<p>Today we feature a UK artist whose geometric & surreal illustrstion have been brought to our attention.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://samchivers.com">Sam Chiver</a> is a UK based Illustrator and print maker. Working with both digital and handmade materials his work often explores themes of a universal nature. He produces limited edition prints, some of which are available [at his <a href="http://samchivers.com/#735987/About">online gallery</a>.]</p> <p>Take a look at his <a href="http://samchivers.wordpress.com/">blog</a> for more insight into the mind of <a href="http://samchivers.com">Sam Chiver</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" height="600" src="http://samchivers.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dope.jpg?w=720" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="567" src="http://payload3.cargocollective.com/1/1/62213/2360413/multiverse.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="954" src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/62213/891106/crystal_virus.jpg" width="670" /></p> <p>From a young age he was inspired by mountainous landscape found during trips to France and also a love of comics. He similarly takes much inspiration from the realms of fantasy art. Working with different mediums he says, “I like the infinite possibilities working digitally affords, coupled with the limitations that screen-print imposes”. This hints at the progressive attitude towards his work.</p> <p>-</p> <p><strong>1.What would you say is the most important theme in your work?</strong><br /> The unconscious flow…man</p> <p><strong>2.What’s most inspiring to your working process?</strong><br /> Drawing without thinking</p> <p><strong>3.Have you any strange talents that influence the work you produce or the way you produce it?</strong><br /> Nope it’s pretty straight forward</p> <p><strong>4.Which artist of the past would you resurrect to collaborate with and why?</strong><br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Jodorowsky">Alejandro Jodorowsky</a> although he’s still alive and very much in the present, which is why I’d want to collaborate</p> <p><img alt="Sam Chivers" height="234" src="http://www.indigits.net/wp-content/gallery/sam-chivers/oxygene.jpg" style="float: right;" width="336" /></p> <p><strong>5.Do you think your work is understood or misinterpreted and why?</strong><br /> I don’t really understand it myself. So the more misinterpretations the better</p> <p><strong>6.If you could decorate one place in the world what would it be and how would you do it?</strong><br /> A flyover with grass?</p> <p><strong>7. What to date has been your ‘cherry on the cake’ moment and what was it that got you there?</strong><br /> finishing my last print I think, and what got me there was lots of tea…</p> <p><strong>8.What we ask everyone! Does your artistic style influence your underwear?</strong><br /> Yes</p> <p> </p> <p>Sources: <br /> http://www.indigits.net/2011/06/sam-chivers/<br /> http://samchivers.wordpress.com<br /> http://samchivers.com</p> <p> </p>

<p>As a water sign I am usually keen on the tidal forces that pull on us during this time of the month and that feeling of change, good and bad, that's in the air. With the full moon rising and a eclipse on the horizon, this issue of SPARK! is dedicated to the moon, change, time and the forces of nature (or <a href="http://adobe.com">Photoshop</a> ;)</p> <p><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/03702613729114228887" rel="author">Courtney N. Hathaway</a>, interior designer, brings us these perfectly distressed images:</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RFMK_wbd-Y/Tkoee9cIEXI/AAAAAAAADIM/IZn0wLD7vCU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-16+at+12.38.25+AM.png" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTAOhAHCwUc/Tkoedk7iSMI/AAAAAAAADII/FSVa0sSRwAM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-16+at+12.38.16+AM.png" width="600" /></p> <p><a href="http://chadwys.com/works_process.htm">Chad Wys</a> uses his talents to help time and take us away to another reality with his Nocturne series:</p> <p><img alt="" height="620" src="http://chadwys.com/images/works/process_of_elimination/nocturne013.jpg" width="475" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="605" src="http://chadwys.com/images/works/process_of_elimination/nocturne064.jpg" width="475" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="574" src="http://chadwys.com/images/works/process_of_elimination/nocturne018.jpg" width="475" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.preserve.co.nz/">Preserve</a>, brings us a collection of distressed typographical signage:</p> <p><img alt="" height="375" src="http://www.preserve.co.nz/images/may_2011/clothiers01.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="375" src="http://www.preserve.co.nz/images/may_2011/tobacco03.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="375" src="http://www.preserve.co.nz/images/may_2011/newman08.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.rawtype.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Preserve_Inner_02.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><a href="http://alexjowettart.tumblr.com/">Alex Jowell </a>captures the power of nature as well as her artistic flare:</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/5454206963/1/tumblr_ll5aiocEh11qavrrx" width="600" /></p> <p>and one "for good measure" a first edition of the iconic New York Magazine:</p> <p><img alt="" height="679" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lut97abkmJ1qztcnqo1_500.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p> </p>

<p>Who's your favorite character of all time... which version.. by what artist? I know mine: Bob Kane's Batman by Alex Ross. I like to think of Alex's style as the best of both worlds, it's 2D that looks like it was rendered in 3D. This week I've pulled a few characters from both the pop-culture and the obscure pile. Share yours with us by posting it below.</p> <h4>1. The Batman (rough sketch phase) by <a href="http://www.alexrossart.com">Alex Ross</a></h4> <p><img alt="" border="1" src="http://www.alexrossart.com/galleries/batman/full/batman_headstudy_full.jpg" width="600" /></p> <h4>2. Gollum by <a href="http://www.wetafx.co.nz">WETA Digital</a></h4> <p><img alt="instantShift - Amazing Character Designs" border="1" src="http://cdn.instantshift.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/acd-be-20.jpg" title="instantShift - Amazing Character Designs" width="600" /></p> <p><strong>3. Bettie Page by <a href="http://cargocollective.com/bambinomonkey/#303147/About-Bambinomonkey" id="p303147" name="bambinomonkey" rel="history">Bambinomonkey</a></strong><a href="http://cargocollective.com/bambinomonkey/#303147/About-Bambinomonkey" id="p303147" name="bambinomonkey" rel="history"></a></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/0/25980/303192/bettiepage.