Meet You Type

Define the word “grid” The grid is a system of subdividing the space of a page with uniform organization.
Why do we (designers) use a grid? What are the benefits or functions? The grid allows us as designers to to maintain order and hierachy in our design. The benifits include
What is a modular grid? The modular grid is the use of the gridsystem for proportioning and placement but does not explicitly conform to the underlying grid.
Define and illustrate: margins, columns, grid modules. flowlines, gutter: Margins are not printable areas, Columns are the main vertical element in the grid commonly used to organize tye in newspapers, Grid Modules span columns and vertically and horizontally to hold Text and or images, flowlines subdivide the page vertically similar to the gutter, gutters are normally vertical spaces inbetween columns used for spacing elements.

Define hierarchy Elements that appear to advance forward vs those that recede is an example of hierarchy. The more an element advance the higher it is in the heirarchy. The term is often used to illustrate what you want to viewer to notice first, second and so on.
Define typographic color (this does not mean color as in change it to a color) The changes in weight, texture or value and rythm. These changes change emphasis and can gibe the illusion of the type coming off the page or receding into it.
What are ways to achieve a clear hierarchy? Used of different typefaces, line weight and placement on the page can all be used to achieve hierarchy.

Attack of the Lepus

So I have to create icons for an animal, and I chose rabbits. Not just rabbits but hares and bunnys as well. I did an intial set of skecthes with out photo reference and some explorations with sand and chalk. The chalk was more of a whim and since I found the chalk and remebered that there are white rabbits thought it was a good idea to try it out. The sand was a chance happening, I saw the sand and thought of the enviroment of the hare or jack rabbit(I think they might be the same). I found the sand to be a lot of fun to use, I tried to funnel it from my hand and avoided touching it with my fingers so it's like a Rabbit our of time(hourglass).

Rabbit fact: Rabbits are born hairless and eyes shut, hares are born with hair and eyes open.

Some points of interest

So I've been looking for a project and here seems to be something, African Bicycle Design Contest. The idea is to come up with a design for bicycles that are sustainable, can make use of locally available materials and so on and so forth. It looks interesting to make it past the bamboo bike. That design looks like it would work but it doesn't explain why it costs 2 grand(yeah that's right).

This is cool it is a print created with dice and a letterpress. And there is a tutorial on how to creat a similar effect on the computer ala' ascii. Here is the link to the etsy page to purchase these prints and here is the make guide on creating it digitally.

I really need to get into the bones of this page and get the layout I want.

So this is Summer.

This summer I took two classes, bookmaking and design cognition. So I've had 1 hard month of design and letter press, and will have had a leisurely 2 months of working with grad students on the concept of design for the designer and the user.

My other pursuits have been looking for work and seeking adventure. Urban exploring has been a past time of mine for some time and I've had a recent revival with the tunnels under Lawrence and the Masonic Temple on Mass. street. So the back story from the streets: "There is a tunnel that connects the Masonic temple to the river and it was used for the underground railroad". Bull shit, Lawrence was a free city for one(lest we forget that it lies in the Free State) and the age of the building doesn't match up. There is another older Masonic temple that now houses the Tap Room at the corner of 8th and New Hampshire, but that is another story. So I did research online about the sewers and works projects that are located online and looked at topographical maps and biked around. In the end I with the help of a friend and Google maps found the entrance to the fabled tunnel, and as I though it was a drain a large as I suspected it would be.

Going through the tunnels was done on the fly with out much prep work and was kinda dumb, but after an hour and a half we popped out of a manhole in front of the Raven Trading post. This seemed hopeful since we were about a block away and there had been a split in the drain. So the second night we went in through a man hole to save us some time and had a third join us. We took the second route that quickly became smaller than the previous route and was made of brick and had a lot of standing water but it seemed clear enough. This is where I should mention I'm claustrophobic not to severely but the first time in I had some moments. We reached a point where I said I was going to hop out at the next chance. And low and behold where did we all get out at? No where near the Temple and actually overshot it by a lot.

The moral of the story is most stories are in fact bullshit, and even after showing pictures and having two people that can confirm my story some treat the story like we are part of a conspiracy. If the trip wasn't so dangerous I might be willing to lie to people so they can continue having this fantasy but this is just not something that most can do. Both time there was about 4+ blocks of duck walking/hands and knees and there was a long stretch we it was hunched over almost in half.

And a week later the story has already changed and evolved, now there is a tunnel that connects the two! And I have already heard an exaggerated account of my trip, where do people come up with this shit? Oh and yes I ended up getting into the Temple and was really disappointed by what I saw and how I didn't have time to go in the basement. If I get a chance to go back in I'll spend the time in the basement to put the final nail in the coffin of this urban legend.

Responsibility

So I believe this is day 44 of the BP disaster in the gulf. That blows my mind completly I'm not even sure how to quantify it. My initial thoughts are about the message in cradle to cradle.

A company has cut corners and allowed catastrophe, they have no defense. What safegaurds were in place and how could they not have planned for an event like this? The phenominon isn't new hell they illustrated it in There will be blood and yet well over a month later things seem to be getting worse.

I get the sneaking suspision that nothing be really be done to BP, the fines will be minimal and the destruction beyond our wildest nightmares. Where are the protests, where are the boycotts, where is the public outrage? Is the current generation and prior ones ok with what is happening?

I have far more questions about this whole event than I have ideas or solutions. All I really know is I'm afraid, afraid of what we've lost and afraid nothing can be done about it.

Looking at the stadium

So this summers work is about to begin I have a few lines on design work for the summer that I should finalize by the end of this week. All involve logo and identity systems.

Identity is one of those areas that you take on when you feel you can do it, maybe the hardest part is convincing yourself that it is do-able. Feels good to be on the verge of creating for someone else almost there keeps floating through my mind.

I am glad I have no question in my mind if taking this work is premature in my career, I feel good about the prospects. Something I should be looking into is my own identity and promotions and getting it out there.

On a bike note I'm getting more into the use of a fixed gear but it is still far from the comfort level I have with a freewheel. Stopping and getting in the cages is still an issue but it's getting better. I hate going home with weather like this it begs for me to be out riding, but I stink and I'm in dire need of a shower and change of clothes. Who knows what I'll do now.

First thoughts on fixed gears

Well I have finished my first ride out of the parking lot in fixed mode. Overblown is the first word that comes to mind. Scary is the second. The first difference is just trying to get my toes into the cages second is to not spot peddling.

This is tough and I feel like I've taken the girl I find beutiful and I smashed her face with a baseball bat. I don't coast a lot but I really miss it, even the moments when I'm getting my feet in the cages. I have take something I love to do and look forward to and I've made it into a chore. This all seems silly, track bikes don't have brakes for safety reasons, converse is tru about street bikes and here I am a slave to my cadence!

I have not noticed it being easier or faster running fixed. This goes contrary to what many bike jocks have told me. Am I one with my bike I would say with out a doubt, I'm a transplanted heart in a foreign body. On that note I think I'm getting rejected. I'd say the biggest issue is stopping in a timely manner, instead I'm using ever last drop of my spider senses to dodge bob and weave obstacles.

Lets get to the bones of my real issue, I can't skid stop. There I said it, I have no clue how to do it and it's killing me when I want to drop in speed. Soif I can only figure out how to do this it could change how I feel about this. The other option is adding a brake this would take some of the load off of my legs when slowing.

I'll try this as long as I can and then I'm flipping it right back IF I can't figure this stopping thing out.