the politics of good typography

Yesterday, in his NY Times blog, Steven Heller asked a bunch of graphic design types (Michael Bierut, Debbie Millman, Ellen Lupton and the like) for their take on the use of Optima as the typeface for John McCain's campaign.

"The thicks and thins... might be said to correspond with the reputation of bipartisanship that Mr. McCain has demonstrated in his senatorship." Michael Bierut

"Optima is one of the worst pre-computer typefaces ever designed. It was created to satisfy everybody's needs. A straightforward, no-nonsense, no-embellishment face, it comes in regular and bold but little character can be found in either weight. Optima is not inappropriate for use by Senator McCain."

You can read more of the conversation here.

For Heller's take on the Obama campaign's use of Gotham as its typeface, click here.

what makes design exciting?

It seems like I'm on a permanent quest to figure out what makes design... work. You know. When you look at something and you say to yourself "oh yeah." I've been wondering if, really, design is so different from other "arts" in this way. Like, say, the art of cooking. What makes a recipe work?

I read somewhere that ayurvedic theory believes the diet should encompass a balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent tastes. That's what makes it work. I've got those words on my bulletin board as a reminder. 

My challenge this week... to incorporate this concept into my design work.

colour me jacaranda

Too fun. Get your own colorstrology here.

today i'm loving...

No matter how much I love working out ideas on the computer, there is no doubt that pencil and paper is still the easiest way to capture ideas quickly. If I could get my hands on some of these terrific notepads, my sketching would be a little more organized!

Such a wide variety of grids... truly a graphic designer's dream come true!  You can find them here.

little miss chatelaine

Chatelaine is Canada's premier women's magazine. It's been around since 1928. As part of its 80th anniversary celebrations, the magazine has published an online cover gallery. Let's take a trip down graphic design memory lane, shall we?

It's 1933 and beautiful typography and illustration is the order of the day. And look! Apart from a small line on the very bottom of the page, the cover is clean. When's the last time you were able to pick up a women's magazine without seeing Nipples! and Orgasms! and Please your man!

It's 1942 and Canadian women are doing their part for the war effort. Chatelaine's moved to photographic covers now. That banner block seems to stop rather abruptly (couldn't they have stretched it across the page?), but at least we're still free of the screaming nipples.

Apparently 1955 was a big year for moving to the suburbs. Unfortunately, Chatelaine has succumbed to the screaming cover... coffee party... menace... or must? What strikes me most about this cover (apart from that awful green) is how old the adults look compared to adults of today. I mean, they look like grandparents!

It's the swinging sixties and little miss Chatelaine loves a monochromatic colour scheme. And check out the kicky banner now running up the side of the page. How liberated! I think the cover typography works great on this cover... it fits nicely in the space between her headscarf and the banner, the weight is heavy enough to be readable but light enough to let the photography shine.

I guess in the 70s we were focused on peace and love and harmony and getting in touch with our inner selves. But all the words! I think if I saw this on a store shelf I'd be all "holy, too much to read, too much work!" and pick up People instead.

You're getting two covers from the 80s because look! All the pretty primary colours! And Monika Schnarre, the Canadian super model of the world.

As we move into 2000, what strikes me the most are the similarities between this cover and the cover from 1933. Both have a strong focus on the female face. Both are relatively "clean" in appearance. Both feature a lot of one colour (1933: green, 2000: black). And the 2000 cover is remarkably free of screaming nipples. 

lookin' for a little inspiration?

I love to browse. In stores. At the buffet. Online. The internet, I swear, needs to be shut down between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Or else I'm never going to get any work done!

If you like to browse like me, and are looking for a little design inspiration, check out the AIGA design archives. I just discovered them myself this morning, and whoops! It's already 1 p.m. See? That darn internet!

a great tutorial

As someone who's just starting to get the hang of this graphic design gig, I'm terribly interested in the creative process. I know each of us has to figure out what works best, but there's no harm in learning from other successful designers.

Illustrator Frank Chimero has documented his creative process, outlining 16 steps. Click here to learn how he got from this... 

to this.

ain't that the truth

Just came across this excellent presentation on branding by Marty Neumeier.  Don't let the 162 slide count scare you... it's a quick read (and beautifully designed to boot).