Type Exploration

I've never created a full set of 26 characters, I'll create one-offs but not full sets, so I wanted to see what I could learn from the experience of doing so. I learned that S is a very difficult letter to build from scratch. Mine needs work.

Starting as a reaction to Rodeo, I wanted to create something that was cleaner and had airier counters. Certain quirks developed in letters such as B, K, R, and X, but I think they add character to the typeface.

There are a lot of alternate characters here. Consider this the initial unloading of an idea. This is just an exploration I started a week ago but I'd like to flesh it out into a [free] usable font.

Yo — Type Play

Magnastiks

We had this archaic toy, Magnastiks, a plastic surface with four magnetized plates and a number of metal forms.

On Instagram.

Michigan Avenue

Work benefits. Our view of Michigan Avenue, looking Southward.

On Instagram.

Spoiled — Poster

It's about time that I re-unveiled my 'Spoiled' poster. I had posted it on the blog previously, but when it was announced that the poster would be seen in the Post Family show "There, Now it will Last Forever" (through July 9th), I chose to hide it.

Original caption (6/7):

"This popped into my head this morning so I took a short break this afternoon to put it together.

I'm not strongly political, but I follow issues and current events fairly closely. The term "spoiled" here is referring to our beautiful Gulf being wrecked by our oil spill."

Post Family — There, Now it will Last Forever

This Friday I make my gallery debut when my poster "Spoiled" is featured at the Post Family show "There, Now it will Last Forever".

THERE, NOW IT WILL LAST FOREVER

June 25, 2010, 7:00 pm-11:59 pm
Cost: Free
Location: The Family Room 1821 W Hubbard, 202 Chicago, IL 60607

Views of Nature and Conceptions of Preservation.

Join us as we delve into human nature in relation to the natural environment; our inherent connection as animals dependent on the Earth for survival and the disconnection created by technology, self & society.

“There, now it will last forever” is an exhibition of works by some of Chicago’s most talented environmentally minded and motivated artists. The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, collage, objects, and installations.

Participating Artists:
Stephen Eichhorn
James Ewert Jr
Ron Ewert
Mike Fortress
Jenny Kendler
Michael Ruggirello
Molly Schafer
Ben Speckmann
Davey Sommers
Scott Thomas
INDO

This event is sponsored in part by Cascades Chocolate Fountains & Eli’s Cheesecake.

For more information contact Davey Sommers.

BeerHoptacular! — Video

In case you missed it, friends of the BeerHoptacular! over at Windy City Draft put together this video of the event. The place was decked out in my BeerHoptacular! work. Cheers.

A Typography Book

Occasionally in the blog I'll be posting work that didn't make it in the print portfolio (which can be seen here in the Portfolio section). One such piece is called "A Typography Book".

Problem
Design a book cover for a publication that is an aggregation of short biographies of notable typographers.

Insight
Articles on each typographer functioned very much like a poster — each article had an attention-grabbing headline and a small amount of supporting information.

Solution
I drew influences from posters with large bold typography. I also built in a system for identifiers that could be progressed for subsequent publications.

Cover
The cover displays a cropped version of the publication's title. Book (of A Typography Book) is all that can be read of the title, along with the en dashes that break up the word, "Typography", serving utilitarian purposes. When closed, the subtitle functions as the book's primary title.

Cover — Open
The entire title can be read only when the cover is open. The bars on the right act as identifiers, highlighting the school's name, a middle-size "T" for "Intermediate Typography", and the season of the "issue".

Table of Contents
The typography here furthers the theme of bold experimental typography

More photos after the jump.

Click to read more ...