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><strong>4. Octo-Owl by <a href="http://www.64colors.bigcartel.com/">64Colors</a></strong><a href="http://www.64colors.bigcartel.com/"></a></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"><img alt="" border="1" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6145/6020700412_05b5130db0_z.jpg" width="477" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>5. Belly Dancer by <a href="http://onlycreative.com.au/carlos-jaugeon-perez-character-design/">Carlos Jaugeon Perez</a></strong></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"><img alt="" border="1" height="637" src="http://onlycreative.com.au/images/blog-images/carlos_jaugeon_perez_03.jpg" width="450" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>6. Cathy Ray by <a href="http://andyh.cgsociety.org/gallery/">Andrew Hickinbottom</a></strong></p> <p><img alt="" height="800" src="http://features.cgsociety.org/newgallerycrits/g62/54062/54062_1308650848_submedium.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p>7. TMNT by Eastman & Laird (3D by <a href="http://www.cgarena.com/gallery/3d/description/tmnt.html">Nikita Volobuev</a>)</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.cgarena.com/gallery/3d/description/fullimages/tmnt.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p>8. Taarna by <a href="http://www.chrisachilleos.co.uk/art-gallery.html">Chris Achilleos</a></p> <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"><img alt="" height="699" src="http://www.chrisachilleos.co.uk/images/artgallery/amazons/taarna.jpg" width="474" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong>9. Rei Ayanami by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiyuki_Sadamoto" title="Yoshiyuki Sadamoto"> Yoshiyuki Sadamoto</a></strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiyuki_Sadamoto" title="Yoshiyuki Sadamoto"></a></p> <p><img alt="" border="1" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PmT-QOgVQ4w/TeYd2eEzRwI/AAAAAAAAFn8/WujIF0Oe4SY/s1600/ayanami_rei%2Bblue_hair%2Bneon_genesis_evangelion%2Bred_eyes.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><strong>10. Jack Skellington by <a href="http://www.timburton.com/">Tim Burton</a></strong><a href="http://www.timburton.com/"></a></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"> <p><img alt="" border="1" height="600" src="http://www.mxonline.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/2007jack.jpg" width="391" /></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p>

<p>When I was in high school, I in inherited the old family hi-fi. We had upgraded the sitting room's entertainment center and in the middle of it was a state-of-the-art Sony component system that included a CD-player, a turntable, an equalizer, an amp, a stereo tuner, and a dual cassette deck. Back then vinyl was king and portables (like the yellow sports Walkman in my school bag) were gaining ground quickly. My local Record Store was walking distance and it was my happiest place on earth.</p> <p>We all have our favorite songs, our favorite albums, but I also had on my wall opposite the bunch beds, among the Anime posters & the comic books, some carefully mounted album covers. These gems had 2 qualifications the music had to be epic and the artwork inspirational. So since we missed our weekly issue of SPARK! due to the holiday, here is a little something that will take the edge off until Friday.</p> <p><a href="http://inspiredology.com/?author=2">Chad Mueller</a>, fellow designer and inspirational blogger posted a few of his favorites. We at Filter Foundry agree :)</p> <div> <div> <p>"The album covers are listed in no specific order."</p> <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" <p><a href=" </div> </div> <p>Source: <a href="http://inspiredology.com/99-best-designed-album-covers/">http://inspiredology.com/99-best-designed-album-covers/</a></p>

<p>Thanks to <a href="http://www.ohny.org/" target="_blank">Open House New York</a>, [S Allan] got to view the inside of the absolutely remarkable TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_Saarinen" target="_blank">Eero Saarinen</a>. It opened in 1962, but has not been in use for a while. When American Airlines bought out Trans World Airlines (aka TWA) in 2001, the terminal was closed.</p> <p>We’ve admired the building from the outside for ages.</p> <p><a href="2011/10/outside.jpg"><img alt="" height="367" src="2011/10/outside.jpg?w=490&h=367" title="outside" width="490" /></a></p> <p>But the closest we’ve ever come to seeing the interior is from watching the Steven Spielberg movie “Catch Me If You Can”, which used the terminal as a location in the film.</p> <p><a href="2011/10/catch-me-if-you-can-1.jpg"><img alt="" height="288" src="2011/10/catch-me-if-you-can-1.jpg?w=432&h=288" title="catch-me-if-you-can-1" width="432" /></a></p> <p>Open House New York is an annual weekend-long event that opens the doors of many New York City institutions to the public – places that are not normally open to the public. Or, in many public buildings, OHNY offers behind-the-scenes glimpses that the public seldom gets to glimpse.</p> <p>So, you want to see one of Eero Saarinen’s masterpieces? Okay – here it is (as always, to view a picture larger, click on it, then use your “back” arrow to come back to this home page):</p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/twa.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="TWA" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-2.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/twa-2.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="TWA 2" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-3.jpg"><img alt="" height="315" src="2011/10/twa-3.jpg?w=490&h=315" title="TWA 3" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-4.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/twa-4.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="TWA 4" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-5.jpg"><img alt="" height="325" src="2011/10/twa-5.jpg?w=490&h=325" title="TWA 5" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/window.jpg"><img alt="" height="325" src="2011/10/window.jpg?w=490&h=325" title="window" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/rest-room.jpg"><img alt="" height="324" src="2011/10/rest-room.jpg?w=490&h=324" title="rest room" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/rest-room-2.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/rest-room-2.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="rest room 2" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/seating.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/seating.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="seating" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-6.jpg"><img alt="" height="324" src="2011/10/twa-6.jpg?w=490&h=324" title="TWA 6" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-7.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/twa-7.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="TWA 7" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/sign1.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="2011/10/sign1.jpg?w=490&h=326" title="sign" width="490" /></a></p> <p><a href="2011/10/twa-8.jpg"><img alt="" height="325" src="2011/10/twa-8.jpg?w=490&h=325" title="TWA 8" width="490" /></a></p> <p>Wow.</p> <p>OHNY is finished for 2011, but be sure to check it out next year. I filled my weekend with so many activities, I’m still recuperating  ;)</p> <p>All the events I participated in were really great.</p> <p>But, this one left me tongue-tied and speechless.</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://sallanscorner.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-twa-terminal-at-jfk-airport-wow">http://sallanscorner.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-twa-terminal-at-jfk-airport-wow</a></p>

