Image of the Day: Printers Row

Corkscrew and business card from the Printers Row area in Chicago.

Emilie de Griottes’ Pantone Tarts

Pointed out via a raven
“French food designer Emilie de Griottes for a special feature in french culinary magazine Fricote developed dessert tarts that recreate Pantone color swatches. Berries, carrots, lemon, candies, and other foods are arranged upon a tart base, whose bottom is iced in white and marked with the Pantone color represented…’
See more of her Pantone Tart creations here.

Image of the Day: Yale Lock

Bird by Will Ryman

via designboom
From now until March 24th, the 515 W 27th Street space in NYC boasts Will Ryman’s monumental sculpture ‘Bird,’ inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's poem, ‘The Raven.’
See more images of it here.

Are Sea Monkeys Vegan?

Scan from the Hanna-Barbera comic book “The Hair Bear Bunch” No. 3 August 1972, published by Gold Key  

In case you missed it, read the “Wonder if it’s Vegan?” post at the Bacon is Not an Herb blog here. I ever so vaguely recall that my older brother had Sea Monkeys for a while in the mid-1960s. I was probably under 5 years old at the time and only remember that I wasn’t allowed to touch the bowl.

Typo . . . or is it?

From the Bargain Sheet Personals Section

One of the perks of where I work is that on break I can read copies of one of the local free publications, The Ad Bargain. I particularly like scanning for typos that are not caught by any “Spell Check” function, and are obviously not proofread all that carefully for content. Other than adding the yellow highlight, the above example has not been manipulated in Photoshop.

White and Pink Pearls

I had an instructor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh that despised the use of Pink Pearl erasers. If he caught anyone using one in his class, he would snatch it off of their desk and throw it across the classroom. He was an evangelist of kneaded erasers, and hated the dreaded “pink streak” that Pink Pearls are notorious for leaving behind in their wake of pink crumbles. But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered that there are White Pearl erasers — no more pink streaks [I think]! I wonder if a former student of his invented this version . . .

It’s Groundhog Day!

via savage chickens

Image of the Day: Plankenhorn Stationers & Printers

Downtown Williamsport — I love the signage type treatment.

Glasses Case Project

Personalized glasses case

My previous black glasses case hinge broke, and my wife picked up a free case at Target, in red. Our one friend suggested personalizing with with a Sharpie®, and that gave me an idea. Drawing upon some letterboxing knowledge, I knew I could transfer laser prints with heat and with 100% acetone [nail polish remover] onto different materials. Since heat wasn’t an option, I was pretty sure the acetone method would work. I took a scan of a photo of me from August 1965 and converted it to pure black and white with a cutline filter. Because the acetone fumes are pretty nasty, I waited for a day that was decent outside. Yesterday was my day. I wrapped the laser print paper around the case, held it in place, then dipped Q-tips into the acetone. I applied a little pressure when rubbing the Q-tips on the back of the laser print, and was careful not to get any acetone on me. It worked perfectly, and the toner is not sticky at all. The only thing I would do different would be to not go back over an area that was previously rubbed — parts of the images got just a little smeary looking.

Ghost Signs: Coca-Cola and D. Bean

A few weeks ago, as we were traveling through Williamsport I thought I spotted a ghost sign. We were not able to stop at the time, but on a later date, made the time to explore the area.

Site of the demolition, which revealed the sign on the building to the far right.
Panorama shot by trueindigo.

Double ghost signs — top and bottom

Above the Coca-Cola sign

Coca-Cola

Click on the image to enlarge, and see the painted inscription
roughly in the center of the tarred area:
D BEAN
APR. 30  23

PSDSGNR Listserv Gathering

The first gathering of members of the PSDSGNR listserv met at Olde New York last evening. Twelve were able to make it to this informal way of putting faces to names, network, and talk about what we do outside of our work at Penn State. Lots a good ideas were shared, and plans are in the works for the next gathering.

Everyone got to choose from a selection from the
printers set of temporary tattoos from Tattly.

Images of the Day: The Electric Horse

Patiently waiting . . . 

with a sense of humor in its eyes.

Wood Type of the Month: Grecian

Read this month’s wood-type column to find out about a wood-type that uses only straight lines as edges for the letters.

You know you’ve raised a Font Snob when...

Today is the 12th anniversary of the listserv I host for the professional design community at Penn State. Below is a screen capture of a recent post by one of the 101 current members:

When asked in a later post, “How did the grub stack up to more sophisticated menu-ed establishments?”

The reply was: “Well, I wouldn’t rate it a Frutiger. But it was definitely up there with American Typewriter. (They were selling themselves short with Comic Sans.)”

