Typographical arrangement for the NSLC’s annual report. I made up this fact. They tell me that the number is totally insane.

I’ve been wanting to get back into doing things like this, mostly as creative exercises to keep me interested in design. Of course, creative exercises in and of themselves are also something of a luxury; it seems like that pesky work keeps getting in the way.

Part of a newsletter for the Wicker Emporium

Lately I’ve found, however, that there’ve been some opportunities to incorporate some more interesting typographical arrangements into my work, and as a result I’ve been paying better attention to the shapes that letters form and how they fit together. It’s a bit more time and effort, but I’m enjoying it, and I think it lends a certainly liveliness to pieces that might otherwise be a little tame.

Butterfly tag for a line of jewelry

So, while I’m still hoping to get into doing more self-assigned creative exercises, it’s redeeming to be able to find opportunities in my work in which to pay more attention to type. I seem to be crazy-busy these days, which is great, but it means that if I’ve got some down-time, I’m not exactly in the mood to stare at my computer.

Part of a print ad, again for the Wicker Emporium. Their branding allows for three fonts, so I’m rather familiar with the peculiarities of each. Luckily, this one (Fontin) is a rather well-made typeface. I love its G.

Playing with type is a great way to indulge my more detail-oriented side (that would probably be all of my sides, actually). I’ve got a lot to learn, but the more I do it, the more I start noticing minute details—which, really, is what makes for good typographic arrangements.

Another piece from the NSLC’s annual report. We’re going for a magazine-style look, and the whole thing will have a heavy focus on typography in order to give it some visual interest.

Of course, this isn’t likely to make me more enjoyable to be around in a social context. (“Look at that gap between those letters! Whoever kerned that ought to be shot!” doesn’t make for the most scintillating cocktail-party conversation. I think my friends are tired enough of my constant running commentary on menus, posters, and the like.)

But it’ll make me a better designer.

Sure, it’s often dirty, loud, crowded, and outmoded. Oftentimes it’s a good way to run into people you’d rather avoid. But it’s an excellent measure of the vitality of a city—its public transit system is the lifeblood of its “common” people, and a reflection of how it treats them. Of course, the city in which I live has one of the most miserable public transit systems I’ve come across. I sold my little Honda Civic just before I left for five weeks in eastern Europe last summer, and I’ve been struggling to get by without it ever since. (Winter’s going to be fun.)

A year ago I found cheap airfare to Mexico, and have since been taking off on a regular basis, traveling about and becoming a bit of a digital nomad (which is another story entirely). I’ve been lucky to do a decent bit of traveling since then, and I’ve taken buses, trains, subways, ferries, and trams in various cities across nine different countries, most of which spoke languages unintelligible to me. Given the language barrier, the fact that I was almost always solo, and the fact that I can get lost in a three-foot-square glass bubble, I started paying a lot of attention to wayfaring signage.

Malostranská station in Praha

I received an email this morning about Helvetica and the New York City Subway System: The True (Maybe) Story, which looks like a gorgeous book. NYC’s subway system is definitely known for its use of Helvetica, which makes it easy to spot a subway entrance on a crowded street (though I’ve very infrequently found this to be of great difficulty, with the exception of Rome, whose Metro symbol looked like a McDonald’s, which littered Italy in the same ubiquitous way you find Tim Horton’s here). However, when I was there, I was more interested in the typefaces used to display the station names set in mosaic tiles in the wall, which seemed to be more a relic of the system’s past than of any utilitarian value.

I think it’s these decorative elements, mixed with the more strictly “Oh, God, where am I?” usefulness of the actual signage, that interests me about transit systems. In Boston, I saw an advertisement for Coraline that was installed in pieces to display in the window as the train passed (thanks, YouTube! How did we ever survive without you?), making clever use of the rather fragmented movement of the car. I didn’t take the metro much in Budapest, but when I went to the Turkish baths, I found a gorgeous yellow line station full of ornate columns and interesting textures. (Unfortunately, my camera was out of film, but here’s an image of another well-restored station.) Prague had probably my favourite system—the trains may have been crowded, but they were intensely simple for a tourist to get around in. Trains from the same line would arrive on either side of the platform, above which hung a great big colour-coded sign that indicated where you were, and which stops either train would service from there. Once you hopped on, there were maps of the subway line everywhere, with little diagrams of major monuments at the stops. The present stop and next stop would be announced via an audible loudspeaker at each stop—not all that useful if Czech sounds like Wookie to you—and displayed on a visible LCD screen. It was nearly impossible to get lost, and pretty to boot.

