "AgencyTool," we'll relent. We like what they're doing here. It'll be a good checklist to share with clients and strategists alike.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Process | 31 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post (2 so far)
Tuesday Flickr Set: Erotissimo from Will Kane.
Adam unearthed this treasure from the superb Weblog, The World of Kane. Among his many interests, the Londoner Will Kane has confirmed a discerning eye for the mid-century cinematics. Yesterday's entry describes Erotissimo, the 1968 Gérard Pirès satire of the ad world as possibly "the most Sixties movie ever." As illuminated within Kane's Flickr set (this is Tuesday, after all), the many things one might love about the era—sex, food, music, stereotypes and furniture—are presented full front and center as only the French can pour. And while we have yet to sip it in, Erotissimo has just risen to the top of this correspondent's "to-do" list. Starring Jean Yanne, Annie Giradot and Francis Blanche.
Extra Bonus: Take a run through Kane's full photostream, with sweet sets, among others, for Russian stop-animation master, Roman Kachanov and Robert Brownjohn's delicious Goldfinger title sequence.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Film | 29 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
The long way of saying, "it's working."
For the past couple of months, McIsaac and I have been working on rekindling past relationships, introducing ourselves in the hopes of making some new ones, as well as working to burrow deeper within the organizations with whom we're already working. It's a simple strategy, really. And yet with the state of this economy and what seems to be a collective inhale among marketers during a period of elongated crises—subprime mortgages, climate change, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran(?), the coming election race between two presumed candidates—we have, understandably, tweaked our approach a bit.
On at least one occasion in this publication, McIsaac has referred to our considerable opinion. Anyone who has sat down with us for a drink certainly recognizes that there is no shortage (of opinion) from either of us. Fact is, while our comments at very least entertain us, we're just working it out to see what sticks. The form that our utterances take varies, of course, depending on audience; whether during a new business meeting or a quip from the stage at Jimmy Mak's. But as with an initial logo sketch, we're simply testing the boundaries of what might work. During a recent e-mail exchange with the esteemed English designer Mike Dempsey, regarding the Web as the ideal platform for expressing opinion, he replied, "I have realised that I have over forty years of stuff in my head to upload." And while we're a few years, and a considerable number of quality projects behind the pace of Mr. Dempsey, that's basically been our recent sentiment as well. Share what you see, share what you know (or what you want to know), and see what happens.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Self-congratulation | 29 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Hustwit returns to design on film. This time, industrial.
While Bierut's minions scooped us (standard), we (also) just received Helvetica director Gary Hustwit's e-mail announcing his new film, Objectified. This time, Gary turns his lens on industrial design to focus on the "manufactured objects that surround us and the people who make them." We hosted Gary and Helvetica last year through AIGA Portland and it seems that another invitation is about due. Objectified premiers in early 2009.
Loosely related, Israeli typographer Oded Ezer has also released an interesting short film and poster project entitled The Finger, in which the designer "presents the imaginary landscape of Hebrew letters."
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Film | 28 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
The Pinch Digest: Our week in review. Issue Four.
A weekly assembly of what we, here at Pinch. A Design Office., might be talking about, listening to, reading, or otherwise coveting. For the most part, we'll try to keep the links somewhat focused on design. Sometimes, not.
- Album
- The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel by Me'Shell Ndegéocello.
- Book
- The Laws of Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life by John Maeda from The MIT Press.
- Podcast
- RDInsights from RSA Projects.
- Site
- SeptemberIndustry from designer David Corti.
- Story
- "Paradise Unpaved" from My Green Conscience by Franke James.
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Posted by Eric Hillerns in The Pinch Digest | 25 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Tuesday Friday Flickr Set: Improvised design from Greco2104.
Lately, we've been doing a lot thinking about what design means within the context of place. Both here and around the globe. And while our own, admittedly comfortable studio framework has been woven by the gentle ways of our clients, our families, and a bit of community work, one element is increasingly prevailing among nearly every being with whom we connect. That of fear. Governments create it and industry profits from our ability to embrace it. Once initiated, it seems, fear works its way into many a crevice, be it prodded along by concerns of financial instability, racial insecurity or cultural ignorance. Among communities and corporations alike, fear of what cannot be known remains a powerful motivator and yet, in turn, often results in extraordinary works. My post below addressed our local awareness for the concern of the future shape of our city. I believe it would be fair to say that under the auspices of examining the function of a modern urban center, our local planning movement is fueled, in part, by fear of overpopulation. The conservation movement addresses fear of the outcomes of overconsumption or misuse, in as much as necessary solutions such as alternative fuel technologies are spawned from similar concerns. It seems that beyond the boundaries of geography, politics, economics, or culture, fear begets improvisation which begets innovation. Okay, maybe that's a bit heavy for a Friday afternoon, so I'll get on with it.
