International Design Talks

Erik van Blokland is codeveloper of robofab and UFO. He is also working as a typedesigner, programmer and is lecturer at the TypeMedia course of the Royal Academy in The Hague.

As a member of the FontFont TypeBoard, Erik will critique, commend and appraise typefaces in public. (FontFont TypeBoard let loose on stage, TYPO Nest, 17.May.2013, 1 pm)  On the next day, Erik and Paul van der Laan will quickly blanche, filet and slice the recipes sketched by TYPO guests. Hand in your drawings before the talk! (Raw TypeCooker, TYPO Stage, 18 May, 2 pm)

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

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TYPO London 2012 Social, Anthony Burrill, © Gerhard Kassner

Anthony Burrill has gained a following in the design world for his innovative collaborations with friends and fellow artists, designers, print-makers and film-makers. Burrill works across a range of media, including posters, moving image and three-dimensional work. His persuasive, up-beat illustration and design has been commissioned by cultural, social and commercial clients around the world from New York, to London to Tokyo.

He combines an instinctive handling of colour and composition with a witty approach to words. He has worked on advertising campaigns and posters for clients such as The Economist, the British Library and London Underground. He regularly collaborates with musicians and animators to make films, music promos and animations, using his distinctive visual vocabulary and passion for fusing sound and image.

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Paul is an animator and filmmaker. He is also the managing director of the theater company 1927 which he founded with Suzanne Andrade in 2005. Their production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, which is running at the Komische Oper Berlin at the moment has audiences rapt. The Guardian describes their shows as “A perfect mixture of all the things worth loving: silent films, the cabaret of the Weimar Republic, David Lynch, and the brothers Grimm”. Paul will be speaking on Saturday 18 2013 at 16:00 on TYPO Hall. Check here for the full programme.

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Ferdinand Ulrich liebt Schriften und die Auseinandersetzung mit ihren Geschichten. In seinem Berliner Studio gestaltet er Publikationen und Schriftmuster. Darüberhinaus forscht und schreibt er über Typografie und Gestaltung. Er beschäftigt sich intensiv mit der Designlehre in den 20er und 30er Jahren. Seit 2012 lehrt er Editorial Design an der Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle. Auf der TYPO spricht er über Hermann Zapf Bleisatzschrift Hunt Roman, die der legendäre Schriftgestalter 1961/62 entwarf.

1. Welche Ihrer Arbeiten repräsentiert am besten Ihren Stil? Auf welche ihrer Arbeiten sind sie besonders stolz?

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Paul Barnes is a graphic designer specializing in the fields of lettering, typography, type design and publication design. He is a partner with Christian Schwartz in the internationally acclaimed typefoundry Commercial Type. In the early 1990s he worked for Roger Black in New York where he was involved in redesigns of many magazines. He later returned to America to be art director of the music magazine Spin. Since 1995 he has lived and worked in London. He has formed a long term collaboration with Peter Saville, which has resulted in such diverse work as identities for Givenchy, ‘Original Modern’ for Manchester and the logo for Kate Moss.

Kate Moss logo by Paul Barnes

 

Frieze logo by Paul Barnes

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

Marian typeface by Commercial Type

2. We chose “Touch” as the theme for this year’s TYPO Berlin. In your opinion, what qualities does design need to have to touch people’s lives? Can you name an example for for design work that had this effect on you?  

Design to me can touch people in many ways; from the better and speedier understanding of information, such as Beck’s Map of London, through to designs that make simple tasks easier, like well designed books, such as the Penguin books by Tschichold. But design can also bring pleasure to people; whether it be a simple Insel Bücherei book of the 1920s, or a beautiful record sleeve by Peter Saville from the 1980s. In the case of typefaces it’s the same; we have wonderful examples of typefaces such as Georgia that solve problems, such a reading on screen. And then we can find typefaces that are well considered and are making the reading experience, more expressive, more beautiful, more rewarding. Of course this may be often a very small improvement on someone’s life, but design is often on this level, overall it improves our world.

3. Is there someone you always have wanted to get in touch with, but so far haven’t? Who do you especially look forward to getting in touch with at TYPO Berlin?

I think the pleasure of all conferences is the surprise of meeting people you never knew you wanted to meet; going to a talk by chance and seeing work quite unlike your own that touches you. Of course it will be good to see old friends like Erik Spiekermann and Erik van Blokland. I definitely want to see Kate Moross and Anthony Burrill, who do something very different from what I do, but I really like what they do.

4. Required reading/watching: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, exhibitions, books, TV-shows, movies, apps and/or websites?

I am slowly going through a list of 1000 books to read before I die; so I’ve finally read many classics: Dickens, Mann, Conrad and many others have left a lasting impression on this 40 something. But also are the surprises: PG Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh, things I would not like. I am enjoying listening to the BBC archive, listening to Nikolaus Pevsner’s lectures which I thought long lost. I’ve also found this: one man’s obsession in collecting design classics of modern design. I am also looking forward to listening to the new album by Night Works.

