brandonbuerkle : the blog

Typography Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Because the world loves social media, and because the world needs more creative typography, and simply because it's darned neato, FontShop has come up with a site called FontStruct.

While it doesn't necessarily roll off the tongue, the combination of the words "font" and "construct" get the point across: this is a site where you can construct fonts. (Or perhaps this is a term for being bludgeoned by a slab serif? As in: "I was FontStruct." Maybe not.) This is what the site has to say for itself:

"FontStruct is a free font-building tool brought to you by the world’s leading retailer of digital type, FontShop.

FontStruct lets you quickly and easily create fonts constructed out of geometrical shapes, which are arranged in a grid pattern, like tiles or bricks.

You create ‘FontStructions’ using the ‘FontStructor’ font editor.

Once you're done building, FontStruct generates high-quality TrueType fonts, ready to use in any Mac or Windows application."

Proof that the grid system is far more versatile than it sounds, and that limitation begets creativity, FontStruct already boasts over 9,340 fonts available for download. Mind you, that's just the number of public fonts, not the total number of fonts created.

Pretty spiffy.

Typography Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

ould this be the best typographic eye candy site ever? Quite possibly. I'm talking about the Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische. If you dig her work you can even use it yourself (just be sure to follow the usage limitations).

Thanks to Death By Kerning for the Hische tip!

Typography Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Miracle of Miracles! It's Typography Tuesday! On TUESDAY! Wow.

Getting on with it, the final installment of the Typography Tuesday look at alphabet blocks brings us to a fun and highly unconventional set from Xylocopa: the Young Mad Scientist's First Alphabet Blocks.

There are only 5 in the set, but it seems scientifically appropriate to use an Occam's razor approach to the classic toys, particularly when this kind of stunning detail is laser engraved onto each one. So why mad scientist blocks (aside from the fact that their thoroughly cool...)? To quote from their site, "Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists." Indeed. Thank you, Xylocopa, for filling the hole in mad science related children's toys.

And while I would not have associated 1800's ornamental type with mad science, the little DNA-like decorations in the letter forms have me convinced. These blocks are undeniably awesome.

Typography Tuesday... well, Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0000

So I'm still not getting this perfect, but at least I'm getting closer! *Sigh*

This week's post continues along the vein of really super cool letter blocks with three sets from House Industries. House is a prolific type foundry, which produces startlingly beautiful work. I particularly enjoy their alphabet blocks, each designed to not only display a stylish alphabet, but also fit together like a puzzle in a variety of ways. To wit:

Alexander Girard Alphabet Blocks

Neutraface Slab Blocks

PhotoLettering Blocks

*Sniffle*
I'm getting all teary-eyed, their so beautiful.

Typography Tuesday... er, Friday.

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Yeah, so obviously I'm still getting a hang of this whole regular posting stuff. To my credit, I was on vacation this past Tuesday, so better late than never, right? And I'm not even into next week yet! How great is that!?

Anyway, the typographic inspiration for this post comes straight from my living room. All over my living room. This is the kind of typography that really hurts to step on. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite applications of typography: the humble alphabet block.

As for my household, we have the simple, straightforward, inexpensive, ubiquitous (and most importantly, locally purchased) blocks. These are the classic chunks of wood in red, blue, yellow, and green, set in some relative of Clarendon. Ours in particular are Schylling Big Blocks.

But these are one of countless possibilities for block design. There are more possible block variations than there are extant typefaces. So what else is out there?

To begin with, there are the numerous elegant block sets created by German toy maker Lindenwood, under their Uncle Goose brand. When I first saw these things, they made me drool. Honestly. Check it out:

They make so much more than these beauties. They also make a sans serif line...

... foreign alphabets...

... and even patterns!

So cool! Check out all the different variations (from Latin-based alphabets to Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Chinese, and even Braille) at the Uncle Goose Brand Blocks site.

Typography Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Okay, so obviously my experiment in self-discipline failed initially. I only missed – what – 3 weeks? Let's try this again, shall we?

The other day I was extremely excited to find that Veer added a new type coffee mug to their Merch repertoire. I am already a proud owner of their Helvetica Coffee Mug:

But low and behold, they have done it again! Veer now offers a Garamond Coffee Mug:

Typography Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Since I have been neglecting this blog in favor of my other – family – blog (and rightly so: family comes first), I have decided to try something new. I am beginning an experiment to see if adding regular features will help me blog more, well, regularly. The experiment will start with a weekly Typography Tuesday post, featuring whatever typographic topic or eye candy I happen to come across. Readers (if I have any), may feel free to send typographic fodder my way if they see something that particularly rocks their world.

So this Tuesday, the featured typeface comes from Veer's Umrella collection. Behold: Phaeton!

