Blog - Aasman Brand Communications

The Fun of Fonts: a Haines Graveyard

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:26:43 GMT

I spent the May long weekend in Haines, Alaska, with my family. It was a beautiful, sunny weekend (far removed from the snowstorms happening in Whitehorse), and we spent our time bear-gazing, eating salmon sandwiches, and snooping around parts of Haines we hadn’t explored before.

We found ourselves in a pretty little graveyard close to the wooden playground, and I was delighted to find some unique lettering on the tombstones. Most of the graves dated from around the turn of century—an interesting time in the history of typography. Back then, advertising was undergoing great changes, and type had to evolve rapidly in order keep up. The engraved letters I found on these Haines tombstones are a great example of the diversity and innovation (some good, some bad) that existed in the world of lettering over a century ago.

One of the first gravestones I came upon was that of Rose Paddy. The top half of the stone has an attractive example of a humanist sans serif. The letters have a square shape, with rounded corners, and a crisp, even rhythm. The arch of letters spelling Ms. Paddy’s name is well-positioned, and each letter widens slightly towards the top to fill the curved space better.

The gravestone of George Paddy, whom I assume is the brother of Rose, displays an interesting mixture of different lettering styles. At the top there is a sans serif very similar to the one we found on Rose’s. Two lines further down the date is displayed in a modern serif style. It has a bubbly, flowing appearance with ornate serifs curling off of the capitals, which gives the stone a friendlier appearance. This font would be considered modern because it has extreme contrast between its thick and thin stokes.
The slightly menacing passage at the bottom of the stone is written in a radically angled italic modern. Italics were originally created to fit more letters into a given space, but these ones are so angled that they don’t achieve much spatial efficiency. The engraver probably put this passage in italics to make it seem like it is being declared by the deceased.

This next gravestone, carved from white marble, was done in a very different style than the others. The space around these letters was carved out to make them protrude from the stone, unlike the recessed letters on the other stones. The font is also quite crude, with many irregularities. While it lacks the mechanical precision found elsewhere in the graveyard, I think this bold sans serif has a lot of character.

Frederick Godbolt’s (awesome name) gravestone has an example of lettering that I have never seen before. The word "died" is written in what one might call a ‘reverse italic’. Most italics slant to the right, but this one bucks the trend and slants to left. I think it was a bold decision that paid off, as it gives a sense of balance and movement to the inscription.

The distinct shape of this tombstone is of more note than its typography. It is quite an elegant shape, with large studs along its perimeter, but I have absolutely no idea what it represents. If anyone reading this has an idea, I would love to hear about it in the comments section!

To conclude this blog post, I’ll leave you with an interesting piece of typography I found in a Haines sports store—The Cluster Pooof! It is a painfully bland bit of design using a bold transitional serif (it has moderate contrast between its thick and thin strokes: less than the modern we saw before, but more than an old-style typeface), but I must say that the extra ‘O’ really redeems it.

Cheers,
Ben

Week One at Aasman: Ben’s Impressions

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:42:32 GMT

My first week at Aasman is finished, and it has been truly exciting. I had expected that my first week would be pretty calm, with introductions and training. BOY, I was wrong!
Since I arrived at 8:30 on Monday morning, it has been a thrill ride of client meetings, information sessions, and projects. And I have loved every moment of it. I could write pages about what I have experienced at Aasman so far, but I’ve decided to condense it down to a few photographs.

Moving through the photographs left to right, then top to bottom, here are some impressions about what I have seen at Aasman:

• My workspace: I have a huge desk in the studio with a beautiful view of Grey Mountain, and I find that it really inspires my creativity. I have so much space to move and breath, and it already feels like it is really my space.

• The Aasman ball: Throughout the office, there is a consistent visual theme of the red ball. It makes for a visually stimulating place to work, and I think it reflects the cohesion that exists between all the people working here. We are all tied together by the motivation to create great work, and by that little red ball.

• Map of The Yukon: On the back wall of my workspace there is a big map of the Yukon. I was told that I was free to remove, it but I really like having it there. It reminds me about the people I’m designing for, and how amazing this territory is.

• My telephone: When I first came into the office, I saw the telephone and assumed that it would act as a great paper weight, but not much more. Texting and online communication is so prevalent in my generation that phones seem like a thing of the past. But my phone has already gotten a lot of action this week, with lots of calls from people in the Aasman office, and even one from CBC radio asking for an interview about my typography animation!

• The zoo: On Tuesday morning, I had my first every client meeting. Most of the larger meetings here take place in this area, called the zoo. It has a very comfortable and casual feeling, and the whiteboard walls allow for wildly creative brainstorming. I look forward to having many important meetings in here.

