Business

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...

John Thackara|Essays

We Are All Emerging Economies Now

I recently received an invitation to discuss design and development with a wonderful group of design peers in a beautiful location. But I have decided to decline the invitation. Why?

Steven Heller|Essays

Branding Youth in the Totalitarian State

Hitler Youth wearing the Hitler Jugend uniform (Austrian version)This article is adapted from Steven Heller’s new book, Iron Fists: Branding the Totalitarian State (Phaidon Press). Youth may be wasted on the young, but under the …

David Stairs|Essays

The Little Logo That Could

With Hillary joining Adlai among the ranks of first name candidates who didn’t quite make it, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama is settling in for the long haul following his hard-won delegate victory earlier this week — and …

Dmitri Siegel|Essays

Credit Where Credit Is Due...Or Not

Sundance Channel on-air identity, designed by Keira Alexandra, 2004 I was recently in the bookstore and I saw a big green book called Broadcast Design. I was pleasantly surprised upon opening it to see some very nice reproductions of work …

Adam Harrison Levy|Essays

The Passion of George Lois

How adman George Lois chronicled the sixties with his cover designs for Esquire magazine, with a peek behind the scenes at the legendary famous Muhammad-Ali-as-St. Sebastian photoshoot.

Debbie Millman|Audio

Robynne Raye + Michael Straussberger

Robynne Raye and Michael Straussberger are graphic designers and co-founders of the acclaimed Seattle-based firm Modern Dog.

Debbie Millman|Audio

Michael Hodgson

Michael Hodgson is a DJ and a designer and is co-founder of the design firm Ph.D.

Steven Heller|Essays

Underground Mainstream

"Psychedelic Dingbats," designed by Hendrike. Courtesy Wikimedia CommonsCommercial culture depends on the theft of intellectual property for its livelihood. Mass marketers steal ideas from visionaries, alter them slightly if at all, then …

Matthew Peterson|Essays

The Cuckoo Bird and the Keyboard

Easily the most maligned key on your computer’s keyboard lies just to the left of “return” and represents what appear to be single and double quotation marks. It is a cuckoo’s egg in the designer’s nest. It doesn’t belong. …

Steven Heller|Essays

The Magic of the Peace Symbol

Antiwar rally in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, March 20, 2005. Photo by Zsolt Szigetvary.The symbol for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is 50 years old this year, and despite all the wars fought since its birth, none of them have …

Matt Soar|Essays

Fail Again, Fail Better

Bread shop on Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, 2008: Amateur mistake or professional flourish? Photograph by Matt Soar.The late magician and comedian Tommy Cooper made a lifelong virtue out of failure. Discovering early on in his career that …