A 4-hour drive from Atlanta takes us to Savannah, a time capsule of southern charm and hospitality. The city has beautifully preserved its historic buildings and green areas, and most interestingly has also been transformed by the presence of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The involvement of young artists and designers in this historic city creates an unusual mix of old and new narratives.

SCAD is a creative education empire established in 1978 that now counts four campuses in three different countries and over 9000 students. Walking around in Savannah, one can only notice the overwhelming presence of SCAD and the instrumental role it has played in restoring the historic districts. The School of Fibers is located in a building from 1906 that used to serve as a military hospital during the Civil War. SCAD’s main auditorium is located in a former high school building built in 1920. A former warehouse built in 1956 houses the industrial design department. The School of Film is located in an old power station originally built in 1894.

SCAD turned historic Savannah into a energetic platform for the young generation. Its dominating presence in the city has caused a few stirs however the benefits brought by the school have most certainly helped save many failing buildings and neighborhoods.

The Columbus College of Art and Design recently published a report entitled Creative Columbus, which is an inventory study of Central Ohio’s creative industries including the arts, design, performance, media and marketing.

The prominent design fields in the area are fashion, industrial, interior and communication design, with a concentration of businesses in downtown Columbus and many self-employed creatives in based in Clintonville.

During our visit we took a closer look at communication designers and their role in local businesses. We want to highlight CSCA (Columbus Society of Communicating Arts) for its unique and independent approach to design promotion, and its Creative Best Awards initiative that rewards local talents.

A special mention goes out to Ologie, a branding agency that helps businesses with social media strategies, and to Gabe Shultz for his insight on the role that graphic designers play in the corporate world and for keeping the experimental alive through his project Bored Sketchbooks.

Photos: © Jeff Seslar of Chromatic Identity – © Gabe Shultz

The Office for Lost Objects™ is the intriguing name of a furniture design practice led by Jarrod Beglinger. It creates conceptual furniture and uses design philosophy to question our relationship with objects and everyday life.

This philosophy is based on six principles:

• Respect the Super Normal.
• Revel in the infra-ordinary.
• Honor craftsmanship.
• Follow a logic.
• Express an integrity.
• Seek an essence.

Jarrod started with engineering studies at MIT which later led him to do an internship at BMW in Germany where he became more aware of design. He decided to spend more time in Europe and applied to Eindhoven’s Design Academy where he was accepted to pursue a Master’s degree. There, he discovered a new way of seeing the world through design and started to make design pieces that worked as social commentaries. His strongest design influence is the “Super Normal” as practiced by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa: a type of design thinking that emphasizes less on aesthetics but rather focuses on making “normal” objects that integrate so well in everyday life, people don’t even question them.

For furniture designers Dexter Thornton and David Larabee of Doublebutter, traditional marketing strategies were not quite affordable and seemed too conventional. So instead they decided to use their skills and have a little fun on the streets of Denver by throwing miniature versions of their Roadrunner chairs up in the air.

Each miniature is carefully made in their studio. The mini chairs work as a pair (usually green and red, or green and yellow) and are attached together with a thread. The locations are chosen for their backdrop and potential in creating an interesting site specific installation. We liked the idea so we took a few of them to chuck during our US cities tour. The Roadrunner coming to a city near you!

David Larabee and Dexter Thornton of Double Butter discuss the challenges and rewards of designing locally sourced furniture in Denver, Colorado.

Watch as David Larabee and Dexter Thornton of DoubleButter work double time to build one of their signature Roadrunner chairs.

Portland is a city that is not afraid of being different and which could serve as a model for other American cities. Its unique identity and lifestyle were shaped by local creative minds that care about sustaining a decent quality of life: through good coffee and food, green transit systems, and independent retail stores.

On Stark Street (pictured above), the Ace Hotel serves as headquarters for curious travelers and as workspace for local residents in search of inspiration and a wireless internet connection. The hotel building also houses Stumptown Coffee, that diffuses a wonderful aroma throughout the lobby and  where each single cup of coffee is made to perfection, and Clyde Common, a restaurant serving foreign and domestic cuisine cooked with local ingredients.

Eclectic Portland, pictured from top left: Coffee shop in East Portland, Voodoo Doughnut, Give/Take a book mailbox, dry cleaner’s window, Deschutes Brewery in Northwest Portland, Old Town.

Cycling is fully integrated in Portland’s culture and way of life: from the urban infrastructure to organizations like Bike Portland, retail spaces such as Veloshop, “public art” made of children’s bicycles. street furniture, or custom frame builders like Sasha White from Vanilla Bicycles.

Call + Response is an exhibition that questions the realm of design, craft and art through the works of designer-makers and educators from Oregon. In this show craft is shown as a highly conceptual practice that can play a role in society and also holds hidden cerebral qualities. Amongst the various themes some include: environmental responsibility, artistic processes and historical contexts.

Clockwise from top left: Sam Morgan, Studio Gorm, Heidi Schwegler, David Eckard.

Call + Response is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland until October 31 2009.

Tim Bessell is a surfboard shaper and shop owner who likes to experiment with his creative and craftsmanship skills. We had the great pleasure to see him, in his workspace, shape a board for an hour and a half. But what we also discovered was Tim’s enthusiasm for what he calls functional art (and what we call design). With a major in psychology and a minor in fine arts, Tim sees the therapeutic virtues of board shaping and looks at his craft as a form of expression. Beyond surfing, which he  likes to refer to as “an indigenous culture in San Diego”, he paints big pictures on cardboard, designs furniture and is working a large-scale initiative called Bessell Modular Living Systems, a sustainable architecture project using old ship containers.

Before, during and after shaping sessions, Tim uses his creative mind to make things: from chairs to paintings, energy windmills and modular houses. Looking at his work it is undeniable that design skills are transferable and applicable in many areas – in this case from surfboard design to architecture. While talking with him we understood how surfing could lead to architecture as they are both means to improve people’s quality of life.

Roadside Relics (pictured above) is a gallery/studio that captures Austin’s quirky nature. Austin is the capital of Texas, but it is also a city that defies all cliches associated to its home state. Austin embraces the old, the new and the unexpected.

Signs are part of the visual landscape of Austin and many of the designs encapsulate the city’s love for American graphic traditions.

San Jose Hotel owned by Liz Lambert is a reconverted motel on South Congress Avenue that has become a local creative community magnet and is a promoter of good design. The presence of San Jose has helped transform South Congress Avenue into a vibrant and contemporary neighborhood (pictured below).

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