Tangency theorems and other nonsense

I don't know about you but I'm attracted to mathematics. I was quite good at it at school, which was handy because my favourite subject was Technical Drawing. And Art of course. Hardly surprising where I ended up even though, unlike some, I didn't know I wanted to be a Graphic Designer until I was actually working in a Graphic Design studio – but you don't want to hear about that. Actually, you might not want to hear about this either but here goes anyway... 

Maths then. I wouldn't go as far as saying I enjoyed it at school but I did display a natural aptitude for it so didn't have to try too hard at what was a pretty lackluster comprehensive school. That was a long time ago. Now, I just find it attractive. Maths I mean.

Of course, I'm not alone. In fact there's lots of maths about now isn't there? What with all those grids and all that Edward Tufte-esque stuff you see (actually, I'm not qualified to say that, I haven't read Tufte but I know a man that has and nowadays I see beautiful data everywhere) – it's great, I really like it. My own interest is more pragmatic I feel but I do like to be rather neat with my numbers.

I found this damp and tatty book in the reject pile at the back of a side-street secondhand bookshop and saved it from oblivion, largely because of it's Bauhausian (or is that Norton Juster-er-ian?) title but also because inside there's all sorts of interesting, twiddly equations. Dog-ears aside, it still cost a whole pound. Everything in that bookshop costs a pound, regardless of size or condition. So, ironically, it's one place where there's no need for my self-claimed mathematical prowess.

  

  

Talking of maths and grids and stuff, Pedro at Whatype's been doing a bit of working out.

Comments

[Leon]

Interesting that Futura (or some other geometric sans) is used for geometric variables/labels, while the rest is in some kind of modern serif.

[top drawer]

oo. i think you may like tufte. i found him at the same time as i discovered your blog and my life is now different (sometimes i dream of chickens but, actually, that's usually in one of my lost passport at the airport dreams & not your fault at all). happy new year & thanks for the blogging from another school-maths-only-but-obviously-had-great-potential ha ha)