Designer Mark Moskovitz got together with friend and fellow Cranbrook grad Tim Hossler and asked him 10 questions about design + life.

Tim Hossler is the former in-house art director for photographer Annie Leibovitz. During his tenure he helped Ms. Leibovitz create her most memorable images, books and exhibitions of the late 90’s through the early 2000’s. Tim holds a degree in Architecture from Kansas State University (1993) and a MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2005). He was the Director of Design at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) and is currently the Art Director of The Wolfsonian–Florida International University in Miami Beach. At The Wolfsonian he oversees the visual image of the museum and is instrumental in its yearly preparations for the Art Basel/Miami Beach art fair. He was the originator, coordinator and co-curator of Thoughts on Democracy, a Wolfsonian project that invited 60 contemporary artists and designers to reinterpret Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms posters. The exhibition was listed in the Miami Herald’s “Visual Arts Top Five of 2008” and is currently traveling internationally.

TEN QUESTIONS FOR DESIGNER TIM HOSSLER:

Mark Moskovitz: WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY (1 DESIGN, 1 NOT)?

Tim Hossler: I collect things and put them into some kind of order. That applies to design and everyday experiences.

MM: WHO’S YOUR DESIGN HERO? NON-DESIGN HERO?

TH: Ruth Ansel, the great art director of Harper’s Bazaar magazine during the 60’s and art director of The New York Times Magazine in the 70’s has been a great mentor and friend. My non-design hero would be Alan Lomax, the musicologist who collected regional music for the Library of Congress and the Archive of American Folk Song. Without him modern music would be completely different. I admire both for their ‘design’ ability and their life contributions.

MM: NAME THREE WORKS OF ART OR DESIGN IN ANY FORM THAT HAVE STAYED WITH YOU AND IMPACTED YOU THE MOST AND (BRIEFLY) WHY.

TH: Charles and Ray Eames’ film “Powers of Ten” amazed me the first time I saw it in high school, well before I knew who made it.The artist Ed Ruscha’s books have given me a justification for everything I believe about keeping design simple, focused and concept driven.
Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” was the soundtrack for my semester spent traveling around Europe in 1992.

MM: WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER? AS A PERSON?

TH: I browse too much. I’m good at blending into the background.

MM: WHAT ARE YOUR MOST AND LEAST JUSTIFIABLE FORMS OF PROCRASTINATION?
TH:
Most – Researching (or browsing)
Least – Watching sports on tv

MM: WHAT’S THE LAST NON-DESIGN RELATED BOOK YOU READ?

TH: “Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy”
or “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver

MM: DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

TH: Having my wife and daughter wake up happy. Making breakfast listening to NPR on the radio. Biking to/from the museum and feeling challenged by my work that day. Eating an amazing dinner prepared by my wife. Playing ‘Barbies’ with my daughter. And finally sitting down to watch a movie while eating popcorn.

MM: IF YOU WERE NOT IN THE ART OR DESIGN FIELD, WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

TH: I’ve always wanted to be an archaeologist or a high school track coach.

MM: WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

TH: Being married for 16 years. It seems to be one of the few things I’ve stuck with for a long period of time.

MM: IF YOU COULD DO SOMETHING OVER WHAT WOULD IT BE?

TH: I doubt I would leave New York City for graduate school.

MM: WHAT CHAIR DO YOU FIND MOST BEAUTIFUL?

TH: Thonet’s Model No. 14 (214).