During a recent blanket Web search for examples of the inventive works of Rural Studio, I stumbled upon an inspirational Flickr set from greco2104. This assembly offers found and captured sources of improvised design as collected and curated by George Agnew, a young and talented New York architect. Each study exhibits an intriguing solution to a challenging problem. From Rural's elegant reuse and rethinking of how shelter is defined, to I-Beam Design + Architecture's Pallet Housing project to Jan Kriekels' and Arne Quinze's Uchronian "Belgian Waffle," Agnew's set provides a point of departure for many who merely scratch the surface (or their heads) to consider ways to take the leap. We'd also recommend a visit to the Improvised Design Group Pool as well as Mr. Agnew's Web journal titled, most appropriately, The Fear of Architecture.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Design | 25 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Design of a city. PNCA series explores shape of Portland's future.
pdXPLORE: Designing Portland's Form exhibits notes, sketches and plans of five local designers and architects providing focus on the future of our fair city. Along with new Pinch pal, Rick Potestio, Rudy Barton, Carol Mayer-Reed, Michael McCulloch and William Tripp will share their ideas. Tonight's symposium "In The Round: Collective Leadership" continues the discussion with city government and community leaders. Moderated by Thom Walters. The exhibit runs through July 27 at PNCA's Swigert Commons.
D.K. Row of The Oregonian provides this overview.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Community | 22 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
The Pinch Digest: Our week in review. Issue Three.
A weekly assembly of what we, here at Pinch. A Design Office., might be talking about, listening to, reading, or otherwise coveting. For the most part, we'll try to keep the links somewhat focused on design. Sometimes, not.
- Album
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by Sir David Bowie.
- Book
- Otl Aicher by Markus Rathgeb from Phaidon.
- Podcast
- The Adventures of Mr. Stephen Fry from, you guessed it, Stephen John Fry.
- Site
- Big Contrarian from designer and developer Jack Shedd.
- Story
- "Print Design and Environmental Responsibility" from AIGA Center for Sustainable Design.
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Posted by Eric Hillerns in The Pinch Digest | 18 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Tuesday Flickr Set: Alice and Martin Provensen
Hillerns has his head down writing proposals, so I'm gonna step in here and direct you to this set of work by the husband-and-wife illustrator team Alice and Martin Provensen, who may be my favorite children's book illustrators. They worked together seamlessly for 45 years before Martin's death in 1987. Alice is still alive and working. I was introduced to their work at the age of six when my friend Todd Achilles' mom recommended their book Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, a humorous look at the various denizens of a gentleman's farm, executed in a loose contour style similar to English illustrator John Burningham.
I'm a parent myself now, and once of my daughter's favorite books is their Caldecott-winning setting of Nancy Willard's collection of poems A Visit to William Blake's Inn, which is characteristic of their later work (not shown in Mr. Peng's Flickr set, sadly, but I'll look for some): rich, detailed, superflat compositions, with a particular sensitivity to architecture and lettering.
The Provensens never underestimated the intelligence of their readers: knowing that children return to books again and again, their pages are packed with details and observation. They were also unafraid of ambiguity. Their book Shaker Lane examines a community of squatters living on disused farmland in New England who are displaced by the construction of a reservoir. It's a simple, humane story with no hero, no villain, and no simple moral. Remarkably sophisticated; and refreshing, considered in the context of Dora the Explorer, Little Einsteins and the like, where every scrap of dialogue carries and exclamation mark.
I must also recommend Mr. Peng's Weblog Today's Inspiration, an excellent example of how the confluence of personal industry and access to a pulpit can turn an enthusiast into a scholar. Today's Inspiration should be the first stop for anyone interested in the history of illustration, particularly that of the postwar United States.
Posted by Adam McIsaac in Illustration | 15 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Fool me once, shame on me.
Portland-based employment agency Jobdango has been sent a bill for $5,000 for chalking their URL on the city's sidewalks. Sidewalk chalking, as you know, is a cheap form of so-called viral marketing and was used, evidently with success, by Jobdango when they launched a couple years ago.
In fact, their effort inspired us to steal the idea for the launch of our campaign for Metro's Recycle at Work in 2007. We asked permission from the city, of course, because we're goody-two-shoes types; Jobdango did not. I don't have much of an opinion on this beyond noting that Jobdango's name irritates me and that the city seems to be cracking down on anything involving doing anything on our city's streets (viz. Randy Leonard's kerfluffle about folk staking parade seats with duct tape). The next step, to my mind, should be cracking down on the notorious tagger "Locate", who seems to be everywhere.
Posted by Adam McIsaac in Brand | 15 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Recommended reading.
We're a little behind in maintaining our blogroll (Vetted Sources
at left), but I wanted to draw your attention to a very well-written and considered number published by the Santa Fe-based firm BBDK. Thinking for a Living offers a holistic view of the design business and chewy writeups of design history (yesterday's appraisal of Herb Lubalin's Avant Garde was a particular pleasure), and makes for a nutritious addition to your feed list.
