Simply put, I am a Sudtipos, and specifically an Ale Paul fanboy. There is just something about this Argentinean’s work that makes me really happy (as indicated by my use of Affair in the current masthead). Ale’s newest face, Semilla, which is Spanish for seed, showed up on Veer this week with organic, sprouting swashes and an upbeat casualty that give this face a wonderful hand tooled vibe. Inspired by a 1953 lettering book by a German artist named Bentele, Semilla was a bit of a departure for Paul from a production standpoint, opting for the more time-consuming and analog Bezier process. It won’t take me long to find a project that’s begging for this typeface. Until then, I’ll have to be content staring at the type specimen (available here) which is quite fantastic in it’s own right, and features the work of French photographer and designer Stephane Giner. As always, Semilla comes with robust OpenType features including some signature Ale Paul ligatures. Crops from the booklet fill the slideshow below.

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If you are even a casual fan of TED Talks, than you had to be more than a little impressed by the lectures that came out of last year’s 99% Conference. Described as the think tank behind the Behance Network, 99% finally launched their website this week, and it is an impressive collection of  proven idea makers, action-oriented tips, best-practices sessions, and conference lecture videos, all designed to help you transform ideas from vision to reality. The content presented here is rooted firmly in the philosophy that we focus on what happens after inspiration, embracing the forces that truly push ideas to fruition. I quite literally felt like an improved human after just half an hour on this site. Until the 2010 Conference starting April 15th, spending some serious time here couldn’t be more highly recommended. To prime the pump, I’ve included a video (after the jump) of author, and marketing wizard Seth Godin as he implores creatives to avoid sabotaging our projects just before we show them to the world. Named in part for the Thomas Edison quote “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”, the99percent.com is working up one hell of a sweat, all in an effort to make our lives a little easier. I for one, am thankful for all the help I can get. [click to continue…]

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Recently, photographer and filmmaker Chase Heavener spent an afternoon with letterpress ninja Nick Sambrato and his 2,000 lb., cast iron Kluge Letterpress. The result is this indescribably beautiful video of vacillating rods, giant spinning wheels and pneumatic hoses, which Nick refers to as “Printer’s Porn”. If the piece leaves you wanting more (and it will)  you can keep up with all things Mama’s Sauce at their “Blaug“, at least until they’re done putting the final polish on their proper website. Enjoy.

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After almost 30 years, and perhaps millions of painfully dry “integrated workflow” presentations, Imation Corp. has mercifully given Microsoft’s PowerPoint a reason to be celebrated. Originally founded in 2005 by a small group of German artists, the game is called PowerPoint Karaoke, and in the hands of some brilliant designers (as demonstrated in the video after the jump) it is an absolute joy to behold. Simply assemble a group of willing participants, create or find (slideshare.net) roughly 15 presentation slides, hook your laptop to a projector and let the magic begin. The video below is an excerpt from a recent SXSW event, and will not only educate and entertain you on the subject, but reveal exactly how to handle a slide illustrating the intersection of cheese and libido. Don’t forget to check out the PPTk site for contest details, helpful slide resources, where to attend, and suggestions on how to host your own event. [click to continue…]

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After 16 years of service, the Sci Fi channel’s swooshing Saturn silhouette will be placed into a sleek plastic coffin, loaded into a pressurized tube, and jettisoned from the network’s Mothership. Starting July 7th, the all new SyFy branding goes into full effect, and judging from early reactions to the change, it faces a tumultuous journey. NBC Universal’s decision to change the network’s spelling was rooted in the fact that “Sci Fi” was not something that the channel could own or copyright as it describes a genre that anyone else can use as a descriptor. Soon after debuting the SyFy wordmark a few months back, a wave of negative press began rolling in. Things got so bad in fact that in late March, Landor (the branding consultants credited with the change) subtly distanced itself from the decision making on the new name, posting to it’s blog “…Syfy was a name generated internally and pre-tested at the channel before our involvement. Once Landor was involved, we explored new names as part of the process, but it was the Channel’s call to go with Syfy.” I do find the new identity to be a bit clumsy. The logotype is uninspired, and while the tag-line is a bit confusing, the real issue lies in the oddly unphonetic respelling. Before passing final judgment however, you should really see the logo in proper use through applications in print, on the web, and in video. The good folks at London-based Proud Creative are the only clear winners here, having implemented some truly brilliant executions that almost make this whole thing seem like a good idea.

