If you’re like me, first of all sorry, secondly, that means one of your greatest fears is proclaiming your love for a non-western typographic work only to be informed that it’s a particular culture’s version of comic sans. Eeek!
I did a post a while back on the book Arabesque Graphics which dealt a little bit with this phobia. Unfortunately it meant buying a book.
But now there’s CreativeRoots. An intrepid daily blog that pulls design inspiration from across the globe, much of it featuring type. Give it a go.
As you are no-doubt well aware the internet currently resembles the imagined offspring of a mad love affair between your attic and your garage. We all know whatever we are looking for is in there somewhere we’re just not sure where. Hence the current explosion of sites like notcot.org and materialicious.com that simply aggregate cool stuff. They don’t editorialize much – if at all. They don’t even provide much context beyond the central organizational theme. As such they are like a dresser – simultaneously no big deal and amazingly useful.
For those of us in creative fields there are many excellent portfolio sites like behance.net and design:related.com that provide lots of organization along with tools, community, rating systems and the works. However, there has been an open niche for a super simple mechanism for simply finding cool stuff when “cool stuff” equals portfolios and “finding” means in a specific city. In another stroke of minimalistic brilliance 37Signals has come to the rescue by launching a new tool called sortfolio.com.
Here you can browse for web designers and companies by city and budget range. There are larger, paid modules followed by smaller, free modules. I am digging the way new modules automatically load as you scroll down the page. Check it out and get yourself listed so the wide world can find you without having to go through all that stuff they’re saving for when Antiques Roadshow comes to town.
another great resource: typedia
check out typedia for a sort of wikipedia meets imdb of typography. seriously deep information and expanding everyday. truly excellent.
In League With Other Type Junkies
Can you imagine how cool it would be if you could build a website using nice type rather than having to choose between Arial and Verdana? Well, I won’t babble on about it but if you are already drooling check out The League of Moveable Type a new open source type initiative that may change the interwebs.
Feelin' Blue? Start Your Own Business
Sometimes just the right sequence of events has to occur to get oneself in the entrepreneurial mood. If you’re thinking about designing a shingle and then hanging out said shingle, add these to your “I’m-reading-things-so-that’s-a-start” pile:
Doug Powell discusses NPR’s All Things Considered segment on starting new ventures during these hazy crazy days. The segment isn’t based in design exactly, but Doug’s write up is.
If you’re in U-Haul distance from the University of Minnesota, their Re-Use Program is in full swing. Pick up tables, cabinets and whatnot in various stages of wear and fashionable-ness. And you don’t have to be a Gopher to get these deals. More info and nice pictures at Minnesota Public Radio. Lots of buzz about the orange tables that just arrived.
Did I mention Doug Powell? Another great discussion on why designers hate to talk about money and why they need to do it anyway. Give it a read for great resources on the where’s and how’s of finding funding for your fancy plans.
Today's Oximoron: Freelance Union
Did you catch the piece about the Freelancer’s Union on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer?
Well, you’re the only one because all the super cool designers out there saw it and crushed their server! Can I get a “hell ya!”
When it comes back up go take a look. Membership is free and not like your father’s union (which was probably pretty lame and involved standing around in the cold with signs of shockingly poor typographic quality and getting honked at). The Freelancer’s Union is a web of support for insurance, training, networking and more. The NewsHour repeats at midnight in the Twin Cities.
…from emily at orange beautiful. read the instructions here. now if only i was wearing a scarf today!