Ron Kovach – DesignApplause

lew asher design-centric chicago printer calls it a day at 102.

Mar 24, 2022

above > lew with daughters l>r sharon & roberta circa early 90s courtesy greg samata

i can’t think of one designer who was practicing in the 60s thru 2000 or even later that didn’t know lew. he was engaged in everything designers were engaged in. he could have been a father figure for me. but let’s here it from renoun chicago designer greg samata who delivered the following at lew’s services.

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I loved Lew Asher!

A week ago Pat and I told him as he lay in his hospice bed. He smiled and heard us.

Thursday I will turn 72 years old. One of my first clients was Nuclear Data,it was 1976.
I was 26 years old and Lew Asher walked into my office and my life.

He was hired by the company to do the printing of the book I designed.

My first all color brochure!!!!

Ruth, his wife, was in the car. She would go to meetings with him and stay outside in the car.
Afterwards they would go to lunch or spend the afternoon together. He was a great father, husband and friend.

I would have sat in that car too. It was BMW 2002, silver, black top and red interior. It happened to be my all time favorite car at the time. He was instantly my hero!

He came into the office, I laid out my art boards to go over the job with him. Lew stood there quiet and very professional, looked at me with a serious tone and said “I can’t print this”.

I said “well why not” the young, not to be denied kid that I was.

It was my first lesson from Lew Asher, although I did not realize it at the time.

He said every book printed is multiples of four pages , you can’t bind 19 pages..

I knew nothing.

We went on to do volumes of work in multiples of four. After that he taught me
everything I know about the business, and he was the best at it.

Back then designers and service providers could put mark ups on goods and
products that you re-sold. It was common then but now no longer in favor.
And designers were always trying to get their own books and posters and marketing
materials printed. Of course there was never enough money.

So Lew and I created a system we called “put it on the wall”. Every job that was
marked up, the mark up would go “on the wall” and we used it to pay for personal projects.

My dad died in 1981. Pat and I were married 3 months before he died.
And Lew was passed the mantle to be my second father… It just happened.
A natural unspoken progression for two people who cared about each other.

I needed advice. Lew was there.
I needed to be talked off the ledge, constantly,…Lew was there

The issues ran from things that had nothing to do with printing.
Things like…honesty, loyalty, morality, family, friendships, business and yes even
sometimes ink on paper.

Together, professionally, we set a new standard in printing in Chicago, with
IPP Lithocolor doing the film back them, and Lew’s company Great Northern Design Printing
leading the way with all the best designers in the city.

Printing was taken to an art form and we never looked back.

Lew was generous, smart, sincere, honest to the end, and the best damn friend
and father anyone could have.

I loved Lew Asher

getting from point a to b with giulio cappellini. icff 2015.

May 17, 2015

[DA] What’s on the top of your mind right now?
[GC] Ah, many things. It’s because I’m always looking towards the future, what’s next. And more and more now, I experience a great of degree of change to an approach to design that has transpired over time. In the 50s and 60s, those early products just had to be well-constructed and beautiful. Today it’s more than just a nice shape, now there’s more emphasis on function. We also think more about scale. By scale I mean that many of our customers live in the city and their living spaces are physically smaller, and we scale down for them.

More recently we have found the need to not only create for the home environment but for the office space as well, a landscape experiencing a great deal of change. The same for technology. There are many more natural materials and complex natural colors to work with. And today the consumer more and more likes the freedom to make their own choices. So more options, more customization is added to the mix. And through all of this, quality has to keep pace and not be compromised. There’s a lot to think about.

[DA] Giulio, you’re a great judge of talent. You’ve done this for years. So many designers that I’ve talked to agree you are responsible for who they are today. Who, what do you look for?
[GC] I think that each designer is unique, they don’t follow the same line or path. Sometimes they have a sketch or prototype and now I think I can’t live without this product and I want to bring it home with me now. I try to talk and get to know the designer to see if we communicate and can work with Cappellini. There’s a need to establish a relationship that communicates the right feeling, the common perspectives and values. So the personal approach is very important. I always say the good Cappellini designers are first of all good friends of mine.

