Uncle Miltie

Milton Glaser

The name is familiar to us, but  perhaps you can't recall why.  Possibly the most prolific visual artist ever, he might be best known for the creation of the I(heart)NY logo.

 

For more than 60 years, he has influenced our view of the world with an extraordinarily diverse oeuvre.

Now, if you know where to look, you might find showings of a 2009 documentary "Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight".   I found it this past week on the Sundance Channel.

Consider his inspirations, the meanings behind, and the value of his work.  Consider too, that the path to importance and some fame is a consequence of both luck and commitment.

At least, I was informed and impressed.  How success can be replicated by talented designers remains an enigma, but his story is most entertaining.

Miraculous

This past week, of course, has seen the miracle of the rescue of the trapped miners in Chile.  Many heartfelt opinions and observations have been written and broadcast, and the live footage of the escape capsule rising to the surface was mesmerizing.  Although the eloquence of the media commentators is intimidating, I'm compelled to comment.

Architects, such as myself, are trained with a an appreciation for how people relate to the spaces around them.  It's all about connections: visual, physical and psychological.  We use silly, fatuous jargon like "flow" and "sense of place".  Now, with LEED, we have even gone so far as to mathematically calculate minimum criteria for views and daylight.

Along with my professional acceptance of the value of these pursuits, I add personal quirks of mild claustrophobia and restlessness.  Consequently, I'm awestruck by the fortitude and resolve of those 33 brave men.

I have been told that it requires a special psyche to work as they did.  No doubt.  But the ability to overcome the months of deprivation, much less the first 17 days of entombment, is inspirational.  I suspect I'll never look at a fenestration pattern the same way again.

But this observation touches upon a mere fraction of the strength and bravery of what we saw this past week.  How many lessons could we learn?  I venture to say - many.

PowerPoint me

I've pretty much given up.

I've just finished my umpteenth PowerPoint show.  This one won't even be projected onto a screen.  Why PowerPoint for printed handouts?

It's just too easy.  Notice, I didn't say it's good.  The templates have all sorts of ready to use text boxes - easy to manipulate.  The bulleted outlines are there just waiting to be filled in.  Text is seamlessly cut and pasted from ubiquitous Word documents.

Graphic Designers (like my wife) hate it.  It's just too dumb and inelegant for their tastes.  They live in a world of Adobe Creative Suite and similar programs, and they're quite facile at it.  We poor souls, who write routine text for a living, don't usually get the right kind of practice to rise above the MS office humdrum.  For the most part, we're Bor-ring!

Maybe I'm lazy; or maybe I'm ambitious, but legitimately limited by the tools I'm using.  Architects are visual people.  Composition matters to us.  Attractive displays are memorable.  And memorable messages can have more business impact.

There must be a better way for people like us.  Help.

Specs, Really?

I'm working on a spec for an elementary school.  By the time it's final and published, who knows how big - Maybe 1800 pages.  All very official - owner directed, MasterSpec inspired, CSI format, all the bells and whistles.

What I don't get, even though I'm doing it, is why has the whole thing has become so bloated.  ASTM standards, certifications, references about every conceivable option and accessory, the legal mumbo jumbo about coordination and accountability, and all the expectations about fit & finish - it all can become quite intense.

The sad fact is that, in practice, many members of the building team read Part 2 - Products, and gloss over the General and Execution parts of the typical Section.  Unless, of course, something doesn't work quite right.  It seems like it's much longer than it needs to be, and all very archaic.

How about a General Condition that says "this is the date of our contract, each and every item on the job must meet the latest ASTM standard and Federal spec that applies to the required materials.  The following describes what's needed:..."

OK, honestly, I'm looking for comments.  Anyone have a better way?  Chime in.