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I’m far from an expert on the subject of tilt-shift miniature faking, but thought I’d share the brilliant work of Sydney based photographer Keith Loutit, and do my best to explain his process. By distorting the focus of his photos in-camera, Loutit is able to simulate the shallow depth of field usually associated with a macro lens. This technique gives real word locations the appearance of miniature scale models, an effect made more pronounced when shot from an elevated perspective, and stitched together into stop motion style short films. I must admit that when I fist saw his Sydney Mardi Gras video a few months back, I could barely take in the content, as my head was reeling with the amount of work that must have gone into what I was sure was a miniature set. Knowing the truth doesn’t change my reaction to his work one bit, and still I find these films and photos hypnotic and beautiful. More videos after the jump.

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Last November, NPR’s Oxford Style Debate panel Intelligence Squared tackled the proposition, “Does Google Violate its ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Motto?”. This is an interesting listen (available here) and signaled the beginning of my own apprehension regarding the actions of the search engine giant. Much more recently, representatives from Google reached out to some big-time artists, looking for design and illustration work that would be used to allow those using the new Chrome browser to skin it’s appearance based on their preferred aesthetic. The form of payment offered… “An opportunity to have your artwork shown to millions.” I don’t think it’s irrelevant to mention that these conversations came just days after Google reported 1st quarter profits of $1.42 billion. In the coming weeks, illustrators on the community site Drawger.com had worked themselves into a frenzy over the requests, and on April 28th, Gary Taxali wrote a post that united the masses, inspired over 200 comments, and drew the attention of mainstream media including this article from the New York Times. [click to continue…]

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Episode 19 of the always relevant Read Between the Leading podcast is up, and you’re about to to be treated to an entertaining hour with designer Aaron Draplin. He talks about what it’s like to be raised on art, punk rock, and snowboarding, as well as what it takes to work your way up from hand lettering a hot dog cart in exchange for meatstick meals to designing the TIGER dot.gov logo for the Obama administration. I’m a big fan of Aaron’s approach to not only working, but thriving in an industry that typically has a less “colorful” career arc, and this is an especially revealing glimpse into his past. For a taste of his particular brand of awesome, check out Draplin Design Co. where you can buy the amazing poster below, or have a look at Aaron weighing in on “why America is fucked” in the video after the jump. [click to continue…]

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I could ramble for ages on the the accomplishments of type celebrity Dr. Erik Spiekermann, but I’m going to make every effort to keep this post on task and assume you already possess encyclopedic knowledge of his work. The recently released Axel, designed by Spiekermann and developed together with Erik van Blokland and Ralph du Carrois, is a family of faces tailored specifically for use on-screen in constricted spaces like tables or cells. For anyone who’s spent an afternoon buried in a spreadsheet, you’ll appreciate the way Axel fills space by staying narrow and super legible, without ever feeling “condensed”. With advanced ClearType support, perfect contrast between the Regular and Bold weights, and clearly distinguishable letters and numbers of similar form (l, i, I, 1, 7; 0, O; e, c …) Axel offers a major league typography solution for monitors and print alike. Learn more about the advantages of Axel here, or head over to FontShop to get in on the insane introductory price of $20 before it jumps to $80 on July 1st. I’ve also included a great interview with Erik (after the jump) where he talks about his favorite letter, why he hates Microsoft, and admits that he’d rather look at type than girl’s bottoms. [click to continue…]

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