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Quipsologies
~ Vol. 22 ~

Tattooed fruits, stickered bikes, toured typographers and more in this edition of Quipsologies.

~ BRYONY ~

“What would a child’s drawing look like if it were painted reallistically?”

~

Sick and tired of those damn little fruit labels? They hear you. Soon to be found in a grocery store near you, tattooed fruit.

~

Google could be added to Standard & Poor’s 500 — an index considered to be a benchmark of the overall stock market that is comprised of 500 widely-held Blue Chip stocks representing industrial, transportation, utility and financial companies — within 12 months.

~ GUNNAR SWANSON ~

David Cabianca interview with Ed Fella on the cranbrook.com site.

~ M. KINGSLEY ~

Ex-New York bike messenger/graffiti artist Futura 2000 (Lenny McGurr to his mother) and Nike designer Mark Smith collaborated on a series of bike stickers which adorned Lance Armstrong’s bike in the Tour de France. Each day, a different story from Armstrong’s life was told along his upper crossbar. (wmv file)

And it looks like Nike will be issuing t-shirts.

~ JASON A. TSELENTIS ~

Guy Trebay talks about how T-shirts are having a renaissance thanks to evocative graphic design in this New York Times article.

~

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg declares Type Week in New York City. TypeCon begins, kicking off a phenomenon likened to Star Trek conventions.

~ ARMIN ~

Last weekend we ate at a small Mexican restaurant around the corner from our apartment, it was small and delicious. We grabbed a delivery menu and a little postcard and were pleasantly surprised with their logo, it looked like it was actually touched by a designer. And, the back, look! Isn’t that cute?

~

“Their conversation can quickly descend into the slightly self-satisfied jargon of any specialty,” reports Randy Kennedy for The New York Times, who tagged along this past steamy Thursday joining Paul Shaw and a dozen attendees for the Typography Tours during Typecon, “with talk of uncial script, ligatures and serif slants, along with frequent references to Trajan’s Column in Rome, an ancient source of Western letter forms.” New Yorkers, meanwhile, went on with their jargon-filled day. [Same link as Jason’s, different angle — redundant?]

~

Von Glitschka writes, (edited for brevity): “A few months back I was waiting at a stop light and a tree service truck pulled up right next to me. I casually looked over at it then returned my gaze to the stop light, I then twisted my head around and did a double take. Well today I noticed one of their trucks again in a parking lot. I jumped out of my car and went over and asked for a business card. What strikes me now looking at it after a few months is that the tree looks far less like a tree then I originally remembered. It looks more like a… well… a bush of sorts. (Pardon the pun). Behold a classic example of an ‘Unfortunate Visual Association’ when it comes to a logo.”

~

Von later reports: “Not sure if anyone has discussed this or not? The Type Directors Club logo [designed by Gerard Huerta] has been clearly ripped off by the folks at Desert Troon Companies.” You decide.

Maintained through our ADV @ UnderConsideration Program
ENTRY DETAILS
ARCHIVE ID 2375 FILED UNDER Miscellaneous
PUBLISHED ON Jul.24.2005 BY The Speak Up Authors
WITH COMMENTS
Comments
Darrel’s comment is:

That tree service logo is hilarious. And dirty. So, so dirty. ;o)

On Jul.25.2005 at 10:30 AM
Darrel’s comment is:

So, I'm trying to find that Ed Fella interview. I click on the link. Hmm...I don't see it. Scroll down. Hmm. Nothing. Maybe the link was wrong? Go to the home page. Nope. Let's go back. Oh! There's a headline over there. Click on the picture. Huh? What's this? Just a picture. Damn. Close the pop-up. Go back. OH! THERE IT IS! Had I simply assumed that the article would be placed off-screen where I couldn't see it and all I had to do was scroll WAY to the right, then this would have been a lot easier.

Ugh. That site is such a pathetic design for a *design* school.

On Jul.25.2005 at 10:33 AM
JonSel’s comment is:

How narrow is your screen, Darrel? It's only the second column of text. I assumed there was a link to the article as well, instead of it being on the home page, but that was my only confusion.