[DA] Good chemistry. Everyone gets from A to B a bit differently. How did you get from A to B. What are some of the things that were important to you to put you where you are right now?
[GC] I’m always enthusiastic in my job and I try to be kind to my stomach, you know, less worry and more passion. At the beginning of my career I didn’t follow an A to B dream. And now today, the company is big, the situation different, and through this change I like to always keep a little freedom. Regarding the company and our relationships with our consumers, we do it a certain way which seems to work, but I also like to take my risks and strongly believe in what I am doing. For me this is very important.

[DA] Would you give the same answer if I was asking what advice would you give to a young designer?
[GC] I’m a visiting professor, invited by design schools to speak about my experiences. I tell students that I understand when they start their career they want their sketches and ideas to quickly hit the marketplace. But you cannot think it’s a simple journey to design a new chair or table. You have to follow the development of a product like a baby.

In the market there are thousands of products. We really don’t need a new table or sofa, we need a better table and sofa. The new products should be more contemporary and the shape may benefit from the new materials and technologies. Plus there are new strategies and philosophies to add to the process, such as incorporating environmentally friendly and less expensive features. I tell them do few things but do good things.

[DA] Is there any aspect in design that’s broken, not working, that can be improved upon?
[GC] What I’m going to say is something I just thought about this morning. There can be a communication problem in design. If a consumer doesn’t buy a product most of the time it’s because they didn’t fully understand the design’s value to them. The value needs to be better communicated to the consumer. We can’t assume the buyer is knowledgeable.

Knowledge is not enough however. For many years, the communication about design was, maybe too sophisticated or better, there was a presumption and maybe an elitist attitude that impeded communication. Maybe it was just hearing the top 300 in design talking to themselves. And maybe this dialog made some a little afraid of design. People might like and appreciate the artifacts in the permanent collection of a museum or the windows displays of a fine showroom but they’re still afraid to go deeper, to engage with design.

[DA] To be continued.
[GC] To be continued.

L>R luca nichetto, giulio, jaime hayon smokin the design world

Giulio Cappellini is a Milanese architect who has been working since 1979 with an energetic spirit and refreshing goals. Through the years his work transformed into that of a designer’s, offering a personal approach to contemporary design. He has successfully established both his brand and his name and has worked as the art director for other key design brands. His most important project, the “company”, transformed Cappellini into one of the biggest trend-setters worldwide. His lectures at the Milan Architecture University always generate great interest from Montreal to Valencia.

[envira-gallery id=”45242″]

discover design & gia awards winners. housewares 2015.

Mar 18, 2015

‘Discover Design’ is five years old in 2015 and is a destination of more than 100 design-centric exhibitors from around the world. The confines includes the ‘Discover Design Gallery’ featuring the products submitted for the gia awards; ‘Design Debut’, an incubator program within Discover Design, featuring 10 new companies; and the Discover Design Lounge with Wine Bar and Café. In 2015 over 270 entries were viewed by 20 judges to select the 2015 gia awards winners:

[ best Collection Design ]
global honoree
That! inventions > heat THAT!

finalists
Iittala > Ruutu
Jia > Steamer collection

[ best product design ]
global honorees
Eva Solo > Digital kitchen scale
Joseph Joseph > Can-do
That! inventions > scoop THAT!

finalists
Alessi > Cheese please
Big Dragon Design > Turbine usa pizza cutter
David Rasmussen Design > Wud tumbler
Dreamfarm > Savel
Po > Pao thermal mug

[ martin m. pegler award for best booth ]
global honoree
sagegreenlife > Firefly bio-dome

above> heat THAT! by that!

above> ruutu by ronan and erwan bouroullec for iittala

above> steamer collection by jia

above> digital kitchen scale by eva solo

above> can-do by joseph joseph

above> scoop that! by that!

