Writing

The recent release of Apple’s iPad was met with the usual excitement, but behind the hype, it raises several interesting design issues not being discussed. Reviews of technology generally focus on issues such as memory, battery life, number of applications, and speed. Such technical issues are free from any risk by the reviewer because they […]

I received “One Year of White Pages” as a gift for Christmas. Each month is identified by corresponding dots aligned in a vertical row. I appreciated the simple and elegant design solution until the month of June arrived.  It was in this fifth month of the year that the system of counting failed to work. […]

In 1959,  Annie Albers wrote in her book Annie Albers: On Designing, “Though only a few penetrate the screen that habits of thought and conduct form in their time, it is good for all of us to pause sometimes, to think, wonder, and maybe worry; to ask where are we now?” In my opinion, Albers poses […]

The flat files were designed to store my collection of Posters from Basel, Switzerland. Carles designed them so that the drawers aligned so that, when opened, the drawers could rest on the wood projections on the facing side. This created a large viewing surface and provided stability so the drawers would not need to be held in place to prevent them from falling.

Carles Vallhonrat designed my studio when I lived in Philadelphia. This ladder was constructed with over six hundred pieces of wood and used no glue joints. The smaller unit  shown in the bottom image pulls out exposing the steps and slides back into the main structure when the ladder is not in use.

Designed by architect Carles Vallhonrat, these unique book shelves were created as a wall, specifically for this space. The concept of the angles allows books to remain tightly stacked without the aid of bookends. The center space has a dimmer light above and a flat surface that enables a book to be read without leaving the space.

If you are lost and decide to find your way out of the desert by walking in a straight line, eventually you will return to the place where you started. Because one leg is longer than the other…

Few things exist in our culture that are more universally recognizable than letterforms. Their instant accessibility to a mass audience explains why they are so frequently utilized to create symbols and logotypes and why they are so important to the education of graphic design students. Before we learn our ABCs, letters are abstract shapes with […]