{ Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton }

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton, like the book title is about typography....it gives you a overall knowledge on what is typography and a basic history on different fonts families. The content of the book is broken down into 3 categories, Text, Letter and Grid.

The one i bought was the Chinese-edition, it's because Chinese-edition costs alot cheaper than the English one. It costs only S$23 for a 200-pages design book (worth it ya?)......for me it doesn't matter if it's english or chinese as i am comfortable reading both....

Taken for the book: *self-translated to English





SABON
Style: Humanist or Old Style
This family of 15th - 16th Century Roman font type is a reflection of ancient calligraphy style. Created by Jan Tschichold in 1966, he developed SABON with the use of 16th Century's CLAUDE GARAMOND as a guide.






BASKERVILLE
Style: Transitional
This family of font is known to be more distinct than Humanist, the strokes are more define. When BASKERVILLE is created in the mid-18th Century, its highly-distinctive shape alarmed the typography industy.






BODONI
Style: Modern
This font created by Bodoni in end of 18th Century is extremely abstract. Notice its thin and straight serif, as well as it's thick and thin strokes, creating a dynamic difference in the letters.






GILL SANS
Style: Humanist Sans Serif
Sans Serif font types are very common in the 20th Century. Created by Eric Gill in 1928, it has the characteristic of a Humanist font. Notice the lowercase 'a', its small yet smooth counter and its calligraphy-like usage of thin and thick strokes.






HELVETICA
Style: Transitional Sans Serif
HELVETICA is created by Max Miedinger in 1957, is one of the world's most widely-used font. Its straight and balanced font is a representation of Transitional font. This family of font is also known as the world famous Transitional sans serif font.







FUTURA
Style: Geometric Sans Serif
This series of type created by Paul Renner in 1927, who sought an "honest expression of technical processes". FUTURA has its 'o' done in a complete circular shape and its uppercase 'A' and 'M' have their top tip in a shape of a sharp triangle.

For more information on Thinking with Type, please click here

{ Andy Warhol Authentication (documentary) }

A documentary about andy warhol's artworks after his death....interesting!


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 1/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 2/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 3/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 4/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 5/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 6/7


Andy Warhol Authenication : Part 7/7

{ Typography }

Many of the local designers fail to see the importance of Typography, something that may seen insignificant and small as to compare with VISUALS. Me, myself was once the same as the rest, till my study in RMIT where i met my typography lecturer, Stephen Banham. An internationally-known typographer who perhaps is the only person in history to have been recognised in the street as a campaigner against a typeface (HELVETICA). *LOL....

* Stephen Banham is an Australian graphic designer, writer and founder of Letterbox, a typograhic studio in Melbourne. Born in Melbourne in 1968. He studied graphic design at RMIT University from 1986-88. In 2003 he completed a Master of Design research from RMIT.

His design work has been covered in Emigré, Baseline and Eye, in most international type annuals and featured in many international type exhibitions earning him many typography awards. He has lectured in typography at RMIT University since 1991. He has also guest lectured at most Australian design colleges as well as in New Zealand, Barcelona, the United Kingdom, and has spoken at the New York Type Directors Club.*

Having him as my lecturer actually let me realised how much i sucks in typography... Kerning, Leading, Widow, Orphan..... all sorts of small details that designers should have taken note when doing their design... Headers & Logotype aren't just about choosing the right font type, spacing in between letters are important too.... Don't just type it out without look twice at it and the fact that 1 is always standing far away when placing together with other characters. Manual kerning is essential in this case... Because he made me realised how bad i am in typography, i began to read up more on typographic books.... After which, it shone some lights in me, in fact, i think it is a whole new world waiting to be explored by designers.

Many of us are always using Helvetica or Futura when laying texts, it had became a default to just click and select them. Which in long run is a very sad thing, you will never break away from the same look because you had been always using the same font.

I told myself i have to learn more and break away from the default so as to grow stronger as a designer. This should be the case for every designer, to find your own weakest point and face it bravely and you will grow eventually.....

P.S: do visit Letterbox for more knowledges about Australian typo happenings and stuffs that Stephen had done!

{ Step by Step D.I.Y Bart Simpson }

Finally i managed to find some time to paint my iQee's 12-inch Bart Simpson...

Enjoy the process more than the Result!






Done.....

{ What inspires you inspires me! }

It's not how GOOD you are, it's how GOOD you want to be.....is a concise guide to making the most of yourself – a pocket BIBLE for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible. It gave me tips and inspirations to drive inspiration, seeking the limit to break away from limits....One word to put it, "GOOD".

Taken from THE BOOK:
DO NOT COVET YOUR IDEAS.
give away everything you know, and more will come back to you.

You will remember from school other students preventing you from seeing their answers by placing their arm around their exercise book or exam paper.

It is the same at work, people are secretive with ideas. 'Don't tell them that, they'll take the credit for it.' The problem with hoarding is you end up living off your reserves. Eventually you'll become stale. If you give away everything you have, you are left with nothing. This forces you to look, to be aware, to replenish. Somehow the more you give away the more comes back to you.

Ideas are open knowledge. DON'T CLAIM OWNERSHIP. They're not your ideas anyway, they're someone else's. They are out there floating by on the ether. You just have to put yourself in frame of mind to pick them up.

P.S: I bought this book in Melbourne...but if you guys want it, it's available in Basheer, Kinokuniya and PageOne.