How bad can it get?
I ask myself this question, but not in relation to the credit crunch, but how bad the environmental crisis will have to become before newspapers will devote as many column inches to the environment as they do to the economy. A selection of today’s front pages from Newseum.
Without the environment there will be no economy, so why don’t the newspapers run stories on the environmental crisis? Is it to do with basic human psychology and our inability to imagine the future – whether it be good or bad? Are we that selfish and focused on short-term goals?
Noisy Decent Graphics has created a spoof edition of The Economist to the examples above (language warning for sensitive folk).
Filed under: Environmental, Media | Leave a Comment
Tags: Add new tag, column inches, credit crunch, crisis, environment, Media
Palatino’s Writing Manual 1578
This book is in the collection at the Department of Typography in Reading. Today I got to touch it, leaf through it, hold it, and generally caress the lovely goodness of a book printed about 200 years before white fellas came to Australia. Next week I get to hold a volume of the Book of Kells, I am not kidding.
A description of the Palatino book: Known in his time as the “calligrapher’s calligrapher," Palatino first published this work in 1540 under the title Libro Nuovo. Especially noted for its samples of chancery scripts, the work includes examples of non-western scripts, as well as hieroglyphs and cipher alphabets.
You can buy a copy for US$3,750 if you are interested. The Antiquarian Booksellers of America has one copy, slightly worn!
Filed under: Old Books | Leave a Comment
Tags: 1578, Palatino, Writing Manual
The Gutenberg Press
First day at university today and look what I found:
It’s the actual replica made on the Stephen Fry documentary from the BBC (you can watch it at the link). I am hoping it will be staying at the university and I will get to use it. We will get to do some letterpress work but perhaps not on this lovely machine. I am so excited!
Filed under: Typography | 1 Comment
Tags: Gutenberg Press, Stephen Fry
Dashboards
I like the idea of the dashboard as a way of retrieving information with a quick glance. The Indianopolis Museum of Art has a dashboard which summarises some key figures about the museum. I think it would be more effective for the consumer if it had some comparisons.
The kw useage for example could be compared to other museums, or like the Australian electricity bills, to what they used this time last year. Comparing seems to be a very natural human desire (I am constantly doing it here in my new digs), so it may also help with communication.
Thanks to Information Aesthetics for the link.
Filed under: Information Design, Web | Leave a Comment
Tags: comparing, dashboard
Good Conversation
Am here all alone in Reading for the time being, so this work by Martin Nicolauson originally posted at It’s Nice That really resonates with me. I have been striking up conversations with many random strangers (none have yet run away). Tomorrow university starts, so this may stop, or perhaps we can get some great conversation benches at the uni like this one to make people have to work and converse together.
Filed under: Design, Environmental | Leave a Comment
Tags: furniture
Urban Mapping have produced a map of New York and Chicago printed with multiple layers that can be viewed separately just by tipping the map back and forth. There is a layer for streets, neigbourhood and for the subway. A fantastic way of increasing the usability of a 2D map. Watch a video about it here. Via SpeakUp!
Filed under: Infographics | Leave a Comment
Tags: lenticular printing, map, printing
Graphics “en plein air”
A few examples of how to bring graphical explanations into the real world. Perhaps this sort of application can communicate to even more people because it is less “nerdy” and more approachable.
The first is called TerraForm and is a short film by Johannes Brückner which simply describes globalization and the challenges it creates for humans. An incredible amount of work. Via Information Aesthetics.
The second is a series of graphical sculptures made by Joshua Callaghan. The one below depicts military spending by nation. What country do you think is on the left? Clue. Via Information Aesthetics.
Filed under: Infographics | Leave a Comment
Tags: Graphical Sculptures, Physical Infographics
Who wants a freelance job?
A friend of a friend, etc, needs someone to design a record sleeve. A gatefold no less. There is hardly the scent of money involved, but vinyl gatefold jobs don’t come around too often.
It’s for a “disco/lo-fi punk” artist with strong political influences. The brief is very tight, but could be fun to work within. The person who takes the job will need to be able to illustrate something along the lines of the rather hyper-galactic design of the Rod Stewart sleeve below.
If you are interested, please email me and I will forward the details.
Filed under: Jobs | Leave a Comment
Tags: freelance, job, record sleeve
Do good get fit
Social Design Site reports on the Good Gym, a project where participants get fit whilst doing some good for the community. For example, whilst on your daily run you could also deliver a newspaper to a less mobile member of your community.
The project is particularly targetting loneliness and isolation for older people in Britain and is supported by Thinkpublic and has been given seed funding from Unltd*, an organisation who provide funding to people wanting to create positive social change.
Filed under: Community | Leave a Comment
Tags: Get fit, Good Gym
Presentation Tips
I can hardly believe that in about a month I will be in another country and back in school – I think the last exam I had was my driving test – so this will be interesting.
I have given my fair share of presentation tips over the last couple of years whilst teaching, but now I will need to heed some of my own advice. To this end, I am bookmarking these two sites to remind me of how good presentations can be made.
43 Folders has a list of things to consider when making presentations to make them a little better, and ZuiPrezi is a funky little online presentation editor which lets you create “non-linear” presentations. Certainly a hell of a lot more interesting than powerpoint.
Thanks to Communication Nation for the tip.
Filed under: Technology, Tips, Web | Leave a Comment
Tags: presentation tips, ZuiPrezi
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