KANNER Architects: Mid-Century "Next."

KannerArchitects are amazing in that I see a distinctively mid-century design influence woven throughout their design thinking and approach, yet through their entire body of work I see a glimpse into the future. To me, KANNER's work represents "What's Next" in architecture.

Situated in Santa Monica (by my former Ph.D and longtime fav and new airconditioned Clive and Fellow Michael), they draw on the "climate, innovation and diversity" of their Southern Californian surroundings. They "take into consideration the seasons and how light changes during the passage of the day" as a significant part of their design thinking. As a result, Kanner's work is decidedly modern, timeless and warm. Their work is conscious of and respectful towards site, budget, conservation and an inventive use of materials.

I've found all their work to be full of wit and personality. An appropriate extension of it's surroundings for sure, but serving important roles of adding, inspiring and energizing those who interact with these spaces.

If I could hire anyone to communicate through architecture what I consider interesting and inspirational, I would choose KANNER hands down. Though they design their share of big budget projects, I'm most impressed by what they've done with their more modest ones, like the United Oil and Gas Station (which if the site wasn't all designed all in Flash, I would link to on the KANNER site).

They have a full service graphic design team too. Man, would that be a dream job! Big shout out to Kanner. I'm a fan.

John Maeda: New RISD President. Interesting.

The Board of Trustees of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) announced on December 21, 2007 that John Maeda, Associate Director of Research at the MIT Media Lab, has accepted the offer to become the 16th president of RISD.

For those of you who don't know him, this won't interest you. For those who do, it's hard to imagine the endless possibilities of this announcement. It's also interesting to see a working designer (albeit a somewhat limiting title for his actual accomplishments and qualifications) become a school president. That sort of changes the playing field a bit. Wow. I have enjoyed his blog over the last 2 years, and his book Thoughts On Simplicity is amazing. Even though this is a surprise to many, I do see it working and I so applaud the trustees of the school for making such a bold move.

Hum....

On an unrelated note, the RISD video announcing the new president is by no means representative of this forward thinking university. In fact, it reminds me of late 80's IBM quick cuts. Some of the video is just plain awkward and uncomfortable, and it's uncharacteristically contrived. Hey, that's my perspective. And that's why they call it BarryBlog. (I'm still a Maeda fan).

( via Businessweek )

Motorola RAZR: Bad Design is Bad Business

According to a recent article by Business Week's Bruce Nussbaum regarding Motorola's RAZR phone, bad design is bad business. According to Nussbaum this is an indicator of the understanding or misunderstanding of design by senior managers of companies. Design is more than style, more than a fashion statement. If the product's promise can't deliver, your product/service will ultimately annoy the heck out of your consumers. And you will pay. Read the rest of the article here.

( via NussbaumOnDesign blog )