above> cheese please by gabriele chiave and lorenza bozzoli for alessi

above> wud tumbler by david rasmussen design

above> savel by dreamfarm

above> páo thermo mug by po

above: turbineusa pizza cutter by big dragon studios

above> firefly bio-dome designed by daniel pouzet for sagegreenlife

[ 2015 judges ]
Specialty retailers, design and consumer editors, trendspotters and independent designers served as Discover Design judges for the gia awards. They are: Asko Ahokas, Asko Ahokas Consulting; Jens Bauerle, Global Brand Vision; Mary Liz Curtin, Leon & Lulu; Meredith Doherty, The Grommet; Mary Rose Gearon, Global Brand Vision; Michael Higdon, National Building Museum; Raymond Hu, Core77; Ron Kovach, DesignApplause; Dan Kraemer, IA Collaborative; Lu Lyndon, Placewares+Lyndon Design; Paul Makovsky, Metropolis magazine; Marco Perry, PENSA; Jamie Rowley, Fab; Billy Shelton, Chicago Architecture Foundation; Michele Tobin, Walker Art Center; Becky Tyre, Gift Shop magazine; Robyn Waters, R W Trend; Adrienne Wheatley, Culture + Commerce, Terri Winter, Top3 by Design; and LinYee Yuan, Mold.

2015 was our (DesignApplause) third year to judge this show. with almost one hundred more entries (270) than 2014, the competition this year was noticeably higher. all items were judged online – it’s worth noting, video submissions are compelling – though there were photo-only winners.

[ official release – winners ]

CHGO DSGN at the chicago cultural center.

May 7, 2014

opening public reception | friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p

CHGO DSGN [Chicago Design], a major exhibition of Recent Object and Graphic Design by 100+ of the city’s leading designers, will open 31 May and run through 2 November 2014 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Chicago has long been regarded as an international center for design, and this retrospective celebrates the region’s creative and innovative spirit. The exhibition is curated by Rick Valicenti, 2011 recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, with displays designed by Tim Parsons, Associate Professor of Designed Objects at the School of the Art Institute.

white room

plaid room

“Chicago design is alive once again and on display for the world to see,” Valicenti says. “Almost a century ago, Chicago designers were at the epicenter of print. A few years later, Chicago was home to the New Bauhaus, and in the 70s our designers championed international modernism. Today’s designers are reverberating with inspiration from storied times as they amplify Chicago design’s future.”

Surprise, invention, and risk run through the 200+ works on display. A broad range of endeavors are featured from functional objects to theoretical proposals.

Highlights include the DIVVY bike naming and graphic identity program by IDEO and Firebelly, the world’s thinnest watch from Central Standard Timing, an exhibition catalog for the Art Institute of Chicago by Studio Blue, some of the best Kickstarter-funded initiatives such as TIKTOK by MNML design director Scott Wilson, an open-source international library of icons called The Noun Project, and product designer Steven Haulenbeek’s collection of bronze bowls cast in the ice during this winter’s frigid polar vortex.

The exhibition features work from Chicago’s established design studios: Crosby Associates, Morningstar, VSA Partners, Wright, the University of Chicago Press, the Department of Design at Leo Burnett, Threadless, and furniture-design legend Holly Hunt.

odense chair | holly hunt

the way of the shovel scratch-off poster | romain andré and michael savona | mark dion, shovel illustration on the top layer and tony tasset, uncovered photograph, images courtesy mca chicago

The next generation of designers are featured as well, including the delicate utensil designs by Martin Kastner for Alinea, publications designed by James Goggin, an experimental book by Plural, a sonically-activated animation by John Pobojewski of Thirst, the radical designs by Materious, audio-generated posters for the Poetry Foundation by Sonnenzimmer, public works by the designers from the Museum of Contemporary Art, and a conceptual study for typography made with water by Matt Wizinsky.

