I'm going to be giving a little talk on "web type"—or web fonts if you prefer—to the ABCD W3 group at Harvard University on Wednesday, January 16th at 3:30.
The talk will cover a quick primer on type, and then dive into using web fonts on your projects. I'll go into how to implement them, as well as some issues you might run in to along the way. I'll also talk about some aesthetic considerations that you should keep in mind to help your type look great. Then finally, I'll touch on some of the interesting things being done with web type, and what the future may hold.
The talk is open to the public, you just have to RSVP via the website. Here's the link to do so, as well as for more information: ABCD W3 Harvard
For everybody new to this here blog, you should know that I like music. A lot. I've also been recapping my favorite albums of the year for the past fewyears. Sure, everybody does one of these things, but they're fun to do, so why not? Amiright? So let's get to it. In no particular order, here are my favorite long players from the past year with a bit of a video preview.
1. s/t
by Delta Spirit
I actually purchased this album by mistake. I thought that it was another band that I had heard before, but as it turned out, I really liked this album. The whole album keeps a fairly steady pace, but traverses a broad emotional spectrum. It seems like these guys have started to get some real media attention, and hopefully they keep putting out great tracks.
2. Yellow & Green
by Baroness
As much as I should like Baroness (I really dig heavy-but-not-brutal metal), their previous efforts always fell really flat for me. This album is their least "metal" of their entire catalogue, which finds the band stretching out and trying new stuff here, and I guess that is what was missing for me. Add to that the fact that the delux packaging of the album has beautiful design and illustration, it's a win-win.
3. Holograms
by The Holograms
I caught one of their tracks on WMBR, and had to check out this whole album. The track ABC City is straight up killer, and the whole album has a Class of ’76 with synths vibe. Must be something up there in the water in Sweden, because they've produced some of the most interesting punk bands between the recent Ice Age and the classics Refused as well as Randy.
4. Hypnotic Nights
by JEFF The Brotherhood
Coming straight off the success of "We are the Champions" last year, I had high expectations for JTB with this album. At first listen, I was a bit lukewarm on it, but then the second time around, it really caught me. Like the previous record, it's generally straight-forward minimalist rock and roll, but the brothers really take it a step further on this one. A bit headier and certainly more dynamic, they even include a few choice covers at the end.
5. WIXIW
by Liars
Liars have made a name for themselves playing spazzed-out noise rock with high concept themes. With this record they take a major left turn into electronic music, and I think that it really works. While the instrumentation is a departure, as is the song structure, this still sounds like a Liars album. It's almost like a Liars synth cover band, but it totally works to convey vivid emotions and feeling.
6. Sports EP
by Speedy Ortiz
Western Mass is turning into a bit of an Indie hotbed, and Speedy Ortiz is at the top of the heap for me. While the band name isn't the best, for some reason I couldn't get these simple tracks out of my head. They have that very sincere feeling with sparse arrangement that really works for me. Their rawness is much of their charm, and you can pick a demo album up on their Bandcamp for free.
7. Fresh Kills Vol. 1
by Night Birds
What would it sound like if the classic OC hardcore band, Adolescents, covered their peers, Agent Orange? It turns out that it takes a band from Brooklyn to tell you, and man does it sound fantastic. Each of these songs blister with a sense of urgency and vitality. Music to skate to.
8. Apocryphon
by The Sword
Since their first album, I've been a huge fan of The Sword. Somehow their second album upped the ante, though its follow-up dropped the ball. None of the songs really stuck for me, and it seemed like there wasn't a standout track to anchor the whole thing to. The good news is that they are back and really ripping with this album. Great heavy riffs backing lyrics of medieval mysticism. Perfect.
9. Blunderbuss
by Jack White
With so many different projects, you wouldn't think that Jack White could pull it all together in one package that made sense. He has collaborated with so many interesting musicians and created classic tracks that sounds so unique, but with elements the remain constant throughout his catalog. This album sounds like White's music—all of it. It jumps around from style to style, but is built on a basis of guitar-driven rock music. Jack White continues to prove that there's no-one else like him in music.
10. Twins
by Ty Segall
The young Mr. Segall is one prodigious dude. Just this year he has released an album, a few EPs and had songs on a bunch of comps. He's taking a page from Jay Reatard's book in more than one way—just hopefully not the last page. Heavily influenced by garage rock, you'll also hear a lot of ’90s Alternative, old-school Punk and even some Metal riffs on this particular record. Even though I picked this up late in the year, I can tell that it's going to have a lot of staying power, and I'm pretty psyched to see what this guy does next.
Wrap It Up.
