Michael Beirut via The NY Times

Celebrated graphic designer Michael Beirut recently opened up to the NY Times about how the world of graphic design has changed over the years.

In 1980 when he started his career as an assistant designer in New York, it was standard to be surrounded by indespensible tools including rubber cement, colored paper, spray glue and X-Acto knives along with other related businesses including typesetters, retouchers and printers.

When change finally did come in the form of personal computers, it happened fast. He says that:

Design work that would have taken me a week in 1980 can now be done on a personal computer in less than an hour. Cutting and pasting, when needed, is done in the basement, often by interns. I get the impression that this kind of work, to which I once applied myself with the pride of a master chef, is now viewed as a chore like dishwashing.

Though Beirut has kept with the times and embraced modern technology along the way, he still wonders if designers haven’t lost something in the process. He feels that performing tasks at such a rapid-fire pace on computers where mistakes can be undone instantaneously has stripped away some of the deliberation and attention to detail.

Unfortunately, things are moving too fast for people to stop and take notice…

Nemo-branded Skullcandy 2XL Booth at CES 2009 from Dave Allen on Vimeo.

CES is always overwhelming but it was sweet to see NemoHQ client Skullcandy’s booth pop out on the crowded trade show floor.

We gave a group of students from AIGA PSU a tour of the NemoHQ shop yesterday and they were stoked! We sent them on their way with some cool stickers and T-shirts and they got back and posted all their photos to Flickr. Check them out here.

According to LogoDesignLove, the Victoria & Albert Museum has purchased the original Rolling Stones logo for about $90,000.

The world-famous logo was designed in 1970 by John Pasche while he was still a student at London’s Royal College of Art. He originally landed the job because Mick Jagger was unhappy with the designs submitted by the Decca record label and searched out students instead.

The logo took about two weeks to create and Pasche was paid a total of £250.00 at the time.

NubbyTwiglet.com: An Art Retrospective

Nemo Design is very excited to present NubbyTwiglet.com: An Art Retrospective by Nemo’s own Shauna Haider, opening on Friday, October 03, 2008. The show will run through Monday November 03, 2008 at Nemo Design: 1875 SE Belmont Street in Portland, OR.

Stripes, shoes and letter forms are collaged into tight, slick pop art on wood and ceramic that are sealed in epoxy resin.

These sturdy and fashion-conscious collages are produced by hand in single editions. Personal photos are edited and combined with fashion magazine cut-outs to create graphically-charged collages that blur the lines between fine art and design.

The Black & White Graphic Insight series is an ode to my love of graphic design. Stark lines and a heavy mix of a mostly black and white palette are a bold contrast to the natural surfaces.

The largest and most complex series yet, Black & White Graphic Insight aims to spark a new-found appreciation for collage as a fine art form.

For further information, please visit http://www.nubbytwiglet.com.

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