Stephen Coles
Stephen (alias Stewf, Stüf, Steuph, Stoopf) was born Stephen Johansson Coles in Salt Lake City, Utah to a saintly Swedish immigrant and a magazine publisher of local renown. After an idyllic upbringing he outgrew the quiet Mormon enclave and escaped to a dark, but beautiful Stockholm where he pushed pixels remotely for his brother’s graphic design concern. Just as he was about to see his first weeks of Scandinavian sun he was scooped up by a Berlin-based typeface supplier who found value in what to others was only a mildly amusing curiosity: his font identification prowess. The company installed him in their San Francisco office where he now labors joyfully as a creative director, copywriter, and evangelist.
Stephen publishes Typographica, Chromeography, and The Mid-Century Modernist, and contributes to The FontFeed.
Posts
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September 03, 03:07 PM
Friends! Here’s How To Get (At Almost) No Cost (New, LIVE) MINIATURE MONKEY
via Surface To Air - September 03, 01:41 AM
- August 25, 01:38 AM
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August 23, 05:22 PM
Chip Kidd, by my good friend Norman Hathaway
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August 19, 12:18 AM
Investigating the Gill Sans “g” (1933) by Michael Cina (via colinmford)
This comes from one of Gill’s early sketches (in jest). He was right to avoid this kind of geometric engineering in his final design. This isn’t the way to make a serious text face. He wisely avoided this shape (even though it’s interesting) but stumbled in other ways, making Gill Sans more of a novelty than the versatile, useful typeface it could be.
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August 18, 09:29 PM
B - by Laura Serra (via laureola)
She’s available for freelance illustration. Hire her!
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August 17, 10:50 PM
MAGIC MOLLY: And now I wanna / Be your dog
One way to mentally rectify the sight of a kid on a leash is to pretend that the kid is actually leading his parent around.
- August 17, 10:36 PM
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August 14, 07:56 AM
The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.
Every fall, I explain to a fresh batch of Ph.D. students what a Ph.D. is.
It’s hard to describe it in words.
So, I use pictures.
Read below for the illustrated guide to a Ph.D.
This is utterly brilliant.
- August 09, 06:00 PM
- August 08, 05:29 PM
- August 07, 05:41 PM
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August 06, 07:52 AM
If you don't mind, how do you have the new version of the "Prologue Theme"?
Beta testing for Mr. Hunter. I think he plans to release something soon.
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August 03, 11:50 AM
Sergey Larenkov: Zhukov on the Steps of the Reichstag
This guy composed tons of WWII photos with their present-day equivalents. It’s a window into the past. Very impressive! Click through to see many many more.
(via backeis, yayeveryday)
I love this kind of thing.
- August 02, 10:42 PM
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July 30, 04:57 AM
I love Oakland. This is why I moved from a small town to a big city.
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July 29, 05:53 PM
Dash is a house numbers project that began with a rather simple question: how do you form a full number from a single strip of metal? (via thejackamo)
- July 29, 12:35 PM
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July 28, 05:34 PM
There’s a nice bunch of images tracing the evolution of the Braun logo over at Logo Design Love. I absolutely love the geometric simplicity of the current incarnation, although their actual product and packaging design leaves a lot to be desired. Come back Dieter – all is forgiven!
I sensed that there was some deeper thinking behind the Braun logo. This is a very satisfying image. But don’t you go thinking type is purely modular, kids!
- July 27, 05:18 PM
- July 26, 06:36 PM
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July 26, 06:03 PM
its good! by Benjamin Coles
More:
One of my favorite pieces of art, ever.
Masterpieces
By the nephews
And nieces -
July 26, 02:23 PM
Awesome man is awesome (by Laura Serra)
a portrait of my Stewf I made for his 33rd birthday. ^^
markers and coloured pencils.
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July 25, 06:18 PM
Love the type. Another brilliant specimen from Sheaff Ephemera.
Via freakyfauna:
I love it too. But this is hand lettering, not type.
- July 20, 07:58 AM
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July 19, 04:39 PM
Coda | Berlin
Laura is a movie star. -
July 14, 05:02 PM
The Perfect Pour by Plaid (via nevver, fenchurch)
Tumblrs, don’t forget to credit the original designer/author/artist.
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July 14, 09:43 AM
Hej Sthlm. We have arrived.
This is the sound the tomtenissan made to announce our presence.
- July 13, 02:01 PM
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July 13, 11:08 AM
The Logan-Long Company, 1932 | Source
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July 11, 06:56 PM
The Kreuzberg Piano Man we were stalking today is a local legend — just as I suspected.
Photo by the talented Birgit Meixner.
- July 10, 07:51 PM
- July 06, 08:38 PM
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July 06, 07:56 PM
“What is life after death? It only works through others. All five of my grandchildren had piano hour with me. Now the youngest plays flute and piano. Every Monday she sits here at my concert piano. That is my inheritance, that is how I live on.”
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July 05, 02:40 PM
Hope is the Thing With Feathers (by my cousin Bill in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah)
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July 04, 09:51 PM
“I’m only 4. I can’t read your lousy sign.” by Benjamin Smith
Join us at Control Panel.
- July 02, 12:59 PM
- July 02, 08:15 AM
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July 02, 03:11 AM
Junina (by César Ovalle)
- July 01, 08:41 PM
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July 01, 08:00 PM
Stephen Coles: ☃
Nick Sherman: http://unicodesnowmanforyou.com/
Stephen Coles: i want a comic strip or animation based on snowman and Clarus the Dogcow
Nick Sherman: i’m imagining clarus peeing on unicode snowman
Stephen Coles: and snowman keeps his stoic expression even as he melts -
July 01, 05:19 PM
Font: Dolly.
