Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Leslie Buck Dies

Very few people ever design a truly iconic item but Leslie Buck was one. Leslie Buck died yesterday at the age of 87. If you think of getting a cup of coffee, especially in New York City, you will think of the small blue and white cup, with Greek graphics and the words "We Are Happy To Serve You". This cup has become an icon in New York and worldwide through films and TV. The cup designed by Leslie Buck is called the Anthora and has been made by the hundreds of millions annually since it was introduced in the 1960s. Leslie Buck, a Holocaust survivor, came to New York after WWII. He started selling cup for a local company and came up with the idea after seeing how many "Greeks" owned and operated coffee shops. Buck, not trained as a designer, sat down and drew up the cup. The Anthora cup was an instant success and sold upwards of 500 million in 1994 alone. Mr. Buck made no royalties from the cup, but he did well in sales commissions.

The maker of the cup, Sherri Cup Company was bought by Solo Cup in 2005. Solo no longer carries the Anthora as a stock item, making it only on request but other companies still turn out copy versions of the cup. A ceramic version is available at the MOMA store to buy.

Read Leslie Buck's complete obituary at the NY Times.

Today when I have my coffee, I will be thinking of Mr. Buck.

Pr*tty Sh*tty Blog

Take a look around you on a daily basis and you will see pr*tty design and lots of sh*tty design. Capture the good and bad, add you commentary and you get the wonderful blog that looks at it all, Pr*tty Sh*tty. I came across Pr*tty Sh*tty several months ago and the examples, humor and insight keep getting better. I would recommend putting Pr*tty Sh*tty on you list of blogs to check on a regular basis and hope that if your work comes up, its Pr*tty.

Random Photo #36 - Spring Flowers

The flowers are in bloom, Spring must be here! The colors of nature are amazing and more wonderful than our imaginations. Nature wins again!

A New Design For $100

Officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the United States Secret Service unveiled a new design for the $100 note late last week. The new design is pack full of features to help prevent counterfeiters in there endless pursuit of printing. Some of the newest features include 3-D Security Ribbon and the Bell in the Inkwell. The blue 3-D Security Ribbon on the front of the new $100 note contains images of bells and 100s that move and change from one to the other as you tilt the note. The Bell in the Inkwell on the front of the note is another new security feature. The bell changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted, an effect that makes it seem to appear and disappear within the copper inkwell. The new design for the $100 note retains three effective security features from the previous design: the portrait watermark of Benjamin Franklin, the security thread, and the color-shifting numeral 100. To see a video that the Treasury made about the new $100, go to this link at YouTube.

The Treasury should have taken a look at some of the great work at the Dollar ReDesign Project when designing. The Treasury continues to disappoint with a cohesive design that is both safe and aesthetic. The Treasury continues to pop in feature after feature but the results continue to give us currency that disappoints. I have to believe that our great country, full of great designers can come up with a solution that both protects and inspires. The US is built on a principal of inspiring, a country like no other, where you can come as a body builder and become a governor. I look forward to the day where design is used to help with the security, a day where aesthetic inspire and keeps the currency safe too. Design can do this, a new design should do this.

The new design $100 note will be issued on February 10, 2011. Look for it at an ATM near you.

And The Winners Are....

I am pleased to announce the lucky winners in my Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight giveaway.

The two winners for a DVD are:
Cory Bernet (@1goodpotato)
Micheal Wysong

The two winners for the poster are:
DesignRelated
Mark Edwards

Please email me (danny@anewdesigns.com) with your contact info. so I can send along your prizes.

For those that did not win, Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight is released today and can be picked up at amazon.

Enjoy Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight, it is a wonderful opportunity to gain insight in the world of our greatest graphic designer.

Happy Earth Day

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day was started by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson who announced there would be a national grassroots demonstration on the preservation of the environment this day, April 22nd. A symbol that grew out of this movement was the Ecology Flag. The flag is an adaptation of the US flag with 13 green and white stripes and a combination of the letters "E" and "O" in the upper left. The "E" and "O" are in reference to "Environment" and "Organism." The symbold happened to resemble the Greek letter theta. The theta was adopted as the official symbol for the flag, warning the public of the impending harm being done to our environment.

To get involved in helping our environment, please visit the Earth Day Network at earthday.org to learn how you can join efforts to help make the planet a healthier place.

The Nation Magazine Cover Archive

Looking for the inspiration of magazine covers to give you a creative spark? Then you must check out the Nation Magazine Cover Archive. The NMCA covers a variety of magazines from Emigre to Fortune to Esquire to Mad. The collection give you a brief overview of select covers. The site also has a nice recommends list that will fill your quest for even more covers.

Random Photo #35 - The Sweet Life

Taken at the Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, sweet delights being crafted with care. I still have not figured out why there is a PC on the work table, maybe he is tweeting about having to make so many candies. Milton's influence is everywhere.

Original Design Gangsta

To perk up the start of your week, enjoy this funny design rap video, the Original Design Gangsta (ODG). It is sure to make you laugh.

The Dieline Awards Announced

This past week TheDieline awards where announced in Chicago by Andrew Gibbs, the founder of the site. This marks the first year for TheDieline awards and the winners are a showcase of some of the best package designs in the industry. Included with this announcement this week comes a great new feature to the website, TheDieline 360º Viewer. The 360º Viewer allows you to turn a package and see all of it's sides right on your computer screen. I am loving TheDieline 360º with it's added dimensions to the viewing experience. To check out complete TheDieline award winners and the new TheDieline 360º, go to the site at this link.

