SEGD Blog » City Happenings

Books that pop

segd — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:13:37 +0000

“Though not developed solely as a historical survey of pop-up and movable books, the upcoming show, Fold, Pull, Pop & Turn: Books That Move includes key examples of printed works published from 1476 up to 2008. It will be the first opportunity for many visitors to see some of the rarest examples of this book art form in rare treasures from Smithsonian Libraries collections, including works by Euclid & Apianus, and Descartes.”

See more at the exhibit, currently at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. — A.M.

Silhouettes make a come back

segd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:45:54 +0000

“Profiling people on September 11th may sound off, but when it’s done by master scissor artist Karl Johnson, your silhouette will never look so good. The Southern California-based artist brings his services to the NYC, handcrafting paper cut-outs of personalized portraits.” — A.M.

ICOGRADA Design Week: Brisbane

segd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:15:58 +0000

“In October, Icograda in partnership with AGDA, will host OPTIMISM: Icograda Design Week Brisbane—international design conference, 10th AGDA National Biennial Awards, exhibitions, design trade fair, workshops and other special events.” — A.M.

Picnicking in London

segd — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:09:22 +0000

Using intricate marquetry, “furniture designer Gareth Neal reclaims neglected spaces of the East-End to create pop-up urban picnic sites for Londoners.” — A.M.

Pop-up cafes

segd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:16:06 +0000

Sidewalk cafes are a great benefit of urban living, but in New York City, sidewalks are too narrow. The New York DOT has a solution: pop-up cafes. — P.M.K.

Would you elect this font to be your mayor?

segd — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:30:10 +0000

“Yard signs dotting D.C. are perhaps the most visible ‘sign‘ there’s a political campaign underway. Especially ubiquitous are those of Mayor Adrian Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent Gray.

While the signs’ messages may seem straightforward, their design could offer some insight into what the candidates are communicating and how they’re saying it.” — A.M.

Times Square redesign

segd — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:29:55 +0000

Photo: Billings Jackson Design

Efforts have been underway for years to make Broadway and the Times Square area more pedestrian friendly. In 2009, a pilot study by London-based Billings Jackson Design focused on surface treatments, zoning, and street furniture in the transition from Broadway to Herald Square and Columbus Circle.

Now, a design team led by Norwegian landscape and architecture firm Snohetta will create pedestrian plazas, improve traffic flow, and create permanent infrastructure for public events held in Times Square. The Snohetta team won a Design and Construction Excellence Program competition (a Mayor Bloomberg initiative administered by the city’s Department of Design and Construction) for the project. Snohetta is known for its high-profile international projects including the National September 11 Memorial in Manhattan and the new library in Alexandria, Egypt.

The winning design team also includes WXY Architecture + Urban Design (partners with Local Projects on the SEGD Design Award-winning Official NYC Information Center project), engineering firm Weidlinger Associates, New York-based landscape architects and urban designers Mathews Nielson, Billings Jackson Design, and broadcast infrastructure designers Bexel.

Photo: Molly Dilworth

Construction on the new project is set to begin in 2012. In the meantime, a temporary surface treatment entitled “Cool Water, Hot Island,” by New York artist Molly Dilworth (known best for her rooftop art), has been installed. Dilworth created the installation based on NASA infrared satellite data of Manhattan, and its current of blue tones suggests a river flowing through Times Square. –P.M.K.

Bikeway Belém

segd — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:42:29 +0000

Some good news for a change? Bike paths are gaining traction everywhere, and the smartest cities are realizing they’re not only a great way to promote fitness, but just as effective at promoting the city itself. Environmental graphic designers are getting in on the act by providing wayfinding and interpretive design.

Bikeway Belém in Lisbon, Portugal, is a great example. Designed by P-06 Atelier, Lisbon, in collaboration with Global Landscape Architecture, the project was a Merit winner in the 2010 SEGD Design Awards. P-06’s graphics were designed to not only guide cyclists along the 7,362-meter path along the Tagus River, but to energize the diverse urban spaces it traverses and draw attention to some hidden jewels.

In addition to wayfinding and graphic symbols incised into the pavement, the P-06 team created a series of interventions that help draw cyclists farther and farther along the stretch. Under a bridge support, onomatopoeic text imitates the sounds of the bridge. Along a pier, the words of Portuguese poet Alberto Caeiro’s verse about the river Tagus are writ large in bold white letters. The total effect is of a story unfolding along the bikeway.

You can learn more about Bikeway Belém and the other winners in the 2010 SEGD Design Awards on the SEGD website. The project wil also be featured in the upcoming issue of the award-winning segdDESIGN magazine.– P.M.K.

Photos: João Silveira Ramos

Food, on a roll

segd — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:05:37 +0000

“Food trucks, the next step up the evolutionary ladder from the traditional sidewalk food cart (trucks are generally larger, more tricked-out, and self-propelled), aren’t exactly new. Trucks serving pizza or halal chicken and rice have fed midtown office workers and outer-borough revelers for years. What is new is the elevation of the form—the quality, variety, and sheer number of the things have never been greater.”

Thanks to Jill Ayers for the tip on this entry! Join her for a pizzacone. — A.M.

Smackdown Chicago

segd — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:44:13 +0000

“Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) is big and shiny; Oak Park artist Tony Tasset’s Eye is big and … scary. Both have the magnetic capability to attract any and all tourists (and their cameras, and camera phones) within a 50-foot radius.

Obviously, all the comparisons call for a smackdown. And the winner is …” — A.M.