- tony brock

a former instructor of mine while in grad school at ncsu, tony constantly questions how we should be educating our students and what constitutes “education”. he also questions — rightly — what we value as educators and how that reflects/informs our lives more holistically. (re-read quote for reference)

- me

is it conceited to quote myself? i thought it was rather good, so why not?

“tim brown urges designers to think big” is the title of this TED talk, and of course it contains a lot of great ideas concerning the kinds of questions we are asking about how design can help people, the value of rapid prototyping, and the value of what our “priesthood of design” is currently making.

i’m headed to raleigh, north carolina today to attend and do a workshop at ncsu’s biennial graduate symposium. this year’s title is “design, community and the rhetoric of authenticity”. elliott earls, brenda laurel, jon sueda are all speaking, so it should be stimulating. continue reading >>

why is it that creatives in general, and artists in particular, are always encouraged to “get serious” with their careers by treating it as a business? why is business a more legitimate concern in our society, indeed in our entire world, than artmaking and creative activity? continue reading >>

i recently saw a lecture in which a large design studio showcased a huge range of research and design solutions for converse and “all stars” in particular. it is probably just my personal background and beliefs clouding my judgement, but the more i watched this presentation, the more i because nauseous about the careful scrutiny and subsequent commodification of alternative/youth/creative/rebellious culture. continue reading >>

i just watched this video (embedded after the jump) from elliott earls, artist in residence for graphic design at cranbrook academy of art. it was a great reminder for me that the form and how it is made is incredibly important. continue reading >>

– sol lewitt

but can’t the same be said for any job? should we not want to create and produce simply because we are intrinsically compelled?

– john muir

(from a message to the 1908 Governors Conference on Conservation)

labor day weekend i found myself meandering through a buffet line when i picked up a napkin before retreating to my seat. that napkin was designed to look like an american flag. continue reading >>