The 8 Worst Fonts In The World | Co.Design We’d need another book, of course, to do this justice. And where would one start? 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. Most of the time we only notice typeface mistakes, or things before or behind their times. The Top Tens were: Used Regularly: Frutiger (23 respondents) Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (21) Futura (15) Gill Sans (13) Univers (11) Garamond (10) Bembo Franklin Gothic (8) 9. Highly Visible: Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (29) Meta (13) Gill Sans (9) Rotis (8) Arial (7) ITC Officina Sans (4) Futura (3) Bold Italic Techno; FF Info; Mrs Eaves; Swiss; TheSans; Times New Roman (2) Least Favorite: Times New Roman (19) Helvetica/Helvetica Neue (18) Brush Script (13) Arial Courier (8) Rotis Souvenir (6) Grunge Fonts (generic) (5) Avant Garde Gill Sans (4) Comic Sans (3)
Brain Pickings » “First of all, are you okay?” UpbeaT Back in September, I started off the school year on the wrong foot. Actually, to push the tired foot analogy a little further, I was dragging my feet, tripping over shoelaces and falling down. Probably in a puddle. Of mud. For simplicity’s sake, I had a difficult August, and when September hit, I suffered from severe insomnia and completely lacked an appetite. Some days, I seriously felt like Amelie in this particular scene (I know, boo hoo, c’est la vie!). The worst moment at school this year came when I entered a class sharply at 2 pm and realized, the class began at 1 pm. The co-professor teaching the course walked up to me. “First of all,” she said, searching my face, “Are you okay?” Although it may sound unremarkable, that is probably the kindest thing a professor has ever said to me. This is not an argument or excuse for tardiness. I am grateful for the one professor who asked me if I was simply okay. As students, let’s reject these impersonal models of knowing one another. Erin
Lessons From Swiss Style Graphic Design - Smashing Magazine Advertisement Also known as International Style, the Swiss Style does not simply describe a style of graphic design made in Switzerland. It became famous through the art of very talented Swiss graphic designers, but it emerged in Russia, Germany and Netherlands in the 1920’s. This style in art, architecture and culture became an ‘international’ style after 1950’s and it was produced by artists all around the globe. Despite that, people still refer to it as the Swiss Style or the Swiss Legacy. This progressive, radical movement in graphic design is not concerned with the graphic design in Switzerland, but rather with the new style that had been proposed, attacked and defended in the 1920s in Switzerland. Emerging from the modernist and constructivist ideals, the Swiss Style can be defined as an authentic pursue for simplicity – the beauty in the underlines of a purpose, not beauty as a purpose in itself. How the Swiss Style Relates to the Web Uniformity and geometry Grid Systems Elementary
5 Must-Read Books by TED 2011 Speakers by Maria Popova What doodling has to do with the evolution of consciousness and the raw beauty of the Arctic. Last year, our selection of 7 must-read books by TEDGlobal speakers was one our most popular articles of 2010. Today, as we prepare for next week’s big event, we’re back with 5 essential reads by TED 2011 speakers, once again litmus-tested for brilliance in the world’s most reliable quality-control lab: the TED stage. You may recall iconic neuroscientist Antonio Damasio from his insights on what it means to be human. Harvard Business School professor and futurist Juan Enriquez, whose Homo Evolutis was one of last month’s revolutionary first crop of TEDBooks, is a thoughtful observer of the profound cultural and biological changes that genomics and other life sciences are sweeping through society. Sample Enriquez’s genius with his excellent 2009 TED talk on how the evolution of technology is impacting the financial crisis: Bill Gates is no stranger to TED. Share on Tumblr
Vintage photographs of Toronto at night Vintage photographs of Toronto at night are a somewhat rare sight in the City's online archives. Despite the hundreds of historical photos we've shared over the last year or so, the number of night shots that have found their way into these posts could probably be counted on one hand. That's rather astonishing when you think about it for a second. One of the reasons for this, no doubt, is that prior to the rise of the single-lens reflex camera and faster film in and around the 1950s, night photography wasn't that common in general. Sure, accomplished photographers did use their view cameras to take night shots prior to that period, but the excruciatingly long exposures made the prospect of crisp images quite challenging. Nevertheless, when you set out to look for them, there's a hauntingly good little collection of night photographs that are available online. The Auditorium Theatre Toronto (382 Queen Street West), 1910 The Comique Theatre (Yonge south of Dundas), 1910 Wow. 376 Dupont, 1923
How Helvetica Conquered The World With Its Cool, Comforting Logic | Co.Design This is the second excerpt from Just My Type. To read the first, "The 8 Worst Fonts in the World," go here. What is it about the Swiss? Or, to be precise: what is it about the Swiss and their sans serif typefaces? Helvetica and Univers both emerged from Switzerland in the same year--1957--and went out to shape the modern world. Helvetica is a font of such practicality--and, its adherents would suggest, such beauty--that it is both ubiquitous and something of a cult. A few years ago, a New Yorker called Cyrus Highsmith put his life on the line by trying to spend a day without Helvetica. His troubles began as soon as he climbed out of bed. At lunch he thought he’d try Chinatown but had to switch restaurants as the first had a familiar-looking menu. After he undertook his non-Helvetica day, Highsmith posed himself a philosophical question. Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica movie would suggest you do. The best section in the movie occurs a third of the way through. It shows no sign of abating.
