About ISO50
| Posted by Scott | 09/11/07 |
Short Answer:
Name: Scott Hansen
Location: San Francisco
Occupation: Artist / Musician (Tycho)
ISO50: My design pseudonym
Current authors on the ISO50 Blog:
Scott Hansen (ISO50)
View all posts by Scott
Jakub Alexander – Music/Culture Contributor
Jakub is my friend and manager, he’s also the one who posts most of the music on the ISO50 blog. He lives in Brooklyn, runs a record label (Moodgadget), and DJs as Aarnio. He’s also a snappy dresser. View all posts by Jakub
Alex Cornell – Design Contributor
Alex is the sole ISO50 intern here in San Francisco. He’s also a masters student in design at the Academy of Art. He writes mostly about design and brings a student perspective to the blog with his process posts. View all posts by Alex
Sam Valenti IV – Music / Culture Contributor
Sam is the CEO and founder of Ghostly International Records, the label that I record for as Tycho. He also has impeccable style and taste. View all posts by Sam
Beamer Wilkins – Music/Culture Contributor
Beamer is a friend of mine and a recent Bay Area transplant via Austin. He runs a software development firm (TRNSFR), likes to build electronic music instruments, and has an Italo vinyl collection that would put yours to shame. View all posts by Beamer
Long Answer:
I am a San Francisco, California based musician (Tycho) and artist (ISO50). I created the ISO50 site originally to house my design work in a portfolio format but over the years it has grown to encompass a shop, clothing line, and blog. I have spent time as a freelance designer and worked for a few agencies, most notably, perhaps, Adobe. In the end I dropped my freelance practice and went solo to focus on my own design and music. This has given me the chance to delve into the style of design I truly enjoy creating and not be swayed by the various trends that seem to perennially filter the collective output of the design world. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the freelance design game, to the contrary, this is where I received my education, the trenches of client work definitely played a large part in shaping the way I think about design today. But it was all of the work I did for free, for friends or for my self, that I always felt was the truest expression of my design ideals. It was these works that provided the impetus for creating ISO50 in the first place, and eventually for analyzing the origins of the ideals that are the foundation of my own design style; and finally, discussing them on this site.
I created the blog portion of ISO50 so I’d have a chance to share my influences and the things that inspire me. Over the years I have collected a lot of amazing examples of design and I will be posting the choice specimens here with my commentary. I am no idealogue, and certainly not an intellectual when it comes to design. I hold no college degrees and have never studied design. I have, however, independently practiced graphic design for almost ten years and at this point I feel I have a good grasp of what types of design I enjoy and what styles inform my own work. Obviously I do a good deal of looking back when it comes to inspiration. I feel the design that blossomed from the Bauhaus movement and came of age in the 1960′s was the Zenith of an art form whose importance would fade away as Television, and later the Internet, took over the reigns of visual communication thus effectively transforming the medium.
Design, to me, is the search for efficiency. Efficiency in conveying a message, efficiency of form. In this way I see some of my own work falling into the category of design, while some of my other work falls under the umbrella of illustration. With the more illustrative pieces my primary goal is to create something beautiful or striking in a visceral sense. These goals remain intact when I create a purely design-driven piece, but there is the added goal of minimalism and efficiency which constrains the process and limits the content. It is these constraints that force us as designers to reveal the core of the idea we are trying to express and to seek the most direct route to it. In this way, all of the periphery and excess of illustration and fine art can be shed to expose the roots of visual communication and express them in a concise and instantly understandable form. When I see something that embodies these ideals it is always very moving, these are the things that drive me to create. So these are the sorts of things I will be posting here and whether it’s examples of graphic design or industrial design, I will try to describe what makes these things appealing to me.
I commend you if you’ve made it this far down the page without falling asleep … So with all that said, I would like to make clear that I don’t take myself or my work overly seriously. I approach design as a pastime, a hobby, something I look forward to as an enjoyable release and therefore not something to be over thought.