So that's it. The year in music that stuck with me. Hopefully you found some new musicians to check out, and feel free to throw out some things that I might have missed.
For the latest Super Precious art show, the theme was 20th century authors. One of the most formative pieces of fiction for me was William Gibson's Neuromancer. I came to it as a fan of science fiction, but the book really turned my expectations on their heads. The shiny, clean, sterile promise of the future came crashing down and was replaced by a gritty, vibrant and thoroughly wired future. Filled with interesting and diverse characters, the world of the Sprawl was both horrible and incredibly alluring at the same time. This amazing world-building was combined with wonderful and obtuse prose that just had me riveted from the start. The above (abridged) line is the first line from the first chapter of the book, and if you aren't hooked by then, there's no hope for you.
Check out my piece, as well as all the other art from the show at the Super Precious site, and if you're so inclined, pick up a print of my piece.
For the past few months, I've been thinking about the possibility of doing some public speaking. I really want to give back to the community that has helped me out the past few years, and speaking is one way that makes sense to me. I've been deeply affected by some of the talks that I've attended, and I would really like to pass that along. It also seems like a great way to connect with people, and open up a dialogue with peers.
Another motivating factor would be that it would be a serious challenge for me. As is often apparent shortly after meeting me, I'm the quintessential example of an introvert. I always feared speaking in front of the class throughout grade school, and I avoided it like the plague when I could. These days I'm happy to listen to other people's dialogues in most social situations, and just provide a captive audience to the main discussion. If I were to seek speaking engagements, it would mean tackling some of this fear and hopefully growing from it.
Much Ado About Nothing
So, what—you may be asking yourself—would he be publicly haranguing as about then? That's one of the problems. I have a few thoughts, and I'd love some feedback on which you think would be the most worthwhile to expand upon:
Design for Developers:
It's a popular topic to discuss the fact that designers should learn to code. I couldn't agree more, and though I wouldn't sell myself as a front-end developer, I can at least talk the talk. In my professional experience, it really helps to get people on the same page, and provides the basis for a mutual respect among people working to common goals.
Fair is fair though, and I think developers could make a bit more effort to understand design. In addition to helping to create a mutual understanding between designers and developers, I think that it help developers to better understand why we make the decisions that we do, and help to streamline efficiency if they can see the underlying reasoning.
Typography on the Frontier
Right now is a great time to be in web design. Since the start of design for web browsers—meaning design for desktop PCs, but also the ever-expanding list of web-enabled devices—designers have been limited to system fonts (Flash doesn't count). With the advent of some new technologies created in the past couple years, designers can finally choose from a wider variety of typefaces. With services like Typekit and Fontdeck to choose from, the options seem limitless.
As great as all of this is, it's not without peril. First off, a lot of designers with roots in the web lack a comprehensive typographic background and what makes a typeface an appropriate choice for a given project. Add to that the technical considerations of file size downloads and responsive design, and there are many potential pitfalls.
WordPress as Democracy
The first Content Management System that I was fully able to wrap my head around was WordPress, and it continues to be an essential tool for my projects. As a tool, it has the fantastic attributes of being relatively simple but also really powerful. It can be many things to many people, and has the potential to give a voice to people who might not have an audience.
I would like to empower people to use the platform as much as possible, and to that end I think that helping people graduate to a self-hosted WordPress environment would be beneficial. I could also tackle some of the pain points that people often run across when they are moving to having their own hosted installation of WordPress.
What are your thoughts?
Those are just three of the ideas that I've had kicking around. What are your thoughts on those topics? Have they been covered to death, or do you think that they are good topics for discussion? Are there other issues in the fields of Branding or Design that you feel need to be talked about? Do you have a venue that would be good for any of the above topics?
I would love to hear your thoughts. Either leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter or email.
Working under the direction of Adam Larson at Adam & Company, I designed a poster for The Avett Brothers' appearance at the Greek Theater. The concept behind the poster was associating an element to each of the members of the band, all connected by an energy that is conveyed in their live shows.
Here it is: the doldrums of summer. The air is ripe with the hum of cicadas and the smell of charcoal. It also signifieds the first six months of my freelancing career, so this seems as good a time as any to take stock of where things are and what the future may bring.
Are you taking notes?
I'm sure that different people approach it in different ways, but I sort of jumped into the freelancing thing. I knew that I was going to do it, I did as much planning as I could, and just rolled with it once the beginning of the year came around. To help me keep track of how this whole thing is going, and what I need to do to keep on track, I started writing a business journal. It's not much of a structured thing, but I try to write in it every weekday while I'm drinking my coffee. I sum up any project developments, and usually jot down thoughts or feelings about how things are going.
