5/13/08

for 601.SG1

Last post. 

Figured this site would be useful for those that made it through to the end. Their products really work, so make sure you buy the supporting bracelets

a trustworthy review can be found here, scroll down to #1.

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It was a perverse pleasure toiling away for 6 hours every Saturday with you guys. Hopefully, most of you will still have the will to live, and possibly continue the program. Maybe we'll cross paths again. Good luck!

Quark 8 is coming...



in August. Just thought I would let the 2 designers that still use it know it will soon be available. and apparently it will be like having InDesign CS3 without Photoshop or Illustrator and 3 years late. But hey, they try. Maybe this time Quark won't have to spend most of its time defending its plagiaristic logo practices.

I have Quark 7 at work, but I only use it for one project: an alumni magazine that hasn't been converted to InDesign. Maybe one day soon that will change.

blu -- muto wall animation

the time and effort to create this animation is unbelievable. check out the artist's website here.







5/8/08

Bloggy McBloggson

when i have a leisure moment i enjoy skimming blog sites for upcoming movies. lately, they are helpful in determining what movies i will see, because i don't as much time any more. i also like spoilers, even though they almost always ruin the movie for me. a few of the general sites are Aint It Cool News, The Movie Blog, and Rotten Tomatoes.

My favorite, however, is /Film. I check this site at least 3 times a day. The writing is always funny and enlightening about upcoming movies, hollywood insider scoops into how the movies get made, and reviews of some of the better movies out. a definite must read for popcorn movie buffs.

Collection part 2 :: Kirk Gibson baseball cards



My first collection as a child was Kirk Gibson baseball cards. I started casually buying packs of cards from a local card dealer when I was 7 or 8. He suggested I collect one individual player. I had no idea at the time who my favorite player should be, so he suggested Kirk Gibson, because we were both from Michigan. I followed Mr. Gibson's career through collecting his cards, I believe I have over 200. I even drew pictures and logos of the teams he played for (my first taste of graphic design.) I'm not sure where the collection is now, hopefully safe in my parent's attic. 

This video from youtube reminded me of my collection. Its a recounting of the 1988 world series, game 1 using only baseball cards as visuals to the commentary. the game is most remembered for the game winning home run blasted by Mr. Gibson in the bottom of the 9th, 2 out, 1 on—and Mr. Gibson that evening was sick with the flu, and had two bum knees and could barely walk.


Collection part 1 :: Wooden Books


I will probably bring these into share, as they are the least embarrassing of my collections. I haven't actually collected much of anything since high school. Guess time and money are no longer on my side. 

One thing I do collect is Wooden Books. These little tomes cover a wide variety of subjects, from math, science, art and astronomy. I particularly enjoy the geometry/pattern books. These are not rare by any means, but there are several to buy. I enjoy picking one up from amazon.com whenever I need something to get me over the $25 limit for super saver shipping. (books only cost $6-$8.)


Powell's Books


The other day a few co-workers and I went to the UMD Art School's used book sale. They had a few nice titles, but it reminded my of Powell's Books. They are the amazon.com of used books, you can find almost anything there. However, amazon.com does sell used books now too, so there might be some competition.

Masdar Initiative


a co-worker emailed this to me the other day: The Masdar Initiative. The initiative aims at creating a zero carbon city in the United Arab Emirates. This city boosts clean energy, sound infrastructure, and management of all resources to make the city fully sustainable. Check out the promotional video here

The video is pretty creepy if you think about the level of control the city planners need to create this oasis in the desert. But it will be interesting to see if they succeed. 

Inspiration :: Caroline


as cheesy as it sounds my daughter does inspire me. mostly she inspires me not to be a stay-at-home-spouse. i'm not sure how my wife does it :) i'll call this photo: the calm before the storm.

4/26/08

This takes me back...


Stumbled on this resource the other day: Color Chart for Crayola Crayons. Includes crayon names and color codes for 120 distinct hues. Very useful for design, or just curiosity. Check it out!

:: Unnecessary Process :: Hand Dryer



I see this image all the time. The first graphic may be semi-useful, if the person's finger wasn't chopped off, and if the hand was near the actual button. The other graphic shows what to do with the device, because if you didn't know what the device was you could look at the graphic and know red death rays will attack your dismembered hands.

