STEPHANIE ORMA :: travel, arts, & design writer » stephanie orma

Print Magazine Article: Jennifer Sterling is Back!

steph — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:27:26 +0000

Thankfully, graphic designers are a bit too nerdy for the paparazzi. But had the snooping press hounds any clue into the talent’s of our industry’s rockstar creatives – Jennifer Sterling surely would have been one of their buzz-worthy targets when she abruptly dropped off the design scene a few years ago.

Read my full article on Print Magazine’s awesome design blog IMPRINT.

: Image Courtesy Jennifer Sterling

7×7 SF Article: Ziplining Adventures in Northern California

steph — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:23:44 +0000

Bay Area urbanites are escaping to the forest to dangle from cable-thin ropes as they take death-defying, high-speed leaps into nothingness. And the scenery is pretty rockin’ too. From Wine Country to Gold Country, Tahoe to Santa Cruz, we’ve got a birds-eye view on the best ziplining adventures in Northern California.

In the name of journalistic research, I challenged my palm-sweating, heart-racing fear of heights and experienced ziplining firsthand. And it was AWESOME! Read my full article on 7×7.com

Image courtesy Sonoma Canopy Tours

San Francisco Magazine Article: Destination Wellness

steph — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:24:03 +0000

In the July 2011 issue of San Francisco Magazine, I write about “Destination Wellness” — otherwise known as Embarcadero Center. This architectural paragon in downtown San Francisco is on the cutting edge of holistic health. Under one roof, pop in for a check-up with your board-certified physician, lose the aches and pains at the chiropractor, and outfit yourself with chic, new workout apparel–all before meeting your friends for lunch or a movie.

Click on the images below to read the article or see it in the digital issue here.

Design Blogging for California Home+Design Magazine!

steph — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:11:28 +0000

I absolutely love California Home+Design Magazine and I’m digging it even more with the recent editorial and design updates by new Executive Editor, Erin Feher. The publication is chock full of inspiring ideas for the home, profiles of creative folks, drool-worthy pics, cool design products, and the best arts and design events from SoCal to NoCal. So I couldn’t be more excited to now be a contributing arts and design blogger for the publication. Check out their blog “State of Style” and stay in the loop on the coolest design stuff in California! And to whet your appetite, below is a sneak peek of some of my recent design posts:

From my article on Cool Finds: Minimal in Hayes Valley

From my article on A Pliable Flower Vase That Holds Flowers In Place

From my article on Bay Area Photographer Makes Botanicals into Works of Art

Design Blogging Mention in Print Magazine!

steph — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:03 +0000

One of my favorite “chill out” things to do is grab a stack of the latest and greatest design magazines and while away the hours reading the articles and being awed by the stellar work. Recently flipping through the June 2011 issue of Print Magazine, I was super excited to see not only a mention of the mag’s awesome design blog, Imprint, but also credit being given to their roster of design bloggers–of which I’m beyond proud to be included amongst. Along side some of my favorite design writers like Steven Heller, Debbie Millman, and Ellen Shapiro, my name is mentioned too. Pretty. Damn. Cool. Thanks so much Print Mag! Check it out below.

HOW Magazine interview with designers Chip Kidd, Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, and Robynne Raye

steph — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:34:33 +0000

I recently spoke with an extremely talented graphic designer who was struggling with a book cover design. She confided, “I’m starting to feel like I suck as a designer because I can’t figure out a solution to this problem.”

“Oh, thank god!” I exclaimed.

She was a bit baffled (and slightly ticked off) at my response until I explained that I literally thought I was the only graphic designer who felt this way. Hours after hours of trying this idea and that idea and still not coming up with a feasible solution feels…well – pretty darn crappy. But now that the, “yeah, I’m not alone!” party is over, the question remains: how exactly do we get rid of this negative self-talk? For help on this matter, I went to the top – the very top: Chip Kidd, Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, and Robynne Raye – to be precise.

Read my full article below or buy the awesome May 2011 HOW MAGAZINE.

Azure Magazine article on design firm Supermachine

steph — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:16:17 +0000

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!)

Metropolis Magazine interview with Wim Crouwel

steph — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:05:28 +0000

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!)

Getting Upper: Graffiti Meets Graphic Design

steph — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:00:35 +0000

From the time we’re born until the day we die, the twenty-six letters of the alphabet are completely and totally unavoidable. Thus, one has to wonder—will there ever come a day when seeing our own language drives us all completely batty? Will people in the not-too-distant future be running and screaming down the streets from the frighteningly uninspired, overused curves of an “S” or the descender of a “p”?

From May 15th through September 4th a new show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, Getting Upper, explores what happens when twenty-six graphic designers are charged with creating twenty-six brand spankin’ newly designed letters of the alphabet.

Read my full article on Print Magazine’s awesome design blog, IMPRINT.

"S" by Jon Sueda

Hardest Workin’ Graphic Designers in the Midwest: Foundry Collective

steph — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 03:06:39 +0000

Downing tequlia shots, ogling over Mila Kunis, and wanting to be the next Mark Zukerberg – just a few of the things on the mind of a twenty-something guy. But the bygone days of the industrial revolution? Probably not on his top-ten list. Yet, for twenty-somethings Paul Wilkes and Scott Hill, the über talented founders of Oklahoma City-based design firm Foundry Collective, both their philosophy and design style are uniquely rooted in the memory of their forefathers – Midwest hardworking Americans who earned their keep toiling in oil fields, farms, and factories during the industrial revolution.

Read my full article on HOW MAGAZINE.

Image Courtesy FOUNDRY COLLECTIVE