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Quote
of the Week:
All solitary dreamers know that they hear differently when they close their eyes.-Gaston Bachelard
Why typography matters online
This from the archives: a popular little link, short but sweet.
Today's tip: Typography does matter on the web. Really. A List Apart has a nice summary of why. One thing they mention that I've been telling people for about seven years: SHORT PARAGRAPHS GET READ. Oh, and don't capitalize whole words, much less sentences.
My favorite line from the 2001 article:
Cary Grant, that most stylish of British gentlemen, warned: "it takes five hundred small details to make one favorable impression."
This is a typographic truism (and really, a design truism) if I've ever heard one.Labels: typography, web design
posted at 10:06 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
2.15.2008
Like Jenny Holzer, only about Barack Obama
See what Barack has done for you lately.
Nice use of that old standby typeface, Helvetica (which seems to be seeing a resurgence thanks to the epynomous documentaty film and other, less savory efforts of mass-produced graphic design).
barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com via kotte.Labels: art, politics, typography
posted at 11:19 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
2.08.2008
Anyone ever seen a hand-held calculator that can measure in points and picas?
Yeah, I have Art Director's Toolkit on my Mac...who doesn't? But sometimes I just like calculating old-school-style. Anyone who has ever heard of such a beast, tell me.Labels: hardware, typography
posted at 4:34 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
2.06.2008
done, and done.
Here you go, mateys.
Via:
Be a Design Group
But now what I really want to know is:
[cat photo from dark_mephi. Used under a Creative Commons attribution non-commercial license.]Labels: design, humor, typography
posted at 12:12 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
1.08.2008
Xerox's new brand: something original, or just a copy?
The New York Times has a summary of today's most interesting branding news: Xerox has changed its look. Long gone are the days where Xerox called itself "The Document Company" (it ended that tagline in 2004); now it's young, plucky, chunky lowercase "xerox"! With a playful little 3-D red "x" ball next to it (to represent the connection of "customers, partners, industry and innovation", according to the article).
Xerox (or is it now "xerox"?) hopes to distance itself from its roots as a document duplication company, even though they still create hardware that is essentially document duplication (printers, imagers, hi-speed publishing devices, etc.) and focus more on this synergistic approach that the X-ball --oops, I mean "x-ball"-- embodies.
I will reserve judgement (mostly) for now, on the new look. An all lowercase name does have some benefits (more approachable, more casual), but it is somewhat of a trend, and don't know if xerox does itself any favors by moving with the pack. The 3-D x-ball is a little too internety, and reminds me of the AT&T death star ball that company just rolled out (designed, by the way, by the same company that just created the new xerox logo). Of course you can expect to see it animated online, and in commercials, too. Which is fine, up to a point. I worry that one can take logo animation too far, and overuse it to the point that it competes for attention when used in practice, taking away from the power of the other information and marketing elements that the brand image will share the stage with.
So what do you think? Is this a good idea for Xerox? Or just good money thrown after bad? And if that's the case, what should they have done instead?Labels: branding, design, typography
posted at 9:04 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
12.22.2007
The newspaper that time forgot
9News.com reported this week on a wonder of wonders: a newspaper that still sets type in hot lead. The Saguache Crescent, first published in 1882, is run on the same technology that your grandparents (or great-grandparents) would have encountered when entering any printing shop in the nation. The Crescent is one of only four newspapers in the nation that uses hot lead-set type. One of four. And the current publisher isn't training a replacement. So get your 19th-century typographic news fix while you can, because someday it won't be left to read.
Saguache is a must-see town for anyone interested in Colorado history. It's about halfway between Poncha Springs and Alamosa, so not exactly on the way to anything. But the next time you head down to the Great Sand Dunes, or to Durango, stop in and spend an hour or so walking around one of the state's historical agricultural centers.
links to the 9News story, a scan of the latest front page, and some info about Saguache from the Colorado State Historical Society.Labels: colorado, newspapers, typography
posted at 9:24 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
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