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Karen Horton’s inspiration

Murakami Self-Portrait and Flower Plate in Casa BRUTUS
Add to Folder | Comments (1) | April 27, 2009


Offering similar suspense as a mystery boxed vinyl toy, the extra thick shrinkwrapped May 2009 issue of Casa BRUTUS caught my eye at Kinokuniya. The new issue of the Japanese lifestyle + design magazine features a unique cross promotion with Japan Brand (producer of the Takashi Murakami designed "Flower" plate included with the magazine). I'm impressed with the durability of the plate, which survived a tumble off the bookshelf.
Though I can't read Japanese, there is a minimal amount of English text sprinkled throughout the Casa BRUTUS issue. Regardless, it isn't necessary to read the magazine to appreciate its design, sophistication of content, and photography. 












(flip through a few other spreads via a digital version of the issue)

Link: more photos of Casa BRUTUS magazine + Murakami

Turkel's Recycled Green Holiday Cards
Add to Folder | Comments (1) | December 22, 2008


The Miami advertising agency Turkel set out this year to make their holiday season more environmentally friendly. After brainstorming alternatives to sending out conventional holiday greeting cards, they decided to rely on vintage greeting cards (from any holiday) of the past.
Through collecting used cards from numerous outlets, including friends, ebay, and Craigslist, the Turkel staff accumulated around 3,000 cards. Each old card which made their final cut received a sticker which said, 

"Ideas Should Never be Reused. But Cards? Definitely."





For a better understanding of their process, they created a video.

I wish I was on Turkel's mailing list to receive one of these fun, recycled cards. But, Turkel has set up a mini-site where you can email a vintage greeting to a friend from a presorted selection.





(I discovered this while thumbing though the Business section of The Miami Herald this morning)


Link: Turkel's Green Holiday website

Campbell's vs. Progresso Soup: The Ad War
Add to Folder | Comments (1) | November 18, 2008


Or it could be called the advertising war between BBDO New York and Saatchi & Saatchi.

I saw Stephen Colbert poking fun of the attack advertisements for Campbell's and Progresso on the Colbert Report last night. These ads are hilarious when seen side by side. Hope you like MSG...




(BBDO Worldwide NY handles the Campbell's ads. Saatchi & Saatchi works on the Progresso account)

The ads seem a bit on the vicious side. But if this is what it takes to remove MSG from a soups on the supermarket shelf, then it's not without results.

Back in 2001, the two companies dealt with similar attack ads.

more on this at BrandWeek:



Link: Colbert Report on HULU

Remembering CBS Design Legend, Lou Dorfsman
Add to Folder | Comments (2) | October 26, 2008

Louis Dorfsman (1918-2008)

    "For 41 years, (1946 to 1987), alongside William S. Paley and Frank Stanton, CBS SVP Lou Dorfsman ushered in the Golden Age of Broadcast Television. Managing design and advertising Lou Dorfsman sculpted a new medium and crafted the CBS brand; his creations deftly touched our lives, shaped our culture, and informed both our values and beliefs." — Icon of American Design History, The Center for Design Study


Last week I heard the sad news that designer Lou Dorfsman died. After seeing there wasn't a large variety of Lou Dorfsman's work available to view online, I turned to my small stash of old design annuals. The quality of the scans below don't do his work justice, but do give a partial sense of the diversity of design projects Lou Dorfsman designed and/or art directed while working at CBS. 


Art Directors: Louis Dorfsman /Kurt Weihs, Designer: Kurt Weihs (found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)



Art Director: Louis Dorfsman Designer: Louis Dorfsman / Alphonso Amato, Artist: Alphonso Amato, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Larry Grossman (found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)




Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Designer: Louis Dorfsman / J. Schindelman, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Robert Strunsky
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)



Art Director, Designer & Copywriter: Louis Dorfsman, Artist: Old Engraving—Charles Korbett
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)




Art Director & Designer: Louis Dorfsman, Designer: Alphonso Amato, Artist: John Pistilli, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Robert Strunsky, Alphonso Amato
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)




Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Artist: Tomi Ungerer (found in the Graphis Annual 65/66)




Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Designers: Akihiko Seki, Lou Dorfsman, Artist: Akihiko Seki
(found in the 56th Art Directors Club Annual)



Art Director, Designer & Artist: Lou Dorfsman, Producer: Edstan Studio (found in the film titles section of the 56th Art Directors Club Annual)

_____________________________________________________________________


This morning I found a thoughtful obituary by Steven Heller for The New York Times, and a small article on CBS News. Below I've collected a list of online resources on the life and work of Lou Dorfsman along with information on how to help preserve part of his legacy by donating to save the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall. 



more on Lou Dorfsman:



























Here is a video from 2001 on the history of the CBS logo, in which Lou Dorfsman is interviewed:


______________________________________________________________

In honor of Lou Dorfsman's legacy please consider helping The Center for Design Study restore Dorfsman's masterpiece, the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall (previously in the CBS cafeteria).

Below is a visual slideshow about Lou Dorfsman and the CBS Wall (the audio comes from an old CBS radio interview). A higher quality version is available via The Center for Design Study.


In response to the importance of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage restoration efforts, Michael Bierut says:


    "Considering how important graphic design is to the life of our visual culture, it's depressing how casually we treat work that would properly be considered iconic in any other field. The astonishing typographical wall that Lou Dorfsman designed for the CBS cafeteria is an irreplaceable piece of design history. The efforts of The Center for Design Study  to restore this virtuoso piece of graphic design is well worth supporting, not least of all as an example of how to show proper respect to the artifacts upon which our profession's legacy is built."



photo credit for the top photograph of Lou Dorfsman standing in front of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall in the CBS cafeteria:  Sara Krulwich / New York Times


Link: The Center for Design Study is working to save the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall

Erik Nitsche — 1950s Ads for General Dynamics
Add to Folder | Comments (0) | June 19, 2008


A small set of very nicely designed General Dynamics ads by Erik Nitsche have been added to an already great body of his design work on flickr.

(Thank you to flickr users Derrick and Katie from BustBright for creating this visual resource)

Link: A Growing Erik Nitsche Archive on Flickr






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About Me:

  • Working on:
    everything but what I should be doing.
  • Listening to:
    pandora
  • Reading:
    "Perfection" by Julie Metz
  • Watching:
    old episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia


Influences (28)


Maia Valenzuela

Ron Edelen

Jennifer Carrow