Jac.currie

For anyone hoping to associate their website with rollerblading bikini babes and Ice Cube, GoDaddy has just opened up the domain extension .la for public registration, making Los Angeles the first city to "get" its own top-level domain extension (.nyc and more are on the way). The extension, previously most commonly associated with the Southeast Asian country Laos, is meant to "appeal to local business owners — those in Los Angeles and possibly also Louisiana — who haven't been able to secure the name of their businesses using .com, .net or .org extensions," according to Mashable. (Louisiana, intent on stealing more than just local filming.) Domains start at $39.99 a year, but GoDaddy is also auctioning a few hundred "premium" names, like abortion.la ($200), williammorris.la ($200 for, it should be noted, a nonexistent firm), dailynews.la ($5,000!), and oscaraward.la ($1,500).
· .LA [Official Site]

     

Established in 1067, Minsk is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Belarus with nearly 2 million people — about 20 percent of the population of the country. Today, as described by the Minsk City Executive Committee, Minsk is "a modern, dynamic city, the largest transport and logistics center, a cultural and scientific center of the country" with high education standards, positive diversity, clean and green (as in parks and stuff), and mostly as a city on the rise. "Minsk," however, share London- and Moscow-based agency INSTID, who have been working with the city on its new identity since August 2012, "lacks a clear identity. Its residents define themselves mostly by nationality, and admit that Minsk does not have a particular culture or tradition of its own." Commissioned by the city's tourist information agency, INSTID's task was to "help improve international recognition of Minsk to help it attract foreign investment, visitors, and talent" and "help residents feel proud of Minsk and develop a unique city culture based on their distinct character, and create a powerful platform for city's future development." The new identity will begin to be implemented this summer.

Instead of reflecting on multitude dimensions of the city's life, the brand strategy captured Minsk's essential quality, the ability to rationalise, engineer, and create effective practical solutions to complex technological and scientific problems. This quality is deeply ingrained in Minsk residents, many of whom are third generations engineers. It manifests itself in the user-friendly layout of the city and the rhythmical and reliable work of its services. It also propels a burgeoning industry of software programming, engineering, and high precision manufacturing that has emerged in Minsk over the last two decades. The core idea of Minsk as a city of intellect is expressed in the slogan Think Minsk. It sends a clear message to foreign investors, tourists and talent that Minsk welcomes and fosters knowledge-based production and exchange of ideas. It gives a direction for the city development and propels Minsk towards becoming a new growth place in the world economy.
— Provided text

A graphic expression of this archetypal quality of Minsk is delivered by the combination of the light blue colour (the colour of communication, abstract thinking, and intellect), and the line (as a most flexible and effective shape). Given the lack of any common symbols for the city at present, we decided against creating a defined decorative graphic symbol. Rather, we created a platform for fostering and channeling the creative energy of Minsk residents by defining very clear, laconic, and abstract tenets of the Minsk visual style. In other words, we designated alternating blue and white stripes of equal width as the key and only imperative for the city visuals and opened them to the Minsk residents, businesses and public bodies to interpret and use. Below are some illustrations how the city visual style can be effectively and powerfully implemented in a variety of contexts and applications.
— Provided text

Clearly, a lot of this project so far is pie-in-the-sky thinking: whether it's the boots above or the colored steps photograph, most of the images shown here are simply to paint a picture of what could be achieved if everything goes right, from concept approval to vendor alignment to citizens embracing the city as much as that cute little girl is embracing her cat. The identity, built around blue-and-white, thick lines and not a more distinct set of icons or visuals seems like an interesting way of building a destination brand. The main problem is that this could apply to any number of metropolitan destinations around the world. There doesn't seem to be any real specificity to Minsk — the strongest message I get, and I guess it's a good one, is that Minsk is a contemporary, young, edgy city but that's about it. On the identity itself, there are good moments and bad. The weaved "M" monograms are quite fetching (and at least carry an "M" for Minsk) and the patterns certainly have potential, but no more than any other set of decent patterns we've seen before. Where it fails, badly, is in the typography, briefly seen in a couple of the images towards the top where there is red on blue making it nearly impossible to read, or there is also the zero-leading treatment on the diagonal lines followed by awkwardly line-spaced text. It's almost as if two different firms did each part. I'm willing to Think Minsk, but not with that type.

A few more images of the identity can be found here.

