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China Design

Design in China: “Chinese Graphic Design in the 20th Century” exhibition at China Central Academy of Fine Arts

Chinese Graphic Design in the 20th Century showcases design objects such as Chinese posters, magazines and newspapers from the 20th century, and other graphic design-related objects, individual profiles and relevant documents […]

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Design Innovation

Watch Moshe Safdie’s “What makes a Building unique?” talk at TED

Looking back over his long career, architect Moshe Safdie delves into four of his design projects and explains how he labored to make each one truly unique for its site and its users […]

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Design Inspiration

AIGA’s Artist Video Series: Stefan Sagmeister

Hillman Curtis, in his video series, allows us to experience leading designers through sound and motion, uncovering what it is about them that inspires him. Watch Stefan Sagmeister video […]

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Economics Information Technology Trend Watching

Watch Clay Shirky’s “How social media can make history” talk at TED

While news from Iran streams to the world, Clay Shirky shows social media help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics […]

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Design Innovation

Watch Ray Anderson’s “the business logic of sustainability” talk at TED

At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional “take / make / waste” industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce […]

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Design

Watch Stefan Sagmeister’s “Yes, design can make you happy!” talk at TED

Graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister takes the audience on a whimsical journey through moments of his life that made him happy — and notes how many of these moments have to do with good design […]

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Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

Watch Dan Ariely’s “Are we in control of our own decisions?” talk at TED

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, uses classic visual illusions and his own counter-intuitive (and sometimes shocking) research findings to show how we’re not as rational as we think when we make decisions […]

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Consumer Behavior Software Trend Watching

Watch Seth Godin’s “Why Tribes, not money or factories, will Change the World” talk at TED

Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so […]

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China Design

Chinese Calligraphy: Master Yue Le

In previous post in which I discussed chinese calligraphy, I talked a little bit about chinese calligraphy’s history, and my impressions of its influence in contemporary chinese design. Since a lot of people have been asking me for more on the topic, I’ve decided to post on YouTube some videos of a trip my wife, a couple of friends and I did to Zhu Jia Jiao, one of the many river towns just outside Shanghai. In Zhu Jia Jiao, we’ve met Master Yue Le, a local artist that makes his living on creating banners/posters for tourist that visit that town: with our little domain of Mandarin, we’ve asked him to create some banners to represent something he would consider typical […]