The Makers of Things is stunningly brilliant

So I’ve had this webpage open in a browser tab for a while now. It’s too beautiful to close, and too inspiring not to share. I knew sooner or later I’d get around to posting about it here.

The Makers of Things is a documentary project by London-based producer/director Anne Hollowday. The series of short films looks at people who make, and how we are intrinsically tied to what we do and build. It looks at the workshops of members of the Society of Model and Experimental Engineers and is so beautifully done, I get lost in the short films.

View the full project, with the other films, at the The Makers of Things website.

“Hands” tries to give Honda a hand

Hondas sales figures have’t been so good lately, and coincidentally, the Honda I was driving finally had enough and gave up. But this impressive showing from Weiden + Kennedy London proves that unlike my car, Honda still has some breath. Beautifully creative with strong reference stylistically to the classic honda spots like Cog.

Nice to see Honda still fighting.

National Geographic Found unearths the beauty of the past

I just stumbled across this incredible site from National Geographic in celebration of their 125th year. It showcases photos from the archives (some never before published) as curated by National Geographic’s William Bonner.

There are some stunning photos unearthed that pay homage to the importance of photojournalism and the power of a well-crafted image.

Also of particular interest to typophiles is the description on the About page regarding Ludwig Light, the typeface used in the “Found” logo, somewhat ironically ‘found’ by Nat Geo designer Roy Wilhelm. Worth a read as well.

Old shoes provide fuel for some beautiful animation from ManvsMachine

Growing up in the greater metropolis of the Nike empire, my high school was one of the early testing grounds for Nike’s “Grind”, which was kind of cool, except for that year that they realized the field was way too hard and that’s why people were breaking so many bones and they had to replace the entire field… but I digress. The technology has come a long way, and this minute-long video from ManvsMachine Design & Motion Studio in London promoting Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe campaign is pretty beautiful.

The animation is gorgeous, the music is spot-on, and the voiceover works beautifully as well. Nice when it all comes together.

Check out the full project page over at ManvsMachine’s site.

[via CreativeBloq]

What does Ewan McGregor know about The Bauhaus? Apparently enough to narrate a mini-series of six videos that give a brief history of some major design movements, out out by The Open University.

You can view all six videos from Gothic Revival to Postmodernism on youtube by clicking here. The videos are concise, the animation clean. They distill concepts a bit heavily and leave out significant elements (like distilling Modernism to a quote from Mies van der Rohe?) but for about two minutes of learning, it’s pretty excellent. All six segments are definitely worth the time to watch. Very cool stuff.

[via Co.Design]

The naming of products is a difficult matter. Or is it? Just look at the typefaces!

 

There is a time and a place for every typeface. Yes, even Comic Sans. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t typefaces that I despise with a passion. For many, it’s Comic Sans.  So much so, that there are entire websites like Ban Comic Sans dedicated to it’s atrocities. I don’t personally mind Comic Sans that much. My ‘Comic Sans’, if you will, is the typeface Giddy Up. Something about the fake cowboy motif and the stars just kind of irks me. I realize there’s a time and a place where it works as display type, but I hope I’m never around for that time or that place. Which led me to be completely floored when I came across this:

The Giddy Up & Go granola from Thoughtful Foods was pretty good. But I can’t figure out what happened with the name! How does a product end up with the same name as the prominent typeface that’s used on it’s packaging?!? There are two possible scenarios that I was able to come up with:

Scenario #1:

“Our product is called Giddy Up & Go granola. What typeface should we use for our packaging?”

“Oh hey! Look! There’s an awesome typeface that has the same name as our Granola!”

“We should use that! And be sure to put a drop shadow on it too!”

or

Scenario #2: We have this product, but we can’t figure out what to call it. We have these typefaces that we like for the packaging.

“Ooh! I like that swirly typeface… what’s it called?”

“It’s called Giddy Up.”

“That’s a great name! Lets call it “Giddy Up Granola!” and give it a drop shadow!”

I’m flabbergasted and dumbfounded. How does this happen? And why did it need that drop shadow on top of it all? The food might be ‘Thoughtful” but I’m not convinced the design is.

The importance of Proofreading

I’ve recently found myself editing papers and looking at heaps of copy. Which has reminded me of the importance of writing. Which then lead me to re-read (for a countless time) Zinnser’s On Writing Well. If you don’t have a copy, you should. Regardless of what you do. Get a copy on Amazon.

Recently, two stories have caught my attention that remind of the importance of proofreading. And that spell-check, while nice and convenient, is not the be-all end all.

First:

The story itself is not a cheery one. But the headline printed in the local Eugene Register Guard But the headline borders on shockingly absurd and reminds us of the need for good proofreading. And it reminds us that spell-check has become a taken-for-granted crutch that apparently doesn’t always work well.

Second:

“Man Charged with Threatening to Bomb State Office Sign over Typo”

This story is exceptional. It gets even better and goes beyond the sign with this:

The man also complained that the instructions he downloaded to make his pressure cooker device contained misspellings, Chamberlain said.

Just proof that it’s always a good idea to proofread before submitting/sending/printing/distributing. You never know who might be reading.

A busy few weeks (OR to NYC to OR to SD and back)

It’s been a bit crazy lately. A week in New York with a group of 50 or so of the best and brightest from the UofO School of Journalism. Ad agency visits, sight seeing, portfolio stuff, great food(kimchi and blue cheese pocket from Momofuku Milk Bar? Amazing!), and lots of absorbing Manhattan.

Back to Eugene for two days of work, then a trip down to San Diego for a week. Busy, but just enough time to relax a bit and process the week in NYC.

La Jolla on flickr

So insights gleaned? I love visiting NYC, but I’d have to have a really compelling reason to end up there permanently. The advertising industry is shifting quickly in terms of channels and media possibilities, but there’s still a metric crapton of garbage being pushed through those channels. Don’t get me wrong – I think advertising today is brilliant and there are some pieces and people doing incredible work – but those pieces and people are few and far between in a sea of monotonous garbage. Times are changing, but many of the archaic problems still exist.  Which just continues to make me want to help those people who can actually perpetuate positive change in the industry. And maybe that’s my biggest takeaway from the last few weeks – there’s tremendous opportunity to fix the problems of the world. The advertising world and the greater world as a whole.

The Uncluded: blending musical genres in the best ways with genius lyrics

What happens when legendary and groundbreaking hip-hop artist/producer Aesop Rock teams up with grammy winning, critically acclaimed singer songwriter Kimya Dawson? This:

Lyrics that are genius, beautiful, heart wrenching and smart. Melodies and beats that are dynamic and vibrant. The blending of genres, styles, and talents. This is music at its best. Self expression, coping, therapy, exploration, fear, adversity, and other fairly weighty subject matter. But it’s handled with a beautiful craft and a touch of humor that keeps it beautifully approachable.

The Current now has the entire album, Hokey Fright, available to stream now pre-release! The album releases on May 7th from Rhymesayers Entertainment.

 

Celebrate Color: 50 years with PANTONE [infographic]

Color drives the world. And to celebrate color (and their 50 year anniversary), Pantone has put together a look at the history of color in fashion and design.

Simplistic and colorful with the expected Pantone color swatches and brand logos, but it’s an interesting visual depiction of the last fifty years of color. Cool stuff.

 

[via Pantone]