Design Work Life

Lettering by Ryan Hamrick

Courtney — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:48 +0000

My friends at Mama’s Sauce recently pointed me in the direction of Ryan Hamrick, a Pittsburgh-based designer. And as expected, his portfolio did not disappoint. As you can see below, Ryan is an incredibly talented letterer, and he’s also passing his knowledge on to you. He’s begun a series of lettering how-to posts on his blog that are excellent for anyone looking to hone their skills.

For more from Ryan, be sure to check out his portfolio and blog.

Special Event: Designing Better Experiences in the Digital Landscape

Courtney — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:57 +0000

This morning I’d love to point you in the direction of a great design event happening in NYC in just a few weeks. After the Jump: Designing Better Experiences in the Digital Landscape is a half-day symposium focused on various topics in digital design. The event was conceived and curated by Sullivan, an NYC brand engagement firm, and The Type Directors Club. It features an incredible lineup of speakers who will undoubtedly provide lots of food for thought.

Cassandra Zimmerman, a Creative Director at Sullivan and one of the driving forces behind the event, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about what you can expect.

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What inspired Sullivan to create After the Jump?

Sullivan had proposed the idea of partnering with Type Directors Club in an effort to contribute to the larger creative community and to represent a subject matter that we are particularly passionate about—content-driven design. Taking that a step further, thanks to innovation in technology and a myriad of digital devices there are opportunities for connecting brands with people that simply didn’t exist before. After the Jump is a moment to reflect on the evolving digital landscape and how we can seize this opportunity to create more meaningful and compelling experiences.

Why do you feel this content is especially relevant to designers today?

It’s an exciting time for designers thanks to ongoing innovation in technology allowing better access to better fonts, responsive design, and developers that make unprecedented experiences with language possible.

What can attendees expect to get out of the symposium?

This symposium curates industry leaders from different aspects of content-driven design such as web design, data visualization, and/or technology-driven user experiences.

Who should attend?

Web designers, media-agnostic designers, data-visualization designers, content strategists, UX designers and developers

Tell us a little bit about Sullivan and the work that you do.

Sullivan is a brand engagement firm whose work lives at the intersection of brand, design, technology, and content. From higher education, technology, cause-related organizations, and financial services, we thrive in making the complex compelling and celebrate how technology can enhance these experiences.

EVENT SCHEDULE

1–2pm
Jamie Neely (TypeCast): Prototyping web typography.

2:15–3:15pm / Panel Discussion
Lisa Strausfeld (Bloomberg): Type and data.
Deroy Peraza (Hyperakt): Meaningful design for the common good.

3.30–4.30pm
Oliver Reichenstein (iA): Responsive design and typography.

4:45–5:45pm / Panel Discussion
Ian Lord, Andrew Mahon, Lev Kanter, Zeke Shore (Type/Code): Don’t go chasing waterfalls: design and development as one fluid process.
Andy Mangold (Friends of the Web): Content has changed, so must design.

6–8pm
Afterparty Above Allen @ Thompson LES Hotel, 190 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002. Have a drink on us and rub elbows with the event’s best and brightest.

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As designers in this day and age, our world is expanding more and more towards digital design. So whether or not you work in the digital space currently, these topics are important to consider. And as a result, I think this sounds like an excellent event for all designers, no matter what your present focus might be.

For more information, check out Sullivan and the Type Director’s Club. Or to purchase tickets right away, you can head straight to Eventbrite.

Type Love: HWT Unit Gothic

Courtney — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:52 +0000

HWT Unit Gothic is the latest release from the Hamilton Wood Type Foundry, a digitization of the Unit Gothic series, which was released by Hamilton Manufacturing Co. in 1907. The family consists of seven fonts, each containing 600 glyphs that include Greek and Cyrillic character sets, plus alternate characters based on the actual special character production patterns from the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. Pick up a copy for yourself at MyFonts.

Want more type? Check out my Type Wishlist, current Favorites and Calligraphic scripts on MyFonts.

New Prints by Raymond Biesinger

Courtney — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:42 +0000

Raymond Biesinger recently launched several great new prints, including a series that depicts How Illustrations Are Made, his illustrated take on the creative process. That print in particular is available on Etsy in three different color combinations: white on purple, white on charcoal and white on grey.

Also be sure to check out the other prints he’s released including, The Gulag,

Warsaw on 1 August 1944,

the USSR,

and L’Arc de Triomphe.

Sociedad Anónima: Hotel Boca Chica Identity and Collateral

Courtney — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:27 +0000

Hotel Boca Chica, a hotel in Acapulco, Mexico, was once the place to be in the 1950s and 60s, but in recent years had lost its glamorous appeal. To turn that around, Mexico-based studio Sociedad Anónima was tasked with revitalizing its identity with a more modern, but still vintage-inspired look and feel. Get a closer look at what they came up with right here.

Student Work: Russell Edling: Homespun Records

Courtney — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:38 +0000

For his senior thesis project at the Tyler School of Art, designer Russell Edling created Homespun Records, a “small time record label that puts an emphasis on beautiful screen printed packaging.” Russell created three releases for the label, and designed and screen printed each piece himself. Be sure to take a look at his portfolio for more images.

Ryan Frease: New Work

Courtney — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:31 +0000

Ryan Frease has been making some excellent work since the last time I checked in with him (way too long ago!) In addition to the two pieces that he created for the Super Precious Art Gallery Hamburger Cheeseburger Hotdog Show (below, both of which are available as prints here and here), his portfolio has filled out with more of the same excellent lettering, illustration and design work which drew me to his portfolio to begin with. Take a look at what else he’s been up to right here.

Type Love: Live

Courtney — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:39 +0000

Live is a new release by Lián Types The lively brush script features three fonts, Pro, Standard and Live More which includes a set of pre-designed catch words and ornaments. Pick up a copy for yourself at MyFonts.

Want more type? Check out my type wishlist, current favorites and favorite calligraphic scripts on MyFonts.

Richard Baird: Solis Brand Identity and Stationery

Courtney — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:49 +0000

Designer Richard Baird—who also runs the excellent blog BP&O—recently completed this beautiful identity for Solis, the fashion label of Tel Aviv-based Lisa Grishakova. Get a closer look right here.

No-Studio: The Personal Work of Miles Chic

Courtney — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:21 +0000

No-Studio is a showcase of the personal work of Vancouver-based designer and illustrator Miles Chic, who loves “big colour, Japanese & French culture, minimalism, type design, exaggeration, and hot dogs.” Follow along right here for more.