Design Museum of Chicago

04/28/2020

Check out these wild sunglasses! The chains wrapped over the wearer’s ears and the large circles dangled down like earrings, holding the glasses in place. While clearly not the most practical design for sunglasses, the bold stars and stripes motif and Gerald Fords dangling by the wearer’s chin would certainly be eye-catching! Unfortunately for Ford, he lost this election.

Also, they couldn’t get a more peppy picture of Ford to use? Like one of him smiling? (Or maybe that is him smiling?)

Souvenir Sunglasses from Gerald R. Ford’s 1976 Presidential Campaign
1976
From DocsTeach, The online tool for teaching with documents from the US National Archives
Original source: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Collection
National Archives Identifier: 28360679
Full Citation: Museum Object 1981.281; Souvenir Sunglasses from Gerald R. Ford’s 1976 Presidential Campaign; 1976; Artifacts Relating to the Life and Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, 1977 - 2009; Collection GRF-MCOLL: Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection; Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI.

https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/ford-campaign-sunglasses

04/27/2020

Featured Project: Generate Biomedicines – One Design Company

Museum sponsor One Design Company recently completed an incredible brand communication strategy for Generate Biomedicines, a company on the front lines of the research for a cure for COVID-19.

When it's done well, we sometimes forget it is there, but design makes a difference. Thank you One Design Company for your support of companies like Generate and the Design Museum!

https://onedesigncompany.com/news/featured-project-generate-biomedicines?fbclid=IwAR1PhBb5PJkRc9bSZJTST2dTOzYQGmCFNoAWWz36D_FsLMoqC_BPW29fI2Y

Generate Biomedicines. Pioneering generative biology to create breakthrough therapeutics.

04/26/2020

It's not the same as actually being there, but take a virtual trip with us to Columbus, Indiana via Vamonde! Shortly before the stay at home order went into effect, one of the museum's staff briefly visited Columbus and was inspired by the art and design she saw. Take a quick trip with us to see this Midwest mecca of Modern architecture and design.

https://www.vamonde.com/adventure/link/6/1573

Enjoy this content? Please support our mission by joining the Design Museum's Patreon (patreon.com/designmuseumchi). Every little bit makes a difference. We appreciate you!

04/25/2020

This week in Design At Home, we're featuring a projects that's all about theaters! We miss movies, plays, and concerts, and the magic that happens inside those walls. Use the provided grid to design an amazing marquee (lighted sign) for your favorite theater. You can find the instructions here: https://bit.ly/2Vbdahr. Take a picture and share your projects with us! #designathome #kidsdesign #homeschoolart

Also, consider donating to the Chicago Theatre Workers Relief Fund (https://chicagoplays.com/donate/) or the Chicago Cinema Workers Fund (http://www.chicagocinemaworkers.com/) to support the people critical to theaters who are unable to work right now.

Enjoy this content? Please support our mission by joining the Design Museum's Patreon (patreon.com/designmuseumchi). Every little bit makes a difference. We appreciate you!

04/24/2020

Raising Products: Erin Harkey & Yohance Lacour

Missed last night's Raising Products talk? Check out the recording on Youtube!

We have one more event in the Raising Products series, next Thursday at 6pm. Join us for free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raising-products-virtual-conversation-series-part-iii-tickets-102947308170

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHr1eMQ7gO4&feature=youtu.be

Raising Products is a virtual series on art, design, and communities of color. It is about making and unmaking. The project exposes the design process and it...

04/24/2020

These simulations show how to flatten the coronavirus growth curve

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

The early trickle of new coronavirus infections has turned into a steady current. By creating simple simulations, we can see how to slow it down.

04/24/2020

At the museum, we talk a lot about how design can improve the human condition, and this is very true at this moment. From designs for PPE that can be made on 3D printers (@adlerplanetarium, @fieldmuseum, @msichicago, and bit.ly/solinflatpack among many others) to redesigning manufacturing to make essential products (@kovaldistillery, among many others), to digestible infographics about bending the curve (Washington Post, link below) and graphic design campaigns (Poster House + Print), design makes an impact. Especially in times like these. Stay well.

This particular poster for the COMBAT COVID PSA project was designed by @strickandwilliams, a NYC firm co-founded by former Chicagoan Claire Williams Martinez.

Enjoy this content? Please support our mission by joining the Design Museum's Patreon (patreon.com/designmuseumchi). Every little bit makes a difference. We appreciate you!

04/24/2020

Super interesting about why medicinal bottles were those wild shapes! Thanks International Museum of Surgical Science!

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many pharmacies and hospitals had a huge variety of medicines and tinctures stored in glass vials, ready to be prescribed to patients as needed. While many medications had to be prepared by hand, some substances required more precaution than others. Morphine, belladonna, mercury, strychnine, and even cyanide were all notable for their toxicity but still held a place in medicine or household use. These poisons may be useful as medicine in small, measured doses, or were used for pest control, among other daily needs.

