WNYC - Mapping New York City's Cultural Landscape

My morning routine, is to click onto the WNYC website and listen to their live streaming news. Today when I clicked on the WNYC link I was greeted by the top image - a bright colorful graphic, that caught my attention right away.

After reading and going through their website, http://culture.wnyc.org - I thought, "WOW! what a great idea." Not only are they mapping New York City's cultural landscape but it's another great way to interact with their listeners and even gain new listeners.

Below is their mission statement and what they are trying to achieve.

This site is devoted to capturing the best of the present--and looking ahead to see what's next. You’ll provide the local knowledge to fill out the map of the city's cultural landscape, from music to food to theater and visual arts and more. We'll suggest some places to pull over and take a look around. But you’re in charge of plotting the way to places unknown. Look down the alleys and around the corners where the next big thing may be developing, or hiding in plain sight. Experience the joys of serendipity. Then tell us, and each other, what you've found.

But there’s one thing to do before we head out. Every territory needs a name, and that's your first assignment: help us name this place. A name makes a difference, and we want you to be part of the difference, right from the start. Leave your suggestions in the comments section below, and we'll set out on our trek together.

Design without Borders discussion at NYIT

I went to a graphic design discussion last Friday, called Designers without Borders at NYIT (New York Institute of Technology). The talk centered around a panel discussion about design in a globalized world. Designers that participated in the discussion were:

Roberto de Vicq – company Vicq Design born in Brazil.

Matteo Bologna – company Mucca Design born in Italy.

Maya Kopytman – company C&G Partners LLC born in Russia (but moved to Israel)

Carole Goodman – company Blue Anchor Design born in United States (New Jersey)

Takaaki Matsumoto – company Matsumoto Inc born in Japan.

Pablo Medina – company Cubanica born in the United Stated (Washington D.C moved to New Jersey)

The talk overall was interesting. It was fun hearing from all the designers discussing their background: where they came from, what projects they worked on, funny stories about people they worked with, etc… They discussed cultural differences and how they dealt with it all in their own way. Some designers had problems assimilating to the language and some had a hard time dealing and working with other cultures.

Something I found interesting was that they all pretty much felt that their cultural backgrounds did not influence their design. I’m not sure that’s true. They might think their cultural background doesn’t appear in their design but I disagree. It might not be so obvious, like a design style or certain look that can somehow represent their country of origin. But their cultural background influences the way they think and problem solve. Which is a big part of graphic design.

Another topic they brought up was about how in some countries graphic designers are treated differently, almost like “Rock Stars.” In certain cultures clients value the designer and their opinion more than they do here. They know your work and ask for your help on what to do. They don’t dictate their idea, you design what you think works. They look to you for answers and guidance. This was also a revelation to me -I know some companies here in the states do seek out designers’ guidance for ideas and projects but for the most part, we are there to communicate their ideas. If they don’t like what we have produced, they will tell us and sometimes they’ll tell us how to make it better.

Overall, a good talk with lively designers that kept you engaged. Glad I went. I look forward to more talks from NYIT.