I first learned of Amsterdam-based Experimental Jetset from their Society of Lost Formats. Then I was reminded of them in the documentary film Helvetica. It’s great to see that, via the design educational site Thinking for a Living, their online presence has been refreshed with new content and, equally importantly, a new perspective.
From the time I became aware of the firm’s trio—Marieke Stolk, Danny van den Dungen and Erwin Brinkers—I was impressed by their emphasis on giving credit where credit is due, as they state in their About section:
“You’ll notice that (in the description of our designs) we often mention the names of printers or other parties that were involved in the production. This is not because of some shady sponsorship deals. We just want to give people the credits they deserve. We live in a society where there is already too much of a separation between manual work and intellectual/artistic work. It’s a separation we are strongly against. So, wherever possible, we tried to include the names of all parties involved. (Also, it is our opinion that including this kind of information adds some transparency to the object, and underlines its ‘thingness’).”
This practice of transparency doesn’t stop there. When it comes to describing their work, Experimental Jetset not only go into their “greatest hits” but also their “biggest failures.” Perhaps this is due to their “neurotic” drive at documentation, which is the source of their transparency. Yet, I believe that their identity is the key, coupled with their relentless desire to seek the words (see their Archive) to describe what they design and how they do it. To make this intensive search a meaningful one, Experimental Jetset’s transparency—acknowledgement of those involved in their process, their mistakes along with the successes—is a good lesson for good design which, I daresay, is good business.
March 15, 2009
Andrew Wyeth, John Updike and Designing the User Experience
Two giants, one from the world of painting and one from the world of prose, passed away in January. In many ways, Wyeth and Updike shared similar qualities. In addition to excelling in their respective crafts, they have been described as champions of the middle: class, region and roots. And they both were fastidious in their attention to details.
Wyeth was identified with realism. His views of rural America are rich with his technique in portraying light, space and texture. Perhaps Updike saw himself depicted in the fine detail of Wyeth’s paintings, a topic in the writer’s essays on art. Like Wyeth, Updike was exceptional in delivering descriptive language. Discovering and honing in on the details are skills that incite appreciation for all those who strive for results that are lyrical and, in a lot of ways, precise.
Details make the design process an immersive one, digging into subject matter and wrestling with it to determine a result. Wyeth said of his paintings, “I think the great weakness in most of my work is subject matter. There’s too much of it.” Admirers would disagree about Wyeth’s art being inflated with the people and places he pursued. Something that is greatly marked as a “weakness” can mean the opposite. Wyeth strengthened his subject matter with details like Updike’s literary lens on “the material culture of American life.” Updike’s persistent attention to detail contributed to the richness of his literary imagination and presentation of it. According to one admirer: “His writing caught completely the joy, the pain and the energy of being an ordinary person. What set him apart from almost every other modern writer I had encountered, however, was his style which, magically, given the realism for which he strived, introduced him as a third party, allowing to view his characters through his own eyes.”
Like their counterparts, Wyeth’s and Updike’s embrace of their subject matter and high appreciation of details relate to design: the who, how and what. As interactive designer Stacy Westbrook put it, “User experience is all details.”
Sources:
Wyeth was identified with realism. His views of rural America are rich with his technique in portraying light, space and texture. Perhaps Updike saw himself depicted in the fine detail of Wyeth’s paintings, a topic in the writer’s essays on art. Like Wyeth, Updike was exceptional in delivering descriptive language. Discovering and honing in on the details are skills that incite appreciation for all those who strive for results that are lyrical and, in a lot of ways, precise.
Details make the design process an immersive one, digging into subject matter and wrestling with it to determine a result. Wyeth said of his paintings, “I think the great weakness in most of my work is subject matter. There’s too much of it.” Admirers would disagree about Wyeth’s art being inflated with the people and places he pursued. Something that is greatly marked as a “weakness” can mean the opposite. Wyeth strengthened his subject matter with details like Updike’s literary lens on “the material culture of American life.” Updike’s persistent attention to detail contributed to the richness of his literary imagination and presentation of it. According to one admirer: “His writing caught completely the joy, the pain and the energy of being an ordinary person. What set him apart from almost every other modern writer I had encountered, however, was his style which, magically, given the realism for which he strived, introduced him as a third party, allowing to view his characters through his own eyes.”
