ISTD Lecture – Wim Crouwel

Posted on June 3, 2009September 10, 2010 Posted in Design, Design Legends, Events, Grid Systems, International Typographic Style, TypographyTagged design legend, event, graphic design, lecture, legend, minimalism, modernism, wim crouwel12 Comments

For all you lucky folks in the UK, there’s going to be a lecture tonight with Wim Crouwel. I’d love to go to this. Someone needs to get this guy to NYC! Anyway, here are the details:

The International Society of Typographic Designers is pleased to announce the return or their acclaimed lecture series. The first of which on the 3 June will be Wim Crouwel. The Dutch legend will be introduced by 8vo’s Hamish Muir, who will talk about the studio’s work that was commissioned by Crouwel when he was director of the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen (1989 — 1994).

Crouwel’s lecture, Designer and Client, will take place at the The Royal College of Physicians’ Wolfson Lecture Theatre, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4LE (19.00 — 21.30).

Tickets are limited, likely to sell out quickly and are only available in advance from istd.org.uk/wim-crouwel. £16 (£12 for ISTD members, £10 for students)

Attendees will be invited to celebrate the ISTD’s 80th birthday with a complimentary drink in the Dorchester Library after the lecture.
Tickets also include entry to a raffle for the chance to win a very special prize which will be presented by Crouwel himself.

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman

Posted on March 10, 2009March 10, 2009 Posted in Architecture, Books, Events, Films, PhotographyTagged Architecture, documentary, film, minimalism, modernism, Photography4 Comments

Visual Acoustics is a documentary film by Eric Bricker that explores the career of the extraordinary architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. His aesthetics, composition and style create timeless photographs that epitomize modern architecture. Shulman is easily one of my favorite photographers.

Unfortunately there isn’t a good online gallery of his complete work, you have to do some searching to find most of it. But there is an amazing book set titled Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered that catalogues his personal archives. Gotta get my hands on a copy.

The film is being screened in limited cities, one of which isn’t NYC, which I don’t understand. Shulman himself will be speaking at some of the screenings and if you’re lucky enough to be in one of these cities, definitely check it out. It’s should be a good one.

The Practice Sessions

Posted on February 23, 2009February 23, 2009 Posted in Design, EventsTagged conference, discussion, graphic design, students2 Comments

The Practice Sessions is a workshop and panel discussion by Frank Chimero, Duane King, Matt Owens and myself that’s taking place at the National Student Show & Conference from April 2 – 4 in Dallas, Texas. The Practice Sessions was created by Thinking for a Living, an ever-growing platform dedicated to the concept of open source design education. Through a network of topic specific design sites with a focus on education and resources, we share our thoughts, inspirations, critical analysis, design histories and individual experiences relating to a career in design.

I’m looking forward to meeting all of you talented students out there. If you’re an AisleOne reader and attending the conference, definitely come by and say hi.

Otl Aicher and the 1972 Munich Olympics

Posted on December 19, 2008September 10, 2010 Posted in Books, Design, Design Legends, Events, Grid Systems, International Typographic StyleTagged brand, collection, design legend, games, graphic design, grid system, icons, indentity, International Typographic Style, Otl Aicher, posters9 Comments

When it comes to my top three most influential designers of all time, the list includes Josef Muller-Brockmann, Wim Crouwel, and Otl Aicher.

Otl Aicher is a legendary designer and one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th Century. He’s responsible for many incredible designs, but he’s most famous for the work he did for the 1972 Munich Olympics. He created a beautiful and elegant design system on top of a functional grid system for the entire games that covered all visual aspects including posters, books, catalogues, flags, mascots, medals, tickets and stationery.

To honor all this work and to create an ongoing collection, this site was created. The collection includes pieces that span the entire visual identity for the games, many of which I’ve never seen before.

A few months ago an exhibit was held in San Jose California that focused on all the work done by Aicher for the games. What I would have done to have been able to see it in person. If you’re one of the unlucky souls who wasn’t able to visit, there is a Flickr set of the exhibit.

Recently, I’ve become obsessed with obtaining items from the games. Considering that the Olympics happened in the 70’s and it’s become pretty popular among the design community, most of it is hard to find and expensive. I’ve managed to get my hands on a few things, which I’ll be photographing and adding to my Flickr page very soon, but my “holy grail” is Die Spiele (The Games), a 3 volume set covering the design, execution and usage of the entire visual identity for the games. It’s a damn gold mine! I’ve seen it on ebay only 3 times in the last year and all 3 times I’ve lost the auction because the price went too high. I’ll get a set one day. Anyway, here is a nice Flickr set showing the interior pages of Die Spiele. Get a bib because you’re going to drool.

The image above is the from the excellent Blanka Flickr set. You can also see more juicy stuff here and here and in the Otl Aicher Group.

Doane Paper Giveaway has Ended!

Posted on December 8, 2008January 26, 2010 Posted in Design, Events, Grid Systems, MerchTagged giveaway, grid system, grids, lines, notebook, pad, paper2 Comments

The giveaway has now ended and the winners have been contacted by email. Thanks to everyone for the great response and for participating. I definitely plan to do more of these so stay tuned for more free goodies!

I want to thank again Chad of Doane Paper for supplying the notebooks and making this possible. Thanks!

Doane Paper Utility Notebook Giveaway

Posted on November 24, 2008November 24, 2008 Posted in Design, Events, Grid Systems, MerchTagged giveaway, grid system, grids, lines, notebook, pad, paper156 Comments

I’m proud to announce the very first AisleOne giveaway! This site has generated a great following and it’s time for me to give back to you guys so in partnership with Doane Papers we’re giving away 3 packs of 3 Utility Notebooks!

What is Doane Papers and what are Utility Notebooks?
Doane Papers is a company by Chad Doane that makes pads and notebooks featuring his patent pending Grid+Lines stationery design that combines the benefits of grid and ruled lines onto a single sheet of paper. The Utility Notebook makes use of Grid+Lines pattern in a small and portable notebook.

How do I win?
There are 3 easy ways to win:

1. Leave a comment on this post. (Make sure to supply a valid email address when submitting a comment.)
2. Subscribe to the RSS feed (Click the link or you can subscribe below.)
3. Subscribe to daily email updates below.

Do all three and increase your chances of winning.

***On Sunday December 7th I will randomly select 3 winners and will announce them on Monday December 8th.***

I want to thank Chad for supplying the notebooks and good luck to everyone. Please make sure to use a valid email address when adding a comment or subscribing that way I can contact you if you win.

Utility Notebook Features
Constructed by Portland’s Pinball Publishing
Notebook Size – 3.5” x 5.5”
Grid Size – .125” (.3175 cm) x .125” (.3175 cm)
Wide (Legal) Ruled Line Spacing
48 Pages per notebook
100 LB Cover Stock covers
80 LB Text Stock content pages
Rugged 3 staple saddle-stitch binding
Made in the U.S.A.