LOTW: suckerPUNCH

The link of the week this week is suckerPUNCH.  suckerPUNCH like most blogs relies heavily on their ability to publish sexy and provocative images. Unlike other blogs with similar content, the editors at suckerPUNCH do exactly that, they edit their content, and publish quality not quantity. I have been following this blog since its inception.  The site’s content features a diverse collection work from architects, artists, and designers from just about every field imaginable.  The featured projects and their creators are both inspiring and at the forefront of their respective professions.  The site’s message is clearly stated:

“when was the last time you got punched by design? we are inundated by images everyday which wear us down with their hopeless nostalgia repackaged as new.  weary of quirk and whimsy but still in need of a laugh and a stiff drink, we need to confront that which claims to be contemporary in an attempt to define the present.  there are no more kings.  we are looking to get knocked in the teeth a bit by the unexpected, the beautiful, and the present.”

Seriously, who doesn’t want to be punched in the face by design?  That would make a great bumper sticker or tattoo.  In the beginning it was easy to fall in love with suckerPUNCH for its simplicity in content and its beautiful design.  The content is displayed in a clean, minimal graphic format with large images.  Unfortunately the postings at suckerPUNCH are brief, and always leave you wanting more, but the advantage is that you can visit this blog and be introduced to a large number of innovative designers in a short amount of time.

It appears that the site is currently suffering from growing pains and has become more cluttered with advertisements, losing some of its charm.  The message is becoming muddled as well with the addition of five new sections:  ONtheRADAR, NEWSfromNOWHERE, NOTHINGeverHAPPENS, competitions and advertising.  I personally think that architectural blogs and competitions are going to be a new trend that you see, and why not?  Writers and editors of architectural blogs seem to be the people that are most in touch with what is going on in design.  Competitions hosted by architectural blogs will also provide more opportunity and freedoms for designers to develop creative solutions to problems that otherwise go unaddressed.  Advertising is of course a necessary evil, but the editors of suckerPUNCH have really whored their selves out, hopefully they scale the advertisements back, just a bit.  The other sections added: ONtheRADAR, NEWSfromNOWHERE and NOTHINGeverHAPPENS are absolutely useless.  I visit this site for one reason and one reason only, to be punched in the face by design.  Not to mention that the syntax with which the categories use, does not even make sense.  The logo suckerPUNCH is great, it’s simple and beautiful, but why apply this to everything? The only thing that is clear about the site’s recent update is a need for money, not that there is anything wrong with that, but it will be interesting to see how one of the architectural communities most exciting blogs develops and grows during the next year.

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