Balance, Design
April 3, 2013
By Jamie Latendresse
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, designer Jay Fletcher surfs when he has spare time — or he would if he had any spare time. The creative mind behind this week’s Playlist spends his working hours creating full-scale identities for companies large and small, near and far. Jay’s thoughtful and precise designs are both visually arresting and effective in their communication. Now check out the arresting sound waves emanating from his superbly appointed (with Embody and Eames Molded Plastic chairs) workspace. Listen up.
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Balance, Design
January 9, 2013
By Jamie Latendresse
New York City graphic designer and illustrator Christopher Dina‘s work ranges from identity and print work to wayfinding and environmental graphics, including a recent collaboration with his wife – herself an interior designer – on a children’s clinic in Japan. Chris draws inspiration from his love of illustration and painting, travel, and music like the eclectic pop and indie tracks of this week’s Playlist.
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Design
October 22, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
Over the past 40 years, the fresh, energetic look of Herman Miller’s image and identity has been the providence of creative director Steve Frykholm. From promotional pieces to annual reports to his legendary picnic posters, his design now resides in collections and museums around the world. Catch up with the innovator in week seven of the Why Design series and below with our Six Ways to Steve Frykholm.
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Balance, Design
September 12, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
In the 13 years since Iris A. Brown Design was founded, Iris has collaborated with a non-stop cavalcade of creatives inside the vibrant New York City design community and its pulsing cultural machine. Her upbeat style and inexhaustible attention to detail has produced work for iconic NY institutions like Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street Y, as well as theaters, non-profits, wine importers, and textile manufacturers. When she’s not in her Aeron Chair working (“It was the most important piece of studio equipment I bought when I set up shop,” she says.), Iris is probably cooking, gardening in the Catskills, or exploring the eclectic musical mix that yielded this week’s Playlist. Take a listen.
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Balance
July 4, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
As a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, Jim Mezei is hands-on. He combines his love of building things with an affinity for vintage graphic design, including older disciplines like hand-painted signage. Jim is also the co-founder of Saw Horse Design Co. with Kellen Hatanaka, and together, they’re working on a solo show for this summer. When Jim isn’t enjoying baseball, bikes, and whiskey in Toronto, he’s listening to vinyl with friends. Get a sample of what they’re spinning in this week’s Playlist.
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Balance, Design
June 6, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
Graphic designer Bryan Patrick Todd finds inspiration a plenty in Louisville, Kentucky, where he specializes in branding and design. A mere glance at his bold yet clean work — which includes everything from posters, to murals, to logos and more — demonstrates his affinity for typography and color. With such a passion for vibrant, well-crafted forms and shapes, we wondered what kind of musical inspiration was at work behind the scenes. Our wonderment is answered in this week’s wondrous Playlist.
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Balance, Design, Products, Technology
December 28, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Dee Adams is an interiors consultant, an artist and a senior producer at Yahoo! She lives in a airy loft in Oakland, California where she paints as much as her day job allows. I came across Dee on Ann Gorman’s blog, Where People Create. Here, I talk to Dee about her work, the practicalities of creating in a loft and how she fits it all in.
How long have you worked from home? I’ve been working from home in some form or another for the past 14 years. I’ve stolen hours where I can find them in between sleep and my various day jobs, so home has always been a continuous place of work.
Tell us a bit about your work? I wear a lot of hats around here including graphic designer, painter, boss lady, blogger and interiors consultant. By day I’m a Senior Lead Product Designer at Yahoo! and in all my in-between hours I’m running the studio here producing work for personal clients. Most of my fine art clients reside in New York, San Francisco, London and Sydney with work in both private and corporate collections. Graphic design clients include Taschen, GOOD Magazine and design shops like Rare Device and Renegade Handmade. I produce a wide range of products like interactive user interfaces, paintings, illustrations, logos, and infographics.
How big is your work space? The loft is 2200 square feet on the ground floor where most of the work occurs. Larger art pieces are transported in through the heavy double wooden doors. The living area upstairs has been deemed a no work zone.
Is there any form of technology that really inspires you? I’m a bit old school. Blank paper and canvas still get the best response out of me because that’s where all my ideas start. Technical drawing pencils also get me excited. But if I had to pick a newer item, I’d definitely say high-end audio headphones. I’m a bit of a collector and audiophile when it comes to them and the bigger the better. I love headphones where the modern components are hidden inside retro looking shells.
What desk accessory can’t you do without? My orange flip clock. I can hear the gears grinding and it keeps me on task. It’s a stunning bit of machinery and always gorgeous to look at. When the days and nights blur together as I obsess over another project, it reminds me where and when I am.
Do you have any tips for organizing a home work space? I live and work in basically a large rectangular box. If something is out of place or disorganized you notice it pretty quickly. To stay organized means knowing my limits when it comes to how much I can store. The loft has no built in storage so supplies are kept to the level of what’s necessary to complete the job. Paintings are often hung to maximize the immense wall space and serve as a gallery display when clients come over for viewings. I also tend to group and organize items by colour so that they give the appearance of being part of a related group. My biggest secret is that my vintage lunch box collection serves double duty as a filing system for important papers and business receipts. Finding creative ways to keep organized allows me to keep the space from getting too cluttered.
