Dec 27, 2009

I decided to fly Virgin America on my trip to San Francisco from NY, and let me tell you about the experience… Despite being a start-up on the US airline market it seems that Virgin America has a different perspective on in-flight entertainment. As soon as we took off and the “do not use electronics” signs were off I was able to log on to the free WiFi internet service, sponsored by Virgin America and Google for a limited time, till January 15, 2010, ($15/flight after this promo). The service is provided by a company called GoGo, and to log on it asks you for your email address and off you go surfing. A quick internet speed-test reveals that the connection is only 200 kilobits down and 200 kilobits up, which isn’t that fast for nowadays web speeds, though it feels fast. Gmail, average browsing, even Youtube worked like a charm, except of course for Youtube HD. And in case if your laptop or any other electronic device runs out of juice, there’s power outlets below the seats, though only two per three seats. Overall I really loved being able to surf the web some 35,000 feet above ground. I think every airline, especially on international flights, should consider adding this nifty feature. If your work requires being online, this is a great productivity tool.

About This Presentation

Renowned graphic designer Michael Bierut claims that he’s not creative. Instead, he likens his job to that of a doctor who tends to patients – “the sicker, the better.” Digging into the 86 notebooks he’s kept over the course of his career, Bierut walks us through 5 projects – from original conception to final execution – extracting a handful of simple lessons (e.g. the problem contains the solution; don’t avoid the obvious) at the foundation of brilliant design solutions.

About Michael Bierut

Prior to joining Pentagram in 1990 as a partner in the firm’s New York office, Michael Bierut worked for ten years at Vignelli Associates, ultimately as vice president of graphic design. His clients at Pentagram have included The New York Times, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Harley-Davidson, The Minnesota Children’s Museum, The William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, Mohawk Paper Mills, the New York Jets, Princeton University, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Morgan Library and Museum.

He has won hundreds of design awards and his work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Montreal. His commentaries about graphic design in everyday life have been heard nationally on the Public Radio International program “Studio 360″ and his appearance in Helvetica: A Documentary Film is considered by many that movie’s funniest moment. Michael is a co-founder of the weblog DesignObserver.com, and his book 79 Short Essays on Design was published in 2007 by Princeton Architectural Press.

Links

www.pentagram.com
www.designobserver.com