... of My Affection

A few fine films about design have released in the past few years. None quite so good as Gary Hustwit's Objectified. If Helvetica was a valentine, this documentary is a marriage. A union of the objects—noticed and overlooked—that contribute to our civilization. What struck me most through the interviews was how crucial relationships are. How designed objects deepen our most human interactions. In particular, Bill Moggridge of IDEO and designer of the first laptop computer, tells about his father's briefcase. Well-worn and now in his possession, the case is surely coveted by his children because it only seems to get more attractive with age. More storied with age. Unlike the trendy and now missing backpack of my middle-school years—this is an item that lives on. Moggridge says he wants to design things that "wear in" and not out. Words to design by.

Francophile

My brochures may become props in the next Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) movie.

We've been asked to send collateral from University Hospital for use in the upcoming film 127 Hours starring James Franco as Aron Ralston. Ralston is the mountaineer who got stuck in Moab, Utah in 2003. Pinned by a boulder, he amputated his own arm with a knife to survive. Boyle will surely bring a lot of grit to what is already a brutish true tale.

Is it too much to dream that Franco will pick up my design work with his remaining arm? Or perhaps become a hand model for everything in my portfolio?

Photo from Franco's Web site.