September 12, 2008
Design for the Real World:
Water Bottle
Early humans hollowed out gourds to carry their water. Today we drink melted icebergs housed in crystal-studded bottles. Is this progress? Elizabeth Royte tracks the evolution of the water bottle. Produced by Catherine Epstein.
August 29, 2008
Design for the Real World:
Rock Band T-Shirt
Today rock band T-shirts are sold at major retailers, to kids who weren't alive when classic rock was born. But when music writer Johan Kugelberg was growing up in Sweden, wearing the Sex Pistols or Ramones on your chest was its own act of rebellion. Produced by Andrea Silenzi.
July 04, 2008
Design for the Real World: Government Model .45
Firearms expert Gary James explains why a pistol made a century ago is still being used by American forces and law enforcement. Produced by
Dennis Nishi.
(Originally aired: September 22, 2006)
- Comments [2]
May 30, 2008
Design for the Real World: Skateboard
Lately writer Philip Nobel has been obsessing over skateboards, specifically long boards: a sleek update to the wide "trick"-oriented boards popular in the 80s and 90s.
- Comments [4]
March 28, 2008
Design for the Real World: Baseball Glove
Bob Clevenhagen has been the head designer at Rawlings for more than thirty years -- and he's only the third person to hold that title in the company's 130-year history. We found Bob in his office at the Rawlings factory in Washington, Missouri. Produced by Benjamin Conniff.
January 18, 2008
Design for the Real World: KitchenAid mixer
Cookbook author Meredith Deeds gets passionate about the kitchen tool that revolutionized baking and became a status symbol in the process. Produced by Kim Gittleson and Jillian Goodman.
November 23, 2007
Design for the Real World:
Tea bag
Tea historian Jane Pettigrew explains why the world has never recovered from an American innovation. Produced by Deanna Kashani.
- Comments [4]
October 13, 2007
Design for the Real World: Sticky Fingers
Stefan Sagmeister is an award-winning graphic designer who grew up in Austria and has designed album covers for the Rolling Stones and Talking Heads. When we asked him about his favorite album cover of all time, Sagmeister picked a notorious design by Andy Warhol: The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers. Produced by Derek John.
September 21, 2007
Design for the Real World: Backpacks
The writer Akiko Busch explains how, over the years, kids’ school accessories have ascended into high style. Produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.
September 14, 2007
Design for the Real World: Interstate Signs
- Comments [1]
August 17, 2007
Bridges
- Comments [1]
August 17, 2007
WEB BONUS: Judith Dupre's favorite bridge
Judith Dupre talks about the innovative Penobscot Narrows Bridge in Maine.
Check out a 1940 newsreel documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge:
July 27, 2007
Design for the Real World: Parachute Drop
Graphic designer Steven Heller tells the story of a seaside landmark known as the "Eiffel Tower of Coney Island."
July 13, 2007
Design for the Real World: Swimming Pool
Jeff Wiltse, author of Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America, offers a brief history of taking the plunge. Produced by Hadara Graubart.
June 22, 2007
Design for the Real World: Typewriter
Darren Wershler-Henry, a professor of Communications, pays tribute to the whack of metal against paper, the smell of ink, and a technology we’ve almost forgotten. Produced by Zeke Turner.
June 08, 2007
Design for the Real World: Vespa
The Italian icon of mid-century transport is back in the States, zipping around in irresistible candy colors. Paola Antonelli, design curator at the Museum of Modern Art, has her own soft spot for the scooter. Produced by Angela Frucci.
May 25, 2007
Design for the Real World: Propeller
Jeremy Kinney of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum explains how the Wright brothers’ wooden propeller -– designed using the world’s first wind tunnel -- made the dream of defying gravity come true. Produced by Dennis Nishi.
May 04, 2007
Design for the Real World: Roomba
Robots taking over the world? Stealing all the jobs? Robotics engineer Daniel H. Wilson says we shouldn't fear the all-knowing floor-cleaning unit called Roomba. Produced by Caitlin Lindsey.
April 13, 2007
Design for the Real World: Big Boy
Cartoon characters have helped sell burgers and fries for years. But for graphic designer Steven Heller, there’s one icon that stands above the rest. He’s a pudgy little boy with a pompadour, checkered overalls and a Double-Decker burger in his hand.
February 23, 2007
Design for the Real World: Thinking Outside the Mouse
Along with a keyboard, the mouse is the main tool most people use to control their computers. But it’s not exactly subtle. Bill Verplank, one of the founding fathers of interaction design, tells us about the past and future of the mouse. Produced by Gideon D'Arcangelo
January 19, 2007
Small Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal has a new look – the paper recently shaved off a few inches of its width. In this week’s installment of Design for the Real World, we asked design guru Chee Pearlman to give us the skinny on the new format.
November 17, 2006
Design for the Real World: Leica Camera
Almost 100 years ago, the Leica camera changed the world of photography. It was the first practical 35mm camera, and it has inspired passion in those who shoot with it. In Design for the Real World, photojournalist Deborah Copaken Kogan - the author of Shutterbabe - explains what makes the Leica so special. Produced by Dennis Nishi
- Comments [1]
November 03, 2006
Design for the Real World: Election Signs
As we approach the first Tuesday in November, we're awash in red, white and blue bumper stickers, buttons, and lawn signs. Graphic designer Michael Bierut explains why so many of these campaign signs look the same, no matter what side of the fence they're planted on. Produced by Hillary Frank.
October 27, 2006
Fins for Karachi
Samina Quraeshi grew up in a prominent family in Pakistan in the 1960s. She remembers the exact moment she decided to become a designer: when she saw the tail fins on the American ambassador's car.
October 06, 2006
Design for the Real World: Baseball Cap
Lifelong baseball fan and graphic designer Steven Heller looks at the most American piece of headwear -- the baseball cap.
September 22, 2006
Design for the Real World: Government Model .45
Firearms expert Gary James explains why a pistol designed a century ago is still being issued to some forces in Iraq, and why it remains popular with law enforcement. Produced by Dennis Nishi
September 14, 2006
Design for the Real World: Sheetrock
Home renovation guru Duo Dickinson sings the praises of the invisible stuff that's all around us. Literally. Produced by Alexis Schoenberg.
April 14, 2006
Design for the Real World: Q-Tips
Paola Antonelli explains the origins of everybody's favorite ear cleaner.
March 24, 2006
Design for the Real World: Roomba
Buy any robots lately? Robotics engineer Daniel H. Wilson explains what's so special about a sentient little vacuum cleaner called the "Roomba." Produced by Caitlin Lindsey.
