I'm bringing phyzix back...

I've been given the task of redesigning my organization's logo. I work at AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers), which is a nonprofit promoting physics education. The image to the left is our current logo. If you can see all the letters, congratulate yourself on being one of the few. The criteria for the new logo includes legibility, attractiveness, conjures movement, and easily recognizable. I tried incorporating all these concepts, and at the same time come up with an image of a P integrated with a T, to symbolize the relationship between physics and teaching. I hope that it is successful in meeting all the criteria. I've gotten feedback from my coworkers and executive officer, but would love to hear what my fellow designers and writers think about it.

Have you heard...

CS3 has officially been released? I don't know about you, but I'm excited! I can't wait to try out all the cool new features. Though I do think it's time Adobe updates its blocky ugly square logo. It just turns the perfection of the "A" into a horrible mess.

http://www.adobe.com/creativelicense/?sdid=TIDK

typography of calligraphy

I have a passion for arabic calligraphy. The script is so dynamic and fluid, the possibilities are infinite. There are different techniques of calligraphy, from the traditional ink and parchment with its own respective styles, to the modern digital, experimenting more with colors, forms, and textures. Calligraphy is highly esteemed because of its link to Quranic tradition, and over the centuries people have been driven to use the highest skill in writing it. I can go on and on about this subject, because I actually do a presentation on it to highlight the origins and characteristics of arabic calligraphy.

Here are some examples I find especially compelling.

typography RULES

I love me some typography. It's been said time and time again that to really be a good designer, you have to understand typography. I definitely believe it. Design of type can make something sing, or put you to sleep. So in my quest to find cool typography, I looked mainly for book covers. Here's some of what I found visually interesting. There's a special shoutout to Emily's boss with gentrification.

Classification: confessions

Here are the confessions of an illustrator, broken down into different categories and accompanied by little illustrations and descriptions. They include: "I am out of style", "I am out of touch", and "I am a slob". The desk is great because it is very similar to my desk at work, and probably a lot of other designers out there. I got this from one of the old issues of print magazine.

It's all about ME

So a recent study came out basically saying that college students are 30% more narcissistic than the ones polled in 1982. That's a huge increase, and a quite alarming one to me. I do not think it's much of a stretch, considering that our society is very much an individualistic one, and constantly bombards us with self-revolving messages like "whatever makes you happy". This is fine in stuff that only affects us on a personal level, but what about the things that affect those around us, and society as a whole? What if it makes Joe Shmoe "happy" to run off with the secretary, leaving his wife and kids to pick up the pieces of their broken home? This is when it starts to gets sticky, and where I think people need to think beyond just themselves. The study attributes alot of this to the advent of technology, i.e. youtube, blogs (haha), etc, everyone can now showcase themselves to the rest of the world. Perhaps it can go to one's head. Who knows. I think it's interesting that they only included college students in this study, I'm sure that this has affected adults as well. I'm curious to see what other peoples' thoughts are on this topic, and if you think there is any kind of antidote to stop it from getting any worse.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070227/ap_on_re_us/self_centered_students_1

Description Project: Yupo Paper

I thought this was a great example of description, and design. The image made up of different shots of an apple are actually used to illustrate how different inks look on different paper (as displayed on the second page). The description text at the bottom goes like this:

Wally stepped off the school bus supplied with a paper that made the teachers say "ooh la la". YUPO was instantly singled out as being exceptionally bright, smooth, and able to hold razor-sharp color. Sporting a candy apple varnish or a down to the core die-cut, Wally showed teachers that YUPO Accel has mass appeal when it comes to extraordinary printing processes. No matter how you slice it, YUPO goes to the head of the class.

What a cute, clever way to promote paper! Not to mention make me in the mood for a fresh, tasty apple.