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Design

The Notebooks

by Bryan Strawser · Feb 2, 2009

Over at Design Observer, Michael Bierut writes about his 85 notebooks that he’s used over the last 26 years:

When I look at these notebooks, many of the references bring back memories, some decades old. But other times I frankly can’t remember why I was writing these things down. Did I ever call Dilland? Whatever happened to Executive Sign? What was the Lefand Alliance? In many ways, the act of notetaking and sketching is an end in itself for me. Many of these pages, filled with trivia as they are, are destined never to be looked at a second time.

I’ve been writing in my own notebooks for the last three years.

On Friday, I was rearranging my office at Target – looking to make some more collaborative space and generally simplify a few things – I came across the drawer with my notebooks in them. They provided me with a nice romp through the last three years of projects, meetings, trips, feedback, things to do, and drawings.

I saw the measurements for my home office before furniture shopping, a great quote from a mentor of mine over breakfast, notes from my annual reviews of the last few years, reminders of things I needed to take care of, and a sketch for the room layout of our crisis center. Great memories.

Filed Under: Business, Design, Work

Why IDEO is seriously cool

by Bryan Strawser · Nov 9, 2008

This is all you need to know.

Filed Under: Design Tagged With: Ideo

Saarinen, Target, and the Art of Good Design

by Bryan Strawser · Nov 2, 2008

The Design Blog at the Walker Art Center here in Minneapolis has a great story up featuring the design of our Target stores – the interview features Target’s Rich Varda, Senior Vice President of Store Design.

Here’s a look:

Rich Varda: RV: I think most people expect, because of their everyday experience, that retail architecture is the least expensive box you can have with some kind of pasted-on façade. It is very visible, but not a building of substance—a building of temporary qualities. It is certainly our objective at Target that not only are regular stores, but also modified and unique stores are buildings of substance—that the materiality, the form, and the function have been thought about and they all work together. It is not the least expensive possible box with a façade tacked onto it. I suppose to make a grandiose leap; Saarinen comes from that Finnish background that design should infuse every aspect of life. It is practically a national sport in Finland. It is fabulous to experience when you are there. Cranbrook represents that too. I think Target in a way has that same kind of spirit. The “Design for All” attitude asks why can’t good design infuse every aspect of life—from a Michael Graves toilet brush to utensils to furniture to buildings. That is what is expected as our brand, and our CEO supports that.

Filed Under: Design, Retail, Target

Some design changes…

by Bryan Strawser · Oct 26, 2008

As you can tell, making several changes here to the overall look and feel of the blog.. I’m still not happy with where things are at — but if I’m going to live up to my promise and try to blog more often – and more transparently – I’m going to need to be happy with the look & feel of the blog.

Filed Under: Blogging, Design

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