Your comments, questions, or criticisms are welcomed and appreciated.
To view my design work, please visit the ISO50 Portfolio.
A lot of the work you see here can also be purchased at The ISO50 Shop
My music can be found at tychomusic.com or you can listen to it while browsing the ISO50 Portfolio.
ISO50.com is graciously hosted by MediaTemple
ISO50.com runs on the WordPress platform.
Photo By Miguel Vega
583 Calculators
Brand Talk: J.Crew
Atari Computer Concepts
Mark Weaver Wildlife Series
NOFOMO Process Post
Porsche Posters
PX 70 Film
iPhone Fashion Shoot
Kisses+Minks
Backing It Up Pt.2
Neil Krug Pt.2
Tron Legacy Trailer 2
The Longest Exposure
Project Thirty-Three
Holga D
Teux Deux
Swiss Holiday House
Vintage Porsche Ads
ISO50 Playlist 9
Culture Fasting
Childhood Music Memories
The Jubulani Ball
Tycho Adult Swim Bumps
Dusty Brown Free EP
Japan Travel Update
Intelligence in Lifestyle
The House Among Trees
Tycho Album Progress
EXPO70 Ephemera
The Paris Review
Charles Bergquist
Youtube Kidnapping
Anton Stankowski
Monocle Illustrators
Vanilla Bicycles
ISO50 Lecture
Modern Analog Consoles
December 11th, 2007 at 11:09 am
[...] About Scott Hansen: He is a San Francisco, California based musician (Tycho) and artist (ISO50). He created the ISO50 site originally to house his design work in a portfolio format but over the years it has grown to encompass a shop, clothing line, and blog. He spent time as a freelance designer and worked for a few agencies, most notably, perhaps, Adobe. In the end he dropped his freelance practice and went solo to focus on his own design and music…Read more about Scott Hansen [...]
April 18th, 2008 at 8:49 am
[...] at The ISO50 Shop. Well designed, made with a tri-blend American Apparel crew, and the designer, Scott Hansen, is [...]
April 21st, 2008 at 6:05 am
[...] has an interesting about page written for ISO50. One of the best (and most informative) I’ve read actually. About [...]
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
[...] finding work at various companies, most notably, Adobe. Originally he created a blog, “ISO50,” in hopes to share his current work and portfolio. It has since grown to a shop, clothing [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 5:21 am
[...] work is from San Francisco design artist Scott Hansen. This follows upon the sold out Shepard Fairey “Change” Poster now fetching around $500 [...]
June 11th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
[...] I find myself gorging on design work by Scott Hansen of iso50 and listening to music from Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith (don’t worry, I’m [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
[...] out ISO50, the design home of San Francisco-based artist and musician Scott Hansen. Find some amazing design examples and inspiration from his blog, and be awed by his work. I love [...]
November 14th, 2008 at 10:48 am
[...] ISO50 [...]
November 11th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Hi,
I am a design student in the uk and have been reviewing this website i kind of stumbled across it randomly and i have to say its really good the asethics are brilliant and the work on it a well.
cheers
November 18th, 2009 at 10:11 am
[...] and a musician Scott Hansen from ISO50 will be in Toronto for a solo art show this [...]
November 27th, 2009 at 1:03 am
I love your vibe, brother!
December 4th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
[...] Scott Hansen at ISO50 has finally released the poster he’s been working on for the Barack Obama campaign. The print is gorgeous. [...]
December 5th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Scott, may I ask what you have studied??
December 5th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
I’m a really big fan of you Scott and I love everything you have done. I’m coming to see you in NYC on Dec. 13th (My birthday!) and I hope I get the honor of shaking your hand! Be easy!
December 8th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
This blog is my shepherd.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Wow, Tycho, you are a beautiful designer.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
This is my new favourite blog.
December 27th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
[...] ISO50 [...]
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 pm
I really appreciate what I read in your “long answer”. Your work speaks for its self. Kudos!!
