There’s this myth that designers aspire to be artists. No — designers aspire to be really great designers.
MoMA’s Paola Antonelli on the evolving definition of design, why she brought Pac-Man to the museum, and the dissolution of the artificial divide between “high” and “low” culture.
Antonelli’s most recent MoMA show, Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects, speaks powerfully to that evolving definition.
The last Incan suspension bridge is made entirely of grass, woven by hand, and at least 500 years old. Compare and contrast with the story of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The London Tube map recreated in LEGO – great addition to these creative derivatives of the iconic map.
Also see this pictorial history of how the Tube shaped London.
Recovering the Classics – a crowdsourced collection of reimagined covers of classic books. Complement with these delightful art and design projects inspired by literary classics.
Playing off Chuck Close’s timeless wisdom, photographer David duChemin explores 5 mindsets for increasing creativity.
Also see this vintage 5-step technique for producing ideas, Arthur Koestler on how creativity works, John Cleese’s 5 factors to make your life more creative, and how to master your creative routine.
NeuroKnitting – knitted garments that visualize the wearer’s affective states while listening to the aria and the first seven variations of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Pair with Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects.
Wonderful animated adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale The Happy Prince. Pair with these equally lovely animated adaptations of Bukowski’s “The Blue Bird” and Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.
Oh, amazing planet: Stunning portraits of Canadian moths by photographer Jim des Rivières. A fine addition to these extraordinary photos of animals like you’ve never seen them before.
So lovely, so workday-appropriate: How to hibernate like a bear – a vintage illustrated guide by none other than the Provensens.
After the brilliant 100 Books That Should Be Written, another gem from the SVA Masters of Branding 100 Days project assignment: Randy Gregory proposes 100 Ways to Improve the Subway for the 1.6 billion riders who take to NYC’s underground each year, with ideas ranging from stair lighting in stations (above) to gym-style flooring in cars to exit signs that actually tell you where you’re going.
How legendary editor Ursula Nordstrom cultivated the genius of Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 — May 8, 2012) – an infinitely heartening letter to young Sendak, 1961.