A selection of works will have their Chicago debut, including a limited edition bronze chair by furniture designer Jonathan Nesci, a bookshelf by Felicia Ferrone, a sculptural leather chair by Jay Sae Jung Oh, a film using an experimental microscopic camera by Leviathan, and an incense-burning skull by Cody Hudson.

lunatik taktik extreme | minimal

o’hare terminal 5 murals | thirst

[ opening public reception ] friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p / exhibit hall | chicago cultural center | 78 east washington | 4th floor

[ exhibitors lists ]
Aaron Ferber, IDEO
Adrianne Hawthorne
Alan Snider, VSA Partners
Alberto Velez, HOLLY HUNT
Alex Fuller
Alex Gilbert
Alex Solis, Threadless
Alexa Vicious, Plural
Alisa Wolfson, Leo Burnett
Alli Nash, Wink Design Atelier
Andrew Fenchel, LAMPO
Andy Gray, VSA Partners
Ania Jaworska
Baozhen Li, Thirst
Bart Crosby, Crosby Associates
Ben Deter, Faust
Ben Stagl, ChiLab
Beth Weaver
Bo Rodda, ChiLab
Bob Faust, Faust
Bob Zeni
Bradon Webb, Leviathan
Brandon Hill
Brandt Brinkerhoff, BB-KK
Brandy Olsen, Leviathan
Brenda Bergen, Wink Design Atelier
Brendan Shanley
Brett Schnacky, Mode Project
Brian Hieggelke, Newcity
Brian Watterson, Studio Blue
Brooks Ruyle, Mode Project
Bruce Tharp, Materious
Bryce Wilner
Bud Rodecker, Thirst
Cameron Brand, Thirst
Casey Lurie
Casey Martin, Leo Burnett
Chad Hutson, Leviathan
Chad Kouri
Charles Adler, Kickstarter
Cheryl Towler Weese, Studio Blue
Chris Beers, Leviathan
Chris Roeleveld
Chrissi Cowhey, Studio Blue
Christopher Gentner, Gentner Design
Chrystine Doerr, VSA Partners
Claire Williams-Martinez, Studio Blue
Claudia Alberts, VSA Partners
Claudine Litman, VSA Partners
Cody Hudson, Struggle Inc.
Colin Carter, Mode Project
Colin Hall, VSA Partners
Colleen Tracey, Firebelly
Corey Roach, VSA Partners
Craig Zacok, Leviathan
Craighton Berman
Cristina Anichi, VSA Partners
Curt Schreiber, VSA Partners
Cyril Marsollier, Club Club
Dan Forbes, Leo Burnett
Dan Knuckey, VSA Partners
Dan Kraemer, IA Collaborative
Dan Marsden, JNL Design
Dana Arnett, VSA Partners
Darren McPherson, Firebelly
Dave Hanicak, VSA Partners
Dave Pabellon, Faust
Dave Reynolds, Wink Design Atelier
Dave Vondle, Central Standard Timing
David Berthy, IDEO
David Brodeur, Leviathan
David Williams, Morningstar
Dawn Hancock, Firebelly
Denny Liu, VSA Partners
Dustin Yerks, VSA Partners
Eiji Jimbo, Thing Thing
Elaine Fong, IDEO
Eleanor Kung, Studio Blue
Emily Bentrup, VSA Partners
Erin Borreson, Legacy Frameworks
Felicia Ferrone, fferrone
Franchec Crespo
Frank Garguilo, Wink Design Atelier
Gene Bellini
Gina Rossi, VSA Partners
Gosia Sobus, Crosby Associates
Greg Calvert, Firebelly
Greg Samata, Samata
Helen Maria Nugent, Haelo Design
Hillary Geller, Studio Blue
Holly Hunt, HOLLY HUNT
Howard Willenzik, VSA Partners
Hwa-Ryong Kim, Newcity
Ian Koenig, VSA Partners
Isaac Tobin, University of Chicago Press
Ivan Brunetti
J. Brad Sturm, Studio Blue
Jackson Cavanaugh
Jake Nickell, Threadless
James Costello, Costello Communications
James Goggin, Practise
Jamie Koval, VSA Partners
Jarrod Ryhal, VSA Partners
Jarut Chanprapanont, TNOP DESIGN
Jason Gillette, ChiLab
Jason Jones, 50,000feet
Jason McKean, Leo Burnett
Jason Pickleman, JNL Design
Jason White, Leviathan
Jay Sae Jung Oh
Jeff Mumford, Crosby Associates
Jennifer Mahanay, Wright
Jeremiah Chiu, Plural
Jerry O’Leary, Central Standard Timing
Jessada Weesuwan, TNOP DESIGN
Jessi Adrignola, Samata
Jessica Charlesworth, Parsons & Charlesworth
Jill Shimabukuro, University of Chicago Press
Jilly Simons, Concrete
Jim Misner, 50,000feet
Jim Toth, VSA Partners
Jin Ko, IDEO