January 28th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
[...] some reason. anyway, as a faithful reader of artist/musician/design wizard Scott Hansen’s (ISO50, Tycho) blog i am always pleased when he shares a little bit more of his impressive workspace and studio. [...]
January 31st, 2010 at 9:42 pm
hi scott hensen
Im a grahic design student and your work is an inspiration to me. For somone who didnt go to college for a degree, i must say you have done a amazing job!
February 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Just browsing through the portfolio is incredibly inspiring for a beginning designer. The sheer volume of work, the variety, signature style, and stunning visuals are just too much for words. Thank you for creating this site!
February 16th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
[...] Scott Hansen, an artist/musician from San Francisco runs ISO50. The site was originally created to showcase Hansen’s design work and later he introduced a blog. Scott says, “I created the blog portion of ISO50 so I’d have a chance to share my influences and the things that inspire me.” [...]
February 21st, 2010 at 7:20 pm
[...] in Watch Noticed this on Scott Hansen’s blog over at ISO50. Had heard Anderson was working on something new but never heard details. I am very [...]
February 24th, 2010 at 12:43 am
Did you receive our mail about vintage font family
Hi iso50,
It is little industrial, little vintage, little condensed, little bold.
Public Gothic is our new font family and beta release is free to use in all your designs, commercial or non commercial.
PB family members are PB Square, PB Vintage, PB Circular, PB Federal.
It’s compatible with any os system. (Mac T1, Win OTF)
http://www.a2591.com/2009/10/type-for-you.html
February 27th, 2010 at 4:42 am
[...] blog ISO50 asked 25 people in the creative industries to share their method of shaking off creative block [...]
April 12th, 2010 at 5:21 am
Hi Scott,
I recently heard some of your music, which I greatly enjoyed and thought deserved further investigation.
I was greatly surprised to find you were primarily a designer.
I love the nostalgic elements in both your designs and music.
The coherence of these elements create a well defined identity.
I hope you will excuse what is essentially hollow praise and I look forward to seeing what you produce in the future!
James J E Randall,
UK.
May 18th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
were you ever involved in any other musical projects in your youth? perhaps a teen pop sensation perchance?
it would make my minute
x<3x
May 18th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
hi,
i stumbled upon your site while looking up vintage ads. what a great place to explore. i was looking over your playlists and thought i would recommend a band for you to check out. the hiders. http://www.myspace.com/thehiders.
thanks for such a great blog. i will go back to poking around…
andrea
May 29th, 2010 at 6:36 am
Hey Scott,
I’ve been a fan for close to a year and a half now. Currently studying Industrial Design in Cape Town, South Africa and after each and every brief hand-out I’m on here first thing to soak in the inspiration. Your posts are impeccable and your aesthetic is mind blowing.
Thanks and keep it coming.
Dalli
June 18th, 2010 at 8:42 am
So I was doing a random search on photographer, “The Sartorialist”, aka Scott Shulman, and came across your blog’s post on another shooter, the late Julius Shulman.
You are prolific and amazing.
A
July 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
enjoyed your set at the stone, the addition of live drums and bass was a success. enjoyed the other sets as well.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Would LOVE if you uploaded your beautiful logos to Printedpiece.com! You have a talent my friend! Congrats!
August 30th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Hello
In today
August 31st, 2010 at 8:54 am
[...] design: ISO50 August 31, 2010 by katelincarter ISO50 from → web design ← website design: Design is History No comments yet [...]
September 1st, 2010 at 10:37 am
[...] contrast, I spent a bit of time last night and this morning looking at the awesome blog of Scott Hansen (or ISO50 as he is also known) – a California based artist, designer, musician, creative [...]
September 1st, 2010 at 10:38 am
[...] that a good blog is not. In contrast, I spent a bit of time last night and this morning looking at the awesome blog of Scott Hansen (or ISO50 as he is also known) – a California based artist, designer, musician, creative [...]