We had a great Canadian Design Studies class today, discussing a very (limited) history of Service Design, as exemplified in Canadian wheat/dairy/livestock Pools and Federated Co-ops. (image from: everettbakerslides.smugmug.com/Photography/...)

Not one but TWO pairs of blue herons building nests at Hastings duck pond late this afternoon. So amazing to watch.

There is also this tidbit from The Design Centre's 1953 pamphlet. We Canadians prefer "long life and quality" in our goods.

This 1949 memo from the T. Eaton Company archives, at the beginning of Canada's Good Design Movement, is still timely. When they refer to "foreign exchange" they are referring to the tariffs the US still had in place in 1949

This week, my husband rediscovered a few old photos that were given to him by a family friend about 20 years ago. I had a look and lo and behold: Andrew King posters in the wild! Hiding in the foreground.

These bad boys (and I mean literally bad) are waiting for their new owners to pick them up. Up close they look like a project from a high school shop class. The overlap of metal looks sloppy and unintentional. Those seams will catch all sorts of slime/grime in Vancouver weather.

Also, I couldn't help but notice that the finish of these trucks smudge like a Home Depot refridgerator.

In the underground parking lot at Emily Carr University. What would you call this, a Gaggle of Gagworthy Go-carts?

Don Buchanan, a curator from the National Gallery, addressed this issue of “lacking originality” in the 1950s by giving some space for adaptations (a whole notion I addressed in my dissertation, before finding Buchanan’s interpretation)

I’m at a point in my research where I need to have more extensive conversations about this recurring issue in Canadian Design History.

The last tweet I authored, from 2023: Almost 100 years ago, the City of Vancouver Engineering department enjoyed their 2nd Annual Dinner, where they gave toasts and enjoyed a meal presented to them in a menu as information design. I'm in love with this crazy thing.