davidthedesigner

year three and all that it brings

I won't be here tomorrow (maybe you won't either). So maybe you'd like to know that tomorrow marks the second birthday of this little blog of mine.

Been fun, hasn't it?

yanus & ying

I've got to get a move on. I've got to complete this series by the end of this week.

So here's Yanus. It was designed in 1997 by Tagir Safayev at ParaType. It was inspired by Neulin Sans of Ray Gun magazine from 1996. The first version of the typeface was created as part of a corporate identity program for the Russian airline Aeroflot.

And here's Ying. Designed in 2006 by Gert Wiescher.

Not bad, are they?

the x factor

I know. I know. It's gone very quiet around here. Sorry about that: I'll try not to let it happen again.

Truth is, I'd had an extremely busy spell and for a couple of weeks I simply wasn't around to do any blogging. But I was back at my desk last week, so I should have been posting every day. But I didn't: I'd been struck by bloggers' block.

Maybe it's because I've reached the letter X in this little series on 52 fonts you could use instead of Helvetica. Ever since I started, I knew that X was going to be the difficult one. I should have posted it at least a month ago if I was going to be anywhere near keeping to my declared schedule (of two fonts every two weeks for a year). But I've been skirting round a choice for several weeks: it's not that I can't find fonts that begin with X; it's just that I don't find any of them in any way inspiring.

I wondered 'should I go for a Chinese font?' - something like C Xing. That would say something about the world just now. And, yes, I have typeset Chinese text, but I don't feel qualified to make an aesthetic judgement on what's a good Chinese font and what isn't.

Or should I go for a symbols font: something from the Xmas font family? But I'm never, ever going to use one of those, am I now?

So instead I seem to have landed in Canada: with two fonts by two young(ish) Canadian type designers. I'd like to say that I love them (the fonts that is). I don't, though. But at least they'll get me out of a hole.

This is Xenara, designed by Ray Larabie.

And this is Xheighter, which sounds as though it's something that you might get a spam email about. Designed by Lloyd Springer at Typeart.

So, enough said. I've breached the block. See you again tomorrow (I hope).

this made me smile #63

Double (or should it be triple?) take.

this made me smile #62

THE BROKERS WITH HANDS ON THEIR FACES BLOG.

(via I can't remember where. Sorry.)

anyone handy with fontographer?

Is anyone out there handy with fontographer?

I need some help in compiling a symbols font: nothing excessively complicated, but it might be a nice little freelance job. If you're interested, drop me an email - david(at)celsius.eu.com.

And while I'm here: apologies for the lack of posts. I'm a busy, busy bee, me.

stuck for ideas? #3

#3 the drop cap

At the risk of appearing sexist, I fear I have to say: ladies, look away now, this is a man thing.

So, men - if ever you get the chance to dabble in a bit of magazine design there are just two simple words that you need to remember: 'drop' and 'cap'. This is your way of establishing your control over the beast; an easy visual shorthand that will declare "I'm a creative fountainhead, me - I'm not just here to sell advertising space".

And remember, size is the only thing that matters. The bigger you make it, the better. It'll give you more braggadocio than Liam Gallagher when he hits a bum note.

And the easy route in is to choose a font designed by Herb Lubalin. But once you're up and motoring you'll want to design your own cap T (hey, how hard can that be?) - and pretty soon you'll be on your way to becoming the next Neville Brody.

And one further word of advice: if you really want to carry this one off, you first of all need to develop the habit of taking your clients to lunch at St John.

stuck for ideas? #2

#2 the letraset catalogue

Want to look hip and cool in 2008? Then just reach up for that old Letraset catalogue. The one that you've got proudly displayed on your studio shelves. Maybe you're just old enough to have inherited a copy from your Dad, or perhaps you picked it up while mooching around the last Ephemera Society Fair.

No matter. Just look for the most hideous fonts from the 1970s - things like University Roman and Antique Olive - stick them all together, and voila:

Suddenly you're at the cutting edge. And your clients will know that you've heard of Alan Fletcher.

It's an approach that will set you apart as being 'ironic': and particularly effective when you present to the client dressed in the style of a Fakenger.

ww.

In the end I decided against Wide Latin: partly because it should come under L, not W; and partly because there's not very much you could really use it for, is there? (Apart, maybe, for 'Wanted' posters for Cosa Nostra.) So, let's have a little elegance instead.

This is Walbaum, designed sometime around 1800 by Justus Erich Walbaum. Walbaum came to typography via the unusual route of confectionery. He taught himself engraving while making his own pudding moulds while working in a pastry shop. At night, he started engraving music types. Eventually he set up his own foundry in a town called Goslar.

In 1802, just before his town was to be incorporated into Prussia, he left for Weimar. Here he established another very successful foundry. His classical types were very popular for a while until fashions changed. His name then disappeared until the 1920s, when the typeface was revived as Monotype Walbaum.

And now, Warnock - which is a little more modern and comes in more weights and variations than you can shake a stick at. It was designed in 2000 by Robert Slimbach (who's cropped up in this series twice before, here and here).

Warnock Pro is a new Adobe Originals type composition family named after John Warnock, the co-founder of Adobe Systems, whose visionary spirit (according to Adobe) has led to major advances in desktop publishing and graphic arts software. A full-featured, state-of-the-art OpenType family - with Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek character sets in a variety of weights and optical size ranges - Warnock Pro is a classic yet contemporary composition family that performs a wide variety of typographic tasks with elegance.

So, just X, Y and Z to go (but they're going to be the toughest six to find, methinks).

it's liza with a zee

Do you have a design dilemma?

If so, you have two choices (or so it seems to me): either you can ask Ben to ask Matt Dent; or you can write to Liza. She's always full of sound advice to the creatively challenged among us. Take Star Designer from Milano, for instance:
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Dear LoveLiza,

I am 43 years old and a very talented designer, my whole family gives me tremendous support and are great admirers of my design work. This gives me the push to send my work every year to national and international competitions, but I never win, why is it that none of the judges see my talent?

Star Designer, Milano
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Dear Mr. Talent,

Why don’t you try getting your mother to be part of the jury, she seems to have the talent of being very convincing. Has she ever considered talent spotting as a profession?

LoveLiza
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Or Trendy from Amsterdam:
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Dear LoveLiza,

I am the 30plus type, hip and trendy graphic designer from Amsterdam. I have designed several typefaces of which some have been published. As of late I seem to encounter a lot of problems with legibility. Everybody presented with my typeface designs complains that they cannot read them. Of course I could change it and make my designs more accessible for the greater public, but I do not want to loose my reputation as a hip and trendy designer. Should I just ignore the criticism?

Trendy, Amsterdam
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Dear 30plus,

May I remind you that illegible typography was hip and trendy 15 years ago.

LoveLiza
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Go on, drop her a line. She'd love to hear from you.