I saw method make metion to some typographers a long time ago on an earlier version of their site. Must have been like 4 years now. I can't find that mention any more.

Some of the guys are from MetaDesign SF and their desire to do large design programs reinforce that idea.

Method seems pretty modernist to me so I think that studying Swiss International design and also the work of Total Design would yeild some clues too. They have designed type themselves for CI.

Read all the pages at Method including the profiles in the leadership pages and other stuff for all the clues you can.

Jon

I don't get it. I didn't see anything unique about their "style." It just seems like the same old same old.

Am I wrong?

Eric,

It's not the uniqueness that attracted me, but more the signature style. I think Jon is right in that it has a Swiss International design style influence.

The thing I like about it is that it's simple, elegant (not over stated), and very functional (using clean and obvious grid patterns).

It's also a style that MetaDesign and perhaps a handful of other shops use (all in there own way).

As such, I find it less ubiquitous overall and therefore more refreshing when done right.

Besides, I've been a generalist for all of my career, so I'm ready to make a move into another direction. I think this could be a good way to explore design on a deeper level.

But Jon, I wasn't able to find any information on Total Design? What is that?

Sativo

Sativo, can I recommend a book: Fresh Styles for web designers (eye candy from the underground) by curt cloninger. Published by New Riders. Agree or disagree wih him but its an interesting point of view. Dan

Sativo, here's the link that I was thinking of for Total Design:
http://www.totaldesign.nl/

Thanks All.

Joseph,

I'm not so much looking for the minimalist site design -- I'm rather interested in the design solutions Method provides for their clients.

There are some good leads here.

Anyway else intrigued by this Swiss design style?

Sativo

Method was founded by some folks that left MetaDesign. That version of Method's site was launched in the Fall of 2001 (If my memory serves me). It was, at the time, on the forefront of that 'undesigned' style (it's lack of style has since become a style).

Meta kind of had an identity crisis (when everybody else was just having a regular crisis). I'm glad they seem to be back in the saddle. Their recent Adobe packaging and interface design is rock solid.

Here are some of what I'd call 'super-rational' sites. (Some call it 'default systems design' which might apply to some of these, but I don't like the ring of that label.)

http://www.metadesign.com/
Simple, but with some nice polish.

http://www.pentagram.com/
Can't decide if I love or hate this, but I can't deny how the browser becomes as important to the design as the white space.

http://www.typedifferent.com/
Büro Destruct's type collection.

http://www.testpilotcollective.com/
Once you get past the splash page the site has this undesigned quality.