Ace Jet 170

Measure for Measure

What with all these maps in the Ace Jet Archive, I thought it was about time I had the right tool to measure them with.

 

Weizmann Institute of Science

 

UU160

Hope to get along to this next week:

The School of Art and Design - the founding school of the University of Ulster ­marks its 160th anniversary this year. To celebrate this landmark, the University has staged a series of events during 2009 culminating in this major retrospective exhibition at the Ormeau Baths Gallery, running until 30th January 2010. The exhibition and accompanying publications by Mike Catto and Professor Liam Kelly will present a comprehensive visual and contextual history of the School from its foundation in 1849 as the Belfast Government School of Art to the present day as the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment at the University of Ulster, York Street. 

The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of significant periods across the School’s history. From the life drawing rooms of the early 1900’s as recorded in the photographs of Alexander Robert Hogg, the flamboyant interior and architectural designs dating from the 1960’s by internationally renowned architect Max Clendinning to evocative works from recent times including Willie Doherty’s most recent commission ‘Buried’ shown at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery earlier this year and getting its first screening in Northern Ireland at this exhibition. 

This is a unique opportunity to see the work of a range of artists drawn from private collections and arts institutions across Ireland never before exhibited together. 

The exhibition celebrates the achievements of some of Northern Ireland’s most prominent artists and designers who have been associated with the School of Art and Design throughout its long history. 

 
 

Smart Ask

 

Something else for your letter to Santa; the more dapper out there will know all about it. I, on the other hand, although familiar with the blog, only actually saw the book in the flesh a couple of days ago but it's as sharp as the suits inside.

   

Trilogy

I'm a bit of a fan. Ever since Jeremy Tankard released Bliss all those years ago and I rang him up and ordered it directly, over the phone, man to man, I've felt a kind of bond. A kind of out-of-kilter, stalking kind of bond perhaps, but a bond nevertheless. It's not that I've used his fonts much really. Would love to. Enigma is superb, Kingfisher beautiful, The Shire Types voluptuous. Aspect, well I tried Aspect recently and while I was extremely pleased with what I thought was an elegantly simple bit of work, our client plumped for something scriptier.

So the prospect of a Tankard Fat Face alone would fill me with excitement, but not satisfied with something so simple, instead Mr T gives us The Trilogy Collection: a massive set of Sans's, a tidy bundle of Egyptians and a complimentary side order of Fat Boys. All harmonised to work side by side, in multi-fontial bliss (pardon the pun).

  

  

  

...create a better "then".

 

 

Has everyone got their Munken Agenda for 2010? Not to actually use or anything, unless you're brave enough to use a pencil very lightly. Just tuck it away somewhere safe, with all the others. This year's was designed by Grow in Stockholm.

   

   

   

Bookchase

 

For the Penguin lover in your life, it's The Great Penguin Bookchase.
Available through Art Meets Matter.

10

 

It's that time again when lovely stuff appears that you should be buying for someone special in your life but the temptation to keep it for yourself is almost over powering. First up: Typotheque's Limited Edition 2010 Diary.

Invincible

I was chatting this old chap last week, on his stall of miscellaneous memorabilia. Mostly military stuff, which is one thing I'm not really into...unless it happens to be designed in an interesting way, like that Bomber Command book from way back. He had a couple of random postcards with interesting type on them that he sold me for next to nothing, and while I was kneeling down to tuck them into my bag I spotted this old cigar box hidden under his table. Now I'm a sucker for a cigar box so was very pleased that he agreed to sell it to me.

  

There's many to choose from but I think my favourite rendering of the brand name is really the one on the pattern-edges tape that runs around the edges, but you are kind of spoilt for choice.

   

Incidentally, if anyone's commented lately: firstly, thanks! and secondly, my apologies for taking my time publishing them. I've had a pile of rubbish coming through the related email address so I switched it off for a while.

Bloom Service

Inspired by last month's excellent Naughton Gallery exhibition, I sought out my own little bit of Abram Games' brilliance on ebay. Issued in 1953 Conquest of the Desert was one of six stamps Games designed for Israel's Philatelic Department after he won a competition, a few years earlier, to design a special stamp commemorating Israel's Independence Day. The design was inspired by a Biblical quotation (Isaiah 35 verse 2), "The desert shall blossom as a rose". Cleverly, the stem of the rose is a surveyor's rod. At the time of issue, the stamp caused a bit of a stir; Games took the quote from the King James I English translation, in the original Hebrew the blossoming flower is a lily of the valley.

 

Web Type (Yester)Day

Just in case you missed it (like me!), it was yesterday, head on over to Web Standardistas. And while you're there, check out Ligature, Loop & Stem.

