The ABCs of good design

Have a little one with whom you'd like to share your love of the mid-century aesthetic? Here's just what you need to teach the alphabet and the top designers.

Both posters by Blue Ant Studio

In praise of the poster

I thought I outgrew posters as art several decades back, but these are too cool to pass up. Here's more mid-century goodness from Blue Ant Studio. I wouldn't mind having a whole wall full of these...but nowadays I'd spring for custom framing with some sort of snazzy matting instead of using the thumbtacks of my hippie pad youth.

Aalto

Eames + Nelson

Saarinen + Poulsen/Henningsen

Eames LCW

TWA Saarinen

Eye Chart Answers

I didn't get any public guesses at the identities of the chairs in the chart I posted earlier today, except for my SIL. (I promise...he didn't get any help. His answers were all his own!) In case you were playing along in the privacy of your own home, here are the names of the designers and their chairs.

How did you do? Was it harder or easier than you expected?  I thought a couple were pretty challenging!

by Blue Ant Studio (sans the letters, that is)

A – Wegner Wishbone

B – Nelson Swag Leg

C – Jacobsen Egg

D – Emeco Navy

E – Eames/Saarinen Organic

F – Bertoia Diamond

G – Eames Aluminum Management

H – Arnio Ball

I – Cherner Armchair

J – Eames/Saarinen Organic, different angle

K – Eames DAX

L – Nelson Swag Leg, different angle

M – Mendes da Rocha Paulistano (I was completely stumped by this one.)

N – Eames LCW

O – Gehry Wiggle

P – Prouvé Standard (The back legs finally gave this one away.)

Q – Wegner Ox

R – Paulin Ribbon

The eyes have it

Here's an interesting take-off on the traditional Snellen eye chart that most doctors use. Have fun testing your eyes and your knowledge of mid-century chairs. Check back later in the day. I'll name the designers/chairs, so you can see how you did.

Hint: With the exception of one chair below the green line, everything else is a repeat, so you don't really have to get out the magnifying glass...and watch out for different angles of the same chair.

by Blue Ant Studio

Herman Miller picnic posters

It's the first week of June, and summer is officially only days away, although here in sunny Texas the temperature is already in the mid-90s (around 35 degrees for you Celsius folks), so waiting for the Summer Solstice is just a technicality, in my opinion. It's time to start thinking about sitting by the pool, going to the lake and having picnics...and what better way to usher in the warm weather than with Herman Miller picnic posters?

Beginning in 1970 and for the next 19 summers, graphic artist Stephen Frykholm created a series of posters announcing the annual Herman Miller corporate picnics. HM employee Kathy Stanton designed the 1990-2000 posters, followed by Brian Edlefson from 2001-2006 and Andy Dull, who created the last two in 2007 and 2008.

These posters, particularly the older ones, are highly collectible and sell in the $400-700 range. The Frykholm posters are part of the permanent collections of The Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

From calvin.edu and designaddict.com

1970, S. Frykholm
aiga.org

1971, S. Frykholm
icollector.com

1972, S. Frykholm
bondandbowery.com

1973, S. Frykholm
designaddict.com

1999, K. Stanton
everythingart.com

2004, B. Edlefson
sessions.edu

2007, A. Dull
everythingart.com

So get out your flip-flops, slather on some sunscreen and enjoy the month of June, especially if you live in the southern United States, because in a few weeks, it will be too hot to leave your air-conditioned MCM house!