Em En Ex

Goodbye...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:54:42 +0000

…and thanks for reading. I’m no longer updating this blog.

Hornsey Road, North London. Long closed shop.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:19:35 +0100

Hornsey Road, North London. Long closed shop.

Rhett Dashwood's Aerial Alphabet

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:16:00 +0100

Rhett Dashwood is Creative Director for Wade Studios and links to his latest project have been doing the rounds through the web the past couple of days. He has scoured the state of Victoria, Australia in Google Maps to compile an alphabet of letter forms. It’s a complete set of mostly upper case letters but I can see a lot of people will now set about trying to better the collection. Here’s Rhett’s full set. No flight I take will ever be the same again.

Links:
Rhett Dashwood
Wade Studios
Google Maps Locations: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

Em En Ex Interview #2 - Skinny Ships AKA Richard Perez

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:10:00 +0100

I came across Skinny Ships’ website via the excellent minimalsites.com. Skinny Ships or Richard Perez is a graphic designer and illustrator based in San Francisco. I loved his work, particularly his posters featuring illustrated lettering. He very nicely agreed to answer some of my questions.

Can you remember what was it that first attracted you to or at least made you aware of graphic design?

What initially made me aware of design was movie posters and album covers as a teenager; I got a record player when I was 13 and bought a bunch of old rock LPs, I remember staring at The Beatles’ Revolver and Led Zeppelin’s III covers and thinking creating covers would be so cool to do!

Do you have any favourite designers, typographers or illustrators who you really look up to? What is it about their work that you love?

I’m a huge fan of a lot of mid century designers & illustrators like; Otl Aicher, Saul Bass, Charley Harper and Reid Miles. The work created during this period is so bold, simple and vibrant it’s such a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of contemporary commercial design out there. I do also admire a lot of the young designers who also draw inspiration by 50s - 60s design, guys like Heads of State, Adrian Johnson, and Invisible Creature.

You trained at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. What did you enjoy about the course?

The range of projects we took on as students was quite varied from packaging to posters to whole design campaigns led to quite a well rounded out portfolio. There was also a lot of focusing on concept and that the process is such an important part of designing, which I also really admired.

And what’s the best thing about being a designer in SF?

There really is a good community of designers and artists in San Francisco, and I’ve meet a lot of really of talented folks who have helped me further myself as a designer and artists. Plus a great deal of inspiration from various events and such going on all the time.

What inspires you when you’re feeling blocked or presented with a blank piece of paper?

I usually just start doodling, and trying to visualize any ideas that come to my head. Then try to figure what I should try and develop further, and what should be chucked away. Whenever I feel stuck, I usually just step away and do something else, usually get a bite. I find inspiration usually hits in when you stop stressing and racking your brain to find the solution a the desk and enjoy some good foodstuffs.

If you don’t have a client or brief to satisfy what’s your favourite typeface - just one you like for purely aesthetic reasons and what do you like about it?

Its a toss up between Poster Bodoni by Chauncey H. Griffith, there’s something both classical yet contemporary to it which I just love, and (surprise surprise) Helvetica. I know its ubiquitous and the go to font for all the designers, but I don’t care I love Helvetica!

Thank you Richard. Keep up the great work! Richard mentioned a lot of great designers, artists and illustrators. The links are below. My personal favourite from these is the iconic work of Blue Note designer Reid Miles. And just below is another example of Richard’s work a poster called ‘Things I Like’.

Links:

Skinny Ships

Otl Aicher
Saul Bass
Charley Harper
Reid Miles

Heads of State
Adrian Johnson
Invisible Creature

MinimalSites

Objectified Helvetica

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:01:00 +0100

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to go to the special screening of Gary Hustwit’s new documentary Objectified. Mighty fine it was too. Gary also directed the super duper feature length documentary Helvetica. At the screening he announced he has another design related documentary in the pipeline. He didn’t add any other details but he did say that it would probably be the final design film in a neat little trilogy.

Not only was Objectified a great insight into the world of product design but the graphic design for the promotional materials and during the movie itself is rather special. Check out the awesome logo created by silhouettes of iconic products used as letters. Lovely.

Objectified Trailer

Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.

Helvetica Trailer:

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which recently celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Helvetica has been shown at over 200 film festivals, museums, design conferences, and cinemas worldwide, and is now available on DVD.

Objectified
Helvetica

From the street #1

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:52:00 +0100

I’ve decided to save up the photos of interesting signs and posters I take out and about on my travels and post them in bunches. I’m gonna call this feature, somewhat unimaginatively, From the street.

Here are some shots from the past couple of weeks…

Em En Ex Interview #1 - Urk

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:12:00 +0100

Tripsoff sent me this video a couple of weeks ago. I loved it and wanted to know more about who made it. A quick look on the web gave me a Vimeo email address. I sent them a message and I got a hello from Urk who made the video with Koonklung from B.O.R.E.D. and didn’t mind answering some questions - which was very nice.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Urk. I love experimenting with stuff and all kinds of moving images.

Where are you from and where do you live at the moment? What is the best thing about living there?

I come from Bangkok, Thailand but now I’m currently living in Tokyo, I’m studying Japanese here and hopefully get a chance to do some creative work here. The best thing about Japan is that it is so unique, culture, food, people everything. Now I’m working as a freelance for the company called Duck Unit in Bangkok. (EmEnEx: Check out their blog - great pictures of peeps on bikes)

How did you come up with the idea for ‘A-Z’?

