A lesser-known founding [fonting] father

Mr. Caslon's first name isn't Adobe. It's William and he is, essentially, one of our founding fathers. Though I'm speaking for those of us in the graphic design community and not of the rest of the United States per say, William Caslon did end up influencing the image of that famous document to which we owe our freedom today.

During the last days of June 1776, the men we know as our founding fathers (Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and the rest) wrote, re-wrote and revised a document that finally became known as our official Declaration of Independence on the morning of July 4th. Later that day, Congress ordered the first printed text of the Declaration. This printed version (referred to as the "Dunlap Broadside") was set primarily in Caslon typefaces. 

William Caslon (1692-1766) created what is cited as the first original typeface of English origin. Today there are many revivals and variations of the Caslon typefaces, all of which are solid standards for designers and printers to turn to for printed communication. Personally, I find nothing better for body copy and many design choices, as exemplified in all of my Little Black Mask marketing materials being set in Adobe Caslon Pro. 

So on this 4th of July I not only honor our countries' founding fathers — who I thank for their incomparable bravery, genius, perseverace, sacrifice and vision — but I also tip my hat to William Caslon, an engraver, a craftsman, designer and artist who helped shape the way we see the printed word today.

Trendspotting: retro-ish logo fonts

How much do you believe in coincidence?  The following logos have recently cropped up independently of each other:

These companies are not connected by ownership, so it's just a total "coincidence" that they are retro script words. They are similar though — all three are photo/video sharing sites, each with a twist of their own. To be fair, the above Instagram logo is not their latest. They have since redesigned their logo. It's Soooo different now, see:

Of these three, I'd say the Instagram one has the least longevity. Somehow they went backward into future of the 90's with the redesign. It's not as clean and mod as the first and it's not far back enough to be cool. At least the other two have customized to indicate their product — Pinterest with the pinpoint on the P and Vine being one connected vine. 

I don't know exactly what it is that causes creative industries seem to come up with multiples of one theme at the same time,  but I wouldn't call it coincidence.

I confess: I suck at recycling

That's a pretty big confession for a superhero who wants to save the world, but I do suck at recycling. It's true. I'm a part of the problem, even if I am a part of the solution too.

It isn't that I don't care. It isn't that I don't make an effort. It's that I don't go far enough out of my way. My town doesn't pick up recycling so I have to separate and haul it. I do some, but not all. I'm no better than anyone else in this lazy society.

For example, I have lots of cloth bags for shopping. I carry them around in my car everywhere I go. I park my car, go into the grocery store, load up on groceries that are come in excessive packaging and wheel up to the checkout. "Paper or plastic?" Dammit! I realize that I forgot the bags in the car. Again. Head bowed in shame, I mutter a quiet "Plastic" as I picture the mountain of plastic grocery bags shoved to the side of my refrigerator at home. I do bring them in for recycling eventually, but still, they shouldn't even be there!

The truth is, recycling isn't enough. Something else needs to happen, too. Abstinence. If we abstain from using the plastic bag, we don't have to take it to be recycled. If we buy digital movies, we won't have any packaging. I still buy dvd's so I would like a redesign on dvd and game packaging. I really enjoy the covers, being a movie buff and a graphic designer. Can't the dvd's come in a sleeve, which can be put into a binder?

I just went through and pulled out the cover and dvd from about 60 or 70% of my movies, so I can put them into one binder. That mountain of plastic cases all fits into one shoebox, packed loosely even. I had to spend some time searching online, but I finally found a company who makes holders with tall pages {see sleeves here} so I can see the covers {see case here}. Now that I saved myself all that space, I'm left with the waste to figure out where to take for recycling.

It doesn't quite seem like enough, does it?