<p>I never really considered myself an illustrator, even though my first foray into the art world was drawing. I even came close to posting some of my pseudo-anime pencil sketches from "back in the day" to prove my point. Sure I have tons of coffeeshop cartoons and down-time doodles but an illustrator, I am not. When inspiration strikes however, I am always prepared. Professor Brown's habit of always carrying a Pilot Rolling Ball (Precise) V5 has come in handy while waiting for friends and my never-on-time younger brother. I even started carrying what my colleague calls an  "idea book," but I still call it my sketch pad. <br /> <br /> Who knows maybe one of these days I will add some of those old delineations into my PAD.<br /> <br /> In the meantime, let me show you what I came across this week while perusing the world wide web. And when you are done, pull out your favorite pen, pencil, Rapidograph, charcoal (I prefer wet,) Conte-crayon or digital-water-color-brush-set and show us what you can do.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.jessicafortner.com/">Jessica Fortner </a></p> <p><img alt="" height="900" src="http://www.jessicafortner.com/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/SnakeSkin_600px.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="774" src="http://www.jessicafortner.com/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/GreenSource_600px.jpg" width="600" /><br /> <a href="http://www.core77.com/blog/accessory/sight_unseen_launches_online_accessories_shop_20999.asp"></a></p> <p><img alt="" height="841" src="http://www.jessicafortner.com/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mouthy_600px.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.mathis.tv/">Mathis Rekowski</a></strong></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/27873/326241/Coin_final_Mathis_WebLarge_detail3.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/27873/1018771/110125_vw_golf_streets_2-1_web.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/27873/326241/circus_mathis_01.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://vasastudio.com">Vasa</a></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://vasastudio.com/paintings/images/paintings/IllustratorPainting_1401.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://vasastudio.com/paintings/images/paintings/IllustratorPainting_0577.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://vasastudio.com/paintings/images/paintings/IllustratorPainting_1306.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://borderlineamazing.com">Devin McGrath</a></p> <p><img alt="" height="800" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/21092/281012/crowshaded.jpg" width="559" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/21092/1142882/Screen%20shot%202011-03-07%20at%206.35.19%20PM.png" width="600" /></p> <p><img alt="" border="1" height="326" src="http://payload0.cargocollective.com/1/0/21092/1142882/Skulls%20plain.png" width="504" /></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://pulphope.blogspot.com/">Paul Pope</a></p> <p><img alt="" height="833" src="http://thesecretheadquarters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pulphope-550x833.jpg" width="550" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="972" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/5958800004_8014da510a_o.jpg" width="569" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4500758358_04e76876e3_o.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.mariowibisono.com">Mario Wibisono</a></p> <p><img alt="" height="610" src="http://www.mariowibisono.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Purgatory_4ac3853c04e45.jpg" width="446" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="610" src="http://www.mariowibisono.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Nika_4aa0cfc8a0ce1.jpg" width="446" /></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.mariowibisono.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Tsuruchi_Saya_4aa0adbe9b458.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p>end of line.</p>

<p>It's the most wonderful time of the year. Thanks to Staples, and a half dozen other mega-stores, that song will always remind me of holiday shopping. And when I think of shopping for gifts, be it for loved ones, office mates or myself (insert smile here) I think of all the wonderfully unique products I have seen my fellow designers create. Some of the more creative contrivances unfortunately are not for sale :( as was the case with <a href="http://www.designincstudios.com/imaginativepackagedesigns.html">Design Inc.'s dumbbell sports bottle</a> and <a href="//blog/49/">Andrew Kim's green designs</a>.</p> <p>So with credit card in hand (I'm getting those cuff links) this issue goes out to you Mr. and Mrs. Industrial Designer and anyone else who needs a little gift of giving Inspiration... or lighting, for some reason there are a ton of industrial designers producing stellar lighting. Totsiens!</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.studiogorm.com/flow2.html">Flow2</a></strong><br /> Flow is a living kitchen where nature and technology are integrated in a symbiotic relationship, processes flow into one another in a natural cycle, efficiently utilizing energy, waste, water and other natural resources. It provides a space not only for preparing food but an environment that gives a better understanding of how natural processes work. A kitchen where food is grown, stored, cooked and composted to grow more food</p> <p> </p> <p>The flow products can be used independently but are far more effective when they work in concert as part of a larger system. The individual objects are relatively uncomplicated, acting as simple vehicles for the more com- plex natural processes to do the work. This kitchen is developed as a flexible system where resources are reused by several elements creating a dynamic flow between the products.</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.studiogorm.com/images/flow2_information_diagram.jpg" width="600" /></p> <p>The flow kitchen focuses on three major areas Waste, Water and Energy.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.100percentdesign.net/design/hurdle-lighting-your-desk">Hurdle Lighting</a><br /> </strong>Don't be deceived by its simple form or somewhat ironic name. While it certainly resembles a hurdle, Hurdle Lighting aims to remove, not create, barriers to getting the right amount of illumination on a table or work space. The light structure is designed to stand either horizontally (like its namesake) or vertically, more like a desk lamp. A sensor detects how it's been positioned and operates the light accordingly.