Charles Coiner, Give It Your Best, poster, 1942

The problem with effort and good design is that the best solutions looks like they takes very little work. The solution appears natural and effortless. The worst work are the solutions that are over-designed, over-produced, over-wrought, and desperate. But, civilians will look at the ABC logo and say, “So what? What took so long? I could have done that.” The logo that is an illustration of a person with raised hands on top of a globe with all nations color coded and series of stars that wraps around the globe, sitting on a word mark of tortured typography is praised, “Boy that must have taken a long time.”

Charles Coiner’s World War II poster, Give it Your Best, is one of these examples. It’s so obvious and straightforward that it appears that no design happened. But, the poster leaves nobody guessing at the message, is visually aggressive and powerful, and stands the test of time. Works for me.

And while we’re on the subject of World War II posters, I can’t resist discussing the series, This is Your Friend. These posters were created to help our troops understand what our allies looked like so we wouldn’t shoot them. The Chinese were our allies; they were not Japanese who were our enemies. The English,and Australian men wore these specific hats and were not German. I like that they try so hard to make clear what could be difficult; if someone was caucasian and blonde were they German? Not if they had a smile and tam-o-shanter hat. They were clearly Canadian.

But the poor Dutch. Why only a Dutch sailor? If they weren’t sailors and Dutch were they dangerous? And I don’t want to sound mean, but couldn’t the War Office find a strapping young and handsome Dutch man? I’m pretty sure there were other options here. If a student tuned this in I would say, “You need to stop using Google as a research tool and using low resolution bad images.”

WWII Canadian poster, 1942

WWII Russian poster, 1942

WWII Ethiopian poster, 1942

WWII Dutch Sailor poster, 1942

WWII Australian poster, 1942

WWII English poster, 1942

WWII Chinese poster, 1942

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Gan Hosaya, 1969, ad

There are times when a project just looks bad, like dog crap. I slave over it endlessly, and then I realize all it needs is to be turned on its side or upside down. Voila, it works. That’s the issue when you don’t print anything out and only see it on a screen. Sure you can turn your screen upside down or turn it on its side, but that could result in dropping it. The easiest solution is to send a file to print and than flip that baby around in all directions. What was once banal and expected becomes avant-garde and unsettling.

I love work that is sideways or upside down. It gets away from the standard point of view that we have in everyday life which is straight on from about 5 or 6 feet tall. Miraculously, you can see a different view from above or below, or lying on the ground and seeing the world on its side. This is why God gave people bendable joints. Photography at the Bauhaus in the 1920s and 30s took advantage of this ad-nauseum. It was as if everyone there was climbing up the walls and hanging from the balconies. But the images are wonderful.

Posters and ads with moving vehicles are especially adaptable to this technique. Gan Hosaya‘s 1969 poster for Yamaha is one of my absolute favorite pieces of design ever produced. Think how dull it might have been if he simply let the image be turned 90 degrees. So the next time you’re out taking photos, climb up on a table and shoot everyone from above. You’ll be asked to leave, but end up with a snappy photo that isn’t the same head and shoulders of someone holding a drink.

Martin Munkasci, 1935

Diving at the Valley Baths, Brisbane, Queensland, 1938

Paul Rand, Apparel Arts cover

Herbert Matter, 1935

Carl Ally Agency, ad, 1960s

Carl Ally Agency, ad, 1960s

Max Huber, 1957

Max Huber, 1948

Joseph Binder, Graphis magazine, 1948

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, 1926

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Bodie

People assume I’m from Boston. It’s probably the plaid shirts. But I’m not. I was born in Reno, Nevada in 1964. It’s hard to explain to people who aren’t from there what this place is about. They presume it’s all cheap casinos, wedding chapels, and sagebrush. It is all of those things, but there is also a sense that we are all desert rats, pulling a living out of the dirt. For years, I’ve worked on a collection of fiction that follows this train of thought. Since I’m not a writer, beside logo books, I don’t share it. But Noreen has urged me to pass some of it along. So, the first chapter in the collection, The Great Basin. The Taco Bell of Loneliness

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The thorny nest

 There is a nest in the middle of the bougainvillea on my back porch. Two birds guard it. Each morning, a neighbor cat sits at the bottom of the bush and is attacked by the birds defending their nest. How’s that for thrilling excitement? I am amazed that birds can build a nest in such a dangerous thorny bush. There is another one in an especially dangerous cacti in the border. When I work in the yard, I wear gigantic thick rubber gloves typically used to handle radiation or horrible chemicals. I still am injured weekly. Once, a spine went in through one finger and came out the other side two weeks later.

