Daily Heller by Steven Heller

If It Was On TV, Then It's Gotta Be Good!

2008-11-21T08:37:06.9240000-05:00

For years now, advertisements have featured a logo with the outline of a television tube, usually in red with white letters reading "As Seen On TV," as the ultimate badge of promotional credibility.

The "As Seen On TV" emblem echoes the logo of TV Guide, the most trusted name in TV guides, and gives the impression that the product or service being advertised is endorsed--much like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval--by the magazine. And despite the emergence of the educated consumer and a healthy skepticism of anything advertised on television, "As Seen On..." continues to be a trusted brand, even though everyone knows that anyone with money can buy time on TV to sell almost anything.

So what's going to happen in February 2009 when the venerable, bulging TV screen will go the way of the transistor? (Analog television owners can buy a box to convert their TV, but by now, analog sets have become a rarity.) Can this trusted logo be adapted to the rectangular flat screen format and continue to be as credible? I doubt it. So let's take the time remaining to pay homage to "As Seen On TV," knowing we will never see its like again.

Obsessing Over Shopping Carts

2008-11-20T08:08:18.5880000-05:00

Julian Montague, a designer in Buffalo, New York, is obsessed with shopping carts.

He writes on his website , "Over the last several decades, the stray shopping cart has quietly become an integral part of the urban and suburban landscapes of the industrialized world. To the average person, the stray shopping cart is most often thought of as a signifier of urban blight or as an indicator of a consumer society gone too far. Unfortunately, the acceptance of these oversimplified designations has discouraged any serious examination of the stray shopping cart phenomenon."

He has made it his mission to categorize "stray shopping carts" according to an intricate identification system (here). Enter at your own risk, his notions are addictive.

Starting on November 21 through December 18, two pieces from "The Stray Shopping Cart Project" will be in a group show, "Sign / Age: Lost in the Supermarket" at Armand Bartos Fine Art in New York, including William Eggleston, Martha Friedman, Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and more. "It seems crazy that my work is in a show with all these huge artists," says Montague, "I'm hoping the gallery people won't change their minds about me before the opening."

His project is also featured in The Design Entrepreneur by Lita Talarico and me.

Purging Picasso

2008-11-19T07:27:13.9320000-05:00

After complaints to the city's Buildings Department and concern from the Ukrainian community in New York City's East Village, Cooper Union removed a large banner from its façade showing Pablo Picasso's 1953 portrait of Josef Stalin (above). The work (below) was part of a solo installation by Lene Berg, a Norwegian artist, who included it as part of her exhibit, "Stalin by Picasso or Portrait of Woman with Mustache," featuring projects that reflects on the artistic and cultural works produced during the Cold War–era. "Berg's exhibition provokes discussion on the relationships between art and politics, in recent history and in the contemporary moment," states the press release.

According to Ms. Berg, who lives in Berlin, the removal occurred without her knowledge or any warning. Community leaders complained that this year was the 75th anniversary of a famine imposed by Stalin that killed millions of Ukrainians. Ironically, when this portrait was drawn, it was frowned upon by the Communists as being an unsympathetic depiction of the Russian dictator, which prompted this response from Picasso:

"Can you imagine if I had done the real Stalin, such as he has become, with his wrinkles, his pockets under the eyes, his warts. A portrait in the style of Cranach! Can you hear them scream? 'He has disfigured Stalin! He has aged Stalin!'"

On November 14, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued a press release with a letter to the Bloomberg administration asking them to explain the removal of the banners from Cooper Union's façade (click here). And for more information read here and here (photo below by Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times).

Still Evergreen

2008-11-18T14:07:57.7530000-05:00

This past Sunday morning I heard an NPR interview with Barney Rosset, the former publisher and founder of Grove Press and Evergreen Review magazine (cover above by Paul Davis), who aggressively challenged the puritanical mores of 1960s America.

As Chip McGrath in the New York Times wrote:

"In its heyday during the 1960s, Grove Press was famous for publishing books nobody else would touch. The Grove list included writers like Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, William S. Burroughs, Che Guevara, and Malcolm X (his autobiography), and the books, with their distinctive black and white covers, were reliably ahead of their time and often fascinated by sex.

The same was, and is, true of Grove’s maverick publisher, Barney Rosset, who loved highbrow literature but also brought out a very profitable line of Victorian spanking porn."

When I was 16 years old, I did everything imaginable to get my drawings printed in Evergreen Review, which already published Robert Grossman, Brad Holland, Tomi Ungerer, Edward Sorel, and others. By the time I was 19, I was briefly its art director (the cover of one of my issues--the one with the lion--is below). I met with Rosset a few times during my tenure, and once was when he told me he lost all the mechanicals for a book I designed for him about the film Last Tango in Paris. Fortunately I made photostats of all the layouts and we printed from that (needless to say, the typography was a mess).