Also, the cranbrookdesign.com site is not Cranbrook's official site. This is a site run by some Cranbrook alumni. I recall the original iteration of the site was for more random in its layout. This is a vast improvement.

On Jul.25.2005 at 10:51 AM
Diane Witman’s comment is:

Von later reports: “Not sure if anyone has discussed this or not? The Type Directors Club logo [designed by Gerard Huerta] has been clearly ripped off by the folks at Desert Troon Companies.” You decide.

That's quite the rip-off there. I had to chuckle at that. It was funny at first, then sad. Okay, it's funny again. Embarrassing for Desert Troon Companies, I would be pretty ticked off if I were a part of the Type Directors Club.

On Jul.25.2005 at 10:55 AM
Darrel’s comment is:

How narrow is your screen, Darrel?

About 2000 pixels.

I just dislike the assumption that some web developers have thinking that their site is so important that I'll dedicate the entirety of my screen to them. ;o)

That and it's Monday. So I'm grumpy.

On Jul.25.2005 at 11:12 AM
Tan’s comment is:

> Type Director's Club logo

You know, I certainly don't condone it, but you gotta hand it to whoever "did" the Desert Troon Company site. First of all, they have taste — enough to choose the TDC logo at least. Secondly, they had the smarts to just steal it outright — no tweaking, no bastardizing — keeping the form completely intact. They even tried to match the type and proportions accordingly.

It's more of a masterful counterfeit job, rather than a down and dirty theft.

And I'm sure they never counted on anyone from the design world catching them.

The thing is, the logos that they designed for their developments aren't bad. They're nothing spectacular, but they're obviously professionally done. So why steal so blatantly for the corporate mark?

And lastly, what the hell is a "troon"?

On Jul.25.2005 at 11:58 AM
Armin’s comment is:

— Hi, is Darrel there?

- Yeah, this is him.

— Well, hi Darrel, this is 2005 calling…

- [Silence]

— Darrel, I'm calling to let you know that advances in computin', specially hardware, have allowed companies like Apple, Gateway and Dell to produce large size monitors that can accomodate way more than an 800 x 600 resolution. So, if you click, hold and grab the bottom right corner of your browser you can actually stretch out the window of your browser to accomodate cranbrook's 980 pixel wide site.

- But why should I do what "The Man" tells me?

— Darrel: Whatever. It's fucking 2005, just extend your browser ;o)

On Jul.25.2005 at 01:14 PM
Tom’s comment is:

> Type Director's Club logo

i mean, they might as well as picked up the phone...called the type directors club...and asked them to send an EPS of their logo over.

it is almost right on the money. well, i bet they never thought they would get caught. so what will the outcome be? will someone sue?

On Jul.25.2005 at 01:38 PM
Darrel’s comment is:

First of all, they have taste — enough to choose the TDC logo at least. Secondly, they had the smarts to just steal it outright — no tweaking, no bastardizing

Apparently, the web firm was not the same as the firm that did the logo:

http://typophile.com/node/13977

Armin, I won't go into a long essay, but technology isn't the issue. It's user preferences. Also, many folks with large monitors prefer to actually take advantage of windowed operating systems by (surprise!) having multiple windows open side-by-side. ;o)

There's a reason column layouts work well in newspapers and there's a reason they don't work so well online. ;o)

On Jul.25.2005 at 01:41 PM
Andrew Twigg’s comment is:

heh, if there's gonna be a battle royale over screen res & design res, I don't wanna miss it.

I'm putting my money on...

btw, shocked at the TDC logo rip off. that just seems insane!!! INSANE!!!!!

On Jul.25.2005 at 03:49 PM
Armin’s comment is:

> Armin, I won't go into a long essay, but technology isn't the issue. It's user preferences.

I don't want to dissapoint Andrew, so I'll add to that that I feel these "user preferences" are an unwelcome rollover from the constraints of 1998. I have a big ass screen and if, god forbid, I need to resize my window to see some content on the right then I do it, it's really not the end of the world. My preference is to see the content, not have an untouchable set width on my browser. Plus what is so exciting on your desktop that you can't cover it up with your browser?

On Jul.25.2005 at 04:27 PM
Tan’s comment is:

>Plus what is so exciting on your desktop that you can't cover it up with your browser?

oh good God, Armin — I don't want him to answer that.

