Hasta La Ideas

For the first video in our Lincoln Hello Again series, we traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to visit one of the most forward-thinking watchmakers on the planet. In the digital age, when the smartphone has become the…

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BAM’s Harvey Theater now has a shiny new neighbor. Founded in 1977 by Richard Yelle and Joe Upham, the New York Experimental Glass Workshop—the country’s first open-access glass studio—has bounced around from its original Great Jones Street location in Manhattan to several other…

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An exclusive look at the site’s new Los Angeles shop

Eight years after Angie Myung and Ted Vadakan of Poketo moved from San Francisco to LA, they’ve fulfilled their dream to open a store for their successful business. Located in the downtown Arts District, the newly opened 4,000-square-foot boutique stocks exclusive in-store-only goods in addition to Poketo’s usual range of stationery, home and design items, accessories and clothing. The space also houses its new headquarters as well as a gallery. Currently in a soft launch, the shop will celebrate its official inauguration on 19 July.

Rather than bring someone to help them with the interior design, Vadakan took on the task himself. He decided upon light-colored plywood as the theme, which was used in the display tables and walls. Customized individual braided rope lights created from red cloth hang from the ceiling, bringing a dash of color into the scheme.

When drawing up the design plans, the couple wanted the store to be constantly changing, in part because Myung and Vadakan plan to hold workshops with visiting artists and exhibits for the public beginning in August in the same space as the boutique. To that end, the furniture was conceived to be easily transportable. Tables either have hidden casters at the bottom of them or—because they’re mounted on sawhorses—can be simply picked up and moved. No walls divide the space between the art area and shop; instead, the flow from one to the next is purposely organic.

The result is a shop that’s minimalistic, modern and clean, with a touch of whimsy. Big windows lining the front, which they stripped of the dark tint that had been applied to them by the former space’s owner, allow lots of light to flood in, bringing warmth into what could otherwise seem visually cold because of its cavernous size. “It’s the actual realization of what you see online, on the website,” Myung says.

Items exclusive to the brick-and-mortar store that can’t be found on Poketo‘s website include cookbooks and design books (with an emphasis on those that have a strong link to LA), personal care and children’s items, some clothing pieces, plus local accessories designers. Customers will also be able to find rare products from Poketo’s archives, most of which are in limited quantity.

Poketo

820 E. 3rd St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

James Victore’s week of brain exercises feeds meaningful thinking

In sports they tell you that to become a better player, you have to practice against people more talented than you—demolishing your opponent each time will never lead to increased skills. This advice holds true in the creative realm as well, and one of the great graphic designers of our time, James Victore, is inviting a handful of budding designers to come play with him. Never one for convention, Victore began hosting a week-long workshop in his Williamsburg studio last October as a way of challenging up-and-comers to see design through his eyes while giving them a “set of wings” so they can continue to grow.

Victore calls the immersive experience “The Dinner Series“, partly because each day ends by sharing a chef-prepared meal with a special guest like Stefan Sagmeister, Gary Hustwit or Martin Glaser, and partly because Victore and his small team will stuff you full of valuable design fodder. Curious about the intimate training session, we recently spent a day observing—and learning from—Victore, who graciously allowed us into his studio on the fourth day for a hands-on review.

Over a healthy breakfast Victore and his group of five discussed the previous day’s events, which included lunch in Manhattan with Esquire’s design director David Curcurito and dinner with illustrator Jessica Hische. Victore doesn’t hold back on introductions, and in addition to the dinner guests, throughout the week the group also received surprise visits from pioneering designer Josh Davis and the duo behind the industrious start-up Grady’s Cold Brew. Victore surrounds the group with people who will enlighten, adding to the series’ seemingly twofold programming: discussion and application.

His provocative style extends from his own work to how he encourages others. Although a professor for many years at NYC’s School of Visual Arts, Victore doesn’t claim to take an academic approach. “All I know how to do is spur thinking on,” he says. “I don’t teach design because I don’t know how to.” Referring to his role as a content generator over a graphic designer, Victore focuses more on the statement made than the aesthetics behind it. The exercises he challenges the group with revolve around this ideology, each tasking them to expand their thinking. “We want to stretch your brain and hope it doesn’t return to its original shape,” he explains.

For example, after a sage talk from Victore’s sole graphic design assistant Chris Thompson—who advises participants to not “rush to a solution”, and to play around with the idea like in improv acting because “if you’re not moved by your work no one else is going to be”—Victore asked the group to tell a story in three pictures. This is what he calls “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”, an assignment that draws from filmmaking, where the same story is told in different ways by mixing it up and making the audience see something new.

One of the clear advantages of learning in Victore’s studio is his ability to be spontaneous. Before the students could finish their “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” projects he remembered Saul Steinberg’s “Country Noises”, a set of visual representations he made for The New Yorker in 1979. In minutes Victore has found the archive and passed around photocopies for everyone to consider. At another point in the afternoon he put on a Jack White song that exemplifies “barbed” writing—a Robert Frost term Victore stands by—later he pulls down a book by revered poster artist Henryk Tomaszewski to demonstrate a point. He pulls you into his world while encouraging you to be yourself.

Some people will take $6,000—the cost of attending the week-long salon—and go on a holiday to forget about client work, deadlines and demanding bosses. A handful of young designers have instead opted for learning from Victore, and they all tell us it is worth every penny. “He creates an atmosphere that is true,” explains one student, adding, “it’s coming through his heart”.

The next Dinner Series takes place 16-20 July 2012, and there are still open seats. Those with more limited time can also sign up to attend “Take This Job Love It“, a one-day event held in NYC this September that will focus on bucking the status quo, a favorite pastime for the rebellious designer. Information on these events and more can be found at the James Victore website, where you can also pick up a copy of his book “Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss”.

See more images from The Dinner Series in the slideshow below.