From Craig Eliason’s excellent Daily Pangram
- July 01, 04:15 AM
- June 30, 04:22 AM
- June 30, 02:32 AM
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June 25, 02:42 AM
drop shadow (Caren Litherland)
- June 24, 11:32 PM
- June 21, 04:44 PM
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June 21, 11:55 AM
Erik van Blokland’s classic letter sketching method, passed down from Gerrit Noordzij and taught at the The Hague.
»A quick recording of sketching letterforms from the inside out. Postpone drawing the actual outline until you have an idea where it is. Just drawing any line isn’t going to make it the right one. Better to ignore drawing the contour altogether and focus on proportion, contrast, weight, the white shapes as well as the black shape.«
I see him do this live at least once a year. Even if you have no skill with a pen (like me) you can learn a lot about the structure of various letterforms and typeface styles this way.
(via kupferschmidt) -
June 21, 02:24 AM
The new Mid-Century Modernist. That little side project just got a little bigger.
Disclaimer: the Gallery doesn’t look quite that good on the iPad yet. I faked it.
Audio
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Hej Sthlm. We have arrived. This is the sound the tomtenissan made to announce our presence.124 plays
Posts
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June 28, 06:34 PM
It’s Not Easy Being a Griffin
They’re usually shown as proud, fearsome creatures, but this depiction seems more realistic. In an awkward stance, gagging as he presents his rainbow wings and oversized talon, Gary is rightly uncomfortable with the whole affair.
Image found at the always enchanting BiblioOdyssey.
- June 08, 03:12 AM
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June 02, 01:10 PM
Adrian & Stewf, Builders
Back from a trip to Berlin, Copenhagen, Malmö, and Stockholm. Many photos will go up soon, but first, my pal Peter Bruhn caught this moment of his son Adrian letting me join in on some construction with vintage Plasticant. Believe it or not, I was once that blonde.
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April 17, 06:28 PM
A Bean Feast
I am not a great singer. There are few tunes that I will belt out without fear of embarrassment or retribution. Two exceptions: Morrissey and Salt. Here is the latter: the best song and one of the best scenes in one of the best films of all time. It doesn’t get much better than Bricusse and Newley.
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March 22, 11:04 AM
Ray Fenwick’s "I Will Always Love You"
Youtube users Elora, j00ntje and missbeccymay singing "I WIll Always Love You" as performed by Whitney Houston. Mixed by Ray Fenwick.
- March 21, 04:37 AM
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March 20, 08:02 PM
Lou & Bob & Tom & Randy
Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Randy Newman at first annual Farm Aid benefit concert. Photograph by Deborah Feingold. Courtesy Corbis.
What a weird and beautiful mix of dudes. I think I liked the photo better before I knew the context. It was intriguing, like any old party snapshot captured late at night on someone’s back porch — except that this particular party is full of music legends.
It reminded me of this pic:
For no reason other than it’s a nostalgic shot of four people I love, just hangin’ out. And also, they are musical legends too.
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March 11, 03:10 AM
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man! (1973) by Lindsay Anderson and starring Malcom McDowell is, among many things, an allegory for the pitfalls of capitalism, an avant-garde Forrest Gump, and a musical with performances by Alan Price, formerly of The Animals.
Also starring Rockwell.
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March 04, 11:09 PM
Mormons and Friends of Mormons for Marriage Equality
Sorry for the shaky shot. That's about as good as I could do with an iPhone and The Palsy.
Tonight, on the eve of California Supreme Court hearings, I marched for the causes of equality and peaceful, respectful protest; and on behalf of my 4 siblings — all active LDS churchgoers, and all opposed to Prop 8. James, Matthew, Marilee, and Deanne: I love you and I'm proud to be your brother. Wish you could be here.
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March 04, 01:02 AM
The Ultimate Tracking Shot
Corii sent me this record of human life as seen by a camera set on a sushi conveyor belt. It is great. Can’t think of a better way to capture candid reactions to the unusual and, for those who don’t notice the camera, an authentic documentation of everyday life. Imagine the joy of the geniuses who set it in motion when the digicam made that final turn and arrived safely in front of them, video captured.
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March 02, 10:53 PM
Thanks, Dad
During James’ move we found an unopened poster tube that was mailed to him and me in 2006. The handwriting was unmistakably Dad’s but was strangely neat and clear compared to other things he’d written at the time he was affected by Lewy Body Disease. We opened the tube to reveal eight travel posters he and Mom must have collected during their travels to Europe in the '60s.
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February 25, 09:40 PM
Potato - Rita Pavone
Props to Sean “Spud” Keane.
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February 17, 01:01 AM
Perhaps the Greatest Design Resume Ever Made
The animated CV of Michael A. Charles. Also of Garson Hampfield, Crossword Inker, and Sea Water Bliss. Props to Gaela.
- February 11, 03:11 AM
- February 10, 11:59 AM
Updates
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Aug/Sept: Berlin ✈ Sthlm ✈ Malmö ✈ CPH ✈ Berlin ✈ NY ✈ SF ✈ LA ✈ SF ✈ SLC ✈ Wind Rivers ✈ SLC ✈ Brighton (now) — Last few should be cars.
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Friends! Here's How To Get New, Live, MINIATURE MONKEY http://tumblr.com/xwphiwy8211 hours ago from Tumblr
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Another nice new feature on Flickr's new pages. "Photo appears in…" also shows favorites: http://cl.ly/2ETY http://twitpic.com/2kms8m
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@zachklein I know some people. What you looking for?
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@robisonwells Shoot, i'm going up to my cabin tonight so I'll be out of the city until I leave. Where are you now?
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Working the week at Contact Salt Lake http://gomakecontact.com/ (No, my bro doesn't really have a bowl cut.) http://twitpic.com/2klgr2
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@irondavy Thanks.