Application Alphabet

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Soon after I got my iTouch and began downloading new apps for it, I noticed that many app icons contained single letter representations. I concluded that I had to collect all of the letters of the alphabet in app form. There was no debating, it absolutely had to be done. I needed a little icon alphabet sitting on my iTouch screen, and life would not be complete without it. I did not (and still have not) looked to see of it had been done before. I guessed that it probably had, but I wanted this to be my quest, with no cheating or hints from anyone who may have gone on this quest before.

I set up a couple of rules for myself:
1. The app must be free if at all possible.
2. I could buy an app if I could actually use the app enough to justify its purchase.
3. The app icon could only contain the letter being sought - no additional letters.
4. The app icon did not have to contain the letterform itself so long as the image it contained reasonably resembled the letter.
5. Make the alphabet as varied and colorful as possible. If I have the choice between two apps, use the one that adds the most diversity to the whole.

After a couple of months of searching for apps off and on, I've finally completed the alphabet. Here is the result:

The Daily Rag

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Steven Heller wrote in today's Daily Heller about the redesign of the International Herald Tribune, and asked, "Who among you read printed newspapers or has the online experience became your method of getting the news?"

My response: There's nothing like the paper and coffee in the morning.

As someone who prides himself on trying to "go green," I find my greatest difficulty is in letting go of print. I just can't do it. Try as I might to read books on my iTouch, I still have a home library that seems to spread like glitter on a two-year-old.

Likewise, I must read The Oregonian in the morning in its printed form. OregonLive (the corresponding website) has never come close to providing the same experience (or readability, or layout, or organization, or simplicity of design, etc.) as the daily rag.

Call me a tree-killer, but I can't go without print.

New Use for the iTouch Flashlight App

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I need to do some trace work, transferring a sketch I did to a cleaner line drawing. I thought to myself, "I need a light table." However, innovation struck. I had just downloaded the Flashlight app for my iTouch a few days prior, and remembering that nice, bright, solid white, flat surface, it just made me think of a mini light table. At only 3.5 inches wide it was a bit on the diminutive side, but the sketch was small enough that it worked just fine. I'll have to remember this the next time I need to view slides on the go as well!

Where the Wild Letter Forms Are

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Will you weep for joy like I did when you see the trailer for the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are movie? I hope so. It just looks that good. (Be sure to click the little HD icon to watch in high definition, and then set it to full screen. Good times!)

After you get over the initial shock of seeing the possibility that a classic icon of post-1963 childhood has come brilliantly to life, watch the trailer a second time. During your second viewing, take a gander at the hand-done typography and zoomorphic lettering. It makes me giddy!

Earth Hour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Time to vote with my light switch. Here in Newberg, Oregon, I am turning off the lights for an hour (and then some) to help save energy, and hopefully help save the Earth.

Woot!

Public Literature (and Typography?)

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:26:00 +0000

I read a great piece in The Oregonian today by Bryan Doyle called "A Note on Public Literature" that you should read. It is beautiful prose poetry (whether it was intended to be or not).

[Above photo courtesy LaVeta Jude on Flickr.]

Don't stare too long...

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Cutest Baby + Rockin'est Photographer = Eyeball Exploding Cuteness

Check it out at Heather España's blog.

Baby Typography

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:49:00 +0000

For Christmas my son Inen received the awesomest one-piece outfit. Layered with texture and color, it's a testament not only to the love between mommy, daddy, and baby, but also to fun type styles.

I love that although there is an instance of Comic Sans, it's actually used appropriately, and in moderation – compacting a comparatively large block of text into a small space, thereby balancing it with all the other really groovy type.

Book Review: The Uncommon Reader

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Alan Bennett writes a great read with his story of the Queen of England's discovery of what it means to be a reader, and how reading can change a person for good or ill. Her Majesty's journey into books seems like something with which I, and so many, can identify. It is for that reason that the novella's title becomes rather inappropriate. The Uncommon Reader hits the mark so well with the Queen as representative of every reader that she seems not to be an uncommon reader, but rather, every reader. I think it appropriate in this novella that the monarch who is supposed to represent her people becomes the readers' everyman – the reader's monarch.

Whether you agree with this reader or not, The Uncommon Reader is a great story for anyone fond of books.

Inspiration and Hope

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:58:00 +0000

I haven't posted for the whole month of October. I haven't found much in the design world that inspired me enough to get off my rear and blog, when my son deserves my time and attention (and blog posts) so much more.

Tonight we witnessed a major historic event for the United States of America. Americans elected Barack Obama as their 44th president. There are so many things that Obama stands for, but tonight, right now, more than anything else, he stands for hope for my son's future. He is truly an inspiration. Thank you America, for voting as my wife and I did, for the hope of a better tomorrow for my son, and for all of us.

