designalogue

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Chicago trip recap

So folks, how was it? The studio tours, Gravity Tank, the UIC crit, the museums, the bus?

4 comments:

jessica lyew-ayee said...: The trip was very educational, I got an insight on different types of Design Firms, Big, Small, For Print, For web. Also I saw different ways that they view and go about process and how it Impacts thier work.
We got to ask them about how they interact with different clients, how they interact with other branches and suppliers that are apart of the final product. We also learned how we can impact and contribute to the community, for example Brainforest, they stick mostly to Finished work on screen than print, they made thier desks out of metal pipes and old doors sanded down, they also collect good paper that companies intend to throw away and donate to schools, escpecially art programs. We also learned about collaboration at gravitytank. They have different people that specialize in a certain part of design, ex. one person who has mostly mastered identity, another packaging, another web, etc. Also learned how they collaborate with thier client, and have them participate in the process and allow them to see the process, the same goes for Studiolab. The trip was very informative. I also got to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, and his home (which I didn't really go inside, too pricy.) We all also went to the Chicago Art Inst. Museum. The trip overall was inspireing.; March 24, 2008 at 11:28 AM
thenewprogramme said...: i had a great time overall, although michael's feet are a bit smelly for my taste. there are too many great things to list, but to follow jessica's thoughts, the studio tours really gave a nice variety in terms of clients, processes and formats that made up each studio. we did visit only small independent design shops and no in-house places or ad agencies, but the variety was still informative. grip seemed to be the most hip and stylish, with a good command of production techniques that add interest to their print work. i'm somewhat torn between the research based front-end work of gravity tank, which can have great impact for graphic designers, and the innovative thinking and form-making of studio lab. personally, i'd probably be happier "making stuff" at studio lab, but both were really great.

some of us saw a great ed ruscha photography exhibit at the art institute that included many of his books. i'm attracted to his tendency to photographically catalog (and collect!) similar forms like gas stations, parking lots, or swimming pools.

another personal highlight was being able to eat some great vegan food at places like the earwax cafe and the all veggie chicago diner. ah, so much to report on...anyone else?; March 24, 2008 at 6:09 PM
Ramzy A. Masri said...: Ah Chicago.
It was really great on many levels. First --- it's Chicago. Wicker Park was definitely a favorite, full of the chicago bay window and quaint, yet surprisingly expensive coffee shops and boutiques. I think the architecture of the city itself is inspiring enough, with bits of Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright tucked amongst towering glass boxes.
I thought that studiolab and gravity tank were the studio highlights. I was more attracted to studiolab's intensive process, as well as the quality of the finished material (their work for the spertus institute with typography was really nice).
Gravity tank's take on design's role in business was interesting -- they are innovative in that they offer a comprehensive solution, and position themselves to avoid the bureaucracy of some companies to get to the meat of the issue. I think Adams + Morioka had similar thinking with their work for Nickelodeon and Sundance. However, at gravity tank it did feel like graphically, their work was about a means to an end, rather than the thing itself - producing standards books and packaging prototypes that may or may not be realized. I did like the idea of collaboration in the firm though - and the natural dialogue it sets up between anthropologists, graphic designers, and product designers -- a companionship that I think is necessary, and contributes to their innovative solutions.
Brainforest....
I thought their charity work was noble, but it didn't seem like their work was very ... deep. It was rather surfacey, and all over the place in terms of caliber (it felt like they had maybe one good designer, and you could tell which pieces were theirs.) Overall, I wasn't impressed, but I was still glad to have seen it, so by contrast I could see the scope of all three firms.
The Chicago Art Institute -- their exhibit on Figuration in Contemporary Design was finger-tremblingly good; if anyone wants to see the exhibit book, I have it. I was also really interested in Ruscha's work, and loved his gas station series. It actually reminded me of Morgan's work on the seven deadly sins project for Kidwell.
Oh, and the 5,000+ people in the street protesting the war on Michigan avenue was pretty cool too. And uh... 4 words - Rock and Roll McDonalds. Wonderfully horrible, with their rip offs of several famous designer lamps and chairs. Verner Panton would have been pissed!
Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright works were absolutely gorgeous, and I recommend them to anyone who has a chance to get there. His Unity Temple was beautifully designed, inside and out, and serves as a helpful precursor to some of his masterpieces like Falling Water, and the Johnson Wax building. Very eventful trip overall full of inspiring tid-bits. Well worth the crowded and COLD bus ride to and from.; March 26, 2008 at 10:13 AM
jamie said...: I've heard nothing but good things about the trip from those that went.

So where to next year?; April 3, 2008 at 2:12 PM