I am big cycling fan so the Inner Ring is a wonderful inside track.

Petz Scholtus left Luxembourg in 2000 to study eco-design in London, trying to figure out what it’s really all about and how green she could make things. Her work took her from London to the small Tanzanian island Pemba, the Catalan capital Barcelona, the Netherlands and back to Barcelona where she is working as a freelance eco designer since 2004. Convinced that the world has enough chairs, she has s set out to designing services and experiences. Petz believes in design for people, planet and profit, connecting people and eating local food. She loves simplicity, good design and fairness, making practical and fun things, bringing people together (the more the better), travelling, speaking 5.5 languages, scuba diving, the Eden Project in Cornwall, open air parties, and her vermicompost on the balcony. She also writes for TreeHugger, lectures and organises creative events.

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

I guess my style could be defined as holistic problem solving; design that’s good for People, Planet and Profit (or at least that’s my objective!). The project that was most satisfying for me was the R3project; an eco-friendly renovation of my apartment with its online blog. It allowed me to rethink and find solutions for anything related to interior and product design, as well as lifestyle decisions and communication. The challenge was to keep it real, local, fun and inspiring. This project then inspired me to create a small lifestyle hotel, based on Good Design, in Barcelona, which is what I am working on now.

R3project Kitchen

R3project kitchen

2. What inspires you?

Common sense, simplicity, tradition, nature and travel journeys.

3. The theme of this year’s TYPO Berlin is  »Sustain«. Sustainability seems to have evolved into a »buzzword« in the last couple of years, with which agencies and companies aim to fulfill a desire for stability and values. Can you name a project in which this ambition has led to concrete, exemplary design solutions?

I am very impressed about what Patagonia is still coming up with. Their latest project, the Footprint Chronicles, is an excellent example that companies can and should be honest and transparent. Their goal is to »use transparency about our supply chain to help us reduce our adverse social and environmental impacts – and on an industrial scale. We’ve been in business long enough to know that when we can reduce or eliminate a harm, other businesses will be eager to follow suit.« I wish all brands were that open and shared information this freely. It would eliminate any greenwashing at the speed of light and allow us to find to solutions towards a more sustainable consumption much faster.

4. TYPO Berlin 2012: What are you especially looking forward to?

5. Required reading/watching: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, books, movies and/or links?

• Monocle (radio and magazine)
• Cradle to Cradle, the book
• Planned Obsolescence Conspiracy 
• www.monografica.org (only in Spanish for now)
• »The Blue Sweater« by Jacqueline Novogratz

John Hudson is a Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design, he teaches on both undergraduate and post-graduate courses at Staffordshire and Worcester University. He holds an MA with distinction in Sustainable Graphic Communication and is currently working towards a research PhD that looks at ways to embed responsibility within design curriculum. John’s varied background includes running his own artisan bakery, old house restoration and IT consultant. He has spent the last ten years working and studying as a UK based graphic designer and lecturer.

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

I’m currently very excited about a project called »Responsible Designer«. It’s an App that graphic design students can use to help them consider a more responsible approach to design. It’s a useful resource, with reading lists, inspiration and helpful links.

2. What inspires you?

There are lots of great projects out there at the moment, working on lots of different platforms. I saw Jessica Hische speak at Offset this year and she was fantastic, as effervescent as her work! There are some superb social projects such as foodforgood.me which is developed & run by students working hard to highlight the issues of food waste.

3. The theme of this year’s TYPO Berlin is  »Sustain«. Sustainability seems to have evolved into a »buzzword« in the last couple of years, with which agencies and companies aim to fulfill a desire for stability and values. Can you name a project in which this ambition has led to concrete, exemplary design solutions?

I think last years D&AD annual was a good example of how taking a more responsible approach to decision making doesn’t mean compromised design. The annual ticked all the sustainable production boxes but still looks and feels great.

D&AD Annual 2011 designed by Pentagram’s Harry Pearce

D&AD Annual 2011 designed by Pentagram’s Harry Pearce

D&AD Annual 2011 designed by Pentagram’s Harry Pearce

4. TYPO Berlin 2012: What are you especially looking forward to?

5. Required reading/watching: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, books, movies and/or links?

A standout book for me recently was Gary Shteyngart’s »Super Sad True Love Story«, a fantastic, hyper real, satirical look at the future and how technology will shape it. On the film front »Shame« was beautiful & sad in equal measure, while »We Need to Talk About Kevin« was visually stunning. I’m mad about bikes and a friend recently put me onto a wonderful project called »slowcoast«, it’s a guy cycling around the British Isles having conversations with artists and craftspeople with really diverse skills, including a screen printer, weaver and letterpress printer. There’s a lovely book and a series of ‘soundslides’ on the website accompanying the project.