• The plants: The studio has a bit of a jungle vibe going on, with creepers stretching along the ceiling and plants on most people’s desks. I brought in a tiny little Gerbera plant on my first day, and it fits in nicely next to the other plants that were already on my desk.

• The tools: Aasman has no shortage of excellent tools for creative expression. There are blades, rulers, paints, and printers. One thing that I love is that printing EVERYTHING is highly encouraged. It is much easier to critically examine a design if it is on paper, and I have already put the Aasman printers to very good use.

• The tea: There is plenty of delicious tea and coffee always available at Aasman, which keeps everyone happy. The combination of tasty filtered water, high quality tea, and nice mugs makes for a pleasant sipping experience.

• My first completed project: No time was wasted in pairing me with a client that needed a design VERY quickly. I began working on a brochure for the Kwanin Dün Cultural Centre on Tuesday, and after a few revisions, finished it on Thursday! Phew!

Those are some impressions of my first amazing week at Aasman. I’ll keep you posted on all the other exciting action that will undoubtedly happen in the coming months.

Cheers,
Ben

BLTs, a font named Bebas, and Ben Barrett-Forrest

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:44:52 GMT

It’s really beginning to feel like summer now that our summer student Ben Barrett-Forrest is here in the aasman studio. We always like to get to know our newbies by introducing them in a unique aasman way—with questions about bread, butter, and music. Carry on Ben….

Ben, how long have you lived in the Yukon?

I was born and raised right here, growing up among the squirrels and foxes about 15 minutes south of downtown Whitehorse.

First impressions of aasman?

It is a busy, happy place full of talented people! There are always good tunes playing in the bright studio, and my desk has a beautiful view of Grey Mountain. I felt instantly at home (which was certainly helped by the plate of delicious cupcakes that I was offered five minutes after I stepped through the door), and I was quickly brought into the workflow of the aasman team, which felt great.

What were you doing before coming to work for us?

I just finished my third year of studying Multimedia, Arts and Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. In past summers I have worked for Arts in the Park and the Yukon Transportation Museum.

What's the best trait you bring to your work here at aasman?

I have an eye for design, and the passion to bring my ideas to life. Regardless of what medium I'm working in, I simply love creating things and seeing them out in the real world, and I am thrilled to be able to give my energy to aasman.

And now for the really important questions:

Favourite sandwich?

A toasted BLT (with the possible addition of cheese, egg, avocado, or whatever other delicious ingredients are around)!

Best tunes to work by?

Fast-paced Django Reinhardt-style swing jazz.

Most exotic travel experience?

A two-month cycling trip across Cuba.

Canoe or kayak?

For a day trip, a kayak. For anything longer, definitely a canoe.

Is there a font you can't live without?

I'd have a difficult time surviving on this earth without Bebas Neue.

Any other thoughts you'd like to share with us at this time?

I am seriously looking forward to my first brainstorming session while using aasman's tiny pool table.

Thanks Ben!

tgif round up

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:12:17 GMT

Happy sunny Friday!

Here is a little video that will make you feel good about humanity (Thanks for this Heather)

A week of groceries from around the world (From Corey)

And here is another feel good video about a great photographer from Kristen's hometown (Ta Kristen)

Enjoy the sun!

20 Minute Makeover

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:40:42 GMT

For the second year in a row the City of Whitehorse promoted its '20 Minute Makeover' garbage clean-up concept to residents and businesses of the wilderness city. Donning blue latex gloves and the knowledge it would only last 20 minutes, the aasman team took to the streets around our 4th avenue location to battle an entire winter's worth of urban litter.

Top finds? We, of course, kept track:

A ceramic coffee mug, smashed and in pieces over a 10 foot radius
Cigarette butts, everywhere.
Bacardi Breezer bottle
Reese Peanut Butter Cup package, empty :(
A surprising number of used latex gloves

What started as a bit of a pain in the butt ended up being a great chance for staff to get outside, grab some fresh air on a sunny morning, and help clean-up our little corner of the city.

Below are some of our top action shots courtesy of Nicolas Dory, sorry Nico, these probably won't make the National Geographic cut.

A forrest in the aasman studio

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:08:07 GMT

We're excited to welcome our summer intern Ben Barrett-Forrest to the aasman studio next week. He knows the Yukon well, is bright and enthusiastic about design.

We're not the only ones who think so. Ben's latest stop-motion video about the history of typography is getting a lot of attention across the continent. Have a view and check out some of his other videos here. See you soon Ben.

Say it in JPEG

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:45:40 GMT

This silly little JPEG created 93 newsfeed stories, along with 55 likes, 23 shares and 15 comments. In total, over eight thousand Yukoners came into contact with this image last week — Over 8000 at a cost of.... nothing?