I've never been much of a journal guy. I think that I had one for a while--maybe for a month in middle school--so it's a new thing for me. I'm going to try to do it for a full year and see how it goes. Many people have suggested it, so I'm interested to see what particular relevance it has to me.
Getting down to business
Finding things to do since the beginning of the year hasn't been too difficult. I've even done some work that I'm really proud of. As I tell people what it is that I do, I'm getting more comfortable in talking about the things that I'm good at and the things that I like to do. It may sound weird, but that sort of thing is really difficult for me. Where I grew up, having a big ego is rarely the way to make friends, and talking about my work still feels like showboating to me.
As I start to find my groove with running my own business, I'm becoming more confident in the work that I've done. It certainly helps that I'm now more able to take on projects that appeal to me and that I am more invested it. It really does help to have a say in the type of work that you take on.
Like a Glove
There's a lot to like about the freelance life. I wouldn't say that it's an easy life, necessarily, from the standpoint of putting on the cruise control and taking it easy. It's a way of working--and living--that instills a need to be frequently re-assessing what you're doing. It also means that the walls between work and not-work start to blur noticeably. This is good for some people, no so much for others. I'm adjusting to it, but the main upshot is really feeling like this is a good fit. The way of working and the feeling of pride in seeing something that I've done makes up for the times of agonizing proposals or longer than normal hours.
One thing that has made this easier is the fact that I have forged some relationships with clients that have been reallysupportive of what I'm doing. They appreciate the work that I'm doing, and in turn I hope that I'm contributing to their projects in a substantive way. I also like that I don't always have to work in isolation, and there are times when I can bounce ideas off of folks pretty quickly.
It has also been really great to meet cool people who have started their own design businesses and have been really helpful with advice and guidance. Whether it's a networking event, or just meeting up in person, people in this field have been really generous and open.
Boldly Onward
As I continue along this little journey, I definitely have some direction in mind. The first thing I want to do is take it to the next level. I really enjoy branding work, but I want to keep pushing it. Where else can the logos that I've designed live? 3D? Motion? Retail? Installations? I'm not sure, but I want to find out.
I would also like to do more UI/UX work. I used to do a fair amount of it, but started working in some shops that focused on print work. Print is great, but I love the challenge of the web. It's a big problem, and it's a really exciting time to be working on those projects. It's great to tickle that part of the brain and I hope to do more of it.
Other than those two things, I'll take the challenges where I find them. It's certainly an exhilarating time.
Post script
Just a quick thank you to some of the people who have taken their time to talk with me directly. They're great individuals and extremely generous.
I have been contributing to Boston Review Magazine for the past year. Primarily, I've created infographics for the "State of the Nation" section, but I have also done some feature illustration for them. All of the infographics are to accompany a longer form article that often discusses social-political topics.
Known for their exceptional skin products and outstanding environmental record, Burt’s Bees recently unveiled a line of acne prevention and treatment products. The campaign that they commissioned as a promotional tool surrounds the kit in an enticing wrap. Inside the wrap, recipients found a sixteen-page, saddle-stitched booklet that informed them about the Acne Solutions line as well as product samples and coupons. The booklet features a felt textured cover and a multi-level emboss that encourage viewers to pick it up and explore its contents. All of the components of the guide were printed on recycled stocks, which reinforced the Burt's Bees message of sustainability.
You've probably seen the video by now, as it's been making the rounds in pretty much ever social network.
It's pretty funny, and well written. Having a guy play the part of the girl is pretty ingenious and the whole thing is put together skillfully, with its repetition and quick cuts. It has a lot of what makes pop songs catchy, just in video form.
What really interests me about the video, though, is how it's transformed into a meme that has become increasingly granular. In fact, I wasn't aware of the video until I saw one of the take-off on it. Several of my friends posted a link to the video, "Shit New Yorkers Say," which was somewhat funny to me (as a Bostonian). I couldn't totally relate to it though, as I'm not a New Yorker. I've been there many times, but I don't know it as intimately as my friends. I understood some of the jokes, but not all of them, so I watched the video and then moved on to the next thing.
The following day, another group of friends posted a link to this video:
This I could relate to and here's where it gets interesting. I've been a passionate mountain biker for the past three years, and it's a subculture which I've immersed myself in. I've probably said a bunch of lines from that video, and so for me there's a lot of truth in it. That authenticity is where the power in these videos is, combined with the sense of community they create. If you're not a mountain biker, you probably didn't relate to that last video, but that's what makes it great. The tribe of mountain bikers is so small that it has developed specialized language to accompany the central activity of the group. In essence, the language is one of the main defining aspects of the subculture.
