When I Have 19 Mice…

Hey, who says that work can’t be fun?!

When I cleaned 19 mice inside out, from the top to their “tails,” I had an idea. Yes. An idea that I could make them into type…

With the help of Jolyn, whose figure showed at the bottom of the photo, we made it happen.

Second photo was a little fuzzy. I was standing on the table…

Fun day at work!

Lab Hour Sign Design

Part of my job over the winter in the Newhouse lab is to design the signs for next semester. Can’t ask for a better job, someone paid me to design!

Revised regular hour sign. Thanks, AJ for reminding me the upside W!

illustration courtesy to bunny.

regular hour sign Still in progress. I will update later when the version is finalized.

2010 Resolution

blah blah blah another new year resolution post you may not want to see. I feel the obligation to post something new dedicated to the new year, despite all that:

• I want to design something every week in 2010. Not everyday, because I know I can’t make it.
• I want to go to the gym two to three times a week, stay healthy.
• I want to read 10 books, genres can vary.
• I want to do some voluntary design work that contribute to the community.
• I want to learn the basics of advertising, marketing and copywriting.
• I want to spend less money on anything else and save up for a trip for myself.
• I want to travel to a new continent, either Africa or South America, in my case. Antarctica will be nice too.
• I want to break the mold of design, to break off from trends, and do something fun.
• I want to be more myself, than the one everyone expects.
• I want to be kinder, better citizen, think of others more often than I do now.
• I want to get my driver’s license.

Reading: 13 Ways of Looking at a Typeface

Why choose a particular typeface? I have probably 5 or 6 reasons:

• it works better
• it flows nicely
• it echoes the project
• i like it
• it feels right
• that’s it. no more browsing millions of typefaces in Suitcase…(this is all it comes down to)

After studying typography for a semester (many thanks to my professor Greg Hedges), I came to the realization that different typefaces have particular voices. (Dah?) Well, you may laugh, saying “oh come on, of course they do.” But it took me a long time, really long, to begin to grasp what it really means.

It is easy to say that Bodoni looks fashionable while Rosewood can be used on a circus poster. But when I have to choose a typeface that works for a certain project, those understandings doesn’t seem to be enough. Also, I always struggle between using great typefaces and using new unknown typefaces.

Although it is true that great typefaces always work, as Massimo Vignelli has proved that 5 typefaces are enough, I sometimes want to break the rules and try something new. Either the new typeface will work, or not. There is a 50% chance there, a pretty high rate for success, comparing to gambling.

But in 99.99% of the time, I come back to those great typefaces in the end of the experiments. Why? I can’t backed myself up with enough reasons to use new/unknown typefaces. Design is rational, isn’t it? Since I can’t convince myself that it will be good fit, I return to embrace the great typefaces, as many others.

This situation might change, starting today, after reading Michael Bierut’s article Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Typeface on Design Observer. It’s an old article published in 2007, I wish I’d seen it then, but it is now to me more helpful than ever.

Why Michael Bierut choose a particular typeface?

1. Because it works

2. Because you like its history.

3. Because you like its name.

4. Because of who designed it.

5. Because it was there.

6. Because they made you.

7. Because it reminds you of something.

8. Because it’s beautiful.

9. Because it’s ugly

10. Because it is such an interesting read, that you should read the article.

I can now choose a typeface because it’s ugly. It feels great.

Design Projects(gress) 2009: After Effects

First typography kinetic type project made using after effects.

First minute of Snow Patrol’s You Could Be Happy, click here to watch.