Wayfaring is one of those things where the importance of good design becomes very evident—do it well and everyone’s happy; do it badly and chaos ensues. What are some examples of good, bad, or beautiful signage you’ve seen in public places?

Anyway. Two things I’ve learned:

• Gmail doesn’t care about your CSS text-formatting. That’s right, that means you’ll need to use <FONT> tags. Gross. I haven’t used those in at least five years!
• Outlook 2007 will make things look ugliest. Apparently, this is because it uses the MS Word rendering engine. Now, seriously? Why? If you’ve ever tried to design anything in Word, well, you know how impossible it is. They do, however, provide this handy little “validator” to check to see how/if your code is going to work, which is nice for those of us who get the shakes just opening Outlook. And it’ll plug into Dreamweaver!

On a vaguely related, but mostly unrelated, note: remember to vote, kids! This is the first year in a while I haven’t been directly involved in doing design work for a campaign, and as a result I’m less jazzed about the election than I usually am, but it’s starting to get to me as the day goes on. Go! Vote! (Or at least spoil your ballot (though it’s illegal to do so). Or vote Libertarian, if you can! Efficiency 2008! Down with Busy-Work! Alright, now I’m excited.)

and a “new” website (that was completed months ago). I really don’t like updating my own website!

But I’m determined that it’s about time to do it, especially given that I’m about to move again, and that means that my address as listed on the website will be even more wrong than it is currently. (Sure, in theory it only takes two minutes to change it, but that’s not how I work…if I’m going to spend two minutes, I’m going to be there three hours trying to fix all the little things.) At any rate, all the little things have really added up, and it’s time for some major-ish rearranging.

Actually, the most dramatic upgrade has already happened, and that was my finally giving in to the whole “blog” phenomenon. It took years, but I finally buckled, and I’m sort of enjoying it. What sold me on WordPress is how monstrously simple it is—I actually started using it the place of a word processor, and I find it much smarter: it auto-saves constantly (good for those of us prone to data loss), it’s totally un-bloaty, it’s faster than typing out my own html, and it auto-formats my smart quotes. God, I love smart quotes. I actually spent an hour or so today formatting a client’s novel to get rid of all the dumb quotes, hyphens, and “period” ellipses. I don’t know why these tiny details are so important to me–but I suspect that there’s a place where the grammar-fascist in me meets the typophile, and proper typography is born. Or maybe it’s just that I, embarassingly enough, didn’t know about smart quotes and such for so long that I now consider them to be something of a litmus test for “quality” design?

Smart quotes aside, the news/blog section has all been redone, and I like it a lot, and may even get into the habit of using it more frequently. WordPress is really great and easy to develop themes for (once you figure out what you’re doing), which I’ve been doing of late for Lilith Saintcrow, who writes novels about girls who kick ass and take names (all told, the best kind of lady). I’ve got a couple more weblog-based websites in the works, so I’m learning a lot these days.

On a side note, why is there always an elephant (in the room) on my to-do list? I’m a notorious list-maker, and I’ll sometimes prioritize my lists in order of importance, not that I follow my own order religiously. For example, today I’m at #12, but #3 is still sitting there patiently, un-crossed, with three exclamation marks following it. It’s the most vital thing on my list, but I’m betting it’ll be the one thing that’ll end up being neglected. Is this some kind of subconscious self-mutilation wherein I’ll always sabotage myself for the work that is most important? How do I trick myself into thinking “eat three tubs of chocolate fudge icing” is the Elephant Task, instead? I’ve read a few productivity-type tips that recommend things like offering to wash a friend’s car, or pay them $50, if you don’t complete the Elephant by the end of the day (the theory being that we’re all inherently lazy, and the only way to make us do something is by threatening us with something more unpleasant), but I feel like that’s somehow compounding the pressure of the situation, thereby inflating the psychic block.

Anyone know how to take down an Elephant (or a run-on sentence)?

Process

1.Do you start with a rough comp or go straight into a “finished” design?

Usually when working for clients I’ll start with four different initial rough mockups. We then revise back and forth, and with each stage of revision I start pulling the pieces together into a more polished final, along with applying the client’s suggestions.

1a. Do you mock up on paper or in photoshop?

A little bit of both, usually … though I usually don’t show the paper mockups to anyone!

2. How much time do you usually spend creating a home page design?

This tends to vary depending on the client and their budget. Most of my clients are small-budget so I keep things as quick as possible without sacrificing aesthetics too much. Usually, to take a design from mockups through to completed template (before any coding happens!) takes around 10 hours, including all the stages of revision.