Joanna Vodopivec, Crosby Associates
Joe Van Wetering, Threadless
John Fisher, VSA Partners
John Massey
John Pobojewski, Thirst
Jon Krohn, Plural
Jonathan Nesci, HALE
Jonathan Sadler, Tenspeed Hero
Jonathan Turitz, VSA Partners
Josh Witherspoon, VSA Partners
Julie Driggs, VSA Partners
Kate Trogan, VSA Partners
Katherine Walker, BB-KK
Katrina Nelken, Leviathan
Kelly Bjork, VSA Partners
Kelly Dorsey, Leo Burnett
Ken Fox, 50,000feet
Kevin Primm, Leviathan
Kristen Cullen, Grillo Group
Kristofer Newgren, VSA Partners
Kuan Wen Chiu, ChiLab
Kuen Chang, IDEO
Kyle Fletcher
Kyle Hames, VSA Partners
Kyle Poff, Kyle Poff Design
Lauren Ayers, Tenspeed Hero
Lauren Boegen, Studio Blue
Lauren Gallagher
Lauren Nassef
Letherbee
Levi Borreson, Legacy Frameworks
Lim Heng Swee, Threadless
Luke Batten, Tenspeed Hero
Lyndon Valicenti
Magdalena Wistuba
Maggie Lewis, Studio Blue
Maria Grillo, Grillo Group
Martin Kastner, Crucial Detail
Mary Yang, Studio Blue
Mathew Dorfman
Matt Daly, Leviathan
Matt Ganser, VSA Partners
Matt Herlihy, VSA Partners
Matt Puhalla, MINIMAL
Matt Wizinsky, Studio Junglecat
Matthew Hieggelke, Newcity
Matthew Hoffman
Matthew Terdich, Morningstar
Max Davis, ChiLab
Maya Romanoff
Megan Deal, Studio Blue
Melanie Carson, Newcity
Melissa Keller, VSA Partners
Michael Freimuth, VSA Partners
Michael Savona
Mike Bingaman, Plural
Mike Coon, Leviathan
Mike LaHood, Leviathan
Mike McQuade
Mike Scussel, VSA Partners
Molly McGee, VSA Partners
Mosher, @MosherShow
Nadine Nakanshi, Sonnenzimmer
Nancy Flemm, pixies & porcupines
Nancy McCabe, Costello Communications
Natalia Kowaleczko, Leo Burnett
Nick Adam, Firebelly
Nick Butcher, Sonnenzimmer
Ohn Ho, Firebelly
Paul Higgins, Chicago Reader
Peter Cuba, VSA Partners
Rachel Broaddus, Leviathan
Rachel Mulder, Thing Thing
Regan Blough, Concrete
Renata Graw, Plural
Renee Benz, Morningstar
Rick Valicenti, Thirst
Robyn Paprocki, MCA Design Department
Romain Andre
Ron Berkheimer, VSA Partners
Ron Kirckpatrick, Haelo Design
Ron Kovach, DesignApplause
Ross Zietz, Threadless
Sam Silvio
Sandro, Sandro, Inc.
Sara Frisk, IDEO
Sarah Herda
Sarah Trent, VSA Partners
Scott Reinhard
Scott Thomas
Scott Wilson, MINIMAL
Shan James, Practise
Sharon Burdett, Strand Design
Silja Hillmann, Studio Blue
Simon Anton, Thing Thing
Stacey Donaldson, VSA Partners
Stefan Draht, Mode Project
Stefan Herman, VSA Partners
Stephan Draht, Mode Project
Stephanie Tharp, Materious
Stephen Farrell, Slip Studios
Steve Christopher, MINIMAL
Steve Ryan, VSA Partners
Steven Haulenbeek
Stratton Cherouny, VSA Partners
Sung Jang, Sung Jang Laboratory
Tanner Woodford, Morningstar
Ted Burdett, Strand Design
Thom Moran, Thing Thing
Thomas Leinberger
Thomas Wolfe, VSA Partners
Tim Alamillo
Tim Parsons, Parsons & Charlesworth
Tim Sepulveda, Leviathan
Timothy White, VSA Partners
Tnop Wangsillapakun, TNOP DESIGN
Todd Piper, VSA Partners
Tony Mingo, VSA Partners
Tony Riazzi, VSA Partners
Tracy West, 50,000feet
Tricia Chamberlain, Leo Burnett
Tuan Pham, Studio Blue
Tyler Deal, Idiot Pull
Valarie D’Antonio, VSA Partners
Wallo Villacorta, Club Club
Wesley Webb, Wink Design Atelier
Whitney Waters, Crosby Associates
Will Miller, Firebelly
Willie Diaz, VSA Partners
Wiriya Mana-anantakul, TNOP DESIGN,
Zoë Ryan, The Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibition resources made possible by > Smithfield Properties, Best Imaging
Additional resources provided by > Casati Gallery, Cenveo, Classic Color, FLOR, Graphic Arts Studio, Holly Hunt, Lamin-8, Leo Burnett, Maya Romanoff, Morningstar, TenFab Design, Wright
Opening Reception refreshments provided by > Goose Island Beer Company, SkinnyPop