Like their counterparts, Wyeth’s and Updike’s embrace of their subject matter and high appreciation of details relate to design: the who, how and what. As interactive designer Stacy Westbrook put it, “User experience is all details.”
Sources:
- Andrew Wyeth, Painter, Dies at 91 by Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times
- John Updike by Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
- John Update, 1932–2009 by The New Yorker
March 10, 2009
Design and marketing agency thinkso’s Year of Cards kit
Valentine’s Day may have passed, but the year still promises many upcoming occasions that will warrant a special card. Fortunately, thinkso’s popular card-rescue kit is insurance against the typical last-minute card scramble. Best of all, it gives you more time to sit back, relax and compose a thoughtful message to put inside.
March 9, 2009
Human Interface Human
Annette Wagner describes herself as a human interface designer and artist. She began her career at Apple, where she held the job title of Human Interface Human. This suggests phrases like “humanizing business and technology” and “human-centered design.” Annette’s initial job title also implies a goal. Of course, it’s the job—not the title—that counts. As she puts it, “My main responsibility is to be a user advocate.”
March 4, 2009
Designer’s Quest(ionnaire): Antonio Carusone of AisleOne
Image credit: Antonio Carusone
The Designer’s Quest(ionnaire) is a Design Feast initiative embracing the perspective of a designer in a succinct format. Antonio Carusone created AisleOne, “An inspirational resource focused on graphic design, typography, grid systems, minimalism and modernism.” Read about his insightful take on design and designing.
Previous Designer’s Quest(ionnaire): Shawn Hazen of Hazen Creative
March 2, 2009
From Scandals to Stimulus: Visualizing Finance
Reflecting a clear signs of the times, news headlines are infused with a financial language that ranges from scandals to stimulus. Here are a few visuals aimed at demystifying the loaded, complex terms currently playing a big role in the economy:
Karen Yourish (reporting) and Laura Stanton (graphic) of The Washington Post visually tackle the composition of the stimulus package.
Katherine Dillon and Kate Thompson of the media design firm Dillon Thompson created a step-by-step walkthrough of a Ponzi scheme.
Dillon Thompson also illustrated the meaning of a Pyramid scheme.
Jonathan Jarvis, Masters of Fine Arts Candidate in the Media Design Program at the Art Center College of Design, created a series of animated shorts to help visualize the Crisis of Credit.
J. Jason Smith, of the blog Graphicology, comments on the presentations given by GM and Chrysler about their survival plans.
For additional sources that tackle the complicated nature of the economy, the New York Times has their Economix blog. There’s Planet Money by National Public Radio, and the program Frontline produced Inside the Meltdown with timeline.
There seems to be no fatigue in sight when it comes to envisioning information about the state of the economy. As Credit of Crisis creator Jonathan Jarvis put it: “The goal is to give form to the complex financial crisis to enhance the understanding of it.”
Karen Yourish (reporting) and Laura Stanton (graphic) of The Washington Post visually tackle the composition of the stimulus package.
Katherine Dillon and Kate Thompson of the media design firm Dillon Thompson created a step-by-step walkthrough of a Ponzi scheme.
Dillon Thompson also illustrated the meaning of a Pyramid scheme.
Jonathan Jarvis, Masters of Fine Arts Candidate in the Media Design Program at the Art Center College of Design, created a series of animated shorts to help visualize the Crisis of Credit.
J. Jason Smith, of the blog Graphicology, comments on the presentations given by GM and Chrysler about their survival plans.
For additional sources that tackle the complicated nature of the economy, the New York Times has their Economix blog. There’s Planet Money by National Public Radio, and the program Frontline produced Inside the Meltdown with timeline.
There seems to be no fatigue in sight when it comes to envisioning information about the state of the economy. As Credit of Crisis creator Jonathan Jarvis put it: “The goal is to give form to the complex financial crisis to enhance the understanding of it.”