Happy Birthday Charles Eames!

Today is the 100th birthday of one of my design heros, Charles Eames. His work and his words, along with his wife Ray's visions, continue to inspire me as both a person and as a designer.

Like a lot of artists and designers, I'm one of those that share the Eameses' belief that good design can improve people's lives.

"In architecture the idea degenerated. Design allows a more direct and pleasurable route."

I'm also a huge fan of process and the Eames philosophy was very much entrenched in process. Process to get to the final product often took years of trial and error.

"The details are details. They make the product. The connections, the connections, the connections. It will in the end be these details that give the product its life."



From the 1940s to the 1970s, the prolific husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames designed furniture, buildings, exhibitions, and interiors, and made films. They are perhaps best known for the form-fitting chairs that were mass-produced using the same techniques the Eameses developed in their first apartment.

Their furniture, toys, buildings, films, graphics, exhibitions, and books all aimed to improve society-not only functionally but also culturally and intellectually.

Here are a few of some of my favorite Charles Eames Quotes:

"Choose your corner, pick away at it carefully, intensely and to the best of your ability and that way you might change the world."

"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."

"Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make."

"Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design."

"The details are not the details. They make the design."

"The real questions are: Does it solve a problem? Is it serviceable? How is it going to look in ten years?"

"The recognition and understanding of the need was the primary condition of the creative act. When people feel they had to express themselves for originality for its own sake, that tends not to be creativity. Only when you get into the problem and the problem becomes clear, can creativity take over."

"We work because it's a chain reaction, each subject leads to the next."

And finally -

"Who ever said that pleasure wasn't functional?"

Thanks Charles and Ray!

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HMK

Cheers To Sascha!

In case you haven't met, this is Sascha, the Hamm's Bear, one of my personal all time favorite mascots - second only to The Spurs Coyote. (During the 1993-94 season he became the first mascot in NBA history to dunk both a basketball and a doughnut in a single game!)

While most beer commercials of the 50's involved lots of over the top bragging about how good their product was, the Hamm’s spots came equipped with humor, plot and punch line.

The occasional interaction between cartoons and real actors was ground breaking—Sascha beat Roger Rabbit to the punch by 40 years.

Read more about Sascha and nine other stories behind the faces on the bottle over at Modern Drunkard Magazine's cover story: The 10 Greatest Alcohol Icons Of All Time.

Click Hear: Hamm's Piano Version of The Jingle.

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HMK

Thanks to the Presurfer.

HMK Mystery Stream on iTunes!

Howdy y'all - just a quick note to let you know that due to popular demand my weekly podcast, the HMK Mystery Stream, is now officially available for your streaming pleasure on iTunes!

Launch Now: HMK Mystery Streams

Become a subscriber and enjoy a weekly mix of fresh vintage vinyl, groovy audio vibes, blasts from the past and mucho mas, all courtesy of your friends from Necessito La Music, Totally Bitchin' Recording, iF: Irregular Frequency, SharkThang and the HMK Archive audio vault.

You can still visit my Necessito La Music site where you can grab the customized cover art for each episode as well as other audio gems, segues and other one offs and singles that don't make it on to the official podcast.

Make It Louder!

The above image is the cover art for Episode 025: Smooth Booty.

©Stay Tuned Y'all!

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HMK

This One's A Winner!

Genius!

This luggage conveyor turned roulette wheel is the brainchild of Italian agency AdmCom for the Marco Polo airport installation promoting the Casinò di Venezia (Casino of Venice).

Wicked nice.

Agency: AdmCom, Bologna, Italy
Creative Director: Maurizio Cinti
Art Directors: Andrea Ligi / Sergio Lelli
Copywriters: Rebecca Rossi / Silva Fedrigo

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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at I Believe In Advertising.

Louis XXI Coffee Table

Francesco Cappuccio's "Louis XXI" is an ironic coffee table derived from a process of deconstruction and reconstruction of a classical Louis XVI style.

"During the reconstruction process I left some small gap between each part in order to store the newspaper that we bay day by day."

This coffee table-newspaper holder has won the international competition "A piece of furniture for reading places 2007" and will be exibit permanently at MAAM museum of Verona (Italy)

The jury record said:

"A piece of furniture with a strong ironic connection to classicism in which an image with references to modern art is inserted and an original and functional solution is added."

