December 18th, 2011 Comments Off
Rest stops with the starchitect treatment? Only in design-minded Scandinavia. Norway is halfway through an 18-year plan to spruce up its motorways with roadside overlooks, art installations and architectural walkways that put American rest stops to shame.
Read on in my CONDE NAST TRAVELER article below (click image to enlarge) or read it online:
August 23rd, 2011 § 1
Album art and CD packaging may be a dying breed (thanks to the rise of MP3s), but awesome music-inspired design projects are coming through the speakers loud and clear. In the September 2011 creativity column for HOW Magazine, I speak with some insanely talented folks who are finding ever more creative ways to infiltrate their love for sound into the mix. From ultra-inspired posters and self-promo pieces to interactive paper invites and videos, we’ve tapped some killer creatives to share how music has helped make their designs sing.
Read my full article on HOW Magazine. And check out Kelli Anderson’s paper record player invite below:
August 12th, 2011 Comments Off
The Spanish graphic designer Joan Pons Moll is creating a new typeface, but unlike most typographers, he’s doing so with his feet rather than a computer, and he’s slightly out of breath. Taking sneakers to pavement, Pons is planning to run the entire alphabet — both upper- and lower-case letters — in his inventive endeavor, Running Alphabet.
Read my full article on T: New York Times Style Magazine.
Image Courtesy Running Alphabet / Joan Pons
July 24th, 2011 Comments Off
Wrangling a sea-worthy vessel of your own may be a pipe dream, but anchoring yourself in one of Casa Madrona’s hilltop, oceanfront bungalows for the weekend is sure to keep those dry-dock feelings at bay. Nestled in the heart of Sausalito, this historic hotel not only boasts insanely awesome bay vistas — its recent multi-million-dollar seafaring overhaul will make you feel like you’re first mate aboard a luxe, modern yacht.
Read my full article on 7×7.com
Image Courtesy Casa Madrona
June 19th, 2011 Comments Off
One of my favorite design obsessions is classic cars – which I owe in main part to my Dad for passing down his love for the vintage beauts. This past Saturday, June 18th marked the 10th anniversary of the Tiburon Classic Car Show, and seriously – it just keeps getting better every year. From the sleek lines and sexy curves, to the details, craftsmanship, and old fashioned typographic touches–they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. These crave-worthy cruisers are works of design genius and some of the best at that. Here are some of my favorites…but be forewarned: uncontrollable drooling may occur.
May 22nd, 2011 Comments Off
The architects at Supermachine, a small, inventive Thai firm, sometimes refer to themselves as “guerrilla architects.” Says principal Pitupong “Jack” Chaowakul, “We love to play around, finding new ideas that suit our projects and testing stuff out.” They also love colour. When the Thai government established the Bangkok University Creative Center, to promote a shift from an agricultural and industrial society toward a creative economy bolstered by animation, design, fashion and information technology, the school called on Supermachine to conceive its interiors. The firm delivered in flying colours.
Check out a preview of my article in the Canadian design publication AZURE MAGAZINE (and check out the full print version below!)
May 14th, 2011 Comments Off
Wim Crouwel is one of those hardy souls seemingly immune to self-doubt. That’s easy enough now, with Crouwel’s place as one of graphic design’s most influential practitioners secure. But his groundbreaking work has not always been universally admired, and in the 1970s it elicited strong criticism for being “too modern.” Instead of faltering, however, Crouwel’s belief in his ideas and aesthetics only grew stronger. His highly structured approach to design and typography captured the essence of the emerging computer age, bringing a new modernity to catalogs, posters, stamps, and even the phone book. This spring, the grid-loving Dutch legend is being celebrated with a major retrospective at the Design Museum, in London.
Read my full interview in METROPOLIS MAGAZINE. (and check out the print version below!)
