The Design of Everyday Life

[jkbuhler]

Beautiful type specimens from the Rob Roy American Wood Type Collection at UT Austin: https://dev-rrk.pantheonsite.io/

[jkbuhler]

Happy 150th Birthday to Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright! (Samara House, West Lafayette, IN)

[jkbuhler]

The Factory of the Future (Armstrong Ad), AIA Journal January 1968

Futuristic Aquarium (Armstrong Ad), AIA Journal, March 1968

[analogisdigital]

[jkbuhler]

An ad for the Xerox Alto, a personal computer that was released in 1972. At the time, the concept of a networked personal computer at the office was counter to the traditional form of business computing which relied on mainframes.  The Alto features a vertical screen and a mouse, which was not a common input device for computers at this time.

[jkbuhler]

A collection of covers for U.S. Government Documents from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s available through the HathiTrust. 

[jkbuhler]

USC has digitized an enormous trove of midcentury modern architectural photographs. This selection of images includes original drawings and photographs of the Bailey House, the Stahl House and the Seidel House by architect Pierre Koenig.

[jkbuhler]

Covers of Fortune Magazine from the 1930s-1950s. 

[jkbuhler]

Why we should embrace innovative fashion, not laugh at it | PBS NewsHour

Why do we elevate fancy cars but mock haute couture? Robin Givhan, fashion critic for The Washington Post, explores the sexism behind some critiques of runway styles.

A wonderfully insightful analysis of the sexism and gender bias inherent in popular critiques of high fashion. 

[jkbuhler]

A terrific video describing an ancient silver-smithing process. 

[jkbuhler]

A great overview of plastic injection molding! 

[jkbuhler]

New Taschen book, Logo Modernism by Jens Müller catalogues 6,000 different trademarks from 1940-1980 organized in thematic sections based on their form. Review on Slate

[jkbuhler]

RIP: Irving Harper, famous for his work for George Nelson (Marshmallow Sofa, the ball clock, sunburst clock)  and Herman Miller (including the iconic Herman Miller logo). Here is a really lovely article from Herman Miller about his contributions to their graphic identity.

[jkbuhler]

a video of the Nagakin “plug n’ play” capsule tower in Japan. Built in 1972, this radical architectural concept featured fully independent “capsules” that were held together by just a few screws. Each capsule contained a bed, built in storage, a small refrigerator, and a bathroom. The capsules were designed to be easily replaced, although apparently none of them ever were. This video does a nice job showing the “space ship” design of the interior and the disrepair of the building in its present state. 

[jkbuhler]

“The Ultimate Guide to Analog Control Panels in Sci-Fi Movies” from Hopes&Fears.com

images above: Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Back to the Future, Predator, and War Games

[courtenaybird]

[goshyesvintageads]

H & R Block, 1982

[jkbuhler]

A brilliant overview of the the disturbing abuses of workers overseas in sweatshops--all so that we can buy cheap clothes for ourselves, our children, and our dogs. 

[uicspecialcollections]

Mustard and Dreams: What It Takes to Run a Hot Dog Stand in Chicago

Running a hot dog stand requires much more than just a passion for food.

Lots of excellent Chicago dog history in this article!

[jkbuhler]

Who knew the use of ketchup on Chicago dogs had such a fraught history!?