Design from Brooklyn with Love

A few weeks ago, a few of us went to see Massimo Vignelli (Martin Scorcese of Graphic Design) speak at an AIGA event. Since pretty much everything that came out of his mouth was quotable, I’ll just let him do the talking. Here’s some of the best nuggets:

“Without a grid I’m lost”

“A chair is more important for your head than it is for your ass.”
Discussing his love for a Rietvelt chair

“Design and fashion are big enemies”

“Obsolescence is morally despicable.”
In reference to the fashion industry

“If you can’t find it, design it”
On finding a good suit

“The culture of refinement is much bigger than the culture of change.”
Thoughts on typefaces

“Émigré is the worst thing that happened to the country”

“There is no room for irresponsible design.”

“I was very happy to design a church because I’m not a very religious person, but you never know”

“I got the idea for the church pews from a toilet seat.”
In reference to folding pews

“Design is a continuous orgasm.”

“I’m terrorized by oblivion”

“The opposite of modern is contemporary. Contemporary is trendy”

“We never figured out how to make politicians modern. They’re still old farts. Except Gore, we miss him.”

Amen, Massimo.

I was pretty amped this past Thanksgiving, almost solely for the fact that I actually got to drink on a holiday. My family doesn’t really partake in such festivities. But my friends do, and being that this was my first Thanksgiving ever outside the company of my mother and father, we did indeed drink.

Thankfully for me, Hyperakt has friends in all the right places. We call Death & Co., Public, and Pegu Club watering holes. If you know them, you would know what it means not to drink on Thanksgiving.

What I hadn’t realized, before Turkey Day, was that my buddy Nate Dumas (Pegu, Public) has been recently dabbling in the world of Video Podcasting. Along with an old aquaintance, Matt Bethancourt, he has been sharing his expertly crafted drink recipes with the (general) public. The thought sprung on the two after witnessing the distasteful & dangerous attempts at cocktail video-casts currently on the scene. For those of us who prefer to sip something more sophisticated and palatable than a PBR or Gin & Tonic, Cocktail Kitchen is a pretty decent remedy. And for me, I can’t say I didn’t chuckle watching a good friend get drunk while trying to be his professional self.

So, we recently sent out a survey to our clients. Among other things, we were wondering what 80’s power ballads came to mind when they thought of us, and what they thought Hyperakt could be if not a design studio. It’s really interesting to see what people think. Also, it’s a good way to find out what music might get them ‘in the mood’. Here’s some of the results.

If Hyperakt were an 80’s power ballad, which would it be?
1. ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’ - Meatloaf
2. ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’
3. Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’
4. ‘Cherry Pie’, ‘Sister Christian’, or any of Whitesnake’s gems…maybe ‘Home Sweet Home’ by Motley Crue
5. What is a power ballad?
6. ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ by Foreigner
7. ‘We Are The Champions!’
8. ‘Sister Christian’ :)

If you didn’t know Hyperakt was a design studio and you saw or heard the name, what would you think it was?
1. Childhood disease
2. A communications company or energy delivery :)
3. One of those shows like Della Guarda or Smilla’s Snow Show
4. A superstar drum and bass dj duo, which may not be as bad as it sounds.
5. I’d think you guys were movie or sound production studio
6. A very rushed acting studio.
7. Some kind of energy drink
8. Geez, this is really going to date me but having had a hyperactive child, I would think (or hope) it was a special day group.
10. Software or something interactive/digital based

Like vocab? This is a charity, Free Rice, which combines a simple vocabulary game with donating rice to fight world hunger. 10 grains of rice for each word you get right, so get your dictionaries out!

I am in the market for a list of competent graphic design or typography-related podcasts. Any suggestions?

I’ve been listening to Typeradio, but have honestly found myself a little disappointed with the interviews. Despite an offering of a great range of influential designers in the archives there seems to be little depth in the substance, with too many one-off questions which often never develop in to interesting conversation. Peter Bilak even mentions this in the first part of his own Typeradio interview.

So, that said, I’d like to find a podcast that proves both engaging and informative. Not too much to ask is it? What I’ve found so far (but haven’t honestly spent much time with) is Be A Design Cast, a seemingly good humored and wide-ranging show; gpkcast, a decidedly progressive, academic-feeling (not to mention infrequent) podcast from Art Center College of Design; and The Mill podcast , a behind the scenes peek at a motion graphics trickery. Each have their benefits, I just wish that Ellen Lupton, Khoi Vinh and Armin Vit could all just get together and have talks with the best of the best.

Maybe that is too much to ask…

Next time you’re having one of those urges to hit your favorite fast-food chain from when you were a kid (or just fatter), consider using this website as your willpower tool. You’ll at least never look at a fried fish sammich from a drive-thru the same. ever. Visit the ‘West Virginia Surf Report’. Look and laugh/gag.