Umlaut Blog

Rust Never Sleeps

Umlaut — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:45:57 +0000

“And we both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust”
— Joan Baez

Last night I was dreaming about . . . and this morning I woke up thinking about . . . texture. About how much I am drawn to it. I am always searching out interesting textures when I am out and about, especially when I am photographing. My favorite textures are right here in our apartment in my wife’s paintings (http://suezsmith.us). They seem to have a life of their own, and they draw me into her world. Almost like alchemical symbolism . . . texture as a spiritual path. What would Carl Jung say? Outside of our apartment it’s the unusual, the aging and decaying textures that attract me. Something so familiar about them, almost like memories. And we both know what memories can bring.

Here are some textures I have captured along the way, from Route 66 in Arizona, all the way to New York City.

Unleashing The Imagination

Umlaut — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:39:28 +0000

“Imagination is the beginning of creation.
You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine
and at last you create what you will.”
— George Bernard Shaw

Tonight I am going to MoMA EMBRACES TYPOGRAPHY at the Museum of Modern Art for a panel discussion (featuring Matthew Carter and Jonathan Hoefler) on the 23 digital typefaces they acquired for their Architecture and Design Collection. Several of the typefaces were designed by people who were featured in and contributed to Emigre Magazine (Zuzana Licko, Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum, Barry Deck, P. Scott Makela, Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook and others). I have been thinking about how important the early years of the magazine were to unleashing my imagination through graphic design and typography. Here are some samples of Emigre issues that changed my view of the world.

Issue #4:
Zuzana Licko, Hard Werken founder Henk Elenga, Rudy VanderLans.

Issue #9:
The music label 4AD, Vaughan Oliver, Ivo Watts-Russell, 23 Envelope.

Issue #10:
Cranbrook Academy of Art, Max Kisman, Rick Vermeulen, Allen Hori, Ed Fella.

Issue #11:
Philippe Apeloig, Matthew Carter, Rick Valicenti, Clement Mok, Erik Spiekermann.

Issue #12:
Allen Hori, Warren Lehrer, Phil Zimmermann, Rudy VanderLans.

Issue #18:
Pierre di Sciullo, Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum, Phil Baines.

Issue #20:
Robert Nakata and Allen Hori, Hard Werken and Studio Dumbar.

Issue #22:
Nick Bell, The London College of Printing.

Create Yourself

Umlaut — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:49:32 +0000

“But, if you have nothing at all to create, then perhaps you create yourself.”
— Carl Gustav Jung

Usually before starting any design project, I like to spend some time getting inspired. For me it’s a combination of listening to music while I look through my design books. I feel that by focusing on good design, somehow you absorb it, it becomes a part of you. It is not an effort to find a solution to your project, but to create yourself and become inspired.

The most recent design book in my library is “Graphic Design Inspirations” by Flo Gaertner and Lars Harmsen, published by Daab in 2010. It has over 1500 works from all across the world. Personally I am more drawn to European design these days, so this book is very exciting for me. Here are some sample spreads.

After spending some time with a book like this, the unexpected idea seems to float to the surface. Maybe it comes out of thin air, or maybe it was there all along, and all of a sudden you become aware of it. Nothing like a good design book!

Sound + Vision

Umlaut — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:30:14 +0000

I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
— David Bowie

I listen to music every day, and this has a big influence on me. But along with the music comes the art. I am constantly finding inspiration in art created specifically for music. It might be the concept, the typography, the texture, the unexpected simplicity, or the unusual cropping of imagery. No matter what it is, when I see it I am hooked. Here are some samples of recent music art that inspires:

The Space Between

Umlaut — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:38:45 +0000

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace;
making the complicated simple,
awesomely simple,
that’s creativity.”
— Charles Mingus

Morning light & snow on 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights, January 27th, 2011.

2011: Year Of The Rabbit!

Umlaut — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:41:06 +0000

I am starting off the year of the rabbit with a new website and blog. My focus will be on things that inspire me, from art to music to photography to everything under the sun. Having recently completed my Adobe Web Design Certificate, my new focus as a designer is now on the web. It’s been a busy past few months, and I am very excited about all of this. I think XTC puts it best:

And all the world is foot-ball shaped
It’s just for me to kick in space
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste
And I’ve got one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime

Even after the new year has started a sense of the holidays seems to linger on, like the smell of cooking long after the meal has been eaten.

I like to walk around and be surprised by hidden gems in unexpected places. On a recent walk in the Lower East Side of Manhattan I came upon this plastic couple having a private moment on a fire escape.