Thank you Swiss Miss.

Pioneers of American Industrial Design Stamps

As part of the 2011 commemorative postage stamp program just unveiled by the USPS, there is one set in particular that will probably make designers happy. In July 2011, a 12 stamp pane will honor industrial designers that were influential in the 20th century.

An excerpt from the USPS press release for the new ‘Pioneers of American Industrial Design’ stamps:
“…Industrial design is the study and creation of products whose appearance, function, and construction have been optimized for human use. It emerged as a profession in the U.S. in the 1920s but really took hold during the Depression. Faced with decreasing sales, manufacturers turned to industrial designers to give their products a modern look that would appeal to consumers. Characterized by horizontal lines and rounded, wind-resistant shapes, the new, streamlined looks differed completely from the decorative extravagance of the 1920s. They evoked a sense of speed and efficiency and projected the image of progress and affluence the public desired…”

These stamps will be part of the Forever Stamp Program—I’ll want to stock up on these once they are available.

(via Unbeige)

Magnificent Specimens

Dave Mead’s “Magnificent Specimens” opened at the Land Gallery in Portland, Oregon. If you cannot get to Portland click here to see 40 of his extraordinary photographs.

Each photo features a man who’s spent a lot of time cultivating his beard or mustache. Jake from Ontario could pass for Paul Bunyan’s twin. Jeremy from Anchorage looks like an extra from Lord of the Rings. And Rodney from Alexandria, Virginia, is a dead ringer for any number of Old Testament prophets. Many of Mead’s subjects are German; they’re sporting especially impressive beards. (Architectural isn’t a bad word to use if you’re looking to describe them.) But the most striking thing about these photographs is the way that a truly great beard can make a man look like he’s stepped straight out of some previous century. We hope Hollywood’s casting directors are paying attention.

(via Very Short List)

The un-bordered, crowned siren logo stands alone, free from the bonds of reminding anyone what it means ― an undeniable icon like the Nike “Swoosh” or the Target “Target.”

In a statement on the company’s website, CEO Howard Schultz described jettisoning the word “coffee” this way:

Starbucks will continue to offer the highest-quality coffee, but we will offer other products as well ― and while the integrity, quality and consistency of these products must remain true to who we are, our new brand identity will give us the freedom and flexibility to explore innovations and new channels of distribution.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Minty-Fresh™.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2010. That’s about 5 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 11 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 53 posts. There were 11 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was May 13th with 28 views. The most popular post that day was About Our Tidbits Blog.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were dittodoesit.com, facebook.com, linkedin.com, cordless-homephone.info, and search.aol.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for pink money, green facade, amazing landscaping, green roofs, and adriana lima pink money.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

About Our Tidbits Blog December 2007

Amazing Green Roof Art School in Singapore January 2008
2 comments

About Ditto! Design! October 2007

Recent Work: Gillis Architects PC December 2009

Personal Project: ArtBucks December 2009
1 comment

Drawing Machine #1 (To Your Hearts Content) 2009
Joseph Griffiths’ interactive mixed media installation.

“One of the big differences between art and design is that art is mostly about commentary — it’s making a statement that you’re expecting other people to contemplate and be moved by, emotionally, or altered by, in terms of their perceptions.

“Whereas design is really about solving a problem that makes something more pragmatic, and useful, and valuable or valued, and of course you can add qualities of aesthetics to that, that make it also a delight. At the same time, if it fails on the functionality side, all is lost, whereas if it fails on the delight side, it might still fit into a lot of people’s lives in a satisfactory if not an exciting way.”

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Bill Moggeridge is director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

(Thanks, Before & After)

Simply tie your teabag to the tab and you’re all set. Designed like a boat dock cleat – your tea bag won’t go floating away!

Tie Tea Cup by George Lee.