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Established in 1930, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York is devoted to the art of the United States presenting a "full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists." Its permanent collection contains approximately 19,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs, representing more than 2,900 artists and is considered one of the finest in the world. Currently located on Madison Avenue at 75th Street since 1966, the Whitney will move to a Renzo Piano-designed building dozens of blocks south in the Meatpacking District facing the popular High Line in 2015. In preparation for this move, the museum has introduced a new identity designed by Amsterdam-based Experimental Jetset.

Two years ago, Museum staff began a thoughtful internal dialogue regarding the Whitney's graphic identity and selected the design studio Experimental Jetset to develop an approach which embraces the spirit of the Museum while serving as a visual ambassador for our new building. The result is a distinctive and inventive graphic system that literally responds to art--a fundamental attribute of the Whitney since its founding in 1930. This dynamic identity, which the designers refer to as the "responsive 'W'", also illustrates the Museum's ever-changing nature. In the upcoming years it will provide an important point of continuity for members, visitors, and the public during the transition to the new space.
— Whitney announcement

Introduction and animation possibilities for the new logo.

"It would be much easier to present the history of art as a simplistic line — but that's not the Whitney".

This sentence immediately conjured up an image, a shape. It also begged the question: if the history of art should not be seen as a simplistic, straight line — then how should it be seen instead? And secondly, if presenting a straight line is not what the Whitney is about — then what is?

That's when we came up with the idea of the zig-zag line — the zig-zag being a metaphor for a non-simplistic, more complicated (and thus more interesting) history of art. And as it happens, the zig-zag also resembles a capital W.

But even more than the letter W, we think the line also represents a pulse, a beat — the heartbeat of New York, of the USA. It shows the Whitney as an institute that is breathing (in and out), an institute that is open and closed at the same time. An institute that goes back and forth between the past and the future, moving from one opposite to the other (history and present, the 'Old World' and the 'New World', between the industrial and the sublime, etc.), while still moving forward.
— Experimental Jetset case study

The "periodic table" of the logo's flexibility.

A couple of different ways of populating the logo with information.

The logo adapting to the white space surrounding a piece of artwork shown in its original proportions.

As we already pointed out, it might be exactly this dialogue with the European 'other' that enables the Whitney to continuously define and re-define its American identity. We believe that, within the redrawn version of Neue Haas Grotesk, one can find a somewhat similar tension between the 'Old' and the 'New World': an European typeface, reinterpreted by a young American designer, originally commissioned by an English client.

Added to that, we think that the redrawn Neue Haas Grotesk is a very 'New York' typeface, and we're not only saying that because the designer is living and working in the city. In our view, NHG has a sharpness that is typical for NYC. On the one hand, it is quite similar to Akzidenz Grotesk, and other iconic sans serif typefaces, as employed by typical public institutes such as the NY Subway; on the other hand, we believe NHG possesses the minimalist boldness that one associates with No Wave, Conceptual Art, New York Punk, the downtown loft scene of the '70s, and other subcultural phenomena. In that sense, and as paradoxical as it may sound, we believe that NHG refers to both 'poles' of New York: the established institutional sphere, and the underground tradition.
— Experimental Jetset case study

All product shots below by Jens Mortensen, cropped to show materials bigger.

Stationery.

Visitor's guide.

Materials for the Membership department.

Admission tickets.

Pins.

Kids' materials for the Education department.

Puzzle for the retail store.

Totebags.

Shopping bags. This is what did it for me. They kick ass.

I purposely put my review at the end of this long scrolling of work because this is an identity that definitely needs to be absorbed in full and as a system, because its individual parts may not seem as strong or that very interesting on their own, starting with the logo. At first glance, and specially in comparison to the previous bold wordmark designed by Pentagram's Abbott Miller, the new logo feels fickle, almost imperceptible and invisible, and, in a standalone application, kind of boring. But as the "W" becomes alive, adapting to its context and changing without much consideration for the proper drawing of a "W", it becomes highly engaging, dynamic, and anything but boring. I actually think this is one of the best logos — even outside of its application — we've seen all year: it goes against conventions, it is perfect for the client and its audience, and it serves as a solid system for the Whitney's design staff to build on their own. I may also be reacting positively to it because it reminds me a lot of our identity for this year's Brand New Conference — if I were a douchebag I would claim they stole my idea. (Kidding of course, at ease).

