Design Nation

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'Cross-Nation

Hey, everybody. We are slowly [but surely] wrapping our brains around the complexity of collaborating on a project cross-country. As our first major independent project, on top of all of our new real-world problems that seem to keep coming out of the woodwork after college, things have certainly bogged down a bit.

Please forgive us our slowness, but things are steadily on the move again. The website is receiving a re-vamp, the blog is about to become much more active, transcriptions are coming to a close, which means super-special sneak-peeks are on the way! There have also been whispers of Kickstarter campaigns and Twitter feeds. Stay tuned!

As a personal update: Grad school has been a beautiful thing in the my life over the past several months, although, if you have been, you know the beauty is a tad-bit conflicted. Those of you that haven't, jump right in and go for it! I started off this second semester with a HUGE design competition project as team-leader and participating designer. We shall see how that turns out. Surprises are welcome.

For everyone not in Cleveland, Ohio, we envy your warmth!

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Back at 'em folks!

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Sleepless in Seattle

Seattle is probably the opposite. I have really been doing nothing but sleeping here. I have been dying to sleep in and wake up to a day where I have nothing planned, believe it or not. I happened to miss the lazy couple of weeks that generally happen after school is over because I jumped into this trip so quickly. It might just be the fact that this trip was exhausting, but Seattle is a very sleepy place.

Ryan and I spent the first day here exploring and reading in the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Cody finally has a place to live! So Ryan and I have been hanging out around town over the past couple of days, mostly coffeeshop/library hopping. There is a very nice Starbucks across the street that has the internet.

The super cool Seattle Public Library.

This morning I am starting to get everything ready for my flight home tomorrow. Ryan and I have what may or may not be the last interview this afternoon, and then the great task of organizing all of this information starts. I am very excited to start going back through all of the people we have met and remembering what they said. And their names! We have met so many fantastic people over the past month that it seems hard to believe. I feel very privileged to have happened to be part of this project. Everyone has taught me so much and given me more inspiration than I ever could have hoped for. I never planned on being so thrilled to start school again so I can start testing all of my new ideas.

The blog is not over for me because of all of the posts from our interviews, but I do want to take time at the end of the trip to thank everybody that has been involved and say that I can't wait to continue to be in touch on this book journey!

As a side note - this trip has not so much taught me, but proved me right, that designers and architects should collaborate much more frequently. We can learn so much from each other and give each other a much more exciting perspective on the world of design. If you take anything from my posts, make friends with people who don't work in your same field. It will make all of us better people!

[designnationguys]

The Wild West Coast

Okay, so our drive up the west coast to Portland wasn't too wild. It was actually pretty peaceful. We camped at the Humboldt State Park Lagoon for a night on our drive from San Francisco to Portland. Our camp site was just a few yards from the lagoon and we could smell the salty air coming off the water as we sat around the campfire. 

Our view from the campground at the Humboldt Lagoon State Park. 

Sunset at the lagoon. 

Some boats on the beach of the lagoon the next morning before we headed to Portland.

We drove along the coast for a while and weaved in and out of groves of giant Redwoods. Some of the views along our route were so beautiful they didn't seem real. We pulled over at a tiny strip of black-sand beach where the waves were crashing over rocks at the edge of the water. 

We went climbing on some of the rocks and almost got stuck as the tide came in and filled the space between us and the beach. 

Another stop was a river with crystal-clear water and rocks of all different shapes, sizes, and colors that was lined with Redwoods and pine trees. It was one of the most peaceful places we've been on the entire trip. 

We probably spent about an hour just sitting on rocks at the water's edge taking in the fresh air and dipping our feet in the water. 

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Our Stay at the Double Dutch

San Francisco is has much more in store than I had ever realized. There is so much going on in that city that it's almost a bit overwhelming. My good friend and fellow designer Joanne Ong kindly showed us around her neighborhood and a few sweet spots in the city. Among them was the Haight/Ashbury street festival, which just happened to be going on the first day of our visit.

Haight/Ashbury exceeded all of my expectations for awesome weirdness. The character in this neighborhood is lively and unyeilding.

Our first interview in the city brought us to Method, Inc., a rather large design firm in downtown SF. Joanne introduced us to Pete McClelland and Nicole Yeo, and along with some fascinating insights into the local design scene, they provided us with wonderful hospitality and a tour of their studio.

