Prompted by the 50th birthday of the Swiss typeface Helvetica last year, the documentary by Gary Hustwit looks at the astonishing prevalence of Helvetica in the signs and logos of the urban landscape that surrounds us.
Those interviewed generally belong to either the Helvetica is great or Helvetica is dull camp: control and restraint versus creativity and free expression, legibility versus visual communication, old versus new - there's no sitting on the fence with this one!
The joy and enthusiasm for the work of the cheerful typeface designers interviewed is definitely the best advertisement I've seen for any profession!
You should at least have a mild interest in design before thinking about watching it...
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Friday, 16 January 2009
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Exhibition: Utility in Design
Everyday objects which not only successfully combine utility and aesthetics, but are also commercially viable are currently on display in the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain.
The exhibition stems from the idea that utility is the raison d'etre of design and lists 5 sides to utility which, roughly translated, are the following:
The Binaria stool by Oken, (see picture above), is one example of a product designed to combine comfort with practicality while encouraging good posture.
Among the other items exhibited you can find: Camper shoes, park benches, the Bilbao underground, comfortable scissors and bins that are emptied by underground pipes, avoiding the need for garbage disposal trucks in cities.
According to the online description of the exhibition:
On a final note, although I appreciate that standing up to mop the floor is a million times better than having to scrub it on your hands and knees, I have to say that the Rodex ad (left) with a woman mopping the kitchen floor in high heels does amuse me! Not the most practical choice of footwear perhaps.
The slogan reads:
Links:
The exhibition catalogue (PDF) from the Circulo de Bellas Artes website
A write-up of the exhibition in the newspaper El Público (in Spanish)
The exhibition stems from the idea that utility is the raison d'etre of design and lists 5 sides to utility which, roughly translated, are the following:The exhibition covers a wide variety of objects and gives an overview of the history of the design and development of each item, as well as pointing out the key characteristics that make each one more useful than the average of its kind.
- Appropriate for an end
- In accordance with the body
- Easy for everyone
- According to need
- To last and be recycled
The Binaria stool by Oken, (see picture above), is one example of a product designed to combine comfort with practicality while encouraging good posture.
Among the other items exhibited you can find: Camper shoes, park benches, the Bilbao underground, comfortable scissors and bins that are emptied by underground pipes, avoiding the need for garbage disposal trucks in cities.
According to the online description of the exhibition:
"...this diversity exemplifies the transversal character of the quest for practical improvements in the design and development of new products."
On a final note, although I appreciate that standing up to mop the floor is a million times better than having to scrub it on your hands and knees, I have to say that the Rodex ad (left) with a woman mopping the kitchen floor in high heels does amuse me! Not the most practical choice of footwear perhaps.The slogan reads:
"Smile with me if you've already got your Rodex" :)
Links:
The exhibition catalogue (PDF) from the Circulo de Bellas Artes website
A write-up of the exhibition in the newspaper El Público (in Spanish)
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Quick fixes and laziness
Why do people use things for purposes and in ways in which they weren't intended?
One of the tasks of a psychological study I took part in when I was at university was to think of as many different uses as possible for a object within a 30 second period. I think the object was the cardboard tube from inside a kitchen roll. In theory, the more uses you could think of the more creative or intelligent you were.
So, is using something as a quick fix, a sign of intelligence, adaptability and resourcefulness, or a cue that something needs to be designed (or re-designed) to fill a gap or fix a problem?
Is there an element of being a free spirit or anarchistic by not conforming to the commonplace?
Is it a question of the perceived affordance of the objects exerting an influence?
Could out-of-the-ordinary uses be motivated by consideration for others, or is it simply the result of sheer laziness and thoughtlessness?
Does a quick-fix really deserve such analysis and interpretation?!
Kevin Henry for Core 77 looks at 2 sets of photographs (which run in a similar vein to the desire path photos), but with very different interpretations of similar situations: Making Do and Getting By (Richard Wentworth) and Thoughtless Act (Jane Fulton Suri), and considers the reasons behind such actions.
Enjoy!
One of the tasks of a psychological study I took part in when I was at university was to think of as many different uses as possible for a object within a 30 second period. I think the object was the cardboard tube from inside a kitchen roll. In theory, the more uses you could think of the more creative or intelligent you were.
So, is using something as a quick fix, a sign of intelligence, adaptability and resourcefulness, or a cue that something needs to be designed (or re-designed) to fill a gap or fix a problem?
Is there an element of being a free spirit or anarchistic by not conforming to the commonplace?
Is it a question of the perceived affordance of the objects exerting an influence?
Could out-of-the-ordinary uses be motivated by consideration for others, or is it simply the result of sheer laziness and thoughtlessness?
Does a quick-fix really deserve such analysis and interpretation?!
Kevin Henry for Core 77 looks at 2 sets of photographs (which run in a similar vein to the desire path photos), but with very different interpretations of similar situations: Making Do and Getting By (Richard Wentworth) and Thoughtless Act (Jane Fulton Suri), and considers the reasons behind such actions.Enjoy!
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Beautiful design of practical objects
...that's not to say that they're cheap!Smashing Magazine got together a list of 25 objects (laptop cases, speaker systems among others) currently on the market, which combine beauty, style, elegance, in some cases a sense of fun.
Their mysterious product appeal suggests they offer an unmatched user experience. Can't guarantee all that just from the photos of course, but check out the mouthwatering pics anyway.
Among my favourites: attractive oilcloth lunch bags (always a sucker for anything which can be reused and reduces waste); the extremely handy drink selector mug, (see picture) - great for remembering everyone's coffee requests in the office, - and the extremely useful flexible dual screen system (the BTC Dual Monitor 150 DS).
Enjoy!
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