Ted Carson on design

I subscribe to the TED talks podcast so I see quite a few of them when I am on the go. This was one that I watched today and apart from the fact that Ted Carson has a very easy and funny way of communicating. What I found most interesting in this talk was his impression of People magazines coverage of the 9/11 event and how on a double spread you would see an image of firemen carrying a body and on the other side a young kid modelling jeans, or a crying woman being comforted and on the facing page a full page coke advert with a logo along the lines "He knows how to give me goosebumps".
The thing about the ads he was talking about was that from a graphic design perspective the images really did fit, so I am sure that someone actually took the time to make sure that the correct distressing picture was placed next to each ad rather then the other way around. I know I am a cynic, but some of these pictures fit in too well with each other, and it really is a sad reflection, isn't it?



Ted Carson is better known for his boundary-breaking typography in the 1990s, in Ray Gun magazine and other pop-cult books, ushered in a new vision of type and page design — quite simply, breaking the traditional mold of type on a page and demanding fresh eyes from the reader.
He seems like he would be a great addition to a dinner party, and I would love to chat with the man.

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