Tomorrow Mr. Rosset will receive a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Foundation to honor his groundbreaking legal battles to defy the censors and publish uncensored versions of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, among other important literary events. He is also the subject of a documentary titled Obscene.

Mr. Rosset is still editing Evergreen Review, this time online.

Glaser is Drawing

2008-11-17T13:42:58.5790000-05:00

When Milton Glaser draws he thinks. This is the concept behind his elegant new book Milton Glaser: Drawing is Thinking, his most personal book to date. It is a symphony of drawing themes and styles juxtaposed in unique pairings to impart the emotional aspirations of Glaser's art rather than the client-driven function of his illustration. From representation to abstraction, from portraits to still lifes, this is a book about the joy of creating images on paper, free from the strictures of the marketplace.

"In Drawing is Thinking," says the publisher, "the drawings depicted are meant to be experienced sequentially, so that the reader or viewer not only follows Glaser through these pages, but comes to inhabit his mind. The drawings represent. . . the author's commitment to the fundamental idea that drawing is not simply a way to represent reality, but, as the title suggests, a way to understand and experience the world."

Putting the Picture in Politics

2008-11-14T10:08:39.5210000-05:00

Tomorrow--Saturday, November 15--the Parsons Illustration Department is hosting Picturing Politics (organized by Nora Krug) at the New School Tishman Auditorium from 1 to 5:30 pm. Admission is free. (Image above by Guy Billout.) The event is described thus:

Illustrative responses to world events, large scale and small, have an effect both visceral and intimate. PICTURING POLITICS explores the current state of political and social visual commentary. The Illustration Program of Parsons The New School for Design and the Department of Politics of The New School for Social Research jointly present an afternoon of reflections on the intersection of art and politics.

    Also on view in conjunction with the symposium is a reception for an exhibition of illustrated covers for Der Spiegel magazine that opens on November 14th, 6pm, at Parsons, 2 W 13th street, 8th floor. The exhibit will be on view until November 30th.
    If you are in Santa Monica this weekend, check out Robbie Conal's exhibit of political commentaries at Track 16 Gallery.
    Or if you simply want to curl up with some reading (and viewing) matter on political and apolitical illustration, check out the following: Varoom magazine, edited by Adrian Shaughnessy; 3x3 magazine (image below by Polly Becker), edited by Charles Hively; All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't): Inside The New York Times Op-Ed Page, by Jerelle Kraus; or Illustration: A Visual History, by me and Seymour Chwast.

Get Home Delivery

2008-11-13T08:41:04.8150000-05:00

If you missed the Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling exhibition (and the incredible examples of pre-fab houses in the gallery and outside) that recently closed at MoMA, you can still get the exceptional catalog edited by Barry Bergdoll and Peter Christensen. This well-designed document (see here) profiles the leaders in prefabrication from Charles and Ray Eames to Buckminster Fuller and many more from the 1920s to the present, including the Lustron house (above), which never needed to be painted.
For those who like playing trivia guessing games, the book is filled with facts, including the answer to the riddle, "Who designed the Lincoln Logs toy?" Okay, I won't keep you guessing ... John Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son.

Macabre but Fascinating

2008-11-12T08:02:26.0430000-05:00

Guess whose face (above) this is? If you said Abe Lincoln, you'd be correct, and it's one of 60 life and death masks in the collection of Laurence Hutton, the literary editor of Harper's magazine from 1886 to 1898, and donated to the Princeton University Libraries. "Hutton traveled around the world to collect these plaster casts, looking in obscure curiosity shops and major museums, where many curators granted Hutton permission to have copies made from their masks," explains the museum blog. "The collection began almost by accident while shopping in New York City. Hutton was interrupted by a ragged boy trying to sell a cast of a human face, unquestionably that of Benjamin Franklin (below). He purchased it for two shillings and offered another quarter if the boy showed him where he found it. In a couple of ash-barrels on Second Street were dozens of casts of Washington, Sheridan, Cromwell, and many others, which Hutton carted home." The rest, including the death mask of Sir Issac Newton (bottom), can be seen here. And while somewhat macabre, they are indeed quite fascinating.

A River Runs Through It

2008-11-11T05:24:01.4780000-05:00

The Esopus River is in upstate New York. But Esopus magazine is available here and here on newsstands. The Fall 2008 issue of the magazine features a wealth of exciting art and literary content and special printing effects, not to mention its regular music CD (this one, devoted to "Advice").
Ever since Esopus began in Fall 2003, the bi-annual magazine edited and designed by Tod Lippy has attracted experimental magazine lovers. Each issue is more than a good read (or look), it is a kinetic experience, full of unusual content and exemplary special effects. For my money, it just may be the most innovative print magazine of the 21st century. For back issues, go here.

Who Designed the Obama O?