3. How much time do you typically spend “polishing” a design?

I have been known to spend tens of hours, but generally, as I do try to keep an eye on the clock and not indulge my perfectionist side too much, it tends to average out at about 5–10 hours, depending of course on the complexity of the design!

4. Would you say you are more “get it done, get it out” focused or “get it perfect” focused?

I think I’m naturally more the latter … if I’m designing something for myself or for a client who doesn’t have time restrictions, I can spend a good deal of time poring over the minute details. But most of my clients want it done now, and don’t have a lot of money to spend indulging me, so I do quite effectively steer myself towards the “get it done” line of focus.

5. How do you manage design quality vs. time available?

I try to make it so that my process facilitates better quality, and obviously, as I get better, I find that I’m able to do better work in less time, and spend less time on work that goes nowhere. I try to really restrict the amount of time I put into rough comps, as a lot of this can be “wasted” time. I’ve got to the point where I can do comps far more quickly, and am then left with more time near to the end of a project to refine and polish. I also try to make myself focus on the things that people will actually notice, rather than the things that only matter to me, and this keeps my perspective in line a bit.

Style

1. How would you describe your artistic style?

I do tend to vary—one of the things I love about design is that you don’t really need to pigeonhole yourself into one aesthetic, as different projects require different styles. However, I find my style usually tends toward being rather clean & simple, with bold lines and colour. I like to offset this with the use of textures and typographic flourishes, so that things aren’t quite so stark.

2. Who would you say has influenced your design style?

That’s another thing that I love about design! Influences come from everywhere … I can be as inspired by a bottle of juice as I can be by a stunning website. I find my style is most influenced by beautiful things that I find around me—good recent examples of this are this gorgeous PaperBlanks day planner I bought, a book called “The Modern Gentleman”, and the shape of the tree outside my window.

3. What do you think should drive the visual style of a website?

The most important thing is that it reflects the message of its content, and is in line with its company’s marketing objectives. That comes first—some sites require a textured, elaborate look, while others demand something simpler or more professional-looking. I always try to ensure I have a good idea of what the design should be “saying” prior to even thinking about a design. Design can communicate so much before anyone reads even so much as a word on the page; it’s vital that your first impression be the right one!

4. What are some examples of sites (not yours) that you like?

butterlondon.com, alistapart.com, chicagomanualofstyle.org, giohalifax.com, walnutgrovespring.com, marketcircle.com, 37signals.com, klf.org, webdesignerwall.com

5. What are some examples of sites that you dislike?

MySpace! about.com … there are so many, it’s really hard to just name a few!
Misc

1. To what extent were you taught/receive formal training on design vs. learning by yourself?

I actually learned web design, and, by extension, the basics of PS, when I was about fourteen, so I’d been doing it relying on a “good eye” for some time before I went to school.  School gave me a decent understanding of the basics and of how to apply them, but I found that I’ve learned much more since being out of school! I read a lot: websites, magazines, books, and I’m always trying to learn new things. I feel constantly like a student.

2. What design websites do you read regularly?

A List Apart, Vitamin, Veer, design.Principles, Be a Design Group (since defunct), Graphic Define, FreelanceSwitch, The Book Design Review.

3. What is your a recent blog post or article on design you enjoyed?

There was a fantastic article in the last issue of Design Edge magazine about book cover design that I really enjoyed, and another one about this redesign of a honey manufacturer’s marketing materials. (I tend to enjoy reading magazines more than I do websites! I spend too much time staring into the screen.) I recently really enjoyed this History of the Ampersand.

4.What are your top three “must read” books on design?

Stop Stealing Sheep, The Elements of Typographic Style, Universal Principles of Design.

5. What are the latest trends in web design?

Gradients, things reflected in invisible mirrors (this usually is done without any logical consideration), that curly/flourishy vector look, extra whitespace to create a long long scrolling page, use of large icons and directing graphics, increased simplicity, grunge elements seem to be back again, but in more of a texture/background sort of a way…

It was created by a this by them, who have a rather lovely website themselves. If you flip through the sites they’ve made, you’ll note that most everything seems to have that gorgeous hand-made collaged old-wallpaper feel that I really enjoy. And a great grasp of typography, to boot!

This is the sort of thing I want to be moving towards… I’m finding the clean & simple aesthetic is wearing on me. The closest I’ve got right now is the Walker Inn site, which I really liked at the time of release but now looks dull and affected, by comparison. I think it’s time to take on a new project just-for-me.

