Month: February 2021

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/the-orioles-wore-braille-jerseys-c295144612

The Baltimore Orioles became the first professional sports team to don their uniforms with braille lettering. While this isn’t a solution to a direct problem faced by those that are blind, it was effective in spreading awareness of the disability. While the relationship between how braille is read and the fact that it was on jerseys not intended to be felt by others did face criticism by the general public, I commend the Orioles organization for using their platform as a professional sports team to help spread this message. With that said, it would be nice to see other organizations and teams around the professional sports scene to follow through and include more usable and practical instances of design for those that are blind. Anything from sports programs to team schedules, to items such as baseballs and ballcaps, would all be more inclusive if they featured embossed braille or other design elements that spread awareness to blindness or other forms of disability.

Being that the Orioles are the first professional sports team to successfully attempt such a means of spreading awareness to blindness is amazing and shocking, to say the least, I still feel as though resources could have been put to better use if otherwise allocated towards making actual fan-usable items more inclusive. On the contrary, many teams across all levels of competitive sports have a tradition of ‘theming’ their uniforms per awareness event (camouflage jerseys on veteran’s day, pink uniforms for breast cancer awareness month, etc.) With this design, the Orioles became cannon fodder for memes, but it was successful in spreading awareness. I don’t follow Major League Baseball myself, but it was through a meme poking irony at the design that I was made aware of it.

“Consider how you can begin to work either environmental or social good into your personal design process. Which of these directions most interests you? What do you feel your level of responsibility is here? Is there an example of environmental or social design that you find inspiring? How can businesses or design agencies implement design for good into day to day work?”

Environmental/social good can be integrated and applies to many aspects of our lives. Through the products we shop for and the companies we support, as well as the messages we send through the stances we take, designers (as well as anyone) can take do their part to support particular causes. As far as the personal design process, being aware of others’ sensitivities and coming to terms with the fact that you cannot (by yourself) speak for everyone, can help make you work towards supporting the environmental/social good. While it sounds cliche, being kind and showing respect for others is just one step anyone can take in integrating social good into their routine.

Through providing designs/products intended and made to last long durations of time, designers can do their part in working for the environmental good. The “throw-away” culture that has become synonymous with today’s first world societies is something that can be mediated through the promotion and implementation of products designed to last decades. While inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to dispose of, cheaply produced products often fail under much use, creating a system where manufactured waste inherently outnumbers quality products. In day to day design life, this can mean using white/chalkboards rather than post-it notes, recycling older computers/laptops when we upgrade to more capable machines, and using items such as mechanical pencils, that promote a reuse/refill model rather than a single-use or disposable system.

Something to understand is that the graphic design industry (any tech-based industry for that matter) is nowhere close to being environmentally friendly. The environmental damage and carbon footprint left behind by the manufacture and maintenance of electronic devices is something we cannot ignore. By taking small steps in each of our daily routines, together we can help reduce the waste and damage we create to benefit the environmental/social good. From the companies we support and the products we use, to how we use them, all play a major part in how we can improve the environment through our professions.

The Dying Art of Pinstriping…on the Cusp of a Renaissance?

The Dying Art of Pinstriping…on the Cusp of a Renaissance? by Mag Boddington

Mag Boddington is a writer for The Engine Block, a company that tracks and showcases automotive trends, culture, and niches.

Mag informs readers that pinstriping (in some form) has been around ever since the Ancient Era. Where island tribes, members of the Greek and Egyptian empires, etc. adorned their weapons, clothes, and vehicles, with ornate line art and hand-painted designs.

Boddington, Mag. “The Dying Art of Pinstriping…on the Cusp of a Renaissance?” The Engine Block, 22 Sept. 2020, www.theengineblock.com/dying-art-pinstriping-renaissance/. 

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/the-toolbox/the-art-of-pinstriping-part-1/29270

The Art of Pinstriping – Part 1 by Alanna Crawford

Alanna touches on the detail and steps that go into pinstriping your own design. A point that many don’t realize is that pinstriping can adapt itself to any object. Nothing is an unsuitable canvas for this style of art form.

Crawford, Alanna. “The Art of Pinstriping – Part 1.” Speedway Motors, 9 Oct. 2017, www.speedwaymotors.com/the-toolbox/the-art-of-pinstriping-part-1/29270. 

http://letterflypinstriping.com/Pages/historicOrigins.html

Pinstriping Origins by Dave “Letterfly” Knoderer

Dave is a prominent figure in the airbrush scene, most famous for his airbrushed mural designs on motor homes. With a pedigree of formal education at the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida and a prolific artist, teacher, exhibitor, and author, Dave is a source one can trust.

In this article, Dave details the historic birth of modern pinstriping, which first began on horse-drawn carriages during a time where ornate embellishments were a testament to craftsmanship and quality. Over the years, the art form has adapted to the modern automobile. Being that no two designs are the same, those who paint and don pinstriped designs are beneficiaries to a unique and personalized art form.

Knoderer, Dave. Pinstriping Origins, letterflypinstriping.com/Pages/historicOrigins.html. 

https://garage.eastwood.com/eastwood-chatter/history-pinstriping/

History of Pinstriping by Matt M.

Matt is an author for Eastwood, a well-known distributor of professional automotive paints and finishes. 

Matt explores the general history of pinstriping and some of its most influential artists. The article primarily touches on the work of Kenny “Von Dutch” Howard, one of the most prominent figures the custom car world has ever seen.

“The History of Pinstriping.” Eastwood Auto Restoration Blog Free Howto Automotive Tech Advice for Everything DIY Automotive, garage.eastwood.com/eastwood-chatter/history-pinstriping/. 

Question:

“How does the inevitable intersection of design and politics make you feel? Do you feel included, ignored, galvanized, patronized, disillusioned, or something else entirely? Perhaps you’re most interested from a historical perspective: is there some moment in the design of political messages that you find particularly interesting?”

Answer:

“Just like anything else in our world, design plays a major role in politics. Every step of a political campaign requires sufficient attention to marketing in order to best pitch their ideals to interest groups and the American people. Across political history, design has been used to inspire revolt against standing governments, belittle political opponents, and spread blatant lies into the eyes and ears of the people. While design and politics birth some amazing design, it isn’t as pure as other design marriages. The sheer corruption present in politics yields some illegitimate fruit when paired with design, a fair comparison being a nun having an affair with a prostitute.

A particular detail worth noting is the definitive prominence of good design across the left side of politics. Whereas that kind of attention and support appears rather absent in right-leaning politics. Being that major design hubs and creative opportunities are centered in major cities, this observation makes sense. The real mystery lies in how any major political faction can suffer so greatly from lackluster design and poor attention to detail in this regard. Even above the bipartisan level at the Central Intelligence Agency, we see their redesign as something more indicative of a poor appeal to teenage gamers and cybersecurity recruits than anything else.

Personally, I enjoy exploring design from a historical perspective. Being a fan of most things antique, vintage, retro, etc. has led me to gather influence from older examples of design. I believe this works to my benefit, where most might look towards trends, I tend to dust off trends of days gone by and remaster/pay homage to them through my designs. In a world so heavily centralized around electronics and the digital realm, I like to see where the new and the old can merge. That said, I’m a major fan of old campaign buttons across the entire political spectrum (think Eisenhower era design across local, state, and national levels). I’ve found that adopting these bold, eye-catching patterns and layouts to digital platforms has the potential to create some amazing pieces.”