Foundations of Graphic Design

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:32:00 +0000

My friend Mike works for Oregon Connections Academy. He has a student who wants to be a graphic designer, and wanted me to give him some recommendations on what he can do to prepare. Well, I did not have traditional training for this occupation. I didn't go to an art school, and I was the first to graduate with a degree in graphic design from the University I attended (read: program guinea pig). After college I had the fortune of being able to learn on the job doing both prepress (boy was that ever valuable!) and design. Thinking back to what I would have liked to know before hand to prepare me for the field, I really couldn't think of anything specifically design-related. Really, the basics of any highschool instruction plus a well-rounded liberal arts education was probably the best thing for me in this field. Here's what I wrote to Mike's student:

Hey DC,

I hear from Mike that you're planning on going into the field of graphic design. Great! It's a whole lot of work, and a whole lot of fun. Mike wanted me to put together sort of a tip sheet for you – as in, what would I have liked to have done or known to prepare me for this field if I were in high school again. Here's what I came up with:

1) Know that graphic design is just another word for visual communication. Many schools would categorize graphic design as a visual arts major, and some of the best design programs I've heard of are at art schools. However, I would equally categorize it as a communications major. The goal of graphic design is to communicate – whether that be to persuade, to express, or to inform; and because communication is a two-way street, graphic design can even be meant to gather information, as a medium to allow "viewers" to persuade, express or inform back.
So I would recommend a solid foundation in the basis of human communication. Know how to read well, write well, and speak well. Language is a large part of how we think and process, and some of the best visual solutions come out of the language we use. Plus, good communication skills are essential to understanding problems and presenting solutions. This brings me to point number two.

2) Graphic design is about problem solving. In this way, it has to potential to make significant impacts. Design can allow people to understand points of view that were previously incomprehensible, and is therefore a tool for reconciliation, unification, resolution, and even peacekeeping. Graphic design can make something that was difficult much easier, make the unclear clear. Graphic design can save lives.
Of course, the vast majority of what you will do as a designer will be (or seem) much more mundane. But you will still be taking someone's problem, and creating a solution. So I would recommend honing your abstract thinking skills. Try your best at understanding math and logic – that's the basis for abstract thinking.

3) Graphic design is beautification. A good solution or an appealing message will be beautiful – or better said, will have a visually appropriate impact on the viewer depending upon the intended purpose of the design. Ugly is beautiful if it's supposed to be ugly for the purpose of a good visual solution. One of the cornerstones of creating something beautiful is craftsmanship. So like a musician trying to make it to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. Study other people's work that you find beautiful. What makes it beautiful? Don't be afraid to copy in order to learn – that's how the master painters did it. (Don't copy others' work as a final solution – that's called plagiarism.)

4) Some things I would recommend doing regularly in order to prepare for this field would be:
• Read often. Anything at all (preferably good writing, but really, reading in itself is an edifying exercise).
• Write reasonably often, and do so in full sentences (no shorthand), always reading out loud (or "out loud in your head") what you've written after you've written it.
• Draw as often as possible. Doodling is drawing. (I feel hypocritical here, because I have been sucked into the computer trap, and it has taken a great deal of effort of late to start drawing again.)
• Use your hands in your work as often as possible. (Writing utensils count, but computer peripherals do not – not even a Wacom® tablet.)

5) Reading material I would recommend:
• A History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs
• The Elements of Style by Strunk and White (best book on writing... ever)
• The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
• Take a look at HOW, Print, and Communication Arts magazines, which should be available at your local library or college library. (They also often have articles or snippets available on their websites.)
• Look up anything on the internet having to do with Von Glitschka. He's from Salem, and he's awesome.

Well, I hope that helped. It's very general, but very foundational. You can go a lot of directions in graphic design (and more often than not, companies or clients will want you to be able to go all directions), but being a good designer, I believe, starts with the stuff I've mentioned.

Best of luck to you, DC!
peace,
Brandon Buerkle

The 1953 Color Palette?

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:46:00 +0000

The other day I was at my bank, where they often times give out Dum Dums lollipops at the teller. This day they only had one left in the jar, and the colors looked like they might indicate a butterscotch flavor (one of my favorites), so I took it. To my surprise, it was not butterscotch, but piapple coconut. The wrapper was a sort of deep purple and gold, and said "100th Anniversary Flavor", and below that "1953". Obviously 1953 was the year this flavor was released, because if it was supposed to indicate the founding date of Dum Dums, then surely someone over there must be a Dum Dum to be celebrating the 100th Anniversary so early.

What struck me, though, was that a Children's Book Week poster we had decorated my son's room with had very similar colors to this wrapper's as it's primary palette. And this poster was from 1953. Were these – deep purple and gold – some sort of official colors for 1953?

I looked around the web (very very briefly) to find some other 1953 examples to back this up. The War of the Worlds poster from the same year seemed close.

Here's an assignment: see if you can find some other 1953-specific examples on the web that use this color duo, and post the links in your comments to this blog entry.

Birth Announcement from Beyond!!!

