Wisdom from Andrew Zuckerman

I have been seeing this book, Wisdom, around for a while. On design sites, in bookstores and on Amazon.com. However, I didn't know there was a film associated with it. I saw this trailer for the film thanks to this really cool blog Changethethought.com.


Wisdom - Introduction from SLNSW on Vimeo.

Aside from the superb design, layout and art direction of the book and portraits, the film adds another level to this historical chronicle of figures over the age of 65 speaking about their lives, what they have learned and their perception of the wisdom that is supposed to come with age. Actually hearing the voices associated with the face and the story is tremendously impactful.

Look at this line-up of great figures of our time:
Chuck Close
Clint Eastwood
Nelson Mandela
Bill Withers
Jane Goodall
Dave Brubeck
Ted Kennedy
Buzz Aldren
And like 40 more more amazing people...

Everything about this is really smart and beautiful. Just the concept of all theses figures speaking about their experiences, and their take on a similar subject is a conversation for the ages.

Wisdom is directed by photographic master Andrew Zuckerman. He specializes in that super high contrast, high resolution, HDR style of photography, where every detail of a photo is present and beautiful. Take a look at some of his photos from his last project Creature:







The great thing about this is that the 60 minute film comes Free with the book Wisdom. You can buy it here. It's like $30, which is not bad for what would be a perfect coffee table book, but also I can't think of a better gift for someone who is either approaching that 65 age, or just starting out their adult lives.

Check out this book and film, and if you don't find inspiration from the photos, people or stories you might need a hug.

New Inspiration: Graphic Exchange

So last week I was looking for inspiration for a few projects we're kicking off here.

I stumbled onto this Blogish site through another of my faves FFFFound.com.

It's called Graphic-Exchange and I am seeing some amazing work being put forward for consideration.

Here are just a few examples:












The usability is random, and the load time is excessive, but the work up for discussion is second to none. This is a great resource for design trends and inspiration. It'll make you mad how good some of this work is.

Fabien Barral is the guy who runs the site and he describes it like this, "graphic-exchange is an alternative to the "links only" web site, showing you the a selection of work directly on this site. I also use it to present my own work."

He's from France.

I get the sense from the site that designers can "exchange" professionally printed work with Fabien, post their work for his approval and posting, or just read and enjoy what is and can be done in the world of design.

Lastly, I like this autobiography. He describes himself this way, "I am a husband and I love my wife. I am a father and I love my daughter. I am not the clients I work with, I am the art I create with them. I am what I create. I create what I am."

I'll probably steal that, sorry Fabien.

Check it out, and be inspired