Taipei, Taiwan

My good friend Professor Apex Lin (distinguished designer and educator) is currently publishing a book entitled “設計論語” about “designers’ definitions of design.”

Shown above are a few of the pages I’m submitting—my views on the role design can play re: a better future; a proposal for how a simple, proactive reshuffling of the norm can “raise the bar” as regards ascendant creativity; and a depiction of visualization in relation to the role individual Weltanschauung plays in the conveyance of visual communication (the latter is a re-work of an invitational poster I first created for the GDC@50 celebrations with the statement: Design is the application of intent. Graphic design targets the eye, and ultimately the mind’s eye, of both the individual beholder and the broader audience. Strategy, concept, message, and visual vocabulary connect sender and receiver by means of graphic acuity and attraction… you see?”).

(all discovered via today and tomorrow; e.g. here...)

“Having a wonderful time—wish you were her…”

Shiraz, Iran (Circa 1370)

I’m certainly no expert in the field—but for the past few years I have quite enjoyed Persian poetry, particularly the works ascribed to Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی), typically known by his pen name Hāfez, born in 1315 in Shiraz and passed on in the same locale 75 years later. Hāfez (often also spelled Hafiz) became the most celebrated Persian lyric poet and is often described as “the poet’s poet.” Here’s a sampling of why I really like this particular righteous old bard…

+  +  +

The small man builds cages
for everyone he knows.

While the sage,
who has to duck his head
when the moon is low,
keeps dropping keys all night long
for the beautiful rowdy prisoners.

(Dropping Keys)

+  +  +

Even after all these years,
the Sun never says to the Earth
“You owe Me.”

Look what happens—
with a Love like that,
It lights the whole sky.

(The Sun Never Says)

+  +  +

God and I have become
like two giant fat people
living in a tiny boat.

We keep bumping into
each other and
l
a
u
g
h
i
n
g.

(Two Giant Fat People)

 Hong Kong

Excellent graphic depictions of various global statistics by recent Central St. Martins graduate Toby Ng. See more here.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 20 years ago today… (photo by Jeff Widener)

Winnipeg, Canada

Geez Issue No. 15—Gullibility

We’re bombarded with a non-stop, high-gloss, soul-numbing onslaught of messages. Many of these messages, whether in word or image, aim to connive, cajole or coerce us. How do we cut through the crap, analyze the agendas and keep from being suckered?

This issue of Geez will consider how to navigate the info-saturated world. How can Geez help readers become a community of resistance against the media-driven, consumer-oriented messaging madness? Help us with analysis and avenues for change. We’re looking for:

•  your deconstruction of imagery used in ads, brochures, fundraising letters, news reports, or elsewhere;

•  your ad jams;

•  your exploration of the particular uses of images in churches, monastic communities and other religio-spiritual settings;

•  your images that illustrate your own efforts to talk back to the noise, jam the message machinery, subvert media agendas or escape the mental clutter.

Deadline: June 25, 2009

Pay: We offer a modest honorarium for published material.

Files: Please send small files or links to online galleries.

Unfortunately we are not able to respond to every pitch. If you do not hear from us within six weeks of the deadline, assume we were not able to use your idea or article. Send emails to: stories[at]geezmagazine.org  Send regular mail to: Gullibility Issue, Geez magazine, 400 Edmonton St., Winnipeg MB  R3B 2M2, Canada.

Paris, France

Mijn Schatje (aka Marie Blanco Hendrickx) is a young, highly successful artist with a distinctive style. I posted a few of her illustrations on this blog last month after she was listed in the Netdiver Powagirrrls* directory.

Today I received a very interesting e-mail entitled “Is Mijn Schatje an art thief?” from an anonymous source claiming that Mijn takes her archetypic doll faces (mostly Asian ball-jointed dolls, or BJDs) and other components of her work from photographs by other artists without permission and without giving credit to the original creators… the site offers numerous examples (with overlays demonstrating the appropriation process in a compelling manner) along with a variety of postings by and on behalf of “the people responsible for the sculpting, delicate painting, and painstaking photography of these labor-intensive creations.”

Homage? Appropriation? Certainly not coincidence…

*(I have just received a related post/link from Carole Guevin at Netdiver that opens a debate online; also a link to QBN where Mijn’s plagiarism is in hot discussion).