</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.100percentdesign.net/design/hurdle-lighting-your-desk"><img alt="" border="0" height="1008" src="http://www.100percentdesign.net/files/Hurdlelighting2.jpg" width="480" /></a></p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Hurdle Lighting was designed by Koreans Lee Suk Woo and Byeon Dong Jin, and received a Special Mention in the 2007 Lightouch Design Competition in Singapore. No word on its commercial availability yet, but every contemporary work space could certainly use a lighting device as sleek and user-friendly as this.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://copenhagenparts.com/products/bike-porter">Bike Porter by Copenhagen Parts<br /></a></strong>Old-school basket weave is fine if that’s your thing, but what real choice is there if you care about how your bike looks, and your style is more urban than country cottage? What if you ride a stylish single-speed but you also want to carry bags and groceries? Our response? The Bike Porter.</p> <p><img alt="" height="493" src="http://www.copenhagenparts.com/beta/wp-content/uploads/display2.jpg" width="483" /></p> <p>The Bike Porter combines cool aesthetics with practical function without corrupting the clean, simple lines of your ride.</p> <p><img alt="" height="554" src="http://www.copenhagenparts.com/beta/wp-content/uploads/CphParts_Forside03.jpg" width="483" /></p> <p>By integrating the basket into the handlebar, the Bike Porter offers a sublime transport option which works as part of your bike as well as introducing an evolution in style.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/10/11/one-handsome-chair/">One Handsome Chair by Minwoo Lee</a></strong><br /> Inspired by the human form, the beautiful Klassiker lounge chair was designed to comfortably hug both the back and bottom of the seated person. A polished oil finish and high back make it an elegant choice for classic and contemporary rooms alike.</p> <p><img alt="" height="437" src="http://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2011/10/10/klassiker_01.jpg" width="600" /><img alt="" height="437" src="http://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2011/10/10/klassiker_02.jpg" width="600" /><br /> <a href="http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/10/11/one-handsome-chair/"></a><img alt="" height="437" src="http://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2011/10/10/klassiker_05.jpg" width="600" /><br /> <br /></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.mrporter.com/product/192585">Alexander Copper Cufflinks</a></strong><br /> <a href="http://www.mrporter.com/product/192585"></a>Lightweight and high shine, these polished cylinder-shaped copper cufflinks from <a href="http://www.mrporter.com/Shop/Designers/Alice_Made_This">Alice Made This</a> will bring a contemporary urban touch to formal shirting. Added to a crisp cuff, these solid pieces will make a sartorial impact. Untreated copper will form a unique patina over time; use a gentle metal cleaning product to restore the shine. <strong> </strong></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" height="475" src="http://www.mrporter.com/images/products/192585/192585_mrp_in_l.jpg" width="455" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="475" src="http://www.mrporter.com/images/products/192585/192585_mrp_fr_l.jpg" width="455" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="475" src="http://www.mrporter.com/images/products/192585/192585_mrp_e3_l.jpg" width="455" /></p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.afroditi.com/work/candy-lamp/">Candy Lamp by John Lewis</a></strong><br /> <a href="http://www.afroditi.com/work/candy-lamp/"></a>Although the final outcome of each project is varied, the process is very much the same. Afroditi was commissioned by the John Lewis Partnership to design a signature desk lamp for their collection. “Real” (not the one involving pretty images stuck together on a mood board) research revealed an issue with their existing range: although their market is mainly domestic, their desk lamps are very “contract”, highly technical pieces. The Candy Lamp is designed with the domestic tablescape in mind, things like vases, fruit bowls and glasses sitting next to it. Also, it picks up on people’s little habits, like taking your watch off before going to bed, so it provides with a little bit of a resting area.</p> <p><img alt="Vancouver BC" border="0" height="500" src="http://media.filterfoundry.com/blog/afroditi-designer-johnlewis4.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><img alt="Vancouver BC" border="0" height="500" src="http://media.filterfoundry.com/blog/afroditi-designer-johnlewis1-500x500.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p>The Candy became the best selling lamp of the John Lewis range. In 2005, it was a finalist in the Laurent-Perrier Design Award and was voted as Observer’s Top Ten lights. The product entered the Innermost range of lighting, in February 2006.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.core77.com/blog/accessory/sight_unseen_launches_online_accessories_shop_20999.asp">Tanya Aguiñiga</a></strong></p> <p><img alt="" height="500" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/rope_knot_dip_rope_red.jpg" width="547" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="250" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/wool_lace_neck_store3.jpg" width="250" /><img alt="" height="250" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/wool_lace_neck_store1.jpg" width="250" /><br /> <img alt="" height="250" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/wool_lace_neck_store4.jpg" width="250" /><img alt="" height="250" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/wool_lace_neck_store2.jpg" width="250" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="375" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/seating_trays3.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><img alt="" height="322" src="http://aguinigadesign.com/images/seating_trays2.jpg" width="500" /></p> <p><br /> <a href="http://www.core77.com/blog/accessory/sight_unseen_launches_online_accessories_shop_20999.asp"></a></p>

