“… the act of feeling frustrated is an essential part of the creative process. Before we can find the answer — before we can even know the question — we must be immersed in disappointment, convinced that a solution is beyond our reach. We need to have wrestled with the problem and lost. Because it’s only after we stop searching that an answer may arrive.”
From Jonah Lehrer’s Imagine: How Creativity Works, illustrated by Flash Rosenberg
As part of 2012 Modernism Week Palm Springs, I sat in on a “Color + Modernism” lecture by the designers of the brand-spankin-new-brighter-than-a-Lite-Brite hotel across town, The Saguaro.
The architects, Stamberg & Aferiat, imparted an important little nugget of advice which is a huge part of their design philosophy: Do not fear color. Many people associate modernism with pure white– the minimalist’s dream. This is partially due to the fact that, as modernism emerged in the mid-century, black & white photography couldn’t convey color that was used in architecture. Everything appeared to be monochromatic, when in reality bright bursts of color were often essential to the building’s design.
Color with intention, that is. The hues for the Saguaro reflect colors found in indigenous wildflowers of the Southwest. So somehow, despite being the visually loudest building for miles, it makes sense in its surroundings.
Some of Stamberg & Aferiat’s other buildings are fascinating case studies of color in architecture, such as the Shelter Island Pavilions in New York.
I am inspired to not wear black and grey every day this week. Getting crazy up in here.
I just read the most interesting article: “A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design” by Bret Victor. (Written in response to Microsoft’s recent “Productivity Future Vision” video)
The capabilities of the human hand as demonstrated by Victor
A newbie to mobile UI design myself over the past few months, I’m observing more closely how we interact with our current technology. Tapping, swiping, expanding and retracting our fingers on a glass screen to get a desired outcome. Microsoft’s vision of the future is full of this touchscreen technology. But Victor believes our future products should provide a more tactile experience and should better cater to all of the incredible capabilities of our human hands.
We live in a three-dimensional world. Our hands are designed for moving and rotating objects in three dimensions, for picking up objects and placing them over, under, beside, and inside each other. No creature on earth has a dexterity that compares to ours… And this is my plea — be inspired by the untapped potential of human capabilities. Don’t just extrapolate yesterday’s technology and then cram people into it.
It will be interesting to see how our tools and devices operate in five, ten years. If we will still be tapping glass, or if the design community will come up with a better solution. I’ll put my thinking cap on.
On a side note, if you watched the Microsoft video, please explain to me why the woman had to fly to Johannesburg to participate in a virtual meeting??
This year’s film fest was another success. I was able to see 7 films this year, 6 of which were very enjoyable. I guess there’s always one stinker to balance it out (I won’t name names). If you get the chance, check out any of the following. I know at least 2 are up for wide release in the coming months.
Film descriptions from the 23rd Annual Palm Springs Film Festival Supplement.
1. The Loving Story (USA)
In 1958, a white man and a part-black, part-Cherokee woman were convicted of breaking Virginia’s law against interracial marriage. This eye-opening documentary examines the overlooked story of this couple’s courageous fight and the Supreme Court case that resulted.
2. A Separation (Iran)
A secular middle-class family in the midst of upheaval winds up in conflict with an impoverished religious one. Formally dense and morally challenging, this Berlin Golden Bear winner casts a revealing light on contemporary Iranian society, taking on issues of gender, class, justice and honor.
3. Sound of My Voice (USA)
Gripping mind games come into play when two documentary filmmakers infiltrate a cult and find themselves drawn in by the charismatic leader– a woman (co-writer Brit Marling, of Another Earth fame) who purports to be from the future. Smart, compelling science fiction.
4. Declaration of War (France)
Taking a serious story about a couple whose baby is diagnosed with cancer, Donzelli turns expectations upside-down by using jump cuts, musical numbers, bright color palette, and low-budget enthusiasm of the New Wave to fashion a delightful and moving gem.
5. Almanya, Welcome to Germany (Germany)
Neatly structured into two interwoven time frames, this charming, colorfully styled comedy centers on multiple generations of a German-Turkish clan, and derives its touching, laugh-out-loud humor from cultural misunderstandings and the question of what constitutes a national identity.
6. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (UK)
This witty rom-com revolves around the effort to make the impossible possible, as a reticent bureaucrat joins forces with a determined legal representative to introduce fly fishing into the Middle East.
Love this Chipotle ad. The style & music perfectly complement the message: keep things simple & natural.
This week, I had the chance to sit in on a conversation with designer extraordinaire Paula Scher as part of the RE:Design Conference held at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.
Two words: Wise. Lady.
Stealth snap.
For having such an influence on the world of design, she was quite humble and honest about her own journey.
For example, while designing the logo for Citibank in the 90′s, she admitted feeling somewhat imbalanced and unhappy. Having to deal with the bureaucratic processes of a huge corporation (going through approvals, trying to please higher-ups, etc.) in combination with the “invisible” nature of digital work, she craved making something tangible that allowed her complete creative control. And so was born her personal project of abstract, typographic maps painted with acrylic on huge canvases.
Tsunami, 2006
She explained that although things are in all the wrong places, cities are misspelled, and the maps don’t really make sense, she has complete control over the content and is able to express her feelings about the events in a particular location.
It’s something to think about: at any moment, you have the choice and the power to create work you love, that you control. It’s easy to get caught up in completing all the assigned tasks on deadline and catering to the needs and opinions of others… but at the expense of losing touch with raw creativity. A designer needs both to sustain a happy career. Or as Paula put it, “Do the work you need to do to fuel the work you want to do.” Balance.
The rest of the conversation circled many topics, including the shifting relationship between graphic design and the music industry. Paula’s first job was designing album art for CBS and Atlantic records. Not so long ago, the album cover served as an identity badge for a band; yet over the course of a couple decades, it has been reduced to a collapsible icon in the corner of iTunes. Sure, you can still buy a hardcopy CD if you choose. But streaming seems to be the way of the future. What does this mean for the branding of an artist and how the user experiences their music? Food for thought.
Aside from the keynote conversation with Paula Scher, I wasn’t able to attend any other part of the conference. But based on how inspired I felt after one hour, I’m really interested in attending the whole thing next year.
Afterward, I came home and stumbled upon her insightful TED talk from a few years ago. Definitely a well-spent 20 minutes if you have it.
© Palm Springs Life
Lately I’ve been knee deep in our magazine archives for a project. Sweet discovery– I am LOVING these illustrated vintage Palm Springs Life covers from the 50s and 60s. So fun!
We will be selling prints in the next coming months.
UPDATE: For those of you inquiring, yes– vintage prints are now on sale. Click here and fill out the online form. We can print any cover available in the archives.
