The difference between being humble and being humble (despite sounding the same) strikes me as a distinction of considerable substance.

Yet how can one be certain perception is in sync with reality? To illustrate – is this a plane that is humble who’s shadow none the less betrays its true qualities or is it simply a humble plane that wishes it were something more?

Diego Rivera did some wonderful frescoes but I didn’t truly fall in love with his work until I had the opportunity to see a show of his amazing sketches at the San Francisco Art Institute (where he happens to have left one of his frescoes). There is something about a raw look at an artist’s creative process – before all the filtering for an audience happens – that is really marvelous to behold.

So it is with illustrator James Jean. Flipping through his online portfolio is like attending an extravagant concert listening to highly produced love songs. It’s breath taking work. Yet there is something about shuffling through his “SKETCH” section that is somehow more satisfying. Like sitting up close in a small acoustic setting where you can see the musician sweat and see that the heartache in the song is real.

Each of James’ sketch books is dated and described simply by its color or a letter. Immersion begins (as it should) with a handsome photo of the actual book showing the patina it acquired during its tenure. The experience proceeds with subject matter that is often less fanciful than his formal portfolio. Figure studies, people on the bus, writings… but I love the lose, gestural quality of the work and the thought. I imagine when he did these sketches he wasn’t thinking about me (in the abstract) at all. He was focused on the moment and how to represent it.

I am left to wonder why designers (so far as they differ from artists) are conditioned away from showing process in this way – favoring instead the polished end result. Limiting ourselves to a small number of samples even within that criteria. Shying away even from polished work that wasn’t actually produced. Not only do I have piles of sketch books but endless folders and files full of work that was never published, printed or launched. By keeping all this work hidden away we deny everyone the chance to be an archaeologist of our creative legacy. Even more troubling is the idea that perhaps we miss the opportunity to let others fall in love with our work.

You may not have a house that is an architectural masterpiece but take heart – you have an opinion and that’s all you need to participate in The House Vote. Roughly every day a new bite sized bit of architectural creativity is posted and you get to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. If you are feeling particularly loquacious or lean more toward freestyle commentary you can do that too. It’s a fun way to get a dose of architecture and if you see something you like you can click on the picture to visit the website of the architectural office responsible.

If you are not confident about your opinion check here first to baseline (or possibly flat line) your appreciation for homes that are poorly designed, poorly crafted and basically out of touch with reality. Then check out some of the architecture posts on this site or jump right to The House Vote to look at some really nice homes that were designed to be built in a specific location and support the healthy, happy life of the occupants.

Clearly I have an opinion (grin)

One of the credos from my childhood that has served me particulary well as a creative director is “Give credit where credit is due.” With sufficient practice this simple act of generosity becomes so rewarding you’ll never miss an opportunity to share the love. So, naturally I felt the need to share with you my praise for the beautiful portfolio of residential work featured in the Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects portfolio. It looks like a really nice crew of folks in this San Francisco office and I appreciate the smiles on their down-to-earth faces given what a minor miracle it must be to achieve architectural nirvana despite the obstacles of budgets, deadlines, building codes, personalities, weather and the chaos inherent in a quantum mechanical universe.

In a world overflowing with cheap plastic meaninglessness and flashy technological trends there is something about the soft, reassuring glow of wood that never fails to satisfy my sense of a welcoming home and TGHA employs it masterfully. The integration of these houses into the landscape is likewise wonderful and I hope to see the next iteration of the TGHA website give the firms they work with (like Lutsko Associates) credit for their important role. Take a minute to click through their work, email them a note of appreciation and let the inspiration of their work find expression in your own.

Don’t forget to apply this lesson’s theme of sharing credit with those who have earned it.

Maybe those little white mice I occasionally see in the clutches of a magnificent hawk are just getting a ride.

A new film by Doug Pray entitled “Art and Copy” delves into what it means to be a creative thinker in the advertising biz. It’s a pretty funny game we play but I have long recognized the power we have to shape and drive the perspective and direction of our culture. That’s kind of scary until you ask “If not us then who?” Engineers or fast food restaurant franchisees? Politicians? I can’t seem to come up with a field that seems less alarming : ) So, check out the trailer which is pretty fun. Then get back to work – and be careful – what you do may be more impactful than you know. The more you think about that the more you may find yourself looking for opportunities to use your skill to help champion causes that are meaningful to you.

I don’t normally rant since it is typically pointless but I’ve got to tell you the recent decision to pull Cycles Gladiator wine from shelves in Alabama because its lovely wine label (shown above) has been deemed pornographic (despite the fact that they approved it way back in 2006. And despite the fact that it is actually a famous piece of advertising art from 1895 for a French bicycle company) mystifies me. No so much because the illustration features a rather classical nude in profile – you’re free to object to nudity if you want- but because of what I perceive as a radical imbalance in our cultural perception of what is obscene (defined as: offensive to moral principals).

