#nolen strals

[jazznoisehere]

Future Islands: People Who Aren't There Anymore (4AD, 2024)

Cover painting: "Fading Memory of a Face" by Beedallo

Art Direction by Nolen Strals

[thesearenotphotographs]

A weekend in October in Baltimore

Back in October, I left the state of New York for the first time since the pandemic began to attend two reunion shows of Double Dagger. I covered the first one for BrooklynVegan but also took photos of the their second show at Current Space (on Saturday, October 16th), and the rest of the weekend on film that appear in the gallery now available on my website here.

[showspace]

FLYER OF THE WEEK 

by Nolen Strals 

[ebouks]

Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces

Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces

Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces Bruce Willen, Nolen Strals 5.0 5.0 No component of graphic design has attracted as much interest or inspired as much innovation in recent years as lettering and type. These fundamentals of design, once the exclusive domain of professional typographers, have become an essential starting point for anyone looking for a fresh way to…

[coollearningmorenow]

Mastery Journal MDM650-O

Connecting, Synthesizing, Transforming:  

One example of synthesizing and transforming data is thinking about the overall creative thinking process. For instance, connections were made between suggestions Mr. Argo made and the overall creative thinking exploration page. It was interesting to make these connections between process improvement and the creative process as well. See example below.  

Don’t Be Afraid to Kill Babies  

"Don’t be afraid to kill to some babies,” was a profound quote by Mr. Argo during the second live session of week two (2020). Upon reflecting on this idea and the creative process, having more than one solution is vital to the creative process. Adam Grant in the book The Originals, chapter four explains how experimental innovators work on a specific problem but do not have a specific solution from the beginning but rather work through trial and error (2016). Through doing this, it means not putting too much investment in a particular “baby” or piece of design work but being willing to “kill babies” or let go of initial designs. Firsthand, killing babies was not pleasant in the moment but ultimately led to a better outcome.

Innovative Thinking:

Innovative thinking is showcased in the tone and messaging of the nature of the campaign. Typically, lean materials presented in organizations are dry and very technical. To demonstrate, pictured below is the Virginia Mason Institute logo. The typeface on the logo of the Virginia Mason Institute is a sans-serif font. In addition, the Gemba Academy logo is a sans-serif font as well. Both the Gemba Academy Logo and the Virginia Mason Institute logos have sharp edges. The Council for Six Sigma Certification has a serif font and very formal, institutional logo. Furthermore, the Lean Sensei logo also lacks a welcoming and generous tone as the movement of the typeface emphasizes the use of the technical Japanese terms and concepts. In contrast, the KPO provides a friendly and welcoming tone which is something that most process improvement logos lack as demonstrated in the pictures below.  

Acquiring Competencies:  

Skill 1: Week 1: Logo Design and Development  

Category: Occupational Soft Skill

Week one really allowed me to develop the skills needed to understand different logo concepts as well as logo development. To illustrate, one key concept that was mentioned during week one live session from Mr. Argo is the idea of the brand conveying is the idea of the logo conveying the brand message (2020). In addition, the elements of what makes a successful logo design as explained by David Airley in the book look Design Love, such as being relevant, and simplicity were explored in the first the first week of the course (2014).  

Skill 2: Weeks 1-2: Experimental Innovative Process

Category: Conceptual Occupational Skill

During week two, the logos were being fully developed and executed. One key concept Mr. Argo touched upon when he said, “don’t be afraid to kill babies,” is the idea of not being tied down to the first solution (2020). This concept is also explored by Adam Grant, in the book, The Originals, when exploring different creative processes (2016). The book explains how one creative process being an experimental innovator (2016). This process was demonstrated through the logo design. Overall, over seventy different logos were produced before creating a final product. This is a demonstration of both exhibiting innovative thinking and problem solving through trial and error.  

Skill 3: Week 2: Communication Through Typeface and Fonts

Category: Conceptual Occupational Skill

While design and developing the logo, the idea of using typeface to communicate was developed during week. Mr. Argo expressed during the first live session of the week, the concept of fonts communicating to the audience (2020). This idea was further explored through research.  In the chapter Creating Text Letters and Book Types, in the book Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces, authors Bruce Wiliam and Nolen Strays state the openness of a font can portray a friendliness to the typeface (2009). Another example of the typeface communicating different messages to the audience is the example of the type used in Janice Ramirez Arce’s logo design having a certain level of elegance as stated by Mr. Argo (2020). These ideas were executed in the logo development of KPO.  

Skill 4: Weeks 2: Audio Editing in Adobe Premiere Pro

Category: Technical Occupational Skill

One of the skills learned during week two of the mastery program was learning how edit audio in Adobe Premiere Pro. One function that was learned and utilized was editing the audio by assigning the layers to vocals or music. In addition, an effect was done to the voice audio layer as well as having the music adjust to the voice audio layer. These were all new skills acquired. It was a goal of mine from last term to become better at editing audio in Adobe Premiere Pro.  

