Typography fun

Some creative uses of modern typefaces, Studio Lettering and Neutraface Slab. The color tote bag and the Ampersand Cast aluminum weight are fun promo gifts that can be ordered from House Industries.




Another popular modern typeface, Fedra, can be found at typotheque.com

trends in typography via social networking

I'm going to geek out a little bit on type today. After the long holiday weekend, I've come back to work motivated to read up on the recent design trends and typography web sites. Sometimes I actually bother to keep track of these ideas and get inspired for future work. Here are a few sites I've noted which explore new typography styles. The web world has been limited to default san serif fonts, mainly to ensure a common view across all browsers and monitors. The only way to select specific custom fonts for the web, used to be by using Flash. Now with the popularity of social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, Blogs and Twitter, I am seeing a design trend towards a more modular site. I think there is also a reaction to the clean, sleek sites of the Web 2.0 era that is leading towards more hand-drawn and 'real' elements on sites. There is a move towards personalization and customization, yet a simplicity that reflects the daily updates from iphones to twittering that businesses want to latch on to. The typography and illustration style reflect this more unique crafty feel that people are drawn too. A world where everyone has something to say and they don't need a polished advertising bullhorn to say it. For some businesses, this move is a natural transition. However, I have to wonder why Virgin Airlines needs to be followed on YouTube and Twitter. And why, oh why, do I care about what Crate and Barrel has to say on Twitter? But I digress - this post was meant to be about typography.

Here are some links:
Blog post on WebFont Use (sIFR)

Viaje por España: Madrid & Seville

We took our vacation this year to explore the cities of Madrid and Seville. I mainly wanted to explore the southern region of Spain, known as Andalucia, but couldn't pass up a chance to see the capital city. We stayed in a popular central area called Plaza Santa Ana. This was a great area to stay in, as it was walking distance to all of the museums, historic sites, great restaurants and shopping areas.

While in Madrid, we visited the Prado Museum which housed the royal collection of art from the 15th and 17th centuries. The most impressive pieces were the works by Goya, 'The Second of May' and 'The Third of May' 1808. We also visited the modern art museum, the Reina Sofia and saw Picasso's Guernica. Other than that we just explored the neighborhoods by walking around and eating.

On Tuesday morning we took the AVE (Spain's high speed trains) down to Seville, which was about a 2 1/2 hr trip. We stayed in the historical Santa Cruz neighborhood, which was all medieval winding passageways with great atmosphere. The main sites to see were the town Cathedral and the Moorish Giralda tower and the Moorish Palace (The Alcázar). We also took a day trip to the small town of Carmona which had roman ruins and the original protecting wall to guard Seville.

It was a really great trip! We'll definitely be going back someday.

Check out more of our photos on Flickr: Spain Trip Photos

Viaje por España: Moorish tiles

We were really impressed by the Moorish tiles in Seville. The most elaborate patterns we saw were at the Alcázar palace, which was originally a Moorish fort. The palace is said to be one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture. The tile patterns ranged from simple geometric Moorish patterns of stars to styles with saints and royal coats of arms, during the Renaissance and Christian period.

It was the most beautiful building I've ever seen, with room after room of intricately carved patterns and tiles. I kept trying to imagine how many different artisans and craftsman must have worked on this building over the course of it's construction and additions under new rulers.

--

SHOPPING FOR TILES

Head to Triana, the old Gypsy enclave on the left side of the Guadalquivir river. Its streets are lined with ceramics shops, often with their wares displayed flamboyantly on the facade.

• Cerámica Santa Ana (San Jorge 31, 34-95-433-39-90)

Viaje por España: The Art of Tapas

I was very excited to explore the regional food in Spain. One of the most common Spanish customs, was the hanging ham legs in every restaurant and bar. If you ordered some jamón and cheese, the waiter would go back and slice off some pieces from the leg. Another eating custom is tapas, which even has it's own verb, 'Tapear'. Tapas are small plates of food served with vino (wine) or cerveza in bars. Surprising to me, there are so many different regional varieties of tapas. One can also order raciones, which are somewhat larger versions of the tapas and are meant to be shared by a group. Eating in Madrid seemed to be a very social enterprise. Food isn't about individual courses, but about sharing plates. We also found that people tend to eat very late in Madrid. Lunch starts around 2:00pm and dinner around 9:00pm (at least on the weekends). And getting on the Spanish eating schedule is crucial to getting a good meal. We found out the best places to go, were always the ones with the long queues out the door. Our favorite dishes were the croquetes de jamón, (which we ate in nearly every bar). Also tastey were the bocadillos (small sandwiches of cheese & jamón or seafood), and the egg tortillas. We also tried some new dishes like foie gras (goose liver pate), and pulpo (sautéd octopus). We explored the areas around Plaza de Santa Ana, Chueca, and along the calle Cava Baja.

EATING IN MADRID
• Orixe -We loved this place which served traditional tapas of cheese and meats on bread, that was heated up in a toaster oven when you ordered at the bar. C\ Cava Baja 17, 28005 Madrid
• Baco y Beto -Delicious dinner of salad with strawberries & grapes, and a series of tapas and pulpo (octopus). Small hole in the wall, but with really good food. c\ Pelayo, 24 - Chueca -28004 Madrid

EATING IN SEVILLE
• Enrique Becerra (Arenal neighborhood, c/Gamazo, 2). This well known restaurant also serves excellent tapas in its downstairs bar. Amazing tapas! We loved this place and ate there twice.
• Cerveceria Internacional (c/Gamazo, 1) Great place to sample a selection of beers from all over Europe.
• El Rinconcillo (Calle Gerona, 42). This is Seville's oldest bar (founded in 1670). An atmospheric locale offering a limited but good selection of tapas.