The Staufenberger Repository

Further Soul Underground

Last week we had an enjoyable chat with David Lubich, former editor and publisher of Soul Underground. He popped into the studio after he found us via our earlier post on the short-lived but influential magazine.

One of his stories stood out for us. It concerned he design of the first three issues. In the early days of the magazine David had a partner, Darren, who worked for London Underground. Apparently, Darren used LU's in-house design facilities to set these early issues, which explains why the Soul Underground started out in LU's own font, Johnston.

However, the powers at LU soon caught on to the moonlighting and asked him to desist. Such was Darren's dedication to the magazine that he continued to use LU's facilities. Despite two written disciplinary warnings, he still didn't stop. Then they sacked him.

David has promised to set up some sort of archive of the magazine's three and a bit years. When he does, we'll be sure to post a link.

Designing for invisibility

While we were in the Netherlands, we took the train when we needed to get out of Amsterdam. Anyone who's wrestled with the touch screen ticket machines at London's Waterloo, will understand why we found the machines in Amsterdam Centraal so amazing. For those unfamiliar with Dutch Railways ticket machines, this is how they work:

NS (Dutch Railways) ticket machine from Team Staufenberger on Vimeo.

Everything sorted in just one screen. How good is that?

They've kindly put the software online so that you can practise buying tickets. How thoughtful. Though I wonder if people actually use it, other than people interested in interaction design and usability issues.

The NS website is also refreshingly easy to use. When looking up a train time, it even gives you the departure (and arrival) platform. A really tiny, but hugely useful detail.

We're clearly not the only people to be impressed by these ticket machines, there have been a few comments at design and usability blogs. One of these suggested that the design was a bit boring in a good way (meaning it's simple and efficient), which is an interesting way of looking at. Although I suspect that rather than boredom, we should be designing for invisibility: the point where usability becomes transparent and draws no attention to itself, either positively or negatively. 

Amsterdam highlights

It wasn't all work, work, work in Amsterdam. We did a bit of cruising round on the Sparta, pretending to be locals. Here are three retail establishments that we visited along the way.

1. Nijhof and Lee is a lovely bookshop that specialises in design, typography, architecture, advertising, new media, that sort of thing. They stock out of print titles as well as new.

And, for fans of graphic design from the Netherlands, they have a well stocked line of posters by dutch masters such as Wim Crouwel. Here's one of his earliest efforts for the Stedelijk Museum from 1964.

If you fancy getting your hands on one of these posters, it's well worth making a detour to their shop next time you're in Amsterdam as only a fraction of their stock is online.

2. Suit Supply have just opened in London, but we thought we'd take the opportunity to see the dutch chain in its native habitat.

It's an interesting and energetic brand: you can get an off the peg suit for £200-£250 and made to measure for a bit more, depending on fabric.

And to underline their tailoring credentials, each shop has a chap doing alterations on the spot.

If your alteration isn't completed within 30 minutes, it's free. Not bad.

3. Star Bikes is where we hired our bikes. It's where our visit began and ended. Except for the train trip to and from the airport, but that doesn't really count. It doesn't look like they sell bikes, it's just rental all the way.

They'll also do you a picnic to pack on your bike if you want to make an excursion somewhere. The staff are super nice and super chilled. Very Amsterdam.

The School Run, Netherlands Style

via Velorution

In Amsterdam

We're in Amsterdam for a few days to do some research.

Obviously, there had to be bikes.

BMW paper cars

We like this.

BMW Thailand have a site where you can download cutout paper models of various cars.

Above is my attempt at the iconic Isetta from the mid 1950s. It's a bit scrappy and a bit pixely but that's the point really, isn't it? The brand might be about super-efficient, super-engineered precision but that doesn't mean everything the brand does has to be super-efficient and super-engineered. This provides something tangible, something that you might like to stick on your desk or shelf, something other than an overproduced glossy brochure or gewgaw.

Of course, as a healthy brand that illicits strong reactions (both positive and negative), there is inevitably some fan mods knocking around, such as this one here, and this somewhat ironic take on it.

My new brainstorming technique is unstoppable

A while back we invested in a few Dover Publications Clip-Art books in order to pep up the occasional presentation. Despite our preference for things non-Powerpoint, there are occasions when there's no avoiding it. But that's no reason not to make an effort, is it?

Our favourites are the more 80s feeling business titles, like this:

...and this:

...which includes this splendid pipe-smoking chap:

But we've a soft spot for these two, too:

Lot's of outdated home and office gadgets in the former, lots of ladies with big hair, hats and cats in the latter:

Plenty in there to bring a certain something to your next Powerpoint meisterwerk.

Of course, David Rees has used many of these to mirthful effect in his comic strips.

We've been trying to do a plannery equivalent for months, but couldn't think of anything nearly as amusing as Mr Rees' efforts. So this is as far as we've got. (Feel free to have a go yourselves. We might even find a prize for the best submission.)

Looking at it now, I think the blank bubbles do give it different kind of meaning.

From the days when cut and paste meant using something sharp and something sticky, all these images are printed one-sided so that nothing shows through from the reverse when you cut them out to construct your composition. And to help you do that, each book comes with handy instructions inside the back cover:

I think I want an X-Acto knife. It sounds like something from The Incredibles.

"Big old shoulders and double breastiness"

It's nearly time to unveil The Staufenberger suit.

To keep you occupied till then, here's another timely bit of generic suit coverage, courtesy of The Observer.

Fashion, with fs big and small

In between making suits and the occasional bit of work, I recently contributed an article to Brand Strategy magazine.

It sets out a view of how fashion works, and the implications for non-fashion brands wanting to move into that space.

The style is a bit clunky - need to work on that. But it makes sense, I hope. You can download it here.

Flatstock 16

If you're at or heading to SXSW, or happen to be in the Austin area in the next few days, you should find some time to pop by Flatstock. We're not doing either, so have to enjoy it virtually, at a distance of a few thousand miles. Bah.

Flatstock is a convention for concert posters; a gig about posters about gigs, if you will. Predominantly US-based artists and designers show off their work and appreciative fans get the chance to buy some stuff to decorate their homes.

Browsing the sites of exhibitors, there seems to be a well developed system whereby local designers create posters for bands performing in their part of the US.

So when, say, The Decemberists play the Bay area, they might get The Small Stakes' Jason Munn to create a poster:

For Oregon gigs, it might be Dan Stiles:

For Seattle shows, perhaps Patent Pending:

When they hit the North East it might be Buffalo's Hero Design Studio:

And when they get to Lubbock, Texas, who else are they going to call but Dirk and Carol at F2?

The above posters might not all be for the stated locations, some of the type was indecipherable at web resolutions. But the principle stands: acts like Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Pedro the Lion and loads more all use a number of different designers to create gig posters. And these commissions tend to be on a regional basis (although there are some glaring exceptions, such as Jason Munn's work for a Shins show at The Manchester Academy, of all places).

Is this due to the size of the US? Smaller acts tend not to do the kind of national tours that would justify a single poster for all dates? Or is it a design business thing?

We haven't come across a similar approach to concert promotion in the UK. Or rather, what there is seems sporadic by comparison. Which is a shame, because the American approach has supported and given outlet to a wide range of fantastic design talent. As the above examples demonstrate.

Perhaps I'm missing something. If so, please point us in the right direction. We'd love to see.

***UPDATE*** Jesse at Patent Pending informs us that they are not at Flatstock this year. They're elsewhere.