Back!

Yes yes yes. I have not uploaded anything for months now, summer, holidays, work etc have just got in the way. Anyway, should be putting up more regular info from now on, well hopefully.

Below is a project I am doing for a client for their Christmas gift to their clients. They are a recycling company, therefore the bottles used are to be recycled, the labels are recycled envelopes and the images are recycled from ones I produced last year using old toilet rolls and cutout silhouettes.

There are to be 50 bottles in total.

lamp of memories

Small private project making a lamp from old slides. This one shows slides of Oxford where I lived for eight years in the 90s. Slides courtesy of Jon Davidson, a photographer I worked with at the time.

website complete for The Cardinals, Hatt

New website for The Cardinals Hatt restaurant, bar and hotel is now live.

www.thecardinals-hatt.co.uk

internal publicity for "The Cardinals Hatt"

Slight change of direction from previous ads, this is more bold/colourful. I think I may still ad more colour yet, I am not sure about the white background.

Results are in on the future of type

Earlier this month, designer Sarah Hyndman hosted a St Brides workshop asking: “What is the Future of Type?” The question provoked mixed reactions on Twitter ahead of the event: on the day, Hyndman says, some common themes emerged.

“The main points that arose included the evolution of type and whether words may ultimately become obsolete as technology and globalisation progress. Physical print is still in demand - there has been a resurgence in letterpress and the Adana press is back in production in Japan - but whether this is a new trend or a final swansong remains to be seen,” she says.

Participants also raised concerns that the availability of web fonts could lead to poorly designed or 'bad' type, as web designers are given access to tools previously available only to print designers. But Hyndman says that historically, this kind of experimentation has led to major developments.

“[We discussed that] we are currently in a period of convergence, where the flexibility of web typography has caught up with print and there is no longer a differentiation between the two. But is this limiting web type to imitating print, and will the next stage in type evolution be when it is redesigned for an on-screen environment? Meanwhile, as 3D printing becomes more accessible, it's bringing more opportunities, from creating new letterpress letters to 3D type,” she says.

Responsive type technology was also a key talking point, adds Hyndman. “Type layout is becoming liquid, [and] responsive type offers exciting possibilities, from authors and users having the opportunity to personalise their experience, to experiments being done with functions like built-in cameras that prompt on-screen type to respond to a physical environment.”

Participants put forward several new responsive type ideas, says Hyndman, and recreated tweets posted on the subject of type's future in lettering based on Victorian type samples from the library's collection (below).

However, while technological changes could have an exciting and positive impact on physical print, Hyndman says those attending also expressed a need to ensure that the written word doesn't become inaccessible as tablets and e-readers become the norm.

“It is already predicted that most reading will be done on a tablet within two years. If this is the case, then we have a responsibility to avoid returning to a situation where only those who can afford it have access to the written word,” she says.

Noma Bar // Graphic Stoytelling

Noma Bar // Graphic Storytelling from West of England Design Forum on Vimeo.

The ability to tell a story through a few, well-considered marks is a skill that Noma Bar has carefully mastered over the years. By finding the positive within the negative space, he is able to confidently present a subject, leaving you to discover the hidden thread and unravel the story.

By striving for ‘maximum communication with minimum elements’ Noma Bar’s unique graphic style has become instantly recognisable throughout the world. Revered by his peers, he has won various industry awards, with his ‘Cut It Out’ exhibition nominated for the Design Museum's Designs of the Year 2012. Enjoy this short taster from an evening with Noma.

What is the future of typography?

A workshop at St Bride’s next month will discuss the Future of Typography. What do you think is the future of type?

‘You might as well ask “What is the future of mankind?”.
Why could anybody ask such a general and unspecific question? I’ll still answer it. The future of type is the past of type: visual language. As long as we speak and write, we’ll have type. Different voices, different messages, different media: different type.’

Erik Spiekermann, designer and typographer and founder of Edenspiekermann

‘With a heavy heart we announce type is dead. The improvements in voice-operated user interfaces renders redundant buttons, signage, poetry anthologies and council tax reminders! Bah! That’ll never happen. The return of online long-form copywriting a celebration of type doing what it does best, convey information. As it gets ever easier to design, publish and use type online it is interesting as digital natives develop digitally what David Carson, Vaughan Oliver, Barnbrook et al. have done so well in print.’

James Hurst, digital director at Prophet & founder of The Type Foundry

‘Don’t worry about the future of type. 99.99% of the populace doesn’t. Type, language, #hashtags, symbols - they are always going to be evolving and that is great - it adds a lovely texture to our lives. There is no need to get bogged down in the big questions or small details - progress doesn’t happen when you stand still. Now as creative director of NB Studio and Chairman of The Typographic Circle I would like this set in Akzidenz-Grotesk kerned -20. Please look out for widows, orphans, rivers etc…’

Alan Dye, creative director of NB Studio and chairman of The Typographic Circle

‘Whatever the future holds for typography, there is no doubt that the fundamentals will remain. The English language may evolve bringing new words and phrases; passing trends will introduce new fonts and styles; new devices might even project content directly to your brain. However, poor kerning and widows will still annoy those who care, Baskerville will always be a classic and Rosewood will never be suitable for a fire exit – unless it’s in a saloon.’

James Clarke, senior creative, Roundel

‘In the studio this year we’ve had to deal with how copy appears on a series of adverts ranging from Tube cards to in-app adverts. What corporate typeface to use when the brand has to appear modern yet traditional and work well across all online platforms. And of course the letterpress-printed wood type that needs to look great on a set of covers and but enlarge well when it’s used in-store on point of sale! The future’s evolving, adding more and more applications, being revived, going out of fashion again and above all about experimenting with whatever comes along.’

James Webb, director, Webb & Webb

‘What is exciting to see is the continued and growing interest in type. There are independent type foundries popping up all over the place and people painting shop signs by hand again. In the end this means people will be more informed about typography and will have more choice of how and what to use. Yes, there’ll be some terrible stuff made, but there’ll also be some ground-breakers. Above all more people will be having their words written in their own voice.’

Oli Frape, illustrator and typographer

‘The future of typography is unwritten.’

Frith Kerr, founder, Studio Frith