These cupcakes are the creation of typographer Gemma O’Brien, aka Mrs Eaves, and they feature Mr Eaves XL Sans Ultra Italic. Seeing a beautiful type on chocolate frosting reminds me that I need to play around with fondant sometime (and make more cupcakes).

More typographical inspiration from Mrs Eaves:
Blog: for the love of type
Twitter: @mrseaves
YouTube: TYPO Berlin 2009 and Write here, right now

Twitter friend Jessica Knott shared this free download today, the How-To-Guide: Digital Storytelling Tools for Educators by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano. The guide was written for educators to teach students how to connect, collaborate, and communicate through digital storytelling.

Storytelling is an ancient form of teaching. Before books or reading and writing became widely spread and available, oral storytelling was the only form wisdom and knowledge of the people were passed down from elders to children. [...] Digital storytelling gives us the ability to reach and disseminate our stories further than ever before in history. Storytelling, no matter in what form or media created in, is a powerful tool to transmit knowledge, culture, perspectives and points of view.”

Tolisano writes about the relationship between storytelling and teaching, and provides step-by-step instructions on how to use digital tools. I just read the other day about using Google Earth to teach literature, but some of the other tools Tolisano covers are new to me and I’m looking forward to playing around with the Mac equivalents.

You can download your copy here. It’s a quick read and handy reference guide for anyone interested in learning more about digital storytelling tools.

Language, digital, letterpress…these are just a few of the words that catch my attention, so it’s not surprising that Graphic Arts student Patrycja Zywert‘s use of all three immediately piqued my interest. Her “In Other Words” project explores the effects of textspeak on human language by combining traditional and digital printing methods, resulting in a typographically rich booklet of posters.

By leaving a blank space in the shape of textspeak words we want to highlight that when we take them out of the language, there are plenty of more interesting and suitable words and phrases left around.

The posters are silk-screen printed and letter pressed to show the beauty of pure and ‘analogue’ language (as opposed to digital). Textspeak abbreviations are kept in digital/pixel style font and all the words around are made of wood type fonts and therefore look more traditional. Our lives are becoming digital yet traditional ways seem to always work well and appear more human.”

For more of Patrycja’s work, check out her portfolio and blog.

found via design work life

I came across a slideshow about master calligrapher Paul Antonio this morning thanks to Twitter, and it simply captivated me.

The piece, part of The Guardian‘s Disappearing acts series, gives a brief history of calligraphy and gives insight into the tools Antonio uses (and makes), the variety of work he produces, and the complexities involved with choosing materials.

It is a fascinating look at an ancient craft, and true to the “disappearing act” title, includes the effects technological advances have had on making calligraphy nearly obsolete. But despite this, Antonio recognizes the history of adjusting the craft to the technology, and uses it himself in the form of digital scans.

Writing developed, he says, according to the technologies of the period. Brushes and reeds worked perfectly well on the rough, uneven surface of papyrus, but with the advent of much smoother vellum and parchment, quills became the tool of choice. Now, 21st-century digital technology has its uses.”

Whether you have an interest in writing, technology, letterforms, or British accents, I highly recommend you take five minutes and treat yourself to the slideshow.

I don’t know what bookstore I was in when I first came across the illustrated version of The Elements of Style, but I know I was with Pam, and I know I dragged her over to the display so I could show her the artwork inside.

So I was thrilled to read The 99 Percent’s interview with the talent behind all that loveliness, Maira Kalman. In “The Pursuit of Happiness”, Kalman talks about how she became an artist, what inspires her, and her latest project. But I especially love what she has to say about the art of storytelling in relation to her illustrations:

I think everything I do is narrative, but it’s not just a story, it’s a movie – a movie of my life. And usually I’m trying to put too much information in one image. But because I thought that I would be a writer, and that’s how I started out – as a writer and not as an artist – then when I decided to start drawing, it was going to be narrative. It’s things that are from my life, and things I’ve seen, and things I’ve seen in books. It’s always telling stories.”