I also found this diaper graphic online. Not sure if it real, but as a parent I can tell you you don't need instructions to know how to check a diaper...


4/16/08

New American Gothic


Saw this online today. Fits with this weeks reading...

4/14/08

:: Narrative :: Stacy's pita chips



I was surprised how long the search was to find a package with narrative. The best I could find was the story/history of Stacy's pita chip company:

"I've always had a passion for good food and healthy living, even back in the days of owning a sandwich cart in downtown Boston. Back then, my partner and I made all the natural pita roll-up sandwiches and, as an incentive for customers to wait in line, we baked pita bread into different flavored chips. The chips because remarkably popular and before we knew it, Stacy's Pita Chip Company was born...."

Most items I found in my search started out telling a story, but quickly changed after the first sentence into a product description.

4/13/08

New British Coins


Unveiled a few weeks ago, the new British Coins of the Pound Sterling present a cohesive design to the seven coins. The design ingeniously divides the British Royal Shield into six sections on the back of six coins, and uses the pound coin as a reference to the shield's entirety. Design details can be found at the Royal Mint.

Post-It Notes as Wall Art



Maria's mention of Post-It Notes as wall art reminded me of the above image. Students from UCSC obviously have way too much time on their hands. It is an awesome display of dedication, planning, and perseverance to construct a monumental tribute to a video game icon. More images and a time lapsed video can be found at this site

4/11/08

:: Narrative :: Information Graphics





As you can probably tell, I have a love of information graphics. My favorite piece from Edward Tufte's book Envisioning Information is a hospital receipt documenting the slow death of Mrs. K. First published in Harper's in 1984, this graphic tells the story of 26 days in the hospital for one patient, the procedures that she underwent, and the mounting cost to save her life. In the end Mrs. K died and the information presented tells a different story: the staggering cost of health care and the expense incurred when trying to live. (The prices depicted are from the 1980s, today's figures would be much, much higher.)

4/10/08

Octavo Digital Rare Books



Octavo Digital Rare Books scans historical texts and preserves them for future generations. Each book can be purchased and viewed on a hi-def DVD or browsed online. The topics range from Graphic Arts (Bodoni's Manuale Tipografico displayed above), to Mathematics, to Religion, and to Art.  

4/9/08

:: Narrative :: Robot Chicken




Stop motion animation--hands down, the hardest form of animation, but when done right it can be used to tell awesome stories. The key is to have original stories to tell. Robot Chicken on the Cartoon Network uses action figures and pop-culture references. Showcasing hilarious takes on popular films/television from the 1980s-1990s, Robot Chicken grafts original narratives to already popular lore. Recently, Robot Chicken ran an entire episode dedicated to Star Wars. Re-imagining and telling new stories in that universe inspired me when thinking about how to craft the narrative to my film. What if I took a popular story and retold it through a different, original angle?

4/2/08

Rob Sheridan, Photographer, Designer, Illustrator



Rob Sheridan is currently the art director for Nine Inch Nails. His work ranges from photography for album covers, and typography for posters, to design of everything. His illustrations can be found at sketchblog, and more photography at flickr

He also produces a blog at demonbaby.com

Images above are from flickr, depicting an old, worn tourist trap in Roswell, NM.

Kris Sowersby, typographer




Kris Sowersby is a typographer based in New Zealand. I stumbled across his Feijoa typeface in Nick Felton's 2007 annual report. KLIMis an independent type foundry run by Kris, in conjunction with a few other well known type designers. He has only released a select few typefaces for public purchase. National is another outstanding face (based on pre-akzidenz grotesks--precursors to Helvetica). National, Feijoa, and his other commercial typefaces can be purchased at village. (Feijoa does have some problems with its kerning pairs, in large display sizes some letter spacing appears generous.)


The images above are from Kris's sketchbook, published here

4/1/08

My most precious collection



Since I was 3 or 4, I have been collecting Precious Moments figurines. Each porcelain sculpture is exquisitely crafted to depict the timeless moments of life. Its hard to say which is my favorite, but perhaps the figurine dedicated to my one year anniversary. (Unfortunately, I can't find an image.)
Originally created by Sam Butcher in the 1970s, these figures live on today as a classic reminder of a simpler time. I can spend several hours in my precious moments room basking in the tranquil peace it provides. 