Strawberry Square Butterflies

Image of the Day: On a Winter Walk

Image of the Day: Mercury Space Capsule Playground Slide

Most likely manufactured by Mexico Forge in the late 1960s to early 1970s.
This one is located in a school playground in Bellefonte, PA.
I wonder if the children crawling and sliding on this even know what it represents?

Image of the Twilight: Crows Off to Roost

When I left work a few days ago, a steady river of crows flew overhead from the Penn State Aboretum / Toftrees wooded area toward main campus. The birds just kept coming, and I believe that there were hundreds if not close to one thousand crows on their way to roost. I pulled out my camera, and took a shot with an extended exposure. When I opened it up in Photoshop later in the evening, I was amazed to see how they looked like flying pieces of paper. With a few adjustments to color and contrast, the results are above.

Pico Iyer: The Joy of Quiet

I really enjoyed reading Pico Iyer's article, The Joy of Quiet, in the New York Times. Ways that I personally find quiet and clarity in my life are early morning solitary 4 mile runs several times a week, making the time to take a 15 minute brisk walk at mid-morning while at work, and very often at least one day of a weekend making a conscious effort to not check email, blogs, and my standard web sites. What are the ways that you find and capture the “Joy of Quiet”?

Twelve Days of Holiday Travel

On the first day of travel, my true love said to me,
We better fill the tank with gas now.

On the second day of travel, my true love said to me,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the third day of travel, my true love said to me,
Detour for construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.


On the fourth day of travel, my true love said to me,
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the fifth day of travel, my true love said to me,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the sixth day of travel, my true love said to me,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.


On the seventh day of travel, my true love said to me,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the eighth day of travel, my true love said to me,
NPR is fading,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the ninth day of travel, my true love said to me,
Wawa botched our order,
NPR is fading,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.


On the tenth day of travel, my true love said to me,
Let's stop for coffee,
Wawa botched our order,
NPR is fading,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the eleventh day of travel, my true love said to me,
Hang on there's a pothole,
Let's stop for coffee,
Wawa botched our order,
NPR is fading,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

On the twelfth day of travel, my true love said to me,
Wish we had a TomTom,
Hang on there's a pothole,
Let's stop for coffee,
Wawa botched our order,
NPR is fading,
Sure is dark in Winter,
Hey we missed our exit,
I have to pee!
Santa cut us off,
Construction,
Traffic is backed up,
And we better fill the tank with gas now.

(Are we there yet?)

The Wayward Wish

For as long as anyone could recall, the tradition of sending wishes aloft in luminaries always occurred at nightfall. Whether it was for something joyous, like celebrating a holiday or anniversary, or a more reflective time for healing the heart or body, this ritual was woven into the fabric of the land.

Artisans hand-crafted the hot air balloon-like luminarias so that they would remain floating long enough to travel to the Granters. Who the Granters were and where they lived were part of the charm and mystery tied into the community's folklore.

Whispered into the lantern before the paper fuel was lit, the wish was safe. As it rose into the darkness, town-folks would pause from their evening chores watching the lantern climb, becoming smaller and smaller until it seemed to blend with the stars themselves. Unseen, the flame would die out, the air inside the lantern cool, and the wish would slowly descend into the land of the Granters. Some mornings it would take them hours gathering the lanterns that had been sent to them, other times but a moment. Then their real work began, listening to the wish, carefully weighing its consequences, and deliberating the spiderweb of ramifications outward.

But what happens when a wish lands in your backyard? Does the responsibility of honoring the wish now become finder's? So began the next phase of the Wayward Wish; what happened next is another tale that is yet to be told...

A short piece of fiction inspired by finding what appeared to be a deflated snowman in our yard one evening.

Devorah Sperber: American Gothic Thread Works

via designboom
“Sperber’s upside-down spool sculptures made up of 4,392 spools of colored thread create a visual experience directly connected to the method in which one's brain must piece together sensory data in a clear, physical representation. The flow of information from the eyes to the brain is known as 'top-down processing'. With each spool of thread being a dot of color, equivalent to that of a 'pixel', the human eye is able to recognize the larger visual pattern once witnessed through a clear convex surface…”

See more of her works here. Earlier versions of American Gothic were only made of 500 spools of thread. Amazing what only a limited number of spools can do. 

Gwyneth Leech’s Hypergraphia: The Cup Drawings

My wife, daughter-in-law, and I recently discovered Gwyneth Leech’s Hypergraphia: The Cup Drawings at the Flatiron Building in NYC. We had a great time looking at the multitude of colorful patterns showcased there. Her exhibition runs through February 2012.

You can learn more about The Cup Drawings on her blog here, and about Gwyneth Leech’s other works here.

