I’ve been thinking a lot about design choices lately. Specifically how design choices we make communicate. I think it boils down to this one question — Is it appropriate?
That one question will lead all decisions made, be they type choice, colour choice , spacing or whatever.
To demonstrate this and if i’m honest to have a bit of a play with type and colour, I put together 3 example pieces and paired them with adjectives used to describe the mood the piece is attempting to set.
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit flat with regards my web design work. I look at it and think “Meh”. This was compounded when a well known Web Designer took one look and said “Sorry, not good enough”.
To say that comment has been on my mind is an understatement, it’s been like a noose around his neck. The Designer in question is well respected and knows–his–shit. So I’m setting myself a side project. I’m calling this project “Progression”. Obvious I know but that’s not the point.
The point is I have to improve my skills as a web designer. I am not progressing as I should be. My portfolio of work is not bad but it all feels very safe. That’s not good enough, not today. Just a quick look on Dribbble is all you need to know that competition is fierce, it’s eat or be eaten my friends. Besides I have no other option, I am in this profession for the long haul.
My plan with this project is to tackle design styles and problems that are outside my comfort zone. The goal: to see what new skills I can learn and to see what new styles I can produce. I’ll be using this Blog, Dribbble and Behance to log my efforts.
With that in mind all that’s left to say is, “onwards and upwards”.
The work above is the amazing typographic skills of Simon Walker. I just love his use of colour, type and texture. You can see all of these and more over at Flickr. For snippets and progress shots checkout his dribbble. The guy has skills.
Why I gravitate towards classical typefaces I have no idea, but Plantin has grabbed my attention recently.
Plantin is not that well known and deserves to be used more. It is a true hidden gem that I’ve only just discovered following the redesign of Weightshift. I loved this design, Naz Hamid has serious design skills. I took a look under the hood and discovered Plantin.
When you begin to use a new typeface it’s good advice to try and understand what it’s unique characteristics are. What follows is my attempt to get a handle on the nuances of Plantin and try to understand why this typeface has grabbed me. But first a little history.
A little bit of history
Plantin was designed for the Monotype Corporation in the early 1900s, It is named after the sixteenth-century Antwerp printer Christophe Plantin (that’s him above).
Although not based directly on his work, the model for Plantin was taken from the huge collection of type Plantin had procured.
With its serious tone, narrow width, and large x-height, Plantin has definite merit as an alternative to Times New Roman. In fact Plantin was used as a reference during the cutting of that very Typeface.
That lovely italic
Plantin is an old-style beautifully designed Typeface. It has more character than most serifs and this is why I like it. It has a certain charm and the italics are really beautiful.
Another plus: Plantin is exceptionally legible and elicits a classic, elegant tone. The Monocole magazine & website uses Plantin to great effect and it forms an important part of their brand.
To wrap up
In my opinion Plantin is a confident, beautiful Font and like Helvetica & Futura before I am all over this Typeface. If you are looking to add a confident, permanent look to your design Plantin is a great choice for your project.
Big news: My time at Muzu is to end. I’m returning to Freelance.
I say returning but my first stint lasted a week. Back then I was determined to give it a go but a job offer landed in my lap which I felt I could not turn down. It’s not everyday you get the chance to be part of a full site overhaul. So I took the job — which has now come to an end.
So I’m back where I was last May but a little wiser and financially better off. I’m determined again to give Freelancing all I’ve got. Excited — Yes. Nervous — ABSOLUTELY! But I need to do this. The worst that can happen, I go back working for the man. That’s not that bad.
I finish full-time at Muzu before Christmas. The reason I’m putting the word out now is I need to get the message out that I am available for work. I design and build websites. I now need to let people know.
I haven’t got it all figured out yet and that’s exciting. But if you’re looking for a website designer or front-end developer from January onwards drop me an email.