I was listening to NPR tonight when I heard their report entitled “When Fair Use Isn’t Fair.” The segment looks into the legality of remixes, and cites not only The Daily Show, but a video mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight.

The mashup was made by Jonathan McIntosh, who describes himself as a pop culture hacker. Here’s what he says about his video, “Buffy vs. Edward”:

In this remixed narrative Edward Cullen from the Twilight Series meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Sunnydale High. It’s an example of transformative storytelling serving as a pro-feminist visual critique of Edward’s character and generally creepy behavior. Seen through Buffy’s eyes, some of the more sexist gender roles and patriarchal Hollywood themes embedded in the Twilight saga are exposed in hilarious ways. Ultimately this remix is about more than a decisive showdown between the slayer and the sparkly vampire. It also doubles as a metaphor for the ongoing battle between two opposing visions of gender roles in the 21st century.”

This piqued my interest for several reasons. First, I recently finished watching all seven seasons of Buffy, and I’ve been having an ongoing discussion with my husband about its pro-feminism overtones. And, in the spirit of full confession, I have read all four books in the Twilight series and watched the first movie (no judging, we all have our moments of shame). So I enjoyed seeing what McIntosh did with his remix, which sharply contrasts not only the characters and gender roles in the source materials, but also the levels of writing and acting.

Second, while I can’t say I understand copyright and fair use fully, I find remixing and issues of digital authorship intriguing. In the NPR piece, McIntosh says, “Our culture is moving more and more into an audio-visual language. And so the question is: Do we get to speak in that audio-visual language or not?”

That was the question posed to the Library of Congress US Copyright Office regarding exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act last year. The proceedings have yet to be finalized, but the question of what constitutes fair use is one that needs to be revisited as technology and mediums change. As a writer who uses the digital space, I want to be creative with technology and its language. But in order to do that, I need to know the limitations. Just like Jonathan McIntosh.

This sign hangs above a small coffee shop that I frequently pass on my way downtown. Each time, its loops and swirls catch my eye. But it took me several times of biking past to realize that the sign said something — something in English. I’m used to having to stop and look for a moment to decipher signs in Japanese, but this was a new experience. Even now, I’m not entirely sure if the second word is “fill” or “pill”. Here’s a closer look at that letter:

What do you think? Take a “Chill Pill” or have your “Chill Fill”?

I am loving these maple Valentype blocks from House Industries.

They are available in red and silver, but only until February 14. For the procrastinators among us, House Industries has a word of advice:

Order by February 11th to avoid providing grounds for the termination of your relationship.

You need a deadline anyway to make sure you don’t put off this relationship-critical gift-giving event until the last minute, leaving you with few alternatives besides the high-fructose corn syrup-infused chocolate samplers and ornate digital picture frames offered at your local drug store chain.”

Picture Book Report just launched February 1 and I’m already hooked (thanks @juparnell).

Picture Book Report is an extended love-song to books. Fifteen illustrators will reach out to their favorite books and create wonderful pieces of art in response to the text that has moved them, shaped them, or excited them. [...] Together we will try to excite readers both new and old and capture some of that magic of storytelling.”

I love the inspiration behind this new project, which includes one of my favorite books, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, drawn by illustrator John Martz.

Check out the project to see how the artists continue the tradition of illustration and books by sharing their thoughts, creative processes, and own stories.

Jacob Cass, the talented graphic designer behind Just Creative Design and Logo Of The Day, kicked off February with the Top 12 Logos of 2009. The showcase is a compilation of Logo Of The Month winners, as determined by readers, and now voting is open for Logo Of The Year.

My vote went to “Coffee” by Jan Zabransky:

Logo for coffee house Coffee CUP where high quality coffee is served. Notice that logo of coffee cup is made of letters ‘CUP’.”

I love the swirls and the use of typography, plus it really makes me want a cup of coffee. It’s even more beautiful in use.

For more design inspiration, check out all 12 logos, and cast your vote by February 12.