Playing around with a concept about designer-focused booze. Seems like there might be a market there.
(Source: haleyma, via typeorfuck)
Trade Gothic Next
Initially I was excited to see a new family of Trade Gothic, but after seeing this specimen I’m not so sure. Trade Gothic Next is a very attractive typeface, and I appreciate the addition of the Heavy weight. New kerning pais are nice. I don’t like what they’ve done with the Bold Condensed G, though—the vertical strokes of the original were what made the typeface. Trade Gothic Next doesn’t really have the same amount of character as the original. Still, I want to try it out.
Sasha Prood is a designer, illustrator, and artist that is in love with all things paper. She grew up in Philadelphia and is currently living in Brooklyn, New York. The typography and illustrations that she comes up with using either pencil, pen, or water color are simply breath-taking.
NASA's Two Logos: The Worm and the Meatball - NYTimes.com
Back in 1974, after the success of the Mercury and Apollo programs, but before the initiation of the Shuttle Program, NASA was convinced by the National Endowment for the Arts to participate in its “Federal Graphics Improvement Program,” and do what many companies these days do to revive their image: undergo a redesign.
AIGA | Reflections of a Design MFA Student
Well informed and thought out commentary on how younger designers can approach the art of design criticism.
It is easy to say that a critic is simply a person with an opinion and a medium with which to broadcast their judgment, but criticism is more than that. Good critics, valuable critics, critics who have something to say that is of significant interest, are far more than just people with egos and big mouths. A good critic has a depth of knowledge and an understanding of context that makes what they say not just a personal opinion, but more of a researched, scrutinized thesis about that which they critique.
As you have probably seen by now, the renowned MIT Media Lab has a new identity system designed by Richard The and E Roon Kang. The visual design in this project takes a back seat to the actual system created for it. Richard The explains:
The logo is based on a visual system, an algorithm that produces a unique logo for each person, for faculty, staff and students. Each person can claim and own an individual shape and can use it on their business card a personal website. The design encompasses all collateral, business cards, letterhead, website, animations, signage etc. A custom web interface was developed to allow each person at the Media Lab to choose and claim an own individual logo for his/her business card, as well as a custom animation software which allows to create custom animations for any video content the lab produces.
As soon as I saw this project, I was immediately reminded of the Visit Nordkyn design by Neue. I love the trend of designers creating systems which in turn create systems. From my perspective, the real beauty of the MIT identity is the underlying organization and mechanisms thought up to generate the final product.
via Co.Design
Darren Booth’s sparse, Ruscha-inspired cover design for actor Steve Martin’s recent novel An Object of Beauty. Darren describes his process, and the creative freedom he was given by Hachette Book Group’s creative director Anne Twomey, on his blog.
If you haven’t heard, today’s NY Times has an Op-Ed about Charlie Sheen and domestic violence written by yours truly. I’m loving the way the editors designed the text in the print edition around and within the graphic.
Designing Across Cultures, or The Super Duper Racist Book
I bought this book by Ronnie Lipton today for six dollars at Half Price Books. It’s…mmm, pretty racist. From the inside cover flap:
It takes a sensitive touch to design for ethnic groups. This book gives you the information you need to create designs that speak to African-Americans, Asian-Americans, U.S. Hispanics and more.
Designing Across Cultures is exactly the reference you need to grow your business and tap into the largest, fastest growing markets in the U.S! [sic]
It was published in 2002, if that means anything.
"To understand timeless design, consider its opposite: transitory design, in which the focus is on current trends and styles to appeal to a particular group or to exploit a prevailing mood. More often than not, its strength is also the cause for its ultimate failure. It naturally appeals to a fixed audience in a fixed time, excluding those who do not fit that particular historical and cultural context."
—The Principles of Great Graphic Design by Matt Ward + Alexander Charchar via The Smashing Book #2
