A bicycle rack on 9th + 39th designed by David Byrne.
Category: Design
Dieter Rams design
I recently pulled a Dylan and went electric. I’d been using disposable razors for years, relying on those inexpensive 10-pack single-blade disposables from Duane Reade. My skin has always been extremely sensitive, making daily shaving torturous, no matter what the razor or cream. And Gillette has gone so far with whatever Mach they’re on (5 blades?) with a design so pumped that it looks ridiculous. So I went on a hunt for the same type of electric that my father got me when I graduated from high school: the classic Braun electric shaver.
My original Braun (1989) was similar to the original Dieter Rams design for Braun. It was smart and simple design that fit comfortably in the hand during a shave. The design was in perfect keeping with Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design:
- Good design is innovative
- Good design makes a product useful
- Good design is aesthetic
- Good design makes a product understandable
- Good design is unobtrusive
- Good design is honest
- Good design is long-lasting
- Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
- Good design is environmentally friendly
The result was a pretty close shave without the burn, all with a tool that was easy to use and easy on the eyes.
2010 Series 1 design
Unfortunately, the sexy simplicity of Rams’ design was nowhere to be found. In keeping with the design of so many things in our current cultural climate, the Braun series of shavers has sadly gone the way of so much “now” design, like cars (SUVs), furniture, clothes, tits, lips, hair and even websites, i.e. pumped-up, over-thought and over-produced. The end result is like an aging heartthrob, desperately trying to look so very young, so very hot, so very right now.
While I’m perfectly happy with the shave that I get from my new $44 Braun Series 1 shaver, I look at it and see a design that is just trying way too hard.
blah
Using still photographs I took, along with my own voiceover, I essentially created a slideshow that outlines my aesthetic and what turns me on in terms of design. I love my job, but my favorite part of the gig is actually designing [which, as any web designer will tell you, is not always the biggest slice of the project pie...].
Tom Ford
Back in December, Tom Ford appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Ford was an extremely interesting interview, touching upon the choices he made when writing, directing and designing his debut film The Single Man.
Even more interesting – prompted by Terry Gross’s questions – he details his theories behind his debut collection for the nearly bankrupt Gucci in 1994 and the ensuing provocative ad campaigns. Ford’s views on sex and sexuality in a given cultural climate in our country are right on. And when he talks about the grotesque “pumped up” monsters we’re creating today at the gym, at the plastic surgeon and at the auto manufacturers, he nails it on the head.
Enjoy this extremely interesting interview with an extremely interesting man…
Listen to the interview with Tom Ford on Fresh Air
WNYC’s Sara Fishko covers the fascinating tale of New York’s first fashion week. In the audio is an over-the-phone chat with the amazing and hilarious Polly Mellen, who was the Creative Director of Allure when I worked for Garren in the 1990s. She was bar none my favorite industry client.
And here’s a link to the article on WNYC’s website, which includes a couple of photos and some YouTube video:
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/150034
photo by David Bartolomi
I just overhauled photographer David Bartolomi’s website with an entirely new structure under the hood. Originally, the site was a simple Flash interface featuring 6 different galleries of David’s work, as well as text-based pages for his credits, bio and contact info.
The new version is essentially the same outside, but totally different inside, enabling direct linking to specific pages of the site. Also, David’s photo galleries are powered by Slideshow Pro Director, which provides David with an incredibly powerful and useful system for uploading and managing the photo content of his website.
This structure for Flash websites, enabling direct linking to specific pages of the Flash site, is not necessarily new, but definitely becoming more of the norm in Flash design.
Check out David’s website: www.davidbartolomi.com (Flash only)
UNIQLO – the Japanese clothing design company – has the most delightful web installation I’ve ever seen. It is a real-time clock, called the UNIQLOCK, set to timed dancing to music. The music must always be 120 bpm (beats per minute) so the girls are timed as beautifully and perfectly as they are. I’ve been known to stare at this for a substantial chunk of minutes because it’s so damn entrancing.
Everytime you go to the UNIQLOCK, you may never hear the same music or see the same color palette twice, since it seems to rotate randomly. Simply beautiful. View Full Article »
The ideas and process behind the making of The Manhattan Transfer’s official website, launched in September 2009.
The Blog is a new platform by me, featuring postings on the latest happenings and whatnots with GHX International, including web design, the Tip of the Week, observations, ideas and news.
The key to a successful blog is activity. The death of a blog is lack of activity. I hope to keep this sucker living and breathing with some interesting topics and discussions about what’s going on with the web and with my passions that nurture it, like music, film, video, photography and art.
Stay tuned…
George Hahn