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Observatory

Comments (14) Posted 02.09.08 | PERMALINK | PRINT

Chika Azuma

Chika Azuma: Taking Things Seriously VII

I received a Grammy award, several years ago, for a CD package I had designed. Receiving a Grammy for a package design is like winning a Nobel Peace Prize for giving up a seat on the subway to an old person.

The ceremony for the lesser awards took place before the live television broadcast. As each winner was announced, we went up onstage, accepted a statuette, and then went backstage where we handed it over to be used for another winner. Some months later, I received one with my name engraved on it. I was particularly impressed with the laser-cut foam in which it had been packaged for mailing — a perfect negative image of the object it was supposed to protect. The foam demonstrates a lot of care and is done with beautiful simplicity. I like to call it the grammyfoam.

The grammyfoam is displayed proudly on a shelf. The award itself is in a box of odds and ends.

This short essay is excerpted from Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance, a book by Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes in which they and other writers discuss the importance of objects in their lives. This is the seventh essay in a series to appear on Design Observer.

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Comments (14) | JUMP TO MOST RECENT >>

The grammyfoam is displayed proudly on a shelf.

This is a book I'm definitely looking forward to read.

HyIl

Guillermo
02.09.08 at 07:25

My advice:

This is your chance to start a band, and promote yourself as "Grammy Award Winner."

williamP
02.10.08 at 02:20

Some might say the negative image of the Grammy perfectly represents what The Grammys” are all about. I would be one of them

Mr. One-Hundred
02.10.08 at 07:23

The award itself, as a sculpture (if you will): not so interesting. The precision-cut foam it comes packaged in: a beautiful (and symbolic) piece of packaging design. You're a true designer at heart and a poet to display the packaging!

John Merigliano
02.11.08 at 09:22

That's awesome.

Beerzie Boy
02.11.08 at 11:13

@williamP: I fully support this beyond awesome idea.
----
Best story in the series yet, too. I really liked this one a lot.

Rj
02.11.08 at 01:01

Here is a compilation of Grammy Award Winning cd package designs. It needs updating though.

Stone

Stone
02.11.08 at 01:02

Sorry, I botched the link :( Here it is Grammy Award winning cd package designs

Stone
02.11.08 at 01:06

Chika,

Hope no offense is taken to this link of work mentioned above. Was curious, as many other might be.

Good stuff!!!

VR/

Joe Moran
02.11.08 at 01:27

So true! The little details including packaging of your Grammy is wonderful - I didn't even know CD packaging is included as one of the awards.

adesignaffair
02.14.08 at 09:55

great post. i liked it... Like the Paranaque Scandal...

Paranaque Scandal
02.18.08 at 04:34

I would love to see your cd-package - or I did I miss something? It is probably at least as beautiful as the grammy foam;.)

Léonie.
paranoiaparadise

Léonie
02.20.08 at 04:50

When's the book '1 Object of Unexpected Significance' of the book 'Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance' coming out?

Derek
02.29.08 at 06:18

While I'd personally not agree on the Nobel analogy - I am most definitively agreeing on the foam being much nicer looking than the award itself.

I wonder .. it looks so soft and harmless. Perhaps making negatives of more harmful objects using this material would be an interesting contrast. World War II floating contact mines (the spiky ones) for instance. 1/1 size they are quite large and extremely heavy. The safe transportation of those must have been a real challenge . *ponders*

Give me a hoot if you decide to.

Also - If you want to design The Cheaters next cd cover, you're welcome to contact me

P.s.

Congratulations on your award (how ever long ago, I still feel obligated to nod smiling and shake hands).

snorre martinsen
03.06.08 at 10:12

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Chika Azuma: Taking Things Seriously VII

Comments (14) | JUMP TO MOST RECENT >>

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