Here's the tip: If you have something to say, something you're considering putting as a status update, see if it's possible to incorporate an image as part of your update. Best case scenario — combine the two as seen above.

Now, we didn't create the image above but we did track its success. Just as we've tracked the success of countless other image-based social updates. The trend line is clear -— a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Here is something you likely haven't considered: the algorithm.

Who and how many people see your posts on the various social sites revolves around unique equations (algorithm's) that calculate the user's likely level of interest in your content. Even for pages with large fan bases or followers, these algorithms often mean only 150 of your 2500 fans actually see your content.

But, if you're posting image-based content that users interact with (view, like, comment, share), it actually changes your page's value in their algorithm and means they'll begin to see more of your day-to-day content.

So, if you're trying to go social and want to have sustained engagement, be a friend and say it in JPEG.

@yukonneil is a JPEG enthusiast, fan of the animated gif and lover of homemade pizza. No JPEGs were hurt in the making of this blog post.

TGIF Round Up

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:35:03 GMT

Check out this weeks staff picks. Happy Friday!

The cutest porcupine in the world! (Thank you Eleanor)

LIfe Drawing at The Book Club (From Zeke)

oh no. those pesky enviros are terrorizing the neighbourhood again (Via Paul)

26 reasons kids are pretty much just tiny drunk adults (be sure to check out #22... brought to us by Eleanor)

Inside the Starbucks brand

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:41:01 GMT

Starbucks is an obvious example of successful branding. It's easily identifiable at their drive-thrus, in shops with comfy chairs, on their take-out cups and recently their packets of instant brew. But since branding is about perception and experience even more than it is about looks, I interviewed a former Starbucks employee to find out how the brand works from inside the shop.

ER (Eleanor Rosenberg): How long did you work at Starbucks for?
AFSE/B (anonymous former Starbucks employee/barrista): Just short of a year.

ER: "Short" is a coffee term, right?
AFSE/B: Yeah, it's a size, from biggest to smallest it goes venti, grande, tall and short.

ER: Right, so if you could describe the Starbucks brand in three words, what would they be?
AFSE/B: hmmm, consistent, pseudo-exotic and warm.

ER: Why pseudo-exotic?
AFSE/B: By the time I finished working there I was tired of the jargon. Part of our role as barristas is to correct the customer if they use the wrong term. Like, if they asked for a “double” espresso we had to say “doppio” espresso—as if that made it more clear. There's also this contrived globalism that is portrayed through new coffees from different countries each month or so. They create a sense of mysticism that way.

I think most people appreciate that Starbucks coffee is consistent. As a barrista I saw it as a personal challenge to get it right each time, especially when it came to customers I like—which is probably exactly how they would want me to respond, but there was a certain craft to making an exacting drink exactly right. Sometimes they were spending more on a coffee than a meal at McDonald's might cost, so making it worthwhile was satisfying.

Warm is part of the Starbucks brand at every level, from the hot drinks to the caramel coloured packaging; from the soft dim lighting and comfy chairs that feel like a living room. In training we were told to remember customers names and their favourite drinks too.

ER: That really is warm on a number of levels. So, what's it take to become a barrista then? What happens when you're hired?
AFSE/B: You have to watch some videos and take an afternoon course. At the course you try all sorts of coffees, like Maxwell House, and learn why Starbucks is a better product. It's really obvious when you compare the coffees—but it’s not like they're comparing their stuff with artisan roasted coffee. It’s Starbucks versus freeze-dried stuff. We learned about the roasting process, choosing the beans and even the type of bag they use to preserve freshness. They talk about their partnerships with coffee farms in South America and Africa and a little bit of company history. They say their success is based on good customer service and a good product.

ER: Tell me about good customer service.
AFSE/B: All the training tries to make the employees believe in the product. That means they can back it up with their own words. Employees are also treated well. How many part-time jobs give you stock options? We also got a pound of coffee a month.

ER: Neat. Thanks for your time.

Hearing all that, I think it's safe to say that having employees know their company's brand—even beyond their immediate job—can be of great value, making them dedicated ambassadors for the values of the company.

animating the chilkoot pass

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:54:55 GMT

Last summer I hiked the Chilkoot Pass with a group of friends. At the blustering snow covered top of the gruelling Golden Stairs we were greeted by the smiling face of artist Corrie Francis Parks. She invited us to write a postcard addressed to ourselves, that would be posted one year later. She also spent the following winter animating some of the stories. The first one was posted online last week.

Check out the very precious one-minute video, Sourdough Zombies:

The project was part of the annual Chilkoot Trail Artist in Residence Program. Read more about the project on Corrie's blog.