A vision of the future, by Microsoft

April 4th, 2009  |  Darrell Corriveau

Microsoft Sustainability is an ultra-slick infomercial that provides a glimpse of where information technology, and presumably Microsoft, is heading. Their vision of the future is a world where virtually every surface, from desks to coffee cups, can be manipulated to connect, collaborate, and create. The concepts look like friendlier versions of things you’ve seen before in movies like Minority Report and Iron Man. It’s all pretty seductive – the people in the video are imbued with a sense of freedom and relaxation as they go about their information-gathering business. But is this really what will happen? Aren’t we already maxed out on how much information we can reasonably take in and diseminate? Anybody with a smart phone and multiple social media accounts already knows that these technologies offer many things, but the promise of achieving zen calm probably isn’t among them.

Helvetica, a different type of movie

January 16th, 2009  |  Darrell Corriveau

This week I re-watched Helvetica – the 2007 film about typography, graphic design and visual culture. Typographers and designers from around the globe delve into the subject of the world’s most famous typeface. If you haven’t yet seen the movie, I recommend that you do. It speaks to an audience much wider than that of designers. It will sharpen your eye and widen your world.

For me, the second time round was more enjoyable than the first. I found myself entranced by the history of design. The film is chocked-full of inspiring and historically significant visuals. And it led me to look for more. I was not disappointed.

Take a look at the exhibit – 48 posters, by Swiss designer Josef Muller-Brockmann (third link down the left side).