 

“If you give up, it’s all over.”

via brain pickings
A piece of existential poetry for today and relates to Japan’s most beloved flower — the cherry blossom — that began blooming a month after the devastating tsunami. Lucy Walker captures the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi. There is no direct translation in English but it connotes a way of living that finds beauty in imperfection and accepts the natural cycle of growth and decay.

Watch the video here. Viewing images of the tsunami is very emotional, but if you can, please watch this until the end, it is worth it.

3³

Twenty-seven is a perfect cube, being 3³ = 3 × 3 × 3.  27 contain numbers 2 and 7 if you take line of numbers starting with 2 ending with 7 you will get 27 in result. (2+3+4+5+6+7=27). It is the atomic number of cobalt, as well as the number of species Captain Jean-Luc Picard has made contact with in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The ampersand is sometimes referred to as the 27th letter of the alphabet. But most importantly, it is the number of years that I have been with the love of my life. We have had our share of ups and downs, good and bad times, sun and storms, but I would not have traded them for anything. I love you Terri, and look forward to the coming years, adventures, and accomplishments through life together. Happy Anniversary.

E.A. Séguy’s Cicadas

via PrintCollecion
“The artist, designer and etymologist E.A. Séguy was very prolific in the early part of the last century in France. This is part of a larger set of about 14 groups of insects…”
Cicadas are some of the most fascinating insects to me. Listening to their song while lying in a hammock is just one of our annual summer rituals. Be sure to mouse-over the images by Séguy here and here to see detailed close-ups; you can also purchase museum-quality prints there as well.

The Thomas Beale Cipher

pointed out via a friend
“The Thomas Beale Cipher is the true story of an unsolved code, animated in a gorgeous blend of analaog textures and digtal techniques. The film itself contains 16 hidden messages — and no one has solved all 16 yet. In this interview, the director of the film, Andrew S. Allen, shares some of his thoughts on the creative development the film and strategies for filmmakers looking to build an audience online…”
Watch the short here, read the interview here.

Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue Test

via Pantone
Trivia: One in two hundred women suffer from some form of color vision deficiency, for men, it’s one in twelve. The Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue Test consists of four trays containing a total of 85 removable color reference caps (incremental hue variation) spanning the visible spectrum.
Learn more about it here; I think it would be interesting taking this test!

Games: Kern and Shape Type

via very short list
Here are super-simple, totally addictive design-minded web games called Kern Type and Shape Type. Shape Type shows you ten letters per game, and you adjust each one, trying to get the curves to match up as neatly as possible with the ones the original font-maker designed. It takes just a few seconds (a minute or two at most) to play each individual letter. But don’t be surprised if an hour goes by…
Play Shape Type here, Kern Type here. 

Michael Winslow’s “History of the Typewriter Recited”

via very short list
“Directed by Ignacio Uriarte, The History of the Typewriter Recited by Michael Winslow is a 21-minute performance that features Winslow’s audio impersonations of 32 typewriters. The film is as funny as we hoped it would be. But as you’ll see, it’s also an unexpectedly musical, and oddly moving, history lesson…”


 

A great tribute to old technology!

AIP and Henry Koerner

pointed out by a fellow AIP classmate
Henry Koerner used Pittsburgh as his inspiration, and he explains his ideas on art interpretation in this episode of Profiles in Excellence. Watching this video brings back memories of being in his class in the early 1980s. At 1:55 in the video, when I spotted the old AIP [Art Institute of Pittsburgh] logo on a portfolio I almost expected to see fellow classmates! Henry was eccentric and had a huge ego, but he challenged the way we approached figure drawing. I liked some aspects of his earlier work, especially color, but in general I wasn’t a fan of his later works’ juxtaposition of proportion and size.



More can be found here and from his obituary in the NYTimes here.

Knowledge is Power: How to Make Anything Signify Anything

Detail from a photograph of World War I cryptographers.
By facing either forward or sideways, the soldiers formed the coded phrase
“Knowledge is power” utilizing Francis Bacon’s biliteral cipher.

via The Cataloguer’s Desk and the Cabinet magazine
“The belief that Shakespeare did not write the works attributed to him originated in the mid 19th century, coinciding with an upsurge in his popularity and with the Victorian interest in puzzles and mysteries. Though more than 70 candidates have been proposed as the true author, for many years the most popular option was the natural philosopher and politician Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626). As a young man Bacon lived for several years in France, where he studied statecraft and learned about cryptography, a field in which that nation was leading the rest of Europe. He developed his own ‘bilateral’ cipher, which used the letters a and b to generate the entire alphabet…”
Read the rest here, and a fascinating piece in The Cabinet Magazine on ”How to Make Anything Signify Anything” here.  Though I am hardly any good at solving them, I find codes and cyphers fascinating. My wife creatively utilized many for clues to letterboxes we created.