“Fressing in New York City”

“FRESSER” means glutton in Yiddish. Our year-end trip to New York City offered the opportunity to indulge in great kosher foods, music, theatre, bookstores, and the intense street life that pulses 24 hours day and night. NYC is always a documentary in black and white, I should have been wandering the streets in the mid 1940s near the Cedar Street Bar where de Kooning, Rothko, Newman, Kline, Reinhardt and a host of other painters, sculptors, poets and writers would argue. I’m sure some of the conversation would center around Kandinsky and his passages into non-objective art. The Guggenheim museum celebrating its 50th anniversary, was filled with more than 100 of his paintings.

As it turns out, Irene Guggenheim, Vasily Kandinsky, Hilla Rebay, and Solomon R. Guggenheim were all together in Dessau, Germany in July 1930. The show we witnessed in December cemented the symbiotic relationship between Wright’s brilliant museum and Kandinsky’s intelligent imagination. It was a challenging day starting with the artist’s last works at the top of the museum and slowly working our way down to the main floor taking in Kandinsky’s earliest works.

Brynna knows New York. I’m the tourist but as previously stated I’m sure I had an earlier existential life attempting to reconcile the duality of operating as artist and designer. My eyes scan the sidewalks, alleys, signage and especially the new Halls ads inside the subway on the way back to Queens, where it was still possible to find great accommodations for 90 dollars. Who cares if the view across the street was a cab depot with strange goings-on at 2AM.

Wow, I felt right at home peering at those large red noses and for the first time I felt as if I was part of an elite tribe. Speaking of tribes, Seth Godin’s Tribes is perfect airplane passenger reading.

Books, bookstores and newsstands abound, but nothing is like experiencing the New York Public Library reading room. The space is filled with the DNA and history of artists, writers, musicians, scientists, literary people and Joe off the street. More than 150 years old, the library is now a blend of laptops and very large dictionaries perched on the stately reading tables.

Renzo Piano’s New York Times building was a site to behold. Even more valuable was the chance to catch up with one of my past students, Jeremy Ziler. Originally a successful Fine Arts graduate, he wanders the vast open spaces like Citizen Cane. He’s the blog master and fully understands publishing and communications in the 21st century. No one denies the tactile pleasures of ink on paper but our digital environment is here to stay, like it or not. Piano’s design is featured in this documentary by Annie Leibovitz, Building the Times.

Finally it was time for theatre and the opportunity to experience the Tony Award winning performance, God of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza.  Actors Christine Lahti, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits and Ken Stott staged a biting comedy about two urban couples attempting to maturely resolve an altercation that occurred between their 11-year-old sons in a neighborhood park. Brynna my partner in love, art and religion argued about the minimalist stage with large textured oblique wall and the surrounding red Rothkoesque environment. I celebrated the stagecraft but changed my opinion after listening carefully to Brynna who designs for the theatre professionally.

More than 4 weeks have passed since returning from NYC, but I still feel like my brain has yet to be unpacked.

God said, “Let there be intelligent designers.”

LET THERE BE LIGHT but who discovered electricity? How many men and women have pondered the nature of the universe? What kind of mind defines the phenomenon of fractals? And, Moses received the Ten Commandments but who formulated the five principles of inductive reasoning? Who can imagine an English garden without roses? What of the impassioned poet writing 100 love sonnets made with words of stone and wood? He walked on water but what of the carpenter who designed a colorful system of interlocking blocks for children? Thou shall not worship idols but who continues to fashion pop stars and iPhones? The walls of Jericho came tumbling down but there was a soft-spoken trumpeter who built up soulful spaces between every note he played. This is not a series of religious questions but it is an affirmation of the emotional and intellectual DNA of the creative soul. Thank God for intelligent designers.