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:33:00 +0000

So in case you couldn't tell, I really didn't want to do a traditional birth announcements. I've received far too many of the same old cutesy cards with a picture and a pastel background. No offense to all those who have gone that route to announce the birth of a child, but as far as I'm concerned – as a designer – I needed something a little... different.

I sketched out a few ideas (which I may yet make into announcements to print and sell, along with this one), and the one that seemed to tickle my funny bone the most was the retro monster movie poster theme. The way I see it, the more dire and life-altering an event, the more it needs a bit of humor to take the edge off. Plus, having a kid is a joyful event, and if you can't have a bit of a chuckle because of it, then it's not joyful enough.

The great thing about a birth is that the phenomenon itself is amazing and scary enough, so it doesn't need to be spun much to make it seem like the subject of a monster movie. Slap on a quirky label (Pod Person) to the otherwise ordinary being in question, and "Whammo!" – instant monster movie. The trick, then, was to illustrate it.

After taking a look at a few old horror movie posters, one can easily get a sense of common visual elements: drippy lettering for the title, sans-serif font along the lines of Futura or Univers for the rest of the text, a woman in distress (comes naturally with childbirth), and maybe a shot of the monster or shocked bystanders. Well, we don't want to show a shot of "the monster" because that would be crossing the line. Our baby's too cute for that. Plus, the idea that something's in there about to come out is scary enough (Alien anyone?).

Although most of the old movie posters I looked at were full color, there's something about a 2 color treatment that says, "low budget B-movie." So that's what I did. The woman's head was taken from the Abominable Snowman poster I found, and modified a bit. Nothing like going to the source for that look of shock and terror. I got the torso from a preggy-mom shot, and the rest was just good-ol' Illustrator. The 1950's hospital bed was added in for texture and a sense of space and place. And of course I couldn't leave out the shocked bystander – in this case a wide-eyed doctor modified from a stock photo.

The woman has to be in the moment of impending doom in these posters, so for this announcement the lady had to be in labor. One has to blow the features of the monster out of proportion, but since we weren't showing the monster here, the place where the monster dwells has to be blown out of proportion instead. So now we've got a pregnant belly fit to burst, so big it covers up most of our subject. Ridiculous? Yes. But that's just what we're looking for.

So there it is. Just use words like "amazing" and "cosmic" in the wording on the back, and you've got yourself a genuine, bona fide retro monster movie poster birth announcement... from beyond.

Separation of church and state – er – I mean home and work.

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:48:00 +0000

In the excitement of getting this blog up and posting about my new pride and joy, I ended up mixing two things that shouldn't necessarily be mixed: professional and personal. Since brandonbuerkle.com is my "work site" and I want this blog to focus on art and design inspiration and ways to inspire, I don't want to be blogging about home life on it. (Although, in my defense, a new son is definitely an inspiration.)

So with that, I'm moving the home life subject matter to another blog, brandonandkorie.us – aka brandon @ home. If you want to read about Inen, Korie, and other home and community issues, go there. For art, design, and illustration inspiration, stay here.

Sorry about the confusion! I'll see you around the blogosphere.

So, what's the name?

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:22:00 +0000

{Post moved to www.brandonandkorie.us}

Inen John Buerkle

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:41:00 +0000

{Post moved to www.brandonandkorie.us}

GASP!!!

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:34:00 +0000

Thrusting his head above water and taking in a huge gulp of air, Brandon flails in the deep. For the brief moment they flutter open at the surface of these proverbial waters, one can read in his eyes, "I'll get you a more substantial post with pictures, video, and everything, once I learn to tread water!"

And with that, Brandon heads back under.

Look at me... I'm not a slacker!

noreply@blogger.com (b.buerkle) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:53:00 +0000

So I've just about finished setting this thing up. I'm happy enough with it that I can go to sleep at night without coding in my head. (Yay!) Just a few minor tweaks should do it, and then I can start obsessing over my main site for 24 hours... before my new son arrives! (Yay!)
Don't worry friends, when the little tyke arrives, my posts will become more interesting (God willing).

brandonbuerkle : the blog

Typography Tuesday

Typography Tuesday

Typography Tuesday

Typography Tuesday... well, Wednesday

Typography Tuesday... er, Friday.

Typography Tuesday

Typography Tuesday

Application Alphabet

The Daily Rag

New Use for the iTouch Flashlight App

Where the Wild Letter Forms Are

Earth Hour 2009

Public Literature (and Typography?)

Don't stare too long...

Baby Typography

Book Review: The Uncommon Reader

Inspiration and Hope

Foundations of Graphic Design

The 1953 Color Palette?

Birth Announcement from Beyond!!!

Separation of church and state – er – I mean home and work.

So, what's the name?

Inen John Buerkle

*GASP!!!*

Look at me... I'm not a slacker!

GASP!!!