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HMK

Thanks to trucdesign

Matte Stephens Paintings

I just totally dig the art of Matte Stephens, a 33 year old artist from Birmingham Alabama.

Check out more of his wicked awesome paintings over at his Brainiac site.

Cool stuff Matte.

I bet my friend Liz will love it too...

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HMK

Organization With Style

I'm currently designing plans for the addition of a pantry and laundry room with a home office and storage space loft at our home.

I've always been attracted to the concept of "floating" storage and shelving and the way it allows more natural light into a space. This concept not only projects a sense of calm and organization, it's also a brilliant way to create the illusion of more space by keeping the floor visible in small spaces.

Muunto from Finland designs systems based on an innovative wall panelling technique that is completed with a range of shelf units and accessories. These storage systems do an awesome job of combining functionality and style and can easily be readjusted to suit your changing need or your new home décor.

And I'm totally digging the super clean look, combined with splashes of color.

Nice!

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HMK

All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash!

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash!

Genius!

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HMK

The Dumbest Guys in the Room

This is another awesome read from Andy Rutledge.

As he puts it, “This is a rather a cynical article, but know that I'm not suggesting that all projects are so bleak. It is, however, a common circumstance in our line of work and it's worth examining and certainly worth preparing for.”

It is unfortunate and frustrating, but it’s a fact: getting design approval and then a project completed for a large corporate client is seldom about convincing the smartest people in the room of anything. Instead it’s usually about trying to keep the dumbest people in the room (or in the company) from shooting themselves in the foot.

And that’s if the designer even gets the chance to communicate with them at all. Sadly, this makes the business of design less about appealing to people’s better ideals and more about achieving victory over stupidity.

Read: The Dumbest Guys in the Room.

And I couldn't agree more with his take on his finding the ultimate decision maker:

"And by all means - make every effort to know exactly who the ultimate decision maker is – and learn how best to connect with them and gain their confidence. Your success, and likely their fortunes, depend on this (whether they know it or not)."

Speaking of stupidity - when was the last time you visited Clientcopia?

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HMK

Site Structure: Quiet vs Loud

A quiet zone in the middle of NYC - Strawberry Fields to be exact.

Quiet structure is achieved when you de–emphasize the structural elements; the containing boxes, structural lines, bullets, structural color elements, etc… and bring a rhythmical consistency to the layout.

Andy Rutledge takes a look at both the main page of CNN.com and then at USA Today.com.

Personally, I'm digging CNN's overall clean and clear presentation of information, it's reminds me of a simple, straight forward and easy to read blog layout.

Even though USA Today’s is not a terrible design, by comparison it is far more chaotic in presentation.

But why is this? Read on as Andy compares a few of the individual elements from these two sites in terms of Quiet Structure vs Loud Structure.

The result is that the content becomes more conspicuous and the overall clarity of presentation is greatly enhanced.

Read the whole Quiet vs Loud article.

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HMK

Thanks to David for the cool shot.

Workstation Settings Cheatsheet

Now this is smart. Here's an easy, and low-tech approach to keeping the productivity flowing in almost any business. A simple Workstation Settings Cheatsheet to help capture those crucial details for each user's computer in your office.

The Workstation Settings Cheatsheets. include the most commonly needed network and email settings for each user.

Basic stuff sure, but important when you need to do some quick troubleshooting - especially if you don't have a dedicated IT guy on staff or if you happen to be the only one working late.

Thanks to the smart folks at Creative Techs.

Have a great week!

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HMK

It's Art Baby!

Check out this awesome oversized Scrabble art from Posh Tots.

Me likey!

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HMK

Interestingness

Jeffre Jackson of the OIA talks about interestingness and why it's important for a brand to be interesting.

Known as 'the Socrates of San Francisco', Gossage was an unlikely advertising man. With a military background, he didn't start working in advertising until his mid thirties. In 1957 he started his own agency Weiner and Gossage which was an immediate success.

Gossage was known for his unique and forward thinking philosophy; that advertising should be involving for the audience. In other words that they should be rewarded for seeing and/or hearing the message. Gossage would say:

"People don't read advertising per se. They read what interests them. And sometimes it's an ad."

It's only now, in the era of the Internet and sit forward media that we are really taking Gossage's ideas to heart. Disruption is being seen as a bad thing whilst engagement is becoming more and more important.

One of Gosasge's pet hates was outdoor advertising and it's here that the internal conflicts of the man become most clear.

