9/11, Icons and Printed Ephemera

On the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, it is a good time to reflect on the tragedy. There are those far more eloquent than I am who can discuss the political and sociological ramifications, so I’ll pick up a thought from something I read this great article in the Atlantic from Steve Heller about how memorabilia has become the sacred imagery of 9/11. As he said,

 We all must be hardwired to collect mementos, good or bad, for posterity, to be sure, but also as aides de memoire, lest our memories fail us.”

I agree with this. Not just with 9/11 but for any major event we seem to be drawn to memorialize it though printed ephemera. It is interesting that the transient ephemera of newspaper headlines and fliers are saved in shoe boxes and scrap books, saying that this event was so important that we can’t leave it only to our memories. These newspaper headlines become a as sort of a personal Trajan’s Column or Bayeux Tapestry that we keep to illustrate and document our lives.

I do this as well; in my journals I have pasted newspaper clippings of important events including the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the death of Osama Bin Laden and 9/11. One powerful image that I have kept I’ll post below. For me this is the most eloquent design I saw in any newspaper about 9/11. It is so simple and perfect, no hyperbolic text is needed. Having the Twin Towers literally ripped out of a clear blue sky says more about the event to me than the New York Times’ cover. It was from Seattle’s great alternative paper, The Stranger. I wish I knew who the designer was, if anyone knows please let me know.

What I take from this is that as designers we need to remember that things that we work on can, on occasion, take on an importance far beyond their literal meaning. Once our designs are released into the world, we don’t always know how they will be used; perhaps they may become a part of someone’s personal narrative. This should give us pride and another reason to do the best job we can possibly can.

2001: A Design Something Every Day Odyssey

I am a big fan of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), so you can imagine my excitement when I saw this post of great promotional pictures from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the blog Stanley Kubrick – Deserving of Worship. A nice sentiment for one of the greatest film makers we’ve ever seen.

Kubrick was great filmmaker and a real artist. His films have been completely digested by the culture and have become a sort of visual short hand.. the monolith, Dr. Strangelove, Alex & his droogs… These archetypal images have burned them selves in or collective consciousness like ghosted images on an old CRT monitor. The great Margaret Cho is aware of Kubrick’s iconic power (see here). His lasting influence  is the true mark of a genius and consummate craftsman.

In that  vein I designed this desktop wall paper for my computer as apart of my Design Something Every Day Project.

Design Something Every Day 26 of 365

Here’s a few great Kubrick links and resources:

Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Ed. By Gene D. Phillips

This book includes the amazing interview with Eric Nordern originally published in Playboy (September 1968). It has one of my all time favorite quotes, something of a mantra for me:

The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death — however mutable man may be able to make them — our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” – Stanley Kubrick

Some good Kubrick resources:

• The Kubrick Site – an Amazing collection for all things Kubrick
• The Official Warner Brothers Site for his films.
• Kubricks IMDB Site

Finally the trailer to 2001: A Space Odyssey, what inspired this post to begin with.