Page 207 - Advertising Annual 57

The Creative
Workplace
By Rob Alderson
224 pages, hardbound, $40 Published by Roads Publishing roads.co
As boutique shared work spaces continue taking over our cities and blue-chip firms increasingly push
a quirky office aesthetic—
foosball, anyone?—to foster productivity, the release of The Creative Workplace by Rob Alderson
provides a timely focus on truly imaginative working environments. The former editor-in-chief of London-based design publisher (and general arbiter of good taste) It’s Nice That, Alderson takes us
on vivid journeys to the headquarters of some of the world’s most inspiring companies and individuals, dwelling on their creative processes and charting how these translate into effective and stimulating work spaces—with inevitably rich visuals.
Beyond the physical attributes of each work space, Alderson also touches on the wider issues at play, questioning the subjectivity of creativity and its blurred boundaries with commercial necessity; as one contributor puts it, the office might perfectly suit creative
Digital
Design Theory
Readings from the Field
Edited by Helen Armstrong
152 pages, softcover, $24.95
Published by Princeton Architectural Press papress.com
Shortly after graphic designers began using computers to work faster and better, the new technology kept them too busy to consider what had happened along the way of digital design’s evolution. Editor Helen Armstrong connects a diverse mix of design theories and practices in this collection of essays written by the pioneers of digital innovation. The historical perspective starts in 1960, a time immersed in modernist design principles of order and unity. The same decade also spawned Stewart Brand’s counterculture Whole Earth Catalog and inspired a future generation of desktop publishers.
More than 20 years of invention occurred between the introduction of Sketchpad in 1963, the first program to use a graphical user interface, and the Macintosh computer in 1984, which Massachusetts Institute of Technology designer Muriel Cooper described as the “first viable graphic design tool.” Digital Design Theory highlights these technological and ideological advances while noting how designers adapted their processes to tinker, hack and share ideas.
needs, but if clients ever saw it, they “wouldn’t be impressed.” Alderson also explores the growth of data-driven studies—led by Google and its Silicon Valley neighbors—and statistics increasingly informing companies’ approaches to office design. The result
is a highly accessible collection of profiles supplemented with inspirational imagery. Expect to see an abundance of Eames chairs and framed typography on the walls, but also expect a few surprises along the way that are sure to make you reconsider the state of your own work space. —Ben Olsen
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Designers David Carson and April Greiman pushed boundaries and defied grid-based structures in the 1980s, and Sharon Poggenpohl advocated for complete computer literacy in design education. The final chapter includes futurists like Haakon Faste, who ponders a time when artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence and designers will create in a posthuman world. And thanks to Armstrong’s elegant book design, even the most technical essay is uplifted by the balance of space and color on the page. Whether you were present at the birth of computer design or have never been without electronics in your creative life, this chronicle is an excellent resource for you to delve into the ideas and achievements of digital design. —Ruth Hagopian
Lehrer Architects
Los Angeles, USA
Michael B. Lehrer founded Lehrer Architects in his native district of Los Feliz as a sole proprietorship in 1985. Twenty-six years later, the business, now a California corporation, is still thriving in the award- winning office space at 2140 Hyperion Avenue.
Design: Lehrer Architects
Photography: Benny Chan Fotoworks & Lehrer Architects
Our studio was created on a shoestring budget with succinct architectural interventions – it fosters fluid movement between colleagues, our work stations, our model-building and our creation of art. We
use our R&D Room for making objects that feed back into the inspiration of the office, because we believe making is a primal pleasure. We also host life drawing for the community once a month, among other events, such as weddings, fundraising galas, book readings, film screenings and concerts.
The openness of our studio design allows mentors and protégés to communicate freely. The red stripe on our inexpensive, epoxy floor heightens awareness of space and the unusual shape of our warehouse. Luckily, the library and service space are sunlit all day long, honouring their critical nature to our work. The patio extends our indoor/outdoor sightlines through a light- dappled bamboo garden that we use on a daily basis.
The quality of light that streams through the ample skylights reminds us how privileged we are to make beauty. We rarely use artificial light, and are blessed with a climate that ushers in a breeze through our open garage doors to compliment the generous sunlight.
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