Something worth bearing in mind in this digital era: "Is advertising worth saving?" "From an economic point of view, I don't think that most of it is. From an aesthetic point of view, I'm damn sure it's not; it is thoughtless, boring, and there is simply too much of it."

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HMK

Big thanks to Henry Lambert over at Trends.

Meet The Walrus

Check out this sweet little short from Josh Raskin: I Met the Walrus.

I thought the walrus was Paul...

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HMK

Anatomy of a To-Do

This is an older post from the smart folks over at 43 Folders that I find myself re-reading every few months or so in my effort to getting things done in the most efficient way possible.

The primary idea of a to-do is that it’s a task that can and should be done – a point that might seem obvious until you start uncovering how many of the items on your to-do list may not belong there (or, conversely, how many uncaptured items do).

The best and most useful to-dos share common qualities:

It’s a physical action.
It can be accomplished at a sitting.
It supports valuable progress toward a recognized goal.
It’s something for which you are the most appropriate person for the job.

Glancing at your own to-do list, do you see any potential troublemakers?

Notice any items that make you squeamish?

Any mystery meat tasks that seem "un-doable" as is?

Relax. 43 Folders will have you shaped up in no time.

I dig using John Blyberg's awesome Card Generator to create my list and then make it my monthly, impossible to ignore, laptop screen saver.


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HMK

Make It Louder...

Aw yeah... if you're in need for a little audio wallpaper to get you in the mood for the weekend...CLICK HEAR!

Just in time for the weekend...

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HMK

Why Ivy Ross Rules

Ambidextrous Magazine recently ran a cool interview with Ivy Ross, she’s the head of design and packaging for the girls division at Mattel.

Here are a few excerpts.

On the importance of meaning:

Let's face it. Everyone has everything. We are not about price anymore. Everything exists at every price level. It's about the connection you find with the object.

On the power of unleashing your personal design thinking process:

I had to think about my own creative process. What I did for myself was feed myself. I took on a question and ate absolutely everything I could. I allowed myself freedom to explore, without restrictions, and at a really organic pace. I was like a kid.

On the drivers of innovative behavior:

I also believe that creativity and innovation are built around trust and freedom. Companies don't get that. They think it is a process. It is really about creating trust between the people creating and the freedom to go to new places.

Get the 2 page PDF.

More good stuff from Ivy Ross.


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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at Meta Cool.

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

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HMK

Think About It

"Brilliant execution without strategy is irrelevant, but brilliant strategy without brilliant execution is invisible."
Pat Fallon and Fred Senn

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HMK

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

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HMK

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HMK

Click & Drag Google Maps

Double true!

Genius.

Get Going: Google Maps.

Have a great weekend!

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HMK

Handel: First Musical Recording 1888

On this day, June 29, 1888, the earliest known musical recording is made. The piece, Georg Friedrich Handel's Handel's Israel In Egypt, is recorded on a paraffin cylinder.

Israel in Egypt, assigned the catalog number HWV 54, is an oratorio, a form in which Handel excelled. Like his more famous Messiah, Israel in Egypt is composed using biblical passages, mainly from Exodus and the Psalms.

Unlike the Messiah, however, it didn't enjoy much of a reception when it premiered in 1739. As a result, Handel shortened the work and inserted a few Italian arias to lighten the mood a bit.

Nevertheless, it was selected by Col. George Gourand, Thomas Edison's foreign sales agent, for the first musical recording. Gourand made his recording in London's Crystal Palace, using Edison's yellow paraffin cylinder -- candle wax, essentially.

Click Hear: Handel's Israel In Egypt.

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HMK

(Source: Stanford University, National Park Service)

Understanding the Farm Bill

Check out this series of publications dissecting the Farm Bill by Matthew Foster, a graphic designer at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

Ah, the power of design.

Considering the potentially dry nature of these reports, the graphics are so powerful that they actually make me feel less intimidated by the complex subject matter and encourage me to read them. I think the decision to go in the direction of bold WPA inspired graphics and typography is both smart and appropriate.

Nice job Matthew.

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HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at Back Space.

More Vintage Type

As part of their weekly Found Type Friday, the type freaks over at AceJet have a nice flickr set of images focusing on the vintage type from the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Check out the slide show: here.

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HMK

The #1 Song On The Day You Were Born

Find Out Here!

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HMK