a little doodling on a Friday is good for the soul

a font I just love

so so so!

T.26 so cool!

Our Futurist Past

Ah. If London weren't so far away, if I could beam there in a second, I would catch the exhibit “Modernism: Designing a New World 1914–1939” at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Instead, I can read an engaging review by Marian Bantjes, whose writing is both informed and entertaining.

Today, the word “Modernism” primarily evokes an aesthetic idea: we imagine architecture, furniture and graphics on the basis of form and perhaps function. But what I loved about the V&A exhibit is how well it explains the social and political ideals of the early Modernists. Because really, it all started as a utopian dream for the future of mankind. The precise beliefs of the Modernists varied depending on the group and orgin of the designer, but all were focussed on a need for social change, addressing social inequalities and reacting to the traumas of the First World War. The rejection of ornament was a rejection of excess and luxury. Embracing mass production and the machine was an embrace of equality. Machines were considered models of “unselfconscious design”; they were egoless, and both the systemization of manufacture and the standardization of product was appealing from a socialist perspective.

Fantastic. Completely reminds me of my Arts in Context classes from uni. Bantjes goes on to discuss the irony of Modernism:

Despite these amusing, head-shaking moments, it was difficult not to feel a kind of sadness for our knowledge of what happened to the world in the following 80 years. While I am grateful not to be dressed in a cossack, working on an assembly line and retiring to my efficient house on an efficient street of similar houses, I can’t help but see the irony in where Modernism led as an aesthetic. For surely, over time, the Modernist ideal, far from becoming accessible to all is now one of the most elite expressions of taste and wealth that you can have. Admittedly, its influence has filtered down, and the ultimate contemporary Modern experience is probably IKEA, with its low-cost, efficient pre-fab furniture available in a variety of Modernist-influenced styles. But if you want to build a Modernist house, and fit it out with either original or reproduced Modernist furnishings, be prepared to lay down the cash. In 2006, the pure Modernist aesthetic exists only for the elite.

This inspires me to dig out my art history books and read a more detailed account of the time. And think more about design in context today ... hmmm ...

Great summary on HTML emails

Vitamin has served up a great article on the ins and outs of creating HTML emails. I know I will refer back to this article again and again.

HTML Emails - Taming the Beast

There are some excellent examples of HTML emails with the images turned on and off, as well as a handy chart on what strategy to use for each email client. I know this will be a helpful checklist for the next HTML email I create.