Flash! The Symbolism of the Thunderbolt

There’s a moment, in a storm, when all the chaos is suddenly illuminated, everything is clarified—a sudden insight. This idea, the symbol of the thunderbolt, is a persistent and migratory archetype. And perhaps it’s derived from the actual character of the flow of...

The Cult of Wabi Sabi

Exploring the *Experientiality of Sensation in the Aesthetics of Age, Utility and Beauty The image above, the entry to the Fukuju Sake Brewery in Kobé, Japan, was taken during a GIRVIN project mission. It’s a mix of fire-seared timber, rough-chiseled granite and...

The Script of Odysseus

Design strategies, temporal tactics in typography and the palæographic narrative The calligraphy above is a rendering of ODYSSEUS [ΔΟ-ΥΣ-ΕΥ-Σ] I crafted in the ancient Greek boustrophedon style [as the ox plows] starting right to left, then left to right, the back...

Volatility and Brand Alchemy

Everything changes; everything is on fire. Nothing is the same as it was; everything is the same as it shall be. In the mist of experience, it’s all changing—still, standards flow, and patterning emerges. While everything is in flux, everything goes as it has from the...