On Elegance

Elegant ideas — products, services, performances, strategies, whatever — all have some degree of these four elements: symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainability. Guy Kawasaki interviews Matthew E. May on his recent book: The Pursuit of Elegance. +.

The Road to Clarity

NYT on typographical changes in American road signs: an article and slideshow. [via: notcot]

Debbie Millman on designing brands

“When designing brands, I believe the identity should be as simple as possible, telegraphic and single-minded.” Debbie Millman on designing brands.

Next Dinn

Sensing a deluge of font overexplotation, nonetheless introducing: DIN Next™ by Akira Kobayashi. Noteworthy alternative to FF DIN or a dozen other dins.

On writing (habitually and well)

Notes in the margin of Design Writing Research & On Writing Well: The Economist Style Guide (the title speaks for itself) and How we work: “We’re interested in the habits, rituals and small (and occasionally big) methods people and teams use to get their work done. And in the specific anecdotes and the way people describe their own relationship to their own work. Here’s a list of some stories and habits.”

2009 ReBrand Awards

So you know: The full listing of 2009 ReBrand 100 Global Awards Winning Brands. In rare cases even a crappy logo can’t hinder well-crafted identity system. Though, for others there’s no hope.

TDC² 2009 Winners

The Type Directors Club 2009 Winners: 18 winning entries and Typography 29 Winners.

Paola Antonelli: Core principles

“Design takes into account people’s needs and concerns, helping them live better within the broad context of the world; it maximizes the available means to achieve the most satisfying outcome, and produces culture in the process.”
Paola Antonelli: Core Principles: How science can help form a theory of design.

Typographic Posters

We intend to become a good resource of graphic and typographic posters to serve all your research needs – either historical or inspirational. So, here you have it: typographicposters.com .

Paul Rand

Should a logo be self-explanatory? It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes. Paul Rands’ Thoughts on Design. [via subtraction.com]