Skill 5: Week 3: X indicator

Category: Conceptual Occupational Skill

One concept spoken of by Mr. Argo was the X indicator of how much space needs to be between a logo and the next object (2020). This was a new concept that was learned while creating the design brief and guide.  

Skill 6: Week 3: Design Brief

Category: Technical Occupational Skill

Creative the design brief is essential for passing down or communicating design guidelines to others who work with the brand.  

Skill 7: Week 3: 30 second Radio Edit

Category: Conceptual Occupational Skill

Editing is essential is making sure the commercial or content holds keeps the audience’s attention.  

Skill 8: Week 4: Layout

Category: Technical Occupational Skill

Viewing the layout of a page as a whole image or design is essential when attempting to create brand consistency as well as creating visual hierarchy as explained by Kristen Cullen in the book, Layout workbook: A real-world guide to building pages in graphic design (2018).

Skill 9: Week 4: Brand Retrospective

Category: Technical Occupational Skill

The brand retrospective is a great way to evaluate how effective a campaign is. This will be used in the near future in my current occupation in measuring design effectiveness.  

References

Airey, D. (2014). Chapter three. Elements of iconic design. In "Logo Design Love, Annotated and Expanded Edition, Second Edition". Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.

Argo, B. (2020, September 3). MDM650-O Week 1 Live Session. Lecture presented in Florida, Winter Park.

Argo, B. (2020, September 17). MDM650-O Week 3 Live Session. Lecture presented in Florida, Winter Park.

Cullen, K. (2018). Chapter 6: The Interaction of Visual Elements. In Layout workbook: A real-world guide to building pages in graphic design (0). Beverly,, MA: Rockport.

Gemba Academy. (2009). [Gemba Academy Logo]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.gembaacademy.com/

Grant, A. M., & Sandberg, S. (2016). Fools Rush In. In Originals: How non-conformists move the world (pp. 109-110). New York, NY: Viking.

Lean Sensei International. (2020). [Lean Sensei Academy Logo]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://leansensei.com/lean-academy/

Six Sigma Council Logo, S. (2020). [Six Sigma Council Logo]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.sixsigmacouncil.org/

Virginia Mason Institute (2020). [Virgina Mason Institute Logo]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.virginiamasoninstitute.org/

Willen, B. & Strals, N.  (2009). Creating Text Letters and Book Type. In Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces (1st Edition ed.). Hudson, NY: Architectural Press.

[dlbmdesign-blog]

Trabalho 2 - Bibliografia

Bibliografia que serviu de apoio à realização do Trabalho 2 (Tipografia):

WELSH, Irvine. Trainspotting. Vintage.

BRINGHURST, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Hartley & Marks Publishers.

LUPTON, Ellen.  Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students. Princeton Architectural Press.

BACELAR, Jorge. A Letra: Comunicação e Expressão. Livros LabCom.

HILLNER, Matthias. Basics Typography 01: Virtual Typography. Farchild Books.

KANE, John. A Type Primer. Laurence King.

WILLEN, Bruce. STRALS, Nolen. Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces. Princeton Architectural Press.

(Após esta nova revisão bibliográfica, foi adicionada nova informação à parte teórica da memória descritiva do trabalho)

[jasminwiniarski]

Type Specimen Poster

So what is a type specimen poster you ask?

These posters exist to show off, promote and advertise a typeface in an interesting and creative way. A good TSP should:

show different qualities/characteristics of a typeface

show the entire alphabet of said font: upper and lower case

display the typeface in different sizes so that the viewer can visualize the typeface

For this project we're also adding a little paragraph on the designer behind the typeface, about who they were and what else they might've created.

my typeface choice: Baskerville 

created in Photoshop

Research:

Pinterest: Type Specimen Poster

Books:

Just My Type-Simon Garfield

Thinking with Type-Ellen Lupton

Lettering & Type-Bruce Willen;Nolen Strals

8 Faces

About the creator: John Baskerville (-1706-1775)

John Baskervill was an English Businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer.

Baskerville is a serif typeface he designer in the 1750s, it is a more refined version of older typefaces, such as Caslon or Didot. His interest in calligraphy clearly influenced his work, what can be seen in the high contrast between thick and thin strokes in the typeface, this made the font seem more delicate and well balanced. (source:-Wikipedia)

[court2208]

Week 9 Reflections

FOUNDATIONS OF TYPOGRAPHY AND LAYOUT

It was interesting to get into the technicalities of a typeface and observe how different typefaces have been used throughout the years to communicate information in a certain domain. Rather than get into a list of these specifics and go on about the various typefaces, I shall instead share some additional insights I gained from a book on typefaces I found at home titled ‘Never Use More Than Two Different Typefaces And 50 Other Ridiculous Typography Rules’. I picked out sections I felt were more relevant to the content that was presented in this week’s lecture.

