Ace Jet 170

Unnecessary Post

  

  

Everyone reads DO don't they? So you've all already seen these. And you know they're flippin' amazing and John Gall is a genius. So there's no need for me to do this post.

Copy

 

I've read a couple of good books lately on copywriting. 

I've said many times (elsewhere) that I'm no copywriter but I've actually written professionally, on and off, for years. Don't claim to be brilliant but born out of demand and frustration, I've turned my hand to a little wordcraft and, so far, it's been OK and hasn't been destroyed by anyone (yet). I've even earned a little money from just writing. But Fletcher's words always echo around my head, "You can only muck about with language if you know what you're mucking about with. Otherwise, you're just being sloppy." 

Wise words.

Having a typographic background helps. You can't be a typographer without being interested in words and their meaning so it's a relatively small step, perhaps not even a step...a minor shuffle...to wanting to understand how writing works. Even if you don't want to write yourself, a designer that understands how writing works will find that knowledge useful. Mark Shaw's book, Copywriting, I think, works particularly well on this level. It's about copywriting but it's very much aimed at designers; with examples and brands that, on the whole, will titillate the aesthetically inclined. And I came out the other side feeling better informed; with a greater understanding of how to structure and craft my writing.

   

And just as I was polishing this one off, much, much, much better and proper writer Nick (Corpoetics) Asbury championed Roger Horberry's even better book, Brilliant Copywriting. Not particularly aimed at designers this time it's, page-for-page, jam-packed full of wisdom and usefullness. It's bloody brilliant! Buy it; Horberry deserves your money. It's even horribly under-priced. Trust me...you'll thank me for it (well, Nick really).

Thoughtful

Look what I won! A signed copy of Studio Culture, courtesy of those very nice people at Thoughtful. The book is lovely and should be a good read.

 

 

If you didn't already know, you can get yourself a copy from Unit Editions.

   

   

Constructivisms

It must be my technical illustration training but there's something compelling about geometrical constructions so I snapped up this book on Map Projections. I don't claim to understand them but they are kind of beautiful.

Nothing Special #01

I can feel a new series coming on. You see really, there's nothing special about this book; it's just a Reader's Digest Condensed Book. There's probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of them out there. This is so un-special that it wasn't even priced and was tucked behind a row of books in my local charity book shop. It was being used to pack out the book shelf. That's how non-special it is.

Nothing special.

(Lovely cover though).

 

 

Wet

It wasn't the first time I found myself reading a book, by chance, in circumstances that enhance it's dramatic effect. Last time it was reading J G Ballard's The Drought on a beach during one of Greece's hottest summers for some years. This time I read The Kraken Wakes - Wyndham's gloomy story of mankind's struggle against extra-terrestrials now living in our ocean's deepest deeps, who melt the ice caps to raise water levels at a devastating rate (sneaky subterranean bastards!) - during our trip to Fermanagh, surrounded by bank-bursting lakes and over-flowing rivers.

Book Love

Designers Books is a collaborative project from a group of like-minded Flickr-ers who just love their design books. Contributors include: Mark (Blanka) Blamire, Jonathon (Insect54) Turner and Joe (er...just Joe) Kral, amongst others.

Designers Against Human Rights Abuse

Designers Against Human Rights Abuse have just released their second book, featuring contributions from Bibliotheque, Brighten the Corners, Stefan Gandl (NeubauBerlin), Alex Haigh (Thinkdust/HypeforType), Nick Hard (Research Studios), Jeff Knowles (Research Studios), Abbott Miller (Pentagram), Si Scott, Paul Skerm, Un.titled.

Rishi, who designed the book, explains more:

"They were each given a 3 minute audio interview with a Tibetan refugee to translate using primarily typography into a 16 printed page booklet. These booklets were then combined with an 11th booklet with the original interviews in to form the book, which comes in an embossed black slip case."

You can see more and buy your copy here. All proceeds go to the Tibet Relief Fund.

     

Wood on Paper

 

Last week our rep from Robert Horne Paper came in. A nice chap, he did his best to sell their products to us, some of which we specify anyway. Mostly he was showing us Munken papers, Robert Horne now being the main agent for them. Munken papers are nice. During the chat, he asked if we ever use GF Smith paper and I laughed. "Well, yes, of course", I said. "A lot of our papers are very similar", said he and I laughed again. "But GF Smith swatches are so good and your's, forgive me for saying, are sooooo bad". They are really awful: on the whole we've found them to be inconsistently designed, missing fundamental information and (these are things aimed at designers, so it's almost criminal that they) are distinctly unattractive.

GF Smith swatches are, on the other had (I was compelled to point out); beautiful, informative, comprehensive and easy-to-use.

He skirted the issue and I might have been more persistent had I not spotted something tucked at the bottom of his pile of samples. "That's lovely", I said pointing. Wood on Wood came out about 5 or 6 years ago and was mailed out directly from Arctic Papers, when Howard Smith were representing them in the UK. I remember it distinctly because it was a stand-out piece. 

    

Designed in Sweden by Happy Forsman & Bodenfors (who do lovely work), the book is amazingly simple. Each sheet of paper has a particular wood grain image printed either side and is incredibly convincing, giving the impression that the book is made from super-thin slices of wood. On their website, F&B explain:

"The Wood on Wood book makes us realize anew that paper is thinly-sliced wood and uncoated paper retains a hint of wood's rough properties to give printed images a deeper dimension. In designing Wood on Wood Happy went the additional step of using pencil lettering to add an authentic whiff of the woodshop to the book design."

That last point was one of the details that really did it for me, With the exception of the brand on the back cover, the book is devoid of typesetting; featuring only hand/pencil rendered lettering. And even that brand is treated nicely, printed dark brown and embossed into the sheet, it feels like it's been burnt into wood.

Overall, it's a beautiful piece which, importantly, works; showing the characteristics of the paper with exceptional simplicity and clarity. Perhaps you've got a copy, I don't remember it being particularly rare or precious, but if you've not seen it, you never know, it may well be sitting on a shelf in your studio somewhere, covered in dust. Go and have a look.

 

Astro-vehicularities

    

More images from the New Illustrated Library of Science and Invention on Flickr. 

This time: Astronomy and Land Transportation.