tabldog Dear Manny Pacquiao, the “Man in the Arena” | Michael D. Sellers Dear Manny, First, thank you for all that you have done to elevate the spirits of a nation, and to inspire boxing and sportsfans worldwide. I remember years ago when I first became aware of you and your amazing talents. To my immense surprise and pleasure, as your stauture as a boxer has grown, it seems that the sports fans of America and the world have seen in you the same things that Filipinos do, and have responded similarly. While you are by nature humble, you have been blessed with extraordinary talents which, when coupled with an equally extraordinary work ethic, have propelled you to performance heights in recent years that began to make it look easy. Then came November 12, 2011. Never had you looked so focused and ready to fight. Never had a training camp been so good; the preparation been so complete. Well — magic did happen, but not in the way you or we expected. You fought well and you won the fight on the judges’ scorecards — but it wasn’t enough. Manny, this is your moment.
Arial versus Helvetica. How to tell them apart. Is Arial just a poor copy? Seconds Out, Round One Every typeface, like every one of us, has its distinguishing features. You might be forgiven for thinking that some fonts are clones, or identical twins. However, closer inspection reveals subtle differences and nuances that simply escape casual perusal. Something that can really help heighten our sensitivity to those differences is getting out our magnifying glasses and really taking a closer look. If you’ve forgotten to bring your magnifying glass, then don’t fear for the Fontometer is here (we’ll get to that in a moment). Today we’re going to de-robe two popular typefaces, namely Arial and Helvetica — faces that are often confused, and often the subjects of mistaken identity. HelveticaDesigned in 1957 by Max Miedinger, Helvetica’s design is based on that of Akzidenz Grotesk (1896), and classified as a Grotesque or Transitional san serif face. I’ve read in several places that Arial is closer in appearance to Univers than Helvetica.
rmation | nothing is true, everything is permitted Over the years, Bill evolved an elaborate cosmology around Hassan, which bore little relationship to historical fact. [7] The Weaver Budayl A competing explanation comes from a historical figure who lived after Sabbah and developed a following based on the corruption some of the Nizari master's teachings, resulting in a retroactive misattribution of his words and actions to Sabbah himself. Budayl, a weaver, proclaimed: . . . there is no reality to what is declared lawful or forbidden in religion. Structurally this sentiment is very close to Sabbah's wording. The Isma'ilis reacted to his ideas by capturing and executing most of Budayl's adherents in a move that mirrored later actions against the Sufat or Pure Ones. Haram vs. A heresiography of the various divisions of the Shi'a (the minority party in Islam) categorizes the Isma'ilis according to this precept: Their third name is hurumiyya , for they say halal about many haram actions. [. . .] Virtually Sabbah's own alleged words. Endnotes :
A Better Way to Fight Abortion [Editor's Note: Today marks 41 years since the Supreme Court declared abortion legal. On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we're republishing this article from last year that takes a look back at the Church's pro-life efforts and forward at what Christians can do about abortion.] It is not very pleasant to speak about abortion. So why bother? The magnitude of this tragedy, the loss of 37 million children knit by God and shredded by men, demands that we speak, renew our zeal, refresh our compassion and reignite our commitment to speak for “the least of these” that are so precious to God, regardless of the discomfort it causes us. In our churchly attempts to influence popular culture, we may have been too quick to seek alternatives to the spiritual forces that are the true and greater powers influencing the direction of any society. To answer this question, I am not going to focus on political strategies or picketing life-chains or the debates of the public square. Yes, “It’s a baby.”