Where’ve you been all my life? Or, more accurately, where’ve you been the last four years of my life, during which I never once worried about properly citing an essay penned by three authors quoting a stage play by an unknown playwright? I mean, the Virgo-perfectionist in me really loves style manuals. And I really need to work on my typographic correctness. I’m a little ashamed to say that I’ve only VERY recently come to learn about using my proper em-dashes (I’m still a little unclear on en-dashes). Clients who didn’t automatically smart-quote their own HTML (read: all of them) for a while were the bane of my existence, until I cajoled a programmer friend into writing me a block of regular expressions that does it automatically. I’m making progress.

Anyway, I know it’s been a while, but boy, have you ever kept yourself in shape. What a typographically pretty website.

I’ve had the chance to work with a huge range of companies and people over the past year, producing a range of different projects. I’ve done newspaper ads, illustrations, resumes, and a whole slew of websites, logos, business cards, and brochures. I’ve learned how to use Quickbooks, I’ve streamlined my processes, I’ve learned some AJAX techniques, I’ve rewritten my CMS code base, I’ve read about grids and typography and golden ratios. I’ve lost out on contracts, and I’ve taken on projects that thrilled and challenged me. I make an awful lot less money now than I used to, and I probably work harder. But it’s just so much fun.

However, my one-year-mark is a time for serious consideration. What’s my goal here? Where am I going? How is my little business going to grow up? And, most importantly, how can I keep doing what I love, stay sane, and make enough money to keep me in chocolate and red wine for the rest of my life?

I am coming to realize that:

1. Delegate, delegate, delegate. I am a creature of many talents, but I am not any of the following: Salesman. Accountant. Programmer. Mechanic. Stop thinking you can do everything, and start spending more of your time doing what you are good at and do enjoy.
2. Nothing comes quickly. Projects will take longer than you expected to reach completion. A two-minute fix will turn into a two-hour session of slamming your head against the wall. Sometimes you’ll put an inordinate amount of time into researching an estimate for a project you’re not awarded, only to be handed a bigger and better project a year down the line. A lot of what I do is investment.
3. It is great to be a workaholic, but make sure you get at least three seconds of fresh air every day.
4. Stop taking things so personally. Not everyone can think you’re the next coming, and some days, you will just suck. This does not necessarily mean that you are a total failure in all areas of your life, and it is certainly not cause for a mental breakdown.
5. Nancy Reagan was right, sort of. Sometimes, you should “just say no”. As a small-business owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of jumping at anything that dangles a cheque in front of you, but that’s not really why you’re in this business, anyway, and it’s certainly not the most important factor to consider.

These are my monsters. I’m hoping that, by this time next year, I’ll have massacred at least half of them.

Of course, I forgot to spay my kitten, and she hit puberty one day when I wasn’t home. Suddenly she was weighing about ninety pounds and her belly was the size of a football. Bob Barker would have my head.

So Kalliope is a young, unwed mother. She gave birth to three kittens on September 28th. She was considerate enough to choose my bed as her birthing room, so I came home to find three tiny closed-eyed little rodenty creatures in a pile on my duvet, a bloody mess on my pillow, and a stillborn under my sheet. I did a lot of laundry.

I’ve always been infatuated with creation. Given the option, I’d almost always rather create than consume, which is why I tend to gravitate towards writing, drawing, painting, Lego sets, etc. Watching another life be created, though? That puts everything else to shame. I suppose this is the sort of thing people usually realize when they have children, but, well, I’m too much of a child myself to ever go that route.

While I’ve been feeling unproductive because most of my projects are stalled in some midphase, or they’re behind-the-scenes sorts of pieces that I can’t really add to my portfolio, Kallie’s been raising three beautiful, healthy, and only marginally psychotic tiger-striped felines.

And I’m trying hard not to get attached, but I’ve watched them quadruple in size. I was there when their eyes started to open, I knew them when their ears were closed flat, and I taught them to eat solid food. Two weeks ago, they all had earned names.

This is Copernicus at about three weeks old:

Sabine, today, posing with her favourite plaything (after her Mum’s tail):

And Matilda boning up on her typography:

More crazy-cat-lady photos can be found on my flickr page, if you’re really so inclined.

Oh, and in actual news, I’ve added two new projects—digitaledge.ca and a logo for Comfort & Joy (website in production!). But, really, neither of those attack my shoes when I walk into the room, so they really just seem less thrilling, somehow.