Image Source: Google Images 

Here are some rules that govern the world of typography which many designers rely on to achieve both legibility and readability. They can also be helpful tools for typography beginners when starting off. However, these are not meant to be hard and fast rules. Rather, they can serve as food for thought for designers as they go about experimenting with typography. In the words of David Jury, author of About Face: Reviving the Rules of Typography (2002), “Rules can be broken - but never ignored.”

1. Use a Grid

Grids provide both the framework and underlying structure

“Grids can save hours of manual adjusting, but they can become a nuisance. If you completely fix all of the text styles to the grid, you will be clumsily moving the blocks of texts over the page. It is best to adjust texts to grids only when the style truly needs it” Enric Jardí (1964), Spanish font and graphic designer

“The essential ingredients for good type design: using a grid, and knowing when to forsake it.” Timothy Donaldson, British type designer

2. Stick with (sans) serif

In general, serifs work well in long texts, while sans serif fonts best serve headings and captions

“The seriff may carry a burden of out-dated conventions, so applying serifs is risky when trying to avoid the swamp of traditions” Evert Bloemsma (1958-2005), Dutch type designer

“Serif typefaces do not usually have good bolds. It is better to replace them with sans serif.” Enric Jardí (1964), Spanish font and graphic designer

3. Create a strong hierarchy

Variation in face, colour, weight, size and position: all create a hierarchy and convey to the reader what matters most

“Make the most important information larger or bolder, or set it in another face to distinguish it from less important text. Varying fonts as well as text size and weight can also help set apart different types of material, but keep it simple. If each style doesn’t have a clear purpose, many different styles can be confusing.” Beth Tondreau, American designer

4. Consider the medium

“Times New Roman was designed for printing a newspaper, Helvetica for advertising. If you can’t or won’t use software that embeds your own fonts into the web page, at least use Cascading Style Sheets with fonts made for the screen, such as Verdana and Georgia, or bitmap fonts.” Erik Spiekermann (1947), German typographer and designer

“Almost all typefaces were devised for a specific medium. Always bear in mind how the one you have chosen will be reproduced” Enric Jardí (1964), Spanish font and graphic designer

5. (S)pace yourself

“if the spaces are wrong, it doesn’t matter what typeface it is, the whole thing will look bad,” warns British type designer Timothy Donaldson. So by all means: watch your tracks.

“Type designers consider the space between the letters as important as the forms of the letters themselves… A page of text is not only black lines on a white field but also a white space punctuated by black forms. Adjusting the side bearings of each letter orchestrates this interplay between positive and negative space, ultimately defining how a font looks, feels, and works.” Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals, authors of Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces (2009)

“Do not add extra space between lower-case letters. Unless you have a good reason for it, do not apply more tracking than necessary between lower-case letters.” Enric Jardí (1964), Spanish font and graphic designer

[baltimorecheckbook]

How I pursue design I'm passionate about

Nolen Strals, co-founder of Post Typography, says his firm only takes on clients he connects with on a personal level.

from https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2017/09/22/how-i-pursue-design-im-passionate-about.html?ana=RSS%26s=article_search

[miamibeerscene]

2SP Brewing Company Partners with Post Typography on Typö Pils

September 21, 2017

2SP Brewing Company, an award-winning craft brewery in the Philadelphia region, is partnering with Post Typography, a Baltimore-based creative studio, for a collaboration series of limited 16 oz. cans that will feature forgotten lettering, like 17th Century Italian calligraphy, and unappreciated lager styles, including pilsners and dunkels.

Typö Pils, the first beer of the Typography series, is a hoppy and bright 5.5% abv pilsner made with calypso and saphir hops. The Typö Pils label combines two Teutonic letter styles – Bauhaus-era modernism lettering with a Kurrentschrift style over top. Kurrentschrift, a nearly-forgotten lettering style, was popular in Germany in the early 20th Century, but was banned by the Third Reich.

(SEASONALS: Fall Beers will Make You Nostalgic)

On Friday, September 29, 2SP Brewing Company and Post Typography, who is also behind the branding and graphic identity of the Aston brewery, will host a Typö Pils Release Party at the 2SP Brewing Company Tasting Room from 6-10 pm. The 2SP Brewing Company and Post Typography teams will both be on-site to answer any questions about the collaboration.

Although lagers dominate the beer market in the United States, the German style of beer has been lacking in the craft beer realm. Today, there are few craft lagers available and more drinkers are wanting a style that is easy to drink, but with some depth.

