Soulellis Studio

I was very sad to learn today that Guilluame Jullian de la Fuente passed away recently. Jullian and his wife Ann Pendleton-Jullian were a tremendous influence on me in school — mentors, in fact. I have so many important memories of this man — designing the house for Carl Sagan, traveling through Spain and France, eating great meals — but what stands out most clearly for me is his generosity, his passion, his vision, his boundless spirit. He taught me how to see. I was fortunate to have known him when I did.


Jullian on the left, next to LeCorbusier, with the Hospital of Venice project on the wall behind them, 1965 (a few months before LeCorbusier's death).

We re-launched Polshek Partnership yesterday — a new front door that sits on top of an existing, unchanged site. The homepage is now a simple portfolio of current work — beautiful images that were previously buried deep within the site. Inside, we added a new brand identity banner at the top of every existing page. Eventually, the site needs a total overhaul, but for now this band-aid approach elevates the initial impression of the brand and enhances access to a gorgeous portfolio of work.

Exciting. We've been waiting to talk about this one for awhile — NewTalk.


NewTalk is the brainchild of best-selling author, lawyer and thinker Philip K. Howard. It's about new kinds of conversations — starting with a single provocative question, each online discussion brings together 6 to 8 experts and unfolds over 2 to 3 days, blog-style. The talks are moderated, the public may comment, and the brilliant results are archived.

Soulellis Studio played a large part in NewTalk from day one. We helped Philip with the initial concept and naming, designed the brand and website, and engineered the entire web experience, with Krate. The whole thing is powered by MoveableType.

The first conversation — "How can we restore Americans' sense of optimism?" — begins tomorrow (June 11). On June 17, an extra-special guest-star participates in our official launch, with "Is it possible to fix government?" Tune in.

1. Soulellis Studio on Facebook.

2. On designrelated.com
3. "Soulellis" on Skype.

The first official conversation on NewTalk is happening right now (ending Thursday), featuring NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, City of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Former US Senator Bill Bradley, and others. I'm on the edge of my seat!