Curated Design:Related Inspirations

George Nelson (1908-1986) and the Pretzel Chair

Sat, 31 May 2008 18:52:55 PDT

In honor of George Nelson’s 100th birthday, Vitra has released a special re-edition (limited to 1,000) of Nelson’s Pretzel Chair (from 1952).

“n the 1950s, George Nelson and his New York office developed a series of individually expressive seating furniture, a number of which have long established themselves as classics. In 1952, predating the famous Coconut Chair or the Marshmallow Sofa, he designed a chair made of moulded plywood originally referred to simply as the “Laminated Chair”. The bold and elegant curve of the seat back and armrest soon earned it the nickname Pretzel Chair...” —from Vitra

The Pretzel Chair is by no means representative of George Nelson’s full body of work. He began his career as an architect. But when there weren’t enough new projects coming in, he turned his creativity and talents towards other areas of design, including graphic, furniture, and interior design. George Nelson was also the Associate Editor of Architectural Forum magazine from 1935-1943.

When I think of George Nelson the first designs that come to mind are his clock designs for Howard Miller (Herman Miller’s brother). The AIGA has a great article on Nelson’s legacy and also showcases the variety in his design portfolio. One of my favorites is his simplistic package design system for Abbott Laboratories (seen below)

excerpt of Articulating the Eye by Judith Nasatir:

“George Nelson was not a graphic designer. He called himself, simply, a designer. He practiced a variety of the so-called design disciplines during his fifty-odd calendar years of ceaseless professional activity. His formal training was in architecture. He became extremely well known as a furniture designer, an industrial designer, an interior designer and exhibition designer. He was in the vanguard of a quiverful of design "disciplines" which were only becoming bona fide professions, or at least ways to make a living, at the same time he began to turn his hand to them. Or when he began to write about them. Or when he began to do the work that proliferated and sneaked in many, often unexpected, directions.”

(all images of the Pretzel Chair seen here are © Vitra Design Museum)

I'm a Happy Eater pin illustration

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:50:57 PDT

By charity shopper via flickr

LEGO Game of Thrones stop-motion intro animation

Sat, 19 May 2012 22:13:00 PDT

Using an assortment of LEGO blocks and K'NEX, MatthewP and Monica Garcia of Pure Imagine Inc. meticulously created this fun stop-motion animation parody of the opening intro for the HBO show, Game of Thrones.

(above: opening for Game of Thrones season 2)

Korean Children's Book Covers (1960's)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:40:00 PDT

50 Watts has a lovely round up of Korean children's book covers from the 1960s (above: The Cable Car, 1964, cover design by Yi Eok-yeong). As a Korean American designer, these stood out to me not necessarily for their aesthetics or design sensibilities, but as strong works that are indicative of Korean art and culture from a post-war era.

(above: A Child From a Mountain Village, 1965, cover design by Baek Yeong-su)

(above: Stories of Great People, 1960)

(above: Blue Dreams Are High in the Sky, 1962, collection of stories)

See all 25 covers on 50 Watts

Handmade felt pins

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:23:41 PDT

Dandy Brand on etsy has a collection of felt pins constructed of felt, fabric, and vintage buttons (mostly owls at the moment).

Best of British - Part 2

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:19:49 PDT

More 'Best of British'
featuring the works of Emma Graves , Greg Heinimann, Jamie Keenan, Jonathan Gray, Julie Jenkins, Holly Macdonald, Katie Tooke, Lucy Stevensons, and James Hutcheson.

Designer: Greg Heinimann
Client: William Heinemann
Web

Designer: Lucy Stevens
Client: Virgin Books
Web

Designer: Jonathan Gray
Client: Visual Editions
Web

Best Of British!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:17:46 PDT

With such a busy year here in England, with various celebrations, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics this summer, I thought it would be great to celebrate too! So, with that in mind I bring to you ‘the best of British!’ Over the next few months I will be posting work from Designers, Artists and Photographers. So, watch this space, it could be you! (that’s if you live in Britain of course!)

Designer: Dan Mogford
Client: Portobello Books
Web

Designer: Anna Morrison
Client: HarperCollins
Web

So, got your mouth watering yet? You can go to my blog to see more. There is more to come in the next few weeks!

animating vinyl with analog light

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:33:00 PDT

Michael Hansen designed a minimalist album cover for the classical composer Allan Gravgaard Madsen. What makes the packaging especially unique is that one side of the vinyl has a “Crystal Tapestry” pattern which correlates to the front of the album. On the other side of the record, concentric dots give the illusion of a wave.

“My idea was to translate Allan’s sensorial music into a visual experience with elements of sensuality. The album is separated on the records two sides. There is not an A- or B-side. Each has its own front page; Waves is a visualisation of the music performed by nine trumpets in a line. I made it as simple as possible with nine circles on a line. Crystal Tapestry is a pattern of crystals that has no front or back end, it refers to a crystal that merge into it self. Inside I made a visualisation that combines the two sides, a crystalized wave. On the record i created patterns that gives the design a visual sensuality. I made an analog animation with a 50 Hz strobe lamp and made it interact with the music.” —Michael Hansen

Off Book: The art of film and TV design

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:11:00 PDT

PBS Arts Off Book takes a deeper look at Film and TV title credits and their designs.

The featurette includes Peter Frankfurt and Karin Fong (Imaginary Forces), Ben Conrad (Logan) and Jim Helton, director of Blue Valentine.

Conrad talks about the marriage between type and image in Zombieland in a brief interview with the film Art of the Title.

The credits are either the first or the last thing we see when we watch a great film or TV show, but the complexity and artistry of title design is rarely discussed. Creators of title sequences are tasked to invent concepts that evoke the core story and themes of the production, and to create a powerful visual experience that pulls the viewer into the film's world. In this episode we hear the stories of some of the most inventive people working in the field, including the creators of the iconic Mad Men sequence, the hilarious Zombieland opening and "rules" sequences, and the stirring end credits from Blue Valentine.

Book landscape sculptures by Guy Laramee

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:39:26 PDT

These beautiful, meticulously crafted book sculptures by artist Guy Laramee combine sweeping landscapes with a sense of spirituality.

See more on Colossal (via kastormag via lost at e minor)