“A few decades ago, before the personal computer became ubiquitous, I designed a display (or headline) typeface called Klaus Bubula Bold, so named because the upper-case K and B and lower-case U and O were the most eccentric of the 26 letters. The rest were pretty mundane and, therefore, not a single typeface company was interested in distributing it. Back then a novice could not produce a viable typeface without having a type foundry or type shop make and sell it.”

“As the popularity of photoblogs and amateur photography grows, the issue of camera policies in privately owned public spaces is becoming a significant issue. Earlier this year the New York Times published an article entitled Subway Officials Seek Ban on Picture-Taking that focused on New York City’s Transit Agency proposing a ban on unauthorized photography on City Subways.”

“The images below are from the book How to Paint Skin Tones by James Horton.† I believe it is currently out of print.†What follows below are links to the acrylic paint charts that show a dark and light value group for each of three basic divisions of human skin color:†Pale, mid-toned and dark.”

“According to the exceptionally creative and prolific designer Art Chantry, logos have never been through a weirder period. Even the design annuals donít know what to do with them, he points out. Logos have become a corporate addiction: Everyone has to have one, but nobody is quite sure why. As a result, in his eyes, they have become impotent accessories that look nice but really arenít necessaryóthe cuff buttons on the corporate identity power suit, if you will.”

“This week I installed Airport Express ó that magical all-in-one gadget from Apple that bridges the gap (wirelessly) between your computer and stereo, shares a USB printer, and extends the range of your wireless network. I successfully set the unit up, and am now able to stream music from my G5 in the office to speakers in my bedroom on the opposite side of the house, as well as access my local network and surf the internet at much higher speeds on my PowerBook than before… All that said, there are a few caveats, including two very important *gotchas* I wasnít prepared for.”

Ever wondered what your site would look like devoid of most of its color and imagery? Bleach the entire design, remove the saturation and leave behind the basic visual structure on a stark white background?

“So, 37signals took a field trip to see Edward Tufteís Presenting Data and Information workshop. I think I speak for the other guys when I say weíre really glad we attended. Here are someone elseís detailed notes. At his worst, Tufte is a passionate presenter with a clear cause (although slightly out of touch when it comes to talking web design). At his very best, Tufte has some real knowledge and insight to share about data density, the resolution of paper, clarity, simplicity…”

“First conference on character design and art… Character design on billboards incites us to consume and as street art, to fight the establishment. Character design appears as well-intentioned animation on our mobile phone displays and is a constant, if annoying companion to hours spent at the computer. Characters are taking over the advertising, art, media and urban landscapes across the globe.”

“There is something to be said about the lack of credit blogs and community news sites give to their sources. Make no mistake, Digital Web Magazine is a firm believer in the code of Weblog Ethics and follows those guidelines religiously. What is very interesting is the number of blogs and sites out there who clearly gathered there information from one source yet never mention, credit, or otherwise show any form of recognition for the source in which they were received.”

“While watching the Olympics this past week, I noticed another competition. Hiding in and around the swimmers, vaulters, runners and shotputters swarmed a veritable Armageddon of logos. Front and center, of course, are the five interlocking multicolored rings that have symbolized the Olympics since the 1920s, designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Movement. Based on patterns common in ancient Greece, the five rings represent Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania; every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors.”

“The long-term survival of Ilford, one of the great names in black and white photography, has been thrown into doubt by the appointment of administrators at the 125-year-old group, following a collapse in demand for its traditional photographic products caused by the rapid growth in digital cameras.” (Thanks dangerousmeta!)

“As you will see, there are images that challenge our complacency that a concept is a cliche. Use a cliche to expunge a cliche.”

“I am a huge fan of Lewis Carroll’s classics, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Click the Alice Illustrators buttons to go to pages dedicated to the many illustrators of the Alice books. The Alice Links button will take you to a long list of links to great Alice-related stuff on the web, and some awards I’ve gotten.”

“1+1=2. Mathematics doesn’t get any more basic than this, but even 1+1 would stump the brightest minds among the Piraha tribe of the Amazon. A study appearing today in the journal Science reports that the hunter-gatherers seem to be the only group of humans known to have no concept of numbering and counting.”

“Fort Worth Weekly has a long, fairly unbalanced story on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s plan to turn their Monday A1 in August into an all-promo page. This is certainly a radical move and there are interesting issues here, but the writer can’t be bothered to find more than one person to offset all the doom-sayers (many of whom, it should be noted, have probably never seen prototypes). Also, the writer can’t get past his snide, alt-weekly tone to go into much depth.”