Introduction Paul Winkler was my grandfather. He was born in 1866, was a school headmaster and appointed church organist in Breslau, Silesia, a region which became part of Poland after 1945. It is assumed that he retired in 1931 at the age of 65 as most professionals of his generation did. Ten years before he […]
Month: April 2019
Ideen sind billig! (Ideas are Cheap!)
In the mid-fifties, this sign was in one of the classroom-studios of Kunstschule Amsterdam in Hamburg. The gist of it is: Ideas like words are cheap, unless successfully translated into quality images and objects, supported by high intelligence and discipline, selection of appropriate and sensitive metaphors, choice of materials and tools and reflecting high skills […]
Indentity in Sheep’s Clothing
Americans May Have No Identity, But They Do Have Wonderful Teeth. * -Jean Baudrillard, paraphrased Identity as Territorial Marker Behind the concept of “identity”, hidden, lies a much more powerful human trait, namely the sense and extreme need for ownership, control, and territoriality. Through physical, social, and cultural territoriality, humanity is animated by nature […]
Acknowledgment
This web-project was started some six years ago by Megan Verdugo, a relentless and selfless design and typography enthusiast, an UMassD alumna, graduating successfully from the Design Department of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, in which I held a position as design educator since 1973 until retirement. Megan Verdugo owns the total archive […]
What is Design History?
A slideshow from the classroom. Gif runs 5 seconds each frame.