Children and Creativity

WATCHING CHILDREN PLAY IN THE 21st CENTURY is quite a new experience for all of us. From the cradle children are studied by neuroscientists, ethnographers, anthropologists, behaviorists, psychologists and a host of other experts for purposes of brand leveraging and marketing. Children are exposed to more than 3000 advertisements per day and they literally influence parental decisions regarding small scale purchases of “Sponge Bob” pillow cases and bed sheets to car purchases outfitted with a full compliment of electronic media. Children’s play in the digital age is completely programmed and internalized, kids are surrounded by action characters and situations they never invented. “Play Date” is an interesting concept, it is now a formalized ritual for dressing, eating, and acting out a completely scripted experience. Once upon a time there used to be a rich experience called, “Mom, I’m going next door to Jimmy’s house to finish our fort.” The fort was a beautiful thing fashioned with dirty little fingers and made of cardboard, crayons, paint, back-alley junk, rocks and dirt. Can anyone remember seeing one of these marvelous objects? Children can thrive doing more with much less, they don’t need all of the parts, they don’t need directed conclusions, they do require room for their imaginations. Watch Consuming Kids, a 7-part series sent to me by a student.

Can you read this on your mobile device?

MOBILE DEVISES ARE DANGEROUS for people who like to read. I’m now using one of these marvels of 21st century technology and I’m finding it very difficult to read electronic text only a few pixels high. Sure, it’s possible to increase the size of these miniature images but then you spend more time scrolling up and down and back and forth. Of course wrestling with the pages of very large Sunday newspapers back in the 20th century was also a challenge but at least I never struggled with reading all of the sections and inserts. (Someone just reminded me that newspapers are still with us.) How will constant miniaturized reading on mobile devices affect our children? It’s too late for me I’m already suffering. Where is the research? Google is flooded with the latest mobile device technology but there is little to be found on the web. Mike Masnick’s blog post dated May 2, 2006 Mobile Devices Destroying Our Eyesight is worth reading in larger print.

Reading is believing

WE DO KNOW READING is not always believing but knowing how to read empowers the individual to make critical decisions, change behaviors and inspire the imagination. With a population that is becoming increasingly illiterate, symbols, signs and other forms of visual communication are meaningless. The arts address metaphor, analogy, simile, irony and wit but these offer no context for those who cannot read. Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. Reading is an activity that involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader. It is an indulgence that enhances the knowledge acquired, consistently. The act of training young children to read is a celebratory experience, sensitive parents who interact with their children transform reading into an emotional and intellectual experience. Reading is a constructive act, John Berger said, When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story’s voice makes everything its own. Learn more: National Institute for Literacy

On ethics in the workplace

A COLLEAGUE CAME TO ME the other day in confidence asking for some insights regarding the delicate issue of ethics in the workplace. In a stressed economy it’s never easy to to make decisions driven from the conscience alone. The political landscape inside of troubled companies can be dangerous and fraught with poor communication and survivalist mentalities.

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) educator, politician and author poses a difficult dilemma, When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses. Idealists rarely become millionaires because they are consumed by human needs and social interactions. In terms of pure profit, unhealthy businesses and organizations rarely sustain themselves because they are incapable of creating vital interactive work environments. Myopic organizations rarely take the time to examine themselves in terms of moral and ethical rubrics. Decisions of the conscience are extremely difficult with life-changing consequences. Taking the long view, consistent moral and ethical behaviors will ultimately lead to more desirable and fruitful livelihoods.

Here are some excellent resources on this topic: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson | ASEA & the Center for Associate Leadership | Perspectives for Life and Work by Jeffrey W. Comment

No Logo and no Graphic Issues here

LOGOS ARE A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION in graphic design circles but here’s a very nice “No Logo” I discovered while on my way to the coffee shop for an early meeting. The sight of this little white scooter made me think of a story I read in the Wall Street Journal more than a dozen years ago. The topic was “naming” and the importance of building a new business with a brand name that sticks. As I remember, Mr. Anderson loved tinkering with and fabricating electronic toys in his parent’s garage, he later graduated to calculators and computers (sound familiar). Anderson decided to start his own computer repair business and soon became the proud owner of 5000 business cards with his new brand, “John Anderson Company” prominently printed on each card. John Anderson is not a name anyone would connect to computer repairs and of course it’s not a one-of-kind business moniker. Mr. Anderson decided he required professional assistance and soon made an appointment with a naming specialist. “Rent-a-Nerd” was the result of the interactions between the naming specialist and Mr. Anderson. Business took off and Mr. Anderson 5000 business cards were transformed into a paper sculpture by this kids.