Some may say, “What for the love of God is wrong with you? Why would you put dangerous thorny cacti and succulents around the pool?” But if you ever worry about children running around the pool, this is a good deterrent. They see all those sharp points and needles and walk very carefully along the flagstone. The cacti in the planter behind the kitchen has proven problematic. Supposedly this is where one plants flowers. When the cactus gets too large and the pods stick into the path, I hear complaints as people pass them. “Who thought this was a good idea? Dammit!” is a common saying at many barbecues. And I do hurt myself whenever I clean the windows there.

But, what’s beauty without suffering. And what a wonderful surprise if a trespasser climbs over the back fence at night and walks right into my trap.

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Witchcraft Today book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Last week, I heard on NPR that beenies were the fashion thing for men now. I thought beenies were the hats that looked like yarmulkes and had propellers on top. I was told, “No, they are knit caps.” Followed by, “Boy, I wish I lived in your world.” I assume that means Pleasantville. I wish that were true. I’d like to say I laughed only at episodes of I Love Lucy. But something is wrong with me. I needed to be told that Zero Dark Thirty was not a comedy, and laughter was not appropriate during torture scenes. Who knew?

I’d like to live in Pleasantville, but  one of my favorite places is Scarfolk, UK. It’s a wonderful town in North West England that hasn’t progressed beyond 1979. Richard Littler’s genius website about Scarfolk describes it this way: Here in Scarfolk, pagan rituals blend seamlessly with science. ”Visit Scarfolk today. Our number one priority is keeping rabies at bay.” It looks like a nice place to live, except it’s in northwest England, which means it’s cold, and rains, and gets dark early, and people are probably sick a lot, and not tan. But it looks like they have a handle on the rabies issue. I’ve collected some of the wonderful collateral produced below.

Human Combustion book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood hallucinogens book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood drowning poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood strangers poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood reading book, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood maths textbook, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood rabies poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

Childhood innoculation poster, Richard Littler, Scarfolk

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Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

Here are two things I don’t know: how to speak Polish, and how to code a full screen video image run behind the content on a website. I probably won’t learn Polish. But I am determined to solve the video issue. I’m sure anyone under thirty, or any tech smart people are already saying, “That’s like way easy.” The website for Nowy Teatr in Poland does this and is a joy to explore. The site, designed by Huncwot, a remarkable agency in Warsaw could be the trickiest site in the world. The content leans toward the avant-garde, but the site’s design remains consistently concrete and provides gravity. The minimal typography and restraint is piercing. The full screen moving imagery could be obtrusive, but it’s hypnotic. If you ask me, the people at Nowy Teatr and Huncwot should be pretty darn proud. The site was the talk of the school last week at Art Center, and left me, a complete philistine, thousands of miles away, speaking only SoCal english, awed.

Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

Nowy Teatr website, Huncwot, Warsaw

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Sean Adams, Aloha Mr. Hand skate deck, 2013

I think about the concept of alternative universes more than I should. When I make decision, I consider the quantum theory that an alternate of me makes a separate decision that branches into a different timeline. The moment I am most concerned about is the one when I was 17 and decided to respond, “No, thank you” to my acceptance to Harvard, and “yes, thank you” to CalArts. Somewhere in an alternate reality, I took the other path, graduated from Harvard, and then from the JFK School of Government with a masters in public policy. I might be a Senator in the 18^th dimension. But, I took the other road. I deal with clients that ask four or five times a day, “Are you sure this is right. In your professional opinion?”