On Jul.25.2005 at 04:29 PM
Darrel’s comment is:

My preference is to see the content

As is mine. ;o)

On Jul.25.2005 at 05:43 PM
Darrel’s comment is:

so I'll add to that that I feel these "user preferences" are an unwelcome rollover from the constraints of 1998

Ah hell, I took the bait. It's the end of the day...

'user preferences' aren't a constraint. They're a feature of the web medium.

Now, if they want to make an exceptionally wide site and put the content way on the right side forcing me to either scroll sideways to see everything, or to remember that when visiting their site, I need to change my browser so that I hide my bookmarks pan and maximize the window, I'm not going to stop them, but it does make for a rather annoying user experience, and that, is simply bad design.

Maybe they've shown that their entire demographic is graphic designers with huge Apple cinema displays that don't multitask and browse the web one page at a time with maximized browser. In which case, they're spot on with that design.

On Jul.25.2005 at 05:46 PM
Kyle Hildebrant’s comment is:

Tan, (and all)

To bring a little clarity to the subject of the TDC. I was the 'one' who brought this to the (publics) attention back around the 18th or so. I was driving by Troon -- which along with the web development company -- is located near me.

I have been in contact with TDC, Troon, and I-ology (the web developer)

This was not the fault of the web developer, as they were supplied the 'logo' by Troon. Troon can't seem to 'remember' who made the logo for them, but thye said that they were 'looking into it'.

You can see a little more of is here: http://typophile.com/node/13977

Or if you followed it on the Wireality List.

Either way, TDC has been informed and they are dealing with it.

On Jul.25.2005 at 10:04 PM
Tan’s comment is:

Kyle — thanks for the 'explanation'. Please keep us 'updated'....especially if you find out what or where or who a 'Troon' is.

On Jul.26.2005 at 02:24 AM
Armin’s comment is:

> 'user preferences' aren't a constraint. They're a feature of the web medium.

As well as a feature of "life". As a user I don't like war nor, for that matter, 90 degree weather — far-fetched analogies, I know. You just have to just roll with it.

> I need to change my browser so that I hide my bookmarks pan and maximize the window,

And you have a 2000 pixel screen? You can have your bookmarks, a 900 wide web site, a cake, and eat it too.

On Jul.26.2005 at 08:24 AM
JonSel’s comment is:

Tan, Troon is a town in Scotland where the Troon Golf Club was founded. Royal Troon, as it is now known, is part of the rotation of courses used for golf's British Open. There is a Troon course in Scottsdale, having taken the name from the famous club in Scotland.

On Jul.26.2005 at 08:40 AM
Darrel’s comment is:

As well as a feature of "life". As a user I don't like war nor, for that matter, 90 degree weather — far-fetched analogies, I know. You just have to just roll with it.

Uh. Yea. I completely agree. The designer needs to roll with the aspects of the medium they are designing for.

On Jul.26.2005 at 10:29 AM
Darrel's Advocate’s comment is:

You just have to just roll with it.

For me there's a lasting impression that convoluted communication is an honest representation of the Cranbrook program.

Honesty is good.

On Jul.26.2005 at 10:40 AM
JonSel’s comment is:

While the web is more user-centric than most mediums, there still comes a point where the necessities of content and designer's choice take preference. Frankly, it sounds like Darrel would prefer pure text sites to the graphic wonders that we get today.

And the cranbrookdesign.com site is hardly the only site that oversteps 800 pixels and used multiple columns. Both CNN.com and MSNBC.com use the right hand side of the top portion of the page for top news articles. And I used to complain because the entire SpeakUp site didn't fit on my screen, even with a maximized browser. Of course, I was using a circa 1992 monitor with an 800 pixel width. Now my 23" cinema display allows me to have SpeakUp AND CNN open in 2 windows, while still being able to see my email and solitaire, um, I mean, Illustrator.

It's not "bad design" just because it doesn't work for you.

On Jul.26.2005 at 10:41 AM
Andrew Twigg’s comment is:

For me there's a lasting impression that convoluted communication is an honest representation of the Cranbrook program.