“In an industry that champions IPAs over lagers, people are quiet about liking lagers and pilsners,” said Michael Contreras, Director of Marketing and Sales for 2SP Brewing Company. “Nolen Strals at Post Typography thought the same thing about different styles of fonts so we wanted to work together on a project to make these styles great again.”

(COOK WITH BEER: Our Favorite Recipes with Pumpkin Beer)

The Typö Pils will be available at The Tasting Room at the 2SP Brewing Company brewery in Aston, PA, as well as select bars throughout the region.

 “Both the design and style of the Typö Pils are more dynamic than as imagined,” said Nolen Strals, partner of Post Typography. “The beer represents how two seemingly different companies can work together to bring back what they are most passionate about: redeeming taste.”

Contact Info

Company: PUNCH Media Contact: Emily Marmion Email: emilym@punchmedia.biz

The post 2SP Brewing Company Partners with Post Typography on Typö Pils appeared first on Miami Beer Scene.

from 2SP Brewing Company Partners with Post Typography on Typö Pils

[primitiveofferings]

Please enjoy these pics I just found of the “Rough Language” shoe from CCAS a million years ago.

[thesearenotphotographs]

Double Dagger and Ami Dang at The Ottobar

On Friday, October 15, 2021, Baltimore band Double Dagger played their first show in nearly a decade at The Ottobar. The trio were supported by Ami Dang who performed her first set in 18 months.

Double Dagger was a band I got to see live many times beginning in 2007. A guy I started seeing who lived in the Washington, DC area recommended them to me. Once I heard their music, I immediately became a fan and would sometimes schedule visiting him around their shows (like seeing them at Hampdenfest that same year, or at Rock and Roll Hotel in DC in 2008) or see them around New York City (at places like NYU, Glasslands Gallery, Shea Stadium, and Death by Audio). The same guy who suggested that I listen to Double Dagger moved to New York in 2008 and we would then attend these shows together locally until the band broke up in 2011. When their reunion shows were announced in late August, we quickly made the decision to head down to Baltimore once a friend said she would make the drive from Brooklyn (thank you again, Stephanie!).

It was truly wonderful to see Double Dagger perform live again. They’re a band that was at the beginning of my relationship with Eric (who is now my husband) and I’ll always love them for that.

It was also wonderful to be around so many people I hadn’t seen in person in a really long time. These friends and fellow Double Dagger fans who now reside in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Austin, it was really cool to leave New York state for the first time since February 2020 and talk to them and hug them again safely.

A recap of the Friday, October 15th show is now available on BrooklynVegan here.

I took some photos at their second reunion show on Saturday on film along with some portraits on Sunday afternoon before we headed back to Brooklyn and those will be posted here hopefully soon.

[unbooking-blog]

Flyer by Nolen Strals, CLICK!!

[rockhyrax]

Double Dagger headlining the Impose CMJ party at DBA, Fall 2008. 

[lostprofiles]

MAKE IT BETTER: Album Design in the 21st Century Panel Discussion w/ Post Typography and Jacob Speis (Relapse Records)

Inscape Theatre / Greenspring Campus Stevenson University 1525 Greenspring Valley Rd. Stevenson, MD 5:30 Reception / 6:30 Panel Discussion

"Peter Saville, the house designer for Factory Records (Joy Division, New Order, etc.), said that his mantra for album design is to "Make it better". On this panel we will hear from current album designers about their work and their approach in the 21st century to designing the album and beyond." Moderated by Professor Terence Hannum More about the panel: POST TYPOGRAPHY: Founding partners Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen have collaborated on design, art, and music projects for more than twelve years, beginning with hand-printed concert posters and progressing to higher profile design and illustration projects for clients such as The New York Times, U.S. Green Building Council, John Legend & The Roots, and Random House. Strals and Willen are authors of Lettering & Type, a book on lettering and typeface design, published by Princeton Architectural Press, and they currently teach classes in design and typography at the Maryland Institute College of Art. They have lectured at the Cooper Union, Minneapolis College of Art & Design, and Harvard University among others, and have contributed to the Baltimore music scene for many years (most notably with the influential punk band Double Dagger). (http://www.posttypography.com/) JACOB SPEIS: is an in house designer at Relapse Records. Relapse Records is based in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, Relapse Records is world-renowned for its diversity and dedication to decidedly left-of-center music. Relapse sidesteps the trends of the day. In the fourteen years since the label's inception, Relapse has established itself as a fan's label - one that combines an enthusiasm for providing extreme music fans with the highest quality, most well-packaged releases with a forward-thinking musical foresight. (http://www.relapse.com/)

[mutantfunnies]

Said What?: Beer On The Bus - overheard by Nolen Strals, drawn by Sam Spina