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Ok, it sounds like Ping had Facebook import last night but today it's email invite only. Premature release, perhaps.
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@tiegz I'm hearing from others that it's been removed.
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@chrissam42 Not seeing any Facebook connection in Ping. I'm on the "Edit My Profile" page.
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… and the iTunes Ping invite email doesn't provide a simple link to connect to the sender. Apple really screwed the pooch on this.
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iTunes Ping really needs to import Twitter/Facebook contacts if it wants me to add/find all my friends. I'm not starting over.
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@hewnandhammered This is where Facebook Connect comes in handy — inviting all (or a large selection of) your pals at once. Add it, Apple!
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@jasonsantamaria Totally. At this rate, every Apple icon and button will have so much depth they will be complete spheres by 2011.
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@kupfers Haven't had the opp to use it yet. Need to get more iPhone 4s (and now iPod Touches) out there.
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Goodbye "sexting". Hello "iPod Touching". #ipodtouch #facetime
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@Fontblog Hah! Spurless.
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@Fontblog I thought they'd get rid of the music notes too. And the name. iTunes is not just music anymore. Been that way for years actually.
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@CommandZed Rude!
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I can hear the long, sad sigh coming from the Last.fm offices right now. #itunesping
Recent tracks
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If It Is Growing by Fanfarlo9 weeks ago
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E27 - Aged Like a Fine Wine—Just in time for the DVDs: Un Prophete, Kick Ass, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Date Night, 3D Again, SitC2 Trailer by Jeremy Mathews and Chris Bellamy2 plays
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Posts
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July 25, 04:00 AM
“Mad Men” Furniture: Don Draper’s Office
AMC’s “Mad Men” is not only one of the best dramas on television, it also debuted with perfect timing, at a moment when America’s fascination with mid-century style was at a fever pitch. Three years later, as Season 4 premieres, the frenzy for furniture and fashion of the 1960s is still hot.
In celebration of tonight’s episode, let’s take a look at the show’s immaculate, award-winning production design. Starting with Don Draper’s office.
Set in the early 1960s, nearly every shot of “Mad Men” is filled with objects from an era rich with new ideas, a time when modernism was still fresh, yet more mature than its early years — on the brink of going mainstream.
Of course, not everything we see in “Mad Men” was produced in the ’60s, as Production Designer Dan Bishop explains:
We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a textbook study of mid-century modern America — as Matt specifically pointed out, look around your own house, does everything exist from 2007 or do you actually have stuff lying around from the ’80s?
Property Master Scott Buckwald elaborates:
… there are a lot of things that are holdovers, especially for the older generation. Their cars could be from the early ’50s. You have to watch out for the misinterpretations and prejudices you might have about the era. It’s also very easy to try to jam everything that was introduced in 1960 all into one episode. You have to space it out a little bit. ’Cause everything that was developed in 1960 didn’t happen in one day.
We also don’t want to create a historical anachronism by putting a 1962 typewriter or transistor radio in, so we try to watch that, unless, creatively we just decide it’s a good way to go. Otherwise, we keep ourselves locked to April of 1960.
Don Draper’s Office
Set decorator Amy Wells was responsible for the decor. Many of the pieces are originals, like the Eames Executive Chair (see it at DWR), others are reproductions. Wells was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered in anticipation of the Season Three premiere.
Wells, oddly enough, is one of the few people on the Mad Men staff old enough to remember the era the show depicts. But she doesn’t just rely on her memories when she’s decorating a kitchen or a swanky office; she’s got a vast library of vintage catalogs and decorating books.
“One of the best references — we just used it this morning for the size of a baby blanket — is the Sears catalogs and the Montgomery Ward catalog,” she says. “They’re so specific, and they have all these items. And then I have every decorating book from the late ’40s through the mid-’60s. So Better Homes & Gardens — you know, all those decorating books that came out every year — I have all of those.”
Wells also revealed in the NPR interview her budget: $25,000 per week/episode. I imagine that’s increased since last season.
Time-Life Executive Chair (ES 105)
Eames
FD-146 Chair
Hvidt/Mølgaard-Nielsen
Boxy set
Simplaform/FuturamaDon’s office was gently remodeled between the pilot and subsequent episodes. The simple leather chairs were replaced with cane-back pieces (possibly Hvidt/Mølgaard-Nielsen), and the desk lamp went from Bauhaus to ’50s twin. Don’s all-teak Danish modern desk from the pilot was a beauty with its backside display shelf (lonely and bare) but it was replaced with something that was much more common in an American office at the time: a larger Knoll or Steelcase, with metal legs and an overhanging surface.
The drab walls of the pilot office get the biggest upgrade: rich wood paneling. Dan Bishop says in a special feature of the Season 1 DVD that the panels are real walnut (stained in the typical way), but creator Matthew Weiner thought it as too cold, so they added a red dye.
Boxy Sofa
Simplaform
unnamed sofa
Jydsk Møbelværk
Goetz Sofa
Herman MillerThe lounge area of Don’s office is anchored by a Boxy sofa, armchair, and coffee table from Futurama, a Los Angeles shop that reproduces vintage designs. (Thanks to Javi!) The Futurama sofas are manufactured by Simplaform and are inspired by Jydsk Møbelværk and Milo Baughman. If you like this look, don’t forget Autoban’s Box and Herman Miller’s Goetz.
And oh, that steel ashtray on a pedestal … the roulette cigarette dispenser … they make even non-smokers dream about decorating their pads with smoking accessories.
What sort of desk will Don Draper grace in the new agency? Maybe we’ll find out tonight. In the meantime, the Mid-Century Modernist “Mad Men” Furniture series will continue. In the next installment we’ll step outside Don’s nest and explore the rest of Sterling Cooper’s former offices and the new digs of Season 4’s Sterling Cooper Draper Price.
Read more:
Props Gallery with commentary by Property Master Scott Buckwald
Collectors Weekly interview with Buckwald
Interior Design interview with Amy WellsInterested in items for sale that are related to pieces mentioned in this post? Mad Men Furniture Gallery »
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June 29, 03:13 PM
Risom Reborn: Rocket and Benchmark Reissue Nine Jens Risom Designs from 1950s and ’60s
This week, London’s Rocket Gallery is launching a collection of nine pieces from the mid-century master Jens Risom. The release is the result of a four-year collaboration between Risom and gallery owner Jonathan Stephenson who hosted the first ever retrospective of vintage Risom pieces in 2007. Stephenson says their shared beliefs — “that good design can change lives, and beautiful, well-made objects should be accessible to everyone” — facilitated the partnership. However, it wasn’t until he introduced Risom to Sean Sutcliffe and Terence Conran at Benchmark, a UK company specializing in handmade furniture, that “he was sure we could produce a product that would meet his exacting standards.” Rocket and Benchmark have jointly secured the European rights to re-issue Risom’s 1950s and 1960s furniture designs.
Risom, who was born in Copenhagen in 1916, describes himself as a Danish-born, American designer, not a Danish designer. His father Sven Risom was an award-winning architect and Risom says he lived with wonderful design for years before he “really got into it professionally.” He attended the School for Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen where he became close to Hans Wegner, one of the few designers whose furniture he has in his own home. He trained under Kaare Klint, the principal founder of the furniture school at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1938, he left for the United States where he thought he’d have a better chance of making a name for himself.
Stephenson says the move was born out of Risom’s tremendous ambition. “He was such a good businessman, and he always says he left Denmark partly because there was so much competition there. He wanted to be a very big player in a much bigger market. His aim was to get good furniture into the hands of every American.”
In fact, Risom describes the size of the market when he arrived with bemused dismay. “I came here without really knowing how impossible it was for a furniture designer to get going, because there was no furniture design in the United States. There was no acceptance of contemporary design or architecture. It’s true, there was nothing going on at that time. You could have looked for a furniture designer and you wouldn’t have found one. I was very, very early and it was fortunate,” he says.
Risom was ahead of his time. When he applied at at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), an interviewer could not imagine what kind of job Risom hoped to find. Risom laughs when he says he started his furniture career working as a textile designer for Dan Cooper, a well-known interior designer.
Cooper introduced Risom to many of the New York architects and designers who would champion his work. He describes the “young guys who were always coming by for a drink” as similarly discouraged about America’s unwillingness to embrace modernism.
“They were always crying in their beer because there weren’t any customers and no one would buy contemporary things,” he says. But, it was this new generation of architects — always architects — that encouraged him.
“Interior decorators were only interested in more traditional design and old things and making things look old. Anything new or contemporary especially from Europe, especially from Scandinavia, they didn’t want it,” he says.
Designed in 1949, the iconic T 539 Magazine Table appeared in the first comprehensive Jens Risom Design catalogue.
Risom, who believes one can reshape public taste with time and education, persisted. He asked craftsmen in his neighborhood — German and Italian furniture makers — to make his designs. He sold pieces directly to “the young men hanging around Mr. Cooper’s”, who went on to become some of the country’s most influential architects and designers. Risom participated in a number of high profile collaborations. One was with Hans Knoll, for whom he designed 15 of the 20 pieces in Knoll’s first collection, before starting his own business, Jens Risom Design Inc. (JRD) in 1946.
Risom felt it was important to maintain control over not only the design elements of the company, but also the manufacturing. The introduction of his 1955 catalogue states: “Everything is designed and manufactured by us. Having the planning, engineering, and production all under one roof is very important, we think. It guarantees uniformity and continuity of style.” Hardly the detached designer with a sketchpad, he was on the factory floor every week and supervised day-to-day production. His obsessive pursuit of perfection in both form and function delivered enormously successful products. By the time he sold the business in 1970 to the Dictaphone Corporation, it was the third largest furniture company in America.
Jens Risom catalogs and literature.
While trolling eBay, Stephenson discovered Risom, who was relatively unknown in the UK since the sale of JRD. He was looking at furniture and a round label on the bottom of a chair caught his eye. It was Risom’s original typographic logo. Stephenson says the design of the label inspired him to explore Risom’s work.
“His obsession with presentation and detail reminded me of my own,” he says. Moreover, this passion and discipline extended into every aspect of Risom’s business. “He wasn’t just involved with the design of the furniture, he was involved with the design of the whole company, from the selection of materials to the finish of each piece, the advertising campaigns, all the publicity, slogans, the logo, everything. He was quite an early example of that kind of comprehensive corporate identity.”
Stephenson began seriously collecting Risom pieces in 2005. After he accumulated more than a 100 examples of original designs, he phoned Risom at his home in New Canaan, Connecticut and introduced himself. He explained Rocket was interested in holding a mini-retrospective of Risom’s work.
Risom agreed, saying, “England has always been very close to my heart, in part because there was always more acceptance of modern design there than here in my own country.”
Jens Risom visits Jonathan Stephenson at Rocket in 2006.
The two began making plans, and in 2006, Stephenson flew to the United States to meet with Risom and others involved in the exhibition. Risom says, “I am very impressed with Jonathan’s courage; he is very knowledgeable and understands good design. It is a very warm affair when you find the right people.”
Stephenson says it was clear from that outset that Risom was interested in getting some of his designs back into production. His original pieces were getting harder and harder to get a hold of.
With a dwindling supply of vintage pieces, a number of companies approached Risom about reissuing his designs. Stephenson says they were turned down, “Jens’ standards were extremely high. He wasn’t confident that the quality was going to be upheld and felt that the manufacturing was going to go off to China or the Far East or whatever. He really wanted to know that the furniture was being made to the same standard that his own factory used to make it.”
Stephenson was also keen to move toward furniture production but couldn’t find anyone to make the product he needed until a meeting with Sean Sutcliffe and a visit to the premises of Benchmark in Berkshire.
“It became clear this was perhaps the only company in England capable of making Risom’s furniture to the required standards, in solid sustainable woods,” Stephenson says.
The U 620 Bench is another iconic Risom piece, designed in the early 1950s.
Benchmark is one of a handful of furniture companies left in the UK. Not only are they committed to “excellence in design, materials and craftsmanship” but also to keeping the skills and industry of furniture making alive in England. Stephenson already knew that Benchmark was exactly the right company to make the furniture, but the decision was finalized when Risom’s son Sven visited the Benchmark workshops to see the craftsmanship for himself. According to Stephenson, the younger Risom said, “The factory is exactly like my dad’s old factory, just smaller.”
When asked what makes Risom’s work so relevant and sought after, Stephenson says, “I keep coming back to how functional his pieces are, how down-to-earth. There is nothing frivolous or gimmicky about them. His work is practical but still has enormous elegance. There’s nothing unnecessary about it.”
Out of production since 1959, Benchmark and Rocket bring the simple, timeless U 431 back to life in oak or walnut with fabric or leather upholstery.
He considers Risom’s furniture perfectly positioned for a 21st century revival. “The mid-century furniture world has come through its love affair with Danish furniture and is looking for the next trend to study and appreciate. Risom trained in Denmark, but took his skills and outlook to the United States where he created furniture that was a fusion of Danish craft and American modernism. His revival is well underway in the United States and in Europe it has started keenly. Market-wise, his vintage pieces have risen sharply in value over the last three years and so it is ideal timing to offer new re-issued pieces of Risom furniture,” Stephenson says.
In his 94th year, Risom is also optimistic about the collaboration and happy to sate a world hungry for his designs.
“As far as I am concerned, England is a charming country and I like to work with them, and that is what we’re looking forward to doing with Rocket,” says Risom. “I hope people will come to see it. I hope people will come and take advantage of sitting in the chairs and using the tables and cabinets because it’s all designed very much for contemporary people, us, you and me, to use and live with.”
A preview of the Jens Risom collection will be held at Rocket on Thursday, 1 July from 6–9. The exhibition will run between the 2 July – 4 of September. The furniture can be viewed at jensrisom.com and will be available in select outlets. International inquiries welcome. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday, 10–6 & Saturday 12–6.
Photos copyright Paul Tucker, courtesy Rocket Gallery
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June 21, 02:02 AM
Refurnished, Remodeled, Rebuilt
Welcome to the new Mid-Century Modernist. Before you even enter the doors, it’s clear things have changed around here.
First, the obvious: the façade. With the expert help of my partner in bloggery, Chris Hamamoto, we’ve widened the site and enlarged the images. A grid view makes entries easier to traverse. Categories were rescued from obscurity, given a sensible hierarchy and placed at the top of the structure. (Expect these to expand in the near future.) The new Selected space at the right shines a spotlight on our favorite items. And at the bottom of each entry, related posts and eBay items beckon you to explore further. In short, three years of existing content is completely tidied up and refurbished.
But what’s truly new is the addition at the back of the house. The Gallery is a curated showroom of the most interesting items from the mid-century modern era — for both sale and research. You can browse by tags denoting categories, materials, designers, and color. For this first release, it’s filled with items from eBay. The mega auctioneer is still one of the best ways to find affordable, original mid-century pieces online, but scoundrels and mislabeled items abound, making it difficult to seperate treasures from trash. We do the sifting for you, selecting the best items by hand every day.
Special thanks to Laura Serra for her tireless work updating legacy posts to the new format, to Daniel Pennypacker for his code wrangling, and to Christian Schwartz for designing Neutraface Slab, the typeface adorning our new transom. All other type is set in FF Dagny, designed by Örjan Nordling and Göran Söderström and served up by Typekit.
Though we’re now open to the public, our work is far from done. The beauty of the web is that a construction project is never finished. Follow the RSS feed or Twitter and keep an eye on the site for more developments in the near future. In the meantime, make yourself at home and let us know what you think. Our mailbox is open.
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May 31, 07:32 PM
Flip Clocks Inspired by the Solari Dator 5
A BT637 calendar clock by Pierre Bodet, produced in the ’70s. Here’s the patent (PDF). It sold on eBay today for nearly $400.
This tasty bit of eye candy for flip clock fetishists brought to my attention the piece that was probably its inspiration: the Dator 5 designed by Gino Valle and manufactured by Solari Udine in the mid- to late ’60s.
And as luck would have it, a generous Dutchman, Raymond Van Orsoy de Flines, has published video of the Dator 5 and its dateless cousin, the Cifra 5, in action. Witnessing all the noisy mechanics whir as it changes from one month to the next only makes my lust for this marvel grow deeper.
There are more followers of Valle’s design in production today, including this wide range by Homeloo, but they clearly lack the spirit of the Solari Dator 5 or even the Bodet model.
Here’s another beautiful example of a Bodet flip clock, this one with months in English.
Finally, Adam Dorrell shot the innards of his Dator 5, noting the leap year function and blithely commenting, “This is why it’s great. No one would make a clock like this today. It would be cheaper to use ICs and a clock chip.”
Solari is still a key producer of those fantastic split-flap displays seen in railway stations and airports. In fact, such displays are often called “Solari boards”. Thanks to Luke McKenzie for the info, who notes:
Sadly, like most mechanical things that are awesome to behold, they easily fall into disrepair, and reliable, versatile, dull electronic signs are driving them to extinction.
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January 14, 05:55 AM
G. Coles-Christensen Launches Desi: Hand Woven, Socially Responsible, Modern Rugs Online
Above: Desi is a new brand of contemporary carpets that are quite at home in mid-century modern interiors. Pictured: Tent Rocks.
I haven’t really written about rugs and flooring on the blog because, frankly, I hadn’t found anything worthy of living under an Eames chair or Juhl coffee table. Unless you’re going the eclectic route, oriental rugs are generally out of order for modern design. And rugs with contemporary styling are often made by machines, using bleached and synthetic fabrics. They are mass-produced and they look that way.
Of course there are always corners of the world where one can find handmade modern carpets sold by dealers who are not middlemen, but advocates of quality design and high ethics.
One example of this kind of merchant is Gary Coles-Christensen, whose store in Santa Fe, New Mexico offers original, one-of-a-kind designs along with antique pieces. Gary has a relationship with each carpet. He knows the source of the material as well as the lives of the craftspeople who weave the products by hand. His operation has an integrity of design and production akin to that of the mid-century modern movement.
Until now, you had to visit Santa Fe to soak up his collection. Not anymore. This week Gary launched Desi, a new brand with an online shop where you can browse and buy rugs online. Desi offers designs by Y Murata, Todd Scalise, Victoria Price, and Gary himself. The product showings are accompanied with personal descriptions from Gary along with his charming pen and ink drawings inspired by his trips to historical weaving capitals of the world like Turkey, Morocco, and India. In a move that breaks from high design tradition, every rug is in stock and available for purchase and delivery via PayPal.
Desi is an unabashedly modern collection, alternately making use of clean spartan forms and organic, asymmetrical patterns derived from nature. Because the rugs are hand woven with unbleached fibers, they have an irregular, natural quality that would suit a mid-century modern home. All are durable enough to last a lifetime. Here are some of my favorites:
Digitopolis and Fenice
Social responsibility is also central to Gary’s business. He served on the RugMark Board of Directors and every Desi carpet carries the GoodWeave label, certifying that it was woven without the use of child labor.
Full disclosure: Gary is my brother-in-law, so inevitably there is some bias in this post. But at least you know I can personally vouch for the quality of his stuff. I visit his store at least once a year so I’ve seen and touched the rugs. I even have one in my home. Don’t be afraid to hit him up with questions. He knows his stuff and is happy to chat about how they’re made or which design is right for your home.
See more about the launch of Desi on my personal blog.
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January 08, 02:30 PM
West Elm Yellow
I’m lukewarm about West Elm. Their hollow, veneered case goods are at IKEA’s level but their prices are not. Still, I do have a few of West Elm pieces and I’m happy with them. And they are one of the few catalog companies producing original and affordable design that stays true to a minimal modern aesthetic. I also think they create some tasteful, if slightly sterile, rooms for their product photography.
The latest West Elm catalog just arrived and it introduces a new color to their spare palette: yellow. Even their logo has changed to reflect it.
Perhaps the brand’s designers got wind of last year’s Pantone Color of the Year. Maybe Pantone truly is on top of current design trends, but I think their Color of the Year scheme is generally a case of the tail wagging the dog. Whatever the case, I like this flavor of yellow Pantone calls Mimosa, and not just because it’s long been central to the FontShop brand (my day job).
West Elm’s yellow is very close to Mimosa and I think they use it well, brightening up their otherwise pale and earthy scheme. More from their new catalog below.
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January 05, 06:51 PM
Oiva Tableware by Maija Louekari for Marimekko
Marimekko is about to celebrate its 60th birthday and it feels as young as it did when it took modern textile design by storm in the ’60s. The Legendary Finnish brand continues to produce new and original design, yet everything still feels very Marimekko. Perhaps it’s because they are able to court designers who fit so well into their graphic mold.
Maija Louekari is a fine example. After winning a Marimekko-sponsored design competition in 2003, she’s designed several prints and textiles for the brand. Her latest work is emblazoned on a new line of tableware called In Good Company: Oiva.
Thanks to Laura and Nestled In for introducing me to Ms Louekari.
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December 30, 12:19 PM
Treston Oy Palaset Storage System by Ristomatti Ratia
Lookmodern has four cubes of Palaset storage from the 1960s in excellent condition. These sturdy cubbies are a simple way to add color to the office or kid’s bedroom. And you know they are tougher than today’s IKEA fare if they’ve survived over 40 years of use. Tough to find a good set of wide, shallow drawers too.
The man behind the boxes is the Finnish Ristomatti Ratia. He’s the son of Armi Ratia, the founder of Marimekko and is still designing today. Read more about the Palaset series at Design of the Century.
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December 24, 04:28 AM
Flickr Pick of the Week: Vintage Bavarian Sign
Prof. Michael Stoll writes:
This signage from the ’60s I got from eBay a few years ago. It’s 2.60m wide and 0.5m tall. “Medicus” is the name of an orthopedic shoemaker. The signage had been on a building in Nürnberg/Bavaria.
Like so much of mid-century modernism, this upright roman/script style of lettering has become quite en vogue these days. It’s lettering, of course, designed specifically for the the logo/sign, not from a typeface, but there are a few fonts which have a similar flavor. I made some lists at FontShop recently to lasso this and related genres: upright script fonts. See also monolinear scripts.
via Laureola -
December 23, 06:33 PM
Nominated for a Homie
I’m shocked and honored to see The Mid-Century Modernist is nominated for Apartment Therapy’s Homie Award. Head over and pick your favorites. You can nominate as many blogs as you like until December 29, then the top six from each category will advance to an official round of voting. Thank you to the kind souls who threw me into the ring!
Posts
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August 30, 06:49 PM
The American Naturalist | Typeface: ITC Galliard
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July 29, 10:25 AM
Summer at the Square (photo by lisa-k) | Typeface: Helvetica
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July 28, 05:56 PM
Virb Logos by Weightshift | Typeface: Garage Gothic
- June 20, 07:27 PM
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June 16, 11:02 PM
Somewhere | Typeface: Van Condensed
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June 16, 04:02 AM
Libby Levi | Typefaces: BistroScript, Speeding Bullet Trails Italic, Bello Script, Mousse Script, HT Maison, and Xesy.
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June 14, 10:18 PM
Rules for My Unborn Son | Typeface: Futura
- June 12, 02:00 PM
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June 04, 07:22 AM
Project Thirty-Three | Typeface: Clarendon
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June 04, 12:11 AM
The Elements iPad App | Typeface: Nobel
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June 03, 04:56 PM
We <3 Tumblr | Typeface: Wendy
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June 02, 01:18 AM
Coworth Park identity by & SMITH | Typeface: Gill Sans
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May 31, 01:21 PM
Época São Paulo | Typeface: FF Nexus
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May 25, 09:08 PM
Born HIV Free | Typeface: DIN 17
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May 22, 06:52 AM
Architecture of Brasilia (by Always With Honor) | Typeface: ITC Avant Garde Gothic
via everybell, bsreport - May 02, 10:13 AM
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May 02, 04:01 AM
“design mind” magazine by Jacob Zukerman | Typeface: FF DIN
The proportions of DIN’s nearly monospace caps, fit well with the proportions of the images. - May 01, 01:36 PM
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May 01, 01:20 PM
Vancouver Recital Society by Subplot | Typefaces: Wood Grit, Toronto Gothic, Neuzon, PiS LIETZ Lindham, Akzidenz Grotesk
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May 01, 10:08 AM
Ben Crick | Typeface: Freehand 521 (modified nicely)
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May 01, 04:01 AM
La Cométe Beer Label by David Rault | Typeface: Banco
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April 30, 04:45 PM
Ogilvy & Mather | Typefaces: Monotype Script, FF DIN, Baskerville, Brisa
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April 30, 10:07 AM
Typeface: ITC Serif Gothic | Source: Page. The Magazine. (via Visual Bits)
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April 30, 04:01 AM
Typeface: Fairplex | Source: Michael Freimuth
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April 29, 03:50 PM
Typeface: Empire | Source: Michael Freimuth
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April 29, 09:47 AM
Typeface: Brothers | Source: PTMK
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April 29, 03:38 AM
Typeface: Farnham | Source: Michael Freimuth (via Visual Bits)
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April 29, 02:51 AM
Typeface: Buffet Script | Source: Pablo Lobo Portfolio (via Visual Bits)
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April 27, 05:02 PM
Typeface: RePublic Source: Combining Type With Helvetica | FontShop
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April 20, 03:00 AM
Typeface: FF Sanuk Source: Serial Cut
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April 15, 04:09 AM
Typeface: T-Star Mono Round Source: FontShop
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April 15, 03:44 AM
Typeface: Garage Gothic Source: FontShop
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April 14, 06:25 PM
Typeface: Kaufmann Source: Letterheady
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April 14, 01:35 AM
Typeface: Ballpark Script Source: Mikey Burton
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April 13, 10:04 AM
Typeface: Sabon Source: Penguin Books
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April 13, 04:01 AM
Typeface: Candice Source: Graven Images
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April 12, 04:06 PM
Typeface: Charlotte Sans Source: Karacters Design Group
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April 12, 10:03 AM
Typeface: Coquette Source: Colin Lewis
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April 12, 04:01 AM
Typeface: Interstate Source: The Book Cover Archive
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April 11, 07:25 PM
Typeface: Neue Helvetica Source: Bernat’s Showcase (photo by Julius Shulman)
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April 07, 02:44 PM
Typeface: unknown wide grotesque Source: letterheady
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March 30, 12:26 AM
Typeface: FF Cocon Source: Three Sisters Cereal branding by KartungKemp
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March 29, 11:37 PM
Typeface: Bree Source: Karacters Design
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March 29, 01:26 AM
Typeface: Claude Sans Source: True Story
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March 28, 03:15 AM
Typeface: ITC Elan Source: …and company
To promote a TV show about vampires …and company wisely avoids the overused Trajan and employs a “drama” typeface that’s stronger and more direct: ITC Elan.
