See the World

Virgin Galactic
You can be an astronaut for $200k. Nice Flash design.

Reactable: A Musical Interface with Tangible UI

Musicovery

Interactive web radio based off your mood: Musicovery

"Who's On First?"

Emigre Matrix: a Redesign

Matrix was the first Postscript font that Emigre produced—originally designed for a Macintosh computer in 1985. Postscript made possible the drawing of glyphs as Bézier curve outlines which could then be rendered at any size or resolution. Matrix first national exposure came with the Batman Returns movie in 1992—the title set in giant Matrix Wide capitals. When OpenType presented itself in 2002, so did the opportunity to rework and improve Matrix. Its turn finally arrived in Spring 2007, where it became a four month reconstruction project. To avoid conflict with earlier versions its name was amended to Matrix II.
-via Emigre

Emigre's Matrix II
By Zuzana Licko

Two Years He Walks the Earth. Ultimate Freedom.

Into the Wild
A film by Sean Penn.

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society whare none intrudes,
By the deep sea and the music in its roar;
I love not man the less, but Nature more."
–Lord Byron

Music for the Motion Picture Soundtrack by Eddie Vedder.

Photos: Brides Trash Wedding Dresses

ABC News Photo Galleries presents Trash the Dress

Pantone Unveils Goe System

The new and improved Pantone Goe.
$499 - Available Oct. 1, 2007

What's New:
• The number of unique colors has grown from 1,114 in the current base PMS books to 2,058 in Pantone Goe. More colors were added in the greens and blues, and the total color gamut has increased.
• The Pantone numbering system, which was somewhat arbitrary before, is now based on a sensible hierarchy with specific and consistent meaning.
• The colors are organized in more of a chromatic way, so it's easier to find similar colors and complementary colors.
• Technical changes in how the base ink colors mix and apply on press should make it easier for printers to consistently match spot colors. And results should be more compatible with Aqueous and UV coatings.
• The physical Goe "kit" includes self-adhesive swatches, palette-sharing cards, and a useful palette "playground" where designers can freely experiment with color swatches, then return them intact to the book. Think of Colorforms.
• New Pantone software adds more ways to specify colors in applications and to create and save palettes. It includes a great feature that analyses images and pulls out dominant or random color palettes.
• A Pantone-sponsored "My Palettes" Web site will be a place for designers to post and share color palettes publicly, or just between clients and colleagues.

For an in-depth look at the new system:
CreativePro Pantone 2.0: After 45 Years, the Sequel to PMS

Did You Know?
Color of the year for 2007
PANTONE® 19-1557 Chili Pepper, a deep, spicy red.

"Font" is a Four-Letter Word

I'll admit, I've had a job ruined by a font substitution error. For any designer today, font errors have been a painful fact of life. Its safe to say the more widely a particular font is used, the more imperfect clones of the font exist, leading to several problems on the production floor.

A few issues one might encounter:
• Variation of font type: TrueType, PostScript, Opentype.
• Phantom font's being used in the file.
• Screen version of the font.
• Mac & PC fonts differ, even fonts with the same name by the same manufacturer.
• Apple's dFonts (tip: unload any not vital to the operating system and replace them with OpenType versions).
• Adobe Multiple Master fonts and Type 1 fonts—stopped in 1999, there is not replacement in the new OpenType format.

A solution? OpenType Fonts.

They eliminate all the above mentioned issues. They are identical on Mac and PC, no matter which operating system is being used. They are comprised of a single file, incorporating screen and printer font, as well as ligatures and special characters the designer would want to include. OpenType fonts are developed by Adobe and Microsoft, and first appeared in the late '90's. OpenType makes life for anyone involved in file output easier.

Currently, Adobe features the largest OpenType library available, but there are others out there. Adobe's full library is apprx. $4999 - hopefully with a more widespread use this steep price will drop. Avoiding font problems in your jobs could quickly pay back your investment.

Surely, it won't happen overnight, but moving to OpenType workflows will streamline the process for all involved.

Stephen Beals, "Making the Move to OpenType Fonts," The Big Picture, volume 12 (September 2007), 26.

Did You Know?
Typefaces are designs.
Type designers create typefaces.
Create a typeface—produce a font.
Fonts are the things that enable the printing of typefaces.

The World of Ornament

Taschen books The World of Ornament by David Batterham—first I read about it, then I saw it ... now I WANT it. Gorgeous illustrations, beautifully bound book with a ribbon marker and there's a DVD-ROM containing high-resolution scans of all individual ornaments for unrestricted use.

Book Detail: The World of Ornament

Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass

February 23 - September 2, 2008
Organized by the Museum of Glass

Murano Glass ~ the delicate twists of rainbow-colored ribbons, transparent gems, floating in windows of glass ... reminds me of childhood—walking through amusement parks, Christmas candy, and very large lollipops from Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.

Next February, the Muesum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington will exhibit, for the first time ever, a look at the reknowned artist Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibit will feature his art and career in its entirety. The 73 year old Italian artisan will be in attendence.

About: Lino Tagliapietra developed into the world’s greatest living glassblower (and arguably one of the greatest in the history of glassmaking), he also proved to be a superb artist and educator. By sharing his knowledge, facing great resentment back home, Tagliapietra has expanded the industy and elevated the craft of glassmaking worldwide.

More Information: Upcoming Exhibitions
Official Site: Lino Tagliapietra

Seattle Center for Book Arts

SBCA had a booth at Bumbershoot, they're new—class offerings look good and not a bad weekend trip on I-5 North: FA07 Classes & Workshops

Mission: Providing educational, technical, and creative resources to advance the book as a contemporary art form and a powerful medium for self-expression.

Their website provides an nice resource page for Pacific Northwest Book Arts.