“Computer Help” pictured above is the perfect No Logo small business. Beautiful white Vespa motor scooter, black type (Avant Garde Bold) and phone number, nothing more, nothing less. On first encounter the Vespa telegraphs friendly immediate service at your door. I phoned owner Steven Weisberg on Labor Day and he spoke of keeping his business simple. More, Important he told me he had worked in the corporate world and needed to find something more meaningful. After establishing a learning curve finding the right sources and people he started his own business more than ten years ago. Here is an excellent book on strategic branding I highly recommend No Logo by Naomi Klein.

Picasso and Cave Art vs The Chicago Bulls

PICASSO WAS ON MY MIND a few weeks ago as I was searching for his celebrated brush drawings of the bullfight. While scanning a number of choices I was startled when the Chicago Bulls logo appeared in close proximity to the bullfight drawing I was looking for. Also in the search were two ancient pictographs. Emerson once wrote, Man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose flower and fruitage is the world. Looking at the basketball logo I decided to find its origins. Ted W. Drake (1907-2000) designed the Bulls logo in 1966. He is best remembered for his Leprechaun for Notre Dame University. In the early 50s, Drake was the main commercial artist for Kukla, Fran and Ollie television puppet show. I’m not sure Emerson’s comment really applies here.  Does this logo really express a 21st century sports sensibility? Did it express the team’s qualities and attributes in the last century? I think not.

Pablo Picasso’s roots are much deeper, propelled by the discovery of ancient cave paintings in southern Spain and France he recognized the life and vitality within these images. The artist synthesized more than 20 thousand years in a few targeted strokes of brush and ink on paper. The animation of bull and matador is as beautiful as one of the many stellar performances of Michael Jordan and his celebrated team in Chicago. I think it’s time to look deeply into the past and play for keeps with a new logo that expresses emotion, action and dynamism. Here’s a good book by Randolf Feezell, Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection. Now I can return to my upcoming presentation on the power of signs and symbols.

Why don’t you attach a face to your story?

I CONTINUE TO BE AMAZED by the number of Facebook and Twitter users who remain faceless. Do you get annoyed when you do a search and see a very long line of anonymous silhouettes who can’t speak? In the last few months I’ve also been in a few scuffles with people who see no use for social networks. This is probably the fate of the faceless, they tried and then gave up. Perhaps it’s time to stop extolling the real benefits of electronic communities and work on my digital makeup. After all why worry about faces if there’s no story, no vision, no history, no values, no promises. Argue with me but I’m not sure there’s any value in tweeting the virtues of getting out of a cold shower, shaving under your arms with a new razor, (unless it was the best experience of your life and you name your brand) or taking the dog for a walk. I’m jealous of the Michelin Man, his face is so simple, so smooth, and so recognizable. Most important, Michelin Man represents a very compelling story every time the rubber meets the road. The moral of this story–Who are you, Why do you tweet and, Why is it important? Marty Neumeier has taught me more about storytelling than anyone I can think of. Here are three of Neumeier’s books well worth the read. The Brand Gap, Zag, and The Designful Company.

Discovering Sister Mary Corita Kent in Boston

SISTER MARY CORITA KENT came to my attention in Boston last week while I was browsing monographs on artists and designers in Brattle Book Shop. I picked up a large format book in a black binding with a beautiful white signature, “Corita.” Born 1918, in Fort Dodge, Iowa; Frances Kent moved to Vancouver in 1920 and Los Angeles in 1922. Entering the Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1936 as Sister Mary Corita, she attended Immaculate Heart College, and received her Masters Degree in Art History from the University of Southern California in 1951. Sister Corita taught art and was Chair at Immaculate Heart College until 1968. She left the Order in 1968 and moved to Boston to practice as a designer and artist. A lifelong social activist, Mary Kent developed a loyal following of luminaries such as, Buckminster Fuller, Charles and Ray Eames, Ben Shahn, and Daniel and Philip Berrigan. Buckminster Fuller described his visit to her classes as “among the most fundamentally inspiring experiences of my life.” On Sept. 18, 1986 Corita finally lost her battle with cancer and died in her own home. Visit The Corita Art Center online. I’m saddened that I looked at her only briefly many years ago but gratified about my discovery of this beautiful monograph. I also discovered a book by Sister Mary Corita and just placed the order. Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit.