Limitations . . . what good are they?

Aimee Mullins knows a little about limitations. Amputated from the knee down on both legs at age one, Aimee could have let these limitations define her life. Instead, she chose to embrace the possibilities of freedom that these amputations allowed her. I haven't heard much of Aimee's story through the years, but I do remember her getting attention for the prosthetic legs she had constructed to help her run more effectively. She's been a leader in pushing prosthetics to a new level because she didn't want to be held back by the status quo.

Aimee recently spoke at the 2008 Art Center Design Conference in Pasadena, CA. The conference "is a three-day international gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from many fields and disciplines" that explored "the essential role of play in business, the arts, science, storytelling, technology, and more." Aimee gave an incredible speech about the power we have to tap into our differences:

"The idea of being different [is often viewed] as a negative, or as a challenge we must overcome. But—in this crowd [of creatives]—we know it’s inherently powerful. Diversity leads to diversity of ideas and problem solving, collaboration to help us to connect. It’s actually in each other’s differences that we see ourselves. We’re more alike than we are different."

. . . and the power we have to inspire ourselves to do great things:

“I often get questions of bravery, [but] I do not have any special powers. I am equipped with the same magical powers that you are, and it’s your thoughts. At some point you have to recognize the amazing engine that is the way you think. Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right. I’ve met so many more people who are so much more disabled in their heads than I ever was by having to put prosthetics on. I think you should set wild and improbable goals."

It's inspiring speech that was transcribed by Tango, Katy, and Doug over at the conference blog. Check out Aimee's speech now. The transcript of Bruce McCall's speech is first, so you'll have to scroll down to after the second picture to read Aimee's speech. You'll be happy you did.

The art of type . . .

There have been some incredible examples recently of designers using type to create pieces of art. The most notable of these is Veer's Type City prints. Each print is a little masterpiece in itself. "Each portrays an urban facet, illustrated character by character with a typeface that evokes the image itself." Fabulous—and mind-blowing at the same time.

If you're looking to create your own type art, then stop by Cameron Moll's blog before getting started. He recently created his own type art and learned a few things along the way. Thankfully, he's sharing them with all of us. Enjoy.

What happens in the silos . . .

Growing up an Air Force kid wasn't always easy. Granted, there were some perks: seeing fighter planes up close, watching giant missiles take off, and touring the Space Shuttle facilities. But those perks didn't come often enough or last long enough to outweigh the downside of Air Force life: moving.

Yes, I said moving. In 18 years, I lived in 9 states, moved every 2 to 3 years, and found myself going to 3 different high schools. That was the life of the son of a man who worked for 26 years maintaining the big missiles, the Minuteman missiles we had aimed at the Soviet Union. But looking back, I realize how grateful I am for the experiences those moves provided me. I've seen—and lived in—more of the U.S. than most people have even thought about. I've dealt with moving so often that it's a natural part of life to me. But the thing I appreciate most about all of it is my dad's devotion to our family. He did everything he could to keep my family in one place as long as possible. He was adamant that his family never move during the school year—and we didn't. He made every effort to show me the exciting side of Air Force life, such as watching air shows from the runways and touring missile silos.

So I was quite excited today to come across a post at Design Observer about a subject my dad may know a little something about: blast-door art. As I understand it, blast doors are the massive, underground steel-and-concrete doors that lead into the launch control centers. Sometimes, these doors were painted with art by the people who worked inside. Tom Vanderbuilt writes, "These images in launch control centers across the United States testify to the bravado of the men (and, from the mid-1980s onward, women) of what has been called 'America’s Underground Air Force.' But they also reflect the sometimes surreal pressures faced by two-person missile crews on 24-hour duty alerts, waiting for a call to turn their missile launch keys and perhaps end civilization as we know it." These paintings were photographed by Robert Lyon with the help of Daniel Friese, a civilian employee of the Air Force, and they can sometimes be crude—or rude—but in each case interesting.

It's with great honor that I dedicate this post to my dad. Thanks, dad, for all that you have done for me.

. . . GO NOW.

Simple beauty

Every once in a while, an ad stands out not for what it is selling, but for the beauty it portrays. Director Yves Geleyn's "Mother Like No Other" video is one such ad. The subdued color palette, the graphic texture-upon-texture style (created in part by scanning in fabrics), and the simplicity of idea makes this beautiful story of a beaver giving his mom a mother's day gift come to life in a moving and touching way. Enjoy it now . . .

A little bit of TOC . . .

If you have ever wondered how to put a fresh face on something seemingly so bland as a Table of Contents, look no further. Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel over at Winterhouse have started a public Flikr group that showcases some great TOCs. As they say, "The purpose of this group is to create an online archive of Table of Contents pages. We begin with images from the book 'The Next Page: Thirty Tables of Contents,' compiled by the editors of Design Observer, Michael Bierut, William Drenttel, and Jessica Helfand. We encourage you to scan and upload contents pages from your own library and add them to the group's photo pool."

Check out these TOCs now . . . and then upload your best TOCs. The more we share, the more we learn.

The new 007

A couple posts back, I talked about how fun it can be to see old products repackaged and made "new" again. Penguin UK does an exceptional job of this, and the publisher has recently done this again with Ian Fleming's classic 007 series. From the dramatically illustrated and—in Bond fashion—suggestive covers to the distinctive typography to turning the Penguin logo into "007," this is a fun new look for this series. Check them out here under Bond Books / Centenary Edition Hardbacks.

Colin Brush, a senior copywriter for Penguin, has a nice post talking about updating this series here. Two interesting things of note:

1. Penguin is releasing all of these books as hardcover editions to create a special set of books that gives Fleming the honor Penguin believes he's due.

2. The back cover copy is simply a quote from the book. What a great way to draw you into the book while intriguing you at the same time. I've seen this done on other products (most noticeably on the front covers of Penguin's Great Journeys series), and it always makes me more interested in the book than any sales copy that I've read.

So those are two things that stuck out to me. What intrigues you—or doesn't—about this new look?

P.S.
While checking out Penguin's 007 site, I was reminded of the other stunning Bond series from Penguin. These paperback editions are just as cool in their own way as the new hardcovers. Of course, I'm a sucker for bold typography and striking imagery. Check them out here under Bond Books / Modern Classics.