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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Sean Adams, AIGA LA, Second Story poster, 2013

I’m heading off to introduce my good friend, Julie Beeler for an AIGA lecture. Now Julie is one of the smartest people I know. She’s cracker-jack fast and makes me feel like a low grade somnambulist moron. So the idea of designing a poster that captured her skill, intellect and the amazing work at Second Story was scary. Of course, I ignored all that and started on my own wacky craft project. You know you’re in trouble when you find yourself asking the office, “Do we have any tiny felt flowers? Does anyone know how to make yarn look like a bow?” I expected Julie to recoil when she saw the poster and exclaim, “You moron!” But, she took the high road and said she liked it just fine.

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Ed Fella, National Student Conference poster

Tomorrow, Thursday December 6, at 11am PST, 2:00 pm EST I’ll be hosting a webcast about AIGA’s 100 year history. “Boy, Sean,” you say, “That sounds as interesting as a lecture about the history of the UAW.” And, if it weren’t for the incredible images, you might be correct. The difference is the design solutions created by the nation’s leading designers over a century. They didn’t design an ordinary poster or publication. These pieces ended up in the hands of their peers, and we know that designers often can have opinions. I’ve had the experience of asking a designer to create something for AIGA, and then watch them choke. There is something about the pressure that all of your friends, enemies, and heroes will see it. That’s understandable. But, the opposite is true. When they succeed they create work that is often some of the best pieces of their career. So, if you want to see some pretty nifty design, and you don’t mind listening to me blather on about history, join intomorrow, http://www.aiga.org/webcast-100-years/.

Tommi Ungerer, call for entries

Lester Beall, invitation

Stefan Sagmeister, Jambalaya National Conference poster

Rudy de Harak, call for entries poster

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Sean Adams, AIGA Hampton Roads skate deck, 2012

I’m always surprised when someone says, “You guys are the quintessential southern California firm.” I don’t think of us this way. I like to think we’re a serious, intelligent, and dedicated crew, not pot smoking surf dudes and dudettes. We don’t help this reputation with our watermelon, spearmint, and butter yellow walls. And then there is the skateboard incident. Several years ago, Noreen was a judge for the British Design and Art Director’s competition. This is one of the most prestigious shows in the world and the judging is rigorous. The judges are pulled from around the world. I did it a couple of years after her, and slept for a week when I returned home.

Someone submitted a skateboard to the competition and Noreen’s jury was trying to decide if it should be included. “We need to ride it,” she said. This makes perfect sense to me. It might look good, but what if it doesn’t work. Unfortunately, this behavior is unheard of in polite British society. So Noreen’s ride around the room on the board drew gasps and shock. Perhaps the southern California idea isn’t wrong.

This week, I made two skateboard decks for AIGA Hampton Roads’ Shred show. I’m happy to do it and help out a great chapter. Of course, since I’m super square, my solutions are the dorkiest in the group. But, that’s good too. It makes everyone else look incredibly hip.

Sean Adams, AIGA Hampton Roads skate deck, 2012

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Matthew Liebowitz, H.L. Mencken Speaking, 1958

I’ve spent a lot of time in airports and on American Airlines flights. Like everyone else on earth, I hate when people insist on a conversation. On one flight, the woman next to me talked about her affair, her husband’s affair, how hot the steward was, and why she hated her children. Another time, the flight attendant spilled an entire can of beer on my lap. She was horrified and deeply apologetic, but it was an accident so no big deal. Unfortunately, it meant flying from JFK to LAX and smelling like I was at a frat party. The guy next to me told me every story he had about spilling liquids (wow that was exciting), and then asked if I wanted some underwear from his overnight bag (oi!).

My favorite was a woman who was a famous gospel singer who was flying back from Chicago after being on Oprah. She talked about her upcoming wedding plans for three hours. After three vodka tonics, she became quite friendly and repeatedly said, “Why you are so cute. Let me give you just one kiss.” I reminded her that her fiancé was waiting to pick her up.

As obnoxious as chattering is on airplanes, it’s a good design device. Unless you implant one of those little audio chips, however, you need alternative ways to do this. I love quotation marks. I love talk bubbles. Both are incredible symbols that everyone understands, “Oh, that means someone is talking.” One of my all time favorite solutions is Matthew Liebowitz’s cover for H.L. Mencken Speaking. A single bad image of the author and an uncomfortable composition is brought to life with three pieces of simple punctuation. And, to make it even better, Mencken isn’t speaking. If he were photographed speaking, the cover would be too obvious and make us wonder what he is saying specifically and individually. The closed mouth leads us to hear all of his words.

Sean Adams, Mohawk Show 7

Bradbury Thompson, Westvaco

Doyle, Dane, Bernbach, Better Vision Institute ad

Paula Scher, Public Theater

Synergisms, protest poster, 1971

Lou Dorfsman, CBS ad, 1958

Henry Wolf, Harpers Bazaar, 1958

Gene Frederico, D. Lisner and Co.

Abram Gaines, Silence poster, 1943

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