Big "&" Theory

Dafi Kühne is a designer and printer with a recent bachelor’s degree from the Zurich University of Arts‘ Visual Communications department. He also worked as an intern at the legendary Hatch Show Print poster shop in 2008. 

Woodtype Now! is Kühne’s bachelor thesis project that explores experimental production methods for letterpress printing. It is one of the more interesting efforts from a handful of contemporary wood type projects I’ve come across recently, and stands out in its decidedly theoretical approach to the idea of wood type in a modern context…

(Via Thinking for a Living™)

Myerscough

If you haven't twigged, multi-award winning designer Morag Myerscough is talking at UU this Wednesday, at 6pm. If you want to register or find out more you can email Kelly.

  

Better

Not sure if it was kind of ironic that I got myself in to the finger-on-the-web-pulse Build Conference via the ancient art of bartering (I did a bit of the stuff for Andy, the organiser, in exchange for entry). Whether it was or not, I'm damned glad I got there, it was superb; exciting, interesting, inspiring. Beautiful slides. If I didn't look ridiculous in a hat, and so don't own one, I'd be taking one off to Andy for making a great thing, just down the road from us. I won't go on about it, the Standardistas have summed it all up for you.

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.

Ideal/Idealist/Idiot (delete as appropriate)

Last week was ace. Really very interesting. Loads of stuff going on, not all of which I got to. But I got to enough to know it was an ace week. 

Tuesday saw the launch of the NI Design Alliance, whose goal it is to promote professional standards and develop skills "that will keep NI design a step ahead in global markets". It's a noble cause and while cynics might be less than supportive, being at the launch got me all fired up; keen to be involved and optimistic about how things might develop. One thing was clear, no one was saying they had all the answers...actually, no one was saying they had any of the answers, but rather, the thing was kicked off with a kind of call for entries, a call for ideas. So if you want to chip in, head on over to the NIDA's website and tell them what you think. I have. 

Of course, what made it a superb evening was a great buffet...er...no sorry, not the buffet...it was actually Elmwood's Jonathan Sands. He talked about skills, how they're nurtured at Elmwood and how it's essential we understand that learning doesn't stop when we're 21. He also talked about how globally, the UK design industry is becoming increasingly vulnerable as design education in developing countries, such as India, is improving at a greater rate than our own. I got a very strong feeling, from what Jonathan said, that the problem was deeply rooted and that our non-design education system(s) lacked a vital element that encouraged and nurtured any serious understanding of how good standards of design can benefit the economy. 

This struck a cord. How often have we wished we could "educate" our clients? Many, many commissioners of design lack any fundamental understanding of what they're looking at...just the other day a friend showed me a brief that asked, "How will we evaluate the effectiveness of your proposal?", and it struck me that the person asking that question should know the answer. But I don't mean to knock our clients; quite the contrary, I want to sympathise with their plight. Because while we can and should strive to rationalise and persuade our clients that what we're offering them is of great value to them, what we are collectively up against is generations brought through the same education system(s) that has done little to prepare them for what we are offering. Of course there are exceptions; a few inspired individuals who have acquired a better understanding of our worth by some undefined good fortune. I don't know about you, but in my experience (although I actually feel that we get by quite well) we come across a large percentage of clients with whom the struggle to persuade is great, sometimes even futile. And from what Jonathan was suggesting, it's largely because of the way they have been educated. It's not a political issue, it's no one's fault, except perhaps our own.

Perhaps this is old news, perhaps it's not true or I've misunderstood what Jonathan was saying? On the surface, to me, it seems believable. If it is true, tackling the problem is massive but I'm encouraged too. So designers (or rather, our representative bodies) need to look deeper and get out there, into business schools and even effect the National Curriculum. Then gradually, with diligent and tenacious work, we could start to find more and more new businesses being run by even smarter cookies; the type that know how really good creativity could have a really positive effect on their business. And they'll be fighting to get the best, they'll pay appropriate fees and won't expect something for nothing. And if my children's children become graphic designers, they might start to feel the benefit because it's a biggy and it'll take years.

(And they'll have to find something else to moan about).

Squirrel with tree and nuts

AceTweet followers might have seen this last week but I like it so much I didn't want anyone to miss out. You know the way every parent thinks their children are really, really clever and better than the other kids? No? Well they do. The difference with our kids is that they actually really are really, really clever. And here's the evidence.

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).

Terrestrial Spectroscopy, Electronic Computers & Macromolecules of the Living Cell

Been exploring Israel's modern philatelic history and unearthed these lovelies from 1964.