Typeface is a movie about a museum and print shop in rural Wisconsin that has a rich history in wood type. As the number of craftsmen (and women) of this trade have rapidly declined over the years, this museum hope to preserve this history and hopefully inspire a new generation.
Having worked for some time in a print shop in my younger years, and quite literally around 2-color presses, I have a bit of a soft spot for stories like this one.
For more information on the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum visit their website.
But what’s with the inch mark in place of the apostrophe at the end. Shame!
This TED Talk is over two years old, yet still feels very relevant today. In just eighteen minutes Lawrence Lessig manages to masterfully crystallize the impact of the democratization of the tools of content creation and its distribution on the way we communicate. Or more specifically, how today’s “kids” are communicating. As the title of this video suggests, this presentation is about how copyright law lacks the common sense to allow the reuse and distribution of digital content for non-commercial use.
As presentations go, this one is just ... awesome. I love the fast pace of his slides and their simplicity. And his narrative just pulls you in.
It’s finally here. The ultimate device that we’ve all been waiting for, right?
The iPad is probably the most controversial and polarizing piece of consumer technology to date. Never has anything been hyped this much before its announcement - not the iPod, not even the iPhone. And with such a monumental build up, shattered expectations could only follow.
All this, and so few have even touched this thing.
I have to admit, when I saw Steve Jobs unveil the same over-sized iTouch that all the Photoshop retouchers had predicted with such a lack of imagination, I was disappointed. We expect more from Apple. I mean, don’t I already have the Internet in my had with my iTouch?
It all really clicked for me, however, when Steve played the promo video - seeing the device on the coffee table and on the couch, watching people having a shared experience. I really think Apple has reinvented the computing experience here. Surely they have on the UI, but much much more on the where and how we interact with the computer. Apple has un-glued us from our desks, un-cramped our hands from the laptop, and shown us how the computer can more seamlessly and naturally be integrated into our home.
And man are we pissed. Why do so many people want this thing to fail? We all look to Apple to innovate, and when they do we’re criticizing them for going too far (or not far enough if you ask others) - “it does too much”, “it doesn’t do enough”.
All of us who live in this (tech) world tend to forget that using a computer is not a pleasurable experience for the average person - Macs included. The iPad just might change that. Apple’s talent is in stripping away the features, not adding them. Do fewer things, but do them right. That was the magic of iPhone 1.0.
There’s a lot of debate over how the public will perceive needing a device like this. Many are calling it a luxury device. Need is a relative and ever-changing thing though. At what point did you realize you needed a smartphone, or a netbook, or a Kindle, or an mp3 player? I distinctly remember turning the corner on the Kindle - going from “that’s too expensive” to “that would make my life easier and more enjoyable”. Many said the Kindle would never succeed - it’s too expensive and it only does one thing. I was one of those people. Turns out we were wrong.
But rather than ramble on further ... My thoughts on all this are probably best summarized in a response I posted on a friend’s blog - which I’ve re-posted below. It’s probably best to read his post first. He’s skeptical, I’m optimistic. We’ve bet a bottle on it.
Love it or hate it, advertising is a medium that attempts to influence every aspect of our lives. Why is it then that in a nation as diverse as the US, the make up of the creatives that craft those messages lacks that same diversity?
Enter Adversi+y. Adversi+y partners with organizations to try to reach kids while they’re in high school to education them on opportunities in the field of advertising—helps them connect the dots between that cartooning skill and what it means to be an art director. Getting to kids before college helps them know what their options are before they’ve sunk the time and money into another higher education route.
Great organization. Great cause.
A big win for Adversi+y in 2008 was their backing from The One Show. Shortly after celebrating the one year anniversary of this partnership The One Show pulled the plug, citing financial difficulties.
Last month Advertising Age caught up with 27 year old founder Julius Dunn II to talk about their mission and the failed partnership. Check out the video.
Tokujin’s very diverse body of work masterfully exists as both amazing works of design and art. Very few are truly able to achieve this without a feeling of self-indulgence. This display (just like all of his other work) is just so damn elegant too.