Old School
Filed under Output and tagged Design on February 17th, 2012
Digging through old boxes and stumbled across this little screen print from my days in JMU’s printmaking studio. Circa 2002.
Gerd Arntz
Filed under Input and tagged Design on August 12th, 2011
Gerd Arntz was a German modernist who created over 500 icons, or isotypes, with the ambitious goal of clear communication to the illiterate masses, newly liberated by socialism. In collaboration with Otto Neurath, they strove ‘to overcome barriers of language and culture, and to be universally understood’ to facilitate the communist revolution. Not exactly my politics, but the man was a master semiotician.
They have a wonderfully curated collection over at the Gerd Arntz Web Archive.
Great Ideas Series
Filed under Input and tagged Design on June 28th, 2011
Really lovely design work by David Pearson on the covers of the Penguin Books Great Ideas Series. These are from the latest collection (Series Five), but the other sets are just as impressive.
Maestros of Modernity
Filed under Input and tagged Design on April 2nd, 2011
Set of six posters created by Italian graphic designer and illustrator Andrea Gallo to commemorate six giants of Modern Architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius.
Just splendid.
W. A. Dwiggins
Filed under Input and tagged Design on November 22nd, 2010
I’ve just finished a collection of stories by Roald Dahl (Someone Like You, if you care — utterly brilliant) and throughout the experience I’ve caught myself delayed numerous times by the object itself — enthralled by the meticulous typography and intricate ornamentation that adorns each chapter break. Not to mention the altogether unique cover design and spine treatment. As I rounded the last turn, I was confronted with a paragraph under the heading: PRINTER’S NOTE. What followed was a colophon of sorts that ended with the perfunctory, “The typography and binding design are by W. A. Dwiggins.”
So, who is this mysterious master of modern type and page design?
Turns out, William Addison Dwiggins, or WAD as he apparently preferred, was quite a fellow. He might be most famous for coining the term graphic designer back in 1922 in reference to himself and his work. He designed the (still popular) typefaces Electra and Caledonia and a total of 329 books for A. Knopf, Inc. The hardcover I’ve just finished bears the BORZOI imprint and will go straight on the top shelf where it belongs. Thank you, WAD.
Forget About Good
Filed under Output and tagged Design on September 14th, 2010
Here’s the second edition in what I’m calling my Brucetop Maupaper project. In case you missed the first, you can download Allow events to change you here.
- 2560 x 1600
- 1920 x 1200
- 1680 x 1050
- 1600 x 1200
- 1440 x 900
- 1280 x 960
- 1280 x 800
- 1024 x 768
- iPhone
- PSP
Icon
Filed under Input and tagged Design on September 12th, 2010
STEFAN KANCHEV is, to my mind, the preeminent figure in mark making in the modern age. No offense to all you Paul Rand disciples. Born in 1915, Kanchev was the son of an iconographer and a student of Bulgarian folklore and traditions — which served as inspiration for much of his design work. In total, he is credited with authoring some 1,600 brandmarks in his lifetime and was named “National Artist” of Bulgaria. For more context and biographical info, not to mention a look at his impressive postage stamp and book cover collections, visit his official website.
UPDATE: The good-hearted folks over at Logoblink have put together an extremely comprehensive PDF about the life and work of Mr. Kanchev. Download it here (~30MB).
