Germany

Ted Ed, How Hitler Rose To Power. An Animated Short.

The video below is a lesson in history and how fragile democracy can be. Alex Gendler and Anthony Hazard lesson were animated by Uncle Ginger for Ted ED, and as the video progresses creates some uncanny parallels to this election cycle in America. The video itself is wonderfully animated and illustrated. The look keeps the viewer engaged as the narrator explains how Hitler came to power in Germany, and the events following the end of the First World War that helped to propel his rise in power. It is a quick overview that manages to summarize the history into a quick and digestible lesson. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about the parallels to this year’s elections and the candidates running.

The Circular Calendar by Sören Lachnit.

Since it is a whopping 12 degrees outside, with a windchill of about zero I am longing for spring. Unfortunately it’s still more than two months away. That doesn’t mean that I can’t get ready for the Vernal Equinox with a little bit of well designed flair.

Designed by Sören Lachnit, this single sheet wall calendar calculates the number of hours of daylight at 50°, 40°, and 30° north of the equator. It marks the seasonal changes, and uses rings to mark weekdays, months, weeks, lunar and solar phases, and leaves room for jotting down notes, should you decide you want to write on this stunning visual piece.

The clean simple, minimalist design is printed on silk finish paper at 33.11 x 46.81 inches. It’s a great example of international design style, with clean typography and a two color layout. I like how it breaks from the design norm and engages the viewer with it’s circular form.

“Wall”

With yesterday marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I wanted to post images from illustrator Tom Clohosy Cole‘s book “WALL”. The illustrated book tells the story of a family torn apart when their father was stranded in the West following the division of the city in 1961.

The book is filled with gorgeous illustrations that help tell the tale of the family’s attempts to reach each other and reunite. The visuals add a beautiful human element to this complex political event that spanned decades.

Some Monday Magic. “The Grand”.

Glen Milner does some really nice short film work. The piece below was commissioned by Steinway & Sons to highlight and reveal the craft that goes into producing one of their pianos. Working with a small crew, Milner shooting with Camera Assistant Arne Zacher, the two created a wonderfully timed black and white short. The editing is tied tightly to the original composition by Elwin Hedrijanto and Dominic Ferris with cuts hitting on time to the music. In just two and a half minutes Milner shows the amount of skilled work and love that goes into producing a Steinway. The film highlights the Hamburg factory, the workers, the 1200 parts in each piano, and slowly builds through the performance by Hedrijanto and Ferris ending with the star of the show on stage.