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[ March 22, 1999 ]
Had things gone according to plan, Allen Hori would have followed in
his parents footsteps and pursued a career in medicine or science -
graphic design was certainly never part of the equation.
However, as a pre-med student attending the University of
Hawaii, Hori took an Art 101 course to fulfill university
requirements, and medicine eventually became history. "The beautiful approaches that artists take to express their thoughts and ideas blew me away," he recalls. "The translation from head to hand to image was a process that was much more creative than any kind of research I was involved in at the time. It didn't take long for me to switch to design." Needless to say, Allen's parents were less than thrilled with his decision. Laughs Hori, "They thought I'd wind up starving on the streets somewhere. To this day, they still don't have a real good grasp of what I do, but they respect the fact that I am able to support myself and that I'm satisfied with the work that I do." The Hawaii-born Hori has fashioned quite a successful career for himself, receiving numerous awards in photography, film and design. In 1990, he received a Fulbright Grant for Study Abroad to the Netherlands, followed by a two-year stay as the senior designer for noted studio Hardwerken in Rotterdam. He returned to the States in 1993 and accepted a position as art director with Atlantic Records. In addition to being exhibited and published in design publications and books in America, the Netherlands, London and Japan, he was also named as one of ID Magazine's "1995 Top 40 Influential Designers." Together with partner Richard Bates, Allen is currently principal at Bates Hori, New York - a design studio "dedicated to the poetics of design and the resiliency of the intellect." In addition to designing the latest edition of The Alternative Pick, current projects include art direction and design for Seventh Avenue fashion houses, packaging and advertising for music, cosmetics, new media and software companies, and the design and implementation of corporate identities and housestyles for several aggressive design and management studios. In other words, Allen's parents no longer have to worry.
I wanted this edition to be light and airy in color and atmosphere, as well as mysterious and poetic in theme and packaging. The idea of using the word "ether" as a title theme begins this transition, and allows linking the infinity symbol to the fact that this is the 8th edition of the book. What were you trying to accomplish with your design of the new Alternative Pick? I wanted this edition to be light and airy in color and atmosphere, as well as mysterious and poetic in theme and packaging. The idea of using the word "ether" as a title theme begins this transition, and allows linking the infinity symbol to the fact that this is the 8th edition of the book. Where do you turn to for inspiration? An immediate source is nature, as corny as that sounds. I'm fascinated by its patterns and how things grow in very systematic ways, whether it's crystals or seashells or even waves. I try to reflect the rhythm in nature in any kind of design approach, keeping things natural and fluid. When something needs to be systematic, I try and find the beauty in that system. I also find that the depiction of nature's strength and beauty connects to a wide audience because it's something most of us have experienced. We've all seen a beautiful sky or ocean and that forms the beginning of a common language. I think images have the power of metaphor that surpasses anything language-based. Images, by virtue of being undefined through language, have more possibilities because whoever looks at them, interprets or "reads" them in different ways. What are your thoughts on computer-based design as opposed to the organic approach? The computer has made a real bend in the development of graphic design, but sometimes I'm not sure if it's a good bend or a bad one. I think decisions are arrived at too quickly nowadays. You put someone in front of a computer, they bang something out in a couple of seconds, print it, and think they're finished because it's printed. Although I do use the computer and would be lost without it, I prefer a much more organic approach. I don't really consider myself part of that whole speed-factor thing. So you're not embracing all this new technology with open arms. Not with open arms, maybe with a hesitant hand or something like that. Do you have a set goal for the future? If I were successful in what I wanted to achieve, then I wouldn't have to do this anymore. (Laughs) . Graphic design is something that I love doing, but it's still a job. There are other things I would rather be doing. Such as? I'd like to be out in the country somewhere with a house full of cats and a yard full of dogs. (Laughs) . I would also like to do more book and more content-based projects. Hopefully my involvement with the new The Alternative Pick book is the first step in that direction.
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