Design

Regarding these great pithy quotes typographically set by London-based graphic designer Kyle Robertson, they all look very different but most use the same font: Archer!

Looking for a way in to a responsive refresh, and because Engaging has a paid-up account at cloud.typography.com, I switched the main font at my personal site adamkhan.net from Georgia to Archer. However, this AIGA article, “Is Archer’s Use on Target?”, points to the font’s role in our larger socio-economic situation, and that I’m about 7 years behind the curve. There are also the Archer Alert and Archer Beat blogs. Turns out it’s everywhere, from US postal stamps to One Direction albums. Nonetheless I feel slightly redeemed by the conclusion at “The Devil Uses Archer”.

Goodbye, grids, I at least hardly knew ye. Ethan Marcotte, coiner of the very term responsive design, argues that a web design today should “algorithmically generate a responsive layout that best reflects the importance of the information within it.”. Yes! Another choice quote: “The breakpoints we introduce to our responsive designs aren’t tied to the shape of a device’s screen. Instead, our media queries defend the integrity of the content we’re designing.”

Interesting, easy-to-understand breakdown of colors used in iOS app icons in 2015. Reds are most popular, then blues. By Hwee-Boon Yar. [via MacStories]

Great fun piece with side-by-side illustrations of architectural and web design epochs.

Lots of good thought and results in Vincent Kartheiser’s (Mad Men) tiny Hollywood home.

On how design has become the new business paradigm, complete with FLLW quote.

The squat, the perch—a reminder that we are not designed to defacate in seating position.

An illustrated evolution of the Star Wars typygraphy/logo.

Cary Grant’s 1963 op-ed in This Week magazine on dressing well.

The 20 Most Popular Homes in Dwell. Many of these homes are small so encourage ingeniousness and are in general encouraging.

The visual effects of Iron Man on YouTube.

Stand up for your work! Or as The New York Times puts it, “Taking a Stand for Office Ergonomics”.

Andy Ihnatko, MacTech Conference attendee, on the group tour of Disney Animation, an advance screening of Wreck-It Ralph, and John Lasseter’s desk. [via TidBits]

The Frank Lloyd Wright archives are moving to New York, reports Arch Daily; paper to Columbia University’s Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library , models and prototypes to MoMA.

The Making of The Spy Who Loved Me by the BBC for the Open University, 1977. Episode #1: Cubby Brocolli, Producer. #2: Ken Adam, Production Designer (“not indispensible”, “preferable”, “unique”, “important”). #3, Barbara Bach, Bond Girl.

Fascinating, that Apple’s Sony-inspired designs for the iPhone back in 2005 were more like the iPhone 4 than what was subsequently initially released. Had they been leading up to the 4 style all along?

Photography by Don Hong-Oai in the Style of Traditional Chinese Painting at Retronaut.

An interview at frocktalk.com with Being There costume designer May Routh. “Rene Magritte: I think that this came after shooting of the film and can be seen in the advertising and posters, but I never heard it discussed.”

Designs from the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair brought to the rest of us by the estimable and venerable The New York Times. I really should subscribe and support it.

On Windows 8, and an illustrated history of Windows itself, by Steven Sinofsky. Long and juicy. [via daringfireball]

“Nation on the Move” is the magnificent second episode of the America Revealed PBS series. Interestingly, the show is British-made.

Photos by Paul Ringstrom of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Muirhead Farmhouse which I had not heard of until this moment. I just love it. Beautiful brickwork that seems to be just the same as unbeautiful brickwork. Perfect shapes. The slightly outcropping wooden ziggurat on top. Oooh. Also the Sims House.

The teardown: iPad.

Taking his time, Morozov asks the right questions about Steve Jobs, comparing him first to the Bauhaus movement, then to Henry Ford. Many quotable quotes, and good comments, especially the long one from JakeH at 02/27/2012 – 7:46pm EDT.

The new $100,000 Fisker Karma, The World’s Most Interesting Car, reviewed in The Wall Street Journal. James May in Top Gear Loves it too. Interior has been described as mid-century modern. Oh yes and made in Flinland.

Ohio-based identity designer Adam Ladd asked his 5-year-old daughter her impressions on some popular logos.

Toca Boca: ingenious iOS games for kids and not such.

John Malkovich on Charlie Rose.

John Malkovich: The world is in fact, well, if you’re anywhere near as lucky as I have been, but even if you’re just moderately lucky, the world is in fact an exquisitely beautiful, endlessly fascinating place filled often with spectacular people.

Charlie Rose: That’s exactly the way I feel.

JM: You know…

CR: Exactly!

Irit and I were discussing this regarding ET, which still feels contemporary: in arts, entertainment and style, it’s been Groundhog Day for 20 years. “Now that we have instant universal access to every old image and recorded sound, the future has arrived and it’s all about dreaming of the past.”

We need to go back to nature in order to move forward. Amazing futuristic ways to be smart about energy in your own house by Philips at Dutch Design Week.

Designs to replace Britain’s electricity pylons.

The inevitable and welcomed iPhone 4S teardown by the ifixit guys.

Arstechnica, the iOS 5 review. Featuring game-changers Siri and the iCloud.

Best of the Steve Jobs eulogies: John Siracusa, David Pogue. And one about his house. A favorable comparison with Thomas Edison.

My favorite FLLW site is Peter Beers’ Frank Lloyd Wright Road Trip. He’s stayed at the houses wherever you can, and done some benign architectural stalking where the residence remains private.

Krauthammer visits the new King memorial in Washington.

John Siracusa’s must-read Lion review.

Bless the internets. Great explanatory essay on dishwashers on epinions.

Ashton Kutcher’s exceedingly nice house is for sale. Lots of wood.

Yet another incredible AAPL quarter.

Festo’s SmartBird: a robotic flying seagull.

Cool, Tel Aviv.

Scully on Jobs.

Animals on the London Underground — awesome!

Both the BBC and Fox news web sites have recently been redesigned, with the BBC losing its looks and Fox getting neat and serious.