Through Lines 287
I’m trying something a little different this week with an intentionally design/creativity-focused edition (more in the direction of where this whole thing might go post issue 300) — including this fun start to finish build of a stairway box by the always inspiring Ido Agassi.
Art & Design
- Posters are a visual representation of the vernacular of a place and its culture. But they are also cemented in time through the character and message of their designs. I bet there’s endless beauty and magic to be unearthed in the AIGA New York's Poster Archives which only recently opened to the public.
Physical things land differently.
Riso Club is celebrating its 100th issue with an exhibition of the wide ranging group of international artists involved, all produced using my favorite printing method, the, ahem, Risograph.- House Industries’ work has always been synonymous with their unique collective interests, oscillating between fashion, industrial design, film and cars so it shouldn’t be a surprise to connect designer Andy Cruz through a collaboration with Type 7 to his love of Porsche.
- I’m skeptical of the viability and usefulness of a globally recognized mark that indicates something is made without AI when very quickly, nearly everything is being touched by it whether we like it or not.
- I very much enjoyed this lengthy discussion between Craig Mod and Robin Sloan about books, publishing, walking, and experimentation and independence — all things that matter significantly to me.
- Charles Young’s meticulously crafted and charming as hell miniature buildings are right up alley. And then there’s the paper synthesizers, OMG.
- Statement and Counter-Statement 2 is coming. Sign me up.
Type of Note
- Dalton Maag’s Tareco beautifully captures the spirit of casual lettering in a refined single-weight sign painters style. What it might lack in contextual alternates, it makes up for in readability and straightforward usefulness.
- Patyk’s sharp, unmodulated lines and modest visual essence are drawn from its origin in the Polish work for stick. The irony is it’s full of bright, crisp energy and feels more contemporary than something rooted in history.
- Gravitas from Type of Feeling feels like something made for today’s AI companies who are trying to divest themselves from the legacies of tech companies past. It’s got just enough character restraint and sturdiness to be interesting.
- Diplomat from Source Type
skillfully negotiates between sassy and classy.
It reads as a fully-realized idea especially when combined with its mono-flavor siblings. - Fort Type’s Scenic Sans caught my attention immediately through its distinctive specimen visuals and clear versatility, but its even, consistent color, comfortable x-height, and subtle character really made me take notice.
- Editct Text is the Garamond for those don’t want to use Garamond. Its higher contrast strokes and uneven axis push it into transitional territory and give it a distinctly fresh, modern character.
One More Thing
AI is perfect for recall and search. It is terrible at judgment. My notes are terrible for recall. I regularly cannot read my own handwriting. But they force me to process what I am hearing in real time, to decide what matters while it is happening.
While I still prefer my own often illegible handwritten scribbles or typed notes, the author’s framing about “judgement” is a perfect and succinct way to point out a critical limitation in attempts to entirely offload work to automated systems, despite their usefulness.
I’m still catching up from weeks of reduced activity. My attention has largely been on other matters and remains so — and this is a good and healthy thing — but at the same time, the worry stone also needs tending to in its own way. The good news is that the new Riso successfully ran through a small reprint edition of books last week and I’m gearing up for a few smaller prints while I continue to chip away at a couple book ideas. I’m moving slow on those, but I suspect they’ll gain momentum once I sit down for another edit pass.