[ opening public reception ] friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p
[ general information ] dates > 31 may – 02 nov 2014 / venue > exhibit hall | chicago cultural center | 78 east washington | 4th floor
[ chgo dsgn happenings ]

dieter rams. 10 design principles.

Nov 5, 2009

good design is as little design as possible

Dieter Rams (born May 20, 1932 in Wiesbaden) is a German industrial designer closely associated with the consumer products company Braun and the Functionalist school of industrial design.

In 1993 I asked Dieter to speak to the Architecture & Design Society at the Art Institute of Chicago. The society recently had a name change: “design” had been added. We joked ( ahem ) at the time that the real estate economy was so bad that the Architecture Society needed new members. We needed a credible and passionate design icon to speak to this group. Dieter became the first designer to speak under the society’s new name.

What I remember that night and again recently while watching the Objectified movie was Dieter’s 10 design principles. Honestly, I can’t tell you for sure that these are the same principles. Hoping Dieter will set the story straight.

I think I like the earlier stuff better. Maybe it was the materials or maybe it was so different than the pack at the time. The first Braun product I remember making a design connect to me was an electric razor. Much of Dieter’s work has long seemed more connected to brutalism than minimalism. Let’s say beautifully, brutally, minimal.

* Good design is innovative
* Good design makes a product useful
* Good design is aesthetic
* Good design helps us to understand a product
* Good design is unobtrusive
* Good design is honest
* Good design is durable
* Good design is consequent to the last detail
* Good design is concerned with the environment
* Good design is as little design as possible