I got the idea for this project when i was looking for random science experiments on the internet, then i came across the material called non-newtonian fluid, i did a lot of experiments with afterwards, a-z was one of them.

What else are you working on at the moment?

I am now working on a stop motion music video project.

Who are your favourite film-makers, designers or artists?

Now I really like the group called Encyclopedia Pictura because of their unique style.

At the moment what is your favourite typeface?

umm, i don’t have a favorite one in particular, it just depends on the nature of the project.

Thanks very much for your time, Urk! And keep up the great work :)

Links:

Koonklung
B.O.R.E.D.
Duck Unit
Encyclopedia Pictura
Non-Newtonian Fluid

Our half melted happy birthday candles from today’s...

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:37:00 +0100

Our half melted happy birthday candles from today’s birthday brownies.

My new favourite bookstore

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:30:00 +0100

I must have walked past ‘marcus campbell: art books’ over a hundred times in the past year but I’ve never been inside because I thought they only sold very expensive collector’s books. I ventured in today for the first time. I am a complete convert now and I fear I may become a regular customer. It isn’t very expensive and there are a whole load of bargains to be had. There are bins and tables with top quality books for £1 and £2. I highly recommend it.

This book about Romanian artist Victor Man caught my eye because of the fab minimal type on grey fabric cover. After thumbing through it and instantly liking his work I handed over £2 to who I assume must have been Marcus (I woke him from a lie down as he wasn’t feeling very well oops) and left a very happy chap.

No prizes for guessing where I took this photograph. I’m...

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:06:03 +0100

No prizes for guessing where I took this photograph. I’m pretty sure this is DIN. The gallery is free to visit and definitely worth a look. DIN, if that’s correct, is used throughout the gallery for labels and signage as well as on their website. The typeface’s architectural qualities match the clean lines of the small but handsome white spaces of the gallery.

I love DIN - especially the 45 degree cross of the Q that ends precisely on the baseline. Combined with the straight uprights of the O shape, it really is beautiful.

DIN
Alison Jacques Gallery

Em En Ex is back from holiday

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This digital clock displays the time using photographs of...

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0100

This digital clock displays the time using photographs of numbers in different typefaces. The clock is part of the street level branding for the Ascent Media building on Wardour Street in Soho, London.

A while ago I started photographing large letters whenever I saw them to build up an alphabet of random letters and numbers. It isn’t possible to build a font using the pictures themselves, instead, I create text by placing the appropriate image files next to each other using a graphics package. As it is fairly time consuming it is really only suitable for small amounts of text such as headlines or as in this case, a clock.

Fixed-up old racing bike frames are really popular in London at...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:34:46 +0100

Fixed-up old racing bike frames are really popular in London at the moment. Nice and cheap to get hold of and the designs are usually really interesting.

A rowing boat in Cambridge. Accidental postmodern distorted...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:34:47 +0100

A rowing boat in Cambridge. Accidental postmodern distorted typeface.

Helvetica again. This time in neon orange at Kings Cross...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:33:46 +0100

Helvetica again. This time in neon orange at Kings Cross station.

Great use of type on this flyer for the London International...

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:26:00 +0100

Great use of type on this flyer for the London International Documentary Festival. I was handed it at the Curzon Soho on Friday. It’s brilliant the way the type reverse disintegrates (is there a word for that?). It reminds me of tuning into an overheard conversation.

New Kent Road

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:51:00 +0100

Derelict buildings are usually quickly scavenged for lovely old lettering like these. The fact that these are right at the top of the building has probably meant that some of the letters have stayed put.

Having just done a quick web search as I was curious what the sign read before some of the letters fell off I discovered there was a major fire in this building last Monday.

“The fire caused significant damage to Hargreen House which has been empty since plumbers’ merchants TA Harris Ltd moved out in 2005.”

You can read about the fire here.

Big thanks to Chris Perry for the photo. I didn’t have a camera with a zoom with me.

Good Typography? Yes Way

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:41:00 +0100

I spent the day at Yes Way festival. Yes Way is a two day music and art festival at Auto Italia in London. There were some interesting uses of type around the venue - which is a disused car showroom. Each of the two stages, which weren’t really stages as they were at the same level as the crowd, were labelled. One with YES and the other with WAY in a simple but strong hand drawn 3D sans serif typeface.

Type Trumped

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Yesterday I visited my favourite shop in all the land, Magma in Clerkenwell (more on them later). I picked up a few books and magazines as normal but as I was leaving I spotted these and had to buy them instantly. I spent hundreds of playground hours playing top trumps at school. And now what do I see but two loves combined.

They are designed by Rick Banks and are utterly beautiful. Each card is a different typeface with statistics just like the original top trumps. What makes them even better is that the whole card is designed using only the typeface they represent. Frankly, it’s a genius idea executed brilliantly.

And while I’m playing with them I’m also learning - I expect my ability to identify typefaces on sight will improve after a few games with these.

Constructive use of type

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:22:00 +0000

As you might probably expect from an international art gallery like the Tate Modern, their use of typography and overall brand identity is brilliant. This is part of a block of text on the mirrored walls of the entranceway to the gallery. I think this is Helvetica Rounded Bold.

This oversize arrow directs people to the entrance of the gallery while some building work is in progress. It’s very strong visually and I think it complements the text in the surrounding area very well.

What I really like about the Tate group’s graphic design is that they don’t just stick to one corporate typeface like some companies. They use quite a wide range of type but they all fit together really well, without looking confused or overpowering. Check out their website to see what I mean. http://www.tate.org.uk/modern