In application, the logo adapts wonderfully to anything and everything, creating a sophisticated, edgy look that fits the museum perfectly. I obviously wish the identity used something other than the rich man's Helvetica — Christian Schwartz's Neue Haas Grotesk (which we also used on the BNConf identity, except it was done ironically) — as it makes the identity feel like something we've seen a hundred times before, especially coming from the Helvetica-loving folks at Experimental Jetset.

Nonetheless, definitely one of the best museum identities in some time — specially within, or perhaps despite, the trend of black-on-white, minimalist museum identities.

Thanks to Scott Lerman for first tip.

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Artist Ilona Gaynor must have seen one too many movies where some big, open air bank in Los Angeles gets robbed. We all know those banks and have been in these banks: they have those tall glass windows for tellers and the lobbies are so big and open and there seems to be no place for you to hide if anyone were to actually try to rob the bank. If you’ve been in the Bank Of America at Sunset and Vine, you know the kind of bank in question. She’s taking this idea of iconic bank robbery to the next level by Kickstarting a project to rob a bank. Well, she’s not *actually* going to rob a bank but, instead, she’s been researching LA law, stunt work, and everything surrounding a bank robbery to make an exhibition inspired by this act and culture.

Gaynor has been at work on this project for years and plans to turn it all into a book of her findings and an exhibit of drawings, photographs, sculptures, and ephemera that tell the story of this bank robbery. Los Angeles served as a big learning tool for Gaynor as she studied with the LAPD and learned what would actually happen if a bank were to be robbed. When would the police actually arrive? How are police vehicles dispatched? What does a hostage negotiation actually look like? These are things she learned while consulting with the LAPD. As you’ll see in her promotional video (which is below), the exhibit has lots to do with Los Angeles as this is the setting for the hypothetical robbery. She’s reconstructing buildings from Downtown and even set One Wilshire at the center of the crime. The five banks around the building are the unlucky targets.

Her work is all going to be shared in an actual bank vault during the Lisbon Architecture Triennale in September. She’s currently at the end of her funding and is in need of some help in order to pull it off. She’s almost halfway to her £20K goal and is offering everything from t-shirts to the opportunity to see the exhibition to even having your name added into the narrative of the robbery. The resulting work isn’t initially showing in LA, no, but she’s hoping to bring it here as soon as she can. We think this is such a super fun, super creative, super off-the-wall idea that would be fabulous to see executed–and we’d love to see it in person. Gaynor has thirteen days to go to raise the funds to rob the bank(s): help her out if you are into it. You have until June 20, robbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Some recent photos snapped last month. The weather in NYC this spring has been so strange.

Montreal-based Raymond Biesinger is a self-taught illustrator. His work has featured in publications including the New Yorker, Monocle, the Guardian, Time, GQ, Dwell, the Globe & Mail. With such immense...
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Kicking back with a cool beverage in the warmer months is one of life's simple pleasures. With the rise in popularity of craft cocktails, a similar rise in quality non-acoholic drinks has followed suit. Our round-up of summer's chillest booze-free libations offers tastes to keep everyone enjoying the party. Continue Reading...

He's the most proud of his sneakers.

It's hard to believe it hasn't even been a year since Danny Bowien opened Mission Chinese Food in New York. A lot has happened to him since May 21, 2012: The New York Times compared him to Led Zeppelin, a supermodel danced around him in spandex, and, as of last night, he's the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year. (He also won Best Dressed for the night, but that's only in our humble opinion.) Bowien took a few minutes to answer questions in the press room, opening up about his "twin concept restaurant," and humbly paying dues to his chef friends.

Did you have a good feeling about tonight?
I felt more relaxed than last year when this was going on, and we were opening the restaurant [Mission Chinese]. I was just a ball of nerves. I didn't know how to handle it. I was so happy that Christina Tosi won. If it weren't for her — and David Chang — those guys were all helping me. We'd meet in the daytime and I'd be like, "How do you open a restaurant?" Tosi's amazing and she's an inspiration. All those guys are. I asked Tosi yesterday, "Did you know when you won if you were going to win?" And she was like, "I had no idea!" I didn't expect it.

There are rumors of Mission Chinese expanding to Paris, Oklahoma City, and Brooklyn. Where's next?
We're opening another restaurant in New York, and then we're opening another restaurant in San Francisco. We put Paris and everything on hold. The restaurant in New York isn't even a year old yet. We've got to make sure that our infrastructure here is very strong before we leave. Plus, San Francisco needs some touching up. Our chef, Jesse Koide, he's worked with me for ten years now, and we're opening a restaurant together on our own, which will be a totally different thing.

