After reading it, the outlook for sustainable print design in America looks pretty bleak – not that personal experience has indicated otherwise. I asked my printer the other day if he takes special measures towards minimizing his company’s impact on the environment, and his response, with a confused look on his face, was “well, we recycle?” I’ll have to get him a copy of this manual – maybe to be responsible, I’ll just send him a PDF.
I’m also considering making the manual the subject of my book club one of these months. That, or/and Cradle to Cradle.
Today, good taste is often erroneously rejected as old fashioned because the ordinary man, seeking approval of his so-called personality, prefers to follow the dictates of his own peculiar style rather than submit to any objective criterion of taste.
Here’s another:
Since typography appertains to each and all, it leaves no room for revolutionary changes. We cannot alter the essential shape of a single letter without at the same time destroying the familiar printed face of our language, and thereby rendering it useless.
Reiterating the previous idea:
…the typographer is chained more than any other artist by the unalterable word…
Here is my one card for AIGA Nebraska’s Design The Hand You’re Dealt. It’s a somewhat De Stijl inspired five of clubs. It’s a simple design derived from a varied scale, in which everything is in proportion to the length of each side divided by the aspect ratio. For example, the cards are 8″ by 12″, so the aspect ratio is 1:1.5, so the varied scale is 12″, 8″, 5.33″, 3.55″, etc.. Each side of all of the elements on this card are one of these lengths, and many of them are the same aspect ratio. There’s still alot that’s arbitrary about the design, I’m sure, but at least I can pretend there isn’t.
I saw this odd scene on my way into the UNO Library today. Browsing through the design book section there, I happened to run into Design of Warning Labels and Instructions. If I get around to reading it, I’ll be sure to tell you about it.
Tonight I am going to watch the second half of Pride and Prejudice. It is based on the book by Jane Austen, which I recently completed reading. I have been on this kick the last couple of years of trying to catch up on all of the classics I didn’t read in High School (I get most of the books for very cheap at the Public Library’sBook Sales, or at estate sales). Unlike The Grapes of Wrath, seeing this movie after reading the book is far from a disappointment. The actors they chose are absolutely perfect, and the dialogue is word-for-word from the book. The only downfall is that altogether it is five hours long (much shorter than reading the book, however). By the way, it’s a great story.