<p>Most of you have probably figured out via context that I call the City of Angels home, always have and plan on it for a long time. But... ever since I first took a bite out of The Big Apple, part of me decided that I could spend a couple of years there. Now, if I could put down a tent and live inside <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/vCG6xd">MoMA</a>, I might be convinced to stay. <br /><br />If you live in, near or visited NYC, you most likely (if you didn't please lie to me) spent some time inside MoMA. The last time I was there I had the pleasure of seeing one of my professor's exhibits, kinda cool right?! This month, if you are in The City you can, among other great exhibits, see one of my favorites: Diego Rivera.</p> <p>Rivera's <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/vCG6xd">Murals for The Museum of Modern Art</a> start November 13, 2011 and run until May 14, 2012. Better go before that giant asteroid hits the Earth ;) His subject matter and use of color are amazing in person. Member can actually walk down there right now and see it before the general public. When you go let me know what you thought. Cheers!</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"><a href="http://ff.fildry.com/vCG6xd"><img alt="" height="420" src="http://www.moma.org/images/dynamic_content/exhibition_page/50798.jpg?1300743918" width="325" /></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Diego Rivera. <em>Agrarian Leader Zapata.</em> 1931. Fresco, 7' 9 3/4" x 6' 2" (238.1 x 188 cm). The Museum of Modern Art. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund <br /> <br /> <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/v1qlpM"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.diegorivera.com/wp-content/gallery/murals/crossrba.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://ff.fildry.com/v1qlpM"><img alt="" border="0" height="624" src="http://www.diegorivera.com/wp-content/gallery/murals/desembarco.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#333333"><a href="http://ff.fildry.com/v1qlpM"><img alt="" border="0" height="781" src="http://www.diegorivera.com/wp-content/gallery/murals/collegesfo1.jpg" width="500" /></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Sources:<br /> <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/rE2uVT">http://www.diegorivera.com</a><br /> <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/vCG6xd">http://www.moma.org/</a></p>

<p>We are proud to have world renowned Polish designer <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/vITIu8">Tomasz Opasinski</a> featured on our homepage this week. He is well known for his unique design approach to abstract digital art and is currently offering a free tutorial on Filter Foundry that shows how he used Mudbox to design the background featured on our homepage. <a href="http://ff.fildry.com/uqbk0x">Click here to check it out</a>.</p> <p>Here are a couple abstract works from Tomasz:</p> <p><a href="/opasinski/3731/experimental-art/"><img alt="" border="0" src="/media/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1314070308.4.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/opasinski/3731/experimental-art/"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1314070313.31.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/opasinski/3731/experimental-art/"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1314070350.74.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Marko Vuckovic's Grass Lamp</strong><br /> The grass lamp is an innovative concept that i designed to enhance the décor of a home interior with natural elements, aiming to bring warmth and uniqueness in the user’s homes. The concept incorporates a part of nature right inside the house designed to be placed on the wall to represent a modern and eco-friendly aesthetic of the home interior. Aside from helping the grass to be grown on the lamp, it discretely lightens the room which lets the user to directly connect with the nature. Thin and light PVC plastic has been used to make the lamp with reserved inside space for the soil, and also features areas to be lightened with great functionality.</p> <p><a href="/vuckovidesign"><img alt="" border="0" height="600" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1309464419.85.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/vuckovidesign"><img alt="" border="0" height="915" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1309464431.02.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Luisa Rafidi's charater designs.</strong><br /> These original character designs come from the self-taught fledgling Brasilian artist Luisa Rafidi. For her art she uses an iMac, a Wacom Intuos4 tablet, Photoshop CS5 and, occasionally, ArtRage 3 and watercolors.</p> <p><a href="/lulles/" target="_top"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1317515590.09.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/lulles"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1317515503.82.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Ladislav Hubert</strong><br /> This artist's work speak for themselves. We missed adding his first piece to last week's Halloween edition but here it is better late than never. In his own words: My illustrations are predominantly figurative with decorative elements, inspired by music, pop culture, fashion. Pictures are extremely high in detail, filled with bold colors and decorative patterns. Because of that, the digital files are usually bigger than A3 sized page, so they are avaliable even for poster sized prints.</p> <p><a href="/hubertfineart"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1303988660.09.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/hubertfineart"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1303989137.63.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <p><a href="/hubertfineart"><img alt="" border="0" src="/cache/pad_portfolio_thumbs/detail_image/1303989585.72.jpg" width="600" /></a></p>

<h1>The 8 Worst Fonts In The World</h1> <div id="article_deck">In "Just My Type," Simon Garfield counts down his least favorite typefaces. And Comic Sans isn't among them.</div> <p>We’d need another book, of course, to do this justice. And where would one start?</p> <p>Fonts are like cars on the street--we notice only the most beautiful or ugly, the funniest or the flashiest. The vast majority roll on regardless. There may be many reasons why we dislike or distrust certain fonts, and overuse and misuse are only starting points. Fonts may trigger memory as pungently as perfume: Gill Sans can summon up exam papers. Trajan may remind us of lousy choices at the cinema (you’ll see it on the posters of more bad films than any other font) and grueling evenings with Russell Crowe. There was a time when it looked as though he would only appear in films--<em>A Beautiful Mind</em>; <em>Master and Commander</em>; <em>Mystery, Alask</em>a--if the marketing team promised to use Trajan in its pseudo-Roman glory on all its promotional material (There is a funny and rather alarming <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87QKdOJNv8" target="_blank">YouTube clip about this</a>.)</p> <p> </p> <blockquote>Simonson believes that some typefaces are "novice magnets."</blockquote> <p>Most of the time we only notice typeface mistakes, or things before or behind their times. In the 1930s, people tutted over Futura and predicted fleeting fame; today we may be outraged by the grunge fonts Blackshirt and Aftershock Debris, but in a decade they may be everywhere, and a decade after that we may be bored with their blandness. Fortunately, choosing the worst fonts in the world is not merely an exercise in taste and personal vindictiveness--there has been academic research. In 2007, Anthony Cahalan published his study of font popularity (or otherwise) as part of Mark Batty’s <em>Typographic Papers Series (Volume 1)</em>. He had sent an online questionnaire to more than a hundred designers, and asked them to identify: A) the fonts they used most B) the ones they believed were most highly visible C) the ones they liked least.