davidthedesigner

when i first discovered that i was probably best suited to self-employment

It was when I had my first proper job (apart from being a paper boy, that is). It was during a glorious summer vacation from art school when I got a job as a farm hand.

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Not just any farm, mind you, but the farm on the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma's estate (although that didn't make the task of clearing out the dead rats in the tunnel under the granary silos any more enjoyable).

Now one of the cash crops grown on the farm were potatoes for Smiths crisps (a variety of potato with a very high sugar content, which is what makes crisps crisp). So early one morning a fellow student labourer and I were given the task of watering a field of these particular potatoes. And this involved installing a system of aluminium pipes the width of the field which were then fed with water pumped from an adjacent stream. And once there was sufficient water pressure, the pipes would oscillate to spray the crop on either side. I forget exactly what the reach was, but let's say it was 12 rows of potatoes either side of the pipe.

The farm manager started us off in the morning by helping us to install the system of pipes twelve rows in from the bottom of the field. He explained that we needed to water for two hours, and then we'd need to move the further pipes up the field. "I'll be back in a couple of hours" he said.

So 11am comes around and the farm manager reappears and says "Turn the pump off, dismantle the pipes and move them up 12 rows". "Hang on, that's not right" I said. "If the reach is 12 rows you need to move them up by 24 rows". "No you don't" he said. "Yes you do" I said. But guess who won the argument?

And there was me thinking I was looking after Lord Mountbatten's best interests, but all I was doing was making the farm manager look a fool. Needless to say he fired me at the first available opportunity.

But I still haven't learnt the art of keeping my mouth shut when it comes to following other people's orders.

why can't clients be more like this?

I've had a couple of days away in the country (no broadband, no mobile signal - that's why I only managed two posts last week). While I was there I met this little chap:-

There's no pulling the wool over his eyes, is there?

slap bang in the middle

Well here we are at the halfway point in this little series dedicated to the avoidance of Helvetica. And, for a while at least, my selection process becomes a little easier (though I suspect that Q is going to prove a tough prospect). But back to the Ms, and first up is the typeface that would rule the world if the world was run by designers of a certain age:

Meta was designed in 1984 by Erik Spiekermann, and originally developed as a commission for a corporate typeface for the Deutsche Bundespost, though it was never adopted for use. Meta was designed to be a readable, sturdy, basic sans serif typeface, working on the postage stamp scale, but also as livery for post boxes and vehicles. Attention was paid to creating a face that was easily readable from an angle, and in smaller point sizes. In 1989 it was digitised and three styles were made by Just van Rossum. In the period 1991 to 1998 a larger typeface family was developed, adding small capitals. Two additional related versions, titled Officina Sans and Officina Serif, were developed for correspondence. The intention was to create a typeface for digital office printing that conveyed the immediacy of strike-on typewriter faces like Courier, Elite, or Orator. A serif version was completed in 2007.

And now to something a little more:

Cut by Monotype between 1900 and 1902, the Monotype Modern font family was based on Miller & Richards News 23 and 28; slightly condensed news text types of the 1890s. Monotype Modern is a lively typeface, with long, fine hairlines and well rounded letterforms, representing the best of nineteenth century modern face design.

Rather lovely, isn't it? I must find an excuse to use it some time.

this made me smile #44

Just stick it over there, Mr Verdi.

blue and orange: my favourite colours

Here's proof, as if it were needed, that sometimes the very simplest solutions are the best. A lovely, lovely set of Faber Poetry covers, designed by Pentagram. Nice use of Perpetua, as well.

(With thanks to Anne for pointing me in the right direction.)

this made me smile #43

A hamster and a rat were sitting on the side of a swimming pool. They were enjoying the sun. Suddenly the rat turned to the hamster and asked him:

"Hey, how come people consider me a nuisance, and you a pet? How come people pay money to have you, while they are trying to kill me? How come you are considered a cute little animal, while I am considered creepy and disgusting? How come you live in a warm home, and I have to stay in the sewer?"

And the hamster replied:

"It’s branding, dude."

something for the weekend?

Looking for something to do on Sunday?

Then why not take part in the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day?

They're looking for people "throught" the world.

that's interesting - what is it?

This is the QR code that confirms that I've got a ticket for Interesting 2008. And if you hurry along here now you might just be in time to snap one up for yourself.

UPDATE: You're too late, already - they've all gone.

And if you're wondering what a QR code is, Alistair told us all about them over here.

So, if you do manage to get hold of a ticket, keep an eye out for me on 21 June: you can't mistake me, I look like this:-

l is no easier than k

But it does spur me on to get out and do some searching. And here we have two fonts that have very similar attributes (aside from the obvious difference of one being sans and the other slab serif): because both are based on strictly geometric forms.

Litera was designed in 1983 by Michael Neugebauer, who used the same construction found in his more widely-known typeface Cirkulus. The overall look of Litera is modern, clear and light. Distinguishing characteristics are the openness and the e and P and the particularly long cross stroke of the G.

And Lubalin Graph, which was designed by Herb Lubalin and drawn by Tony DiSpigna and Joe Sundwall in 1974. They based the geometric skeletons of this new typeface on Lubalin's earlier (and also better-known) Avant Garde, but modified the shapes to add those big square (or rectangular) serifs. The condensed weights, which include small caps and old-style figures, were added by Helga Jörgenson and Sigrid Engelmann in 1992.

this made me smile #42

'When it was presented to OGC staff it didn't take long for them to look at the new brand logo (emblazoned on mouse mats and so forth) from all angles:'

From the TimesOnline (via Design Observer).