If you were disappointed that Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls ended prematurely, I recommend giving ABC’s new drama, Pushing Daisies a try. Visually the first episode was gorgeous, with so much attention paid to detail and interiors. The stylistic storytelling and cinematography seemed like a rare find for primetime television. The first half hour felt like a movie, reminiscent of Big Fish (maybe it was the saturation?), and I wonder how the originality and storyline can carry throughout the full season. But I am hopeful that this will be the next show to make it to the DVR que. The executive producer for all of these shows, Bryan Fuller, also was a co-executive producer for the first season of Heroes (another recommendation). LA Times has an interesting article on him, titled “Geek Goes Glam.”
Link: Pushing Daisies
In the spirit of Bembo’s Zoo, designer Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich has a new book set to release in October. Men of Letters & People of Substance, is a two-color homage to dingbats, graphical ornaments and literary figures. There is also a preface by writer Francine Prose, whom de Vicq de Cumptich had designed book jackets for previously.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tour downtown NYC with Tobias Frere-Jones as the tour guide. His abundant knowledge of both the city and its letterforms transformed my view of the same streets I've previously passed by without second glance. The AIGA/NY Typographic Walking Tour took place this morning, starting at City Hall and ending in the Lower East Side. As new buildings continue to go up, and old business close shop, New York’s visual history of lettering should not be taken for granted. Tobias Frere-Jones hand selected about 30 spots where once commonplace lettering styles are still visible. He brought to light some of the factors contributing to the extinction, as well as preservation of the old lettering styles. The position of a building in relation to the sunlight plays a role in how well the signage is preserved. He also discussed how physical architecture can affect the sizing and proportions of letters. We saw Gas Pipe, Gold Leaf, Vinyl and Neon signs, as well as lettering carved in stone, or made of mosaic tiles.
Tobias Frere-Jones also singled out signage that inspired his 2000 typeface, Gotham.
Some of my photos are in my flickr feed, but I'm not a master photographer. All attendees of the event were encouraged to tag their photos with "AIGA/NY Frere-Jones," so in time you'll be able to see better images.
Link: Hoefler & Frere-Jones
Yesterday New York unveiled a wonderful new addition: the new Visitor Center at the Queens Botanical Garden. The New York Times says city officials are claiming this new structure as New York’s greenest building.
The 22 million dollar project was built by BKSK Architects. What impressed me is that even the furniture inside is made out of recycled materials, and the water from sinks gets reused.
The Queens Botanical Gardens has a rich history. The Gardens were part of an exhibition at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
Photo credit: Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Link: BKSK Architects
For those of you who couldn't make it to last night’s AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers (or who couldn't get past the crowd to have a good look). The visuals for the winning entries are now available on the AIGA archives site.
Link: AIGA Design Archives
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About Me:
- Working on:
everything but what I should be doing. - Listening to:
television - Reading:
a few too many things at once: The Host by Stephanie Meyer, The End of America by Naomi Wolf, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami - Watching:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
