How can we create beautifully functioning, robust, intuitive user interfaces and engaging online experiences if creative are completely divorced from the rest of the process?
Just an observation and something that has cropped up more and more in various places. I’m stunned that ten plus years down the line into the life of digital agencies proper integration between teams is still a rarity.
Interaction design is driven by information and needs. Without this we (designers) are merely decorators.
I know I’m not shy of a Paul Rand quote on this blog, and I won’t hesitate here.
Image from the book “Paul Rand: Conversations with Students” available on Amazon.
[Note: This has nothing to do with my current place of employment. Thankfully, we have our discipline integration pretty nailed.]
Following up on my post about Paul Rand from a few days ago, check out this video of Steve Jobs commenting on his working relationship with Paul Rand in the early 90s when Rand did the Next computers logo.
Michael Bierut is a partner at Pentagram, an international design agency with offices in both Europe and the US. In my previous life, I blogged about a book he wrote ‘79 short essay on design‘ which I really enjoyed. Whilst browsing ‘The Serif‘ for some inspiration last week, I stumbled across a link to this video on the Pentagram website. An interview with Michale Bierut from the Atlantic magazine.
I like a lot of what this guy says and his general attitude to design.
Check it out here. Embedding Brightcove video is proving problematic.
Listening to Michael talk made me think about the interview with Erik Spiekermann in the Helvetica documentary. If you are even vaguely interested in design or type, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie. It does have a lot of design geek jokes in there but it’s well worth the time investment. The actual movie has lot more from Erik. He is quite hilarious in the film but there doesn’t seem to be any longer clips showing this on YouTube.
So said Paul Rand. I could fill posts and posts in the blog with some of his sayings and quotes. All very insightful, many witty but all absolutely true. Most of all though he was, and still is, known for some of the most iconic design work produced in the 20th century. If anyone in the design industry was at the very top of their game it was Paul Rand.
From the IBM and NEXT computers logo to the now defunct identity for UPS. His work was that perfect fusion of form and content, something the web could do with a lot more.
Anyway, I’ve recently stumbled across a great Paul Rand resource. Paul-Rand.com is a catalogue of his work. I don’t believe it’s exhaustive but, as the about says, it’s ever expanding and looking for material. I could spend hours looking through his work and probably will over the comping weeks.
Seeing the site reminded me of a lovely little tribute video on YouTube.