However, I do get to design cool things like this skate deck for AIGA Colorado’s Bordo Bello event. My good friend Charles Carpenter asked me to design a deck again for this great cause. This gave me the chance to highlight some profound quotes from Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Yes, if you haven’t seen it, it is better than Citizen Kane. I might be missing out on being called Senator Adams, but I get to immortalize the classic line, “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.”

quote from Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont Hight, 1982

quote from Mr. Hand, Fast Times at Ridgemont Hight, 1982

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Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, 2009

I often tell others who are frustrated or angry with a co-worker or client, “People tell themselves stories to get through the day. Let them. Everyone wants to feel important.” Typically this works and helps alleviate an anger management issue. Now, this may seem typically optimistic and hopeful from me. Unfortunately, I worry about saying things like this lately. Last month Noreen and Nicole (Jacek) had dinner in New York with a good friend of mine (or so I thought). During the course of the evening someone suggested I emcee an AIGA conference (no I don’t want to). My “friend” said, “I love Sean, he’s always so happy and cheery, but he’s so simple.” This makes me seem like Forrest Gump. Granted the plaid shirts aren’t helping my image, but I’m not a doddering simpleton wandering the streets catching butterflies with a grin plastered on my face. Nicole came to my rescue and kindly stated, “You’re wrong. Sean could slice and dice you and you wouldn’t know you were bleeding.” I love her.

Last night I went to an AIGA/Art Center event, Nomads, Heretics, and Do-Gooders, with Nicole Jacek, Nik Hafermaas, and Matthew Manos. Nik Hafermaas reminded me, “If you want to be a designer, you have to know the world and be willing to leave your comfort zone,” Nicole Jacek gave me a publication I’ve often considered stealing, a beautiful catalog for artist, Sarah Staton. She also wisely stated, “Working in design is more than a job. As designers we get to be explorers or psychologists and it is amazing.” That one statement is so clear and remarkable, and reminded me that this is not about the endless emails about signage fabrication or cracking stock, it’s an adventure and can be whatever we want it to be.

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, 2009

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, 2009

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, detail, 2009

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, 2009

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton catalog, 2009

Nicole Jacek, Sarah Staton invitation, 2009

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Richard Amsel, The Shootist, illustration

Years ago, we designed a manual for Hanna-Barbera. We wanted to show an example of a shirt using Hanna-Barbera characters such as Fred Flintstone. But there was a standing rule that an “A” character such as Fred Flintstone always was accompanied by a “B” and “C” character. I put Fred’s head on the shirt and surrounded him with Hong Kong Phooey’s head and Ma Kettle’s head. To me it looked great. Noreen pointed out it looked like a multiple personality disorder, or The Three Faces of Fred Flintstone.

I love illustration that uses multiple heads. Even better is illustration that has things growing out of people’s heads. I understand the need to convey multiple characters and a scene. Both of these devices do this. I like the idea of someone else’s head growing out of your own like a mutant twin. This was a popular device in the 1970s and 80s. Now think about this, it’s not easy to make it look as effortless and make sense. Both Bob Peak and Richard Amsel were masters of this. I urge all movie poster designers to return to this device. I want to see a poster of the Twilight characters all growing out of the side of one person’s head.

Richard Amsel, Hello Dolly, illustration

Richard Amsel, Nijinsky, illustration

Richard Amsel, The Voyage of The Damned, illustration

Richard Amsel, The Seven Percent Solution, illustration

Richard Amsel, Death on the Nile, illustration

Richard Amsel, Flash Gordon, illustration

Richard Amsel, Raiders of the Lost Ark, illustration

Bob Peak, Apocalypse Now, illustration

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Where It's At, poster, 1969

At times I feel like a traitor. I hate design. I drive to work and see a cool and hip poster and think, “Oh, yeah, seen that a thousand times.” I’ll work on an identity and create an incredibly clever solution such as when a “P” is also cat, or a comma, or a flying nun. I want to throw up.

This is when I realize its time to forget logic, clever solutions, puns, and the “correct” approach. And I do something really wrong. Now, what is wrong? Of course, hurting others emotionally is wrong (or so I’ve been told). In design, it seems that the wrong thing to do is to forget the rules and do something wonderful that makes no sense. Some of you are already getting angry and thinking, “Damn, damn, damn, well that’s just art.” See, it’s wrong.

One of my favorite examples is the campaign for the movie Where It’s At from 1969. I haven’t seen this movie and I have no desire to see it. But the posters are really, really, really bizarre. The designer took the psychedelic approach and teamed it with PushPin, children’s board game graphics, and European “Art” film (code for topless) imagery. These posters have everything one could want in a poster. Forget the poster solution of a clever one color solid shape of a comb that is also a crucifix; this is the joyous ecstasy of wrong.

Where It's At poster, 1969

Where It's At one sheets, 1969

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