Whew, I wouldn't say that. I think it's misunderstood. Having met a number of Cranbrook people this summer at Design Inquiry, I can tell you that's not the case of all. Just because something isn't Swiss doesn't mean it can't be clear. The question is: What is it the "Cranbrook designer" is trying to communicate?

I, for a long time, was under the impression that if you couldn't read it in two seconds, it must not be good communication. While this may hold true in cases for say, hospital signage, airplane emergency brochures, or even most advertising, it certainly isn't the case all the time. There's more to communication than words and a 1-2 punchline.

My take on Cranbrook - and as a potential graduate student who is strongly considering the Cranbrook program (among others) - is that it's exploring what's beyond the 1-2 punch for the designer as well as for the message. I fear that to even write this, I'll mislead everyone here, because I don't think the Cranbrook idea can be summarized in a few words or even paragraphs... but I do believe it's wholly worthwhile and that if you have those kinds of ideas, you should talk to someone who went to Cranbrook or even talk to Ellliot Earls, the 2-D artist in residence.

The Cranbrook idea isn't about being dishonest. My impression of Elliot Earls is that he's helping Cranbrook designers be as honest as possible to themselves and to their message. Perhaps the face of honesty is sometimes the most radical face of all.

On Jul.26.2005 at 11:58 AM
Chukee’s comment is:

>along his upper crossbar

Picky point, but it is called a "top tube".

On Jul.26.2005 at 12:16 PM
Kyle Hildebrant’s comment is:

Troon -- Well, JonSel took the words out of my mouth. here in Scottsdale we have 'Troon this' and Troon That'...

The real Troon..

http://www.troononline.net/

http://www.royaltroon.co.uk/

Arizona Troon..

http://www.troongolf.com/

http://www.troonnorthgolf.com/

On Jul.26.2005 at 01:04 PM
Sonyl’s comment is:

�user preferences’ aren't a constraint. They’re a feature of the web medium.

<tongue-in-cheek>It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!</tongue-in-cheek>

On Jul.26.2005 at 02:34 PM
Jason Tselentis’s comment is:

I thought Troon was Tron's younger brother. So glad this got cleared up.

On Jul.26.2005 at 02:58 PM
Andrew Twigg’s comment is:

What about Looney Troons? Or the 50's/then 70's game show "Name that Troon".

I can name that Troon in seven notes.

On Jul.26.2005 at 03:07 PM
Darrel’s comment is:

Frankly, it sounds like Darrel would prefer pure text sites to the graphic wonders that we get today.

No, that's just a 'baby with the bathwater' over reaction that a lot of graphic designer have. "I can't have my exact layout so why don't I just make everything plain text" kind of whining. ;o)

It's not "bad design" just because it doesn't work for you.

True. It could certainly be made better design without much effort, though.

On Jul.26.2005 at 05:24 PM
Armin’s comment is:

Re: Michael Bloomberg declaring Type Week

Looks like Mr. Bloomberg will declare anything…

Kidding aside, I thought it was great that SoTA and Typecon managed to pull that off.

On Jul.27.2005 at 04:53 PM
Lorenzo’s comment is:

Armin,

Yeah that's a great little logo and nice color too, but why a pleasant surprise? Do you and Bryony miss the south?

---

That's one skanky looking bush... bush of sorts that is! Reminds me somewhat of a Rorschach inkblot. Actually, now that I think about it, the Rorschach inkblot would've been an interesting approach to the tree/ bush image for them.

On Jul.31.2005 at 01:05 AM
Armin’s comment is:

Lorenzo, I was pleassantly surprised because most mexican restaurants in the US end up looking something like this. So it was nice to see a small, corner restaurant actually try to look distinct and somewhat modern and friendly — and not use red, white and green as their color palette.

On Jul.31.2005 at 09:19 AM
Maya Drozdz’s comment is:

Thanks, everyone, for your continued feedback regarding the design of the Cranbrook Design site [which is, as JonSel correctly pointed out, and as we explain on our site, unaffiliated with the school]. Thanks to Gunnar for linking to the Fella interview; I wonder what people think of it [the interview, not its design]. Darrel, this site uses a 3-column layout AND a pop-up window. Oh, the horror...

On Jul.31.2005 at 12:49 PM