GIVEAWAY- Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight DVD

The movie Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight will be released on DVD on April 27, 2010. (See prior post for all the details of the remarkable and insightful film) In honor of this film release, the good folks at ArtHouse Films have given me 2 copies of the DVD and 2 Milton Glaser autographed posters of the film to giveaway.

There are two ways to enter this giveaway through twitter or posting a comment-

Follow @anewdesigns on twitter and tweet the following:

@anewdesigns DVD GIVEAWAY - Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight. "Art is Work" Details at www.anewdesigns.blogspot.com

If you are already following us on twitter just RT the above message.

If you don't have a twitter account, (time to get with technology) you can simply post a comment on why the works of Milton Glaser have inspired you over the years.

I will announce the four winners on Saturday, April 24th via twitter and the blog. Good Luck and make sure you get a copy of the film when it is released the end of this month.

Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight - The DVD

MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT: Movie Trailer - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

The movie Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight will be released on DVD on April 27, 2010. The film is directed by Wendy Keys and gives us an intimate look at the work and life of Milton Glaser. The film covers this great designer, educator and humanitarian through personnel interviews of Milton and those that have been touched in working with him. The film will leave you with the knowledge and understanding of how Milton's work and life have influence generations of designers. A true New Yorker, the city has influenced and given Milton an identity that few designers have had in our profession. The works of Milton inspire us all to be better designers and better humans and is reflexed in the relationships and humor that he has built over a career. Milton is one of the most genuine people I have come into the company of and this film is a wonderful reflection of a great man.

The synopsis from the Arthouse Films website includes:

For many, Milton Glaser is the personification of American graphic design. Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and the enduring I ♥ NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser's remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait, MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT. From newspapers and magazine designs, to interior spaces, logos, and brand identities, to his celebrated prints, drawings, posters and paintings, the documentary offers audiences a much richer appreciation for one of the great modern renaissance men.

Artfully directed by first time filmmaker Wendy Keys, the film glances into everyday moments of Glaser's personal life and capture his immense warmth, humanity and the boundless depth of his intelligence and creativity.

Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight is available to order through Amazon and will make an excellent and must have addition to your design library.

Look for my next post about To Inform and Delight which will include how you can win a copy of the DVD or an autographed poster of the film by Milton.

Margo Chase Speaking At AICA-OC

This coming Friday evening, the talented and wonderful Margo Chase will be speaking at the Art Institute of California - Orange County. Margo Chase is the Founder and Executive Creative Director at Chase Design Group located in Los Angeles. Chase Design has worked with some of the largest brands in their development of branding, packaging and print collateral. Margo was recently honored by AIGA with a Fellows award in 2009. The subject of this Friday's talk by Margo will include discussions of her design process, from research and inspiration through strategy and art direction.

The evening will start at 6 pm with a talk by Margo Chase followed by an opening reception of Margo's work in the gallery at 7:45 pm. The event is supported by the student AICA-OC chapter of AIGA and the Orange County chapter of AIGA. For more information and to register for this FREE event, go to this link.

California Poppy Preserve

I had the chance to visit the California Poppy Reserve in the Antelope Valley near Lancaster, CA this past weekend. The flowers where in full bloom and a wonder to see this mass of orange blooms on the hillsides. I had seen photos of the California Poppy in bloom but seeing it in person takes your breath away. You can see from some of the photos I took above, it is a beautiful sight of nature. The flowers should be in bloom for a short time longer and is well worth the drive to the upper desert. For directions and more information on the Poppy Reserve please check out this site.

I Am Not An Artist - Animated Gif Project

I'm Not An Artist, An Animated GIF Paranoia About Nonstop Design Worksers, is a project commissioned by Elisava School of Design in Barcelona. The concept and design started with 56 animated gifs directed by Johnny Kelly and Matthew Cooper. The animated gifs are very fun and sure to take up too much time but it is worth it. With all of today's "new" flash and scripting it is good to see the simple animated gif given a new life. To view the project, click on this link and enjoy.

Random Photo #34 - Gate Valve

A old gate valve. There is just something special about old industrial artifacts that I love.

Random Photo #33 - OOS

Somedays it is good to just be Out of Service.

Random Photo #32 - Oil Site

Oil that is, black gold. An oil site located in Los Angeles County.

Driving Mulholland Drive

The legend of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles extends from paintings to films to music. The legend of this famous road was formed by the vision of William Mulholland, a City of LA Water Bureau Chief and City Engineer in 1924. The road twists along and shows the diversity of the LA area from small homes back a side road to McMasions overlooking Hollywood and downtown. Mulholland transverses along the top of the Santa Monica Mountains and is part city park, state park and national park. On one side you have the "Valley", The San Fernando Valley, on the other vistas of Los Angeles and peaks at the Hollywood sign. Mulholland is full of areas to explore, wonder and just relax in this urban natural area. Go explore and make your own memories of this LA jewel.

Spring Time In Paris

Dreaming of taking a Spring Break to Paris? I know I am, but time seems to hold me back this month, so I am going "virtual". This website by photographer, Arnaud Frich of France allows you to tour Paris in an amazing High Res/High Def 360 view. The images compose a 26 Gigapixel image that gives the control to scroll and zoom. Take you visit to Paris at this link.

(via Pret a Voyager, thanks Anne)

Matisyahu - "One Day"

If you have not listened to Matisyahu before, you will enjoy this perform. May we all experience "one day" full of life and peace.

It's Still An Ugly Logo

The talk about the 2012 London Olympic Logo continues to grow with an article over at the NY Times. "The London 2012 organizers and their designers, Wolff Olins, responded by claiming that the logo was intentionally brave, bold and ahead of its time but that we would learn to love it." The logo has been out for 3 years and I can not say I am starting to love it. Is anyone feeling the love for this logo?