The Space Is The Place Supplement is a 48-page booklet of writing that functions as the written addenda to to the exhibition Space Is The Place at Land Gallery in Portland, Oregon in October 2011.

My graphic design practice consists of three constituent parts: designing, teaching and
writing. The exhibition covers the graphic design work element, but the other two
elements are not really represented, hence the compilation of recent essays for assorted
books and magazines here. A handful are published here in English for the first time.

Included are essays on the late Japanese designer Kiyoshi Awazu, Japanese Modernism, architect Paolo Soleri and his Arcosanti project, designers Experimental Jetset, designer/artist Yuri Suzuki and the cultural imbalance of notions of authenticity and quality. Each essay is peppered with footnotes and personal asides.

Interspersed throughout in separate boxes are some of my favorite assignments from my syllabi at Temple University Japan where I teach graphic design and typography-related courses.

The booklet was printed in an edition of 1,000 using a split-fountain technique, creating gradated printing throughout. 500 were printed with fluorescent green cover stock and 500 with fluorescent yellow cover stock. The selection of colors used for printing were selected by Charles at Eberhardt Press in Portland. Chance processes have at times played a large part of my way of working, and by asking a seasoned printer to handle the split fountain with no expectations resulted in a surprising and polished result. The covers were printed using dual metallic Pantones and the interiors a blend of lemon yellow, hot pink, magenta, cyan, Rubine Red, violet, Rhodamine Red, and green. As the nature of split fountain printing causes a gradual shift in color blending, each booklet has a material quality which is unique.

The Space Is The Place Supplement is a 48-page booklet of writing that functions as the written addenda to to the exhibition Space Is The Place at Land Gallery in Portland, Oregon in October 2011.

My graphic design practice consists of three constituent parts: designing, teaching and writing. The exhibition covers the graphic design work element, but the other two
elements are not really represented, hence the compilation of recent essays for assorted books and magazines here. A handful are published here in English for the first time.

Included are essays on the late Japanese designer Kiyoshi Awazu, Japanese Modernism, architect Paolo Soleri and his Arcosanti project, designers Experimental Jetset, designer/artist Yuri Suzuki and the cultural imbalance of notions of authenticity and quality. Each essay is peppered with footnotes and personal asides.

Interspersed throughout in separate boxes are some of my favorite assignments from my syllabi at Temple University Japan where I teach graphic design and typography-related courses.

The booklet was printed in an edition of 1,000 using a split-fountain technique, creating gradated printing throughout. 500 were printed with fluorescent green cover stock and 500 with fluorescent yellow cover stock. The selection of colors used for printing were selected by Charles at Eberhardt Press in Portland. Chance processes have at times played a large part of my way of working, and by asking a seasoned printer to handle the split fountain with no expectations resulted in a surprising and polished result. The covers were printed using dual metallic Pantones and the interiors a blend of lemon yellow, hot pink, magenta, cyan, Rubine Red, violet, Rhodamine Red, and green. As the nature of split fountain printing causes a gradual shift in color blending, each booklet has a material quality which is unique.

I’ll be presenting at PechaKucha Night in Tokyo next week, in association with Tokyo Design Week and DesignTide. The usual gag of giving away a ton of free stuff to the audience will be recurring.

I have work in a mini-exhibition devoted to Arcosanti at Vacant in Harajuku presently, courtesy of Too Much Magazine.

The exhibition is centered around my feature article about Arcosanti and contains photos and images by myself and my father, Bill Lynam, as well as sculpture and additional elements by others.

I just returned to Tokyo from a really great whirlwind lecture tour accompanying my exhibition in Portland, Oregon.

Giant thanks to Jon Sueda and Megan Lynch and all the kind folks at CCA, Yasmin Gibson, Kali Nikitas, Davey Whitcraft, Lauren Mackler and Kate Findley, as well as their fine students at Otis, Michael Worthington, Jeff Keedy, Ed Fella, Thea Lorentzen Hack, Ben Woodlock and all of the amazing people at CalArts, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Corbin LaMont and Jason Sturgill and all of the rocking students at PSU. Whew- long list, but I’m indebted to all of these folks for bringing me over to the States and listening intently as I spoke.

Giant thanks to everyone who attended the opening of Space Is The Place in Portland, as well!

Space Is The Place is an exhibition in Portland, Oregon at Land Gallery. It is a curated selection of graphic design work from the past decade.

Featured are a series of new oversize metallic posters, assorted editorial designs, identity design, type designs, music packaging, assorted broadcast work and other projects.

A limited edition booklet printed in a series of 1,000 containing design-related writings is being given away for free to complement the exhibition.

A set of 4 custom buttons was produced for the event, as well. Assorted projects designed by the studio are available for sale at Land throughout the run of the show, as well.

Accompanyingthe exhibition was a West Coast lecture tour in which I waved my hands around and gave glib, incisive commentary on Japanese typography, recent projects, writing on graphic design, and the state of Design in Japan today.

The lectures:

• October 4, 5PM at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), Valencia, CA
  Room A100
• October 5, 5PM at Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA
  Ahmanson Building, 6th Floor
• October 6, 12PM at Portland State University, Portland, OR
  Show & Tell Lecture Series, PSU Art Annex – Room 160, 1990 SW 5th Ave, Rm. 160
• October 10, 7PM at California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
  Room GC-4, Graduate Building, SF Campus

I have a new essay on the work of Japanese editorial designer Yukimasa Matsuda in the new issue of Idea- #349.

Matsuda is one of my absolute favorite writers and designers and I’m really excited to have been able to contribute writing about his canon of work to the greater corpus of design writing.

I also edited essays about Shoji Ohtomo, Masaru Uchida and Joost Grootens for the new issue.

I have a new essay on the work of Japanese editorial designer Yukimasa Matsuda in the new issue of Idea- #349.

Matsuda is one of my absolute favorite writers and designers and I’m really excited to have been able to contribute writing about his canon of work to the greater corpus of design writing.

I also edited essays about Shoji Ohtomo, Masaru Uchida and Joost Grootens for the new issue.

Leaving in a few hours for the U.S. for an exhibition in Portland and lectures in Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Updated lectures dates, times and locations follow!

“Space Is The Place”
Graphic Design by Ian Lynam
Land Gallery, Portland, Oregon

Opens Friday, October 7, 2011 at 5pm

Runs through October 30, 2011

The show’s a selection of work from the past 12 years of graphic design, featuring a bevy of poster designs, music packaging, book design, broadcast design and animation and tons of odds and ends. 1,000 zine-style catalogs will be given away at the exhibition that features recent writing and some more fun/experimental assignments from the design classes I teach to balance out the design work.

Land Gallery, located in the historic Mississippi Neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, features new, original work from a fantastic stable of upcoming and established independent artists.

For any more information on Land or for preview images for this show, please contact: Pat Castaldo @ 503-477-5704 or gallery@landpdx.com

Land

3925 N Mississippi Ave

Portland, OR 97227 USA
Landpdx.com

LECTURES

A mini-barrage of lectures on Japanese typography, recent projects, writing on graphic design, and the state of Design in Japan today.

• October 4, 5PM at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), Valencia, CA Room A100
• October 5, 5PM at Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA Ahmanson Building, 6th Floor
• October 6, 12PM at Portland State University, Portland, OR Show & Tell Lecture Series, PSU Art Annex – Room 160, 1990 SW 5th Ave, Rm. 160
• October 10, 7PM at California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CARoom GC-4, Graduate Building, SF Campus

Facebook link for all events here.

Two new posters out in the Poster Initiative series: one solo and one with artist Bwana Spoons. Above: solo. Below: mit Bwana.