3/26/08

Nick Feltron, graphic designer



Nick Feltron is a graphic designer in NYC specializing in information graphics. I talked about one of his charts from the NY Times previously (I didn't know at the time he was the designer.) Nick also publishes annual reports documenting his life. He has three reports currently on his site--2005, 2006, 2007--each one using simple typography and images to visually tell the the story of Nick's year.  
You can also view Nick's work at Megaphone.

3/21/08

Baseline Magazine


Art directed by HDR and produced by Bradbourne Publishing in England, Baseline is a gorgeous typographic magazine. Back issues can be ordered through their website, or online at amazon.com. Issues are pretty expensive, but well worth it if you find one at Borders or Barnes and Nobel. Please check the links for more samples of this great publication. 

Kinematic typography

Kinematic typography is the art of animating text with sound. 

Examples are movie opening title sequences. Such as this classic by Saul Bass. Kyle Cooper is another practitioner of kinematic typography. A lead designer at Imaginary Forces, Kyle has designed the awesome opening movie titles for Seven,  Spider-Man, and the video game Metal Gear Solid 3.

*following contains salty language*



The above kinematic typography of a scene from Pulp Fiction was created by Jarratt Moody.





This example was created for a "Full Metal Jacket" commercial for American Movie Classics.

More examples can be found here.

3/19/08

Design is in the Details

From A List Apart:

CHOICES
There are many choices to be made when you’re designing—everything from type, to colors, to overall tone of the site. Sometimes, I like to throw a lot of things at a design to see what sticks, and sometimes I start minimally. Strive to make smart, simple choices. If there’s an easier way to design something, do it. The complicated choice will feel complicated to the client and intended audience unless you can make a complex interaction looks simple.

COMPLEXITY IN SIMPLICITY: LESS IS MORE
When we discuss “less is more”, we mean different things. For example, sometimes the design needs to scale back. It’s got too many elements. Or a design chokes itself with too many colors. When doing detail work, “less is more” is about leaving in only everything that is necessary and making it harmonious. Let the complexity be in the simplicity—a design is not useful when it’s perceived to be complex. A design should be useful, simple, and straightforward—let the complexity shine through via simplicity.



I read this article recently, and it corresponds well with our class critiques. I am guilty at times of not polishing my designs and then presenting it in class. However, I always know I can revise it. In the 'real' world the luxury of revisions are scarce. 

caution. non-design related post

Looks like the University of Michigan will continue to lose to Ohio State. Blah...

Today, Terrelle Pryor signed his letter of intent to play college football with Ohio State over Michigan. This year--his senior year--Terrelle lead his high school football and basketball teams to state titles in Pennsylvania. Doesn't look good for the Wolverines, who are very susceptible to athletic quarterbacks. 

3/16/08

Movie Trailers




The discussion in class about crafting a story with a timeline got me thinking about movie trailers. Movie trailers attempt to give the audience a brief glimpse (usually 1-3 minutes) of a two-hour movie, hoping to get attention and persuade people to go view. Some of the best trailers are better than the movies themselves because they condense the material down the essential story. One of the best sites to view trailers can be found at apple.com

However, the best movie trailers on the internet can be found at the trailer mash. Using footage from existing trailers (and augmenting it with other clips), adding a new soundtrack, and sometimes adding additional words, some very creative people re-imagine classic movies into something else. The above clip takes "The Ten Commandments" and reworks it into a high-school comedy. Another classic is "The Shining" turned into a romantic comedy.

3/14/08

Mac Premo




Mac Premo is a collagist, animator, director, illustrator, painter, carpenter, and stuff maker. Check out the video 'two parts' if you visit his site. (I can't link directly because his site is in Flash.)

The images are from a collage book experiment with artists from Belfast, N. Ireland. Each artist designed a spread and sent the book to the next artist. This created a dialogue through the mail using art. 

3/10/08

Ed Wargin, photographer

Ed Wargin©2008


Ed Wargin©2008


Ed Wargin ©2008

A Minnesotan native (who happily lives in Michigan), Ed Wargin captures the rugged beauty of Michigan. I had the opportunity to work on Voelker's Pond, a picture book about John Voelker (Robert Traver) the author of Anatomy of a Murder. Ed Wargin took images of Voelker's secluded cabin, deep within the Michigan wilderness and juxtaposed them with James McCullough's writings. 

