Fish time

After a whole year's cycle of signs, a new one appears:

Re-booked

When I saw the AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers show at 164 Fifth Avenue (up till April 8), I mentally gave the exhibit design a 50/50 vote. The stadium set-up implied that physical books have become a spectator sport (not totally off the mark to those who obtain content digitally). Striving to wrangle content into a decently-functioning eBook, I was nonetheless sorry to see that the exhibit's metaphor (and the gorgeous books) downplayed the function of books.

When the AIGA quietly eliminated the book/cover show,* it seemed that physical books lost the game. Thanks to a petition—which garnered a lot of support in very little time—started by Christopher Sergio and Catherine Casalino of Grand Central Publishing, the AIGA reinstated the show, with a thoughtful and open-minded response. Ric Grefé's online essay explains thinking and re-thinking, and nails the importance of book design in communication. . . . we understand the passions around this fundamental and central demonstration of the art and craft of communication design, regardless of the area in which many designers work each day. . . It's worth reading Ric's entire essay.

Although I know/feel/fear that BTD didn't design or produce a book that would be worthy of inclusion in an AIGA show—or push the envelope à la Sagmeister's wonderful sculptural package (left), I might just enter the best of a tricky year if for no other reason than to show support. Book a metaphor, book as object, book as vessel to hold LOTS of info, ebook done with craft—are all worthy of honor.



*Full disclosure: An astute Barbara Glauber pointed out the elimination, which I hadn't noticed.

Tiny stuff; big impact

I don't know if showing something from Dailycandy makes me an aggregator or a sheep, but I'm just entranced by the work of the artist Slinkachu, featured by Dailycandy London. Check out his work on the Adipa Gallery or on Slinkachu's own site. I love the ideas, manipulations, situations, wit—you name it.

Photo screenshot from the Adipa Gallery site.

Change and Plus ça Change

I'm going through shelves of old magazines: ID, Graphis, Wired, etc. and weeding (or should I say curating?) the issues and articles that seem worth keeping. The field is shifting, we need to evolve, and Spring supports a good housecleaning session (physical and mental). In the past few years, there's been a lot of talk/writing/discussing about design thinking. I think that's a good thing. Interestingly, in short article in the November / December 1990 issue of Graphis, William P. Dunk quantifies the power of thinking:

Those combining design, project management, and analysis sometimes achieve rates twelve times higher than those just offering design.... For the designers, this establishes a value pyramid where he takes aim at the small number of clients wanting a full design process: At the top is thought, a very small niche of clients who also want a thoughtful, well conceived product; the center is project management, a sizable number of clients wanting design and project management; the bottom, visible design, a large base of clients wanting low-cost commodity design.... The trick, for those who want higher prices, is to get into project management and thinking. And then the hard part is to make very clear, with ample detail, during both proposal and implementation stages, what the client will experience as a result.

The hard part (to me at least) is the marketing, finding that small number of clients. The clear proposal puts me in mind of your post about contracts a while back. A clear proposal and detailed proposal leads to a clear letter agreement/contract.

May the thoughtful and detailed Force be with us!

(Stay tuned for additional—but not too many—blasts from the past.)