How is it that this wine label which celebrates the female form as a work of art is an offensive thing to have in liquor stores where minors have no business (granted wine is sold in one isle of grocery stores in many states) yet the lower shelves at my local Blockbuster video rental store, where minors are a core customer, are choked with DVD covers like the one pictured below for The Saw that celebrate incredibly graphic and dehumanizing violence?

I don’t want to start banning things because I have no interest in returning to any of the deeply flawed puritanical or medieval cultures of the past but if we go that route I would pose this question. Which one of these two pieces of professional illustration/design is at odds with our culture’s moral principals?

Whipped cream bears a striking resemblance to an iceberg. A yummy, yummy iceberg.

Chocolate
The organic and fair trade certified “Nib Brittle” bar featured here contains 65% cacao which is a little low for high end dark chocolate. The flavor isn’t any lower though so if you’re not a percentage snob and just want an unique treat that won’t mark you as someone who buys chocolate at gas stations this could be the one for you. The flavor is sweet and the texture gives the impression of raw sugar in the mix. There’s a slightly woody after taste which isn’t super appealing but is easily overcome by taking another bite. The really good news is that listed under “Nutrition Facts” it says serving size is one bar. That means when your girlfriend asks you to share you can say no based on a legitimate fear of being malnourished. Although, I’d recommend surprising her with a bar of her very own so you don’t end up sleeping on the sofa.

Design
Theo caught my eye again. This time with a series of whimsical illustrative wrappers around flavored dark and milk chocolate bars named for the address of their factory in Seattle. The packaging is more fantastic work by Kitten Chops so you can order the type of chocolate you like comfortable in the knowledge that it will attract favorable attention on your desk at work amidst all the screen printed concert posters and Kidrobot collectables.

You can learn more about Theo’s full range of products by visiting their website (which despite my recommendation they haven’t let Kitten Chops redesign yet. Which is not only too bad for visitors but means my opinion holds considerably less sway in the national design community than I had led myself to believe.

Online
Theo Chocolate

Location
3400 Phinney Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103
206 632.5100 phone

Available through The Meadow or Amazon.com. Is there anything you can’t buy through Amazon?

Company
Vere Chocolate (pronounced very) is fair wage, organic, sustainable, certified, vegan and a bunch of other good stuff. In a time when even Wal Mart has jumped on the “organic” bandwagon (which seems a little dubious) any of these could be considered the marketing spin d’jour, but added together and in conjunction with the attention to detail lavished on design it suggests the company is going far beyond the common way to produce chocolate you can feel good about while you revel in your violation of that commandment about gluttony (It is better savored in small doses but if you have to eat a lot of something this is probably more pure than the air you’re breathing). This attention to quality is hard to mass produce which makes obtaining it from their New York shop harder than hitting the vending machine but honestly would you want it any other way?

Chocolate
Vere makes many different chocolate delicacies but I’ve restricted myself to dark chocolate bars. This one is 75% cacao, low sugar and contains a grand total of five ingredients so it’s fairly stiff and simple. It is also pretty unique in your mouth. It has a slightly bitter aspect but isn’t in the least bit heavy or oily and has almost no after taste. For some reason it reminds me of water – refreshing, but not in that horrible, artificial, minty, way tooth paste companies mean. You could almost use it to cleanse your palette which is rather remarkable and a very interesting parallel to the packaging.

Design
The square box containing two stacked bars is a delightful change from the typical rectangular configuration and the company’s earth and body friendly philosophy is further evidenced by the absence of plastic or foil. The minimalist, stark white box adorned with the simple vere logotype serves a thoughtful counterpoint to a dash of chaos in the form of chocolate drizzled the way a chef in a fancy restaurant would put it on a plate containing an agonizingly small slice of the kind of chocolate cake that will keep you up all night. The bars themselves are great fun too (divided in half with the top divided in half again) they are evocative of the golden ratio, except yummier. What is also interesting is that owner Kathy Moskal was and is deeply involved in developing and implementing the creative approach throughout the company. She collaborated with designer Brigid Kavanagh who also worked with Kathy on the creation of packaging for legwear company Hue and is now busy working with New York’s MoMA and Chilewich. Victor Schrager provided the photography and with any luck got stuck with the delicious task of cleaning up.

The website is similarly clean and straightforward letting the chocolates play the role of hero. There are a few break downs in the CSS that an impending redesign will fix. But don’t wait to take a spin through the site to learn more about the company’s philosophy. You’ll see that design plays an integral role.

Update
03.23.2010: It looks like the Vere is no longer making Chocolates and the website is now dedicated to another, non-chocolaty product line.