From left: Ryan, Joanne, Me, Pete, Nicole, and Jon

After our visit at Method we had some time to kill, so we rode the cable car up to Chinatown (And I mean UP. How people walk up and down those hills everyday is beyond my comprehension). Ate some fantastic hole-in-the-wall Chinese and stopped in at the Chinatown branch of the SF library.

The Chinatown branch of the SF Library is the mecca of Manga readers.

We then headed over to our next interview with Lisa Engler of Hatch, another SF design firm. We met over drinks at the Cafe Zoetrope.

The Cafe Zoetrope, where Francis Ford Coppola wrote The Godfather.

Not only is Lisa a talented designer, she's just plain fun to hang out with!

As we learned during our stay, San Francisco is a haven for start-ups, so we decided to experience a SF start-up, Lyft. Using the Lyft app on your phone, you can grab a ride with a local driver to anywhere in the city and not have to worry about calling a cab. Our Lyft driver was a fantastic guy—friendly and opinionated, both qualities that I value! I liked the informality of Lyft versus a traditional cab—it was comfortable, relaxed, and fun.

That evening we had the incredible opportunity of meeting up with Josh Higgins, previous design director of the Obama campaign and current design director of Facebook. He's an incredible guy with some amazing stories to share and tons of great experience to learn from.

I'll definitely be posting details from our conversations later—all of our SF meetups were exciting, enlightening, and wonderful experiences.

[designnationguys]

Arizona, You're Awesome

On our way from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix, we unwittingly stumbled into Sedona, Arizona (none of us knew it existed). Even with the 109° heat and a glaring sun, it is the most beautiful place I've ever been. We went hunting for one of Sedona's famous Vortices — a supposed place of intense spiritual and psychic energy that draws people and energy to it.

Sedona's Airport Vortex

  Our friend Rocco is living in Phoenix for the summer, so we got vortexed out to see him on our way out west.

Ryan, Jon, and Rocco

I'm a sucker for vintage, so we went exploring in the 7th and Melrose neighborhood of Phoenix. Definitely some amazing finds out there. I got myself a beautiful, gigantic, steel "W".

Work of Jay Hall, local Phoenix artist. One of the things that struck me about Phoenix was the enormous amount of support for local artists everywhere you turn. In cafes, stores, on streets and in bars—Phoenix loves art.

  We had the privilege of meeting up with Jenny Poon and Travis Fetting of Eeko Studio at a local bar. They're doing some pretty awesome things in their collaborative studio, CO+HOOTS. I will definitely be blogging more about them soon.

Phoenix is sort of like Sedona's hotter younger sister. 

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City Hopping

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity. 

It has gotten to the point that it's hard to remember where we have even been the past several days because we have been spending no more than a day in the past few stops. Now that we are on the California Coast things have slowed down a bit, and I think it is finally possible to start to collect my thoughts again.

Hiking in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO.

Since we decided to take an extra day in Kansas City for a Memorial Day cookout, we were forced to compact our three-city "Denver" trip to two days. This did nothing to help with our planned quick stops in all of the cities through New Mexico and Arizona. Consequently, the past week has been a whirlwind of new experiences and fantastic people. As it was my first time in the mountains/desert of America, everything I saw was "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" and all of the food was to die for. And let's not forget to mention the innumerable micro-breweries that dotted each of these cities. I honestly never want another beer again in my life.

Sunrise at the Grand Canyon, AZ.

It's actually a bit funny that we ran through all of these stops considering the fact that each one was the type of place where it was impossible to do things quickly. In the mountains I was constantly distracted by sitting and staring at the beauty. In the desert it was too hot to move and every little town that we drove through had enough character to last a week. Needless to say, these places breeds a certain lifestyle that seems to continue the trend so far along this trip: it is refreshing to be surrounded by positive attitudes and a slow-moving environment.

I am finding so much inspiration on this trip in the people that we have been meeting and in the places that we have seen. I am itching to get back home and start to do some writing and drawing about all of these ideas I am having. This has been an incredible experience so far, and I can't believe that there is still over a week left!

