Grant Lyons - October 2009
Grant Lyons ~ do good. do well.™
designer, budding publisher.
**co-founder of greenermags.
**founder firstride cars
**twitter /@greenermags
**grant@greenermags.com
==
1975
The dry pine needles only hurt your feet when you get older. They’re everywhere in the forest. We didn’t need shoes. We didn’t need an iPhone. There are days where I can’t ever imagine not having my phone and there are days like today when I remember what those days were like. It was all about family and friends and thinking about creating something out of nothing.
1979
I was nine the first time we went on an international family trip. My dad’s from Scotland and the family lived there before I was born. My brother was born in their house under the Fourth Bridge in Perthshire when my Dad was stationed their with the Royal Navy.
The bridge is featured in a great scene Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. We did everything from London to Scotland.
1973
Playing with lion cubs
Cape Town
2007
You’ll still find me walking through the streets anywhere in the world, but especially Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn with my disposable camera. The first time I walked through the Burg was in March 2007. I love magazines, but only subscribe to GOOD, Tokion and Communication Arts because of the paper. I do pop in to Spoonbill on Bedford from time-to-time for some zine eye-candy though.
I still have that Chloë Sevigny issue of Tokion. It’s a great magazine. I was actually reading an interesting post on MagCulture.com asking readers which magazines should be saved. I went through the comments and these titles were the most recommended – I love Lula - girl of my dreams.
A Magazine, Fantastic Man, 032c, Monocle and S Magazine. Pop, TANK, Wired, Intelligent Life, Wallpaper. The magazine is a beautiful object, something to be treasured and these publications confirm that. I would like to see Raygun (art directed by David Carson) return.
2004
Those first few years before the dotcom bubble burst were really fun. Nothing was impossible and everyone wanted to be a part of it. The restaurants were full and the cellars were emptying fast. $2,500 dollar bottles on the menu and people were ordering them, often. Then dotcom became a dirty word.
Suzi worked at Mackenzie Cutler right near the Flatiron. I learned a lot from her eight years there. Such a creative, hard working group of editors who always made me feel part of the family. Well, they were part of our family too.
2005
When we opened the design studio in Williamsburg, we didn’t know what to expect. We were moving out the studio in the City to go underground and get a pulse of what was really happening. We met and became friends with our neighbors - mag editors, indie publishers, musicians, restauranteurs, photographers and record collectors.
There was no better place than Brooklyn to help unleash some radical ideas and concepts. Many of them are still emerging ideas almost five years later.
FirstRide Cars was my first Green inspired idea. People could order pre-packaged, flat priced hybrid cars online. FirstRide was all about safer, cooler, greener cars and trying to bring dealers and customers together in a new way.
We finally packaging the idea up to present to the auto industry as a new program for the first time car buyer.
1998
Arnold Wechsler brought me to New York City. At one point, I know we were the best team in the world.
2006
There was a day when things started to come together in a very clear way. To build a widget to help design-centric people publish and share their layouts in a simple and beautiful way.
1996
Living in London working for Nicole Farhi at Nicole’s on New Bond Street was a blast. Friends would arrive and stay with us. We did nothing but party like there was no tomorrow. Sometimes we made a special trip to Shepherd’s Bush to visit the Castle Bar and rehash old stories from our fun days in the
Cape Town sun.
We were a great unit at Greencroft Gardens. We all became friends for life. Years later we still reflect on these golden moments. And still more to come...
2009
I do this because I love to. It’s never been about the fame or the money, it’s always been about the journey. The GreenerMags project is what we’re working hard on right now. Will and I have just been invited to be start up in residence at The Wonder Factory in Chelsea. We start on Monday.
It’s a great opportunity to be around like-minded creative people and build this exciting digital platform for layout and design.
Call me if you need anything related to design, sustainability and the Internet.
Grant Lyons
917-623-9226
grant@greenermags.com
Labels: Bio, Breenpoint Brooklyn, Click and Drag, Grant Lyons, greenermags, greenermags magazines FRMAG firstride, Horizontal Scrolling, Interactive Magazines, London, New York, Timeline
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