Month: April 2022

Often known as Canada’s first design guru, Allan Fleming was a key designer in bringing Modernism to the country. He’s most well-known for his logo for the Canadian National Railway, or CN, which was acclaimed as one of the top 50 corporate logos at one point. His first breaking point as a designer was the… Continue reading Allan Fleming: Canada’s First Design Guru

When thinking about the pioneers of the Psychedelic Design, it’s often the male forefront that comes into people’s mind, like Wes Wilson. Women designers during this era were less well-known, however, this didn’t stop Bonnie McLean from standing out. She, later on, stepped into the ‘Big Five’ group in 1967. Before then, she was deeply… Continue reading Bonnie McLean: Women in Psychadelic Design.

While only lasted for a short 7 years, the Memphis Milano, commonly known as the Memphis Group, defined what ‘80s design looked like. Compared to the minimalist styles in mid-century modern, the group aimed to bring ornamental style, trying to design objects more than their intended purpose. Founder Ettore Sottsass perfectly explained it, even, saying… Continue reading The Group that Defined the 80’s Style.

Architects often praise the rule ‘less is more,’ a famous phrase written by Mies van der Rohe in support of minimalism in design. This wasn’t the case for Robert Venturi. He flipped this phrase around and used ‘less is bore’ as the main philosophy in his architectural works, especially reflected in his book ‘Complexity and… Continue reading Robert Venturi’s Fight Against Minimalist Architecture