Modern Men: Mad About Design.

Summer usually means a welcome break from (most) television, but a summer largely free of it has been cut happily short the past three years for me with Mad Men. After catching the entire first season a week or so before season 2 started, I've been hooked since, it joining a handful of shows I actually make an effort to keep up to date on. You've no doubt heard or read plenty on Matthew Weiner's near-obsessive measures to ensure accuracy in regards to the time period, and I can't really add anything more to that that hasn't already been said. It's unreal how authentic it feels, not just to me, someone who can only go by word of mouth or idealized movies or television from the time, but to people who actually remember these booming post-war times. If you haven't yet watched it, I really suggest you do, while keeping in mind that it's a slow-burn type of show; it may take a while, but you'll find yourself growing attached to these characters, despite (or actually, because of) their flaws.

Season 4 brings us right back into the thick of things, and it's been fascinating to watch the show progress through design history. Now a much more productive outfit, Sterling-Cooper is getting caught up in the wave of modernism that really sums up the decade of the great space race.

Freddy Rumsen had a welcome return in last week's "Christmas Comes But Once a Year" episode, bringing a gift account with him. Walking into Roger's office, Freddy makes a comment about "getting sucked into that thing" and motions to the painting above. It's not the only new-school item though; Roger's wife has redecorated, and turned his office into the clearest example yet of modern design in the show. Saarinen tables, airy, minimalist leather bench and little stools in place of the bigger, solid old wood furnishings from previous seasons, and an awesome Castiglioni Arco floor lamp (though doubtful an original, for obvious reasons). Sadly, modernization isn't all perfect; the walls hint at the future generation's horrors of cubicles. Later on, Roger gives us another example of why his office is a modern design lover's wet dream:

An Eames chaise! Plus we get to see the another corner of the office, occupied by more mirrored or white surfaces. A move away the intimidating darker palette of the old office, Roger's office is all about the open air feel the minimalist style provides. Sure, a lot of this stuff was around before the year portrayed in the show (we're on the verge of '65), but only by a few years. The Arco lamp was first introduced by the Castiglioni brothers in 1962; the Saarinen tables in 1956. A year after them, we saw another important introduction...

Every typography nerd's favourite icon/target, Helvetica, pops up in the office. This isn't the first time the famous Haas foundry font has made it's way into Mad Men, but the red poster above is more easily identifiable, and looks to be on a wall full of inspiration. Its inclusion is an interesting one; as the show has shown over the past three seasons, advertising used to be a lot more copy-based. Artists were needed, absolutely, but the copy was essential. As time progresses, the ad makers are using less words to sell their wares, focusing more on harnessing the power of emotions from the viewer, invoking a particular feeling from them and then selling them on not just the product in question, but the brand itself, and the lifestyle associated with it. Take a look through a typical magazine today and tell me, automobile ads excluded, how much reading you really have to do?

Also of interest design-wise is that minimalist wall clock, looking like something you could grab on a trip to MoMa. Or, hey, why not just build it yourself?

All in all, it's great to see one of my favourite shows back on the air, and progressing flawlessly through history. The show has weaved historic events into episodes (the 1960 election, JFK's assassination), highlights the myriad different social expectations of a different generation, and keeps a finger thoroughly on the design pulse of the times. All of this mixes well with a complimentary cast of believable characters and writing, encouraging you to keep watching, since it all gels together so well. Seriously, if you aren't watching it yet, go do it! Oh, and one more reason:

Hey, Red.