The bottle design for poisons had to be different than other glass vessels to denote that the substances inside were to be handled cautiously. While there was no legal requirement for this, many companies designed bottles for poison with the consumer in mind. This was done through color, shape, and embossing. The color was especially helpful to visually denote the difference, as many bottles were often clear glass. Colors such as green, blue, and amber were often used to indicate poison.

The shape of bottles varied greatly, and included anything from semi-triangular, rectangular, or even a telling coffin or skull design for companies who were feeling creatively morbid. Embossing on the bottle allowed for glass letters to be raised, spelling out “POISON” in stark lettering. Other bottles would include ridges along the sides or corners, or have a raised design along the sides.

These small glass bottles needed to have unique design elements to let people know that bottle contained something dangerous. This would benefit a wide variety of users, such as those who were non-readers or who were blind or low vision. It also helped someone who woke up at night, rifling through their home medicines, in search for something specific. As their hands came into contact with the raised lettered warning, they knew to keep searching and to not grab that poison bottle by accident.

Image courtesy of the Antique Poison Bottle Collectors Association.

04/23/2020

Raising Products: Virtual Conversation Series, Part II

Happening now!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raising-products-virtual-conversation-series-part-ii-tickets-102824218004

A virtual series on art, design, and communities of color

04/23/2020

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? We love seeing all of the amazing cover designs for @poetryfoundation magazine! This is April 2020, designed by Eric Hanson. The "letter hands" are so interesting, especially since we're seeing so much more sign language interpretation these days. (Big fans of Michael Albert during the daily Pritzker press conferences.)

Designed by @pentagramdesign and Michael Beruit, the Magazine's cover system is flexible enough to support the work of vastly different artists and designers, and strong enough to be immediately identifiable.

To see more of the amazing covers (and puruse some poetry), visit the Poetry Foundation site: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/archive

Enjoy this content? Please support our mission by joining the Design Museum's Patreon (patreon.com/designmuseumchi). Every little bit makes a difference. We appreciate you!

04/22/2020

"Human beings pass me on the street, and I want to reach out and strum them as if they were guitars. Sometimes all humanity strikes me as lovely. I just want to reach out and stroke someone and say There, there, it’s all right, honey. There, there, there." Angeliki on Sandra Cisneros

See more from Great Ideas of Humanity: Passing the Torch at http://greatideasofhumanity.com/

04/22/2020

Do you have a CPS student? Are you trying to find things to fill their days? Get them drawing, painting, sculpting, video editing - whatever! – and submit those art and design projects by May 1 to the All City Visual Arts Exhibition! This year, the whole exhibition will be online. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2XWjxqz

From 2019 ACVA exhibition:
“House of Yarn,” Amelie Quevedo
Grade 10 | Kenwood Academy High School,
Taught by Laura Mullkoff

04/21/2020

Raising Products: Katherine Darnstadt & Zoë Ryan

Did you miss last week's Raising Products conversation with Katherine Darnstadt and Zoë Ryan? Don't worry, thanks to support from the Terra Foundation for American Art, you can watch the recording online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgP-14QXQ9Y

Don't forget to check out our events and register for the next two conversations – this Thursday, 4/23 with Erin Harkey of DCASE and designer, activist and entrepreneur Yohance Lacour and next Thurdsay, 4/30 with Paola Aguirre of Borderless Studio and Obi Nwazota of Orange Skin. Hope to "see" you there!

Raising Products is a virtual series on art, design, and communities of color. It is about making and unmaking. The project exposes the design process and it...

04/21/2020

Who remembers rotary phones? ✋ If you don’t, Google it and don’t tell us. We don’t want to know.

This phone dialer was made to use with rotary phones, helping to prevent sore fingers and chipped nails. Popular in the 1950s and 60s, these dialers were placed in the holes instead of the caller’s fingers.

The design of this object is nothing to write home about. It is ephemera through and through, small and not meant to last. However, it speaks volumes about American culture. Like the thimbles last week, this dialer targets female voters, as both housewives and the secretarial workforce (overwhelmingly female) were the primary users. The popularity of the phone and of dialers also indicates a shift from the culture of written correspondence to verbal, and an increase in communication speed.

Campaign phone dialer
c. 1950–1970
Republican National Committee
National Museum of American History
235650.314

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_495542

04/20/2020

Thinking about submitting work to All Together Now and not sure if it fits the bill? We're looking for all sorts of art and design, from gig posters to scores, sculpture to objects. Like this incredible 19th century miniature mandolin made of silver filigree from the Cooper-Hewitt's collection.

