Daily Heller by Steven Heller

Remember the slogan (coined in 1978) "You've come a long way baby"? Virginia Slims, the lanky cigarette specifically targeted at women, used the phrase in a campaign to claim that women, and by extension all advertising, had progressed from the stone age to the enlightened era--when women were free at last to enjoy all the bounty that is/was America. To commemorate the freedom from want, ignorance, and commercial servitude, I offer an assortment of questionable ads foisted on America during the anything-goes-if-it-sells epoch--those days when women doctors hawked cigarettes, guys offered Tiparillos to ladies, wives could be spanked at will, and women could unscrew a catsup cap. These ads seem patently uncool today, but can you imagine the brainstorming sessions when they were conceived? Here are a few choice examples. Happy Fourth.

Advertising | Branding

Friday, July 03, 2009 3:53:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [2]

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
Posted by Steve

One symbol that we all know, yet doubtless rarely think about because it is so invisibly common, is the ubiquitous gesture of prayer (above, an image that might incidentally remind you of this and this). Where did the joining of hands come from? It might surprise you to learn that it does not have a religious origin. It is not signified in the Bible. And it was not even part of the Christian tradition until the 9th century. In Hebrew and Christian custom, spreading of arms and hands toward the heavens was the prevailing sign of devotion.

In The People's Almanac, David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace wrote that the joining of hands "leads back to men's early desire to subjugate each other and developed out of the shackling of hands of prisoners! Though the handcuffs eventually disappeared, the joining of hands remained as a symbol of man's servitude and submission and his inability (or even lack of inclination) to grasp a weapon." They added that Christianity adopted "the gesture representing shackled hands as a sign of man's total obedience to divine power."

Prayer | Symbolism

Thursday, July 02, 2009 3:40:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [6]

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Giant Bunny Invades Brooklyn
Posted by Steve

It's not often that public art sends shivers down my spine. But the giant bunny (above and below), made by the street artist Gaia, does. He says: "Image making is like a series of strategic maneuvers and visual logistics that cue the viewer through the pieces and toward a message. It is a process defined by tactics that lead the person who receives the piece comfortably through the intentions. Whatever the intentions are, they must be well placed and register in a confident succession, like a quiet operation." His images of bunnies and bears, among others, explore the concept of "an iconic image that is recognizable yet simultaneously without context and an easily accessible message," he writes on his blog. "The bear image (below middle and bottom) is now employed in an entirely different manner than when it was originally used to create an extremely specific piece to a certain location, yet the experience is still one that engages the viewers' spatial experience with the city. The Bear draws connections and brings attention to disparate locations throughout New York, creating a network of spots. If one travels enough throughout the elevated lines of the city, the repeated image will hopefully be noticed in various places and the fabric of that exploration being the image." For more images, go here or here.

Do you have some exciting street art to share?

Animals | Propaganda | Street Art

Wednesday, July 01, 2009 3:56:11 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [4]

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Like a Rainbow
Posted by steve

This past Sunday, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that marked the first salvo in the gay rights revolution, Studio 360 host Kurt Andersen asked Mark Randall of Worldstudio to redesign the rainbow gay pride flag, which was first introduced in Italy in 1961 as the peace flag. From a number of offerings (see complete slide show here and listen to show below), Isaac Mizrahi picked a favorite (from the listener design flags). Can you guess which one? And do you have a favorite?

Also in honor of this historic event, celebrated yesterday by President Obama at a White House ceremony, it's worth remembering Jack Nichols (who died in 2005), who co-authored, with Lige Clark, "The Homosexual Citizen," the first gay column in a heterosexual publication, Screw. Nichols was also the co-editor of Gay magazine (published by Screw)--the first newsstand periodical to address contemporary gay issues.

Branding | Change | Politics | Symbolism

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 3:44:55 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [9]

Monday, June 29, 2009

Book Reviews for Comics Lovers
Posted by Steve

When Ad Reinhardt used the comics medium (below, bottom) to narrate the history of art, he spawned a genre where comics are used as an alternative to many word-centric forms. One is book reviewing: Art Spiegelman started that ball rolling in 1987 with his review of John Canemaker's Winsor McCay: His Life and Art, and later with a review of Michael Chabon's Kavalier and Clay; Alison Bechdel recently did this one in the New York Times Book Review, and currently Ward Sutton is producing a monthly comic strip book review for Barnes & Noble.

"It has been a project I'm really excited about--a really fun and unique way to review books," he recently told me. "I am critical of books, too--it's not just free publicity to sell books. The B&N editors, to their credit, don't restrict me at all. I try to be very honest and balance in my approach, although I will admit that reviewing a terrible book in this way would not be worth all the work. I have decided against reviewing some for that reason--all the books I review will have something of value in them." Here is his most recent review of The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards by Robert Boswell; The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert that Awakened America; and Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher.