We humans have always sought to form groups of like-minded individuals, and in the modern connected area, this is easier than ever. We're no longer limited by spacial boundaries, but we still seek out ways to make these connections. Language is one of them, and so are these sort of cultural artifacts that we create. They are a means to bring together members of a subculture from far-flung reaches of the globe and create things to talk about and share common experiences. We all seek these things out, and therein lies their power.
The Implications for Branding
Of course, professionals in the Branding spheres have known this for a long time. Logos are artifacts, so are modes of fashion and pieces of media. Just as a lot of the videos in this meme were created out of a passion for their culture, I've seen quite a few that were created by more corporate entities. From my point of view, not a single one of them has rung true. They have that whole stink of cashing in on the zeitgeist, for money and profit.
Smart folks in Branding know that you can't create these memes, and most of the time you can't piggy back off of them either. People can smell inauthenticity from a mile away, especially in such niche subcultures as mountain bikers (or fixed gear riders, or knitters, or organic gardeners, etc.). The risk of coming off as fake is always a consideration when you're creating branding, but if you're just recycling someone else's idea, you're chances of attaining an honest connection are pretty small. Your best hope is to already have enough brand equity in the viewer to overlook the face that you're just taking wholesale from an original idea. There hasn't really been a lack of corporations doing this historically, but I would suggest that this is the root of some of the corporate disillusionment in our society.
Strive for Authenticity
When we create branding, it's imperative that we understand our audience. It's not about riding the latest wave, it's about making connections. To do that, you really have to get to know who the audience is. One of the first things to realize is that you don't dictate branding. You can help to guide it, and provide input, but brands—whether they be corporate or non-profit or individual—are always about conversation. The hard reality that most organizations struggle with is that brands are not dictated, but are shaped by people just as much as they are created by designers, strategists and marketers.
It's been a month of rather intense change for me. The biggest change has been a decision to quit my current full-time job and begin freelancing full-time. This hasn't been an easy decision for me—as you might imagine—with the job market being pretty poor and a lot of people still out of work. There are a few reasons why I decided to make a move, but I'll only get into a few of them here.
A Rolling Stone…
…gathers no moss, or so they say. It became abundantly clear to me, especially over the past 9–12 months, that I wasn't growing. I felt like my skillset was stagnating, and I could read articles and self-educate all I wanted, but the types of projects that I wanted to work on just weren't coming in. I wanted to work on a project that would challenge me and really push the limits of what I felt comfortable doing creatively. I wanted to think big and I wanted to get crazy. None of these things would happen at my previous job.
Some designers, especially these days, take this opportunity to create their own projects. This is great, and some amazing stuff has come of these kinds of ventures. For me, at this point in my life, I find the external stimulus far more motivating than self-defined projects. I'm not great at defining constraints for myself, so I find client work more rewarding.
One More Time, With More Focus
Some of the clarity that I've gained over the past 18 months relates to the type of work that I want to do. I realized that at some point, I got away from what I want to be doing. My first passion in design is Branding. The thrill of connecting with people and (positively) impacting their lives through my work is exciting. Branding is one of the things that I do best, but I want to do more of it, in a different way and bigger.
I'm also really excited with Interaction design. I've always loved technology, but I think that we're getting to a point where the technology is starting to disappear. By this, I mean that designers (and engineers, programmers, etc.) are creating systems that people can interact with on a complex level with minimal interference. This dove-tails with wanting to relate to people through my work, as well as engage them in a shared experience. All exciting stuff that I want to do more of.
In Which a Garden Analogy is Used
Even though I've had the pleasure of working with some really great folks over the past nine years, I realize now that I've hoed a pretty narrow row. I have worked primarily in small firms for much of my career, and so the type of work that I've done has been small firm work. That's not to say that there are benefits to the small firm environment. The relationships with clients, the accessibility to your boss, the ability to have some say in the direction of the company; these are all great things. For my immediate future, however, it's not what I want. I want bigger and I want different.
As a freelancer/sole-proprietor, I want to work as part of a large campaign or bring my services to a company that might not be able to use them otherwise. I want to do important work and meet a bunch of different people. All-in-all, I just want to get out there and see what's available to me.
So What Now?
Well, I'm not entirely sure. I suppose that I will more or less figure that out as I go along. What I do know is that I will feel a lot more in-control than I have in a while, and it's exhilarating. Sure, there is the possibility for failure. I know it's a risky move, but part of this move is having enough faith in myself that I can do it.
Of course, if you have any suggestions, words of wisdom or even a project that you might be interested in working with me on, feel free to drop a line. I'd love to chat more.