</p> <h2>The Top Tens were:</h2> <h2>Used Regularly:</h2> <ol> <li>Frutiger (23 respondents)</li> <li>Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (21)</li> <li>Futura (15)</li> <li>Gill Sans (13) </li> <li>Univers (11)</li> <li>Garamond (10)</li> <li>Bembo</li> <li>Franklin Gothic (8)</li> <li>9. Minion (7)</li> <li>10. Arial</li> </ol> <h2>Highly Visible:</h2> <ol> <li>Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (29)</li> <li>Meta (13)</li> <li>Gill Sans (9)</li> <li>Rotis (8)</li> <li>Arial (7)</li> <li>ITC Officina Sans (4)</li> <li>Futura (3)</li> <li>Bold Italic Techno; FF Info; Mrs Eaves; Swiss; TheSans; Times New Roman (2)</li> </ol> <h2>Least Favorite:</h2> <ol> <li>Times New Roman (19)</li> <li>Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (18)</li> <li>Brush Script (13)</li> <li>Arial</li> <li>Courier (8)</li> <li>Rotis</li> <li>Souvenir (6)</li> <li>Grunge Fonts (generic) (5)</li> <li>Avant Garde</li> <li>Gill Sans (4)</li> <li>Comic Sans (3)</li> </ol> <p>The Least Favorite survey contained brief explanations. Twenty-three respondents said the fonts were misused or overused; 18 believed they were ugly; others found them to be boring, dated, impractical or clichéd; 13 expressed either dislike or blind hatred.</p> <p>This was not the first such survey to be conducted. There seems to be a new one every year online, but they tend to concentrate, rightly, on best fonts. Occasionally a novel theory emerges, such as the opinion expressed by the designer Mark Simonson on the Typophile forum. Simonson believes that some typefaces are ‘novice magnets’, possessing properties that draw in those with an untrained eye but a desire to impress. ‘To the average person, most fonts look more or less the same. But, if a typeface has a strong flavour, it calls attention to itself. It’s easy to recognize and makes people feel like they know something about fonts when they recognize it. And it looks “special” compared to normal (i.e., boring) fonts, so using it makes their documents look “special.” To the experienced designer, such typefaces have too much flavour, call too much attention to themselves, not to mention the fact that they often carry the baggage of being associated with amateur design.’</p> <p>The choice of the Worst Typefaces in the World that follows may appear to be purely subjective, like the choice of most reviled pop singer or most hilarious fashion crime. And so it is. But there is also a broad consensus about what constitutes awfulness in type. As we have seen, the one thing that most people (type professionals and laypeople combined) agreed on is that Comic Sans is no good at all. But it is harmless and even benign, and, on account of its unassuming beginnings, perhaps does not deserve the loathing that has been heaped upon it. But what can you say about the virtually illegible outer-limits fonts: Grassy, for example: a type with hair; or Scrawlz, which looks like writing by a 3- or 103-year-old?</p> <p>These targets, though, are just too easy, and it would be like criticizing your child’s acting in the nativity play. By contrast, the names in the list below, designed by professionals for reward and approval, have had it coming for a while. Here then, in reverse order, are my nominations for the eight worst fonts in the world.</p> <p><img alt="" height="297" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/ecofont-vector.jpg" width="555" /></p> <blockquote>There is a broad consensus about what constitutes awfulness in type.</blockquote> <h2>#8: Ecofont</h2> <p>One ought to approve. Ecofont is designed to save ink, money and eventually the planet, but heaven save us from worthy fonts. Ecofont is a program that adds holes to a font. The software takes Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman and prints them as if they had been attacked by moths. They retain their original shape, but not their inner form, and so lose their true weight and beauty. They also usually go no bigger than 11pt, although at this size or smaller they may save you 25 percent of ink consumption.</p> <p>The plus side: In 2010 Ecofont won a European Environmental Design Award. The downside: a study at the University of Wisconsin claimed that some Ecofont fonts, such as Ecofont Vera Sans, actually use more ink and toner than lighter regular fonts such as Century Gothic (although one could, of course, always print Century Gothic using Ecofont software).</p> <p>The verdict: the string vest and Swiss Cheese of fonts; a nice idea for printing large documents in draft--but do you really need to print them at all?</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/Souvenir.jpg" /></p> </div> <h2>#7: Souvenir</h2> <p>“Real men don’t set Souvenir,” wrote the type scholar Frank Romano in the early 1990s, by which time he had already been performing character assassination on the type for over a decade. At every opportunity in print and online, Romano would have a go. ‘Souvenir is a font fatale . . . We could send Souvenir to Mars, but there are international treaties on pollution in outer space . . . remember, friends don’t let friends set Souvenir.’</p> <p>Romano is not alone; Souvenir seems to infuriate more type designers than practically anything else. Peter Guy, who has designed books for the Folio Society, wonders, ‘Souvenir of what, I would like to know?’ He has a possible answer: ‘A souvenir of every ghastly mistake ever made in type design gathered together--with a few never thought of before--into one execrable mish-mash.’ And even the people who sell it hate it. Here is Mark Batty from International Typeface Corporation (ITC) on one of his best-selling fonts: ‘A terrible typeface. A sort of Saturday Night Fever typeface wearing tight white flared pants . . . ’</p> <p>Souvenir was the Comic Sans of its era, which was the 1970s before punk. It was the face of friendly advertising, and it did indeed appear on Bee Gees albums, not to mention the pages of Farrah Fawcett–era Playboy. Oddly, though, Souvenir was far from a seventies face. It was cut in 1914 by the American Type Founders Company, one of the many fonts of Morris Fuller Benton. After a bit of attention it died away, and that would have been that, had it not been revived by ITC half a century later and given a big push in the heyday of photocomposition.</p> <p>Souvenir has been in the wilderness for two decades, hiding from a design community critical of anything once described as “warm and fuzzy,” but bizarrely it is almost hip again, at least in the pages of the design magazines. One may be rightfully suspicious of ironic retro patronage, but in this case there is genuine enthusiasm. “Every character is a graphic icon, but as a typeface it is still harmonious,” believes Jason Smith, the founder of the Fontsmith foundry, who once chose the lowercase g of Souvenir Demi Bold as his favourite single character of all time (“the soft terminals and rounded organic body—gorgeous”).