2008-11-10T09:25:50.9520000-05:00

Who designed the Obama O? John Maas on bnet.com has the answer:

The Obama logo was created early in 2007, through a collaboration between Chicago firms Sender LLC and MO/DE. Chief Obama strategist David Axelrod gave the agencies a mandate: design a logo that would evoke "a new sense of hope," as he told the Chicago Business Journal. After working feverishly, the design was introduced on February 10, 2007.

Sol Sender discusses the "brand development" of the most memorable political logo in the past 50 years here. And MO/DE addresses its contributions to the campaign here with a video here. Bravo to both creators for breaking the conventional mold.

Speaking of molds, Hilary Ross and Jim Lennox of Shickshinny, Pa., painted the Obama Hope poster (100 by 70 foot) on their rural field (below). "When we were on the ground applying the colors, we couldn't tell how beautiful this mix of color fields was," Hilary told me. "Only when we climbed the tree did we know what we had done."

He's Spreading Disease

2008-11-06T08:10:34.2790000-05:00

Smartly designed, sometimes comic posters warning against syphilis, gonorrhea, malaria, and tuberculosis were once as common as all of the above. In An Iconography of Contagion: An Exhibition of 20th Century Health Posters at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington (through December 19), these and more recent posters about AIDS show how the advertising industry and public health officials have long fought battles against ignorance in the war against contagious disease. For more on the exhibit, read Amanda Schaffer's New York Timesarticle or download the catalog. And for information on William Helfand's 2003 exhibit To Your Health: An Exhibition of Posters for Contemporary Public Health Issues at the National Library of Medicine, go here.

Tuesday in the Park with Zaha

2008-11-05T08:18:13.3990000-05:00

The other day, the School of Visual Arts Designer as Author students visited the Zaha Hadid-designed Chanel Mobile Art display in Central Park's Rumsey Playfield. It was a gorgeous fall morning, leaves falling from trees painted with oranges, reds, siennas, and fading greens. The 7,500 square foot orb is filled with installations inspired by the quilted Chanel bag (bottom) and perfume pervades the air. A personal tour is narrated by the deep yet dulcet tones of Jeanne Moreau "discussing everything from sex and love to the secrets at the bottom of a woman's handbag," writes The New York Times. However, with everyone listening to their own prompts (i.e. "now walk with me to the stairs, and turn left") on individualized MP3 devices, visitors became willing zombies, walking slowly, mindlessly to Moreau's resolute commands.
Some of the artworks were clever (a series of cardboard boxes, below, with witty videos projected from above showing naked people frolicking and assaulting one another with Chanel bags) and some were more tritely surreal. There was also a hint of the 1964 New York World's Fair to be found in the space-age orb that seemed to be plunked down from the heavens in the anomalous surround.
The students left with mixed feelings. The morning was blissful and beautiful enough, but this monument to high-end commercialism (guarded by Chanel-clad docents) at such a critical period of economic distress seemed a tad out of touch with reality. But maybe that's the point.

What Comes After C? TD!

2008-11-05T06:28:42.3260000-05:00

Just when I got used to the clunky and bulky red "C" logo for Commerce Bank (above), they pulled a bait and switch on me. This past weekend, the red and blue turned into the green of TD (below), which bought Commerce for $7 billion earlier this year . In the snap of a finger (or a switch of a light), all the branches in Manhattan changed the logo and color scheme to dollar green. But in case you were worried how this would affect the celebrity spokespeople, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, they are being kept on, just like free coin counting machines.

Election Day Memories

2008-11-04T04:44:45.2420000-05:00

It's hard to believe that Election Day 2008 is finally upon us. The logos below, including candidates who were once shoo-ins, others who were might-have-beens, and still others who never-have-been-nor-will-be (who in tarnation is Duncan Hunter?) serve as a reminder of all the hub and hubbub of the past 18 months.
It is sobering to note that from the first category, the once-apparent-shoo-in Hillary Clinton was not the first almost-was woman candidate for president of the United States. Belva Ann Lockwood (above) ran for the highest office in 1884 and 1888 (before women even had the right to vote). Lockwood was a follower of women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony of silver dollar fame and the second woman, after Victoria Woodhull, to run on the National Equal Rights Party ticket. Although she received a number of votes, they were never counted. Supporters had seen ballots destroyed and called upon Congress to investigate voter fraud. Lockwood lost the elections but successfully practiced law for 43 years.

Fins and Chrome, Ooh La La

2008-11-03T05:50:03.9940000-05:00

"To call Art Fitzpatrick an automobile illustrator," writes Dave Caldwell in The New York Times, "is to leave half of the canvas blank." Mr. Fitzpatrick is the man behind the chrome when it comes to selling cars in dreamlike illustrations "pitching a carefree lifestyle." His luminescent ads for Life, Look, and the Saturday Evening Post for Pontiac Bonnevilles and Catalinas created the aura for American behemoth automobiles (and influenced Bruce McCall's parodies (bottom) in "The Last Dream-O-Rama.") The Times refers to him as "the Michelangelo of the Muscle Car," but more than that, he is the chronicler of the American Dream. See his recent set of Fins and Chrome U.S. stamps below.

