Design Storytelling

“I think it’s super important to put forward...

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:40:00 +0100

“I think it’s super important to put forward beautiful and believable visions of how things can be in the future.”

Jonathan Harris at the PSFK Conference in NYC - March 2012.

This is a wonderful talk from the ever thoughtful and inspiring Jonathan Harris. Emotional truth is always at the heart of his work.

His online storytelling project, Cowbird, provides a platform for others to also share their emotional truths and what Jonathan calls “teachable moments.”

It’s a beautiful and believable thing. Thank you Jonathan.

"I marvel at Radiolab when I hear it. I feel jealous. Its co-creators Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich..."

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:32:00 +0100

“I marvel at Radiolab when I hear it. I feel jealous. Its co-creators Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich have digested all the storytelling and production tricks of everyone in public radio before them, invented some slick moves of their own, and ended up creating the rarest thing you can create in any medium: a new aesthetic.”

- For fans of This American Life and most specifically WNYC Radiolab - you will be delighted by this appreciation of Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich’s incredible storytelling skills, by one of today’s master storytellers - Ira Glass.

Radiolab is an amazing example of design storytelling in the audio format. Such ambitious ideas, so carefully worked out, and so brilliantly executed as to result in a purely delightful listening experience that’s full of discovery and wonder.

Unsurprisingly Ira puts it better than I.

“Thus the utterly effortless chitchat that floats you so cheerfully from plot point to character moment to scientific explanation to the next plot point is actually worked over second by second and beat by beat, over the course of weeks.”

I love that Ira’s passion for the art of storytelling comes through so clearly in this detailed deconstruction of what makes Radiolab so great. His awe and admiration is palpable throughout.

“One is defined by what one does.” Calligraphy...

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:07:00 +0100

“One is defined by what one does.” Calligraphy artist Aerosyn-Lex telling it like it is, in this great video for the Becks ‘Living Beyond Labels’ series. Check out his video about “independent thinking as a way of life.”

Over on Protein Feed there are 5 more great video portraits of the artists commissioned for this project, including M.I.A., Geoff McFetridge and my new favourite discovery Willy Chyr.

Inspiring stuff.

If you, like me, have seen the Michael Landy posters all over...

Sun, 06 May 2012 16:54:12 +0100

If you, like me, have seen the Michael Landy posters all over the Tube asking for people’s accounts of the ‘Acts of Kindness’ they’ve experienced on the Underground, then you’ll be as delighted and touched by the results as I was.

Random Acts

This stunning video is from one of my favourite artists of the...

Sun, 06 May 2012 16:39:00 +0100

This stunning video is from one of my favourite artists of the moment, Doug Foster.

N.B. Watch it on FULL screen.

I was completely blown away by The Heretics’ Gate at Lazarides’ Hell’s Half Acre in the Old Vic Tunnels in 2010. Since then I’ve seen his work (Chimera) again at Lazarides’ Minotaur show and now this film, Ovum, for the Protein Feed and Channel 4 collaboration, Random Acts.

What I find fascinating about Foster’s films is that he uses the same black back drop and symmetrical mirroring effect each time, yet the results are completely different and equally hypnotising in each work.

Ovum, as Protein describes, takes,

“the female ovum reproductive cell as inspiration, Foster brings the symmetry of the process where the mother nucleus tears itself into two identical daughter nuclei to the forefront of this hauntingly stirring short film.”

Random Acts

"Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity."

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:25:31 +0100

“Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.”

- ― Lao Tzu

Via The Daily Love

Hands up - this is brilliant design storytelling from Nike and...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:20:00 +0100

Hands up - this is brilliant design storytelling from Nike and their new FlyKnit Technology. Via @mrmetaphysical and here’s more on Cool Hunting.

Please note, kids, there is no mention of sustainability in this video. Just a beautifully told story with a clear thread (pun intended) that clearly illustrates the advantages of the product, design performance wise and environment wise.

Nicely done Nike.

It’s difficult to describe how moving I find JR’s...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:44:00 +0100

It’s difficult to describe how moving I find JR’s work. It is lump in the throat, goose bumpingly full of humanity. Each time I see one of those huge posters in its community context I am just amazed at how he does it.

His latest project Wrinkles of the City is even more touching than the previous work, if that’s possible. Watch the video about the project in Los Angeles to find out what I mean.

Via designboom.

This is some thing I wrote, not so long ago, about JR for Ella Saltmarshe’s Introductor interview series, in response to her question: “What inspires you?”

THE INSPIRATION: There are so many extraordinarily exciting projects happening out there, I am inspired daily. But with respect to my “burning question” I think a brilliant realisation of local creativity with global reach is the work of French street artist JR. Addressing the theme of identity he uses large-scale photography of local people on an architectural scale in their communities. He works guerilla style, without permissions or corporate sponsorship. It’s fast, radical and provocative spatial intervention which creates powerful emotional reactions and a sense of pride in place. He won the TED prize this year for his Inside Out project, which scales up his personal work, allowing anyone in the world to transform their own identity into a community artwork by sending them enormous posters of their own portraits. The quote below is from his TED talk and resonates very clearly with me about the purpose of Creative Data.

“Art is not supposed to change the world, to change practical things, but to change perceptions. Art can change the way we see the world and create an energy. Actually the fact that art cannot change things, makes it a neutral place for exchanges and discussions and then enables you to change the world. What we see changes who we are. When we act together the whole thing is much more than the sum of the parts.”

This is a wonderful video from @Dwell to mark the birthday of...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:49:00 +0000

This is a wonderful video from @Dwell to mark the birthday of the great colourist Josef Albers.

I think in my fantasy gallery (yes, of course I have one), a row of Alber’s square paintings are amongst those that I would like to live with most. To be able to meditate on his extraordinary colours combinations every day would be joyous.