</p> <div><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/gill-sans-shadowed.jpg" /></div> <blockquote>This font pleases the taxman and no one else.</blockquote> <h2>#6: Gill Sans Light Shadowed</h2> <p>Gill Sans Light Shadowed is the sequel that should never have been made--a font that pleases the taxman and no one else. It’s hard to believe that this is what Eric Gill had in mind when he first picked up chisel and quill--a type design that would combine the look of both but ultimately end up redolent only of crackly Letraset on a school magazine.</p> <p>Gill Sans Light Shadowed is an optical font defined by its black dimensional shadow, designed to suggest the effect the sun would cast over thin raised letters. Like an Escher drawing, it will soon induce headaches, the brain struggling to cope with the perfection and exactitude.</p> <p>There are a great deal of similar three-dimensional effects on the market, the majority from the late 1920s and 1930s--Plastika, Semplicita, Umbra, and Futura Only Shadow--and many digital shaded fonts such as Refracta and Eclipse suggest the trend has not worn itself out. Like the many fonts designed to resemble old-fashioned typewriters--Courier, American Typewriter, Toxica--the effect amuses for a very limited time, leaving cumbersome words that are difficult to read and lack all emotion.</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/Brush-Script.jpeg" /></p> </div> <h2>#5: Brush Script</h2> <p>If, during the 1940s, you were ever persuaded by government posters to bathe with a friend or dig for victory, the persuading was probably done in Brush Script. If, during the 1960s or ’70s, you worked on a college or community magazine, then Brush Script screamed, Use me, I look like handwriting. If, during the 1990s, you ever perused the menu of a local restaurant (the sort of restaurant opened by people who on a starlit evening thought, “I’m a pretty good cook--I think I’ll open a restaurant!”), then that menu had a good chance of featuring Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad on a Bed of Brush Script. And if, in the twenty-first century, you ever even momentarily considered putting Brush Script on any document at all, even in an ironic way, then you should immediately relinquish all claims to taste.</p> <blockquote>No one you had ever met actually wrote like that.</blockquote> <p>Brush Script was made available by American Type Founders (ATF) in 1942, and its designer Robert E Smith gave it a lower case with joining loops, creating a quaint and consistent type that looked as if it was written by a fluid, carefree human. The problem was, no one you had ever met actually wrote like that, with such perfect weight distribution and no smudges (and of course every f, g, and h exactly the same as the last one). But it seemed like a good type for corporations and government bodies to get what they wanted across in a non-corporate way, which is why advertisers used it so much for three decades. It was also the type that introduced Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Neighbours to the world in 1985, a rare instance of opening credits that looked as though they had been written by an elderly member of the cast.</p> <p>Brush Script inspired a hundred more handwriterly alternatives--Mistral, Chalkduster, Avalon, Reporter, Riva. Many of these are rather nice, and some (Café Mimi, Calliope, and HT Gelateria) are lavishly beautiful. Every leading digital foundry offers an extensive list, ranging from childish scrawl to technical precision. But they all have one thing in common: they are trying to fool you into thinking they are not made on a computer, and they never succeed.</p> <p>There are also a number of companies that offer you the chance to create a font from your own handwriting. With a site like Fontifier.com this is almost instant: you fill in an alphabet grid, upload it (with your payment) for digital rendering, and you’ll be able to preview your own uniquely named type with hundreds of professional script fonts, and perhaps discover that it’s better than many.</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/Papyrus.jpeg" /></p> </div> <h2>#4: Papyrus</h2> <p><em>Avatar</em> cost more to make than any other film in history but it did its best to recoup whatever it spent on 3-D special effects and computer-generated blue people by using the cheapest and least original font it could find: Papyrus, a font available free on every Mac and PC. They did tweak it a little for the posters, but they used the standard version for credits and the subtitling for the Na’vi conversations. (On the website iheartpapyrus.com you’ll see an amusing Photoshop of James Cameron briefing star Sam Worthington in <a href="http://thecreativesideshow.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/jc_shirt.jpg" target="_blank">a T-shirt proudly asserting “Papyrus 4 Ever!”</a>)</p> <p>Cameron’s choice was baffling. Papyrus is not a bad font on its own, but is so clichéd and overused that its prominent selection for a genre-busting movie seems perverse. It also seems geographically inappropriate: as everyone who has written a school project over the last decade will tell you, Papyrus is the font you use to spell out the word "Egypt."</p> <blockquote>Papyrus is the font you use to spell out the word "Egypt."</blockquote> <p>Designed by Chris Costello and released by Letraset in 1983, Papyrus suggests what it might be like to use a quill on Egyptian plant-like material. The letters have notches and roughness, and give a good account of a chalk or crayon fraying at the edges. The primitive letters leave the impression of writing in a hurry but there is also a consistency to the style, with E and F both carrying unusually high cross-bars. The lower case seemed to be modeled closely on the early twentieth-century American newspaper favourite Cheltenham.</p> <p>The font soon became a favourite of Mediterranean-style restaurants, amusing greeting cards, and amateur productions of <em>Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat</em> (long title--good in Papyrus Condensed), and its digital incarnation proved perfect for the desktop publishing boom of the mid-1980s. It said adventurous and exotic, and marked its user out as a would-be Indiana Jones. Its use in <em>Avatar</em> was a remarkable notch up--and another example of growing typographic literacy as moviegoers scratched their heads and wondered where they had seen those titles before.</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/Jurassic-Park.jpg" /></p> </div> <h2>#3: Neuland Inline</h2> <p>Are you out this evening to see an amateur stage version of a musical involving an animal called Pumbaa and another called Timon, with songs performed by a junior Elton John? Good luck! While you’re there, take a look at the poster. More likely than not it will be in Neuland or Neuland Inline. The Neuland family says Africa in the same way as Papyrus says Egypt, albeit the it’s-all-good safari/spear-dance side of Africa rather than the shantytown or Aids side. It is a dense and angular type, suggestive of something Fred Flintstone might chisel into prehistoric rock. The inline version is bristling with energy and a quirkiness of spirit, a bad type predominantly through its overuse rather than its construction.