Great Designers: Part 1

In this video, we'll take a look at some designers and how their work still impacts us to this very day. 0:00 Know that all of these mediums are a little bit different. 0:06 Whether it be architecture, print, or film, 0:10 simply pay attention to the solutions they've designed and created. 0:13 First up, we have Charles and Ray Eames. 0:18 Charles and Ray Eames' main focus was architecture and furniture. 0:22 They also ventured into industrial design and graphic design, fine arts and film, as well. 0:27 They were American designers in the early 1900s. 0:34 Charles and Ray Eames are so noteworthy in the design industry 0:38 because they were so impactful on modern America through so many mediums. 0:42 They were a team of husband and wife. 0:47 They worked vigorously side-by-side throughout their careers 0:50 to find the best possible solutions for any given task. 0:53 Here are a couple of their masterpieces. 0:58 The Eames house is a case-study house designed by both Charles and Ray. 1:00 They wanted to design a house that fit within its environment 1:06 and had the functional use of an office and home. 1:10 The house is constructed of glass and steel. 1:13 This home and work space is the epitome of the definition of design. 1:16 It was strategically designed to solve the task at hand— 1:21 create a home and office in one. 1:26 This is the first time an architectural design like this has ever been completed with such effectiveness. 1:29 The structure still stands to this day. 1:35 Their next project I'd like to talk about is the "Powers of Ten." 1:39 The Eames couple pioneered the zoom effect 1:43 we still see today in movies. 1:46 If you have ever seen a space view zooming into earth, 1:48 like Google Maps, 1:52 it was probably because of the film, "Powers of Ten." 1:54 The film was commissioned by IBM in 1977. 1:58 The idea was to explain how large the universe is; 2:01 then, zooming in by using the powers of 10 until we end up on a single proton— 2:06 a very effective representation of size from the universe all the way down to molecular structures. 2:12 The next Eames project, which their most known for, is the Eames lounge chair. 2:19 Charles and Ray designed many collections of furniture for Herman Miller. 2:24 They pioneered the process of chair making with their early work, using the molded plywood process, 2:29 as you can see here, in the Eames lounger and ottoman. 2:35 They also experimented and perfected the process of fiberglass and resin-molded chairs. 2:39 Charles Eames said it best, "Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a specific purpose." 2:45 Our next designer is Herb Lubalin. 2:55 Herb Lubalin is an American graphic designer. 2:59 He was born in 1918. 3:02 Herb collaborated on 3 Ginzburg magazines— 3:05 the "Eros,""Fact," and "Avant Garde." 3:09 He was responsible for the beauty and aesthetics of these publications. 3:13 Most notably, Herb is responsible for an art deco type face called avant garde. 3:18 The work that Herb did is best described as meaning through type. 3:25 He emphasizes the message through beautiful type lockups and layouts. 3:31 Herb did not think of himself as a typographer 3:35 but more of a message designer by using characters or the master of typographics. 3:38 He changed our perception on typography through his exploration of typographics. 3:45 He gave type life and meaning. 3:51 He personified every phrase with a human emotion. 3:54 He created successful solutions and gave copy purpose. 3:58 Next up, one my favorites—Paul Rand. 4:03 Paul Rand is an American graphic designer. 4:07 Born in 1914, Paul Rand is best known for his corporate design work. 4:10 He has created brand identities for major corporations such as Apple, IBM, Enron, ABC, and UPS—to just name a few. 4:16 Rand began designing page layouts in the 1950s, 4:26 and in the 1960s, he single-handedly convinced corporate America 4:30 that great design is a valuable and must-have tool. 4:36 He's the one that substituted project pricing rather than hourly pricing. 4:40 He coined the word jewel, which we better know today as mark. 4:45 This is the iconic standalone symbol which encompasses a brand. 4:51 Rand's design theories were very simple and straight to the point. 4:55 Here's a couple quotes from Paul Rand. 5:00 "Don't try to be original, just try to be good." 5:03 "Design is the method of putting form and content together." 5:07 "Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition." 5:12 "Design can be art, design can be aesthetics." 5:18 "Design is so simple, that's why it's so complicated." 5:22 "Simplicity is not the goal, it's the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations." 5:27