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design notes - August2008

It’s all about the type

I have often considered typography as one of my core design strengths. Type is intoxicating, alluring and can lead to the solution of many a design problem. My clients often think they understand the selection of a typeface, you know computers come with typefaces already installed! Why wouldn’t you think that the programmers, coders and staff make the best typeface selections from which to choose. Well for starters they aren’t typographers. In fact the art of typography is fast becoming extinct. Replaced by a pseudo art that most people and clients have come to recognize.

Digital typography has been a blessing and a curse. A blessing due to the ease of use, manipulation and cost. A curse because it opened to the doors to an untrained set of self titled designers who wield typography with a lack of respect and knowledge. It is difficult to judge who is who, especially when all designers self proclaimed or trained will claim vehemently that they have never committed the sin of bad typography choices or settings.

The worst thing that bad typography has done to the world of design, is make our potential clients a little less trusting of designers in general.

Its been fourteen years

While many of my friends, colleagues and fellow designers have spent much of the last 5 years + blogging, reading and interacting online, I have, well, not. Don’t get me wrong I have always toyed with the concept of creating a blog that captures my thoughts about the business of design. Every time I sat down and attempted to  create a blog for myself I found myself stuck.

I find it so much simpler to create for my clients. It seems as though designing to solve someone else’s problem allows me to focus and see more clearly. Working for myself gets muddy really quickly. There are so many avenues to explore, things to understand and questions to answer. Before you know it I am staring at a blank photoshop file with a blank mind.

So finally after 14 years of sitting and watching I have created a blog. The purpose of which isn’t so clear as I write my first post, but at least I made it past the blank screen this time.