The Worst Journey in the World

Written By Sean Adams

Patrick Keohane by Herbert Ponting

I agree this title seems hyperbolic, but it the actual title of a book about Robert Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica. It puts many issues in perspective. A couple of weeks ago a young designer was quite upset and seemed unable to work. When I asked him what had happened, he explained that all of his black t-shirts had been washed with the detergent with bleach and now they were dark gray. This, somehow, seems less trying than someone his age a century ago trudging across the Antarctic ice.

The title also makes me feel stupid when I complained that sitting in coach on Southwest for a flight to Las Vegas was the worst journey in the world. It was a tight space and my neck hurt later, but again, compared to death by freezing, not so awful.

In the spirit of winter, for everyone feeling like they are about to embark on that terrible holiday journey, enjoy Herbert Ponting's images of the frozen south pole. Be glad you don't need to take canned meats.

Sean Adams

Sean Adams is the Dean of Visual Art and Communication at ArtCenter, founder of Burning Settlers Cabin studio, and on-screen author for LinkedIn Learning/Lynda.com He is the only two term AIGA national president in AIGA’s 100 year history. In 2014, Adams was awarded the AIGA Medal, the highest honor in the profession. He is an AIGA Fellow, and Aspen Design Fellow. He has been recognized by every major competition and publication including; How, Print, Step, Communication Arts, Graphis, AIGA, The Type Directors Club, The British Art Director’s Club, and the Art Director’s Club. Adams has been exhibited often, including a solo exhibition at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Adams is an author of multiple magazine columns, and several best-selling books. He has been cited as one of the forty most important people shaping design internationally, and one of the top ten influential designers in the United States. Previously, Adams was a founding partner at AdamsMorioka, whose clients included The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Disney, Mohawk Fine Papers, The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Richard Meier & Partners, Sundance, and the University of Southern California.

www.burningsettlerscabin.com
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