I love this quote from Nicholas Fox Weber – Executive Director of Albers Foundation.

“The purpose of the Albers Foundation is the revelation and evocation of vision through art. Anni and Josef Albers treated art as though it was their religion. They believed the qualities of art works could be those of a morality and honesty which pervade everyday life… and elevate everyday life.”

As an aside, Josef taught one of my art heroes Ruth Asawa at Black Mountain College. Where she also learnt from Merce Cunningham and Buckminster Fuller. Three greater teachers you could not wish for!

For those with eagle eyes, you can spot one of Ruth’s sculptures on the wall in the background of a black and white portrait of Anni + Josef in the film (4.24).

Below is Josef’s last painting, Homage to The Square (1976), the story of which is told beautifully by Fox Weber in the video.

Like a kid in a sweetshop. This is such delightful work...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Like a kid in a sweetshop. This is such delightful work from @thefatduck team. Kudos to @neighbourhood and @zeligsound for realising the inner workings of Heston’s mind. What an immense design storytelling brief.

I’m just hoping that one day someone might surprise me with the news of a reservation, so I get to visit that sweet shop and hear the magic man behind the counter, John Hurt. Not to mention the gastronomic adventure of actually eating at The Fat Duck itself.

Salivating at the thought.

Via Protein Feed

Excellent words from the great Saul Bass here - via...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:23:44 +0000

Excellent words from the great Saul Bass here - via @brainpicker

I don’t give a damn if the client thinks it’s worth anything, or whether it IS worth anything — it’s worth it to me. It’s the way I wanna live my life. I wanna make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.” ~ Saul Bass

You can find more excerpts from this documentary about Saul’s work in Maria’s post:

Saul Bass on Money, Quality Work & Creative Legacy

How amazing is this? I’ve been delighting in the...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:51:53 +0000

How amazing is this?

I’ve been delighting in the @cabinporn archives all week. As I scroll through, each page reveals another structural delight in the most extraordinary setting.

And then there was this, on page 25 of 29. What joy and madness.

Micro architecture, wilderness, stunning photography and sculptural log piles - what’s not to love?

Happy perving people: Free Cabin Porn

Here’s a lovely video interview with Max Lamb from the...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Here’s a lovely video interview with Max Lamb from the @proteinfeed crew, in which he talks about happy making things such as the importance of truth to materials, working with your hands and knowing that there’s a human behind a product. Yes, indeed, this is a heart warming way to end the week that has me pining for the workshop.

"I design stories. And I write stories about design."

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:07:00 +0000

““I design stories. And I write stories about design.””

- Me - with a sprinkling of innovation, environment, community and culture.

*note to self*

"Delighting people is design’s super power."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

““Delighting people is design’s super power.””

- The last word from @fchimero. Thanks for a great talk at Build Frank. It was indeed a gift and, in fact, made my Saturday.

"The technical know-how, the skill, the craft, and art. Involved in production, manufacturing and..."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:23:28 +0000

““The technical know-how, the skill, the craft, and art. Involved in production, manufacturing and making. Using good deliberation, understanding, resulting in deliberate desire. To be carried out with cleverness.””

- Ahaaa.. turns out I need to be reading Aristotle too, for definitions of design. Thanks @fchimero. I ♥ that you talked about classical philosophy at a web design conference. You see, things can be other than what they are.

"The goal isn’t to do business with people who need what you have. The goal is to do business with..."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:51:42 +0000

““The goal isn’t to do business with people who need what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.””

- Excellent to re-watch this TED talk from Simon Sinek today; reminding me how to progress with Creative Data.

"A designer is a planner with an aesthetic sense."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:45:31 +0000

““A designer is a planner with an aesthetic sense.””

- Love this from Bruno Munari, via @fchimero in his talk at the Build Conference.

The quote comes from Munari’s book Design As Art - one I surely should have read by now. Must find it.

“The only intuitive interface is the nipple. After that...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:48:00 +0000

“The only intuitive interface is the nipple. After that everything is learned.”

That is just one gem from this extraordinary talk by Wilson Miner - When We Build.

Miner shares many wonderful observations about the way we design and why we design.

His talk is beautifully constructed, majestically paced and emotively soundtracked for maximum impact. The medium is the message - indeed.

The thinking of Marshall McLuhan is clearly important, as is the zen philosophy of the ‘don’t know mind’. But really, my favourite part is Miner’s explanation of Robert Irwin’s work; his study of spaces, his visual reactions to them and the way his beautifully minimal installations change people’s perceptions of their environment.

Something to truly aspire to.

Thanks to Simon Collison for posting and to those who tweeted his link.

How flippin’ beautiful are these Syzygy lights by OS &...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:55:00 +0000

How flippin’ beautiful are these Syzygy lights by OS & OOS?

Thanks to @sight_unseen for highlighting them in their new Self Portrait column.

I love the solid sculptural forms and the incredible sensitivity to touch they have. I think Barbara Hepworth would have loved them.

“The amount of light emitted by the LED can be adjusted by turning either of the two foremost glass filters by hand. Rotating the filters left or right in nearly endless configurations allows users to change the light atmosphere with extreme subtlety; every millimeter turned gives a different effect.”

A Syzygy, they tell us, is a term in astronomy that means, “A straight line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system.”

More from the designers Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen on Sight Unseen:

We were “looking at light or sunlight itself, and the discrepancy between the way most lamps operate and the fact that the transition between night and day isn’t an instantaneous flicking of a switch, but a wonderful graduation that takes time. The physical blocking of light, as the basis for our concept, gave us the ability to fade from light to dark gradually, just like in nature.”

I’m excited to see more work from these brilliant Eindhoven graduates soon.

OS & OOS