design:related - bslawson's inspirations

Max Headroom (1985)

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:59:28 GMT

A glitch in cyberspace with a video explanation (from 1985) of Max Headroom and the music video Paranoimia (featuring Max and produced by the Art of Noise).

Posters from the American Legion

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:14:17 GMT

A very nice collection of World War II era posters and advertisements from the American Legion. There are some great examples of persuasive techniques in action.

Visualizing Artikulation

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:21:19 GMT

I am always captivated by systems of visual notation and the translation of one expressive form into another. This one is particularly intriguing. It is a musical score by composer György Ligeti from 1958. It was then given static visual form in the 1970s by Rainer Wehinger and more recently put into motion. You can read more here.

You can view the video on Youtube or on DailyMotion.

I think I've previously posted this fantastic link about music notation.

In his book, Painting Photography Film, László Moholy-Nagy has some fascinating stuff about notating film and other performances in a similar fashion.

I came across Artikulation in this NY Times blog post.

Promises of Paradise

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:09:03 GMT

The Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville FL will host a design show — Promises of Paradise — running October 11, 2008 until January 25, 2009. The focus is mid-century modern design with an emphasis on Florida. Something they call Tropical Modernism or Miami Modernism.

Pictured is an end table by designer George Farkas produced in 1949. The show includes furniture, fashion items, interior reconstructions, photographs, printed ephemera and architectural renderings. Featured architects and designers include: Morris Lapidus, George Farkas, Alfred Browning Parker, Kenneth Treister, Igor Polevitzky, Frederick Rank.

You can read an article written when the show was previously on view at the Bass Museum of Art.

Thousand-Hand Guan Yin

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:40:10 GMT

Performed by the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe at the Olympic Village in Beijing.

Twenty one hearing and voice impaired dancers. Watch a YouTube Video of an earlier performance in 2005. Aha, here is a higher quality video.

Photo Source: China Daily

Turn of the Century Posters

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:58:18 GMT

Poster design by the Beggarstaff Brothers from 1895. What a great use of figure/ground in their compositions! The Beggarstaffs were British collaborators Sir William Nicholson and James Pryde. You can see a collection of related posters in high-resolution at Lawrence University. I find this transitional era interesting, Fin de Siècle, because of its hybrid elements: Symbolist Art Nouveau with the simplification of Early Modernism.

Music Video: Censored Typography

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:05:00 GMT

A little risqué, but really just fun and inventive.

From The Brighton Port Authority, aka Fatboy Slim with David Byrne.

Directed by Keith Schofield.

Some interesting behind-the-scenes commentary.

And some thoughts from David Byrne.

Higher Quality Version.

Brings to mind Nothing But Flowers by the Talking Heads from 1988.

And, by the way, Byrne and Brian Eno are launching a new collaboration. It has been a long time since 1981.

History: National/Royal Printing Office, France

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:34:10 GMT

This video from étapes (presented in French) investigates France's National Printing Office, L'imprimerie Nationale. It's a nice look at the tools and techniques of printing history—punches, mats, and type founding methods.

View Part One | View Part Two

Some more on historical printing in France at the Printing Museum in Lyon.

The Art of the Carved Letter

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:04:25 GMT

Final Marks: The Art of the Carved Letter by Frank Muhly (49 Mins, Streaming Real Format) is about the craft of stone letter-cutting and inscription. About midway through the film the real action begins—Fud Benson starts chiseling slate. You can also watch a short one-minute preview on YouTube. There are also many more interesting films about American roots culture on the Folkstreams website.

Motion Typography: À Bout de Souffle

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:11:52 GMT

Chalk drawn typographic animation by Dorian Gaudin: à Bout de Souffle. Referencing the film Breathless by Jean-Luc Goddard and musician Dave Brubeck