This blog was guest written by crowd member Anne S. Katzeff

The Eames husband-and-wife team were two of the most important American designers of the 20th century. They made innovative contributions to furniture, architecture, and industrial design, as well as photographic arts and toys.

Playful, investigative, imaginative, and insightful, they left a legacy of inspiring design that crosses over into other disciplines, including graphic and web design.

This week, I introduced my Graphic Design 1 students to Charles and Ray Eames by watching their film, Powers of Ten. It was fun to revisit the Eames and pay tribute to them. When I was studying graphic design at Mass. College of Art, our publications design teacher showed us this film. For me, it was a memorable lesson on the concepts of macro and micro.

As designers, we explore the world through a variety of lenses, always searching for a unique way to present information. If we zoom out of a scene to encompass a wider perspective, that macro view may provide essential context for understanding the content. If we zoom into a scene to get deeper into the details, that micro view could offer new information previously not considered or known.

Each unique view can be used in an endless number of ways: graphic elements, grids and other organizational tools, image backgrounds, etc. If you are designing a sports catalog, try zooming into the texture of the basketball and see what interesting options develop. If you are designing an annual report, a macro view of the company’s headquarters might provide an insightful context for why the company is so committed to its resident community. Applying macro and micro concepts can enhance your design with patterns, structures, layers, and metaphors, thereby enlivening the page and deepening the understanding of the material.

Further Info:

http://www.eamesoffice.com/
http://designmuseum.org/design/charles-ray-eames
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/eames
http://www.eamesgallery.com/
http://www.hermanmiller.com/Designers/Eames
http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/design_icons_charles_and_ray_eames

Many thanks to Anne for sharing this article with us.