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Meetup with Lee Zelenak

"I think in my position, and I think in your guys' position, the best thing to do is to be an opportunist. You know, everyone wants to go, 'Okay, well what are your goals? What are your short-term goals or your long-term goals?' I never set a short-term or long-term goal of like, 'I'm gonna go work for a presidential campaign.' It just came up. You know, and it was an opportunity. So I did it." Lee Zelenak, former designer for the Obama campaign, met with us over drinks in Chicago's Map Room, an appropriately themed dive for travelers. He graciously and passionately related his story of coming to live and work in Chicago for the campaign and his subsequent endeavors.

Our conversation with him was inspiring and enlightening—he's chock full of spirit and a genuine love of design. His straightforward perspectives on politics and, befittingly, the politics of design business were fantastic to hear.

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Breathtaking Boulder

After an excruciating 9-hour drive across the entire state of Kansas, we finally saw some terrain that was more than just flat in every direction.

We navigated the hills and valleys of I-86 on our way to Denver, where we had reserved a room at a downtown hostel. After checking in and taking our bags to the room, we headed to Boulder.

Our first stop was the Dushanbe Tea House, a gift from Boulder’s sister city. We had one of the best meals of the trip in the beautiful tea house, full of ornate woodwork, carving, and art.

After dinner we walked down Pearl Street, which is a popular shopping area downtown. There are tons of cool shops, restaurants, and bars that all seemed to have a relaxed and easy-going vibe.

The whole city is sort of nestled into the mountains, so we wandered around and found a trail to hike. We spent about an hour hiking up the trail and snapping hundreds of photos of the view. It was one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen…literally. There was a very noticeable difference in the altitude and we were all a little winded during the hike.

After catching our breath, we made our way back down to the car and drove up to Panorama Point and watched a thunderstorm roll in from miles away.

We grabbed a post-hiking beer at a local dive bar and headed back to Denver for the night.

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Impressions of Kansas City

Kansas City was wonderful. It's a much bigger city than we expected—and the community there was a joy to be a part of.

Definitely a plus that we got to stay with my sister, Ashley, her husband, Micah, and their awesome six-month-old malamute-pyrenees puppy.

We participated in the March Against Monsanto protest in the Plaza District of Kansas City—similar protests happened simultaneously across the globe. Wonderful to see the level of awareness here.

Kansas City Skyline—far more impressive than I had imagined.

Jon, Ryan, and Josh Shelton, Architect at El Dorado Inc.

Our new friend Marty Lane (left), Director of Education for AIGA Kansas City and Assistant Professor at the Kansas City Art Institute was kind enough to have us over for a memorial day barbeque (her husband is an incredible chef). Marty also introduced us to several other wonderful local designers (who will be discussed in depth later!)

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Alomaha

I think we were all sad that the time finally came to move on.

In Omaha we stayed with Cody’s friend Nathan Kirkman and his boyfriend Jordan in a perfectly sized apartment with three of the most cuddle-friendly animals I have ever met. I was awoken each morning by either a cat licking my ear lobes, biting my feet, or a dog with no boundaries that loved to lick your eye and bounce on the air mattress. He also had a fantastic overbite that made him all the more alluring.

Samuel L. Jackson v. Sullivan the Love Dog-ctor

Our trip to Omaha had so much more of an influence on all of us than we could have even imagined. I think that coming from the Cleveland area where there is almost no work, and a very competitive design environment, we were stunned by how supportive and kind everybody was. In about a day and a half we met and spoke with most of the design community and learned a ton about how much passion, generosity, and collaboration can do to truly make a fantastic place to live and work. The drive down to Kansas City was incredibly brief compared to the last stretch of driving so it seems like it hardly happened. It is kind of a cool ride geographically because you are on a state border the whole time so there is a different state on either side of you. We are staying with Cody’s sister Ashley and husband Micah here. He seems to have the most cross-country connections. They have the cutest, most energetic puppy. It is now the beginning of our second day here. We had some interviews here yesterday afternoon, got some political activism worked in with the Monsanto protests, and had a fun night out with Ashley and Micah. I have finally been able to start working some architects into the mix, so I am very excited to meet with a couple this afternoon. First impressions of Kansas City are high for me. We’ll see what another day-ish here has to offer as far as drawing a conclusion.

[designnationguys]

Welcome to Iowa

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Good Fucking Design Advice

"Go to work early, leave late, and kick ass all day. Someone's gonna notice."

These wise words of advice were given to us by Jason Bacher of Good Fucking Design Advice when we sat down for an interview with him and the other half of GFDA, Brian Buirge. 

