Studying Process Type Foundry
This post is a bit of an experiment for me. It’s also has taken a couple days to complete hence the slow down in posts this week. I started off digging around the podcast U from iTunes checking out what I might have missed while listening to my regular podcasts. I came across what the Walker Arts center had and was impressed. One of the more interesting lectures to me that I saw was from the people at Process Type Foundry. I’d bought Locator back in the days when I was in Canada so I thought that talk was one that I should start off with. So walking back and fourth to work for a couple days I listened to it. I really enjoyed it—actually so much so I watched again at home. The first time around I didn’t get to see any of the visuals which played a significant part in the talk. So the second time around I focused on the visuals and made some notes.
Those notes kind of grew into the second part of this post. I haven’t worked with Locator for quite some time so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to set my notes in type. That’s what I did above. But since I was experimenting already I figured I take a look at the digital relationship between my original paper/pen notes, to laying it out with Locator while treating it like an image, and then to compare that to copy + pasting it in standard html.
So that’s the scoop with the post—I highly recommend watching the talk, I got a lot out of it. In upcoming posts I might talk a bit more about that.
Process Type Foundry, Minneapolis
Eric Olson and Nicole Dotin
Lecture:Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Part of Avant la lettre: Insights 2009 Design Lecture Series
Learn how they name typefaces
Work in parallels
Draw influence from other fields
Gathering ideas
Things that fall to the side
“it hadn’t had its day”
Influence in the pile
Gathering ideas*
Bunch of ideas, they came together
There are other possibilities
Post Script
· 256 characters…
Q. What is the Facebook font?
A. Klavika
Collect jump off points
“I’m not the type police, I’m not trying to write a ticket”
Patterns = Shapes repeat
Rhythm = left to right
Range
Slice of culture—draw parallels
Didn’t want to look at a set of solutions that are already solved
Abstract to typeface
“persistence in the continuous face of failure”
sponge/weak/timid
page colour/weight = 20 units
“here’s the modern type foundry in the truck”
Yes, you “set your notes in type” without alt texts. I’d say your actual Web skills are getting worse by the day, Michael.
I suppose everyone is different when it comes to offering advice, but would it hurt to just say “Hey Michael, I realize your busy doing epic design work, but when you have a moment maybe it would be a good idea to include the alt text with the images. I realize that you must have run out of time this morning.” Politeness goes a long way—plus the web isn't print, It can actually be iterated on.