Legends of Light, another book by Wargin, depicts the stunning majesty of Michigan's many lighthouses. 

images courtesy of Ed Wargin | www.edwargin.com

:: Words ::

a few of my favorite words:

kern
raster
ensconced
sinuous
ochre
chartreuse
pallid
tin
auger
colour
svelte
astute
smoosh
persimmon
codec
meiosis
flagrant
embiggen
chagrin
scapula
tibia
pensive
tween
Winnebago
perturb
meh
mercurial
incandescent
protonate
cytoplasm
ghoul
meme
balk
moofing
idiom
wry
flustration


3/7/08

:: Category :: What We Eat



From the current issue of Good magazine. Each page has a general category with a specific image in the background, statistics about the category are in the margins, along with a caption of the specific food.

3/6/08

HDR images




High Dynamic range images created by splicing three different digital image exposures together to produce one single, vividly detailed image. Effects are especially evident in night/dusk shots, and images used purely on computer screens. I have yet to try this technique (I was actually surprised at how long it has been around—1990s, but with the advance of personal, high-res cameras the technique can now be achieved by amateurs.) 
I am curious if it is a printable technique. But I may try it out on my next magazine project at work.
A flickr gallery of more HDR images.

New York Times infographics


By far, the New York Times produces some of the most useful information graphics online, or in print. This interactive graph demonstrates the ebb and flow of movie releases over the past few years. You instantly notice when movies peak, where the blockbusters fall in the year, and how long most movies stay in the multiplex. 

Another graph, shown above, charts the fall of a few civilizations and the causes that preceded their demise. An interesting correlation can be inferred with the US.

These graphs visualize how households spend their income. Accompanying graphs can be found here

Finally, there is this chart. It puts into perspective the riches men in US history, that all but 2 lived in the 1800s, and they are all white men.  

2/29/08

:: Call to Action :: Wear Bicycle Helmets




The importance of wearing bicycle helmets can not be stressed enough. Every year hundreds of children are injured in bike related accidents. As these posters indicate, there can be future consequences from head trauma sustained from a biking accident. 
These posters are selling a product, however, they are also creating awareness by using a sense of humor. Originally found at The Creative Blog. Check this site out, it has many other great examples of humorous/intriguing advertisements.

2/25/08

:: Call to Action :: Get Out the Vote 2008


'tis the season

November 4, 2008 is looming. AIGA is looking for graphic designers to create voting awareness posters. 50,000 posters were produced in 2004. This year appears to be a bigger draw with the prospect of electing a non-incumbent president since 1928. 
Check out the galleries for 2000 and 2004 while thinking about your submission for 2008. and go vote.

2/24/08

:: Call to Action :: American Mustache Institute



Since the 1970s, American men fear growing facial hair above their lip. Mustaches conjure images of The Village People, Harley aficionados, and porn stars. However, if facial hair is grown as a beard, or even a goatee, it is deemed acceptable by society. With my help, the American Mustache Institute will break the stigma of the mustache, allowing men to achieve free will over their appearance. In the coming weeks I will aim to educate people about the benefits of mustaches and how mustaches can improve society.

2/20/08

26 type critters




Jeremy Pettis' senior thesis project is a unique take on a classic problem: A-Z animal typography. Instead of following conventions of creating the type to look exactly like the animal, Jeremy captures each creature's essence in typographical form. You can view the complete portfolio at the above link. And an interview can be found here.

Anatomy of an Illusion

Stumbled across this site the other day. The text may be too academic for easy digestion, but I found the experiment/flash animation to be interesting.










Two circles are alternating pulsations inside larger circles. One larger circle is white and the other circle is black. The pulsating circles fade from white to black and appear to alternate within the larger circles. However, this is the illusion, by turning off the larger circles the viewer realizes that the pulsating isn't alternating, but rather synchronous. The visual system is designed to detect contrast and this animation fools the system. Its pretty clever. Hope you check it out. 

2/18/08

:: Call to Action :: Typophile


Typophile is a community forum for type enthusiasts and novice designers. There are plenty of topics covered ranging from general design to specific typeface selection. Many people on the site offer great advice for typography and layout questions. Currently typophile is attempting to raise money to support maintenance and upkeep of the site and maintain he high quality of the forums. If you would like to make a donation visit here.