William Drenttel

William Drenttel|Essays

Whose Flag?

Adbusters' poster, design by Pedro Inoue, 2008Recently, I received a poster on a topic I care about, issued by an organization I respect. It's a call-for-entries for a flag design competition being hosted by Adbusters, on the topic of …

William Drenttel|Essays

Hurricane Watch: Gustav Emergency Relief

Hurricane Gustav is hitting New Orleans and Gulf States region today. Here's a quick summary of major resources for designers (and others). The single best resource is the Gustav Wiki with hundreds of leads and links, as well as news and …

William Drenttel|Essays

I Was A Mad Man

Mad Men takes place in 1960. Just seventeen years later, I went to work at an ad agency and became a Mad Man. This is my story...

William Drenttel|Slideshows

Thoughts on Democracy, July 4 2008

During the summer of 1942, the American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell embarked on a series of paintings that would come to be known as "The Four Freedoms." Inspired by an impassioned speech President Roosevelt had made a year …

William Drenttel|Miscellaneous

AIGA Winterhouse Writing Awards 2008

"I am nearly the same age as the mini-mall. And though lovers of cities will weep for me, I must admit that much of my life has been spent — not at the mall, as you might expect of a girl San Fernando Valley-raised — but at the local …

William Drenttel|Baseball

Any Baseball is Beautiful

Baseball spring training opens Tuesday. It is in this spirit that I stumbled upon the photographs of Don Hamerman. For the past few years, as he's walked his dog at a local park, he's picked up lost and forgotten baseballs. There are …

William Drenttel|Projects

Polling Place Photo Project on Super Tuesday

The New York Times, politics page, January 2008Voting on Tuesday, February 5, in the U.S. presidential primaries? We hope you will contribute a photograph to the Polling Place Photo Project.Primaries or caucuses will be held for one or …

William Drenttel|Essays

Polling Place Photo Project 2008

The New York Times, politics page, January 2008A little more than a week before the November 2006 U.S. midterm elections, Design Observer and AIGA launched an online initiative in citizen journalism — voters across the country were asked …

William Drenttel|Essays

Taking Things Seriously I

William Drenttel|Slideshows

Stephen Doyle: A Few Words

Stephen Doyle, "WAS/SAW Poster," American Center for Design, 1994Between 1985 and 1997, I was partners with Stephen Doyle and Tom Kluepfel at Drenttel Doyle Partners in New York City. While Tom stayed home to mind the shop, Stephen and I …

William Drenttel|Essays

A Plea to The New York Times: Index Your Art

I'm in the middle of writing a post about the designer Stephen Doyle and his Word Art, most of which appeared in The New York Times — the Magazine, the op-ed page, Arts & Leisure, and other sections. None of this art can be found by …

William Drenttel|Essays

Wood That We Could

Invitation to exhibition at Moss, detail, designer unknown, 2007Remember back in the late 1980s, when Minneapolis was a hotbed of graphic creative energy? Back when brochures were tied together with straw braid and twigs? As a counterpoint …