Some Assembly May be Required

Being a fan of IKEA -- and a fan of controversy in general -- Brian N. tipped us off to the brewing fracas over IKEA's new choice for a house typeface. Upon receiving the 2010 catalogs, typophiles (and design aesthetes in gerneral) have been fuming about the change from IKEA's usual Futura to the ubiquitous Verdana.

Why the fuss? Here's how a TIME magazine article characterizes it:

All this outrage over a font? For some designers, it's an issue of propriety — Verdana, which was invented by Microsoft, was intended to be used on a screen, not on paper. "It has open, wide letterforms with lots of space between characters to aid legibility at small sizes on screen," explains Simon l'Anson, creative director at Made by Many, a London-based digital-consulting company. "It doesn't exhibit any elegance or visual rhythm when set at large sizes. It's like taking the family sedan off-road. It will sort of work, but ultimately gets bogged down."

Carolyn Fraser, a letterpress printer in Melbourne, Australia, adopts a different metaphor to explain the problem. "Verdana was designed for the limitations of the Web — it's dumbed down and overused. It's a bit like using Lego to build a skyscraper, when steel is clearly a superior choice."

Those used to IKEA's sensitive approach to design see this as a personal affront, tantamount to Whole Foods hawking genetically-modified fruit. It damages not just the esteem in which designers hold IKEA, but erodes their trust that IKEA will remain the standardbearers of modern, affordable design.

You're no doubt wondering why IKEA did this. Well, affordable design is at the heart of it. Again, from TIME:

The very ubiquity of Verdana seems to be part of the font's appeal. Freely distributed by Microsoft, the typeface allows Ikea to use the same font in all countries and with many alphabets. "It's more efficient and cost-effective," says Ikea spokeswoman Monika Gocic. "Plus, it's a simple, modern-looking typeface."

Ugh.

So what's an outraged consumer to do, besides cry in their bowl of Muesli? Why, sign the petition of course!

APA August bundle

Tucked among the other printed pieces in this month's APA bundle is a sheet of stamps printed by Phillip Driscoll. The 3-color stamps feature Charles Darwin, author and naturalist, and L.L. Zamenhof, creator of Esperanto. Phillip produced these stamps under the auspices of the Uteg Republic, his micronation. The stamps are worth 1/2 of a Favler. (You won't find that at the local cambio; a Favler is the value of a pound of lead.) But the real worth of these stamps lies in their stellar production quality. Plus, it's nice to see lickable stamps are still alive and well. At least in Uteg.

The Gambler, Through the Years

A couple jobs ago I had a boss who looked like Kenny Rogers. A lot.

You know the look: silvery white hair, complemented by a well-tended beard that looks equal comfortable reflecting the soft hues of stage lighting as it does catching sauce from a pulled-pork sandwich. Combine that with a confident chin tilt and a gaze that says, I'd like to get up in your Lady Stetson and you've got Kenny. So what's an employee whose boss resembles the Gambler to do? Why, submit his image to MenWhoLookLikeKennyRogers.com, of course.

I was giddy when they certified my boss' image as a bona fide Kenny look-alike by posting it on the site. Going back to visit the other day, I was heartened to find that my old boss Kenny...er, I mean Rick...is still pictured on the site (see Denim Kenny here) some seven years later. But a lot has happened in those seven years. Namely, the real Kenny has had some work done. Some horrible, disfiguring, plastic surgery kinda work. So much so, that he doesn't look like Kenny anymore.

This got me to thinking: if I submitted Kenny Rogers' own post-surgery face to MenWhoLookLikeKennyRogers.com, would he even be accepted?

On the Art of Life and Vice Versa

Enjoy our first ever book review, courtesy of resident bookworm and printer's devil, Christine.

The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by
Michael Kimmelman

This slim book is a fabulous collection of meditations on the art that surrounds us everyday. Written by Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, it is a collection of essays on paintings, sculpture, etc that is perceived as Art, and the process of looking at our lives and the lives of others as being artful. One of his underlying themes is the importance of passion in creating art. That passion can be in the form of collecting an example of every light bulb known to exist and sharing that collection in your basement. As the former curators of the Squished Penny Museum, I can really relate! Or the passion can take the form of putting yourself in harm's way or at least risk in order to experience something like the Antarctic explorers and the photographer who documented their journey. Kimmelman provides a thoughtful reflection on what art is, and made me think about why so many people seek art in their lives.

One of my favorite pieces in the collection explores the PBS denizen of peace and tranquility among happy trees, Bob Ross. Michael Kimmelman instinctively grasps Ross' love for both art and the process of finding that artistic space within yourself, a passion that he shared for hundreds of quietly encouraging hours of his televised paint-along series. The most provocative part of the essay was when Kimmelman shared the fact that Bob Ross knew that most viewers were not painting along, but simply enjoyed watching him paint. Kimmelman explores the idea that it was the sight of creation rather than the act of creation that was so compelling. It is this kind of insight that makes this book well worth exploring.

Like this? Here are more reviews by Christine.

Wham, Bam...

...Here's a contest, ma'am.

Above is a thank you card we recently produced on the proof press. The first person who can correctly guess how many passes it took to print the card will win it. Send your guess to petey[at]squished.com. (Please, one guess per person.) Below is a detail to help you narrow your guess.

Vegas Vic By Inky Lips

What's better than letterpress and Las Vegas? Not much. Inky Lips Press has produced an outstanding poster celebrating the Fremont Street icon "Vegas Vic". FPO has some nice behind-the-scenes process shots, including a close-up of the intricate lino cut used for the poster. Yee-haw!!!

Behind the Design

Hat-tip to James for this handy compendium of the design history of 12 brands, from the iconic Coca-Cola to the subversive OBEY campaign (pictured above). For the student of design, there are not a ton of surprises, but it still offers some interesting behind-the-scenes insights. One nugget we enjoyed: the Tiffany box has it's own Pantone designation: 1837. Why that number? That's the year Tiffany was founded.

Duckpin Swag

Fresh in from the Duckpin satellite office in sunny Florida, Jim models the white tee and large coffee mug. Be like Jim and get yours today. You don't even need to have white hair -- the shirts are also available in young people's sizes.

Photo by Mrs. Jim

Letterpress Playing Cards

There are a handful of activities tailor-made for the basement: tasteful boudoir photography, printing, and card playing. While he may not be able to help you with the first one, Stuart Bradley at Railway Station Press has produced a wonderful set of letterpress playing cards on his C&P tabletop Pilot. Aside from being a darn good printer (having been a student of his, I can tell you first hand), Stuart has a keen eye for producing interesting pieces. Here's his description:

a letterpress printed deck of 54 playing cards based on the Midway Midgets, a set of ornaments cast by BB&S in 1893 in honor of the Chicago World's Fair. These characters were actual participants on the Midway of the Fair. "Midget" referred to the size of the type ornament and not the person portrayed.

Aside from the cards themselves, there's some nice historical information on the fair, as well as the production of the set itself.

For those in the DC area, Stuart teaches printing on the same press he used to create these cards. The classes run 8 hours, covering all aspects of printing from typesetting to lockup to printing. Best of all, you get to create your very own printed piece. (Sorry, tasteful boudoir photos not included.)