So I’ve been in Graz, Austria for the past few days getting ready for my ISO50 Springsessions talk today (which is in this amazing building btw) and the Tycho Springfestival set tonight. Although I’ve been very busy working on some finishing touches to the upcoming Tycho album, thanks to my recently-made-portable workstation, I was able to make it out for a couple hours to take some photos.
Most of these were taken on Annenstraße and Keplerstraße as I made my way to and from the Schloßerg, an incredible former medieval fortress perched atop a huge dolomite outcropping right in the center of the city. I took a lot of shots around there too but I’ll spare you the overtly touristic stuff and stick to the more design-y offerings.
I’m not sure how best to describe this city to someone who’s never been here. If I had to compare it to other great cities in Europe I would say it’s a nice mixture of the high points of Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Prague (although I guess that’s so broad it could be applied to a lot of places). While it has that “400-year-old-buildings” vibe of Amsterdam, it doesn’t feel anywhere near as commercialized or overrun by tourism. It’s so much warmer than I expected; I’ve got an entire bag full of jackets and scarves that I haven’t even opened. It’s downright muggy here. I checked the weather before I came out here but I guess this is what I get coming from San Francisco (where I was in full winter clothing the day before I left, this spring has been a joke) and not knowing how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit off the top of my head. The crazy part is that I was walking around the Schloßerg thinking to myself how I wish I’d brought shorts and then I see a postcard depicting the exact spot I’m standing in covered in snow. It looked even more beautiful in winter.
This city has so much visual beauty, I really wish I had the time to dig in further. Hopefully I can make it back someday soon.
Nice comments on my home country, Scott. Glad to see you here in Austria (I’m sad that I have no time to visit your show in Graz, but Upper Austria / Linz is also a nice place to stay). And very interesting shots you took; most of them are very common to myself but must look very special to you.
If you come back to Austria and want to get some nice tips where to go, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Or you could contact me in case you want to visit Vienna – if you haven’t yet 😉
Or you could contact me in case you want to visit Vienna – if you haven’t yet
isn’t the ORF logo by Neville Brody ?
hi scott,
thx for the great talk today – i really digged that kinda insight into your working process (i was the guy with the iso50 shirt).
i also love to see those images of my hometown which made me think alot about the fact that i never realised all those typo and picto details which surround me here. well i think i’m used to them since my childhood.
thanks for pointing those things to me and opening my eyes for them.
cheers
cobo
Nice, what about a trip to Germany?
It’s been great having you in Graz. Both your talk and set were things not to be missed in this year’s cluttered lineup. I really enjoyed our quick chat too.
Thanks!
Dear Scott, thank you for visiting Graz and including one of our pieces of work (Schauspielhaus Graz, Hamlet) into your presentation. 🙂
@ICHI.ONE The first ORF logo was done by Erich Sokol, an Austrian illustrator.
Cheers Philipp/EN GARDE
Very nice, I’m spending a few days in Gratz this summer and these photos have got me looking forward to it even more.
The pedestrian signal thing is manufactured by a Swedish company called Prisma Teknik. According to them the graphics symbolize that man is under god.
Here is a quote from their website: “Prisma Teknik are dependent on and grateful for all the good customers and suppliers we have. It is also thanks to the care from God that we have developed to be the successful company we are today. We want to have Jesus as a part in everything we do. Christian values and God’s guidance is the foundation of Prisma Teknik.” http://www.prismateknik.se/
always love to read post about your trip and able to live vicariously through your eyes/point of view. 🙂
I live in Canada, but some of my family still resides in and around Graz. Graz indeed is a beautiful city. The marriage between the old and the new architecture is especially stunning. You can read about it in this book which I strongly recommend: http://www.amazon.de/Architektur_Graz-Michael-Szyszkowitz/dp/3901174664 (an english version was available at the Kunsthaus). I sincerely hope not too many articles are written about this city because I would not want any more tourists going there!
Neville Brody’s work for ORF (and others) was the best of it’s kind at the time and influenced a generation of graphic designers. He was one of few who knew how to exploit Photoshop. An 80’s icon, as it were. Beautiful blog BTW.
fantastic blog!
cheers from graz
fantastic blog!
cheers from graz
This is just amazing. Love me some Pure and Simple Austrian design.