No, we don't ACTUALLY expect any mini instruments, but please do submit your work! (That being said, if you do have mini instruments...) For more information on how to submit, visit https://bit.ly/2RRemV2

(Mandolin Miniature, mid-19th century; Italy; silver filigree; H x W x D: 2 x 3.5 x 10cm (13/16 x 1 3/8 x 3 15/16in.); Gift of Anonymous Donor in memory of Albert and Rebecca Elsberg; 1938-6-4, Accession Number 1938-6-4.)

04/18/2020

Looking for something to occupy the kids, or some inspiration for yourself? Take a look at our Design At Home projects! This week, we're featuring a project similar to the process students used to make the flags in Great Ideas: Passing the Torch. Supplies needed are: paper, shapes (printables in the instructions), coloring tools, scissors, and glue.

https://designchicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/college_flag_project.pdf

04/17/2020

The deadline has been extended to submit work to All Together Now: Sound x Design until May 1! Send us your sound-related design work for a chance to be exhibited in our next show!

https://designchicago.org/exhibitions/all-together-now-exhibit-call/

04/14/2020

The popularity of election ephemera like buttons and bumper stickers is nothing new. People would use and wear these materials to show support for their preferred candidates, hopefully swaying others to their side. (Now we try to do this on Facebook and Twitter too. Both ephemera and social media are probably as equally successful…)

Ephemera was almost always small and inexpensive, like these thimbles. The earliest of this set is from the Coolidge/Davis/La Follette presidential election in 1924. It is not a coincidence that Coolidge and La Follette were handing out thimbles – 1924 was only the second presidential election in which women could vote. Although buying clothes was becoming more common, home sewing was still popular. The simple silhouettes of the 1920s, availability of cheaper fabrics, and the fashions of Hollywood starlets were all inspirations to women across the country.

Campaign Thimbles, 1924–1974
National Museum of American History
227739.1928.X15

https://www.si.edu/object/campaign-thimble-1928:nmah_492406

04/13/2020

Join us this Thursday, April 16 at 6pm for a conversation between Katherine Darnstadt and Zoë Ryan about artists and designers, process, and communities of color – register on Eventbrite today!

Katherine is is the founder of Latent Design, a progressive architecture and urbanism firm leveraging civic innovation and social impact to design more equitable spaces and systems. Since founding her practice in 2010, Katherine and her firm have prototyped new urban design systems to advance urban agriculture, support small business, created spaces for youth makers, advanced building innovation, and created public space frameworks.

Zoë is the John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago. A curator and author, her projects focus on exploring the impact of architecture and design on society. Her recent exhibitions include, In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcentury (2019) and Past Forward: Architecture and Design at the Art Institute, a major installation of the modern and contemporary architecture and design collections (2017–ongoing). In 2017, she published As Seen: Exhibitions that Made Architecture and Design History, the first volume to explore in depth the important role that exhibitions have played in the history of these fields of practice.

https://bit.ly/2xjKz0j

04/11/2020

Today's staff #WFHHQ is courtesy of art director Yaro Banduro. His quarantine project has been repainting and reflooring this back room to use as an office. Very pragmatic. Very ambitoius. Tres chic. We're a little amazed though that you can only see one plant in this picture because Yaro's nickname around the office is Plant King (no relation to Tiger King). What kinds of projects have you taken on during quarantine?

04/10/2020

Artists and creatives of all types: post a photo of your work with the hashtags: #ArtsForIllinois and #WhyArtsMatter. Tell us why you think the arts matter now more than ever, and/or why the Relief Fund is important to you during the COVID-19 crisis. Arts Alliance Illinois is collecting these stories and using them as part of an appeal to the broader philanthropic community for the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund.

04/09/2020

Today, we're going to #LightItBlue to honor and support the healthcare workers caring for us through this crisis. You're brave, you're valued, and you deserve to have the tools you need to do your jobs safely! #PPEnow

04/08/2020

Want to learn how to make books using everyday materials, including paper bags, used food packaging, and more? Our Paper + Thread bookbinding workshop has shifted focus and gone virtual! Join us on Saturday, April 25 for a live Zoom workshop with designer and art director Annie Leue. Tickets are available that include a bookbinding kit shipped directly to your door, as well as a reduced-cost ticket option for those who already have supplies of their own!

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paper-thread-bookbinding-workshop-tickets-93589289083

04/07/2020

The Society of Typographic Arts

We love The Society of Typographic Arts's weekly challenge! Check out their Instagram, and contribute your own!

We're halfway through our first weekly #STAChallenge over on Instagram. Here are a few of our favorites from designers around the globe 👉 http://instagram.com/sta_chicago

Prompt One: Choose a word that best expresses how you are currently feeling during your quarantine. Make that word into an image.

Share your take with us on Instagram by this Friday to be featured.

___
Images by David Sieren, Francis.Design, Dafi Kühne, and Stefan G. Bucher