Awesome outfit. Who are you wearing?
The suit is Dries Van Noten. The shirt is Raf Simons, and the shoes are Jordan 11s. The concept of these shoes is that Michael Jordan wanted basketball shoes that he could wear when he'd go to press conferences. His slacks would hit them low and it would be like he was wearing dress shoes. They're called the Space Jams. I wore these fifteen years ago, and I got them yesterday, because I thought, Why not? But they're really hard to find now. I'm the most proud of these.

Read more posts by Sierra Tishgart

Filed Under: interviews, beard awards, beards, danny bowien, mission chinese food

GREI. is a New York-based accessories company that came together as a side-project between two friends who loved collecting vintage bandanas. After hunting down bandanas at places like The Brooklyn Flea, the two friends, Larry Paul and Andrew Spargo, decided to try their hand designing bandanas themselves and "maybe make a few designs for fun". Two years later, they're a full-fledged company, releasing two collections a year and retailing at some of my favorite shops in the country, like Mill Mercantile and its brother store Unionmade in San Francisco. And their bandanas, while crisp and new, are totally solid.

by Adam Štěch The contemporary Czech jewelry scene is exceptional. Over the past few years, an array of intriguing designers and craftsmen have become newly curious about jewelry as an abstract structure and have formed a new movement around this facet of design....
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[Left image via Architect's Newspaper; right image via LACMA]

Before Michael Govan even agreed to take over as head of LACMA in 2006, he called Pritzker-winning architect Peter Zumthor in "a phone call that he believed would forever change the way art museums engage the public in the 21st century." Since then, the pair have been working together on a new vision for LACMA's 22-acre campus, which has seen its share of failed new visions over the last 15 years. But in June we'll finally find out just how compelling Zumthor's plan is (LACMA will show it off in an exhibition called The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA)--and you should know now that it's radical. Zumthor wants to "literally turn LACMA inside out by replacing half of its angular mid-to-late-20th century buildings with a series of curvaceous modern glass structures," reports the Wall Street Journal. Four old buildings will bite the dust (the beloved Japanese pavilion and the old May Company building, where the Academy of Motion Pictures is planning a movie museum, will remain; if we had to guess, we'd say Renzo Piano's recent BCAM and Resnick Pavilion buildings will also be saved).

Here's more on the design:

Glass walls that permit the museum's art to be viewed from as far away as Wilshire Boulevard are key elements of Zumthor's prototype, which would connect other buildings--including a beloved Japanese pavilion and an Academy of Motion Pictures museum--with an indoor-outdoor art park, where visitors can wander at will and preview exhibitions before entering .... Zumthor, in a written description of his concept, says he aims to create "a village of experiences. It's an organic shape, like a water lily, floating and open with glass 360 degrees around," he says. There will be a curving perimeter, a sort of wide veranda, surrounding a series of "sacred" transparent galleries, all contained under one giant roof that will be covered with solar panels. The building is designed to produce more energy than it uses and will "reexpose the sky that is now blocked by existing structures," says Zumthor.

Govan also hopes to put a lot more art on display: "As much as 80 percent of the square footage will house art on view to the public. Whole sections of LACMA's collection--such as gems tucked away on the third floor of the Art of the Americas building--will be dusted off for the first time in years."

Just over a decade ago, starchitect Rem Koolhaas proposed his own massive, radical LACMA redesign--the plan ultimately failed in the face of internal turmoil and public and political opposition. (The exhibition on the new plan, opening June 9 in the Resnick Pavilion, will dedicate some space to "LACMA's checkered architectural history.") The WSJ says that "Though the success of Zumthor's proposal is far from assured, there's little doubt about Govan's ability to raise the funds necessary to finance it." Meanwhile, he insists the current plan "isn't written in stone, and that there's room for a public voice in a proposal that would give new vision to public art."

Govan has done an impressive job turning LACMA from a house for a nice art collection into a public space and a reflection of its home city--the lamp posts of "Urban Light" and the giant boulder of "Levitated Mass" have already become city icons and the museum is the first in the US to host a massive traveling retrospective on filmmaker Stanley Kubrick.
· If He Builds It, You Will Come [WSJ]
· Zumthor: The Next Starchitect to Make Over LACMA?* [Curbed LA]