House Industries

Melanie and I had the privilege of attending a presentation by House Industries' Rich Roat lastnight. Rich was very down to earth and the presentation was wonderful, overviewing the origin of House Industries when it was just Rich and Andy Cruz to their recent collaborations with the great typographers such as Ed Benguiat, Alexander Girard, and most recently, Charles and Ray Eames.

I've adored House's creations for awhile now. I love the reference to old but relevant design and type. I was further pleased to find that they are interested in preserving the history of it too. They research and visit these great typographers and interview them so they can preserve their great legacy and interesting stories about the industry, some stretching back 60-70 years.

I appreciate that they begin their projects by hand and will bypass computer methods simply because "it looks better":

Truthfully, it is craft that is at the heart of everything we do. When a situation calls for an elaborately detailed painting or a quickly executed brush and ink illustration, that’s what we do. Sure, we could run a photo through a few computer filters or scan and auto-trace some found lettering, but it seems to us more direct and efficient to create artwork by traditional means. (House Aesthetic)

These guys are amazing, and it was inspiring to hear about their work. We also got a free Eames catalog. It's hard to believe that something this great started 17 years ago with just 2 guys and 1 apartment.