* Kate Murphy in the NYT provides an analysis of the typographic choices of politicians vying for positions in the 2010 election cycle. Her conclusion: Candidates—of both parties—have made a conscious move away from Obama's '08 Gotham and other "modish fonts, choosing instead fonts that look like they were banged out on a vintage typewriter or carved into an ancient temple."
Read the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/fashion/31Noticed.html
Yesterday NYC Mayor Bloomberg revealed the winners of the city's urbancanvas Design Competition which challenged participants to create artwork to decorate those usually boring protective structures that surround construction sites—an initiative that reminds me of the clever construction screen I saw in Bilbao. After submissions were winnowed down by a jury, public vote determined the final 4 winning designs, which building owners who have been approved for the urbancanvas Pilot Program will be able to use to liven up their construction areas. I've included images of my favorites, "Color Mesh" by Mauricio Lopez and "My Urban Sky" by Jen Magathan, but you can see all the designs and learn more here.
I have trouble reading long handwritten texts and consequently have never gotten into graphic novels and comic books, so the fact that I read Lauren Redniss's 2007 book Century Girl in a single sitting attests to her abilities both as an artist and a storyteller. Century Girl traces, as the subtitle describes it, "100 years in the life of Doris Eaton Travis, the last living star of the Ziegfeld Follies," through a collage of drawings, clippings and images of Eaton's own ephemera, surrounded by Redniss's handwritten prose. The book left an impression; while 3 years later I can't recount every detail of Eaton's life, I will never forget the wonderfully engrossing visual and visceral experience I had reading it.
So this video isn't design related, but I think everyone can benefit from a few minutes of well-executed deadpan.
(click image for large view)
Amazon recently released a beta version of a plugin for InDesign that allows user to convert INDD files to Kindle format. The company already provided ways to digitize and self-publish texts via Kindle—all free—and now this makes it easier to publish more image-based publications, say that illustrated design book you've been toiling away on in private. According to Amazon's press release, the plugin allows users to maintain font styling and add links within the book, among other features. Uploaded books can be purchased by iPad, iPhone, PC, Mac, Blackberry and Android owners who have the AmazonKindle app, since Amazon doesn't care how customers read e-books, as long as the books are bought from its store. And 70% of each sale goes to you, which you can put towards R+D for your follow-up e-tome.
More information and downloads here.
During a recent visit to Barcelona I stumbled upon an experience I had admired from afar on my blog almost a year ago: 3D building projections. The evening before the start of the city's annual Mercé Festival we passed through the Placa de Sant Jaume just as technical adjustments were being made to a projection on the facade of the City Council building that anchors the south side of the square. We came back the following night and watched the show in all its glory, which was as entertaining and technically impressive as I had hoped. I haven't been able to confirm that it was the work of the Dutch company NuFormer Digital Media, but it seems highly likely.
Video 1: Sped-up footage of some of the set-up process which consisted of many minute alignment adjustments.
