BLDG BLOG unearths a fascinating article from 1898, on the "Brazilian Indian Telephone".
“These natives live in groups of from one hundred to two hundred persons, and in dwellings called "maloccas," which are usually situated at a distance of half a mile or a mile apart. In each maloccathere is an instrument called a "cambarisa," which consists essentially of a sort of wooden drum that is buried for half of its height in sand mixed with fragments of wood, bone, and mica, and is closed with a triple diaphragm of leather, wood, and India rubber. When this drum is struck with a wooden mallet, the sound is transmitted to a long distance, and is distinctly heard in the other drums situated in the neighboring maloccas. The blows struck are scarcely audible outside of the houses in which the instruments are placed. After the attention of the neighboring maloccas has been attracted by a call blow, a conversation may be carried on. … The communication is facilitated by the nature of the ground, the drums doubtless resting upon one and the same stratum of rock.”
Confessions of an awards juror.
“The judging experience, despite being immensely enjoyable (it is always good to meet other designers), underlined the reasons graphic designers in the UK have no single organisation they can call their own. No AIGA like in the States, no BNO like in Holland and no AGDA like in Australia. We Brits are a contrary lot. Too often we define ourselves through what we don’t like rather than what we do. With what isn’t matching our exacting standards. But if we can’t recognise the best stuff, where are we going as a profession? No graphic design organisation needs to have awards at its core. However the quarrel over what we don’t like is a red herring, because it hides the fact that we don’t know what graphic design is for any more. We seem to have lost sight of its purpose. Is it because there are now so many different ways to practise it?”
In praise of the polling station.
“The ballot box – disappointingly, these seem to come in many varieties and materials but for me they really have to be large, battered, black-enamelled metal boxes. There are various kinds of seals – legal pink ribbon is good though plastic closures are now more common. There’s a pleasing ritual, just before the 7 am kick-off, when the Presiding Officer has to show everyone present that the box is empty, before sealing it. Except for the slot, obviously. After close of play at 10pm, the slot is sealed too, for the box to be transported to the count. You’d expect fleets of security vans nationwide but no: it seems the back seat of the Presiding Officer’s Ford Fiesta is just fine.”
Paul Belford on the elegant simplicity of Apple's new iPhone campaign.
“ There's no pack shot. No small print. And no crass typography fighting the image. Yet these posters couldn't be better branded. When will advertisers learn that branding is all about the quality of the communication, the hierarchy of the communication and good design? Not the biggest logo size. The campaign is all about the pictures, so the art direction becomes all about the pictures. Images not by famous photographers but by people we've never heard of. Amateurs.”
Inside the Netflix "war room".
“There is a ring of television monitors circling the giant conference table, each hooked up to a different device that can deliver Netflix and each tuned to a different market. At the stroke of 12, a ceremonial switch is flipped and quality assurance is checked in each market and on each device. It is official: Daredevil is live. The mentions of Daredevil and Netflix start humming by on TweetDeck, coming so furiously it is impossible to read them. Many of them are from rabid fans of the comic book just typing, “Daredevil!!!!!” It’s the social media equivalent of the screech that greets One Direction whenever they step out of a hotel lobby.”
That is all.