Topic

aesthetics

A collection of 110 issues

On loving fashion.

Seattle is ranked high on the list of America’s worst-dressed cities. Right up there with Boulder, Cleveland, and Raleigh, North Carolina. And I work at Microsoft, where, lest you think the lack of fashion sense in an already fashionless place couldn’t be worse, it is. Regardless, last weekend

A design credo in seven words.

I took a few students on a quick field trip to MoMA on Saturday. I have a rule. The MoMA Rule. It states that I cannot leave the museum without at least one new design book. Photos by Callie Neylan Since I’m planning on designing a chair with my

On loving shoes.

After TWELVE years of lusting, I finally bought a pair of Cydwoq shoes. I don’t know the specific count of my shoe collection, but this pair could put me over the 150 mark. For me, shoes are design objects. Form and function, via the hands of a true craftsman,

On bird love, biophilia, and happiness.

Cardinal, webwallpapers.net. I got a beautiful pair of Bushnell binoculars for Christmas. “Because you’re so visual. So observant.” said Will. “I want to nurture that.” He also noticed that I’ve fallen in love with a little cardinal that’s taken up in our backyard and my insistence

On loving Frederick, part one.

Smith Tower, as shot from a friend’s loft in Pioneer Square, Seattle. Photo by Callie Neylan, 2006. On July 23, 2011, I recited these design stories at the Boston Globe for my friends at Ink, stories inspired by the work of Frederick Law Olmsted and the impact his legacy

On maps, storytelling, and us.

I love maps, for they are portraits of places. Maps of the Puget Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, the eastern shores of Maryland, the San Juan and Rocky Mountain National Forests, and the Four Corners region evoke memory and emotion at our house. Maps are reflections of who we are and

Words are sensuous. Words are beautiful.

The historical B&O rail station. Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. I need a sandbox full of consonants and vowels. Full, crisp, contrasty ones. Like the ones found in “Camden Yards”. Camden Yards is one of my favorite things to say. From the first time I ever

House love.

Dear 129, It’s only been four hours since I last woke up in your arms. Those strong, vaulted arms, magic of plaster and light. I’ll never forget the first time we met. When I took you by the marble stair and you took me by the heart, leading

On Good Taste.

I’m speaking at Betascape this coming weekend on visual literacy. While I think everyone can be taught visual literacy to a certain level, there are some who exceed at it because they have an innate sense of good taste. Ira Glass explains: But, what exactly is Good Taste™? Who

Who made that Pantone 629M?

Robin’s egg blue is my favorite color. Luckily, it looks really good with brown. I’m getting ready to place my first straw order, picking the Pantone color for Bellflower Chocolate this week: 629U and/or M. Thank you, Lawrence Herbert. Pantone Color Institute How Tiffany’s Iconic Box