The wife lived in Santa Fe when we were courting, and during my monthly visits I often wished that I could make a living working there; this was in the early nineties, and the closest thing to a full-service design firm was Vaughn Wedeen in Albuquerque. It's an additional comfort to find that someone figured out how to do it, and make such urbane work. Check it out.
Posted by Adam McIsaac in Community | 15 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
The Pinch Digest: Our week in review. Issue Two.
A weekly assembly of what we, here at Pinch. A Design Office., might be talking about, listening to, reading, or otherwise coveting. For the most part, we'll try to keep the links somewhat focused on design. Sometimes, not.
- Album
- José James: The Dreamer from Brownswood Recordings.
- Book
- 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School by Matthew Frederick from The MIT Press.
- Podcast
- Something Different with DJ Santo from DJ Santo and Chauncey Canfield.
- Site
- AisleOne Note: Do enjoy Mr. McIsaac's Int'l Male Posters.
- Story
- Great Parks Great Cities Speaker Series from Portland Parks & Recreation.
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Posted by Eric Hillerns in The Pinch Digest | 11 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Approaching a Summit and celebrating the Park.
Yesterday, it seemed, offered one event to follow the next. Stacked like cordwood were morning meetings, lunch appointments and the like. By late afternoon, we (which consists of summer intern Bowman Leigh, McIsaac, and your correspondent) found our way over to the Lucky Lab for the Substance Summit. Pinch pal David Lowe-Rogstad issued this simple challenge: If you don't like what's happening (in the creative community) around you, we challenge you to do better. Fair enough. The event, which reached out to a collection of writers, programmers, designers, coders and musicians proved two-fold. First, to get these folks in the same room, and then, to get the conversation started. I believe that happened. General concerns were well considered; this thing needs a little structure and the space needs to be more conducive to sharing ideas. Also fair but with that, we should keep in mind that the structure we seek is exactly what challenges the establishment; AIGA, PAF, ASMP, AMA, and the other alphabet organizations. Structure is the new black.
Following the Summit, we made our way to the Annual Meeting for The Forest Park Conservancy at KEEN's headquarters. Director Michelle Bussard provided her own call-to-action with regard to this most important Portland resource. Stories were shared by the Friends of Forest Park faithful, we managed to bag a raffle spiff or two, and raised an ale (or more) to FPC for a productive year. In all, we thought the gathering was composed of a strong crowd and was a fine way to cap an otherwise perfect Portland evening.
Obligatory shouts out to: Chauncey Canfield, Kevin Tate, Rick Turoczy, Barry Wall, Joaquin Lippincott, Ryan Smythe, Melissa Lion, Cory Duncan and many, many others. (Oh, and what the hell. Yes, Steve Gehlen was there, but you knew that.) Kudos to DL-R, Steven, and the gents at Substance for making the call. At KEEN, it was good to meet Rick Potestio, Andrea Schwartz, Jeff Hough, Carl Wetzel and the others for whom I've forgotten names but not faces. And always good to see Chris Enlow, CJ DeWaal, Terrie Thompson, Stephen Hatfield and of course, Michelle Bussard. Derek Smith? Anyone? Smith? We're proud of The Forest Park Conservancy and we would be remiss if we didn't provide a hefty shout-out to our very own Lisa Micek-Hillerns, who, at least in part, helped to bring this year's annual meeting to life. We're especially proud of you, young lady.
Posted by Eric Hillerns in Community | 10 July 2008 | Permalink | Comment on this post
Tuesday Flickr Set: Literary awareness from KentLyons.
This week's Flickr set isn't about collecting eye candy as much as it is about finding inspiration. We're book-nutz over here at Bespoke and while we don't spend nearly enough time writing about reading, we do spend a fair amount of that time thinking about it, talking about it, and most often, bitching about the fact that there's never enough time to read everything on our respective lists. Collectively, we do count our lucky stars for the independent booksellers — from the colossal Powell's to the tiny Armchair Books, Annie Bloom's or Bearly Read Books — that seem to thrive in our little city. And the library system is quite good, as well. You could say it's part of our humble identity, but this isn't about us.
KentLyons, the young graphic design concern in London, has posted this set to display the various applications of Get London Reading, a program encouraging the city's residents "to make more time for books in their busy days." An admirable call to action given this period in history which seems to better promote Web surfing or channel changing over page-turning. This year's campaign, sponsored by Booktrust (having already run its short course; 24 March to 16 April, 2008), featured some deliciously erudite guerilla tactics. In addition to the artfully-crafted stencil project, Get London Reading also offers The Rough Guide to London by the Book, a companion directory as illustrated through the writers (and their writing) with maps to contextualize four hundred historical volumes, set in, or about, The Big Smoke.
And with that, I have only one simple question: why are we not employing these forms of literary awareness in every single one of our American cities? The horror, the horror.