10 Colors That Faded Away

Appealing to my fascination with color — this graphic is from Listomania: A World of Fascinating Facts in Graphic Detail .

Font Me Typography Mug

via the mehallo blog
I think my favorite part of this mug is the listing of terms for various point sizes, such as 3 pt Minkie, 5 pt. Pearl, and 6 pt. Nonpareil.
See three views of the mug here.

Mapersand!

My daughter-in-law knows my love of ampersands and sent me the link to this recently:
“From one design capital to another: This month the Amsterdam-based interior design magazine Eigen Huis & Interieur published a special ‘New York Design Guide’ issue that highlights landmarks of the New York City design scene. Pentagram’s Luke Hayman and his team recently redesigned EH&I and established the masthead’s ampersand as an icon of the brand. Each month a different designer is invited to interpret the ampersand for the opening of the ‘Interieur’ section, and for the New York issue, Hayman created an ampersand inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s classic 1972 map of the New York City subway system. In the new version, the lines of the ampersand playfully connect contemporary and historic New York designers, agencies and institutions, from Milton Glaser, George Lois, Ruth Ansel and the Museum of Modern Art to Karlssonwilker, Local Projects, Dror and Pentagram (of course).”
Learn more about it here, and download a PDF of the map here. Thanks, Amy!

Alison Bechdel’s Night Inking

via alison bechdel’s blog
Watch Alison Bechdel inking panels for her memoir, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama, that she’s been working on for the past five years.



The creative process is one of my areas of interest, and watching this intimate look behind the scenes is inspiring. I look forward to her book being published in Spring.

Image of the Day: Peaceful Rest

Located on West 74th Street near Columbus

One of the many highlights of visiting my daughter-in-law and son in NYC is spotting old architectural details. As we make our way to a thrift shop or restaurant on foot, I am often simply amazed at the diversity of artistry that went into making buildings individual and unique in sometimes subtle and even humorous manners. Time and the elements have taken their toll on many, but a few, like this one, continue on gracefully. 

A big thank you to trueindigo for snapping this image through a gate for me.

Dan Piraro, Creative Processes, and Constraints

Meeting Dan Piraro at MoCCA.

One of the many highlights during the two hour talk given by Dan Piraro at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) was his reflection and discussion on the creative process with Mort Gerberg. I found it affirming to the way I approach creating publications during my workday.

In Wired, I had recently come across an article about creative constraints and their role in the process. In my job, I define it as parameters, which usually are the deadline, the budget, the method of reproducing the publication, prior design branding, color, etc. These constraints,, though limiting in nature, allow for the best that I can give creatively and try to push to get the most out of what I have to work with. Sometimes, it takes just slogging through the design and knowing that the groove will [hopefully] come with going through the process of formatting the text, working with the images, etc.; other times it takes putting the entire project aside for a few hours, or even a day and let it percolate unconsciously in my mind before I begin working on it. No tried and true formula, but the process is one that works for me. It was good hearing the personal insights of Dan Piraro.

After the talk, he generously took time to chat a bit with members of the audience and sign copies of his most recent book, Bizarro Heros. An unexpected bonus was this ampersand (here).

So, even though it was a miserable cold rain-filled evening outside, his honesty, humor, and candor had us forget that for a couple of hours, and hopefully we were a welcome distraction for him as well.

Wood Type of the Month: Caslon

Read this month’s wood-type column to learn what typeface is used for “United States of America” on the fuselage of Air Force One.

A version of Caslon [Caslon 224] is used for the WordMark identifying the division of Penn State where I work. A quick search turned this bit of trivia up:


“Caslon 224 was designed by Ed Benguiat of ITC, and released in 1983. The result of his efforts is a highly readable typeface, featuring a large x-height, smooth weight transitions, and careful structuring of hairline strokes, offered in four weights (book, medium, bold, and black) each with a matching italic.
In lectures, Benguiat has frequently said he chose the number 224 because it was the address of the building where he did most of his work...”
More about Caslon can be found here.

Images of the Day: Slip & Shudder

I’ve seen this local sign’s message pop-up over the years, and finally took the time to snap a photo of it. What most likely started out as a problem getting the 8" plastic letters to stay in their narrow track, has been cleverly turned to their advertising advantage. A simple, low-tech, but effective medium to promote their business.

The other side of the sign driving out of town.

The Cryin’ Lion

Since the story about the Sandusky sex scandal broke last Friday, a lot of Penn State employees — myself included — have found it difficult to sleep at night, wondering what new headline will greet us in the morning with ramifications reverberating throughout the entire campus community. Happy Valley is teaming with rabid reporters waiting for the perfect sound bite as paparazzi snap yet another unflattering image. All that and more, while we try to focus on our jobs, daily tasks, and deadlines. I suppose the best we can do is Keep Calm and Carry On — routine can be a calming, grounding force. That, along with a good pair of earbuds to help keep out the gossip, rumors, and conjecture, is about the best one can do. It is hard to believe it is only Tuesday evening . . .

“May Mount Nittany ever rise above us as the Guardian before the gates of Old Penn State. May the strong maiden Princess Nit-A-Nee ever stand in our midst as breaker and shield against the destructive power of the winds of fate.”


The Cryin’ Lion images first was used here.

Today’s Fortune: 10/26

Funny how little things like fortunes, horoscopes, and other
ephemera can ring the truth that we need to take in.

Today’s fortune from Yogi Tea [Chai Black].

Image of the Day: Poison Ivy

Ghost Sign: Idwall Parry Printing

I wasn’t entirely sure of the name of the printer on this ghost sign, so I Googled “Idwall Parry + Scranton” and had it confirmed by this blog post by Frank H. Jump.

A couple of other images I captured can be found here and here. Frank H. Jump’s Fading Ad blog can be found here. More of his Scranton images here, and this interesting post on Scranton’s Capitol Pressing Plant.

Image of the Day: Paradise Wall

Sitting on a paper moon

via retronaut
More images here.  Listen to a recorded version of “It’s Only A Paper Moon” sung by Abbie Gardner and see more images here.

Photoseed.com

via art of the photogravure
“PhotoSeed is a labor of love by David Spencer, a passionate and leading collector of vintage fine-art photography. The site, comprised of his personal collection, was populated in his free time and includes his detailed backgrounds for many of the works. Defined by the depth of the collection and content, it’s a tool for new users and the curious, as well as scholarly researchers.”
Explore Photoseed here.

Music Typewriter

via Ministry of Type
“I’ve never seen one of these before, and I’ve never even heard of such a thing. A typewriter for music! I must admit it does seem like an obvious idea, but I’d had in mind the scene of a composer in some drafty garret, gripped by an urgent muse, scratching out notes on parchment with a tattered quill by feeble candlelight. Or is that just poets?…”
More on it here.

Image of the Day: Moss and Lichen

Best Flyer Ever

Wood Type of the Month: McCullagh

via International Printing Museum
“Read this month’s wood-type column here to learn how a wood-type column comes together and learn all about Gustav F. Schroeder’s McCullagh typeface...”

Image of the Day: Moss