May 13, 2009
New Releases
Over the past couple days, the have been some major releases in the type industry.
Neutraface Slab
I’m greatly enjoying the trend of creating a serif and sans versions of typefaces. It has been one of the many reasons of why I love Scala so much. It will be interesting to see how this gorgeous face will be used. It is quite classy, elegant and charming, not to mention versatile. It seems to be a more industrial/geometric alternative to Archer while maintaining a wonderful individuality. It almost seems like a direct move to compete with Hoefler & Frere-Jones. The character of the typeface shifts quite a bit from the sans version of this font and can’t wait to see them paired next to each other.
Sentinel
A beautiful and very legible clarendon serif typeface that feels contemporary while classic at the same time.
March 13, 2009
Matthew Waldman of Nooka at swissmiss | creative mornings
This is a great presentation on understanding how to understand and present the values of a specific brand.
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March 11, 2009
Milton Glaser on using design to make ideas new | Video on TED.com
“I’ve never really understood the conflict between abstraction and naturalism. Since all painting are inherently abstract to begin with, there doesn’t seem to be an argument there”-Milton Glaser
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February 27, 2009
The Importance of Context
For a while now, I’ve been fascinated in how semantic value is born out of context and on how many levels this works. It builds on top of itself. Relativity is quite a beautiful thing. Corresponding points create a line. Corresponding lines obtain meaning according to the context of a culture. These glyphs are refined to be put next to the other to build a more complex message…and so on and so on…This can be transferred across to nearly every other aspect of the world, but it’s most interesting when using relationships for communication. This is part of why I love design. Not only does a letterform communicate literal content, but also carries with it a personality and tone. Which can again be changed in it’s context of other forms. When juxtaposed to an image, shape, color, et cetera…a message can be drastically changed, and vice versa. As Walter Benjamin states in A Short History of Photography,
“…must we not also count as illiterate the photographer who cannot read his own pictures? Will not the caption become the most important component of the shot?”
Thus, without context, an element has the greatest number of potential meanings. However, it is when these elements work together that the magic happens. As these elements are further woven, the message becomes more concrete and less subjective; allowing for clearer communication. The brain is a wonderful thing for allowing us to assemble these pieces.
While the abstract is absolutely wonderful and good in that it allows for meaning to be determine through being in the context of how it relates to the interpreter. It is placed in the context of all the experiences of that interpreter’s memory. For that reason, each interpreter can have a different meaning for that abstract element. This is probably why the minds of children are so beautiful. With a lack of as many experiences, there are lesser contexts to place things into. Therefore, the range of interpretations is far less narrow and they see things outside of the average adult’s scope.
However, we need these experiences and to understand the relationships in which we run into in our lives. We use it know where to walk, who to talk to and what to say. Even further, we use terms from previous contexts in order to translate into new contexts. You’re computer has a “desktop”, “folders” and “windows”. These terms were used to provide an understanding of how to use them elements.
The mind is a beautiful thing.
February 4, 2009
Christoph Niemann: I LEGO NY
Christoph Niemann is a brilliant illustrator. His work is always so clever that it often sparks jealousy among creatives alike. This work especially reminds me of the beauty of a child’s mind and the ability to see beyond the limits of wordly relationships. Play allows us to find new and multiple meaning in the abstract. Enjoy.
February 2, 2009
It was only a matter of time…
I don’t think anything has been discussed so much among so many venues of the design world. I remember back in October when I heard about the Pepsi re-branding in progress from the brilliant Maury Postal of Carrot Creative. I replied, hoping it was a joke. Obviously, now we all know that it was far from a joke. Personally, it’s grown on me slightly. It’s gone from the point of disgust and hatred to simply a near disinterest. However, it’s hard to find a design blog that hasn’t mentioned it. From the several posts on Armin Vit’s Brand New to even the Typophile Forums to the most recent episode of The Reflex Blue Show. It has even branched to outside the design community. It has become part of discussions with my family in which I don’t even bring it up. It has certainly become remarkable, but when just the word Pepsi become so iconic, at what level does the packaging weigh on the brand? I’d think that if Kleenex did a major re-branding, it probably wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms either. Does this make it the right move? Certainly, it produces a large amount of discussion about it. Therefore, at least it’s not boring, but does it make it a good thing?