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March 28, 01:50 AM
Typeface: Dancer Sans Source: Arithmetic Creative
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March 26, 03:38 AM
Typeface: FF Absara & FF Sanuk [more extra light fonts] Source: The Lightness of Being (UK version)
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March 25, 04:01 AM
Typeface: FF Typeface Six Source: Stephen Coles
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March 24, 01:59 PM
Typeface: pre-digital Fat Didone Source: The Mid-Century Modernist
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March 24, 07:59 AM
Typeface: Trade Gothic Source: The Book Cover Archive (via everybell)
Posts
- August 31, 05:59 PM
- August 17, 08:54 PM
- August 08, 06:54 PM
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August 06, 04:30 AM
(via kindandhumble, bringpinkwater)
Chevrolet Camero
- August 04, 07:00 PM
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August 04, 06:27 AM
1950 Buick Special Eight Fastback Coupe by Randy von Liski
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August 01, 04:20 PM
Austin-Healey 3000 by Maury Postal
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July 25, 06:14 AM
1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass by John P Sullivan
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July 19, 11:24 AM
1972 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon by Bill Zindel
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July 19, 11:22 AM
Ford Fairlane by Markus Naarttijärvi
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July 14, 12:51 PM
Ducati Scrambler 250 by Gianluca Cherubin
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July 09, 12:20 AM
GMC Safari (by Otis & Carla)
- June 18, 02:32 PM
- June 16, 03:34 PM
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June 14, 10:08 AM
Pontiac (by Florian Hardwig)
- June 14, 04:05 AM
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June 13, 04:37 PM
Montclair (by Florian Hardwig)
- June 10, 03:11 AM
- June 07, 11:22 AM
- June 07, 04:52 AM
- June 06, 07:36 PM
- May 30, 05:06 PM
- May 29, 11:21 PM
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May 29, 05:03 PM
Riley One-Point-Five (1957-1965) by Matt Sephton
- May 26, 11:07 AM
- May 25, 08:29 PM
- May 25, 08:27 PM
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May 10, 12:51 PM
Saab Combi Coupé by Markus Naarttijärvi
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May 10, 03:59 AM
Chevrolet (by paul.malon)
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May 09, 05:32 PM
Cadillac (by Triborough)
- May 09, 11:22 AM
- May 09, 05:19 AM
- May 08, 11:16 PM
- May 07, 09:22 AM
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May 06, 11:15 PM
Edsel (by Drew Makepeace)
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May 03, 02:58 PM
Malibu (by Lynne’s Lens)
- May 01, 08:49 PM
- April 30, 05:15 PM
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April 30, 05:05 PM
Leica MP (by Davidap2009)
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April 29, 03:02 AM
Hufnagel Bicycles designed by PTMK
- April 27, 08:10 AM
- April 27, 01:59 AM
- April 24, 09:58 AM
- April 23, 01:39 PM
- April 23, 01:38 PM
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April 14, 02:19 AM
Mercedes 300 SL by zuffi hausen for our 300th image!
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April 12, 11:58 PM
Early MK1 GT Cortina by Raizer Images NZ
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April 10, 11:40 PM
Plymouth Valiant by Stephen Coles)
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April 08, 02:20 PM
1964 Saab 96 by Alfatruly
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April 05, 12:24 AM
Lincoln by Lynne’s Lens
Posts
- June 09, 11:01 PM
- June 02, 07:44 PM
- May 10, 04:47 AM
- April 14, 05:22 PM
- April 14, 05:22 PM
- February 26, 05:45 AM
- January 06, 08:21 PM
- January 05, 07:55 PM
- December 30, 01:49 AM
- December 29, 03:21 AM
- December 29, 01:42 AM
- December 27, 04:11 AM
- December 20, 08:08 PM
- December 20, 08:08 PM
- November 23, 03:08 PM
- November 23, 04:25 AM
- November 23, 04:25 AM
- November 22, 03:59 PM
- November 22, 03:53 PM
- November 18, 06:59 PM
- November 18, 12:31 AM
- November 04, 06:43 PM
- November 03, 12:06 PM
- October 17, 12:24 PM
- October 17, 12:24 PM
Posts
- September 01, 12:47 PM
- September 01, 04:17 AM
- August 13, 11:10 AM
- September 17, 07:59 AM
- July 21, 02:55 PM
- July 06, 08:23 PM
- July 06, 08:23 PM
- July 06, 01:38 PM
- July 01, 04:13 AM
- June 30, 05:09 AM
- June 30, 04:28 AM
- June 26, 08:07 AM
- June 24, 08:17 PM
- June 24, 08:17 PM
- June 24, 06:47 AM
- June 22, 08:50 PM
- June 19, 09:39 PM
- June 19, 09:38 PM
- June 19, 09:35 PM
- June 19, 09:03 AM
- June 19, 05:06 AM
- June 17, 05:11 AM
- June 16, 02:01 PM
- June 16, 02:00 PM
- June 16, 10:54 AM
- June 03, 04:38 AM
- June 03, 04:36 AM
- May 31, 08:57 AM
- May 31, 08:55 AM
- May 31, 08:57 AM
- May 31, 08:58 AM
- May 31, 08:57 AM
- May 24, 05:22 PM
- May 21, 04:33 AM
- May 07, 09:16 PM
- May 07, 09:31 PM
- May 07, 09:31 PM
- May 07, 09:29 PM
- May 07, 09:17 PM
- May 07, 09:01 PM
- May 07, 05:17 AM
- April 29, 04:08 PM
- April 21, 04:55 AM
- April 13, 06:35 AM
- April 10, 08:29 PM
- April 10, 08:40 PM
- April 10, 08:30 PM
- April 10, 08:29 PM
- April 10, 08:28 PM
- April 10, 08:27 PM
- April 09, 12:19 PM
- April 04, 05:33 PM
- March 23, 09:00 AM
- March 22, 06:53 PM
- March 21, 10:18 PM
- March 21, 10:16 PM
- March 21, 10:16 PM
- March 21, 10:46 AM
- March 21, 05:54 AM
- March 18, 02:19 PM
Profile
Stephen Coles
Summary
Experience
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Sept 2010 - Present
TypeBoard Member / FSI FontShop International
The FSI TypeBoard is a panel of type experts who meet every six months in FSI’s Berlin office to review and select upcoming FontFont releases. -
Apr 2007 - Present
Editor, Publisher / The Mid-Century Modernist
I founded and publish this website, a tribute to the mid-century modern movement as both a historical milestone and a living ideal, reflected in today’s best furniture, architecture, and design. -
2001 - Present
Editor, Publisher / Typographica
Typographica.org is an online journal of typography featuring news, observations, and open commentary on fonts and typographic design. -
2000 - Present
Moderator, Advisory Board / Typophile
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1994 - Present
Senior Graphic Designer / Contact Design
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Feb 2004 - Sept 2010
Type Director / FontShop
Produced and directed written and visual content, initiated and maintained foundry partnerships, and provided font selection advice at FontShop.com. -
Jul 2005 - Jul 2008
Board Member / Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA)
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1998 - 2001
Art Director / Daily Utah Chronicle