Persuasive Paper

2008-10-31T05:59:44.5500000-04:00

How effective are posters in altering people's perceptions? Are they only worth the paper they're printed on or are they truly persuasive papers? The debate rages at the exhibition Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now at Exit Art in New York, where hundreds of posters, photographs, moving images, audio clips, and ephemera document more than 40 years of activism, political protest, and campaigns for social justice. Many of them have indeed altered perception and triggered action. Curated by Dara Greenwald and Josh MacPhee and organized thematically, the current show presents issues from Civil Rights and Black Power in the United States to democracy in China to anti-apartheid in Africa to environmental activism and women's rights internationally. "The exhibition also explores the development of powerful counter-cultures that evolve beyond traditional politics and create distinct aesthetics, lifestyles, and social organization," say its organizers. Exit Art exhibitions are famous for presenting a critical mass of unique artifacts and this one is no exception.

Don't Forget to Vote

2008-10-30T16:38:32.0350000-04:00

Whatever your party, your VOTE is important. The following initiatives have been launched by designers to help get out the vote next Tuesday.

PLUS ONE: "Some people donate money. Most don't volunteer. But what if
everyone got just one more person to vote?" asks Scott Stowell. PLUS ONE (above) is a way to get involved that is modest and personal. If enough people do it, it really could make a difference. And if people send their PLUS ONE stories to hello@plusonevote.org, "we might have a nice collection of anecdotes to share for the future."

VOTEHOUR.ORG: This from Ji Lee: "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the last election, the #1 reason eligible voters didn't vote was because they were 'too busy.' This shouldn't happen in this important election. Let's encourage EVERYONE to vote!" Get employers to designate one hour on November 4 for voting. Show your boss the video on votehour.org.

NOV4.NET: From Brent & Andrew: "Promote the vote NOV 4. Let NOV4 help you get out the vote in 2008." This site sells media kits, stickers, iron-ons and tattoos (below) all with NOV 4 emblazoned in stark type.

AIGA GET OUT THE VOTE: "Help motivate your friends, family and others in your community to vote by spreading the AIGA Get Out the Vote campaign. AIGA invited designers from across the United States to create nonpartisan posters."

Iraqi Refugees

2008-10-28T08:14:00.8150000-04:00

The Iraqi diaspora may become the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Although the U.S. has promised to accept 20,000 out of the 4.5 million refugees, so far only a fraction have been admitted to the country. "These are truly innocent victims of the war, and in many cases, have supported American troops," says Milton Glaser, who has developed a poster campaign for the International Rescue Committee. (The one above is partly sponsored by The School of Visual Arts in New York and hangs on one of the school's buildings.)

The IRC initiative is based on interviews with, quotes from, and photographs of refugees who continue to be at risk. For more information on the IRC's involvement, click here.

This one reads: "I was first in my class and headed for college when my street became a war zone. My cousin was killed, my father was threatened. We left everything and fled. Now we are refugees. We're not allowed to work. We've run out of money. How will we survive?"

The Legendary Wall

2008-10-27T08:25:46.5230000-04:00

"Okay, wiseguy, what would you do?" With those words, Frank Stanton, former president of the Columbia Broadcasting Company, challenged Lou Dorfsman, the creative director, who died last Thursday at 90, to devise a concept for the 35' x 8'6" cafeteria wall in the new corporate headquarters. Dorfsman replied, "Give me 30 seconds ..." and the mammoth "Gastrotypographicalassemblage" was conceived, subsequently rendered by Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnese (Lubalin's sketch below). The wall was dismantled after 25 years (once the "Tiffany Network" became the Wallgreen's network) and left to the termites. Recently, artist and illustrator Nick Fasciano obtained the nine panels, which are currently housed at The Center for Design Study in Atlanta, Georgia. Together with Richard Anwyl, he has mounted a campaign to "Save Lou's Wall." See a wonderful video here. And here is a great tribute by Michael Bierut.

London Calling

2008-10-24T11:09:50.2540000-04:00

I love looking at sketches, especially those of storied graphic icons. The London Underground "roundel" logo, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, was originally designed in 1908 by an anonymous artist, but redesigned (above) in 1913 under the auspices of Frank Pick, commercial and publicity manager of the London Underground Group of Companies, and Edward Johnston (bottom), who also designed the Underground's typeface. In 1938, Man Ray designed an extraterrestrial-looking poster that equates the roundel with the planet Saturn--it's still one of the most progressive commercial posters ever created.