(from DT&G Magazine)

“Thoughtfully written, concisely edited, beautifully designed…”

There is more to being a designer than using tools to re-form and regurgitate our thoughts. There is more to design than balancing concept with execution. Design is intent: the process of understanding relationships and making choices based on that knowledge. We make our thoughts real when we put them into the world, and they give us back the world we live in. Worldwide Identity, Inspired Design from Forty Countries is thoughtfully written and concisely edited by Robert L. Peters, beautifully designed by his team at Circle (Winnipeg, Canada), and published by Rockport in partnership with Icograda (the International Council of Graphic Design Associations).

Rob is very concerned about how we make our thoughts real in the world—as he should be, with the depth and breadth of his background. Rob is a renaissance designer. Founder of Circle, a former president of Icograda, an internationally respected teacher, juror and speaker; mountain climber and solar home-builder; he has more than smarts and experience—he has passion and he has vision. He ventures into the world and the world sends him back with questions about our future. He entreats, “Aware of the advancing threat of monoculture, can the world’s identity designers help conserve and revive those things that make human culture distinct and unique?”

The opening pages are written with an urgent intelligence, and give an integrated overview at where we now stand as a species from a designer’s point of view. As designers in a globally connected world, it is our responsibility to contribute towards a shift in this place we find ourselves, and Rob drives that point home. As he has said, design is a verb and not a noun—a gestalt, not a thing.

As with most design books the verbal content is brief, but is well written and informative. The first few pages of preface and introduction are worth the price of admission alone. They make you think instead of react: something we all need to do more of. The visual content has a museum quality of wayfinding in 2 dimensions: each country’s opening section is displayed as a keyed demographical brief, describing the conditions through which the designs were conceived and birthed. It is not only a quick reference, it allows cultural comparisons of design produced within various countries in an accessible way, something of interest to all of us in today’s technologically connected world. The identities are collected both as encapsulations with background briefs, and fuller histories as case studies. Many are culturally flavoured, a reminder of how wonderful and necessary distinction is in the face of the “emergence of nonplaces (uniform airports, generic shopping malls), and the advancement of what some theorists are calling ‘serial monotony.’” He also points out that more than half of the world’s top economies are no longer countries, but now belong to the corporations. This explains a lot, doesn’t it?

The book opens with “Identity lies at the very core of culture, and it is the key to our understanding of self.” This is a book to remind you of that and it should be on every thinking designer’s bookshelf. Better design leads to better choices, and better choices lead to better design.

–Maggie Macnab, author of Decoding Design, principal of Macnab Design. Read more reviews of Worldwide Identity here.

Altona, Manitoba

We’ve recently helped longtime client Conquest Manufacturing Ltd. (whose identity we redesigned in 2002), develop communication and marketing tools to increase corporate visibility and B2B presence (including a website, postcard series, and portable exhibit components to be used at trade fairs). Given the current building boom in Western Canada, Conquest’s stellar reputation for quality and leading expertise in pre-fab and modular building has been much in demand—Conquest is also seeking Architectural Technologists and Carpenters to join its growing team of professionals (interested candidates can call Donovan Fowke at 1 866 300 0222).

Medora, North Dakota

Kevin Guenther (along with three intrepid friends) has just returned from a rigorous 4-day ride of the challenging Maah Daah Hey mountain bike singletrack that winds through the Badlands of the Missouri River Plateau, connecting northern and southern units of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 140 kilometers (87 miles) of leg-burning climbs, exhilarating downhills, scorching sun, and rustic campsites ensure that “this is no ride for Princesses,” as he puts it. With outfitting by Dakota Cyclery (shuttling campsite supplies to a new stop each night) the boys were freed of logistics and heavy loads to “just ride” the epic trail. See more of Kevin’s trip photos here.

Kevin (in red on left) with buds at a trail marker; and on a downhill run.

Banff, Alberta

For the past few weeks, Circle’s Susan McWatt FitzGerald, MGDC (a senior designer currently on maternity leave) accompanied her partner to Banff, Alberta for a stint at The Banff Centre. As the Centre’s staff promised, the visit proved to “rejuvenate the creative spirit.”

Over the past 75 years The Banff Centre has welcomed more than 4000 artists to its setting in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Emerging and established artists gather in this place to push their artistic pursuits to new levels. Each year, over 400 original performances, concerts, and exhibitions are produced by visual, performing, literary, and new media artists from the Centre.

Exposure to the student body, staff, and alumni create a spirited environment at the Centre. Like-minded artists are nurtured through a multi-sensory experience assembled with the sole purpose to fuel creative and professional development. The corridors and grounds act as showcases of past works and provide thought-provoking statements from the past eight decades.

A highlight for Sue was her tour of the Visual Arts department which houses natural-light studio spaces for artists working with a variety of media—from painting, to photography, to textiles. The printmaking studio offers artists use of a full darkroom, letterpresses, silk-screening facilities and space for traditional gravure printing. Artists are reminded of the unique setting in the papermaking studio where one wall and part of the floor are built on exposed mountain rock, and wood-fired ceramic kilns are located in a romantic outside setting on the edge of a cliff.

In addition to programs designed to explore individual creativity, the Centre also welcomes business leaders and hosts professional development and leadership programs. For more information about The Banff Centre, its alumni, and its programs, visit www.banffcentre.ca .