Jason Bacher + Brian Buirge of GFDA. (Photo: GFDA facebook page)

We talked to Jason and Brian over a beer on the patio of a bar in Kent, Ohio a couple nights before we left for our trip. They gave us some insight into their backgrounds in design, how they work together, and why they're still in Kent. They attribute their hard-working attitudes to their midwest upbringing, which is something the three of us can definitely relate to. 

Jason and Brian two of the most humble, hard-working, and just fucking awesome guys I know. And they're pretty hilarious too. Check out the GFDA site if you haven't already. 

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Oma-goodness, Omaha Rocks

Right now I am in Omaha sitting in a rustic, combination coffee shop-bank. I love this city. 

After an incredible breakfast of eggs, toast, and "Creme Brulée Potatoes" at Wheatfield's, we're waiting for one of Omaha's many enticing thrift stores to open—yesterday I considered a flawless accordion at the local Goodwill Reserve. 

We also had the privilege yesterday to drop in on Donovan Beery's 36-Pints, the real-life meetup companion to his podcast, 36 Point. Afterwards we felt as though we had effectively met the entire design community of Omaha. I have to say, I am blown away by the level of kindness we have been offered by everyone we meet. It seems as though the people of this town are thrilled to show their guests what Omaha has to offer.

36 Pints at the Dundee Dell.

This was after our discovery of this Omaha gem: The Beercade. I can honestly say this is the coolest idea for a bar I've ever heard of. 

Yes, that is Gauntlet Legends.

Today we're meeting up with Jesse Harding of Grain and Mortar, along with some other local designers. Can't wait.

[designnationguys]

Couchsurfing and Crepes

For our last night in Chicago our lovely hosts invited us to a crepe feast after our long day of exploring the city.

We made our way back to Evanston after exploring downtown Chicago all day on Tuesday. Emily and Jen invited us to join them and their friend Rachel for some homemade crepes. The spread was fantastic: goat cheese, spinach, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, roasted beets, and ricotta. And then there were the desert ingredients: fig preserves, mango jam, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. I'm fairly certain they were the best crepes I've had since I was in Paris.  

The best part was getting to know Emily and Jen a litte better and telling them all about our trip. They've traveled pretty extensively, so they had some great tips about things to do in some of the cities we're headed to. It turns out Rachel is originally from Colorado, so she had some great suggestions for sights to see while we're in Boulder. 

Emily, Rachel, and Jen entertained us while they mixed up the crepe batter. 

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Are We There Yet?

The big events of Chicago revolved almost completely around food, which seems to be the story every time I travel there.

The first day there we bounced around some coffee shops and bars to get work done on the interviews project, ending at a bar near Bucktown for our talk with Lee Zelenak. Day 2 started with a four-hour search for bibimbap. Due to the unexpected closure of Cody’s favorite place for it, we ended up at Gino’s for deep-dish pizza. After a stop of Topman and Burberry, we met up with a Kent State Design workshop to catch one of their presentations before heading home for a crepe feast with our couch-surfing hosts. Dinner was absolutely fantastic and an experience I’m sure none of us will forget. The night ended in Boy’s Town to see an amateur drag-off hosted by Frida Lay. Today we remedied our lack of bibimbap at Del Seoul. It was absolutely perfect and are presently in a dreadful, flat, boring, 300-mile stretch of farms through Iowa. There has a been a huge response to the project, so we have quite a bit to look forward to in Omaha.

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Chicagoan at Heart

I have a deep personal connection with Chicago.

I lived here two years ago for a summer and feel that it gave me a completely new perspective on life. My experience here is probably what gave me the courage to go on this trip.

I love it here. The weird smells in underground walkways, screeching old El trains, cool, humid breezes off the lake. On the train a lady in a tye-dye scarf eats some unknown food out of a coffee cup with a fork, then carefully reapplies her deep maroon lipstick. An older man in a black vest frowns at the crude, dark walls of the subway tunnel. A South Korean tourist in white leggings, a cat-print skirt, and hello kitty shoes gleefully looks on as the enormous, beautiful, opportunistic city flies by.

There's something unique about the atmosphere in this city that can't be found anywhere else. A Midwestern work-ethic overlays a sea of opportunities. The place just emanates activity.