Blogs, News, and Other Links: August 2009

Arrows and Icons Launches

A new online magazine for the EGD community was launched this month.

EGD Tweeters

People and organizations in the EGD community that are on Twitter.

US Border Sign Removed

A sign at a US-Canada border crossing designed by Pentagram is being dismantled because of fears that it will be target for terrorists.

Signs at Historic Sites

Post on the National Trust Historic Sites blog about signs at historic sites.

National Signage Research and Education Conference

October 13-15 in Cincinnati.

College Students Build 'Wayfinder' For Their School

Two students at Simon Fraser University in Canada built an interactive "wayfinder" kiosk for navigating around the campus.

The Uproar Over IKEA's Typeface Change

There's a lot of chatter about this on the web.

Who is Dieter Rams?

Dieter Rams, born in 1932 in Germany, is one of the most influential industrial designers in the 20th and 21st centuries. He served in many capacities at Braun for 40 years, until 1995. Braun is a well-known German manufacturer of electronic consumer products. Braun products are characterized by simple, refined design with an emphasis on function and reasonable cost. He has influenced many younger designers, including Jonathan Ive, the head of design for Apple. Of particular interest to all designers is Dieter Rams' personal definition of "good design". A profile of the man, some of his work, and his definition can be see online at www.designmuseum.org.

How does the Dieter Rams' definition of "good design" apply to the design of architectural sign programs? Many sign installations are over-designed. They are aggressive and demand too much attention. They exhibit personal expression rather than problem solving. Architectural signs should take their place as part of the building, like a door hinge or window. It is the designer's job to find the solution which integrates the architectural sign program into the environment in which it is placed. The solution need not be bland, just not overdone.

Signs at the border

Fast Company has published a short interview with Michael Beirut of Pentagram on the subject of the recent decision to dismantle a set of 21’ high letters designed for the US crossing station at the Canadian border in Massena, NY. The story briefly describes the chronology of design, and the subsequent decision to remove the letters for security reasons. I was impressed by Beirut’s subtle discussion of the issues at hand and his determination not to fall into the easy and predictable mode of good design advocate vs. bureaucratic cretins. I was particularly moved by his awareness of the difficult tasks facing individuals who are charged with insuring our safety and security. This is a good read!

Click here to read the interview.

Microsoft to release web versions of Office apps

There was a story on NPR's "Morning Edition" this morning about the rise of web applications for word processing, spreadsheets, and other office needs. Google and others have had their own versions of these online apps out for a while now, but soon Microsoft will be jumping into the mix with free online versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint when Office 2010 is released next year.

Click here to listen to the NPR story.