Since 1954, I.D. has served as one of America’s leading critical magazines covering the art, business, and culture of design. Today it is with regret that we announce its closure. The January/February issue of I.D. will be its last; subscribers to I.D. will receive Print magazine for the balance of their subscription.
I used to buy every number of it when I was a junior interaction designer. It was fascinating to see those amazing projects and prototypes where technology met real atoms. You couldn’t (and still can not) see that in Spain. I even dreamt of working for the companies mentioned there: Pentagram, IDEO, Teague… After some time I felt that the interaction side of it was weak and form + firm was somehow more important for the Magazine than real life projects and I quitted buying it.
I don’t buy design magazines any more. Well, somtimes I pick Metropolis at a press kiosk in some internationa airport (it’s hard to find in Spain) but I mostly read about design on the web. I feel kind of sad, though. It was part of my professional life for some time.
If you, like us, happen to love Braun designs from the 50’s to the 80’s (you know, those by Dieter Rams, Hans Gugelot, etc.), I suggest you suscribe to Braun’s group on Flickr. From time to time you’ll find rare beauties like this one:
This transistor radio is considered to be one of the first contributions of functionalist Ulm Design School (HfG Ulm), Germany, to Braun, although the actual designers are never mentioned. This radio was meant for foreign markets and is oddly marked only as “foreign”. It seems that Ulm functionalists could cope with some color after all. Made of white and tan injected Polystyrene; the strap is Vinyl. It is 17,5 cm wide.
We’ve been condecorated. After a huge load of work we deserved a reward. You don’t deliver/launch three projects in one month and move to a new office all at the same time.
Four beautiful timepieces (just three on the picture) have arrived at the office, each for one of the cosmonauts. They all are the same: the classic SEIKO 6139-7100 Helmet (a.k.a. Darth Vader) a collectors item (Spanish) and a very reliable wristwatch.
These watches were released to the market around 1972 and after more than thirty years they work just nice. Here is a good picture where you can see its beauty. And errr… yes, they also have the “vostok palette”:
A while ago the NYTimes publised an article by Michael Cannel titled “Design Loves a Depression“, which puts a positive spin on the current economic shake-up.
This is not a celebratory moment for design. Design-related businesses, including my own, are suffering, and will most likely continue to face very difficult times in the coming year, at the very least. That said, I deeply resent the tone of comeuppance in Mr. Cannell’s article, his condescending, parochial-school-matronly, Calvinistic reproach of the design that flourished during what he refers to as the “economic boom.”
Which seems all nice and dandy, until you realize Mr. Moss is peddling this kind of nonesense at his “design related business”:
Excuse the quality of the photo, but it seems the profit margin on this $13,000 USD chair by Campana Brothers can’t buy a decent photographer. And taking a look at the rest of their catalog, one can’t help but wonder how they got started in the first place.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying that good design thrives during an economic downturn, but at least it gets rid of the chaff. Good luck Mr. Moss.
Image ©Fast Company
Image courtesy of Jay IntrenUK