Books | Comics | Shopping

Monday, June 29, 2009 4:30:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [4]

Friday, June 26, 2009

What Were They Thinking?
Posted by steve

What Were They Thinking? Whoever they were, either he, she, or it knew exactly what they were doing, or they were so blinded by indifference that they couldn't see the Rifleman through the trees--or the log. Of course, maybe it's just me (and Mirko Ilic, who found these visual tidbits), but anyone with half a pea in the old noodle should be able to see the double entendre on the Rifleman comic book. Were the actors Chuck Connors (left) and Johnny Crawford (right) unaware? And how about the Sky-Sicle (below top)? It's as obvious as that thing on your face that this is Evel and suggestive. And take a close look at the pipe-smoking French enfant (below bottom)--is perception just in the eye of beholder?

Stay tuned for more "What Were They Thinking." Better yet, send in your own candidates.

Ooops | Television | Toys

Friday, June 26, 2009 3:33:33 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [2]

Thursday, June 25, 2009

XXXXXXXX
Posted by Steve

I recently received an email with a lot of xs in the address field. It reminded me how special (and eerie) that letter is--how many different meanings, nuances, and historical references it conjures. So if you are also interested in the whys of x, check out "X" (the Xhibition) from June 26 - 29 at W/---- Gallery, 141 Division Street in New York with an opening and book launch on June 27 at 5 pm.

"X" is curated by Glen Cummings and Adam Michaels and "documents the trajectory of the x symbol within (and without) underground music culture." It is the first step of an ongoing project, building upon the varied meanings and form of the x in a range of media. "Attendees are encouraged to contribute materials to future iterations of the project."

So, what does the iconic x mean to you?

Lettering | Logos | Music | Symbolism | Type

Thursday, June 25, 2009 3:41:34 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [4]

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Ornament Is Not a Sin
Posted by Steve

Adolf Loos, the architect, condemned ornament as a sin. Yet there are much worse design crimes (and I'm sure you can share many in the comments section). Even if you subscribe to Loos's proto-modernist dictum, you may still enjoy the sinful pleasure of ornament. If so, I recommend a veritable Whitman's Sampler of ornamental confections from the Victorian age of "artistic" printing: The Handy Book of Artistic Printing: A Collection of Letterpress Examples with Specimens of Type, Ornament, Corner Fills, Borders, Twisters, Wrinklers, and Other Freaks of Fancy. Now that's a mouthful, but the title is no less ornate than the printers' flourishes that you'll find in this handsome volume by Doug Clouse and Angela Voulangas.

While I don't recommend you do this kind of intricate type composition in your own home, viewing the devilish letterpress assemblages of type and decoration is a treat. And if you can't get enough, here's a little plug for one of my own books on the same theme, Design Connoisseur: An Eclectic Collection of Imagery and Type. And one more plug: Doug and Angela will be presenting a live webcast for Print this summer on a topic related to their book. Stay tuned for more info.

Books | Confection | Lettering | Type

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 3:29:28 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [0]

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Where Have You Gone Holden Caulfield
Posted by steve

When I was in grade school in the 1950s, authorities banned The Catcher in the Rye (published in 1951) lest it agitate the impressionable youth whose hormones were ready to burst. In Sunday's New York Times Week in Review, Jennifer Schuessler writes about how after decades of being the model of teenage rebellion the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is finally on the way out--from banned to bumped into the old school. "Teachers say young readers just don't like Holden as much as they used to. What once seemed like courageous truth-telling now strikes many of them as 'weird,' 'whiny' and 'immature,' writes Schuessler. Nonetheless, I was taken with the cover of the Signet paperback by James Avati (the great paperback cover artist of the '50s and '60s) who portrayed Holden as a wandering preppie with a distinctly prescient look. Can you tell what it is?

Books | Holden

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 3:35:22 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [11]

Monday, June 22, 2009

Rant In Progress
Posted by Steve

There are very good reasons for anonymity (here's one). Anonymous free speech is indeed supported by the Supreme Court as "vital to the democratic discourse." Yet despite all the valid reasons and protestations to the contrary (as noted in this essay by the Electronic Frontier Foundation) anonymity still can be a coward's way of blogging--at least on those sites (like design blogs) where the discourse is not about life or death situations. I'm tired of hearing the canard about anonymity being the "new communication." Whether new or old, when someone makes a statement on a blog or website--critical or otherwise--the individual should take ownership. Often the most critical commenter is one who hides behind the mask. Doesn't this invalidate the comment and the commenter? Should an anonymous retort have the same weight as a signed one?

Anonymity devalues the discourse because it removes the principle virtue from a point of view--the context. I want to know who I am listening or talking to and I'm certain the anonymous ones would prefer that too.

The Internet and the blogosphere are still muddling through what should be standards and conventions. Frankly, an unrestricted medium has many benefits, but it should not be used as a blind for hunters shooting at prey. If one is going to say something critical, controversial, or even just plain nasty, be honest about it. Say what you think, and say who you are.

Anonymity | Blogging

Monday, June 22, 2009 4:09:10 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Comments [5]