Three of my favourite things - type, antiques and coffee - down at the St. Lawrence Antique Market
Book review
Lettering & Type by Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals, 2009
Some inspiring highlights:
-words and letters are the engine of information exchange, the home for language and ideas
-typography = "mastering the art of arranging letters"
-with 2000 years of historical precedent, it takes desire & courage to tackle 26 of the world's most infamous and influential letters. The possibilities of representation have yet to be exhausted.
-on functionality: an 'A' that doesn't look like an 'A' ceases to exist
-systems make letters work; respect the system
-letters can never be neutral; neutrality itself conveys something more complex (ie. blandness, intellectuality, etc.) - always consider associations
-"lettering can convey layers of ideas that compel a reader to decode and interpret, and thus become more active in the viewing experience." -Nancy Harris Rouemy
-a typeface is a kit of parts that can be configured and reworked into countless forms on a moment's notice
-great typefaces apply a beautiful and powerful system to articulate a strong idea
-"A good typeface is well crafted and useful, and sets up into attractive looking words. It holds together as a complete system, where individual letters don't distract the reader. A good typeface doesn't make you wonder what you might do with it, or why it exists." -Christian Schwartz
-there are many different, legitimate ways to create good typefaces!
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books,
inspiration,
quotes,
reviews
Keep it simple
Lovingly called "Helvetica Brand" in our household... I can't get enough!
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awesomeness,
branding,
design,
Helvetica,
squares,
typography
Quote, unquote
"I feel even just in the music industry that there's very public misogynistic and homophobic behavior. When I hear one of the most famous rappers in the world say something homophobic on the radio, I want people to yell at him. I don't have to say who because they know who they are. It's not just hip-hop, it's everywhere. It's wrong. I'm not trying to create and generate more hatred in the world...I just want to generate awareness. It's always wrong to hate but it's never wrong to love."
-Lady Gaga interview with fuse.tv
Tags:
gaga,
inspiration,
LGBT,
music,
quotes
Letterpress magic!
I had the privilege of attending the snap and tumble Letterpress Workshop yesterday!
I got to learn all the basics about typesetting and movable type.
From admiring and choosing metal (or woodcut) letters (source):
To setting the letters in their form with wooden "furniture" and adjustable quoins:
To mixing and applying the ink:
To distributing the ink, and finally, pressing!
Here are some of the finished results:
Many thanks to Tanya for sharing offering this workshop and sharing her vast knowledge of the printing press!
Tags:
awesomeness,
courses,
letterpress,
projects,
toronto,
typography
Truth is sadder than fiction
There's this woman always on Yonge Street
She's probably in her 40s
She has brown hair
She's less than 5 feet tall
She has a plastic cup full of pens that she sells for 25 cents each
The other day I saw her - she always has this permanent, reluctant smile
and I said, "She probably puts on a brave face to keep from crying"
Today, I saw her walking up Yonge Street
Crying.
My heart sunk to my stomach
it was terrible
I can barely write about it
I didn't know what to do - I couldn't exactly approach her - it is Toronto, after all
it looked like she had lost everything
(she had her cup of pens, that was somehow reassuring)
It was like hopelessness, emptiness, with a little bit of fear, and the added intensity of not wanting it to show
as I passed her, I saw her take one of those deep, tearful inhales of the crisp Toronto air
like when you're crying and you can't get enough in your lungs
It was awful.
-
I don't normally like to get preachy or sentimental, but this sad moment stood out as a reality check moment.
Be thankful, everyday, for what you have. Because there's always someone who has it worse than you.
Have a great weekend.
CR
Gaga domination continues
Stills from Lady Gaga's new video "Bad Romance", directed by Francis Lawrence
(featuring wacky crowns from MVA's, a polar bear skin trained jacket, and new crazy armadillo shoes by Alexander McQueen)
Tags:
awesomeness,
fashion,
gaga,
music,
WTF
The Bard, rebranded
I was recently tasked with rebranding The Shakespeare Company in Calgary.
Original logo:
Some process work:
And, the 2 final variations of the new logo:
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