Sunrise Series

The last time I made a post like this, it was about my obsession with photographing sunsets, to which someone responded "what about sunrises?" At the time I wasn't getting up early enough to photograph, but now, with a full-time job and Daylight Saving Time kicking in last week, I am up before the sun and running for my camera at the first sign of color on the eastern horizon.

 

Groovin' in Groove Time

From 9 in the morning 'til about noon, and then 1-4 in the afternoon is known as "Groove Time" at work. Ideally it is a period of uninterrupted, focused work time. If anyone needs anything, we try to use email or iChat before going to that person's office. The "rules" of "Groove Time" are of course, more like guidelines, and are bent accordingly. And now to what this post is really about: the music I've been listening to while working. I'm getting tired of the 2,000+ songs in my iTunes library, so I've been listening to a lot of Pandora and some new music my coworker has shared with me, including a bunch of singer/songwriter stuff (right up my alley). Many of the artists I've heard of, but never bothered to buy any of their music, so it's nice to get it for free. The above playlist is a sampling of what I've been listening to for the past week.   

The World's Most Typical Person

For starters, I love National Geographic. The photography is incredible, the content always interesting, and facts fascinating, as are the ones in this video. In 2011 the global population is supposed to reach 7 billion and the magazine has taken part by producing a 7-part year-long series profiling the world's population. It starts here, with identifying the world's most typical person, which according to the facts, is supposed to change in the next 20 years. Amazing, is all I have to say, and beautifully designed.   

Why You

One of my recent musical discoveries is Joe Purdy, who has joined the growing list of singer/songwriters I have developed an increasing infatuation with. I am drawn to the soulful lyrics, strong melodies, and the use of acoustic guitars.  I had yet to purchase any of his music, but yesterday, after one of my coworkers mentioned in passing that Purdy is coming to perform here, we got into a lengthy discussion about music and I ended up going home with more Joe Purdy than I would ever be willing to buy at a single time, plus a few others. Some of the artists I had heard of, but most I hadn't. He is coming to Santa Fe the end of April; it'll be an hour-long drive both ways - on a night when I have to go to work the next day -  but totally worth it.

Matchbooks, Tin Cans, and Other Old Things

I am in the process of redoing a design project I first completed in college; throughout this first stage I've been looking for inspiration in a book about vintage matchbook covers and another on antique tin cans. I'm also looking for other things that have an aged appearance, such as the sheet music and the newspaper clipping above. Mostly what I'm drawing from these is not only the idea of something old, but something classic and timeless. Color explorations are going on as well, looking at the various shades of color coming from these artifacts and drawing connections between them. What makes these colors work together? How do they differ from those that are taken straight from the "digital age?" In truth, whites are not really white and blacks are hardly black. Many painters believe that using manufactured blacks muddy the paint and  produces color that is untrue to our perceptions. This belief can be applied to anything where color is used; blacks should be made by combining other colors, thus the hues of these mixed colors appear in the "black." After I scanned the sheet music and clipping I used the eye dropper to sample the "black" ink. In taking a closer look, none of the samples were 100% black. Each sample has a shade of purple, red, or blue depending on where I clicked and proves that our perception and understanding of color is largely skewed.   

Support Public Broadcasting

Right now there are several bills in Congress that threaten federal funding for public broadcasting. Personally, I have found some of the most interesting, engaging, and entertaining programs on these types of stations. I find myself turning to them more and more while avoiding their commercial counterparts like the plague.

Using Comic Sans

Someone at work sent this around the office today. It is an unspoken rule among graphic designers that never, ever, under any circumstances, are we (or anyone else for that matter) permitted to use this font. Considered to be a typographic sin, it makes every good designer cringe.