I recently stumbled upon this great book at a local book store and was pleasantly surprised to find something other than a textbook with a focus on graphic design. I also loved that its theme was the progression of graphic design to the present day (the present day of the book being 1980). Needless to say there are some amazing visuals, and great commentary. If this is something you’re interested in, I suggest that you try to find a copy and check it out. Or if you know me, you should ask to borrow it. ;)
Archive for the Reading Category
The Language Of Graphics
Posted in Reading on April 16, 2009 by Lucas DorwardThe Mechanized Muse
Posted in Reading on April 12, 2009 by Lucas DorwardMargaret Kennedy is the first author to make me feel… I guess I could say… distinguished. The way this little 1940’s book speaks of the early cinema and the transition between silent films and the incorporation of spoken word is truly intriguing. It is not a subject I have ever had interest in, nor have I ever known or cared about this subject. This is another example of a good author. One who draws me in to their interest and makes me want to keep reading. I picked up “The Mechanized Muse” at a little bookstore on the corner of California Street and Main Street in downtown Ventura. I suggest everyone go there. You’re bound to find something that with catch your attention. And even if you don’t, just buy a random old book and read it so that you can see how the language of the author has changed over the years. I find it very interesting.
Blast From the Past
Posted in Life, Reading on March 28, 2009 by Lucas DorwardSo since I’m leaving the country in a few months, I thought I should go through all my things and get rid of a bunch of crap. Well I pulled out the dusty chest and stumbled upon some old memories. Some that made me yell out “Dude! No Way!” and some that were sobering.
The first thing that raised my eyebrows was old pictures of my brother with bleached blond hair. Too great. I found my little collection of gem stones and shells. I think everyone has had a collection of those at some point in their life. I even found a grip of Hot Wheels! Yes! Good times, good times. I was also reminded of what a nerd I was when I came across my Star Trek and Star Wars figurines. They were kinda like micro machines. Dude! Micro Machines! Oh man those were great too! By far my favorite things I found were the handful of Superman comics and my absolute favorite childhood books published in the 50’s and 60’s such as Devil’s Doorstep, Man Eaters Don’t Knock, Key to the Treasure, and There’s a Carrot In My Ear. I know that those first two sound pretty intense for kids books, but they were seriously totally for kids. I can credit my creativity to the stories in those books. They were the first books to really get my imagination flowing, other than Green Eggs & Ham that is.
Among the sobering things, I found the little pamphlet from my grandfather’s funeral along with great photos of him. It reminded me what a great man he was. I sometimes wonder how different life would be now had he not died so long ago. He was a Bible reading NUT. I swear he read through the whole Bible like 15 times. I also found the September 11th 2001 Extra Edition of Newsweek with all those crazy images from that day. I’m not sure if I should even hang on to that. I kinda do for memories sake, but it seems I don’t want to find that again years from now and have that feeling in my stomach, ya know?
Random junk and trinkets and papers filled in the rest of the space including an accordion from Tijuana, a humble keychain collection, small high school wood shop projects, panpipes from Jim Thorp, PA (yes, that’s an actual city), some old family history research, two beloved stuffed animals that I never named, and a Krispy Kreme paper hat. So this has ended up being an interesting evening.
Living In The Trees
Posted in Random, Reading on March 27, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
I came across a very intriguing book titled XS Green: Big Ideas, Small Buildings. This image is of what has been named a Free Spirit Sphere. Kinda cheesy name to me, but the structure itself is pretty amazing. It almost reminds me of something from Star Wars. I love innovation like this and it gives me hope that there are still absolutely amazing ideas out there. I suggest you go to the link for the spheres and click on the “all about the spheres” section in the menu at the top. It was very interesting to read about how their design was based off of tree house and sailboat technology. It’s a good read. Oh yeah, and I want one. (birthday idea!)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Posted in Reading on March 1, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
I’m not much of a reader. I have just never been. Over the years I would pick up a book I had read several times and get lost in it again, but when it comes to reading other stuff out there, I just cant get into it. While browsing through Barnes & Noble I came across the story of Dorian Gray. I’ve heard the story behind this character but never really looked into it. I knew of the painting that grew older as Dorian stayed young, but I really only had a Hollywood perspective from that movie “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” where Dorian was ages and ages old and could heal instantly from being shot and such.Well I must say that if you’re willing to be patient with Oscar Wilde’s style of writing and maybe even be willing to stop reading and go look up a couple things in the dictionary (yes, i actually did that) then you should full on check out this book. It’s kinda intense, both the plot and on your brain as you try to keep up with the intellectual conversations that happen in it, but its worth it. I can always tell that a book has done its job when I read the last sentence and I feel a sense of awe. I’m glad I ventured out and I will certainly be doing that much more.