</p> <p>Neuland was created in 1923 by the influential typographer Rudolf Koch, who also made Kabel, Marathon and Neufraktur. At the time of release it was so far removed from other German types (both blackletter and the emerging modernists) that it was widely regarded with derision – too clumsy and inflexible. But its individuality soon became its strength, and by 1930 it had been adopted to advertise products that thought of themselves as special: the Rudge-Whitworth four-speed motorcycle; Eno’s Fruit Salts; American Spirit cigarettes. Some time later, as with Papyrus, Neuland hit the big time in the movies--with the type almost as prominent in Jurassic Park as the dinosaurs.</p> <blockquote>Neuland and Papyrus are both theme park fonts.</blockquote> <p>Both Neuland and Papyrus are classifiable as theme park fonts, more comfortable on the big rides at Universal Studios, Busch Gardens or Alton Towers than they are on the page. There are many other display types that share this dubious attribute, and the enterprising man behind a site called MickeyAvenue.com has spent a great deal of time at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida noting them all down. We now know to expect Þ at the Corner Café on Main Street, and w at the Haunted Mansion, while x, which was put on this earth to spell the word y, is at Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. The classics, too, show up in places their designers could never have envisaged. Albertus reigns at the Animal Kingdom Oasis area; Gill Sans provides signage at the Epcot Imagination zone; Univers does its usual information duty at transportation and ticketing areas, while Futura is at the Animal Kingdom’s Dino Institute.</p> <p>You may write to the MickeyAvenue webmaster thanking him for his sterling endeavours. You will receive a reply thanking you for your communication written--of course--in Papyrus.</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/Ransom-Note.jpg" /></p> </div> <h2>#2 Ransom Note</h2> <p>As you might expect, Ransom Note consists of letters that look as if they have been hurriedly cut from magazines to form unnerving messages. There are various styles of such fonts available, many of them downloadable free of charge, and you might use them to write such things as “Pay up or the kitten gets it.” Inevitably these menaces don’t look very realistic, and Ransom Note is a font best used for comic effect, perhaps to say “Christian is having another bloody paintballing birthday party--please do come.”</p> <p>The names are often better than the type--BlackMail, Entebbe, Bighouse. None of them, however, have a genuine ransom note’s sweat, glue, and menace, nor the cut-up shock-art of those original Sex Pistols record sleeves.</p> <div> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/post-inline/LONDON_2012_Font.jpg" /></p> </div> <h2>#1 The 2012 Olympic Font</h2> <p>Precisely 800 days before the Olympic Games were due to start, the Official London 2012 shop began selling miniature die-cast taxis in pink, blue, orange and other shades, the first of forty such models, each promoting a different sport. The cabs are not like the lovingly crafted ones you can buy from Corgi, with opening doors and jewelled headlights, more the lumpy ones sold in Leicester Square to tourists in a hurry. Why should this matter? Because they are an example of very bad design, something London has largely begun to shun in recent years. What makes them doubly bad is the packaging, which comes with a bit of trivia about all the Olympic and Paralympic sports, each heralded with the question "Did You Know?" in what is surely the worst new public typeface of the last 100 years.</p> <blockquote>The font is based on jaggedness, not usually an attribute where sport is concerned.</blockquote> <p>The London 2012 Olympic Typeface, which is called 2012 Headline, may be even worse than the London 2012 Olympic Logo, but by the time it was released people were so tired of being outraged by the logo that the type almost passed by unnoticed. The Logo was the subject of immediate parody (some detected <a href="http://www.lowbird.com/data/images/2010/01/nextround-the-2012-olympic-logo-looks-like-lisa-simpson-giving-a-bj-full.jpg" target="_blank">Lisa Simpson having sex</a>, others a swastika), and even the subject of a health warning--an animated pulsing version was said to have brought on epileptic fits. In the International Herald Tribune, Alice Rawsthorn observed that “it looks increasingly like the graphic equivalent of what we Brits scathingly call--‘dad dancing’--namely a middle-aged man who tries so hard to be cool on the dance floor that he fails.”</p> <p>Like the logo, the uncool font is based on jaggedness and crudeness, not usually considered attributes where sport is concerned. Or maybe it’s an attempt to appear hip and down with the kids--it looks a little like the sort of tagging one might see in 1980s graffiti. It also has a vaguely Greek appearance, or at least the UK interpretation of Greek, the sort of lettering you will find at London kebab shops and restaurants called Dionysus. The slant to the letters is suddenly interrupted by a very round and upright o, which may be trying to be an Olympic Ring. The font does have a few things going for it: it is instantly identifiable, it is not easily forgettable, and because we’ll be seeing so much of it, it may eventually cease to offend. Let’s hope they keep it off the medals.</p> <p>From <em><a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781592406524,00.html?Just_My_Type_Simon_Garfield" target="_blank">Just My Type</a></em> by Simon Garfield. Published by arrangement with Gotham Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2010 by Simon Garfield.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592406521/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1846683017&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0KZAHHS2TD1RRTPWDW5C" target="_blank">Click here to buy the book on Amazon for $17.</a></strong></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/users/dummy" title="Simon Garfield"><img alt="Simon Garfield" height="124" src="http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/124x124/garfield.jpg" title="Simon Garfield" width="124" /></a></td> <td valign="top"> <h2><a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/users/dummy" title="Simon Garfield">Simon Garfield</a></h2> <p>Simon Garfield is the author of 12 acclaimed books of nonfiction. He lives in London and St. Ives, Cornwall, and currently has a soft spot for Requiem Fine Roman and HT ... <a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/users/dummy" title="Read more by Simon Garfield">Read more</a></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665318/the-8-worst-fonts-in-the-world">http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665318/the-8-worst-fonts-in-the-world</a></p>